System, server, control method for the same, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: restricting printing according to the installation location of a printing instrument increases the burden on a manager.SOLUTION: An image processing server 102 extracts, from image data to be printed, data prescribed in advance from the viewpoint of security risk (S401-S403), on the basis of a result of the extraction, specifies a job for printing image data that requires a manager's determination for printing (S404-S407), and when the manager's determination for the specified job indicates that the image data can be printed depending on an installation environment, determines if the job can print the image data on the basis of information indicating an installation environment acquired from a printing instrument used for the printing (S408).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, a server, a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As working styles become more diverse, the installation environments and usage of printing devices are also becoming more diverse, for example, printing at home when working from home, printing in public spaces such as shared offices, etc. Therefore, there is a demand for appropriate printing control of confidential documents based on the installation environment of the printing device.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a technique in which print restriction information, such as printable locations, is linked in advance to document data, and printing is permitted only on printing devices that satisfy the conditions of the print restriction information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-128157 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to create print restriction information including a printable installation environment linked to document data in advance. Therefore, the administrator needs to specify a printable installation environment for all documents that may be requested to be printed. This is a heavy burden for the administrator and has problems in usability.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a mechanism that makes it possible to reduce the risk of information leakage due to the installation environment of a printing device without compromising convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a system having a printing device and a server that manages printing on the printing device, wherein the server has an extraction means that extracts data that is pre-defined from the perspective of security risks from image data to be printed, an identification means that identifies a job for printing image data that requires an administrator's judgment regarding printing based on the results of the extraction, and a determination means that, when the administrator's judgment on the identified job indicates that it is printable due to the installation environment, determines whether the job is printable based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risk of information leakage due to the installation environment of a printing device without compromising convenience. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image processing server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of an image processing server. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a risk detection process according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating details of character recognition processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart illustrating details of a confidential information detection process according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a printing process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a printable job list screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a job list screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a risk detection process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a risk detection process according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a risk detection process according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a job list screen and a warning screen according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image processing system according to this embodiment. The image processing system of this embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 101 as a printing device, an image processing server 102 , an information processing terminal 103 , an administrator terminal 104 , a confidential keyword database 111 , a personal information database 112 , and an organization setting database 113 .

[0012] An image forming apparatus 101, an image processing server 102, an information processing terminal 103, and an administrator terminal 104 are interconnected via a network 105 and are capable of communicating with each other. The image processing server 102, the confidential keyword database 111, the personal information database 112, and the organization setting database 113 are interconnected via a network 110 and are capable of communicating with each other.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 101 has a function of executing a print job received from the image processing server 102. The image forming apparatus 101 holds information about its own installation environment. In this embodiment, the installation environment is classified into six types according to security level, for example, in-house, at home, public space, direct connection to the Internet, Internet prohibited, and highly confidential information management. The installation environment is not limited to these six types, and may include any other installation environment.

[0014] Each installation environment will be explained below. In terms of the installation environment, "inside the company" refers to, for example, a company intranet environment with entrance control, a firewall, and an Internet connection. "Home" refers, for example, to a telecommuting environment with no access control and a private network. A "public space" is an environment such as a shared office or convenience store that has no access control and no private network. "Direct connection to the Internet" refers to a special environment within a company, for example, where there is access control and no firewalls. "No Internet access" refers to a special environment within a company, for example, where there is access control, a firewall, and no Internet access. "Highly confidential information management" refers to a special environment in which highly confidential information is handled, for example.

[0015] The image processing server 102 acquires an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103 based on a processing instruction from a user, and inspects the image data. Here, the input job is a processing unit received by the image processing server 102 from the information processing terminal 103, and includes a link to image data, user information, etc. The input job may also include any other information.

[0016] Furthermore, the image processing server 102 classifies the results of the above-mentioned image data inspection into the following job types and manages them as print jobs. Here, a print job is a processing unit that compiles the inspected image data and meta-information associated with the image data, and in this embodiment includes image data, installation environment in which printing is possible, job type, etc. Also, a print job may include any other information.

[0017] Here, the job type is information that indicates the type of print job that is assigned as a result of inspecting the image data. In this embodiment, the job types of the print jobs are, for example, four types: printable, administrator's decision required, printable depending on the installation environment, and not printable. Note that the job types are not limited to these four types, and may include any other job types.

[0018] Each job type will be described below. In the job type, "printable" indicates that printing is possible in any installation environment. "Administrator's decision required" indicates that a second sorting is required, and printing is not possible in this state. "Printing possible depending on the installation environment" indicates that printing is possible only in a permitted installation environment, and printing is not possible in any other installation environment. "Printing not possible" means that printing is not possible in any installation environment.

[0019] After distributing the print jobs to the job types described above based on the image data inspection results as described above, the image processing server 102 acquires the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 101 and determines whether the print job can be printed based on the installation environment. Then, only if printing is possible, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits the image data to the image forming apparatus 101. That is, the image processing server 102 acquires an input job, inspects image data included in the input job, distributes the input job to print jobs of the above-mentioned job types based on the inspection results, judges whether the print job can be printed in the installation environment, and transmits only the print jobs that are judged to be printable to the image forming apparatus 101. Details will be described later.

[0020] The image processing server 102, the information processing terminal 103, and the administrator terminal 104 are, for example, general-purpose computers such as a server computer, a personal computer (PC), etc. The network 105 is, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), etc.

[0021] The confidential keyword database 111 holds general confidential keywords that are often included in confidential documents, such as "confidential" and "not for external use." The personal information database 112 holds keywords corresponding to personal information such as "Kimura" or "Yokohama City" and regular expression patterns corresponding to personal information such as "(3 digit number)-(4 digit number)-(4 digit number)". Here, the keywords for personal information may include employee information and customer information of an organization. The data stored in the confidential keyword database 111 and the personal information database 112 is data that has been predefined in terms of security risks.

[0022] The organization setting database 113 holds keywords and keyword groups that the administrator wants to detect from documents, and risk level conditions. Here, a keyword group is a specific keyword group that can be given any name and handled. For example, if the keyword group of "business strategy", "sales planning", and "customer information" is grouped as a keyword group called "confidential", and "confidential" is specified as the keyword group, the keyword group will be included in the detection target. Here, the risk level is a numerical representation of the risk of a document. For example, it may be the frequency of appearance of confidential keywords or personal information, or it may be calculated by any other method. The risk level condition is, for example, "risk level is 5 or more".

[0023] In addition, if a keyword set in the organization setting database 113 does not exist in the confidential keyword database 111, the keyword is newly added to the confidential keyword database 111. In other words, the keyword set in the organization setting database 113 is automatically added to the confidential keyword database 111. It should be noted that confidential information is information that needs to be kept confidential, such as a company's own confidential information, another company's confidential information, or personal information.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image processing server 102. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing server 102 includes a control unit 220 , a communication unit 225 , a display unit 226 , an operation unit 227 , and a storage unit 228 .

[0025] The control unit 220 includes a CPU 221, a ROM 222, a RAM 223, and an input / output interface (I / O) 224, and these units are connected to each other via a bus. The CPU 221 realizes various controls by reading and executing various programs stored in the ROM 22 or the storage unit 228 as necessary. The ROM 222 stores the control programs executed by the CPU 221, data, and the like. The RAM 223 is used as a working area for the CPU 221 . A communication unit 225, a display unit 226, an operation unit 227, and a storage unit 228 are connected to the I / O 224. Each of these functional units is capable of communicating with the CPU 221 via the I / O 224.

[0026] The communication unit 225 is an interface that connects the image processing server 102 to the network 105 . A liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display is used as the display unit 226, for example. The display unit 226 may be integrated with a touch panel. The operation unit 227 is, for example, a device for inputting operations, such as a keyword or a mouse. The display unit 226 and the operation unit 227 receive various instructions from the user for the image processing server 102. The display unit 226 displays various information such as the results of processing executed in response to instructions received from the user and notifications regarding the processing.

[0027] As an example of the storage unit 228, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, etc. are used. An operating system (OS) and an information processing program 229 (not shown), various other programs, data, etc. are stored in the storage unit 228. The CPU 221 reads out various programs such as the information processing program 229 stored in the storage unit 228 into the RAM 223 as necessary and executes them.

[0028] The information processing terminal 103 and the administrator terminal 104 also have the same hardware configuration as the image processing server 102 shown in FIG. The image processing server 102 may be realized by one computer or by multiple computers. For example, the image processing server 102 may be realized by using cloud computing technology.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the image processing server 102. As shown in FIG. The information processing program 229 has a main processing unit 301 , a request transmission / reception unit 302 , an image processing unit 303 , a confidential information detection processing unit 304 , a filtering processing unit 305 , a job type updating unit 306 , a print job list creation unit 307 , and a print data generation unit 308 . The CPU 221 executes the information processing program 229 to realize the functions of 301 to 308.

[0030] The main processing unit 301 has a general function for processing related to the functions of the information processing program 229 . The request transmission / reception unit 302 receives an input job from the information processing terminal 103 and transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 101. When confidential information is detected in the confidential information detection process, the request transmission / reception unit 302 notifies the administrator terminal 104 that confidential information has been detected. The request transmission / reception unit 302 also communicates with the confidential keyword database 111, the personal information database 112, and the organization setting database 113, and acquires information held in these databases.

[0031] The image processing unit 303 extracts character strings from the image data. The confidential information detection processing unit 304 searches whether the character string contains a confidential keyword stored in the confidential keyword database 111 or personal information stored in the personal information database 112, and extracts the corresponding keyword. In addition, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 calculates a risk level from the extracted keyword.

[0032] The filtering processing unit 305 judges whether the keyword and the risk level satisfy the conditions of the keyword and the risk level stored in the organization setting database 113, and determines the job type of the print job according to the judgment. A job type update unit 306 receives an operation from the administrator and determines the job type of the print job. A print job list creation unit 307 creates a list of printable print jobs based on the installation environment. A print data generator 308 generates image data for the print job that is to be printed.

[0033] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. As shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 101 includes a ROM 11, a RAM 12, a CPU 13, a network communication unit 14, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, a scanner unit 17, a printer unit 18, and the like.

[0034] The ROM 11 stores the control program executed by the CPU 13, data tables, an operating system (OS) program, and the like. The RAM 12 is also used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 13, and serves as a receiving buffer for temporarily storing print jobs received from the image processing server 102, and stores various types of information.

[0035] The CPU 13 is a system control unit, and is a central processing unit for controlling each unit in the image forming apparatus 101. The CPU 13 performs various controls by reading and executing programs stored in the ROM 11 or the like. The network communication unit 14 connects to a network such as the Internet or a local area network, and communicates with other devices.

[0036] The display unit 15 is composed of an LED (light emitting diode), an LCD (liquid crystal display), and the like, and displays data and notifies the status of the image forming apparatus 101. The operation unit 16 is made up of switches, hard keys, etc., for the user to perform various input operations. It is also possible to configure the display unit 15 to function as an operation unit for performing input operations, such as a touch panel. The display unit 15 and the operation unit 16 together constitute an operation panel. The scan function is realized by the scanner unit 17, and the print function is realized by the print unit 18. The above-mentioned components are connected to one another via a system bus 19, and are capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from one another.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the risk detection process of the first embodiment. The processes shown in Fig. 4 and Figs. 5 to 7 described later are performed, for example, by the CPU 221 reading various programs including the information processing program 229 stored in the storage unit 228 into the RAM 223 as necessary and executing them. Note that the process of this flowchart is started when the image processing server 102 receives an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103.

[0038] In S401, the main processing unit 301 accepts an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and stores the input jobs in the storage unit 228. Here, in order to accept a plurality of input jobs and process them sequentially, the input jobs are stored in, for example, a queue structure. Next, in S402, the image processing unit 303 acquires one of the submitted jobs from the storage unit 228 and performs character recognition processing on the acquired job. Details of the character recognition processing (S402) will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the character recognition process (S402) of this embodiment. In S501, the image processing unit 303 refers to a link to image data of an input job and acquires image data from the storage unit 228. If the image data is in a format such as PDL (Page Description Language) or PDF (Portable Document Format), the image processing unit 303 performs rendering to generate the image data.

[0040] Next, in S502, the image processing unit 303 binarizes the image acquired in S501 above to generate a binary image. Here, the binarization of an image is a process of converting a color image into a binary image, for example, into black and white, and the conversion method is not particularly limited.

[0041] Next, in S503, the image processing unit 303 performs BS on the binary image generated in S502 above. BS (Block Selection) is a process for extracting a rectangular area indicating the location of a character string from an image.

[0042] Next, in S504, the image processing unit 303 performs OCR using the binary image generated in S502 and the rectangular area extracted in S503. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a process for extracting character strings from an image. In this embodiment, character string area information is generated by combining the rectangular area and the character string. The character string area information holds information on one or more character string areas. After the process of S503, the process of this flowchart ends and the process returns to the process of FIG.

[0043] 5 is completed, in S403, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 extracts character strings corresponding to confidential keywords or personal information from the character strings extracted in S402, and calculates a risk level. Details of the confidential information detection processing (S403) will now be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the confidential information detection process (S403) of this embodiment. In S601 , the confidential information detection processing unit 304 acquires keywords and regular expression patterns from the confidential keyword database 111 and the personal information database 112 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 .

[0045] Next, in S602, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 searches whether the keyword acquired in S601 is included in the character string extracted from the image in S402, and adds the included keyword to the detected keywords. Similarly, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 searches whether the regular expression pattern acquired in S601 is included in the character string, and adds the included keyword to the detected keywords. The detected keywords are initialized at the start of this flowchart and are stored in the RAM 223.

[0046] Next, in S603, the confidential information detection processor 304 calculates the risk level for the image using the above-mentioned detection keywords. The calculation method may be, for example, the total number of detection keywords or the frequency of occurrence of the detection keywords relative to the number of character strings. In addition, the risk level may be calculated using any other method. After the process of S603, the process of this flowchart ends and the process returns to the process of FIG.

[0047] When the confidential information detection process (S403) shown in FIG. 6 is completed, the filtering processing unit 305 performs a primary filtering process in S404. In the primary filtering process, the filtering processing unit 305 checks the detection keywords and risk level extracted in S403 against the detection settings (keywords, keyword groups, and risk level conditions held in the organization setting database 113), and divides the job type of the print job into two types: "printable" and "administrator's decision required." This will be described in more detail below. First, the filtering processing unit 305 acquires the keywords and keyword groups to be detected and the risk level conditions from the organization setting database 113 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Next, the filtering processing unit 305 determines whether the keywords and keyword groups to be detected correspond to the detection keywords extracted in S403, and if so, sets the job type of the print job to "administrator's decision required," and if not, sets the job type to "printable." In addition, the filtering processing unit 305 judges whether the risk level calculated in S403 satisfies the condition of the risk level to be detected, and if so, sets the job type of the print job to "administrator's decision required", and if not, sets the job type to "printable". In this way, the job type of the print job is divided into two types, "printable" and "administrator's decision required". Here, the keyword and risk level judgment may be either an and condition or an or condition. For example, if at least one of the keyword judgment and the risk level judgment is satisfied, the job type of the print job may be set to "administrator's decision required", and if neither the keyword judgment nor the risk level judgment is satisfied, the job type of the print job may be set to "printable". In addition, if both the keyword judgment and the risk level judgment are satisfied, the job type of the print job may be set to "administrator's decision required", and if at least one of the keyword judgment and the risk level judgment is not satisfied, the job type of the print job may be set to "printable".

[0048] In S405, the filtering processing unit 305 stores in the storage unit 228 the print jobs allocated in S404. Table 1 is an example of the print job stored in S405 of FIG. 4, and in this embodiment, the print job is recorded in a table structure.

[0049] [Table 1]

[0050] A print job has information such as a job ID, a job name, a link to image data, a job type, an installation environment in which printing is possible, and user information. A print job may also include any other information. Each piece of information included in a print job will be described below.

[0051] The job ID is an identification number for each print job. The job name is the file name of the image. The link to the image data is a link that references the image data stored in the memory unit 228. The job types in Table 1 are the two types of job types, "printable" and "administrator's decision required", that are assigned in S404 described above. The printable installation environment is information that specifies the installation environment in which the print job can be printed. For example, if the job type is "printable", "anywhere" is stored in the printable installation environment. For example, if the job type is "administrator's decision required", printing is restricted in any installation environment until the administrator's decision is received, so the printable installation environment is left blank. The user information is the identification number of the user who submitted the data.

[0052] Next, in S406, the main processing unit 301 determines whether the job type of the print job saved in S405 above is "administrator's decision required." If the job type is not "administrator's decision required" (i.e., "printable") (No in S406), the main processing unit 301 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0053] On the other hand, if the job type is "administrator's decision required" (Yes in S406), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S407. In S407, the main processing unit 301 notifies the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 that the print job saved in S405 above "requires administrator's decision."

[0054] Next, in S408, the job type update unit 306 updates the job type of the stored print job (secondary filtering) based on the administrator's operation accepted at the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and ends the processing of this flowchart. In this secondary filtering, the job type update unit 306 classifies print jobs whose job type is "administrator's decision required" into "printable," "printable depending on the installation environment," and "unprintable." If the job type is "printable depending on the installation environment," the unit simultaneously stores the installation environment in which printing is possible based on the administrator's operation accepted by the administrator terminal 104.

[0055] Table 2 shows an example of how print jobs stored in S405 are distributed in response to an administrator's operation. [Table 2]

[0056] For example, a print job whose printable installation environment is "in-house" indicates that printing is possible only when the installation environment of the image forming device 101 is in-house. For example, a print job whose printable installation environment is "in-house, at home" indicates that printing is possible only when the installation environment of the image forming device 101 is in-house or at home. For jobs that cannot be printed, the printable installation environment is left blank to restrict printing in any installation environment.

[0057] The flow of printing image data in the first embodiment will be described below. 7 is a flowchart for explaining print processing in the first embodiment. This processing starts when the image processing server 102 receives a print request command from the image forming apparatus 101 that has received a user operation (i.e., when a predetermined access is made from the image forming apparatus 101). For example, when a predetermined user operation is performed from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 101, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits the print request command to the address of the image processing server 102 that has been registered in advance.

[0058] In S701, the print job list creation unit 307 acquires the installation environment and user information of the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 101 stores information about the installation environment in advance. This information about the installation environment can be set by, for example, an administrator. In addition, the image forming apparatus 101 identifies the user operating the apparatus and holds the user information. This information is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 101 to the image processing server 102 in response to a request from the image processing server 102.

[0059] In S702, the print job list creation unit 307 creates a printable job list based on the installation environment and user information acquired in S701. Here, the acquired installation environment satisfies the conditions of a printable installation environment and the print jobs with matching user information are added to the printable job list. Note that image data is not added to the printable job list in order to reduce the possibility of information leakage and the amount of network communication. For example, if the acquired installation environment is "in-house" and the user information is "AAA4567", in the example of Table 2, print jobs with job IDs 2, 3, and 4 are added to the printable job list. For example, if the acquired installation environment is "home" and the user information is "AAA4567", in the example of Table 2, print jobs with job IDs 2 and 4 are added to the printable job list.

[0060] Next, in S703, the print job list creation unit 307 generates a printable job list screen based on the printable job list created in S702. Furthermore, the print job list creation unit 307 transmits the printable job list screen to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Upon receiving the printable job list screen, the image forming apparatus 101 displays the printable job list screen and accepts user operations. Here, the printable job list screen will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0061] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a printable job list screen displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 101 in the first embodiment. The printable job list screen 800 is configured with image forming device information 801 and a printable job list 802. Note that the printable job list screen 800 may include any other screen configuration.

[0062] The image forming device information 801 displays, for example, identification information of the user who operates the image forming device 101, information on the installation environment, etc. Note that the image forming device information 801 may display any other information.

[0063] The printable job list created in S702 of Fig. 7 is displayed (presented) in the printable job list 802. Each print job in the printable job list has a corresponding print button 803. Note that any other information may be displayed in the printable job list 802.

[0064] When the image forming apparatus 101 receives a user pressing operation of the print button 803 of any of the jobs displayed in the printable job list 802 (selection operation of the job to be printed), the image forming apparatus 101 transmits information of the print job corresponding to the user operation (selection information such as the job ID of the print job corresponding to the pressed print button 803) to the image processing server 102. When the image processing server 102 receives this information, the process proceeds to the next step S704, and executes print processing of the print job corresponding to the information (i.e., the print job selected from the printable job list) (details will be described later).

[0065] Note that here, a case has been described in which the image processing server 102 generates the printable job list screen 800 and transmits it to the image forming apparatus 101. However, a configuration may also be adopted in which the image processing server 102 transmits the printable job list to the image forming apparatus 101, and the image forming apparatus 101 generates and displays the printable job list screen 800 based on the printable job list.

[0066] Returning now to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. In S704, the print data generation unit 308 receives the job ID of the print job that the user wants to print from the printable job list from the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Next, the print data generation unit 308 obtains image data associated with this job ID from the storage unit 228.

[0067] Next, in S705, the print data generation unit 308 transmits a print job including the image data acquired in S704 to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and ends the process of this flowchart. The image forming apparatus 101 executes the print job received from the image processing server 102 and performs printing.

[0068] As described above, in the first embodiment, the image processing server manages whether or not a document that is requested to be printed can be printed, including the installation environment in which the document can be printed, and creates a printable list based on the installation environment of the printing device. This allows the administrator to perform secure and flexible print control specifying the installation environment for documents that include confidential information, and allows the user to check which documents can be printed on the printing device that the user wants to use.

[0069] Second Embodiment In the above first embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a job list of jobs that can be printed by an image forming device that has received a print request command among jobs for which risk has been detected is sent to the image forming device. In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which printability information for each job is added to a job list of all jobs for which risk has been detected and sent to the image forming device. In addition, in describing this embodiment, explanations of parts that are the same as the first embodiment in terms of configuration and processing procedures will be simplified, and differences will be mainly described.

[0070] The flow of printing image data in the second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining print processing of the second embodiment. The processing shown in Fig. 9 is performed, for example, by CPU 221 reading various programs including information processing program 229 stored in storage unit 228 into RAM 223 as necessary and executing them. Note that the processing of this flowchart starts when image processing server 102 receives a print request command from image forming apparatus 101 that has been operated by a user.

[0071] In S901, the print job list creation unit 307 acquires the installation environment and user information of the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, similarly to S701 in FIG. Next, in S902, the print job list creation unit 307 adds print jobs that match the user information acquired in S901 to the job list, and creates a job list for which the user has submitted and risk detection has been performed. At this time, the print job list creation unit 307 checks each print job against the installation environment acquired in S901 to determine whether it is printable, and adds printability information. Note that image data is not added to the job list in order to reduce the possibility of information leakage and the amount of network communication. Also, the job list must include the installation environment in which printing is possible. For example, if the acquired user information is "AAA4567", in the example of Table 2, print jobs with job IDs 2, 3, 4, and 5 are added to the job list, including printability information. Here, if the acquired installation environment is "home", in the example of Table 2, the printability information of print jobs with job IDs 2 and 4 is set to "yes", and the printability information of print jobs with job IDs 3 and 5 is set to "no".

[0072] In S903, the print job list creation unit 307 generates a job list screen based on the job list created in S902. Furthermore, the print job list creation unit 307 transmits the job list screen to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Here, the job list screen of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0073] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a job list screen displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 101 in the second embodiment. The job list screen 1000 is configured with image forming device information 1001 and a job list 1002. Note that the job list screen 1000 may include any other screen configuration.

[0074] The image forming apparatus information 1001 displays, for example, identification information of the user who operates the image forming apparatus 101, information on the installation environment, etc. Note that the image forming apparatus information 1001 may display any other information.

[0075] The job list created in S902 of Fig. 9 is displayed in job list 1002. Job list 1002 is composed of job name 1003, printability information 1004, printable installation environment 1005, print button 1006, etc. Note that job list 1002 may also include any other information.

[0076] The job name 1003 is the file name of the print job. The printability information 1004 indicates whether the print job is printable on the image forming apparatus 101 (i.e., indicates the result of the printability determination made by the image processing server 102). The printable installation environment 1005 indicates the installation environment in which the print job is printable. Note that if the printable installation environment 1005 is left blank, it indicates that printing is not possible in any installation environment. For print jobs whose printability information 1004 is "yes", a print button 1006 is displayed. On the other hand, for print jobs whose printability information 1004 is "no", the print button 1006 is not displayed. In other words, a print job whose printability information 1004 is "no" cannot be selected as a job to be printed. When the image forming apparatus 101 receives a user pressing operation of the print button 1006 of any of the jobs displayed in the job list 1002, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits information of the print job corresponding to the user operation (such as the job ID of the print job corresponding to the pressed print button 1006) to the image processing server 102. When the image processing server 102 receives this information, the process proceeds to the next step S904, where the image processing server 102 executes the print process of the print job corresponding to the information (details will be described later).

[0077] Note that here, a case has been described in which the image processing server 102 generates the job list screen 1000 and transmits it to the image forming apparatus 101. However, a configuration in which the image processing server 102 transmits a job list to the image forming apparatus 101, and the image forming apparatus 101 generates and displays the job list screen 1000 based on the job list, may also be used.

[0078] Returning now to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. 7, the print data generation unit 308 receives the job ID of the print job that the user wants to print from the job list from the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Next, the print data generation unit 308 obtains image data associated with this job ID from the storage unit 228.

[0079] 7, the print data generation unit 308 transmits a print job including the image data acquired in S904 to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and ends the process of this flowchart. The image forming apparatus 101 executes the print job received from the image processing server 102 and performs printing.

[0080] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the user can view a list of all jobs for which risk has been detected, including jobs for which printing is not possible. This allows the user to check the status of a submitted job after risk detection and the installation environment in which the job can be printed, improving convenience.

[0081] Third Embodiment In the above second embodiment, a configuration was described in which the state of a job submitted from an information processing device after risk detection and the installation environment in which the job can be printed are confirmed in the image forming device. In the third embodiment, a configuration is described in which the state of a job submitted from an information processing device after risk detection and the installation environment in which the job can be printed are confirmed in the information processing device that sent the job. In addition, in describing this embodiment, the description of the parts in which the configuration and processing procedures are the same as those in the first and second embodiments will be simplified, and the description will focus on the parts that are different.

[0082] Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the risk detection process of the third embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 11 is performed, for example, by the CPU 221 reading various programs including the information processing program 229 stored in the storage unit 228 into the RAM 223 as necessary and executing them. Note that the process of this flowchart is started when the image processing server 102 receives an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103.

[0083] S1101 to S1108 are similar to S401 to S408 in FIG. 4, and therefore will be briefly described below. In S1101 , the main processing unit 301 accepts an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 , and stores them in the storage unit 228 . Next, in S1102, the image processing unit 303 acquires one of the submitted jobs from the storage unit 228 and performs character recognition processing. Next, in S1103, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 extracts character strings corresponding to confidential keywords or personal information from the character strings extracted in S1102 above, and calculates a risk level.

[0084] Next, in S1104, the filtering processing unit 305 checks the detection keyword and risk level extracted in S1103 against the detection settings, and classifies the job type of the print job into two types: printable and administrator's decision required. In S1105, the filtering processing unit 305 stores in the storage unit 228 the print jobs allocated in S1104.

[0085] In S1106, the main processing unit 301 determines whether the job type of the print job saved in S1105 requires administrator decision. If the job requires administrator decision (Yes in S1106), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1107. On the other hand, if the job does not require administrator decision (No in S1106), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1109.

[0086] In S1107, the main processing unit 301 notifies the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 that the print job saved in S1105 requires the administrator's decision. Next, in S1108, the job type update unit 306 updates the job type of the stored print job based on the administrator's operation accepted by the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and the process proceeds to S1109.

[0087] In S1109, the main processing unit 301 notifies the information processing terminal 103 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 that risk detection for the submitted job has ended and the job type of the print job has been determined. At this time, the notification content may be changed depending on the job type of the print job. For example, if the job type is "printable", the notification may say "Printing is now possible". If the job type of the print job is printable depending on the installation environment, the installation environment in which the print is possible may be notified. For example, the notification may say "Printing is possible in the following installation environments: In the office, at home." If the job type of the print job is "unprintable", the notification may say contact information for the administrator or a link to inquire. For example, the notification may say "Printing is now impossible. Please contact the administrator for details. XX@info.com". Any other notification may be made.

[0088] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the user can check the status of the submitted job after risk detection from the information processing terminal without going to the image forming apparatus, thereby improving convenience.

[0089] [Fourth embodiment] In the above first to third embodiments, a case has been described in which a user submits a job from an information processing terminal, and then operates the desired image forming device to print. In the fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which a user specifies an image forming device from an information processing terminal, submits a job, and prints. In addition, in describing this embodiment, explanations of parts in which the configuration and processing procedures are the same as those of the first to third embodiments will be simplified, and differences will be mainly described.

[0090] Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the risk detection process of the fourth embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 12 is performed, for example, by the CPU 221 reading various programs including the information processing program 229 stored in the storage unit 228 into the RAM 223 as necessary and executing them. Note that the process of this flowchart is started when the image processing server 102 receives an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103.

[0091] In S1201, the main processing unit 301 accepts an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and stores the data in the storage unit 228. Here, the input job includes identification information of the image forming apparatus 101 on which the user will perform printing. Next, in S1202, the main processing unit 301 communicates with the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 using the identification information acquired in S1201, and acquires the installation environment.

[0092] Hereinafter, steps S1203 to S1209 will be briefly explained since they are similar to steps S402 to S408 in FIG. In S1203, the image processing unit 303 acquires one of the submitted jobs from the storage unit 228 and performs character recognition processing. Next, in S1204, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 extracts character strings corresponding to confidential keywords or personal information from the character strings extracted in S1203 above, and calculates a risk level. Next, in S1205, the filtering processing unit 305 checks the detection keyword and risk level extracted in S1204 against the detection settings, and classifies the job type of the print job into two types: printable and administrator's decision required. Next, in S1206, the filtering processing unit 305 stores in the storage unit 228 the print jobs allocated in S1205 above.

[0093] Next, in S1207, the main processing unit 301 determines whether the job type of the print job saved in S1206 above is "administrator's decision required." If the job is not "administrator's decision required" (No in S1207), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1210. On the other hand, if the job is one for which "administrator's decision is required" (Yes in S1207), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1208.

[0094] In S1208, the main processing unit 301 notifies the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 that the print job saved in S1206 above "requires administrator's decision." Next, in S1209, the job type update unit 306 updates the job type of the stored print job based on the administrator's operation accepted by the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and the process proceeds to S1210.

[0095] In S1210, the main processing unit 301 determines whether the installation environment acquired in S1202 satisfies the conditions of the installation environment in which the print job can be printed. If the conditions are satisfied (Yes in S1210), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1211. In S1211, the print data generating unit 308 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmitting / receiving unit 302, and the process proceeds to S1212. On the other hand, if the installation environment acquired in S1202 does not satisfy the conditions of the installation environment in which the print job can be printed (No in S1210), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1212.

[0096] In S1212, the print data generating unit 308 notifies the information processing terminal 103 via the request transmitting / receiving unit 302 that printing is permitted or that printing is not permitted.

[0097] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, even in a use case where a user specifies an image forming apparatus to perform printing, secure and flexible print control can be performed for documents including confidential information by specifying the installation environment. This improves convenience.

[0098] Fifth embodiment In the fifth embodiment, a configuration that allows print jobs to be distributed even during times when the administrator is not present will be described. In describing this embodiment, the description of the same configuration and processing procedures as the first to fourth embodiments will be simplified, and differences will be mainly described.

[0099] Fig. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the risk detection process of the fifth embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 13 is performed, for example, by the CPU 221 reading various programs including the information processing program 229 stored in the storage unit 228 into the RAM 223 as necessary and executing them. Note that the process of this flowchart is started by the image processing server 102 receiving an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103.

[0100] Since S1301 to S1307 are similar to S401 to S407 in FIG. 4, they will be explained briefly. In S1301 , the main processing unit 301 accepts an input job and image data to be printed from the information processing terminal 103 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 , and stores them in the storage unit 228 . Next, in S1302, the image processing unit 303 acquires one of the submitted jobs from the storage unit 228 and performs character recognition processing. Next, in S1303, the confidential information detection processing unit 304 extracts character strings corresponding to confidential keywords or personal information from the character strings extracted in S1302 above, and calculates a risk level.

[0101] Next, in S1304, the filtering processing unit 305 checks the detection keyword and risk level extracted in S1303 against the detection settings, and classifies the job type of the print job into two types: printable and administrator's decision required. Next, in S1305, the filtering processing unit 305 stores in the storage unit 228 the print jobs allocated in S1304 above.

[0102] Next, in S1306, the main processing unit 301 determines whether the job type of the print job saved in S1305 requires administrator's decision. If the job does not require "administrator's decision" (No in S1306), the main processing unit 301 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0103] On the other hand, if the job is one for which "administrator's decision is required" (Yes in S1306), the main processing unit 301 advances the process to S1307. In S1307, the main processing unit 301 notifies the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 that the print job saved in S1305 requires a decision by the administrator.

[0104] Next, in S1308, the job type update unit 306 updates the job type of the saved print job according to the time period. For example, a time period when the administrator is not present, such as nighttime, is set in advance in the organization setting database 113. This time period may be automatically set according to the operating status of the administrator terminal 104. The job type update unit 306 then acquires the setting of the time period when the administrator is not present from the organization setting database 113, and if the time period is when the administrator is not present, updates the job type to "printing not possible" across the board, and ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if the time period is not when the administrator is not present, the job type update unit 306 updates the job type of the saved print job based on the operation of the administrator accepted by the administrator terminal 104 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0105] As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, print jobs can be automatically distributed even during times when the administrator is not present, and print jobs that require the administrator's decision can be prevented from being unnecessarily backed up. This improves the convenience of the administrator.

[0106] Sixth Embodiment In the sixth embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a job that has been determined to be unprintable is made printable after a warning is issued, and if the job is printed, the information on the printing is stored. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same configuration and processing procedure as the first to fifth embodiments will be simplified, and the description will focus on the differences.

[0107] The flow of printing image data in the sixth embodiment will be described below. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of printing image data in the sixth embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 14 is performed, for example, by CPU 221 reading various programs including information processing program 229 stored in storage unit 228 into RAM 223 as necessary and executing them. Note that the process of this flowchart starts when image processing server 102 receives a print request command from image forming apparatus 101 that has been operated by a user.

[0108] Since S1401 to S1403 are similar to S901 to S903 in FIG. 9, they will be explained briefly. In step S1401 , the print job list creation unit 307 acquires the installation environment and user information of the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302 . Next, in S1402, the print job list creation unit 307 creates a job list to which print permission information is added based on the user information and the installation environment acquired in S1401 above. Next, in S1403, the print job list creation unit 307 generates a job list screen based on the job list created in S1402 above. Furthermore, the job list screen is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Here, the job list screen of the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15(a).

[0109] FIG. 15A is a diagram showing an example of a job list screen displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 101 in the sixth embodiment. The job list screen 1500 is composed of image forming device information 1501 and a job list 1502. Note that the job list screen 1500 may include any other screen configuration.

[0110] The image forming apparatus information 1501 displays, for example, identification information of the user operating the image forming apparatus 101, information on the installation environment, etc. Note that the image forming apparatus information 1501 may display any other information.

[0111] A job list 1502 displays the job list created in S1402 of Fig. 14. The job list 1502 is composed of a job name 1503, printability information 1504, printable installation environment 1505, and a print button 1506. Any other information may be included.

[0112] The job name 1503 is the file name of the print job. The printability information 1504 indicates whether the print job is printable in the image forming apparatus 101. The printable installation environment 1505 indicates the installation environment in which the print job is printable. If the printable installation environment 1505 is blank, it indicates that the print job cannot be printed in any installation environment. A print button 1506 is displayed for the print job. When the image forming apparatus 101 receives a user pressing operation of the print button 1506 for any of the jobs displayed in the job list 1502, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits information on the print job corresponding to the user operation (such as the job ID of the print job corresponding to the pressed print button 1506) to the image processing server 102. When the image processing server 102 receives this information, the process proceeds to the next step S1504, where the print process of the print job corresponding to the information is executed (details will be described later).

[0113] However, when the user presses the print button 1506 associated with a print job whose printability information 1504 is "not allowed," a warning display screen is displayed indicating that printing of the print job is prohibited. The warning display screen will now be described with reference to FIG. 15(b).

[0114] FIG. 15B is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen that is displayed when the print button of a print job whose printability information is "not possible" is pressed. The warning display screen 1510 is configured with a warning 1511, a continue button 1512, a back button 1513, etc. Any other screen configuration may also be included.

[0115] The warning 1511 indicates that the print job is prohibited from being printed, and may include any other information. When the continue button 1512 is pressed by the user, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits pressing information (such as the job ID of the print job corresponding to the print button 1506 pressed on the job list screen 1500 and information indicating that printing of a print job that is prohibited from being printed has been instructed) to the image processing server 102. When the image processing server 102 receives this information, it proceeds to the next step S1504 (details will be described later). When the user presses the back button 1513, printing is not executed and the screen transitions to the job list screen 1500.

[0116] Returning now to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. In S1404, the print data generation unit 308 receives, from the image forming apparatus 101, the job ID of the print job that the user wants to print from the job list, etc., via the request transmission / reception unit 302. Next, the print data generation unit 308 acquires image data linked to this job ID from the storage unit 228. When a notification is received that the continue button 1512 on the warning display screen 1510 has been pressed (i.e., when information indicating that printing of a print job that is prohibited from being printed has been instructed has been received together with the job ID), the print data generation unit 308 stores information to that effect in the storage unit 228, together with the user information, the job ID, and the image data linked to the job ID.

[0117] 9, the print data generation unit 308 transmits a print job including the image data acquired in S1404 to the image forming apparatus 101 via the request transmission / reception unit 302, and ends the process of this flowchart. The image forming apparatus 101 executes the print job received from the image processing server 102 and performs printing.

[0118] As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, when an unprintable job is attempted to be printed, a warning is displayed to inform the user that printing is prohibited, and then the job can be printed even if it is unprintable, and the user is informed that printing is prohibited. Note that if a job that is unprintable is printed, the information can be stored and used for audits, etc.

[0119] In each of the above embodiments, the image forming apparatus 101 holds information about its installation environment, and transmits the information about the setting environment to the image processing server 102 in response to a request from the image processing server 102. However, a combination of the identification information of the image forming apparatus 101 and the information about its installation environment may be set in the image processing server 102 in advance.

[0120] In the above embodiments, the administrator can dynamically specify the installation environment for a job to print image data that requires the administrator's decision on printing, which is specified based on the extraction result of data such as a predefined data word from the viewpoint of security risk. This allows for secure and flexible print control while reducing the burden on the administrator. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of information leakage based on the installation environment of the printing device without compromising convenience.

[0121] It goes without saying that the configurations and contents of the various data described above are not limited to those described above, and the data may have various configurations and contents depending on the application and purpose. Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described embodiments is also included in the present invention.

[0122] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of a plurality of devices, or to an apparatus made up of a single device. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations that combine the above-mentioned embodiments and their modifications.

[0123] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program. (Configuration 1) A system including a printing device and a server that manages printing on the printing device, The server, An extraction means for extracting data that is predefined in terms of security risk from the image data to be printed; a specifying unit for specifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on the result of the extraction; and a determination means for determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment. A system characterized by: (Configuration 2) The system described in configuration 1 is characterized in that the extraction means performs at least one of the following processes to extract the predefined data: a process to extract keywords including confidential information, a process to extract personal information, and a process to obtain a risk level from the extraction results of the keywords including confidential information and / or the personal information. (Configuration 3) The server, an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of the jobs determined by the determination means as printable to a printing device to be used for the printing; a second transmission means for transmitting, in response to receiving selection information of a job selected from the list, the job indicated by the selection information to the printing device; The printing device includes: A storage means for storing information indicating an installation environment; A third transmission means for transmitting information indicating the installation environment to the server; a selection means for presenting a list of jobs received from the server and accepting a selection of a job to be printed from the list; and a fourth sending means for sending a job selected from the list to the server. 3. The system according to configuration 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) The server, an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of print jobs including the determination result to a printing device used for the printing; a second sending means for sending the job to the printing device in response to receiving information of the job selected from the list and determined to be printable, The printing device includes: A storage means for storing information indicating an installation environment; A third transmission means for transmitting information indicating the installation environment to the server; a selection means for presenting a list of jobs received from the server and accepting a selection of a job to be printed from the list; and a fourth transmission means for transmitting information of the job selected from the list to the server. 3. The system according to configuration 1 or 2. (Configuration 5) The system according to configuration 4, wherein the list of print jobs including the determination result is a list in which jobs determined to be unprintable by the printing device cannot be selected. (Configuration 6) 5. The system according to configuration 4, wherein the selection means is unable to select a job that is determined to be unprintable as a result of the determination. (Configuration 7) the fourth transmission means, when the selection means selects a job whose determination result is that the job is not printable, transmits, to the server, information on the job selected from the list and information indicating that the selected job is not printable; The system described in configuration 4, characterized in that the second sending means, in response to receiving information of the job that cannot be printed selected from the list, sends the job to the printing device and stores the information of the job in the storage means. (Configuration 8) The system according to configuration 7, wherein the printing device has a warning unit that issues a warning when the selection unit selects a job that is determined to be unprintable. (Configuration 9) The system according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein the server has a notification unit that notifies the device that is the transmission source of the specified job of the determination result by the determination unit. (Configuration 10) The server, a receiving means for receiving a job for printing the image data to be printed together with information for identifying a printing device to be used for printing; an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a transmission means for transmitting the job determined by the determination means as printable to the printing device; 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: (Configuration 11) 11. The system according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, wherein the determining means determines that the identified job is not printable during a predetermined time period, regardless of the administrator's decision. (Configuration 12) 12. The system according to configuration 11, wherein the time period is set according to the operating status of a device used by the administrator. (Configuration 13) A server for managing printing on a printing device, An extraction means for extracting data that is predefined in terms of security risk from the image data to be printed; a specifying unit for specifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on the result of the extraction; a determination means for determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment; A server comprising: (Configuration 14) The server according to configuration 13, wherein the extraction means performs at least one of the following processes to extract the predefined data: a process to extract keywords including confidential information, a process to extract personal information, and a process to obtain a risk level from the extraction results of the keywords including confidential information and / or the personal information. (Configuration 15) an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of the jobs determined by the determination means as printable to a printing device to be used for the printing; a second transmission means for transmitting, in response to receiving selection information of a job selected from the list, the job indicated by the selection information to the printing device; 15. The server according to configuration 13 or 14, comprising: (Configuration 16) an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of print jobs including the determination result to a printing device used for the printing; a second transmission means for transmitting the job to the printing device in response to receiving information of the job selected from the list and determined to be printable; 15. The server according to configuration 13 or 14, comprising: (Configuration 17) 17. The server according to configuration 16, wherein the list of print jobs including the determination result is a list in which jobs determined to be unprintable are not selectable. (Configuration 18) The server according to configuration 16, characterized in that the second sending means, in response to receiving information of the job that cannot be printed selected from the list, sends the job to the printing device and stores the information of the job in the storage means. (Configuration 19) 19. The server according to any one of configurations 13 to 18, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the device that is the transmission source of the identified job of a result of the determination made by the determination unit. (Configuration 20) a receiving means for receiving a job for printing the image data to be printed together with information for identifying a printing device to be used for printing; an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a transmission means for transmitting the job determined by the determination means as printable to the printing device; 15. The server according to configuration 13 or 14, comprising: (Configuration 21) 21. The server according to any one of configurations 13 to 20, wherein the determining means determines that the identified job cannot be printed during a predetermined time period, regardless of the administrator's decision. (Configuration 22) 22. The server according to configuration 21, wherein the time period is set according to the operating status of a device used by the administrator. (Method 1) A method for controlling a system having a printing device and a server that manages printing on the printing device, comprising the steps of: Executed by the server, An extraction step of extracting data defined in advance from the viewpoint of security risk from the image data to be printed; a step of identifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on a result of the extraction; a determining step of determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment; 13. A method for controlling a system comprising: (Method 2) A method for controlling a server that manages printing on a printing device, comprising the steps of: An extraction step of extracting data defined in advance from the viewpoint of security risk from the image data to be printed; a step of identifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on a result of the extraction; a determining step of determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment; 13. A method for controlling a server comprising: (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to method 2.

Claims

1. A system including a printing device and a server that manages printing on the printing device, The server, An extraction means for extracting data that is predefined in terms of security risk from the image data to be printed; a specifying unit for specifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on the result of the extraction; and a determination means for determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment. A system characterized by:

2. The system described in claim 1, characterized in that the extraction means performs at least one of the following processes to extract the predefined data: a process to extract keywords containing confidential information, a process to extract personal information, and a process to obtain a risk level from the extraction results of the keywords containing confidential information and / or the personal information.

3. The server, an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of the jobs determined by the determination means as printable to a printing device to be used for the printing; a second transmission means for transmitting, in response to receiving selection information of a job selected from the list, the job indicated by the selection information to the printing device; The printing device includes: A storage means for storing information indicating an installation environment; a third transmission means for transmitting information indicating the installation environment to the server; a selection means for presenting a list of jobs received from the server and accepting a selection of a job to be printed from the list; and a fourth sending means for sending a job selected from the list to the server.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The server, an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of print jobs including the determination result to a printing device used for the printing; a second sending means for sending the job to the printing device in response to receiving information about the job selected from the list and determined to be printable, The printing device includes: A storage means for storing information indicating an installation environment; a third transmission means for transmitting information indicating the installation environment to the server; a selection means for presenting a list of jobs received from the server and accepting a selection of a job to be printed from the list; and a fourth transmission means for transmitting information of a job selected from the list to the server.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the list of print jobs including the determination result is a list in which jobs that are determined to be unprintable on the printing device cannot be selected.

6. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said selection means is unable to select a job determined to be unprintable.

7. the fourth transmission means, when the selection means selects a job whose determination result is that the job is not printable, transmits, to the server, information on the job selected from the list and information indicating that the selected job is not printable; The system according to claim 4, wherein the second sending means, in response to receiving information of the job that cannot be printed selected from the list, sends the job to the printing device and stores the information of the job in a storage means.

8. 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said printing device further comprises a warning unit that issues a warning when said selection unit selects a job whose determination result indicates that printing is not possible.

9. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes a notification unit that notifies the device that is the source of the identified job of the result of the determination made by the determination unit.

10. The server, a receiving means for receiving a job for printing the image data to be printed together with information for identifying a printing device to be used for printing; an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a transmission means for transmitting the job determined by the determination means as printable to the printing device; 3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

11. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines that the specified job cannot be printed during a predetermined time period, regardless of a decision made by the administrator.

12. 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the time period is set according to an operating status of a device used by the administrator.

13. A server for managing printing on a printing device, An extraction means for extracting data that is predefined in terms of security risk from the image data to be printed; a specifying unit for specifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on the result of the extraction; a determination means for determining whether the specified job is printable based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from a printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job is printable based on the installation environment; A server comprising:

14. The server according to claim 13, characterized in that the extraction means performs at least one of the following processes to extract the predefined data: a process to extract keywords including confidential information, a process to extract personal information, and a process to obtain a risk level from the extraction results of the keywords including confidential information and / or the personal information.

15. an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of the jobs determined by the determination means as printable to a printing device to be used for the printing; a second transmission means for transmitting, in response to receiving selection information of a job selected from the list, the job indicated by the selection information to the printing device; 15. The server according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

16. an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device in response to an access from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a first transmission means for transmitting a list of print jobs including the determination result to a printing device used for the printing; a second transmission means for transmitting the job to the printing device in response to receiving information of the job selected from the list and determined to be printable; 15. The server according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

17. 17. The server according to claim 16, wherein the list of print jobs including the determination result is a list in which jobs determined to be unprintable are not selectable.

18. The server according to claim 16, characterized in that the second transmission means, in response to receiving information of the job that cannot be printed selected from the list, transmits the job to the printing device and stores the information of the job in a storage means.

19. 15. The server according to claim 13, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the device that is the source of the identified job of the result of the determination made by the determination unit.

20. a receiving means for receiving a job for printing the image data to be printed together with information for identifying a printing device to be used for printing; an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating an installation environment stored in the printing device from the printing device as information indicating the installation environment of the printing device used for the printing; a transmission means for transmitting the job determined by the determination means as printable to the printing device; 15. The server according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

21. 15. The server according to claim 13, wherein the determining unit determines that the specified job cannot be printed during a predetermined time period, regardless of a decision made by the administrator.

22. 22. The server according to claim 21, wherein the time period is set according to an operating status of a device used by the administrator.

23. A method for controlling a system having a printing device and a server that manages printing on the printing device, comprising the steps of: Executed by the server, An extraction step of extracting data defined in advance from the viewpoint of security risk from the image data to be printed; a step of identifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on a result of the extraction; a determining step of determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment; 13. A method for controlling a system comprising:

24. A method for controlling a server that manages printing on a printing device, comprising the steps of: An extraction step of extracting data defined in advance from the viewpoint of security risk from the image data to be printed; a step of identifying a job for printing image data that requires a manager's decision on printing based on a result of the extraction; a determining step of determining whether the job can be printed based on information indicating the installation environment obtained from the printing device used for printing, when the administrator's determination for the specified job indicates that the job can be printed based on the installation environment; 13. A method for controlling a server comprising:

25. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 24.

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