Image processing device, control method for the same, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem in which there was conventionally no mechanism provided for appropriately restricting operations that took into account each restriction when multiple function restrictions with different applications were effectively set for an image processing device.SOLUTION: An image processing device has first setting means for effectively setting a restriction on a part of functions of the image processing device as a first function restriction, second means for effectively setting a restriction on a part of functions of the image processing means as a second function restriction that is different from the first function restriction, and control means for executing control of functions that were subject to restriction under both the first function restriction and the second function restriction according to the setting values of the functions based on the same restrictions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technique relating to restrictions on functions provided by an image processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] It is desirable that personal computers (PCs) and server devices (file servers, authentication servers, etc.) connected to an office network be operated in accordance with a security policy determined for each office. A security policy is a basic guideline regarding information security for the entire company, and is a compilation of policies for preventing the use of information, external intrusions, and information leaks.

[0003] In addition to PCs and server devices, image processing devices such as multifunction devices and printers are also connected to the office network. Recent image processing devices can not only simply print or transmit images, but can also provide users with a web user interface (UI) that allows them to operate the image processing device from a web browser on a PC. Image processing devices can also provide various cloud services in cooperation with cloud servers. In other words, image processing devices are beginning to play the same role as other PCs and server devices on the network. Therefore, in order to maintain a safe and secure office environment, image processing devices are also required to comply with security policies, just like PCs and server devices. Complying with the security policy here means, for example, imposing restrictions on the security operation of the image processing device to prevent unauthorized use and information leakage, such as making user authentication mandatory when operating the image processing device and making communication path encryption mandatory.

[0004] In such image processing devices, control is performed to maintain a state in accordance with the security policy. Specifically, when a certain security policy is set, certain setting items related to the security policy become fixed values ​​and cannot be changed by users other than the security administrator (Patent Document 1).

[0005] Here, the security policy function restricts changes to specific security setting values ​​by allowing a user with the attributes (role or authority) of a security administrator in a user environment or organization that owns an image processing device to set the desired security policy.

[0006] Here, the attributes of users of the image processing device include, in addition to the security administrator, administrator attributes, guest user attributes, etc. There are also service attributes prepared for the sales company (distributor) of the image processing device or the serviceman in charge of installation, maintenance, etc., to customize the image processing device for a specific purpose. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-163557 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Due to the diversification of functions of image processing devices, there are cases where a serviceman with service attributes installs an image processing device while restricting the use of some functions of the image processing device and changing of settings for a specific purpose such as business negotiations. In this document, the setting that restricts some functions of the device and changes of settings for a specific purpose is called an operation restriction setting.

[0009] As described above, image processing apparatuses are being equipped with a number of methods for restricting functions, such as security policy settings, operation restriction settings, etc. Therefore, it is possible that there is overlap in the operations and setting values ​​that each restriction function restricts, and it is becoming necessary to provide control that restricts functions appropriately.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that, when multiple functional restrictions for different purposes are enabled for an image processing device, can appropriately restrict the operation of the device while taking into consideration each restriction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The image processing device is characterized by having a first setting means for enabling a restriction on some functions of the image processing device as a first functional restriction, a second setting means for enabling a restriction on some functions of the image processing device as a second functional restriction different from the first functional restriction, and a control means for controlling a function that is subject to restriction by both the first functional restriction and the second functional restriction, using a setting value of the function based on the restriction. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, when multiple function restrictions for different purposes are enabled for an image processing device, a mechanism can be provided that can appropriately restrict the operation of the device while taking into consideration each restriction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a network configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external appearance of an image processing device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation display unit of the image processing device. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of the image processing apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating setting item management information of the image processing apparatus. [Figure 7] 3 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a restriction table of each function restriction setting of the image processing apparatus; FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is an example of a screen displayed by a Web browser of a terminal device when a security policy is set. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a security policy setting process. [Figure 10] 11 is an example of an application screen showing a maintenance tool operated on a terminal device when operational restrictions are set. [Figure 11] 13 is an example of a setting screen for setting a guest user restriction of the image processing apparatus. [Figure 12] 13 is an example of a login screen when guest user settings are enabled. [Figure 13] 13 is an example of output when a device information printing function is executed. [Figure 14] 13 is an example of a setting screen when executing a setting reset function of the image processing apparatus. [Figure 15] 11 is an example of a setting screen when performing wireless LAN connection setting of the image processing apparatus. [Figure 16] 11 is a flowchart when a setting management application of the image processing apparatus receives a restriction confirmation request in the first embodiment. [Figure 17] 13 is a diagram illustrating exemplary priority order information among restricted functions of an image processing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart when a setting management application of an image processing apparatus receives a restriction confirmation request in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention includes any modifications and improvements to the embodiments described below that are made based on the ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0015] (First embodiment) First, the network configuration in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Note that the network configuration described below is merely one example of an embodiment, and is applicable to various configurations that enable wired or wireless communication between an image processing device and a terminal device, and is not limited to the configuration shown in this figure. Also, in documents and figures, the network may be written as NW for abbreviation.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a local area network (LAN) 101 constituted by an access point 100, and an image processing device 200 and a terminal device 300 connected to the network. Here, the LAN 101 may be connected by wired communication or wireless communication, for example, by Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), which is a communication standard conforming to the IEEE802.11 series. In the LAN 101, the image processing device 200 and the terminal device 300 are assigned different IP addresses by the access point 100. This allows devices in the LAN 101 to specify IP addresses as destinations and communicate with each other. The image processing device 200 is, for example, an inkjet printer, and provides users with functions such as printing, scanning, and faxing (FAX). Furthermore, the image processing device 200 has a Web server function, and is capable of receiving requests and transmitting responses using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) communication. Note that the functions installed in the image processing device 200 do not need to be limited to these, and some of the functions presented may not be installed, or functions other than those presented may be installed. Furthermore, the image processing device 200 is not limited to an inkjet printer, and may be other devices such as a laser beam printer or an office multifunction device. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a tablet terminal, and can provide a user with a web browser function and a maintenance tool for the image processing device 200 within the device. The web browser function and the maintenance tool perform request transmission and response reception using HTTP communication, and perform screen display associated with these communications. Note that the functions installed in the terminal device 300 do not need to be limited to these, and functions other than those presented may be installed. Furthermore, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be other devices such as a PC (personal computer) or smartphone.

[0017] 2 is a diagram showing the external appearance of an image processing device 200. In this embodiment, an inkjet printer is exemplified as the image processing device, which is a multifunction printer (MFP) that combines printing, scanning, faxing (FAX), and other functions.

[0018] The operation display unit 201 includes a display and buttons used when operating the image processing device 200. Details will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The print paper insertion slot 202 is an insertion slot for setting paper of various sizes. The paper set here is transported one by one to the print section, where the desired printing is performed and discharged from the print paper discharge slot 203. The manuscript table 204 is a transparent glass table that is used when placing a manuscript on it and reading it with a scanner. The manuscript table pressure plate 205 is a cover that presses the manuscript against the manuscript table so that the manuscript does not float when reading with the scanner, and prevents external light from entering the scan section. The USB communication unit 206 includes a circuit and a USB connector for the image processing device 200 to communicate with an external terminal device 300 or the like via a USB connection. The wireless LAN communication unit 207 is embedded with circuits such as an antenna for wireless communication such as the above-mentioned wireless connection and a direct connection in which the image processing device 200 itself serves as an access point to configure a wireless LAN. The FAX communication unit 208 includes a circuit for transmitting and receiving FAX and a telephone line connector. The power supply unit 209 includes a power supply circuit and a power jack for supplying power to the image processing device 200 .

[0019] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing device 200. The image processing device 200 comprises a main board 210 that controls the entire device, an operation display unit 201, a USB communication unit 208, a wireless LAN communication unit 207, a FAX communication unit 208, and a power supply unit 209.

[0020] A microprocessor-type CPU 211 disposed on the main board 210 operates according to a control program stored in a ROM 213 connected via an internal bus 212 and data stored in a RAM 214. Various settings of the image processing device 200 are held in a non-volatile memory, NVRAM 215, and are read and written according to the control program. Processes described in flowcharts according to an embodiment to be described later are also realized by the CPU 211 executing a control program corresponding to each process.

[0021] The CPU 211 controls the scan unit 217 to read an original and store the read data in an image memory that is a part of the RAM 214. The CPU 211 can also control the print unit 216 to print an image stored in the image memory that is a part of the RAM 214 on a recording medium. The CPU 211 controls the USB communication unit 206 via the USB communication control unit 218 to perform USB communication with an external device via a USB connection. The CPU 211 also controls the wireless LAN communication unit 207 via the wireless LAN communication control unit 219 to perform wireless LAN communication with an external device via an infrastructure connection or a direct connection. The CPU 211 also controls the FAX communication unit 208 via the FAX communication control unit 220 to perform FAX communication with an external device using a telephone line. The CPU 211 controls the operation display control unit 221 to receive operation information from the operation display unit 201. The CPU 211 can also control the operation display control unit 221 to display the status of the image processing device 200 and a function selection menu on the operation display unit 201.

[0022] 4 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the configuration of the operation and display unit 201 of the image processing device 200. The operation and display unit 201 is composed of a plurality of buttons, a display, LEDs, and the like.

[0023] 4 shows a case where a touch panel liquid crystal 226 is used as the display of the operation display unit 201. When power is supplied from the power supply unit 209, the user presses the power button 222 to start up the image processing device 200.

[0024] When the image processing device 200 is started, a home screen, which is the highest level of a menu that can be operated by the user, is displayed on the touch panel liquid crystal 226. The home screen includes a copy area 231 for receiving an instruction to execute a copy function, a scan area 232 for receiving an instruction to execute a scan function, and a fax area 233 for receiving an instruction to execute a fax function.

[0025] It also includes a network area 234 that transitions to a menu for changing network settings and checking the status of the infrastructure connection, direct connection, etc. of the image processing device 200. It also includes a setting area 235 that transitions to a menu for changing various other settings and executing a setting reset function.

[0026] When a character string needs to be input by the user for password authentication or the like, a software keyboard can be displayed on the touch panel liquid crystal 226 to accept the input.

[0027] When a screen in a menu hierarchy other than the home screen is displayed, pressing the home button 223 allows the user to return to the home screen. When a screen in a menu hierarchy other than the home screen is displayed, pressing the back button 224 allows the user to return to the screen in the next higher hierarchy. When various functions such as a copy function or a scan function are being executed and the timing is such that the process can be stopped, pressing the stop button 225 allows the process to be stopped.

[0028] 5 is a block diagram conceptually showing a software configuration for realizing setting change, setting reset function, and function restriction among the software operating on the image processing device 200. Note that the process executed for the setting reset function is called a setting reset process, or simply a reset process.

[0029] The software elements and configuration shown in Fig. 5 are merely an example, and the elements and configuration are not limited to those shown in this figure. The software group shown in Fig. 5 is a control program stored in ROM 213 and a part of the associated data stored in RAM 214. The software group is made up of a communication program section 240 that mainly controls communications, an application program section 250 that mainly controls application functions, and a device control program section 260 that mainly controls the lower layers in the image processing device 300.

[0030] The communication program unit 240 includes a network communication control module 241 , a security module 242 , a USB communication control module 243 , a Web server module 244 , and a static content database 245 .

[0031] The network communication control module 241 is a module that controls the wireless LAN communication control unit 219 and is responsible for up to the transport layer of the communication protocol stack, and realizes TCP / IP communication of the image processing device 200.

[0032] The security module 242 is a module that handles encryption and decryption of communications and associated processes such as authentication and hashing, and realizes TLS / SSL communication of the image processing device 200. The USB communication control module 243 is a module that controls the USB communication control unit 218 and performs operations for behaving as a USB device, and realizes USB communication of the image processing device 200.

[0033] The Web server module 244 is a module that performs operations for the image processing device 200 to act as a Web server, and realizes HTTP communication with an external terminal device 300 on which a Web browser operates. Specifically, it analyzes an HTTP request received from the external terminal device 300, and operates the WebUI control module 251, the static content database 245, and the maintenance application module 256 according to the analysis result. Then, it forms data generated by the WebUI control module 251, the static content database 245, and the maintenance application module 256 as an HTTP response and transmits it. The Web server module 244 receives requests and transmits responses using TCP / IP communication, TLS / SSL communication, or USB communication. The static content database 245 is a module that operates as a file system, and reads JPEG data, HTML data, and the like stored in the ROM 213 or the RAM 214.

[0034] The application program unit 250 includes a Web UI control module 251, a device UI control module 252, application modules exemplified by 253 to 255, and a maintenance application module 256.

[0035] In response to a request from the Web server module, the WebUI control module 251 generates data for displaying the WebUI of the image processing device 200 on the Web browser of the external terminal device 300. The WebUI control module 251 can display the operating status and setting status of the image processing device 200 on the WebUI by acquiring the operating status and setting status of the image processing device 200 from each application module and responding with the formed data.

[0036] The WebUI displayed on the Web browser of the terminal device 300 is also configured to be capable of issuing instructions to change settings of the image processing device 200, execute password authentication, etc. When a user operates the Web browser to issue an instruction to change settings of the image processing device 200, execute password authentication, etc. from the WebUI, the image processing device 200 receives an HTTP request in which the instruction content is stored.

[0037] The WebUI control module receives the instruction via the Web server module 244 and, depending on the instruction, has the corresponding application module carry out processing such as changing settings and password authentication. When the processing is completed, the processing result, such as success or failure, is stored in the HTTP response and sent.

[0038] The device UI control module realizes the UI of the image processing device 200 main body by controlling the operation display control unit 221. The device UI control module stores menu hierarchy information and displays an operation menu or the like corresponding to the current menu hierarchy on the touch panel liquid crystal 226. It can also acquire and shape the operating state and setting state of the image processing device 200 from each application module and display them on the touch panel liquid crystal 226. It also accepts operations such as setting changes and password authentication from the operation display unit 201 and causes the corresponding application module to carry out processing according to the operation. When the processing is completed, the processing result such as success or failure is displayed on the touch panel liquid crystal 226.

[0039] The security policy setting application 253 receives instructions from the Web UI control module 251 and the device UI control module 252, and acquires the security policy setting status and changes the security policy setting.

[0040] The setting management application 254 receives instructions from the WebUI control module 251 and the device UI control module 252, acquires the setting status of the image processing device 200, and changes the settings. Also, receives a restriction confirmation instruction from the WebUI control module 251 and the device UI control module 252, acquires the function restriction status of the image processing device 200, and responds with whether the function to be confirmed is restricted or not.

[0041] The setting reset application 255 receives instructions from the WebUI control module 251 and the device UI control module 252, and executes a process of resetting all settings of the image processing device 200 and a process of resetting the security policy.

[0042] The maintenance application module 256 is a software module that operates when the image processing device 200 is in a maintenance mode. The maintenance mode is a special mode for production, repair, service, etc. of the image processing device 200, and can be entered by a special key entry or the like.

[0043] The maintenance application module 256 performs processing based on instructions from a maintenance tool operating on an external terminal device 300 in accordance with a request from the Web server module 244, and generates data to respond to the request. The maintenance tool can issue instructions to execute a factory reset process, and to obtain or change the operational restriction setting state of the image processing device 200, and in this embodiment, these instructions are realized by HTTP requests. Upon receiving these instructions, the maintenance application module 256 obtains or changes setting values ​​stored in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value storage module 262, and generates response data to the instructions. The generated response data is formed as an HTTP response via the Web server module 244, and is sent to the terminal device 300.

[0044] The device control program unit 260 includes a system control module 261 and a setting value storage module 262. The system control module 261 is responsible for controlling the entire software system, such as starting and stopping the image processing device 200.

[0045] In this embodiment, a restart request is received from the security policy setting application 253, and restart processing of the image processing device 200 is performed. The setting value storage module 262 operates to supervise the storage of setting values ​​of the image processing device 200. Upon receiving an instruction to store setting values ​​from other modules such as each application module, the setting values ​​are written to the NVRAM 215. Furthermore, upon receiving an instruction to refer to setting values ​​from other modules such as each application module, the setting values ​​are read from the NVRAM 215.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a part of the setting item management information 400, which is a combination of the setting values ​​of each setting item stored in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value storage module 262 and the management information thereof. As shown in column 401, all setting items can be uniquely identified by item IDs, and setting values ​​can be written or read by specifying the item ID. Column 402 shows the current setting value of each setting item. Column 403 shows the setting value of each setting item in the factory default state. When each setting reset function described later is executed, each setting item that is the target of the setting reset function is set to the factory default value shown in column 403. Column 404 shows a reset flag by initialization request, which indicates whether or not each setting reset function is the target of the setting reset function when it is executed. If it is TRUE, it indicates that the item is the target of the setting reset function, and if it is FALSE, it indicates that the item is not the target.

[0047] Examples of the setting reset functions include a full setting reset, a security policy reset, and a factory reset.

[0048] In the all setting reset, all setting items of the image processing device 200 that can be changed by the user are reset except for the security policy setting (resetting refers to returning the setting value to the initial value). Setting items of the image processing device 200 that cannot be changed by the user may include the operation restriction settings indicated by item IDs 20001 to 20007 in column 401 and the serial number of the image processing device 200 (not shown).

[0049] Security policy reset resets the security administrator password-related settings and security policy settings. Here, the security administrator password is a password managed by a user with security administrator attributes (authority) to protect the security policy settings from being changed by a third party. When a user sets a security administrator password value, the security administrator password setting is turned ON, in which case authentication using this password is required for security policy setting operations, security policy reset operations, etc.

[0050] The factory reset forcibly resets all resettable setting items among the setting items of the image processing device 200. Note that the factory reset is a special process for production, repair, service, etc. of the image processing device 200, and can be executed by using a maintenance tool of the terminal device 300.

[0051] 6, the setting item management information 400 is shown in a table format, but the format in which this information is stored in the image processing device 200 is not limited to this. For example, the information may be stored in a specific database format, or in a format such as a JSON file. Furthermore, only the setting values ​​shown in column 402 may be stored in the RAM 214 or NVRAM 215, and other information may be expressed as a program stored in the ROM 213.

[0052] 7 is a schematic diagram showing, as a restriction table, the restricted operations due to each function restriction setting of the image processing device 200. In this embodiment, the image processing device 200 has security policy settings, operation restriction settings, and guest user restrictions as function restriction settings. The restriction table shows how other setting values ​​and operations are restricted by each function restriction setting.

[0053] In this embodiment, if it is desired to allow only some functions of the image processing device 200 to be used, it is possible to set functional restrictions on the guest user and prohibit operations such as changing the settings of the device. A user with an administrator attribute is called an administrator user, and a user without an administrator attribute is called a guest user. In this document, the setting of functional restrictions on a guest user is called a guest user restriction.

[0054] FIG. 7(a) is a table 410 of restrictions based on security policy settings. Column 411 shows the setting items of the security policy settings that are the source of restrictions, and the setting values ​​that are determined to be effective for the restrictions. Column 412 shows the setting items that are restricted when the restrictions are effective, and the setting values ​​to which the items are restricted. Column 413 shows the operations of the image processing device 200 that are restricted when the restrictions are effective, and the target of this operation restriction is users of all attributes. For example, when the setting value of item ID 10001 is set to "ON" in the security policy settings, the setting value of item ID 00002 is forced to "OFF", and the setting value of item ID 00003 is forced to "OFF". Furthermore, setting change operations of item ID 00002 and item ID 00003 are also prohibited.

[0055] 7B is a restriction table 420 based on the operation restriction settings. The operation restriction settings are a setting function for applying special function restrictions for special purposes using a dedicated tool called a maintenance tool, which will be described later.

[0056] Column 421 indicates the setting item of the operation restriction setting that is the source of the restriction and the setting value that is determined to be valid for the restriction. Column 422 indicates the setting item that is restricted when the restriction is enabled and the setting value to which the item is restricted. Note that "-" in column 422 indicates that there is no setting item that is restricted when the restriction is enabled. Column 423 indicates the operations of the image processing device 200 that are restricted when the restriction is enabled, and this operation restriction applies to users of all attributes. For example, if the setting value of item ID 20001 is set to "ON" in the operation restriction setting, the setting value of item ID 00001 is forced to "OFF" and the operation to change the setting of item ID 00001 is also prohibited.

[0057] FIG. 7(c) is a restriction table 430 based on the operation restriction setting. Column 431 shows the setting item of the guest user restriction that is the source of the restriction, and the setting value at which the restriction is determined to be valid. Column 432 shows the setting item that is restricted when the restriction is enabled, and the setting value to which the item is restricted. Note that "-" in column 432 indicates that there is no setting item that is restricted when the restriction is enabled. Column 433 shows the operations of the image processing device 200 that are restricted when the restriction is enabled, and the target of this operation restriction is the guest user. For example, when the setting value of item ID 02002 is set to "ON" in the guest user restriction, any setting change operation of the image processing device 200 by the guest user is prohibited.

[0058] Here, when multiple function restriction settings impose different restrictions on the same setting item and setting value of image processing device 200, control is performed so that the restriction is stronger. For example, in the row in Fig. 7(a) where the restriction source is item ID 10006, and in Fig. 7(b) where the restriction source is item ID 20004, both operate to restrict the setting value of item ID 01005. In this case, if item ID 10006 is set to "10" and item ID 20004 is set to "5", the value of item ID 01005 is forced to "10".

[0059] That is, when the additional function restriction setting is enabled and another setting value is forced, the current setting value of the setting item to be restricted is checked to see if it satisfies the restriction to be applied, and only if it does not, the setting value is forced. In this way, when a function restricted by multiple restriction settings is used, it is possible to realize a control in which the function of the image processing device 200 is used with a setting value that satisfies all of those restrictions. Also, when the use of the function itself is restricted by any of those restrictions, the function itself is completely restricted and cannot be used at all.

[0060] 7 illustrates the security policy setting, the operation restriction setting, and the guest user restriction, and shows the setting values ​​and operation restrictions due to these three function restriction settings in a table format, but the format in which the image processing device 200 holds this information is not limited to the table format. For example, the information may be held in a specific database format, may be held in a format such as a JSON file, or may be expressed as a program stored in the ROM 213.

[0061] Next, the process of setting a security policy from the WebUI will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 shows an example of a screen displayed by the Web browser of the terminal device 300 when setting a security policy in this embodiment. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the security policy setting process of the image processing device 200 in this embodiment. Each step shown in Fig. 9 is processed by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213.

[0062] The flowchart of FIG. 9 begins when the Web server module 244 of the image processing device 200 receives an HTTP request from the Web browser of the terminal device 300 .

[0063] In S601, it is confirmed whether the received HTTP request is a security policy setting screen request. Whether it is a request to display a security policy setting screen is determined based on the requested URL and request parameters. If it is not a security policy setting screen request, the process branches to NO and ends. Note that an actual image processing device is capable of accepting requests other than a security policy setting screen request, so it continues by checking whether it is another acceptable request and processing it, but this is omitted as it is outside the scope of this explanation. If it is determined to be a security policy setting screen request, the WebUI control module 251 is requested to generate a security policy setting screen and the process proceeds to S602.

[0064] In S602, it is determined whether or not a security administrator password has been set. Specifically, the WebUI control module 251 acquires the setting value for the security administrator password setting from the NVRAM 215 via the security policy setting application 253 and the setting value storage module 262. If the acquired setting value is "ON", it is determined that a security administrator password has been set and the process proceeds to S603, otherwise the process proceeds to S605. In S603, the WebUI control module 251 generates a security administrator password authentication screen and responds with the security administrator password authentication screen to the terminal device 300 via the Web server module 244.

[0065] 8(a) shows an example of a screen 510 that is received and displayed by the Web browser of the terminal device 300 when the security administrator password authentication screen is responded to by the image processing device 200. Reference numeral 511 denotes an input field for the security administrator password, and an OK button 512 is a button for performing authentication using the security administrator password. When the user inputs the security administrator password in the input field 511 and clicks the OK button 512, information about the input security administrator password is transmitted to the image processing device 200.

[0066] Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 9, in S604, the image processing device 200 judges whether the received security administrator password authentication has been successful. Specifically, the image processing device 200 receives the security administrator password information transmitted from the terminal device 300, compares it with the "security administrator password value" stored in the NVRAM 215, and judges whether they match. If they do not match, it is judged that the security administrator password authentication has failed, and the CPU 211 returns the process to step S603, and again responds with a security administrator password authentication screen to the Web browser of the terminal device 300, prompting the user to re-enter the password. If the security administrator password information matches the "security administrator password value" stored in the NVRAM 215, it is judged that the security administrator password authentication has been successful, and the process proceeds to S605. In S605, the WebUI control module 251 generates a security policy setting screen, and responds with the security policy setting screen to the terminal device 300 via the Web server module 244.

[0067] Here, FIG. 8(b) is an example of a screen 520 that is received and displayed by the Web browser of the terminal device 300 upon receiving the security policy setting screen responded by the image processing device 200. An OK button 521 is a button for confirming the change of the security policy setting. When the user presses this button, a setting change list of the security policy setting operated on the screen 520 (hereinafter, referred to as the setting change list) is temporarily saved in the Web browser, and the screen transitions to the screen shown in FIG. 8(c). A cancel button 522 is a button for canceling the security policy setting. When the user presses this button, an HTTP request is transmitted from the Web browser requesting a menu screen one level above the security policy setting menu. Then, the image processing device 200 generates and responds with the data of the requested screen, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 ends (not shown). In an area 523, various setting items related to the security policy are displayed together with check boxes, text boxes, etc. for enabling each setting. A user operating the Web browser of the terminal device 300 can change the security policy setting of the image processing device 200 by operating the above-mentioned check boxes, text boxes, etc. 8(c) is an example of a security policy setting execution confirmation screen 530. An OK button 531 is a button for sending the setting change list. When the user presses this button, an HTTP request including the setting change list temporarily stored in the web browser is sent to the image processing device 200. The setting change list here is information such as a list combining item ID values ​​and changed setting values ​​of the items for rows included in the category "security policy setting" in column 401 in FIG. 6. A cancel button 532 is a button for canceling sending the setting change list. When the user presses this button, the web browser displays the screen 520 again. At this time, the web browser reads out the setting change list temporarily stored and displays it in a state in which it is applied to the check boxes, text boxes, etc. in area 523.

[0068] 9, in S606, the image processing device 200 receives an HTTP request including the setting change list transmitted by the terminal device 300, and starts processing to change the security policy setting. Specifically, the WebUI control module 251 receives the setting change list via the Web server module 244, and generates response data indicating that the security policy setting process is in progress. Then, the process proceeds to S607, where the WebUI control module 251 sends an HTTP response including response data indicating that the security policy setting process is in progress to the terminal device 300 via the Web server module 244. Furthermore, the WebUI control module passes the received setting change list to the security policy setting application 253, and the process proceeds to S608.

[0069] 8(d) is an example of a screen 520 displayed by the Web browser of the terminal device 300 after receiving response data indicating that the security policy setting process is in progress, as responded by the image processing device 200. The screen 520 operates not to accept any user operations. Then, the background processing of the Web browser periodically queries whether the security policy setting process has been completed, and if completed, operates to display the top screen (not shown) of the WebUI of the image processing device 200.

[0070] 9, the image processing apparatus 200 then executes the loop process shown in S608 to S611. This loop process is repeated for the received setting change list until the entire list has been processed. In the loop process, first, S609 is executed.

[0071] In S609, the security policy setting application 253 acquires a set of combinations of unprocessed item IDs and setting values ​​from the setting change list by repeated processing. Then, the security policy setting application 253 saves the acquired set of setting changes in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value saving module 262. Here, since the setting values ​​are saved based on the item IDs, it is possible to update the specified items of the security policy settings. Next, the process proceeds to S610, where the security policy setting application 253 performs a setting value restriction process based on the security policy setting restriction table 410 shown in FIG. 7(a). Specifically, it extracts a row that matches the item ID of the security policy setting saved this time for column 411, and checks whether the saved setting value matches the "value that generates a restriction". If they match, it restricts the setting value based on the security policy setting as shown in column 412. For example, if the acquired set of setting changes is "item ID 10001, ON", then OFF is set as the setting value for item ID 00002 and OFF is set as the setting value for item ID 00003, and these are saved in NVRAM 215 via setting value saving module 262. For example, if the acquired set of setting changes is "item ID 10006, 10", then the current setting value for item ID 01005 is acquired, and if this value is 10 or less, 10 is set as the setting value for item ID 01005 and saved in NVRAM 215 via setting value saving module 262. Next, the process proceeds to S611, where if there are any unprocessed sets remaining in the setting change list, the process returns to S608, and if not, the process proceeds to S612.

[0072] In S612, the security policy setting application 253 requests the system control module 261 to reboot the image processing device 200. In response to the request, the system control module 261 executes reboot processing, and the process of this flowchart ends.

[0073] Next, a case where operational restrictions are set for the image processing device 200 from a maintenance tool running on the terminal device 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows an example of an application screen showing a maintenance tool for the image processing device 200 running on the terminal device 300. The maintenance tool connects to the image processing device 200 via a USB connection or a TCP / IP connection, and operates as an HTTP client to communicate with the maintenance application 256.

[0074] First, a rectangular area 700 is an area that represents the entire graphical user interface (GUI) of the maintenance tool, which is displayed when the maintenance tool is started. Within the rectangular area 700, buttons for executing the various functions of the maintenance tool and the like are arranged.

[0075] Next, the status display area 701 is an area that displays the connection status between the maintenance tool and the image processing device 200, and displays "Connected" when communication is possible, and "Disconnected" when communication is not possible. Next, the USB connection button 702 is a button for connecting the maintenance tool and the image processing device 200 via USB. By connecting the terminal device 300 and the image processing device 200 with a USB cable and pressing this button, the maintenance tool and the maintenance application 256 are placed in a state where they can communicate.

[0076] Next, the TCP / IP connection button 703 is a button for connecting the maintenance tool and the image processing device 200 via TCP / IP. Also, the IP address input field 704 is a text box for inputting the IP address of the connection destination. By having the terminal device 300 and the image processing device 200 participate in the same network, inputting the IP address of the image processing device 200 in the IP address input field 704, and pressing this button, the maintenance tool and the maintenance application 256 become capable of communicating with each other.

[0077] Next, the factory reset button 705 is a button for issuing an instruction to execute a factory reset process to the image processing device 200. By pressing the button while "Connected" is displayed in the status display area 701, an HTTP request indicating an instruction to execute a factory reset process is transmitted to the image processing device 200. When the Web server module 244 receives the HTTP request indicating an instruction to execute a factory reset process, it requests the maintenance application 256 to execute the factory reset process. Upon receiving the request for the factory reset process, the maintenance application 256 resets various setting values ​​held in the NVRAM 215 according to the information on the factory reset shown in column 404 of FIG. 6. Then, the maintenance application 256 generates response data indicating that the factory reset process has been completed, and transmits the response data as an HTTP response to the maintenance tool via the Web server module 244.

[0078] Next, the operation restriction setting transmission button 706 is a button for applying the operation restriction setting specified in the operation restriction setting area 707 to the image processing device 200. The operation restriction setting area 707 is formed of a plurality of radio buttons and text boxes, and allows the operation restriction setting to be applied to the image processing device 200 to be specified. When the operation restriction setting transmission button 706 is pressed in a state where "Connected" is displayed in the status display area 701, an HTTP request including the operation restriction setting specified in the operation restriction setting area 707 is transmitted to the image processing device 200. When the Web server module 244 receives the HTTP request including the operation restriction setting, it requests the maintenance application 256 to set the operation restriction. The maintenance application 256 receives the request to set the operation restriction and saves the requested operation restriction setting in the NVRAM 215. Furthermore, various setting values ​​held in the NVRAM 215 are changed according to the restriction table 420 based on the operation restriction setting. Then, the maintenance application 256 generates response data indicating that the operation restriction setting has been completed, and transmits the response data as an HTTP response to the maintenance tool via the Web server module 244.

[0079] Next, the setting of guest user restrictions of the image processing device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. The screen flows shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 are processed by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213, and are mainly controlled by the device UI control module 252.

[0080] 11 is an example of a setting screen when an administrator user of the image processing device 200 operates the operation display unit 201 to set guest user restrictions. When the setting value of item ID 02001 "Enable guest user" is "OFF", operations using the operation display unit 201 of the image processing device 200 are considered to be operations by the administrator user (logged in as the administrator user). When the setting value of item ID 02001 is "ON", a login operation as the administrator user or a guest user is required to operate the operation display unit 201. The login operation will be described later in FIG. 12.

[0081] Screen 801 is a setting menu screen that is displayed when area 235 is touched while the home screen is displayed on touch panel liquid crystal 226 of image processing device 200. Touching "Main unit settings" on this screen transitions to screen 802. Next, touching "Guest user settings" on screen 802 transitions to screen 803. Next, touching "Guest user enable / disable" on screen 803 transitions to screen 804, and touching "Guest user restrictions" transitions to screen 805. On screen 804, the setting value of item ID 02001 "Enable guest user" can be changed.

[0082] When "Enable" or "Disable" is touched on the screen 804, the screen transitions to a screen 806, and the setting management application 254 is requested to change the setting of the item ID 02001 "Enable guest user" via the device UI control module 252. When "Enable" is touched on the screen 804, the setting management application 254 saves "ON" as the setting value of the item ID 02001 in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value saving module 262. When "Disable" is touched on the screen 804, the setting management application 254 saves "OFF" as the setting value of the item ID 02001 in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value saving module 262. When saving of the setting value of the item ID 02001 is completed, the setting management application 254 notifies the device UI control module 252 of the completion of the setting change, and the screen displayed on the touch panel liquid crystal 226 transitions to a screen 807. When the OK button is touched on the screen 807, the screen returns to the screen 803.

[0083] Next, on screen 805, which is displayed by touching "Guest User Restriction" on screen 803, the settings of the guest user restrictions indicated by item IDs 02002 to 02005 can be changed. A plurality of check boxes and an OK button are displayed on screen 805, and the user can set the guest user restrictions by touching the check boxes to switch each item between "ON" and "OFF" and touching the OK button. When the OK button is touched, the screen transitions to screen 806, and a request is made to the setting management application 254 via the device UI control module 252 to change the settings of the "Guest User Restriction" indicated by item IDs 02002 to 02005. Depending on the request, the setting management application 254 saves "ON" or "OFF" as the setting value of item IDs 02002 to 02005 in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value storage module 262. When saving of the setting values ​​of item IDs 02002 to 02005 is completed, the setting management application 254 notifies the device UI control module 252 of the completion of the setting change, and the screen displayed on the touch panel liquid crystal 226 transitions to screen 807. Touching the OK button on screen 807 returns to screen 803.

[0084] 12 is an example of a login screen displayed on the operation display unit 201 when the setting value of the item ID 02001 “Enable guest user” is “ON.” By having the user perform a login operation, the device UI control module 252 can determine whether the user operating the operation display unit 201 is an administrator user or a guest user.

[0085] First, screen 901 is the screen before login. Touching "Guest User" here transitions to screen 902, and touching "Administrator User" transitions to screen 903. When transitioning to screen 902, the fact that the user is logged in as a guest user is stored in the device UI control module 252. Screen 902 is the home screen when logged in as a guest user. If the logout button is touched on this screen, or if a certain period of time (for example, one minute) has passed without any operation, it is assumed that the user has logged out, and the screen returns to screen 901.

[0086] The next screen 903 is a screen for performing authentication using an administrator password to log in as an administrator user. The screen 903 has an input field for the administrator password, and when the user touches the input field, a software keyboard is displayed, prompting the user to enter the administrator password. When the user enters the administrator password and touches the OK button, the process transitions to decision 904.

[0087] In decision 904, the device UI control module 252 acquires the input information and requests the setting management application 254 to authenticate the administrator password. The setting management application 254 compares the administrator password information acquired by the user input with the "administrator password value" stored in the NVRAM 215 and determines whether they match. If they do not match, it is determined that the administrator password authentication has failed, and if they match, it is determined that the administrator password authentication has succeeded. If the administrator password authentication has failed, the device UI control module 252 transitions to screen 905 and notifies the user that the administrator password authentication has failed. If the OK button is touched on this screen, screen 903 is displayed again and the user is prompted to enter the administrator password. If the administrator password authentication is successful, the device UI control module 252 transitions to screen 906.

[0088] When the screen transitions to 906, the fact that the user is logged in as an administrator user is stored in the device UI control module 252. The screen 906 is a home screen when logged in as an administrator user. If the logout button is touched on this screen, or if a certain period of time (for example, one minute) has passed without any operation, it is assumed that the user has logged out, and the screen returns to 901.

[0089] Next, Fig. 13 will be used to explain the operation of the device information printing function of the image processing device 200 when information including the security policy setting, the operation restriction setting, and the guest user restriction setting state is output. Fig. 13 shows an example of output when the device information printing function is executed.

[0090] The device information print function of the image processing device 200 is a function for outputting part of the setting state of the image processing device 200 as a printout, and is executed when "Print device information" is touched on the screen 802 shown in FIG. 11. When "Print device information" is touched, the setting management application 254 is requested to execute device information printing via the device UI control module 252. In response to the request, the setting management application 254 acquires various setting values ​​stored in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value storage module 262. Then, the acquired information is formed as print data and printed using the print unit 216. Note that when forming the print data, it is checked whether any of the restrictions are enabled for each restricted function based on the restriction tables of each restricted function shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c), and operates to remove restricted functions for which no restrictions are enabled from the output result.

[0091] 13(a) shows the output result when restrictions are imposed by security policy settings, operation restriction settings, and guest user restrictions. In area 1001, the setting state of guest user restrictions corresponding to item IDs 02002 to 02005 is output for each item. In area 1002, the setting state of security policy settings corresponding to item IDs 10001 to 10008 is output for each item. In area 1003, the setting state of operation restriction settings corresponding to item IDs 20001 to 20007 is expressed by a bit string of 0 or 1 for each item.

[0092] Fig. 13(b) shows the output result when there are no restrictions due to security policy settings, operation restriction settings, or guest user restrictions. Comparing with Fig. 13(a), it can be seen that there are no items corresponding to areas 1001 to 1003.

[0093] In this way, by excluding invalid restricted functions from the output result of printing device information, it is possible to reduce the number of sheets of paper and the amount of ink used for printing device information without impairing user convenience.

[0094] Next, a setting reset function for executing initialization processing of the settings of the image processing device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 shows a screen flow when various setting values ​​stored in the NVRAM 215 are reset by operating the UI of the image processing device 200 main body.

[0095] When "Reset Settings" is touched on screen 802 described in FIG. 11, the process proceeds to decision 1101. In decision 1101, it is confirmed whether a guest user is currently logged in and whether resetting settings is restricted. Specifically, it is confirmed whether the information of the currently logged in user held by device UI control module 252 is a guest user. Then, the value of item ID 02002 "Guest user restrictions: Allow settings changes" is obtained from NVRAM 215, and it is confirmed whether the value is "OFF". If the currently logged in user information is a guest user and the value of item ID 02002 is "OFF", it is determined that resetting settings is restricted. If it is restricted, the process proceeds to screen 1102, and if not, the process proceeds to decision 1103.

[0096] A screen 1102 notifies the user that the setting reset is restricted due to guest user restrictions. When the OK button is touched on this screen, the screen returns to the screen 802.

[0097] Next, in decision 1103, the device UI control module 252 checks with the setting value management application 254 whether any security policy settings or any operational restriction settings are valid or not, and if they are valid, the screen transitions to screen 1104, and if they are not valid, the screen transitions to screen 1105.

[0098] Here, the setting value management application 254 acquires the security policy settings and the operational restriction settings stored in the NVRAM 215 via the setting value storage module, and judges whether either of them is valid. Specifically, it acquires each setting value of the security policy settings indicated by item IDs 10001 to 10008, and each setting value of the operational restriction settings indicated by item IDs 20001 to 20007 from the NVRAM 215. Then, if any of the acquired values ​​is neither "0" nor "OFF", it is judged that one of the security policy settings is valid.

[0099] A screen 1104 notifies the user that the setting values ​​restricted by the security policy settings and the operation restriction settings may not be reset. When the OK button is touched on this screen, the screen transitions to a screen 1105.

[0100] Menus for each setting reset function are listed on screen 1105. Touching "Reset all" here transitions to screen 1106, and touching "Security policy only" transitions to screen 1109.

[0101] Screen 1106 is a screen for confirming whether or not to execute all settings reset processing. When the "Yes" button is touched, the screen transitions to screen 1107, and when the "No" button is touched, the screen transitions to screen 1105. When the screen transitions from screen 1106 to screen 1107, device UI control module 252 requests setting reset application 255 to perform all settings reset processing. Upon receiving the request for all settings reset processing, setting reset application 255 changes settings based on the initial values ​​shown in column 403 of setting item management information 400 and the reset flags for each initialization request shown in column 404. However, it operates so as not to reset the setting values ​​of security policy settings and operation restriction settings, and setting values ​​restricted by the restriction tables shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b). When the all settings reset processing is completed, the screen transitions to screen 1108.

[0102] Screen 1109 is a screen for confirming whether or not to execute security policy reset processing, and transitions to decision 1110 when the "Yes" button is touched, and transitions to screen 1105 when the "No" button is touched. In decision 1110, device UI control module 252 acquires the setting value of item ID 01001 "security administrator password setting" via security policy setting application 253 or setting value storage module 262. If the acquired value is NO, transitions to screen 1107, and if it is YES, transitions to screen 1111.

[0103] Screen 1111 is a screen for performing authentication using a security administrator password. Screen 1111 has an input field for the security administrator password, and when the user touches the input field, a software keyboard is displayed, prompting the user to input the security administrator password. When the user inputs the security administrator password and touches the OK button, the process transitions to decision 1112.

[0104] In decision 1112, the device UI control module 252 acquires the input information and requests the security policy setting application 253 to authenticate the security administrator password. The security policy setting application 253 compares the information on the security administrator password acquired by the user input with the "security administrator password value" stored in the NVRAM 215 and judges whether they match. If they do not match, it is judged that the security administrator password authentication has failed, and if they match, it is judged that the security administrator password authentication has succeeded. If the security administrator password authentication has failed, the device UI control module 252 transitions to screen 1113 and notifies the user that the security administrator password authentication has failed. If the OK button is touched on this screen, the device UI control module 252 displays screen 1111 again and prompts the user to enter the security administrator password. If the security administrator password authentication is successful, the device UI control module 252 transitions to screen 1107.

[0105] When a transition is made from screen 1110 or screen 1112 to screen 1107, device UI control module 252 requests security policy reset processing from setting reset application 255. Upon receiving the request for security policy reset processing, setting reset application 255 changes the settings based on the initial values ​​shown in column 403 of setting item management information 400 and the reset flags for each initialization request shown in column 404. When the security policy reset processing is completed, a transition is made to screen 1108.

[0106] A screen 1108 indicates that various reset processes have been completed, and when the user touches the OK button on this screen, the screen returns to the screen 1105.

[0107] Next, with reference to Figs. 15 and 16, the operation when the setting change is restricted by each restriction function will be described by taking the setting change operation of item ID 00004 "wireless LAN connection setting" as an example.

[0108] Fig. 15 is an example of a setting screen when executing wireless LAN connection setting of the image processing device 200. The screen flow shown in Fig. 15 is processed by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213, and is mainly controlled by the device UI control module 252.

[0109] Screen 1201 is a network setting menu screen that is displayed when area 234 is touched while the home screen is displayed on the touch panel liquid crystal 226 of the image processing device 200. Touching "Wireless LAN connection settings" on this screen transitions to screen 1202.

[0110] Next, when "Enable / Disable Wireless LAN" is touched on screen 1202, the process proceeds from decision 1203 to decision 1205, which determines whether or not changing the wireless LAN connection settings is restricted. The specific determination process is performed by the device UI control module 252 making a restriction confirmation request to the setting management application 254, and the details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0111] First, in decision 1203, it is confirmed whether the wireless LAN connection setting is restricted by the operation restriction setting, and if it is restricted, the process proceeds to screen 1206, and if it is not restricted, the process proceeds to decision 1204. Screen 1206 is a screen for notifying the user that the operation is restricted by the operation restriction setting, and touching the OK button on this screen returns to screen 1202.

[0112] Next, in decision 1204, it is confirmed whether the wireless LAN connection setting is restricted by the security policy setting, and if it is restricted, the process proceeds to screen 1207, and if it is not restricted, the process proceeds to decision 1205. Screen 1207 is a screen for notifying the user that the operation is restricted by the security policy setting, and touching the OK button on this screen returns to screen 1202.

[0113] Next, in decision 1205, it is confirmed whether the wireless LAN connection setting is restricted by guest user restrictions, and if it is restricted, the screen proceeds to screen 1208, and if it is not restricted, the screen proceeds to screen 1209. Screen 1208 is a screen for notifying the user that the operation is restricted by guest user restrictions, and touching the OK button on this screen returns to screen 1202.

[0114] Screen 1209 displays options for wireless LAN connection settings, and in this example screen, touching either "enable" or "disable" transitions to screen 1210. Screen 1210 displays a screen notifying the user that a setting change is being processed, and the setting change of image processing device 200 is carried out.

[0115] For example, when "Enabled" is touched on screen 1209, device UI control module 252 changes the setting value of item ID 00004, "Wireless LAN Connection Setting," to ON via setting management application 254 and setting value storage module 262. Also, when "Disabled" is touched on screen 1209, device UI control module 252 similarly changes the setting value of item ID 00004 to OFF.

[0116] When the processing for changing the settings of the image processing device 200 is completed, the screen transitions to a screen 1211, which notifies the user of the completion of the setting change. When the OK button is touched on this screen, the screen returns to the screen 1202.

[0117] 15 shows a case where the settings are changed by operating the UI of the image processing device 200 main body, but the method of changing the settings is not limited to this. For example, the settings may be changed by a WebUI, and in this case, the same setting change procedure and setting change restrictions as those in the screen flow described in FIG. 15 can be implemented.

[0118] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the setting management application 254 of the image processing device 200 receives a restriction confirmation request from the WebUI control module 251 or the device UI control module 252. In FIG.

[0119] First, in S1301, the setting management application 254 receives a restriction confirmation request including the item ID of the setting item that is the target of the setting change operation and information about the user who is currently logged in. Then, the process proceeds to S1302, where it is confirmed whether or not the setting item that is the target of the received setting change is prohibited from being changed due to operation restrictions imposed by the operation restriction setting.

[0120] Specifically, the setting values ​​of the operation restriction settings indicated by item IDs 20001 to 20007 are obtained from the NVRAM 215. Then, the operation restriction settings that are valid are extracted based on the operation restriction setting restriction table 420 shown in Fig. 7(b). For the extracted valid operation restriction settings, column 423 is checked to determine whether the item ID of the setting change target is subject to operation restriction, i.e., whether the setting change is prohibited. Then, if the setting change is prohibited, the process proceeds to S1303, and if not prohibited, the process proceeds to S1304.

[0121] In S1303, the setting management application 254 responds to the restriction confirmation request by indicating that the setting change operation is restricted by the operation restriction setting, and realizes a screen display such as screen 1206.

[0122] Next, in S1304, it is confirmed whether or not the setting item to be changed is prohibited from being changed due to operation restrictions imposed by security policy settings.

[0123] Specifically, the setting values ​​of the security policy settings indicated by item IDs 10001 to 10008 are obtained from NVRAM 215. Then, the valid security policy settings are extracted based on security policy setting restriction table 410 shown in Fig. 7(a). For the extracted valid security policy settings, column 413 is checked to determine whether the item ID of the setting change target is subject to operation restriction, i.e., whether the setting change is prohibited. Then, if the setting change is prohibited, the process proceeds to S1305, and if not prohibited, the process proceeds to S1306.

[0124] In S1305, the setting management application 254 responds to the restriction confirmation request by indicating that the setting change operation is restricted by the security policy setting, and realizes a screen display such as screen 1207.

[0125] Next, in S1306, it is determined whether or not the currently logged-in user is a guest user based on the received information about the currently logged-in user. If the user is a guest user, the process proceeds to S1307, and if the user is a guest user, the process proceeds to S1309.

[0126] In S1307, it is confirmed whether or not the setting item to be changed is prohibited from being changed due to the operation restriction in the guest user setting.

[0127] Specifically, the setting values ​​of the guest user restrictions indicated by item IDs 02002 to 02005 are obtained from the NVRAM 215. Then, the guest user restrictions that are enabled are extracted based on the guest user restriction table 430 shown in FIG. 7(c). For the extracted enabled guest user restrictions, the column 433 is checked to determine whether the item ID of the setting change target is subject to operation restrictions, i.e., whether the setting change is prohibited. Then, if the setting change is prohibited, the process proceeds to S1308, and if not prohibited, the process proceeds to S1309.

[0128] In S1308, the setting management application 254 responds to the restriction confirmation request, indicating that the setting change operation is restricted by guest user restrictions, and realizes a screen display such as screen 1208. Then, in S1309, the setting management application 254 responds to the restriction confirmation request, indicating that the setting item to be changed can be changed, and the process ends.

[0129] By controlling the image processing device 200 in the above manner, even if multiple functional restrictions with different uses, such as security policy settings, operational restriction settings, and guest user restrictions, are set, it is possible to restrict the operation of the device while taking into consideration each of the restrictions.

[0130] Also, it is possible to display a different notification screen for each restriction, as shown by screens 1206 to 1208 in Fig. 15. That is, the user who operates the image processing device 200 can know by the notification screen which restriction function has restricted the operation, and can request the administrator user or security administrator user to remove the restriction as necessary.

[0131] Second embodiment In the first embodiment, the order in which each restricted function is checked when checking whether or not a setting change operation is restricted is fixed. With this method, if it is desired to change the checking order, it is necessary to rearrange the processing sequence. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the concept of priority is introduced to each restricted function, and a method is disclosed in which the presence or absence of restrictions is checked in order of priority. As a result, if it is desired to change the checking order of each restricted function, it can be done simply by changing the priority.

[0132] 1 to 15 are common to the first and second embodiments, and therefore will not be described. However, the specific processes of determinations 1203 to 1205 in Fig. 15 are changed to the flowchart described in Fig. 18.

[0133] 17 is a diagram showing information indicating the priority order between each of the restriction functions of the image processing device 200, diagrammatically illustrating the restriction function priority order information 440. A numerical value indicating the priority order is assigned in column 441, with the smaller the numerical value, the higher the priority order. Column 442 lists the names of the restriction functions, thereby linking the priority order with each restriction function. Column 443 lists error messages to be displayed on the screen when operations are restricted by each restriction function.

[0134] 17, the restriction function priority information 440 is shown in a table format, but the format in which the image processing device 200 holds this information is not limited to the table format. For example, the information may be held in a specific database format, in a format such as a JSON file, or expressed as a program stored in the ROM 213.

[0135] Next, FIG. 18 is a flowchart when the setting management application 254 of the image processing device 200 in the second embodiment receives a restriction confirmation request from the WebUI control module 251 or the device UI control module 252.

[0136] First, in S1401, the setting management application 254 receives a restriction confirmation request including the item ID of the setting item that is the target of the setting change operation and the currently logged-in user information.

[0137] Next, the setting management application 254 performs the repeated process shown in S1402 to S1406. In this repeated process, it is confirmed whether or not the target of the setting change operation is restricted, starting from the restricted function with the highest priority based on the restricted function priority information 440. That is, in the example shown in Fig. 17, the operation is such that the operation restriction setting is processed first, then the security policy setting, and finally the guest user setting is processed.

[0138] In the repeated process, first, in S1403, it is determined whether or not the currently logged-in user is a user who is subject to the restriction function.

[0139] Specifically, the operation restriction information corresponding to the restriction function is checked from the restriction table shown in Fig. 7, and it is checked whether the currently logged-in user information received as the restriction check request is the restriction target. For example, when processing the operation restriction setting, column 423 of the restriction table 420 by operation restriction setting is checked. Since it can be seen from column 423 that the restriction targets are all users, the currently logged-in user is the restriction target whether it is an administrator user or a guest user. For example, when processing the guest user restriction, column 433 of the restriction table 430 by guest user restriction is checked. Since it can be seen from column 433 that the restriction targets are only guest users, if the currently logged-in user is an administrator user, the user is not the restriction target, and if the currently logged-in user is a guest user, the user is the restriction target. If the currently logged-in user is the restriction target, proceed to S1404, and if not, proceed to S1406.

[0140] Next, in S1404, the setting management application 254 checks whether the item ID of the setting item that is the target of the setting change operation is prohibited from being changed by the restriction function.

[0141] Specifically, an item ID list corresponding to the setting of the restriction function is obtained from the restriction table shown in FIG. 7, and the setting value of the item ID list is obtained from the NVRAM 215 via the setting value storage module 262. Then, rows in which a restriction has occurred are extracted based on the setting value obtained from the restriction table. For the extracted rows, it is confirmed whether the item ID of the setting item that is the target of the setting change operation is included in the target of the operation restriction, and if it is included, it is determined that the setting change operation is prohibited. For example, when processing the operation restriction setting, column 421 of the restriction table 420 by the operation restriction setting is confirmed. Then, it is found that the operation restriction setting is item ID 20001 to 20007, and the setting values ​​of those are obtained from the NVRAM. It is confirmed whether the acquired setting value corresponds to the "value that generates a restriction", and a corresponding row means that the restriction is enabled. For the row in which the restriction is enabled, column 423 is confirmed to determine whether the item ID of the setting item that is the target of the setting change operation is included in the target of the operation restriction. If the setting change operation is prohibited, proceed to S1405, and if it is not prohibited, proceed to S1406.

[0142] In S1405, the setting management application 254 exits the loop process, and responds to the restriction confirmation request to indicate that the setting change operation is restricted, and the process ends.

[0143] Specifically, the restriction module 251 obtains an error message for the restriction function from column 443 of the restriction function priority information 440, and returns a value indicating that the function is restricted and the error message as a response to the restriction confirmation request. For example, when processing an operation restriction setting, the module obtains the message "Cannot be executed due to operation restriction setting" from column 443 of the restriction function priority information 440, and returns the error message together with a return value indicating that the function is restricted. Upon receiving the response, the Web UI control module 251 or the device UI control module 252 can notify the user that the operation is restricted by displaying a screen including the error message indicating that the operation cannot be executed.

[0144] If it is determined in S1403 or S1404 that the operation is not restricted, the process proceeds to S1406, and returns to S1402 to process the restricted function with the next highest priority based on the restricted function priority information 440. At this time, if confirmation of all restricted functions has already been completed, the loop ends and the process proceeds to S1407.

[0145] In S1407, the setting management application 254 determines that the operation is not restricted in response to the restriction confirmation request, and returns a value indicating that the setting can be changed.

[0146] As described above, it has been described that the confirmation order of each restricted function can be changed based on the priority order without rearranging the individual operation sequences. Note that the priority order of the restricted function priority order information 440 may be changed, in which case the priority order information may be stored in the NVRAM 215 and the priority order may be changed from the Web UI or device UI of the image processing apparatus, or a maintenance tool, etc.

[0147] In addition, although three examples of restriction functions have been given this time: security policy settings, operation restriction settings, and guest user settings, there is no limitation to these. For example, in addition to administrator users and guest users, there may be a general user restriction function that provides users with general user attributes (called general users) and associates the user ID of the general user with operation restrictions.

[0148] (Other Examples) The present invention also includes an apparatus or system configured by appropriately combining the above-described embodiments, and a method thereof.

[0149] Here, the present invention is a device or system that executes one or more pieces of software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments. Also, a method for realizing the above-mentioned embodiments executed by the device or system is also one aspect of the present invention. Also, the program is supplied to the system or device via a network or various storage media, and the program is read into one or more memories by one or more computers (CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device and executed. In other words, as one aspect of the present invention, the program itself, or various storage media that store the program and can be read by a computer, are also included. Also, the present invention can be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 100 Access Points 101 LAN 200 Image processing device 300 Terminal Equipment

Claims

1. An image processing device, a first setting means for setting a restriction on a part of functions of the image processing device as a first function restriction; a second setting means for validly setting a restriction on a part of the functions of the image processing device as a second restriction on the functions different from the first restriction on the functions; and a control means for controlling a function that is the subject of restriction by both the first function restriction and the second function restriction in accordance with a setting value of the function based on the restriction.

2. the first functional restriction is a restriction set by the image processing device using a dedicated tool; The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a providing means for, when an instruction is given to use a function that is the target of the first functional restriction and the second functional restriction, providing a screen indicating that the use of the function has been restricted by the first functional restriction, rather than the second functional restriction.

3. The image processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, when an instruction is given to use a function that is not restricted by the first functional restriction but is subject to the second functional restriction, the providing means provides a screen indicating that use of the function has been restricted by the second functional restriction.

4. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second function restriction is a restriction set as a security policy by a security administrator when authentication as the security administrator is successful.

5. The image processing device further includes an initialization unit for initializing settings of the image processing device, The image processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the initialization means is capable of executing a first initialization process that does not initialize settings for the first functional restriction and the second functional restriction, and a second initialization process that initializes settings for the second functional restriction.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls a function that is subject to the first functional restriction and the second functional restriction so that the function is used with a setting value that satisfies each of the restrictions of the target setting items.

7. A control method for an image processing device, comprising: a first setting step of validating a restriction on some functions of the image processing device as a first function restriction; a second setting step of validating a restriction on some functions of the image processing device as a second function restriction different from the first function restriction; a control step of controlling a function that is the subject of restriction by both the first function restriction and the second function restriction, using a setting value of the function based on the restrictions.

8. A computer as an image processing device a first setting means for setting a restriction on a part of functions of the image processing device as a first function restriction; a second setting means for validly setting a restriction on a part of the functions of the image processing device as a second restriction on the functions different from the first restriction on the functions; A program characterized by functioning as a control means for executing control of a function that is subject to restriction by both the first functional restriction and the second functional restriction, based on a setting value of the function based on the restriction.

Images