Printer, control method of printer, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem that a conventional printer cannot input a compound password, and therefor, cannot start printing even if a user instructs printing from an operation part of the printer in the case that a print job of enciphered print data including no decoding password is detained, therefore, such a detention of the print-disabling enciphered print data results in wasteful consumption of a storage of the printer.SOLUTION: A printer 101 is configured to: when an execution instruction of a detained print job is issued, in response to a state where print data of the print job is enciphered print data and where the print job includes no decoding password (a job type is "encrypted PDF (with no password)" at S1203), receive a decoding password inputted by a user (S1206 to S1207); and decode, by using the inputted decoding password, the enciphered print data, and start printing (S1208, Fig.12B).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device, a control method for a printing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Some printing devices can be set to a forced reservation mode as an operating mode in order to enhance security or to prevent printed materials from being left unattended. Patent Document 1 describes a printing device that, when operating in forced reservation mode, forcibly stores received data on a hard disk regardless of whether the data sent from a communication terminal is an instruction to print or an instruction to reserve. The forcibly reserved data is printed when a user who issued a transmission instruction on a communication terminal approaches the printing device and issues a print instruction using an operation panel.

[0003] When sending data from a communication terminal to instruct printing, the communication terminal sends the print data via a network, and the printing device forms an image on a sheet based on the received print data. It has also been known in the past to generate print data to be sent to a printing device using a printer driver designed for use with an individual printing device. The communication terminal, which is the sender, generates print data from a document displayed and edited in an arbitrary application using a printer driver compatible with the printing device. The communication device then transmits the generated print data to the printing device using a protocol such as LPR (Line Printer Demon Protocol).

[0004] A typical printing method from a mobile device is printing using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol). When printing using IPP, the print client does not need an individual printer driver. An IPP-compliant print client sends a raster image created when the print screen is displayed to the printing device, or if the document is in a general-purpose format, sends the document data as is to the printing device.

[0005] In some cases, a user may wish to send encrypted data, such as an encrypted Portable Document Format (PDF) file, from a communication terminal to a printing device for printing. In this case, a method is available in which the communication terminal sends the encrypted data and its decryption password over the same communication path, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), to perform printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-149701 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When the document data to be printed is encrypted, the above-mentioned IPP-compliant print client cannot send the encrypted document data and its decryption password to the printing device at the same time. Therefore, when such a print client issues an instruction to print encrypted document data, encrypted print data that does not include the decryption password is sent to the printing device. A printing device that receives such print data cannot interpret the encrypted document data and cannot execute printing unless the composite password is entered. Note that conventional printing devices do not take into account whether the print data is encrypted data or whether it includes a decryption password in the reservation process.

[0008] For this reason, in a conventional printing device, if encrypted print data that does not include a decryption password is reserved, even if a user issues a print command from the operation unit of the printing device, the user cannot enter the compound password and the data cannot be printed. If such encrypted print data that cannot be printed is reserved, storage space on the printing device is wasted.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism that enables printing of a print job related to encrypted data transmitted by a printing protocol that does not allow the transmission of a decryption password simultaneously with the encrypted data, thereby improving the convenience of reserved printing and reducing unnecessary consumption of storage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention is a printing device that stores a received print job in a storage means without executing it until an execution instruction is received from an operation unit, and is characterized in having: when an execution instruction is given for a print job stored in the storage means, if the print data of the print job instructed to be executed is encrypted print data and the print job does not include a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, a control means that accepts user input of the password and controls the encrypted print data to be decrypted using the input password; and a printing means that prints the decrypted print data. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to print a print job related to encrypted data sent using a printing protocol that does not allow the decryption password to be sent simultaneously with the encrypted data, thereby improving the convenience of reserved printing and reducing unnecessary storage consumption. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a printing apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a printing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a communication terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a communication terminal. [Figure 6A] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of the communication terminal. [Figure 6B] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of the communication terminal. [Figure 6C] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of the communication terminal. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation process. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of bibliographic information. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a reserved job list screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a decryption password input screen for printing a reserved job. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an error screen displayed when decoding fails during printing of a reserved job. [Figure 12A] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a print execution process for a reservation job. [Figure 12B] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a print execution process for a reservation job. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a PDF print web application screen of the printing device. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a device setting management function screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for displaying jobs by users other than authenticated users. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen using user authentication. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, the embodiments for carrying out 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.

[0014] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing system according to this embodiment includes communication terminals 103 and 104, a printing device 101, and an AP (access point) 102. The printing device 101 and AP 102 are connected to a network 100 so that they can communicate with each other. In this embodiment, the printing device 101 is shown as an example of a printing device. Also, as examples of communication terminals, the case is shown in which the communication terminal 103 is a tablet terminal, and the communication terminal 104 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0015] The communication terminals 103 and 104 and the printing device 101 can communicate with each other via the AP 102 and the network 100. Note that in this embodiment, the above configuration will be described as an example of a printing system, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient that one or more communication terminals and the printing device are connected to be able to communicate with each other via the network. Note that the communication via the AP 102 is, for example, wireless communication conforming to the IEEE802.11 series. Furthermore, the communication terminal 103 and the printing device 101 can also communicate with each other by direct wireless communication via an ad-hoc network such as Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi Aware (registered trademark).

[0016] First, the printing device 101 will be described. The printing device 101 can execute print processing based on a print job received from an external device via a network. The printing device 101 of this embodiment can receive and print a print job that complies with the IPP.

[0017] <Printing device configuration> 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the printing device 101. In this embodiment, the printing device 101 is described as an example of a print control device, but is not limited to this. For example, the print control device may be an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) or the like that has a function of reading an original in addition to a printing function.

[0018] A control unit 210 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211 controls the overall operation of the printing device 101. The CPU 211 reads out a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 212 or a storage 214, and performs various types of control such as print control and read control. The ROM 212 stores control programs executable by the CPU 211. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 213 is the main storage memory of the CPU 211, and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various control programs.

[0019] The storage 214 stores print job data, image data, various programs, and various setting information. The storage 214 may be used when storing print job data and bibliographic information 800 temporarily stored in the storage 214 by a reservation function. In this embodiment, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) is assumed as the storage 214, but a non-volatile memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) may be used instead of the HDD. In this manner, the hardware such as the CPU 211, the ROM 212, the RAM 213, and the storage 214 constitute a so-called computer.

[0020] In the printing device 101 of this embodiment, one CPU 211 executes each process shown in the flowcharts described later using one memory (RAM 213), but other configurations are also possible. For example, each process shown in the flowcharts described later can be executed by using multiple CPUs, RAMs, ROMs, and storages in cooperation with each other. Also, some of the processes can be executed using hardware circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0021] An operation unit interface (I / F) 215 connects an operation unit 216 and the control unit 210. The operation unit 216 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, various hard keys, and the like, and functions as a display unit that displays information and a reception unit that receives instructions from the user.

[0022] The image processing unit 217 has a RIP (Raster Image Processor) function that develops a print job and generates a print image to be used for printing. The image processing unit 217 can also perform resolution conversion and correction processing of image data. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the image processing unit 217 is realized by a hardware circuit (such as an ASIC or an FPGA), but this is not limited to this. For example, the printing device may further include a processor for image processing purposes, and the processor may execute an image processing program to realize image processing and development processing into print data. In this case, the processor and the CPU 211 cooperate to realize a flowchart to be described later. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure the CPU 211 to execute a program for performing image processing, and to perform image processing and development processing of print data. Image processing may also be performed by any combination of these.

[0023] The printing unit I / F 219 connects the printing unit 220 and the control unit 210. A print image generated by analyzing print data by the image processing unit 217 is transferred from the control unit 210 to the printing unit 220 via the printing unit I / F 219. The printing unit 220 receives a control command and a print image via the control unit 210, and prints the image on a sheet fed from a paper feed cassette (not shown) based on the image. The printing method of the printing unit 220 may be an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, or other printing methods such as a thermal transfer method may also be applied.

[0024] The sheet processing unit I / F 221 connects the control unit 210 and the sheet processing unit 222. The sheet processing unit 222 receives control commands from the CPU 211, and performs post-processing on sheets printed by the printing unit 220 in accordance with the control commands. For example, the sheet processing unit 222 performs post-processing such as aligning multiple sheets, punching holes in sheets, and binding multiple sheets.

[0025] The control unit 210 is also connected to the network 100 via a communication unit I / F 223. The communication unit I / F 223 transmits capability information and status information to a communication terminal on the network 100, and receives print jobs from a communication terminal on the network 100.

[0026] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the printing apparatus 101. Note that each functional block shown in Fig. 3 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program loaded in the RAM 213.

[0027] The print service control unit 315 is a service that controls communication with the communication terminals 103 and 104 when performing printing that conforms to IPP (IPP printing). The print service control unit 315 has a function of receiving inquiries about printing and notifying attribute information that indicates the capabilities of the printer. The attribute information includes information such as data formats that the printing device can accept and acceptable print job settings. Print job settings include available paper sizes and paper types, color and monochrome print modes, settings related to print imposition such as single-sided / double-sided and N-up, settings related to post-processing, etc.

[0028] Here, an overview of the process from receiving a print job to printing will be described. When the print service control unit 315 receives an IPP print job from the communication terminal, it passes the received data to the print job generation unit 302. The print job generation unit 302 receives the print job from the communication terminal via the print service control unit 315, writes the print job to the data reception control unit 305, and also registers it as a new job in the job control unit 307, and requests the start of print processing. Furthermore, the print job generation unit 302 analyzes the print job from the communication terminal, and passes print settings to be applied to the print job to the job setting storage unit 308 based on the analysis results.

[0029] The UI control unit 301 acquires information about the status of a print job being processed from the job control unit 307, and displays a UI screen showing the processing status of the print job on the operation unit 216. The data reception control unit 305 is a receiving buffer area for the print job received by the print job generating unit 302 , and temporarily stores the print job in the storage 214 .

[0030] When the job control unit 307 instructs the PDL analysis unit 306 to perform PDL analysis processing for a print job, the PDL analysis unit 306 requests the corresponding print job from the data reception control unit 305. Upon receiving this request, the data reception control unit 305 passes the corresponding print job data to the PDL analysis unit 306. Here, if the passed print job data is encrypted PDF, the PDL analysis unit 306 requests decryption processing from the encryption / decryption processing unit 304 of the print data control unit 303. The encryption / decryption processing unit 304 passes the decrypted PDF to the PDL analysis unit 306.

[0031] In this embodiment, an encrypted PDF will be described as an example of an encrypted document. An encrypted PDF is a PDF in which data has been encrypted, and a password must be entered to decrypt the PDF for display, editing, etc. However, the encrypted document targeted in this embodiment is not limited to an encrypted PDF. A job control unit 307 instructs a PDL analysis unit 306 to analyze a print job. A page control unit 309 stores image data for page data generated by the PDL analysis unit 306 in a page storage unit 310 and print settings for each page in a page setting storage unit 311.

[0032] The job setting storage unit 308 stores setting information for a print job, such as, but not limited to, "number of copies," "Nup (multiple printing)," "print side (single-sided / double-sided) setting," "color / monochrome mode," and "finishing setting."

[0033] A page control unit 309 controls the page analysis process of the PDL analysis unit 306 , the RIP process of the RIP control unit 313 , and the print control process of the print control unit 312 . The print control unit 312 acquires RIP-processed image data from the page storage unit 310 , separates the data into CMYK colors, and transfers the data to the engine control unit 314 . The engine control unit 314 receives image data for each of the CMYK colors on a page-by-page basis from the print control unit 312, and controls the printing unit 220 to perform print processing for each page. The reservation process for a print job and the printing process for the reserved print data will be described in detail later.

[0034] <Communication terminal configuration> Next, the configuration of communication terminals 103 and 104 will be described. Communications terminals 103 and 104 have IPP-compliant print clients and can send print jobs to a printer such as printing device 101 .

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the communication terminals 103 and 104. As shown in FIG. A control unit 400 including a CPU 401 controls the overall operation of the communication terminal 103. The CPU 401 loads a program stored in a ROM 402 or a storage 404 into a RAM 403, and executes the program to perform various controls such as control of a print setting screen, generation of print data, and transfer of a print job.

[0036] The ROM 402 stores control programs and boot programs executable by the CPU 401. The RAM 403 is the main memory of the CPU 401 and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various programs. The storage 404 stores an OS (operating system), print clients, print data generated by the print clients, and various setting information. The storage 404 is composed of, for example, an SSD.

[0037] The communication unit I / F 405 is a network interface capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from a printing device on the network 100 . An operation unit 407 is connected to the operation unit I / F 406. The operation unit 407 is a touch panel that functions as a display unit that displays a print setting screen provided by a print client and as a reception unit that receives user operations.

[0038] Fig. 5 shows an example of the software configuration of the communication terminals 103 and 104. Note that each functional block shown in Fig. 5 is realized by the CPU 401 executing a program loaded in the RAM 403.

[0039] The UI control unit 501 has a function of interpreting user operations received by the operation unit 407 , issuing commands to the arbitrary application 502 and print job control unit 506 , and displaying notifications from the arbitrary application 502 and print job control unit 506 on the operation unit 407 .

[0040] The print data processing unit 503 has an encryption / decryption processing unit 504 and a display data generation unit 505, and performs data processing on print data specified by a request from the arbitrary application 502 or print job control unit 506. The encryption / decryption processing unit 504 has a function of decrypting encrypted data, for example, an encrypted PDF. The display data generation unit 505 has a function of generating display data for displaying the specified PDF on the operation unit 407 by the arbitrary application 502 or the print job control unit 506.

[0041] The print job control unit 506 has a printing device management unit 507 and a print job generation unit 508. The printing device management unit 507 searches for the printing device 101 and acquires the capabilities of the printing device 101. The print job generation unit 508 has a function of generating a print job from data specified by the arbitrary application 502 in response to a request from the arbitrary application.

[0042] An IPP print service control unit 509 is a service that controls communication with the printing apparatus 101 when performing IPP-related printing, transmits print jobs to the printing apparatus, and obtains the processing results of the transmitted print jobs.

[0043] 6A to 6C are diagrams showing examples of screen displays from opening an encrypted PDF document in an arbitrary application 502 of the communication terminals 103 and 104 to instructing the printing device 101 to print the encrypted PDF file. Below, FIGS. 6A to 6C are collectively referred to as "FIG. 6." The arbitrary application 502 is started by the UI control unit 501, and a screen by the started arbitrary application 502 is displayed on the operation unit 407.

[0044] FIG. 6( a ) shows a file browser screen by the arbitrary application 502 . When the user presses, for example, 601, the optional application 502 performs display processing for the selected file. In this embodiment, the file corresponding to 601 is an encrypted PDF. In this case, since the selected file is an encrypted PDF, the optional application 502 displays a password entry screen 602 as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0045] When the user inputs a password on the password input screen 602 and presses the OK button, the arbitrary application 502 decrypts the encrypted PDF using the encryption / decryption processing unit 504. The arbitrary application 502 also generates a raster image for display from the decrypted plaintext PDF using a display data generation unit 505, and displays it on the operation unit 407 (FIG. 6(c)).

[0046] When the user presses the menu button 603 in FIG. 6(c), the optional application 502 displays a menu as shown in FIG. 6(d). When the user presses print 604 in Fig. 6(d), the optional application 502 requests the print job control unit 506 to print the file selected by the user. In the example of Fig. 6, since the file specified by the user is an encrypted PDF as described above, the print job control unit 506 displays a password entry screen 605 (Fig. 6(e)).

[0047] When the user enters a password on the password entry screen 605 and presses the OK button, the print job control unit 506 decrypts the encrypted PDF using the encryption / decryption processing unit 504 to generate a plaintext PDF. The print job control unit 506 generates a raster image of the decrypted plaintext PDF using the display data generation unit 505 and displays it on the operation unit 407 (FIG. 6(f)).

[0048] When the user presses the "Select Printer" menu 606 in Fig. 6(f), the print job control unit 506 displays a list of available printing devices on the operation unit 407 (Fig. 6(g)). The printing devices that the print job control unit 506 displays on the operation unit 407 may be in a form in which the printing device management unit 507 searches the network and determines that the printing devices are available, or in a form in which the printing devices that have been registered in advance in the communication terminals 103 and 104 are displayed.

[0049] When the user designates an arbitrary printing device on the screen of Fig. 6(g), the print job control unit 506 displays the print execution screen shown in Fig. 6(h). When the user presses the print menu 608 on Fig. 6(h), the print job control unit 506 causes the print job generation unit 508 to generate a print job for printing the selected file on the selected printing device, and transmits the print job to the selected printing device and makes a print request.

[0050] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when a print job is reserved in the printing device 101. Note that a description of the case where the print job is not reserved will be omitted. The processing of this flowchart is executed by the software function of the printing device 101 shown in FIG.

[0051] In S701, when the print job generating unit 302 receives a print job from the communication terminal 103 via the print service control unit 315, the process proceeds to S702. In S702, the data reception control unit 305 acquires the setting value of forced reservation stored in the RAM 213, and determines whether forced reservation is ON. This setting value is read from the storage 214 to the RAM 213 when the printing device is started. Here, if forced reservation is OFF (NO in S702), the data reception control unit 305 ends the reservation process of this flowchart, and proceeds to print processing of the received print job.

[0052] On the other hand, if the forced reservation is ON (YES in S702), the data reception control unit 305 advances the process to S703. In S703, the data reception control unit 305 acquires the PDL type indicating the type of print data from the received print job, and proceeds to S704. In S704, the data reception control unit 305 determines whether the PDL type of the print data is PDF. If the PDL type is not PDF (NOS in S704), the process proceeds to S714.

[0053] In S714, the job control unit 307 acquires the job type from the received print job, and proceeds to S715. In S715, the job control unit 307 stores job information including the job type included in the print job as bibliographic information in the storage 214, and proceeds to S716. The bibliographic information is information for managing the reserved print data. In S716, the job control unit 307 stores the print data of the print job in the storage 214, and ends the reservation process of this flowchart.

[0054] On the other hand, if the PDL type of the print data is PDF (YES in S704), the process proceeds to S705. In S705, the PDL analysis unit 306 analyzes whether the PDF is encrypted, and proceeds to S706.

[0055] In S706, the PDL analysis unit 306 determines whether the PDF is encrypted based on the analysis result in S705. If the PDF is not encrypted (NO in S706), the PDL analysis unit 306 advances the process to S711. In S711, the PDL analysis unit 306 sets the job type of the print job to a setting value of "normal job" and advances the process to S712. The process from S712 onwards will be described later.

[0056] On the other hand, if the PDF is encrypted (YES in S706), the PDL analysis unit 306 advances the process to S707. In S707, the PDL analysis unit 306 performs processing to acquire a password for decrypting the encrypted PDF from the received print job, and the process proceeds to S708. In S708, the PDL analysis unit 306 determines whether or not a password was obtained from the print job in S707 (whether the print job included a password). If the password was obtained (YES in S708), the PDL analysis unit 306 advances the process to S709. In S709, the PDL analysis unit 306 sets the job type of the print job to a setting value of "Encrypted PDF (with password)" and advances the process to S712.

[0057] On the other hand, if the password could not be acquired from the print job in S707 (NO in S708), the PDL analysis unit 306 advances the process to S710. In S710, the PDL analysis unit 306 sets the job type of the print job to a setting value of "Encrypted PDF (without password)" and advances the process to S712.

[0058] Here, the job types of the print job will be described. In this embodiment, there are five job types for print jobs: encrypted PDF (with password), encrypted PDF (without password), normal job, secure print, and encrypted secure print. These will be described in detail below.

[0059] First, the job type "Encrypted PDF (with password)" will be explained. The job type "Encrypted PDF (with password)" is a job type for a job in which the print data is encrypted PDF and the password is included in the print job. As an example, when the communication terminal 103 requests printing by sending print data and a decryption password using the HTTP protocol from a web browser as shown in FIG. 13 that displays a web application provided by the printing device 101, the job type becomes Encrypted PDF (with password).

[0060] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a web application screen displayed by the communication terminal 103 specifying the IP address of the printing device 101 on the web browser screen of the arbitrary application 502. A back button 1301 returns to the previously displayed page. A forward button 1302 returns to the next displayed page. A URL 1303 is a text box for inputting a uniform resource locator (URL). By inputting the URL of a web application including the IP address of the printing device 101, a web application screen for a PDF file is displayed.

[0061] When the file selection button 1304 is pressed, a file selection screen (not shown) is displayed, allowing the selection of a PDF file to be printed. The file name 1305 is the name of the file selected by operating the file selection button 1304.

[0062] Decryption password 1306 is a text box for inputting a password for decryption when the file selected by operating file selection button 1304 is an encrypted PDF. When the decryption password is input into decryption password 1306 and printing is requested by print button 1308, the job becomes "encrypted PDF (password included)". However, if printing is requested by print button 1308 without inputting the decryption password, the job type becomes "encrypted PDF (no password)".

[0063] Number of copies 1307 is an example of a print setting, and is a text box for inputting the number of copies. A print button 1308 is a button for sending data including the selected file, the decryption password, and the print setting to the printing device 101 as a print job using the HTTP protocol, and requesting printing.

[0064] Next, the job type "Encrypted PDF (no password)" will be described. The job type "encrypted PDF (no password)" corresponds to a job type where the print data is encrypted PDF and the password is not included in the print job. As an example, when the communication terminal 103 instructs the printing device 101 to print an encrypted PDF using IPP printing called AirPrint (registered trademark), the decryption password for the encrypted PDF is not transmitted, so the print job has the job type "encrypted PDF (no password)."

[0065] Next, the job type "secure print" will be described. Secure printing is a function that adds a PIN to print data on the communication terminal 103 that requests printing, reserves the print job in the printing device 101, and prints by having the PIN entered from the operation unit 216 at the time of printing. The job type "secure printing" corresponds to such a reserved job.

[0066] Next, the job type "encrypted secure print" will be described. The encrypted secure print function encrypts print data on the communication terminals 103 and 104, reserves the print job in the printing device 101, and allows printing by having the user enter a decryption password from the operation unit 216 at the time of printing. The job type "encrypted secure print" corresponds to the job type of such an encrypted secure print reserved job.

[0067] Finally, the job type "normal job" will be described. The job type "normal job" corresponds to a job type that does not require special control for printing during printing.

[0068] Returning now to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. In S712, the job control unit 307 writes the job type set in any of S709 to S711 above, the job information included in the print job, and the storage path of the print data into the bibliographic information (e.g., FIG. 8), stores it in the storage 214, and proceeds to S713. In step S713, the job control unit 307 stores the print data of the print job in the storage 214, and ends the reservation process of this flowchart.

[0069] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of bibliographic information stored when the printing device 101 reserves a print job. The bibliographic information 800 is used to manage the reserved print data, and can be used when printing the print data reserved in the printing device 101, so that the data can be printed according to the print settings set in the communication terminal 103. The bibliographic information 800 is composed of the following:

[0070] The job name 801 indicates the job name information of the submitted print job. The job owner name 802 indicates the name of the user who submitted the print job. A job type 803 indicates the job type set during reservation processing or the job type included in a print job. The print settings 804 indicate setting information for a print job.

[0071] The decryption password 805 is a password included in the print job and indicates the password for decrypting the encrypted data. The print data storage path 806 indicates the storage destination of the data for rendering included in the print job. In the description of the print process, the print data of the reserved job is printed by specifying the storage destination of the print data by the print data storage path 806.

[0072] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a reserved job list screen in the printing apparatus 101. This screen is displayed on the operation unit 216 of the printing apparatus 101 by the UI control unit 301. The reserved job list screen 910 is a screen configured based on the data of the bibliographic information 800 saved in the storage 214 by the reservation process described in the flowchart of Fig. 7. The reserved job list screen 910 displays a list of reserved jobs for authenticated users. The UI control unit 301 acquires the bibliographic information of the logged-in user ("Sato" in this example) and displays a list of logged-in users 921 on the reserved job list screen 910.

[0073] For each reserved job, a job name 911, color / monochrome setting 912, paper size 913, number of copies 914, and a lock icon 922 are displayed. The reserved job list screen also has a print button 918, a delete button 919, and a print settings button 920. The user can select a desired reserved job from the displayed reserved jobs and press these buttons to perform operations on the target reserved job.

[0074] The key icon 922 is displayed when the job type is encrypted PDF (no password), secure print, or encrypted secure print, and indicates that the job is a reserved job that requires the user to enter a password or PIN.

[0075] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a decryption password input screen that is displayed when there is no data in the decryption password 805 of the bibliographic information 800 or the decryption password is incorrect when printing an encrypted PDF. This screen is displayed on the operation unit 216 of the printing device 101 by the UI control unit 301.

[0076] A password button 1001 is a button that displays soft keys for the user to input a password. A password input area 1002 displays obscured characters (for example, asterisks) to indicate that a password has been input by pressing the password button 1001 and using the displayed soft keys. The cancel button 1003 is a button used by the UI control unit 301 to transition the screen from the password entry screen to the reserved job list screen 910 . An OK button 1004 is a button that causes the UI control unit to notify the job control unit 307 that the password entry has been completed.

[0077] This screen is also used when the job type is encrypted secure print, and requests the entry of a password to decrypt the encryption. When the job type is secure print, the UI control unit 301 controls the message 1006 to display "Please enter your PIN."

[0078] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an error screen displayed when decryption cannot be performed using the entered password. This screen is displayed on the operation unit 216 of the printing device 101 by the UI control unit 301.

[0079] A message 1112 is a message indicating that decryption has failed. When the user presses an OK button 1111, the UI control unit 301 displays on the operation unit 216 the screen shown in FIG. 11 is also displayed when the job type is secure print and the PIN entered by the user does not match the number entered in advance. In this case, the UI control unit 301 controls the display to display a message 1112 saying "PIN numbers do not match. Please enter your PIN again."

[0080] 12A and 12B are flowcharts showing an example of processing when printing a reserved job in the printing apparatus 101. The processing of this flowchart is executed by the software function of the printing apparatus 101 shown in FIG.

[0081] In step S1201, the job control unit 307 determines whether there is an instruction to print a reserved job. When the user selects a reserved job on the reserved job list screen 910 in FIG. 9 and presses the print button 918, the UI control unit 301 notifies the job control unit 307 of an instruction to execute the job.

[0082] If there is no instruction to print the reserved job (NO in S1201), the job control unit 307 repeats the process of S1201. On the other hand, if there is an instruction to print the reserved job (NO in S1201), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1202.

[0083] In S1202, the job control unit 307 acquires the job type from the bibliographic information of the reserved job for which execution has been instructed, and proceeds to S1203. In step S1203, the job control unit 307 performs control according to the job type. If the job type is "encrypted PDF (with password)", the job control unit 307 advances the process to step S1204.

[0084] In S1204, the job control unit 307 acquires a decryption password from the bibliographic information (eg, FIG. 8) of the reserved job for which execution has been instructed, and advances the process to S1205. In S1205, the job control unit 307 decrypts the reserved job for which execution has been instructed using the compound password acquired in S1204 above, prints it (details are shown in FIG. 12B), and ends the processing of this flowchart (printing processing of the reserved job).

[0085] Here, the process of S1205 in FIG. 12A will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 12B. 12B, the job control unit 307 requests the PDL analysis unit 306 to convert the reserved job for which the execution instruction has been given as above into an encrypted PDF to be decrypted using the specified decryption password. In response to this request, the PDL analysis unit 306 requests the encryption / decryption processing unit 304 of the print data control unit 303 to perform decryption processing. After executing decryption, the encryption / decryption processing unit 304 returns the decrypted PDF and the decryption result to the PDL analysis unit 306. Furthermore, the PDL analysis unit 306 returns the decrypted PDF and the decryption result to the job control unit 307.

[0086] Next, in S1251, the job control unit 307 determines whether or not the decryption is successful based on the decryption result in S1205. If it is determined that the decryption is successful (YES in S1251), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1252. In S1252, the job control unit 307 executes printing processing of the decrypted PDF according to the print settings included in the bibliographic information, and ends the processing of this flowchart (decrypting and printing). Then, the processing returns to Fig. 12A, and the processing of Fig. 12A (printing processing of the reserved job) ends.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined that the decryption has failed (NO in S1251), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1253. Note that a case where the decryption has failed corresponds to a case where the decryption password is incorrect. In S1253, the job control unit 307 instructs the UI control unit 301 to display an error screen as shown in Fig. 11, indicating that decryption was not possible using the password entered on the operation unit 216. Thereafter, when the OK button 1111 is pressed on the error screen, the UI control unit 301 advances the process to S1254.

[0088] In S1254, the UI control unit 301 displays a decryption password input screen as shown in Fig. 10 and accepts the input of a password (S1255). Then, when a password is input on the decryption password input screen as shown in Fig. 10 and the OK button 1004 is pressed (YES in S1255), the UI control unit 301 returns the process to S1250.

[0089] Returning now to the explanation of FIG. 12A. In the above S1203, if the job control unit 307 determines that the job type is "encrypted PDF (without password)", the process proceeds to S1206. In S1206, the job control unit 307 instructs the UI control unit 301 to input a decryption password for the encrypted PDF, and causes the operation unit 216 to display a password input screen as shown in Fig. 10 and accepts the input of the password (S1207). Then, when the password is input on the decryption password input screen as shown in Fig. 10 and the OK button 1004 is pressed (YES in S1207), the UI control unit 301 advances the process to S1208. In S1208, the job control unit 307 decrypts the reserved job for which execution has been instructed using the compound password entered in S1207 above, and prints it (FIG. 12B), and ends the process of this flowchart (printing process of the reserved job).

[0090] Furthermore, in the above S1203, if the job control unit 307 determines that the job type is a "normal job", the process proceeds to S1209. In S1209, the job control unit 307 executes processing to print the print data described in the path of the print data included in the bibliographic information according to the print settings included in the bibliographic information, and ends the processing of this flowchart (print processing of the reserved job).

[0091] Furthermore, in the above step S1203, if the job control unit 307 determines that the job type is "secure print", the job control unit 307 advances the process to step S1210. In S1210, since the job type is secure print, the job control unit 307 instructs the UI control unit 301 to display a PIN input screen on the operation unit 216 and accepts the input of a PIN (S1211). The PIN input screen corresponds to the screen in Fig. 10 where the message 1006 reads "Please enter your PIN".

[0092] Then, when a PIN is entered on the PIN entry screen and the OK button is pressed (YES in S1211), the UI control unit 301 advances the process to S1212. In S1212, the job control unit 307 determines whether the password entered in S1211 matches the password included in the reservation job instructed to be executed. If they do not match (NO in S1212), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1214.

[0093] In S1214, the UI control unit 301 displays an error screen as shown in Fig. 11 on the operation unit 216. However, the error screen displayed here corresponds to the error screen in Fig. 11 with message 1112 "PIN numbers do not match. Please enter your PIN number again." When the OK button 1111 is pressed on the error screen, the process proceeds to S1220.

[0094] On the other hand, if the password entered in S1211 matches the password included in the reservation job instructed to be executed (YES in S1212), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1213. In S1213, the job control unit 307 executes processing to print the print data described in the path of the print data included in the bibliographic information according to the print settings included in the bibliographic information, and ends the processing of this flowchart (print processing of the reserved job).

[0095] Furthermore, in the above S1203, if the job control unit 307 determines that the job type is "encrypted secure print", the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1215. In S1215, the job control unit 307 instructs the UI control unit 301 to display a password entry screen as shown in Fig. 10 on the operation unit 216 and accepts password entry (S1206). Then, when the password is entered and the OK button 1004 is pressed (YES in S1215), the UI control unit 301 advances the process to S1217.

[0096] In S1217, the job control unit 307 requests the PDL analysis unit 306 to decrypt the reserved job for which the execution instruction has been given as encrypted data using the password input in S1216. In response to this request, the PDL analysis unit 306 requests the encryption / decryption processing unit 304 of the print data control unit 303 to perform decryption processing. After executing decryption, the encryption / decryption processing unit 304 returns the decrypted print data and the decryption result to the PDL analysis unit 306. The PDL analysis unit 306 returns the decrypted print data and the decryption result to the job control unit 307. Note that the process of decrypting the encryption of encrypted secure print is not important in this embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0097] Next, in S1218, the job control unit 307 determines whether or not the encrypted data has been successfully decrypted using the password in the above S1217. If the decryption has failed (NO in S1218), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1220. In S1220, the UI control unit 301 displays an error screen as shown in Fig. 11 on the operation unit 216. Then, when the OK button 1111 is pressed, the process returns to S1215.

[0098] On the other hand, if the combination was successful (YES in S1218), the job control unit 307 advances the process to S1219. In S1219, the job control unit 307 executes processing for printing the decrypted print data according to the print settings included in the bibliographic information, and ends the processing of this flowchart (print processing for a reserved job).

[0099] As a result, when a printing command is issued from communication terminal 103 to printing device 101 in forced reservation mode, even if the printing protocol from communication terminal 103 is one that cannot simultaneously transmit a password for decrypting the encryption when transmitting the encrypted data, it is possible for the printing device 101 to print the encrypted data.

[0100] Second Embodiment In the above-described first embodiment, a case has been described in which reserved jobs of an authenticated user are displayed on the reserved job list screen 910 in FIG. 9. In this case, only reserved jobs for which the authenticated user has requested printing from the communication terminal 103 to the printing device 101 are displayed in the reserved job list. Note that the printing device 101 can be set to not use user authentication or to display jobs of users other than the authenticated user. When such a setting is made for the printing device 101, all reserved jobs that are reserved in the printing device 101 are displayed on the reserved job list screen 910, and the user who requested printing may not necessarily match the user who executes printing. In this embodiment, processing in this case will be described. Below, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0101] First, the display of jobs by users other than those authenticated and the setting of using user authentication will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a management function screen for device settings of the printing device 101. As shown in FIG. The hierarchy window 1401 displays the categories selected by the user in a hierarchy. The item screen 1402 displays a list of buttons for items that can be selected within the hierarchy selected in the hierarchy window 1401 . When a display button 1403 for jobs by users other than authenticated is pressed on the item screen 1402, the screen transitions to the screen shown in Fig. 15. When a close button 1404 is pressed, the screen transitions to the top screen (not shown) of the printing apparatus 101.

[0102] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for setting the display of jobs by users other than those authenticated. When the ON button 1501 is pressed, the display of jobs by users other than the authenticated user is turned ON. When the OFF button 1502 is pressed, the display of jobs by users other than the authenticated user is turned OFF. When the Cancel button 1503 is pressed, the setting values ​​remain the values ​​that were set when the screen in FIG. 15 was displayed, and the screen returns to the screen in FIG. 14. When the OK button 1504 is pressed, the values ​​set on the screen in FIG. 15 are saved as setting values, and the screen returns to the screen in FIG. 14.

[0103] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for using user authentication. The setting screen that uses user authentication in Fig. 16 can be transitioned to by moving to the relevant layer in the layer window 1401 of the device setting management function screen in Fig. 14 and pressing the item for using user authentication. In other words, it is possible to transition from the device setting management function screen in Fig. 14 to a screen for setting the display of jobs by users other than authenticated users as shown in Fig. 15, or a setting screen that uses user authentication as shown in Fig. 16.

[0104] When the ON button 1601 is pressed, the setting is made to use user authentication, and when the OFF button 1502 is pressed, the setting is made to not use user authentication. When the Cancel button 1603 is pressed, the setting values ​​remain the values ​​that were set when the screen of Fig. 16 was displayed, and the screen returns to the screen of Fig. 14. When the OK button 1604 is pressed, the values ​​set on the screen of Fig. 16 are saved as setting values, and the screen returns to the screen of Fig. 14.

[0105] 14, 15, and 16, by turning on the display of jobs by users other than authenticated users and setting to not use user authentication, all reserved jobs can be displayed on the reserved job list screen 910. When execution of a job is instructed on such a reserved job list, the printing device 101 executes the print process of the reserved job shown in FIG. 12, as in the first embodiment.

[0106] Also, by setting the reserved job list screen 910 to display all reserved jobs in this way, it becomes possible to request others to execute printing. In this case, the requesting user issues a print request to the printing device 101 using the communication terminal 103, and the requested user executes printing in front of the printing device 101. In this use case, if the requesting user submits a print job of encrypted PDF (with password) and informs the requested user of the password, only the requested user can print without knowing the password, so security can be ensured by encryption. Also, if the requesting user submits a print job of encrypted PDF (without password), security is reduced, but the requested user can print with a simple operation such as one touch without entering a password, improving convenience. On the other hand, if the requesting user is in an environment where either encrypted PDF (without password) or encrypted PDF (with password) print jobs can be submitted, the requesting user can select which to prioritize, which increases the range of usage and improves convenience.

[0107] According to each embodiment described above, it is possible to print a print job related to encrypted data transmitted by a printing protocol that does not allow the decryption password to be transmitted simultaneously with the encrypted data, thereby improving the convenience of reserved printing and reducing unnecessary consumption of storage space. Therefore, it is possible to significantly improve usability.

[0108] 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.

[0109] 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.

[0110] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program. (Configuration 1) A printing device that holds a received print job in a holding unit without executing the print job until an execution instruction is received from an operation unit, a control means for, when an instruction to execute a print job stored in the storage means is given, receiving a user input of a password for decrypting the encrypted print data in response to the print data of the print job instructed to be executed being encrypted and the print job not including a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, and for controlling the decryption of the encrypted print data using the input password; a printing means for printing the decrypted print data; A printing device comprising: (Configuration 2) The printing device described in configuration 1, characterized in that the control means controls the printing data of the print job instructed to be executed to be encrypted print data and, in response to the print job including a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, to decrypt the encrypted print data using the password. (Configuration 3) a first determination means for determining, when a print job is received, whether print data of the print job is encrypted print data; and a second determination means for determining whether or not the print job includes a password for decrypting the encrypted print data when the print data of the print job is encrypted, the storage means stores information based on the determination results by the first determination means and the second determination means in association with the print job; The printing device described in configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means determines whether the print data of the print job instructed to be executed is encrypted print data and whether the print job includes a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, based on the information stored in association with the print job. (Configuration 4) A printing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that a print job that is a print job of encrypted print data and does not include a password for decrypting the encrypted print data includes a print job transmitted using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol). (Configuration 5) 5. The printing device according to configuration 4, wherein the print jobs transmitted using IPP include print jobs transmitted by AirPrint (registered trademark). (Configuration 6) A printing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that a print job that is a print job of encrypted print data and includes a password for decrypting the encrypted print data includes a print job sent via a web application provided by the printing device. (Configuration 7) A setting means for enabling or disabling the authentication function of a user; an execution instruction means for enabling, when an authentication function for the user is set to be valid, an instruction to execute a print job related to an authenticated user among the print jobs stored in the storage means, and for enabling, when the authentication function for the user is set to be invalid, an instruction to execute all print jobs stored in the storage means; 7. The printing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the control means performs the control regardless of a setting of an authentication function of the user. (Method 1) A control method for a printing device that holds a received print job in a holding unit without executing the print job until an execution instruction is received from an operation unit, comprising: a control step of receiving a user input of a password and decrypting the encrypted print data using the input password when an instruction to execute a print job stored in the storage means is given, in response to the print data of the print job instructed to be executed being encrypted and the print job not including a password for decrypting the encrypted print data; a printing step of printing the decrypted print data; 13. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising: (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the printing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 100 Network 101 Printing device 102 AP 103, 104 Communication terminal

Claims

1. A printing device that holds a received print job in a holding unit without executing the print job until an execution instruction is received from an operation unit, a control means for, when an instruction to execute a print job stored in the storage means is given, receiving a user input of a password for decrypting the encrypted print data in response to the print data of the print job instructed to be executed being encrypted and the print job not including a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, and for controlling the decryption of the encrypted print data using the input password; a printing means for printing the decrypted print data; A printing device comprising:

2. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls the printing data of the print job instructed to be executed to be encrypted print data and, in response to the print job including a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, to decrypt the encrypted print data using the password.

3. a first determination means for determining, when a print job is received, whether print data of the print job is encrypted print data; and a second determination means for determining whether or not the print job includes a password for decrypting the encrypted print data when the print data of the print job is encrypted, the storage means stores information based on the determination results by the first determination means and the second determination means in association with the print job; The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means determines whether the print data of the print job instructed to be executed is encrypted print data and whether the print job contains a password for decrypting the encrypted print data, based on the information stored in association with the print job.

4. 3. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein a print job that is a print job of encrypted print data and does not include a password for decrypting the encrypted print data includes a print job transmitted using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol).

5. 5. The printing device according to claim 4, wherein the print job transmitted using IPP includes a print job transmitted by AirPrint (registered trademark).

6. A printing device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a print job that is a print job of encrypted print data and includes a password for decrypting the encrypted print data includes a print job sent via a web application provided by the printing device.

7. A setting means for enabling or disabling the authentication function of a user; an execution instruction means for enabling, when an authentication function for the user is set to be valid, an instruction to execute a print job related to an authenticated user among the print jobs stored in the storage means, and for enabling, when the authentication function for the user is set to be invalid, an instruction to execute all print jobs stored in the storage means; 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the control regardless of a setting of an authentication function for the user.

8. A control method for a printing device that holds a received print job in a holding unit without executing the print job until an execution instruction is received from an operation unit, comprising: a control step of receiving a user input of a password and decrypting the encrypted print data using the input password when an instruction to execute a print job stored in the storage means is given, in response to the print data of the print job instructed to be executed being encrypted and the print job not including a password for decrypting the encrypted print data; a printing step of printing the decrypted print data; 13. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising:

9. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the units of the printing device according to claim 1 or 2.

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