System, information processor, and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide a technology that facilitates linking a print job with a tag used for managing the job, thereby improving convenience of managing a job in each process.SOLUTION: A print job is transmitted to a printer, tag information detected from a sheet of paper printed using the print job is received, and identification information of the received tab information is associated with the print job.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for managing workflow steps. [Background technology]

[0002] In commercial printing, multiple processes such as cutting and binding must be carried out between printing and shipping. However, in processes that are performed by devices that are not connected to the management device via a network, i.e., offline processes, it is not possible to currently manage which job is currently working on which process. To solve this problem, a method has been proposed in which an RFID tag is always carried with each job being produced, and which job is currently working on which process can be determined from the detection position of the RFID tag.

[0003] To do this, it is necessary to manage which RFID tags are linked to which jobs, and a simple method would be to link the print job and the RFID tag with a barcode reader or similar after printing, but this is a time-consuming manual process. As a means of automating this, a method has been proposed in which an RFID writer installed inside the printer is used to write job information to the tag when printing paper with an embedded RFID tag. However, RFID writers are expensive, and because of issues with print quality and costs, it is difficult to use paper with embedded RFID tags with paper used for commercial printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-46996 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an environment where there is no printer equipped with an RFID writer, it is not possible to link the paper with the embedded RFID tag with the actual printed matter to be managed.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that makes it easy to associate a print job with a tag used for managing the job, thereby improving the convenience of managing jobs in each process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the system of the present invention is a system consisting of an information processing device and a printing device, wherein the information processing device has a transmitting means for transmitting a print job to the printing device, the printing device has a printing means for printing on paper having identification information embedded as tag information based on the print job, and the information processing device further has a receiving means for receiving tag information detected from paper printed using the print job, and a linking means for linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily associate a print job with a tag used for managing the job, thereby improving the convenience of managing jobs in each process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the RFID reader according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a logical configuration diagram of the system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the embodiment. [Figure 6]5A to 5C are diagrams showing an example of a job status communication process in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of print processing of a job according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of a process for reading an RFID tag according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for linking a job with an RFID tag in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of a process for determining a job to be linked with an RFID tag according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the flow of print processing of a job according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for linking a job with an RFID tag in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of a reading process of an RFID tag in the embodiment of the third example. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for linking a job with an RFID tag in the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of print processing of a job according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for linking a job with an RFID tag in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0011] First Embodiment <Overall system hardware configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The information processing apparatus 101 is an information processing apparatus for sending a print job to an image forming apparatus 102 and linking the job with an RFID tag.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 102 is a printing apparatus that prints, on a print target, print data received from the information processing apparatus 101 via the network 100. Note that there may be a plurality of image forming apparatuses 102.

[0014] A tag reader (tag reading device) 103 is attached to the paper discharge destination of the image forming apparatus 102, and is configured to read the RFID tag of the paper when the paper is output from the image forming apparatus 102.

[0015] <Hardware configuration of information processing device> FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device 101. As shown in FIG.

[0016] The CPU 201 reads out control programs stored in the ROM 202 or HDD 204 and executes various control processes. The RAM 203 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 201. The hard disk drive (HDD) 204 stores image data and various programs. Note that the configuration may include other storage devices such as a solid state drive (SSD) instead of or in combination with the HDD.

[0017] The keyboard 205 is an input device that serves as an instruction input unit, and issues control command instructions, text input, etc. to applications (described later). The pointing device 206 is an input device that serves as an instruction input unit together with the keyboard 205, and issues control command instructions to applications (described later).

[0018] A display 207 is an output device that is a display unit, and displays commands input from the keyboard 205 or pointing device 206, the state of applications (described later), and the like.

[0019] The network I / F 208 connects the information processing apparatus 101 to a network (such as a LAN, an intranet, or the Internet). The information processing apparatus 101 uses the network I / F 208 to transmit and receive various types of information to and from other apparatuses on the network.

[0020] <Hardware configuration of tag reader> 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of tag reader (tag reading device) 103 in the present invention. With reference to Fig. 8, tag reader 103 includes control unit 301, storage unit 302, communication unit 303, measurement unit 304, operation unit 305, and reading unit 306.

[0021] The control unit 301 is composed of a memory that stores a computer program, and one or more processors (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) that execute the computer program. The control unit 301 controls the overall function of the tag reader 705 described in this specification. For example, the control unit 301 causes the reading unit 306 to execute reading of an RFID tag within a tag reading range, and temporarily stores the read information, the read time, and the signal reception level as read result data in the storage unit 30. In addition, the control unit 301 causes the measurement unit 304 to measure the position of the tag reader 305 in parallel with reading the RFID tag, and stores the measurement result in the storage unit 302. Then, the control unit 301 transmits the read result data and the measurement result data stored in the storage unit 302 to the information processing device 101 via the communication unit 303, together with the reader identification information (also called the reader ID) of the own device.

[0022] The storage unit 302 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In this embodiment, the storage unit 802 stores the above-mentioned reading result data, measurement result data, and the reader ID of the tag reader 305.

[0023] The communication unit 303 is a communication interface for the tag reader 305 to communicate with the management server 301. For example, the communication unit 303 may be a WLAN interface for communicating with a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) access point, or a cellular communication interface for communicating with a cellular base station. The communication unit 803 may be a connection interface for connecting to a relay device (for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface).

[0024] The measurement unit 304 is a unit capable of measuring the position of the tag reader 305. In this embodiment, the measurement unit 304 measures the relative movement amount of the tag reader 305 from a certain reference position using a self-position estimation technology also called PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning), and outputs the measured movement amount to the control unit 301. The reference position for measuring the relative movement amount may be, for example, the position of the tag reader 705 at the time when the tag reader 103 is started. The relative movement amount of the tag reader 103 may be treated as a relative position.

[0025] The operation unit 305 accepts operations by the user. The operation unit 305 includes, for example, a physical input device such as a button, switch, or lever arranged on the housing of the tag reader 103. The operation unit 305 accepts operations by the user via the input device, and outputs an operation signal to the control unit 301. The operation unit 305 may also include a voice input interface such as a microphone.

[0026] The reading unit 306 is a unit capable of reading information stored in an RFID tag. Referring to FIG. 3, the reading unit 306 includes an RF controller 307, a power amplifier 308, a filter 309, a first coupler 310, a second coupler 311, an antenna 312, a power detection unit 313, and a canceller 314. The RF controller 307 outputs a transmission signal (e.g., a signal modulated in the UHF band) from a TX terminal to the power amplifier 308 in accordance with the control of the control unit 301. The power amplifier 308 amplifies the transmission signal input from the RF controller 307 and outputs it to the filter 309. The amplification factor of the transmission signal here may be variably controllable, and the higher the amplification factor, the higher the output intensity of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the tag reader 103. The filter 309 may be, for example, a low-pass filter, which removes unnecessary low-frequency components of the transmission signal amplified by the power amplifier 308.

[0027] The first coupler 310 distributes the transmission signal that has passed through the filter 309 to a coupler 311 and a power detection unit 313 .

[0028] The second coupler 311 outputs the transmission signal input from the first coupler 310 to the antenna 312 , and outputs the reception signal input from the antenna 312 to the RF controller 307 .

[0029] The antenna 312 transmits the transmission signal input from the coupler 311 into the air as an electromagnetic wave. The antenna 312 also receives a signal returned from an RFID tag present within the reading range of the tag reader 103 in response to the transmission signal, and outputs the received signal to the coupler 311. As one example, the antenna 312 may be an omnidirectional antenna. As another example, the antenna 312 may be a directional antenna whose beam direction can be variably controlled.

[0030] The power detection unit 313 detects the power level of the signal input from the first coupler 310, and outputs a signal RF_DETECT indicating the detected power level to the control unit 301. The canceller 314 receives a signal CARRIER_CANCEL from the control unit 301 indicating the power level of the carrier wave.

[0031] Based on CARRIER_CANCEL, the canceller 314 cancels the carrier component of the transmission signal, thereby extracting a desired signal component of the reception signal to be output to the RX terminal of the RF controller 307. The RF controller 307 demodulates the signal input from the RX terminal, acquires the tag ID and other information returned from the RFID tag, and outputs the acquired information to the control unit 301. The RF controller 307 also measures the reception level (also called reception strength) of the signal input from the RX terminal, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 301.

[0032] The photographing unit 315 is a camera capable of taking photographs. The photographing unit 315 detects a barcode that appears in the photograph and outputs the contents of the detected barcode to the control unit 301.

[0033] <System Logical Configuration> Fig. 4 shows the logical configuration of the system in this embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for the configuration already described, and the description will be omitted. The configuration in Fig. 4 is a functional configuration realized by executing a program by a computer, and does not necessarily have to be exactly as shown in Fig. 4. For example, there may be variations in the configuration, such as integrating multiple functional blocks, or having part of a certain functional block in Fig. 4 in another functional block.

[0034] Reference numeral 401 denotes a job information storage unit for holding information on a print job. Reference numeral 402 denotes a paper information storage unit for holding information on paper to be used. Reference numeral 403 denotes a printer information storage unit for holding information on an image forming apparatus to be connected. Reference numeral 404 denotes an instruction data generation unit for creating instruction data based on information written in the job storage unit 401 and storing the data in the job storage unit 401. Reference numeral 405 denotes a job transmission determination unit for determining whether a print job stored in the job storage unit 401 should be sent to the image forming apparatus 102. Reference numeral 406 denotes a print queue for temporarily storing a print job to be printed. Reference numeral 407 denotes a job transmission unit for transmitting a print job stored in the print queue 406 to the image forming apparatus 102. Reference numeral 408 denotes a job status acquisition unit for acquiring the status of a print job being processed in the image forming apparatus 102. Reference numeral 409 denotes a tag information reception unit for receiving information on an RFID tag read from the tag reader 103. Reference numeral 410 denotes a tag linking unit for linking the ID of the RFID tag received by the tag information receiving unit 409 with a job held in the job storage unit 401 and storing the ID in the job storage unit 401. Reference numeral 411 denotes a control unit for controlling processing and communication between 401 to 410. Reference numeral 412 denotes a communication processing unit for performing communication processing between the information processing device 101, the image forming device 102, and the tag reader 103. Reference numeral 413 denotes a communication processing unit for performing communication processing between the tag reader 103, the information processing device 101, and the image forming device 102. Reference numeral 414 denotes a control unit for controlling processing and communication between 413, 414, and 415. Reference numeral 415 denotes a tag reading unit for reading an RFID tag. Reference numeral 416 denotes an information transmitting unit for transmitting the read RFID tag to the information processing device 101 or the image forming device 102. Reference numeral 417 denotes a communication processing unit for performing communication processing between the image forming device 102, the information processing device 101, and the tag reader 103. Reference numeral 418 denotes a control unit for controlling processing and communication between 417, and 419 to 422. Reference numeral 419 denotes a receiving unit for receiving data from the information processing device 101 or the tag reader 103. Reference numeral 420 denotes a job storage unit for storing a print job. Reference numeral 421 denotes a printing unit for printing the print job.A transmitting unit 422 transmits data to the information processing device 101 .

[0035] <Examples of information to be stored> FIG. 5 shows an example of information held in the information processing apparatus 101 and the image forming apparatus 102. In FIG.

[0036] FIG. 5A is an example of information stored in the job information storage unit 401.

[0037] 501 is a job ID for uniquely identifying a job. 502 is a job name indicating the name of the job. 503 is a destination printer ID indicating the printer to be used for printing the job. 504 is a paper ID indicating the paper to be used for printing the job. 505 is an instruction job flag indicating whether this job is an instruction. If it is an instruction job, it is True, and if it is not an instruction job, it is False. 506 is a main job indicating which job the instruction is for if it is an instruction job. If it is not an instruction job, it is blank, and if it is an instruction job, the job ID of the target job is entered to indicate which job the instruction is for. 507 is the printing end date and time of the job. If printing is not finished, it is blank. 508 is a job status. If it has not been sent to the printer, Ready is stored, if printing is in progress, Printing is stored, and if printing is finished, Completed is stored. 509 is an RFID tag ID associated with the job.

[0038] FIG. 5B is an example of information stored in the paper information storage unit 402.

[0039] A paper ID 511 is used to uniquely identify the paper, and a paper name 512 is used to indicate the name of the paper.

[0040] FIG. 5C is an example of information stored in the printer information storage unit 403.

[0041] A printer ID 521 is used to uniquely identify the printer. A printer name 522 indicates the name of the printer. A printer IP address 523 is used.

[0042] FIG. 5D is an example of information stored in the job storage unit 420.

[0043] Numeral 531 is a job ID for uniquely identifying a job. Numeral 532 is a job name indicating the name of the job. Numeral 533 is a paper ID indicating the paper used to print the job. Numeral 534 is the printing end date and time of the job. This is left blank if printing has not finished. Numeral 535 is the job status. If printing is not in progress, "Ready" is stored; if printing is in progress, "Printing" is stored; if printing has finished, "Completed" is stored. Numeral 536 is the ID of the RFID tag associated with the job. This is left blank if there is no associated ID.

[0044] <Example of job status communication process> FIG. 6 shows an example of communication processing performed between the job status acquisition unit 408 and the image forming apparatus 102. In FIG.

[0045] Numeral 601 is an example of communication content that the job status acquisition unit 408 transmits to the image forming apparatus 102. Numeral 602 is an example of communication content that is returned from the image forming apparatus 102 when the job status acquisition unit 408 transmits a job status acquisition instruction communication to the image forming apparatus 102. Since the job status is described in this data, the job status 408 analyzes the content of this data and stores the acquired job status in the job storage unit 401. In this embodiment, an example using JMF (Job Messaging Format) is described, but other communication means such as MIB may also be used.

[0046] The flow of processing for linking a print job with an RFID tag in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0047] <Flowchart explaining the flow of printing processing in the first embodiment> 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of printing a print job in this embodiment. The following process is executed by the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0048] In S701, the job transmission determination unit 405 waits for a print instruction from the user. The user specifies the job ID 0501 of the job to be printed. When the instruction is given, the process transitions to S702. In S702, the job transmission determination unit 405 stores the job ID specified in S701 in the print queue 406. In S703, the job transmission determination unit 405 checks whether the job ID is stored in the print queue 406. If it is stored, the process transitions to S704, and if it is not stored, the process ends.

[0049] In S704, the job transmission unit 407 acquires the job stored in the print queue 406 and deletes the job from the queue. In S705, the job transmission unit 407 transmits the job acquired in S704 to the printer listed in the printer column ID 503.

[0050] In S706, the job transmission determination unit 405 checks whether an instruction sheet for the job sent in S705 exists in the job storage unit 401. Specifically, it checks whether a row exists in which the main job column 506 has the same value as the job ID of the job sent in S705. If it exists, the process transitions to S707, and if it does not exist, the process transitions to S708.

[0051] In S707, the tag linking unit 410 deletes the tag ID 509 of the job to be printed and the instruction sheet to be printed. In S708, the instruction sheet generation unit 404 generates an instruction sheet for the job to be printed and stores it in the job storage unit 401. The instruction sheet is printed using paper on which an RFID tag with an ID written in advance is embedded. The job name, the name of the printer to be used for printing, and the like are printed on the instruction sheet.

[0052] In S709, the job transmission determination unit 405 acquires a print job of the instruction sheet for the job transmitted in S705 from the job storage unit 501. The job transmission unit 407 transmits the acquired data to the image forming apparatus 102. The destination image forming apparatus may be the destination transmitted in S705, or may be a different image forming apparatus.

[0053] <Flowchart explaining the flow of tag reading processing in the first embodiment> 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of tag reading processing in tag reader 103 attached to the paper output destination of image forming apparatus 102. Control unit 301 of tag reader 103 executes the following processing.

[0054] In S801, the control unit 301 waits until an RFID tag is detected. If an RFID tag is detected, the process proceeds to S802. In S802, the control unit 301 transmits to the information processing device 101 information on the RFID tag detected in S801 and the detection date and time.

[0055] <Flowchart for explaining the flow of tag and job association processing in the first embodiment> 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for receiving information from an RFID tag and linking the received tag ID with a job in this embodiment. The following processing is executed by the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0056] In S901, the tag information receiving unit 409 receives tag information from the tag reader 103. Once tag information is received, the process proceeds to S902. In S902, the tag linking unit 410 determines the job to be linked with the received tag. In S903, the tag linking unit 410 links the tag received in S901 with the job determined in S902. That is, the RFID tag is linked with the instruction job identified in S902 and the main job of the instruction job. Specifically, a row in the job ID column 501 stored in the job storage unit 401 that is the same as the job identified in S902 is obtained, and the tag ID received in S901 is stored in the tag ID column 509. The job ID described in the main job column 506 of the stored job is obtained, and the tag ID is written in the tag ID column 509 of the job with the obtained job ID.

[0057] <Flowchart explaining the flow of processing for identifying a job printed on RFID tagged paper in the first embodiment> 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for identifying a job printed on a received RFID tagged paper in this embodiment. The following processing is executed by the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0058] In S1001, the job status acquisition unit 408 acquires the status of the job sent to the image forming device 102, and if printing has finished, stores the printing end date and time acquired from the image forming device in the printing end date and time column 507 of the job storage unit 501.

[0059] In S1002, the tag linking unit 410 checks the job storage unit 401 to see if there is a job that was completed at the same time as the detection time received from the tag reader 103 in S901. Specifically, the print end date and time column 507 searches for a job that has the same time as the detection time received from the tag reader 103, and if there is a job, the process proceeds to S1003, and if not, the process proceeds to S1004.

[0060] In S1003, the tag linking unit 410 determines that the job identified in S1002 is a job to be linked to an RFID tag. In S1004, the tag linking unit 410 checks the job storage unit 401 to see if there is a job that has completed printing just before the detection time received from the tag reader 103 in S901. Because of the system configuration, there is a possibility that the time when printing is completed by the printer and the time detected by the tag reader may differ, so it is necessary to check whether the printing end time is before the detection time. Specifically, the latest job is identified among the jobs whose printing end date and time 507 is before the detection time. The instruction job column 505 of the identified job is checked to see if it is set to True. If it is True, the process proceeds to S1005, and if it is False, the process proceeds to S1006. In S1005, the tag linking unit 410 determines that the job identified in S1004 is a job to be linked to an RFID tag.

[0061] In S1006, the tag linking unit 410 checks the job storage unit 401 to see if there is a job that was completed immediately after the detection time received from the tag reader 103 in S901. Specifically, the tag linking unit 410 identifies the job whose print end date and time 507 is the earliest among the jobs whose print end date and time is after the detection time, and determines that this job is the job to be linked to the RFID tag.

[0062] According to this embodiment, without using a printer equipped with an RFID writer, work instructions linked to a print job are printed on paper with an RFID tag bearing some kind of ID. Then, by reading the tag ID using an RFID tag reader installed at the printer's paper output destination, the job and the RFID tag can be linked.

[0063] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, jobs are sent one by one, and the next job is sent after the tag reader reads the RFID tag, thereby performing tag-job linking processing, as will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. Note that the schematic diagram, block diagram, logical configuration, and tag reading processing flow of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0064] <Flowchart explaining the flow of printing processing in the second embodiment> 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of printing a print job in this embodiment. The following process is executed by the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0065] In step S1101, the job transmission unit 407 changes the job status column 508 of the job transmitted in steps S705 and S709 to "Printing."

[0066] <Flowchart for explaining the flow of tag and job association processing in the second embodiment> 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for receiving information from an RFID tag and linking the received tag ID with a job in this embodiment. The following processing is executed by the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0067] In S1201, the tag linking unit 410 identifies a job for which the instruction job column 501 is True and the job status column 508 is "Printing" from among the jobs stored in the job storage unit 401, and determines the identified job as the job to be linked.

[0068] In S1202, the job status acquisition unit 408 acquires the status of the job sent to the image forming apparatus 102. The print end date and time acquired from the image forming apparatus is stored in the print end date and time column 507 of the job storage unit 501 for the job for which printing has been completed, and the status "Completed" is stored in the job status column 508. In S1203, the job transmission determination unit 405 checks whether there is a job in the print queue 406. If there is a job, the process transitions to S1204, and if there is no job, the process ends. In S1204, the job transmission unit 407 acquires the job stored in the print queue 406, deletes the job from the queue, and sends it to the printer listed in the printer column ID 503.

[0069] According to this embodiment, even if tag information is sent from a reader when multiple jobs are being sent to a printer, the instructions and tags can be reliably linked by sending the jobs one by one.

[0070] Third embodiment In the third embodiment, a barcode indicating a job ID is printed on the instruction sheet to be printed. The tag reader 103 reads the barcode written on the instruction sheet output to the paper output destination with a camera, and transmits the acquired job ID together with the RFID tag ID to the information processing device 101. The information processing device 101 associates the job ID received from the tag reader 103 with the RFID tag reader ID. This will be described with reference to Figs. 11 and 12. Note that the schematic diagram, block diagram, logical configuration, and tag reading processing flow in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0071] <Flowchart explaining the flow of tag reading processing in the third embodiment> 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of tag reading processing in tag reader 103 attached to the paper discharge destination of image forming apparatus 102. Control unit 301 of tag reader 103 executes the following processing.

[0072] In S1301, the photographing unit 315 waits for the barcode to be read. If the barcode containing the job ID is read, the process proceeds to the next step.

[0073] In S1302, the control unit 301 transmits to the information processing apparatus 101 the job ID read in S1301, the RFID tag ID acquired in S801, and the detection time of the RFID tag.

[0074] In this embodiment, the means for reading a barcode on which a job ID is written is described, but the job ID may be read using OCR. Also, while it is assumed that the job ID to be written is the job ID of the main job, the job ID of the instruction sheet job may be written.

[0075] <Flowchart for explaining the flow of tag and job association processing in the third embodiment> 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for receiving information on an RFID tag and a job ID and linking the received tag ID with the job ID in this embodiment. The following processing is executed by the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0076] In S1401, the tag information receiving unit 409 receives the RFID tag ID and the job ID from the tag reader 103. Upon reception, the process proceeds to S1402.

[0077] In S1402, the tag linking unit 410 obtains the job of the job ID obtained in S1401 from the job storage unit 401. The RFID tag ID obtained in S1401 is stored in the tag ID column 509 of the obtained job.

[0078] (Fourth embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, a tag reader 103 is built into the image forming apparatus 102. When printing is performed by the image forming apparatus 102, the tag reader 103 installed inside the apparatus, such as on the paper transport path, reads tag information and transmits the read tag ID to the image forming apparatus 102. The image forming apparatus 102 associates the printed job with the read tag and stores them. When the information processing apparatus 101 obtains a job status from the image forming apparatus 102, it obtains an RFID tag ID together with the job ID. Note that the schematic diagram, block diagram, logical configuration, and tag reading process flow in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0079] <Flowchart for explaining the flow of tag and job association processing in the fourth embodiment> FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in which the image forming apparatus 102 receives information from an RFID tag and associates the received tag ID with a job ID in this embodiment.

[0080] In S1501, the receiving unit 417 of the image forming apparatus 102 receives a print instruction. When the instruction is received, the process proceeds to S1505. In S1502, the receiving unit 417 obtains the job for which the print instruction has been received from the job storage unit 418, and passes it to the printing unit 419 via the control unit 416. The printing unit 419 prints the received job. In S1503, the receiving unit 417 waits until it receives a tag ID from the tag reader 103. When the tag ID is received, the process proceeds to S1504. If the tag ID is not received, the process determines that printing has been performed on paper in which an RFID tag is not embedded, and ends the process. In S1504, the receiving unit 417 obtains the job ID of the job being printed from the printing unit 419, and stores it in the job storage unit 401 together with the received tag ID information.

[0081] <Flowchart for explaining the flow of tag and job association processing in the fourth embodiment> 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for receiving information on an RFID tag and a job ID and linking the received tag ID with the job ID in this embodiment.

[0082] In S1601, the job status acquisition unit 408 waits for a fixed time. After the fixed time has elapsed, the process transitions to S1602. In S1602, the job status acquisition unit 408 transmits a job status acquisition instruction to the image forming apparatus 102. The receiving unit 417 of the image forming apparatus 102 receives the status acquisition instruction, and the transmitting unit 420 transmits the job ID and tag ID stored in the job storage unit 418 to the information processing apparatus 101. In S1603, the tag linking unit 410 saves the job ID and tag ID received from the information processing apparatus 101 in the job storage unit 401. In S1604, the job status acquisition unit 408 determines whether an instruction to end processing has been received from the user. If an instruction to end processing has been received, the process is terminated, and if not, the process transitions to S1601.

[0083] According to the embodiment described above, the instruction sheet is printed on paper with an RFID tag, and when printing, the tag is read by an RFID reader fixed to the paper output destination of the printer, and the read tag ID is linked to the printed job. This makes it possible to easily link the print job and the RFID tag without using an RFID writer.

[0084] 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.

[0085] The disclosure of the present embodiment includes the following system, information processing device, control method thereof, and program.

[0086] (Item 1) A system including an information processing device and a printing device, The information processing device includes: a transmission means for transmitting a print job to the printing device; The printing device includes: a printing unit that performs printing on a sheet of paper in which identification information is embedded as tag information based on the print job; The information processing device further includes: a receiving means for receiving tag information detected from a sheet printed using the print job; The system further comprises a linking unit for linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job.

[0087] (Item 2) The receiving means further acquires time information indicating a detection time when the tag information is detected from the paper. The system described in item 1 is characterized in that the linking means determines whether to link the identification information of the received tab information to the print job based on the acquired detection time and the printing end time of the print job, and if it determines to link, links the identification information of the received tab information to the print job.

[0088] (Item 3) The system according to item 1 or 2, wherein the tag information is information from an RFID tag.

[0089] (Item 4) The system according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the printing means prints instructions for the print job on paper in which identification information is embedded as tag information based on the print job.

[0090] (Item 5) a transmission means for transmitting a print job to a printing device; a receiving means for receiving tag information detected from a sheet printed using the print job; an information processing apparatus having a linking unit for linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job;

[0091] (Item 6) The receiving means further acquires time information indicating a detection time when the tag information is detected from the paper. The information processing device described in item 5, characterized in that the linking means determines whether to link the identification information of the received tab information to the print job based on the acquired detection time and the printing end time of the print job, and if it determines to link them, links the identification information of the received tab information to the print job.

[0092] (Item 7) 7. The information processing device according to item 5 or 6, wherein the tag information is information of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag.

[0093] (Item 8) A method for controlling an information processing device, comprising: a sending step of sending the print job to a printing device; a receiving step of receiving tag information detected from a sheet printed using the print job; The control method for an information processing apparatus further comprises a linking step of linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job.

[0094] (Item 9) The receiving step acquires tag information detected from a sheet of paper printed using the print job and time information indicating a detection time when the tag information was detected from the sheet of paper, The control method for an information processing device described in item 8, wherein the linking process determines whether to link the identification information of the received tab information to the print job based on the acquired detection time and the printing end time of the print job, and if it is determined to link them, links the identification information of the received tab information to the print job.

[0095] (Item 10) 10. The method for controlling an information processing device according to item 8 or 9, wherein the tag information is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) information.

[0096] (Item 11) 9. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method for controlling an information processing device according to item 8.

Claims

1. A system including an information processing device and a printing device, The information processing device includes: a transmission means for transmitting a print job to the printing device; The printing device includes: a printing unit that performs printing on a sheet of paper in which identification information is embedded as tag information based on the print job; The information processing device further includes: a receiving means for receiving tag information detected from a sheet printed using the print job; The system further comprises a linking unit for linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job.

2. The receiving means further acquires time information indicating a detection time when the tag information is detected from the paper. The system described in claim 1, characterized in that the linking means determines whether to link the identification information of the received tab information to the print job based on the acquired detection time and the printing end time of the print job, and if it determines to link them, links the identification information of the received tab information to the print job.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tag information is information of an RFID tag.

4. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said printing means prints an instruction sheet for said print job on a sheet of paper in which identification information is embedded as tag information, based on said print job.

5. a transmission means for transmitting a print job to a printing device; a receiving means for receiving tag information detected from a sheet printed using the print job; an information processing apparatus having a linking unit for linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job;

6. The receiving means further acquires time information indicating a detection time when the tag information is detected from the paper. The information processing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the linking means determines whether to link the identification information of the received tab information to the print job based on the acquired detection time and the printing end time of the print job, and if it determines to link them, links the identification information of the received tab information to the print job.

7. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the tag information is information of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag.

8. A method for controlling an information processing device, comprising: a sending step of sending the print job to a printing device; a receiving step of receiving tag information detected from a sheet printed using the print job; The control method for an information processing apparatus further comprises a linking step of linking the identification information of the received tab information with the print job.

9. The receiving step acquires tag information detected from a sheet of paper printed using the print job and time information indicating a detection time when the tag information was detected from the sheet of paper, The control method for an information processing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the linking process determines whether to link the identification information of the received tab information to the print job based on the acquired detection time and the printing end time of the print job, and if it is determined to link them, links the identification information of the received tab information to the print job.

10. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the tag information is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) information.

11. 9. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method for controlling an information processing device according to claim 8.

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