Printing system

Abstract

To make it possible to easily specify whether to register as a user on a single printer or on multiple printers collectively, including the above printer.SOLUTION: In a printing system, a first image forming apparatus includes: a first instruction unit which registers, on receipt of an instruction to register as a user for using the first image forming apparatus, for using the first image forming apparatus individually; and a second instruction unit which registers as a user for using multiple image forming apparatuses generally, including the first image forming apparatus. A corresponding PIN code is issued depending on whether the first or second instruction unit is specified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print system in which a user's email address is registered in a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a public print system in which a printer with printing capabilities installed in a store is connected to a cloud server via a network, and jobs uploaded to the server by users are sent to the printer in the store by user operation for printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-75734 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the method of Patent Document 1 is a mechanism that uses a public system configuration and is made up of a large number of printers, and therefore is not intended for use in small offices.

[0005] In the present invention, when performing user registration in a printer, it can be easily specified whether to perform user registration for that printer alone or to perform user registration for multiple printers including that printer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the print system of the present invention is characterized in having: a providing means for providing, when an instruction for user registration to use a first image forming device is given in a first image forming device, a first instruction unit for performing user registration to use the first image forming device individually and a second instruction unit for performing user registration to use a plurality of image forming devices including the first image forming device in a general-purpose manner; a first notification means for, when the first instruction unit is instructed, issuing a first PIN code for using the first image forming device in association with a user's email address and notifying the user's email address of the issued first PIN code and a first email address to which a job will be sent; and a second notification means for, when the second instruction unit is instructed, issuing a second PIN code for general-purpose use of a plurality of image forming devices including the first image forming device in association with the user's email address and notifying the user's email address of the issued second PIN code and a second email address to which a job will be sent. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, when registering a user on a printer, it is easy to specify whether to register the user for that printer alone or for multiple printers including that printer, and the job destination address and PIN code appropriate for each can be notified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of an MFP. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an MFP cooperation service. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a mobile terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the image processing system. [Figure 6]1A is an explanatory diagram of an MFP individual management tenant, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of an MFP general management tenant. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a registration flow diagram. [Figure 8] This is a registration flow diagram for email. [Figure 9] 10A is an example of a data configuration managed by an MFP individual management tenant, 10B is an example of a data configuration managed by an MFP general management tenant, and 10C is an example of a data configuration of MFP information associated with a tenant. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a basic diagram of a print processing flow. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] This is an example of sending a PIN code via email. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a flow chart for creating a reference table. [Figure 14] This is an example of the registration UI. [Figure 15] (a) is an example of the registration UI, and (b) is an example of the notification email. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0010] <Overall composition> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the printing system according to this embodiment. The printing system is composed of an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 110 and an MFP cooperation service 120. In the MFP cooperation service, tenants associated with printers (image forming apparatuses) are managed. The tenant associated with each MFP is called an MFP individual management tenant 130, and the tenant associated with a plurality of MFPs for general use of the plurality of MFPs is called an MFP general management tenant 140. The MFP 110 is connected to a server that provides various services on the Internet via a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0011] The MFP 110 is a multifunction device having a plurality of functions such as a scanner and a printer, and is an example of an image forming apparatus. In this embodiment, a multifunction device is taken as an example of the MFP 110, but a printer having only a printing function and not having a scanner function may also be used. The MFP cooperation service 120 manages the identification information of the MFP (serial number assigned to each MFP: MFP serial number described later), and receives a print job via the network from a PC or a mobile terminal (not shown) on the network. A cloud print service that transfers the print job to the MFP 110 for printing is provided.

[0012] <Hardware Configuration of MFP> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the MFP 110. The MFP 110 is composed of a control unit 210, an operation unit 220, a printer unit 221, a scanner unit 222, and a modem 223. The control unit 210 is composed of the following units 211 to 219, and controls the operation of the entire MFP 110. The CPU 211 reads out a control program stored in a ROM 212, and executes and controls various functions of the MFP 110, such as reading, printing, and communication. The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area such as a main memory and a work area of ​​the CPU 211. In this embodiment, one CPU 211 executes each process shown in a flowchart described later using one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214), but is not limited to this. For example, each process may be executed by cooperating multiple CPUs and multiple RAMs or HDDs. The HDD 214 is a large-capacity storage unit that stores image data and various programs. The operation unit I / F 215 is an interface that connects the operation unit 220 and the control unit 210. The operation unit 220 is provided with a touch panel, a keyboard, and the like, and accepts operations / inputs / instructions from a user. The printer I / F 216 is an interface that connects the printer unit 221 and the control unit 210. Image data for printing is transferred from the control unit 210 to the printer unit 221 via the printer I / F 216, and is printed on a recording medium. The scanner I / F 217 is an interface that connects the scanner unit 222 and the control unit 210. The scanner unit 222 reads an original placed on an original table or an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), not shown, generates image data, and inputs the image data to the control unit 210 via the scanner I / F 217. The MFP 110 can print (copy) the image data generated by the scanner unit 222 from the printer unit 221, as well as transmit the image data as a file or by e-mail. The modem I / F 218 is an interface that connects the modem 223 and the control unit 210. A modem 223 communicates image data by facsimile with a facsimile device on the PSTN. A network I / F 219 is an interface that connects the control unit 210 (MFP 110) to a LAN.The MFP 110 uses the network I / F 219 to transmit image data and information to each service on the Internet and to receive various types of information.

[0013] <Hardware Configuration of MFP Linkage Service> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computer that provides the MFP linkage service 120, which is a cloud service. The MFP linkage service 120 is composed of a CPU 311, a ROM 312, a RAM 313, an HDD 314, and a network I / F 315. The CPU 311 reads the control program stored in the ROM 312 and executes various processes to control the overall operation. The RAM 313 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 311. The HDD 314 is a large-capacity storage unit that stores image data and various programs. The network I / F 315 is an interface that connects the MFP linkage service 120 to the Internet. The MFP linkage service 120 receives a processing request from another device (such as the MFP 110) via the network I / F 315 and transmits and receives various types of information. In this way, the hardware such as the CPU 311, ROM 312, RAM 313, and HDD 314 constitutes a so-called computer. Note that the computer that realizes the linkage service 102 may further include an ASIC or the like that performs rendering of print data. In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the case where one CPU 311 uses one memory (RAM 313) to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later is illustrated, but other modes may also be possible. For example, a plurality of processors, memories, and storages can cooperate to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later. Also, each process can be executed using a plurality of server computers.

[0014] <Hardware Configuration of Mobile Terminal> FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 150. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 150 is assumed to be a device such as a smartphone or a tablet PC, but may be any other device as long as it is an information processing device that can connect to the Internet and can transmit emails and display web pages. The CPU 401 reads out a control program stored in the ROM 402 and executes various processes for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 130. The ROM 402 stores the control program. The RAM 403 is used as a storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 401. Various data such as photos and electronic documents are stored in the RAM 403. The OS (Operating System) and applications are also stored. The reference numeral 404 is a position sensor (GPS) that can acquire the position information of the mobile terminal as, for example, longitude and latitude information. The operation panel 405 has a touch panel function that can detect a touch operation by a user, and displays various screens provided by applications on the mobile terminal. The user can input a desired operation instruction to the mobile terminal 130 by inputting a touch operation to the operation panel 405. The camera 406 captures an image in response to an image capture instruction from the user. Photos taken by the camera 406 are stored in a predetermined area 403. A microphone / speaker 407 is used when the user makes a call to another mobile terminal or a landline phone. A wireless communication unit 408 executes wireless communication such as a wireless LAN.

[0015] <Image processing system software configuration> 5 is a diagram showing the software configuration of the image processing system according to this embodiment. First, the software configuration of the MFP 110 will be described. The MFP 110 has a linkage service request unit 501, a display control unit 502, a print control unit 503, a printer search unit 504, and a data management unit 505. The data management unit stores a multi-digit character string that is unique for each MFP so that the MFP can be identified, and in this embodiment, this is called an MFP serial number (e.g., MFP_0001). The display control unit 502 displays user login operations, job lists, and the like on a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function of the operation unit 220 of the MFP 110.

[0016] The cooperation service unit 501 transmits and receives processing requests from the MFP cooperation service 120 and the mobile terminal 130. For example, when a login operation is performed on the MFP panel, the login information is transmitted to the MFP cooperation service 120, and as a response, a job list or the like is received from the service.

[0017] Subsequently, the software configuration of the MFP cooperation service 120 will be described.

[0018] The MFP cooperation service 120 includes a request control unit 521, a data management unit 522, a tenant management unit 523, a display control unit 524, and an email control unit 525.

[0019] The request control unit 521 waits in a state where it can receive requests from external devices. When it receives a processing request, it appropriately instructs the data management unit 522 to perform processing according to the request. The data management unit 522 holds tenant management information, MFP information, various setting data, etc. managed by the MFP cooperation service 120. The display control unit 524 receives requests from a web browser operating on another terminal (not shown) such as a PC or mobile device connected via the Internet and returns screen configuration information (HTML, CSS, etc.) necessary for screen display. The user can check the operating status of the MFP cooperation service 120 via the screen displayed on the web browser.

[0020] The tenant management unit 523 generates, monitors, stops, etc. the tenants that cooperate with the MFP, and manages the tenants that cooperate with the MFP in response to requests from the cooperation service unit 501. The email control unit 525 delivers received emails in response to inquiries from the tenants managed by the tenant management unit, and transmits user identification information, etc. for registered users. In this embodiment, the user identification information is referred to as a PIN code, and refers to a string consisting of a plurality of unique digits (e.g., 9999) assigned to each user registered in each tenant.

[0021] <MFP Management Tenant Configuration> 6 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the MFP and the MFP individual management tenant 130 and MFP general-purpose management tenant 140 managed by the MFP cooperation service 120. The MFP individual management tenant 130 is a tenant linked to each MFP, and is generated by the MFP cooperation service 120 when the MFP is started for the first time. In the MFP individual management tenant, a management tenant 130 is generated for each MFP, as shown in FIG. 6(a).

[0022] 9(a) is an example of data managed by an MFP individual management tenant, and is composed of a user email address, a PIN code associated with the email address, and a job transmission destination email address. Note that the MFP-tenant association information is held in the data management unit 522 of the MFP cooperation service 120 in a format in which the MFP serial number is associated with the tenant information.

[0023] The MFP general-purpose management tenant 140 is a tenant associated with multiple MFPs, and manages them by associating them with one tenant (general-purpose management tenant 140) in response to a user registration request at the time of user registration. Fig. 6(b) shows an example, in which MFP110(1) and MFP110(2) are associated with the MFP general-purpose management tenant 140 and managed in response to a user registration request.

[0024] FIG. 9B shows an example of data managed by the MFP general-purpose management tenant, and like the MFP individual management tenant, it is made up of a user email address, a PIN code associated with the email address, and a job transmission destination email address.

[0025] The MFP information associated with the tenant is held in the data management unit 522 of the MFP cooperation service 120 in a format in which the serial number of the MFP is associated with the tenant information.

[0026] Fig. 9(c) shows an example of this, in which general-purpose management tenant information and individual management tenant information are linked and managed for each MFP serial number. An individual management tenant is generated for each MFP serial number. A general-purpose management tenant is not registered if there is no registration request from a user. For this reason, there are cases in which NA (no registration information) is set in the general-purpose management tenant information for an MFP serial number.

[0027] <User registration flow> Figure 7 shows the user registration flow.

[0028] In this embodiment, in order to lower the barrier to introduction of the cloud print service, a system consisting of a large number of printers is not adopted in the initial configuration. A basic configuration is one in which a tenant is automatically generated for each printer and users are managed.

[0029] Step 701 in FIG. 7 is a process immediately after the printer is started, in which a cloud print application pre-installed in the data management unit 505 is started, and in step 702, via a linkage service request 501, a request is made to generate an individual management tenant. In the MFP linkage service 120, the request control unit 521 receives the notification in step 702, and notifies the tenant management unit 523. In step 703, the tenant management unit 523 of the MFP linkage service 120 generates an MFP individual management tenant. The above-mentioned FIG. 9(a) is an example of a data configuration managed by an individual management tenant. Note that a job transmission destination email address linked to the tenant is also generated in the above-mentioned step. When the individual management tenant is generated in step 703, the printer is notified in step 704. In this state, a user can be registered in the management tenant from the printer panel. In step 710, a user presses the user registration button on the printer panel. FIG. 14(a) is an example of a UI display on the printer panel.

[0030] When the user presses the registration button 1401 in step 711, a registration UI display request is notified in step 712. Step 713 is processing for generating a registration UI screen to be displayed on the printer panel. When the UI is generated in step 713, the registration UI screen is provided to the MFP 110 in step 714, and the provided registration UI screen is displayed on the display control unit 502 of the MFP 110.

[0031] Fig. 14(b) is an example of a registration UI screen. The registration UI screen of Fig. 14(b) includes an email address registration area 1402, an individual account registration button 1403 (first instruction section), and a general-purpose account registration button 1404 (second instruction section). In step 717, the user sets registration information in the registration UI displayed on the printer panel. Here, the user's email address (hereinafter, email address) is set in the email address registration area 1402.

[0032] Then, when the individual account registration button 1403 is selected, the information is notified to the individual management tenant of the printer in S720. In the individual management tenant, the email address is registered in the data management unit in the tenant as user information in registration processing S721. Also, a PIN code corresponding to the email address is issued, and the PIN code, the user's email address, and the job transmission destination email address are linked and managed as shown in FIG. 9(a). Also, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the serial number of the MFP and tenant information (individual management tenant information) are also registered in the data management unit 522 of the MFP cooperation service 120. In S722, the individual management tenant notifies the email control unit 525 of the MFP cooperation service 120 of the registered user's email address, job transmission destination email address, and PIN code information. In S723, an email is generated in which the PIN code and job transmission destination email address for the individual account registration notified in S722 are written in the email body, and the generated email is sent to the user's email address notified in S722 to notify (S724). FIG. 12 is an example of an email used for notification.

[0033] On the other hand, if the general-purpose account registration button 1404 is selected on the printer panel after the email address is set in step 717, the information is notified to the general-purpose management tenant of the printer in S725. In the general-purpose management tenant, the email address is registered as user information in the data management section in the general-purpose management tenant in registration processing S726. Also, a PIN code corresponding to the email address is issued, and the PIN code is linked to the user's email address and the job transmission destination email address as shown in FIG. 9B, and managed. The PIN code to be issued refers to the PIN code information of the individual management tenant of the printer, and a unique PIN code is issued. Specifically, the number of digits of the PIN code used for the PIN code of the individual management tenant and the general-purpose management tenant is changed. For example, the PIN code length of the individual management tenant is set to four digits, and the PIN code length of the general-purpose management tenant is set to five digits or more. Or, the character code used for the PIN code of the individual management tenant and the general-purpose management tenant is changed. For example, the PIN code of the individual management tenant is issued only with numbers, and the PIN code of the general-purpose management tenant is issued by adding not only numbers but also alphabets so that the PIN codes do not physically overlap. 9(c), the serial number and tenant information of the MFP are also registered in the data management unit 522 of the MFP collaboration service 120. In S727, the general-purpose management tenant notifies the registered user's email address, the job destination email address, and the PIN code information to the email control unit 525 of the MFP collaboration service 120. In S728, an email is generated in which the PIN code for the general-purpose account registration notified in S727 and the job destination email address are written in the email body, and the generated email is sent to the email address notified in S727 to notify the user (S729).

[0034] It is also possible to set it so that when both the general-purpose account registration button 1404 and the individual account registration button 1403 in Fig. 14(b) are pressed, the individual account registration and the general-purpose account registration can be performed at the same time. The above steps allow the user account to be registered.

[0035] Another embodiment of the user registration procedure will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, only the user's email address is registered on the printer panel, and the user may register into at least one of a general-purpose account and an individual account by clicking on link information in a registration confirmation email.

[0036] 8 shows a user registration flow for registering an account by clicking the registration button in the registration confirmation email. Steps 801 to 804 are equivalent to steps 701 to 704, respectively, and will not be described in detail here.

[0037] Step 810 is a step in which the user presses the user registration button 1401 on the printer panel, and is equivalent to step 710. When the user presses the registration button 1401 in step 811, a registration UI display request in step 812 is notified.

[0038] Step 813 is a generation process for generating a registration UI screen to be displayed on the printer panel. When the registration UI screen is generated in step 813, the registration UI screen is provided to the MFP 110 in step 814, and is displayed on the display control unit 502 of the MFP. Fig. 15(a) is an example of a UI display.

[0039] In step 815, the user sets registration information on the registration UI screen displayed on the printer panel. When the user sets an email address in 15011 in Fig. 15(a) and presses the account registration button in 15012, the information is notified to the email control unit 525 in step 816.

[0040] Step 817 is a selection email generation process, in which email control unit 525 generates an email with the email address notified in step 816 set as the destination. Figure 15(b) is an example of the email generated in this step. An email is generated in which an individual account registration button 15021 (first instruction section) and a general-purpose account registration button 15022 (second instruction section) are set in the email body.

[0041] The generated e-mail is sent as a registration destination selection e-mail in step 818 to notify the user.

[0042] Steps 820 and 825 are steps in which the user presses any one of the registration buttons included in the email notified in step 818 to register an account. If the individual account registration button is selected here, the information is notified to the individual management tenant of the printer in S820. In the individual management tenant, the email address is registered in a data management unit in the tenant as user information in registration processing S821. Also, a PIN code corresponding to the email address is issued, and the PIN code is linked to the user's email address and the job transmission destination email address as shown in FIG. 9(a) and managed. Also, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the serial number of the MFP and the individual management tenant information are also registered in the data management unit 522 of the MFP cooperation service 120. In S822, the individual management tenant notifies the email control unit 525 of the MFP cooperation service 120 of the registered user's email address, the job transmission destination email address, and the PIN code information. In step 823, an email is generated in which the PIN code for the individual account registration notified in S822 and the job transmission destination email address are written in the email body, and the generated email is sent to the email address notified in S822 (S824).

[0043] On the other hand, if the general-purpose account registration button is selected in the email notified in S818, the information is notified to the general-purpose management tenant in S825. In the general-purpose management tenant, the email address is registered as user information in the data management unit in the general-purpose management tenant in registration processing S826. Also, a PIN code corresponding to the email address is issued, and the PIN code, the user's email address, and the job transmission destination email address are linked and managed as shown in FIG. 9B. Also, as shown in FIG. 9C, the serial number and tenant information of the MFP are also registered in the data management unit 522 of the MFP cooperation service 120. In S827, the general-purpose management tenant notifies the email control unit 525 of the MFP cooperation service 120 of the registered user's email address, the job transmission destination email address, and the PIN code information. In S828, an email is generated in which the PIN code and the job transmission destination email address for the general-purpose account registration notified in S827 are written in the email body, and the generated email is sent to the email address notified in S827 for notification.

[0044] <Job reception flow> FIG. 13A is a flowchart illustrating the process performed when an email is received by the email control unit of the MFP linkage service 120.

[0045] Step 1301 is a step for periodically monitoring the mail receiving folder to determine whether or not there is received mail. If there is received mail, the process proceeds to step 1302; otherwise, the process returns to step 1301.

[0046] Step 1302 is a step for checking received mail and creating a received mail reference table (hereinafter, reference table) for the received mail. The reference table is a management table that registers information for providing a job list without searching data in the mail server each time a user logs in to the MFP and makes a print request. In particular, in a general-purpose management tenant, the amount of data to be handled increases as the number of users increases, so the reference table is used to ensure that processing can be performed without delay. In this embodiment, the reference table is held in the data management unit 522 of the MFP cooperation service 120.

[0047] The reference table created here is a management table that holds the link information of the mail as job information from the mail received in the above step, and the subject of the mail body, the name of the attached file, the mail destination information, and the mail From information as content information. FIG. 13B shows an example, and the above information is set in job information 13021, mail destination information 13022, and mail From information 13025. Furthermore, from the mail destination, reverse lookup is performed on the data of the MFP linkage service management data stored in the data management unit 522, management tenant information is obtained, and set in tenant information 13023. Also, a PIN code is obtained by obtaining a user email address from the From information and searching the management tenant information in FIG. 9A and 9B, and set in PIN code information 13026. Step 1303 is a step for determining whether the print data of the received mail belongs to an individual management tenant, and the determination is made based on the information registered in the tenant information 13023 in the above step 1303. Here, if the tenant information is an individual management tenant, the process proceeds to step 1304, and otherwise the process proceeds to step 1301.

[0048] Step 1304 is a step in which, if the print destination of the print data is determined in advance (in this embodiment, print data for an individual management tenant), the print data is stored in advance in the data management unit of the management tenant. It goes without saying that the present proposal is also effective if the downloaded data is automatically deleted after a certain period of time has passed (for example, 24 hours).

[0049] <Printing process flow> 10 is a flowchart explaining the steps from input of the PIN code to the printing process. Step 1001 is a printer login screen displayed on the display control unit 502 of the MFP 110, and is a step for inputting the PIN code notified in the above steps 723 and 728 (823 and 828 in FIG. 8).

[0050] Step 1002 is a step of searching for the tenant to which the MFP belongs based on the serial number of the MFP for which the PIN code has been entered, and searches for the tenant to which the MFP belongs based on MFP-tenant linkage information held in data management unit 522 of MFP linkage service 120.

[0051] Step 1003 is a step for determining the tenant to which the MFP belongs. As shown in Fig. 9(c) in this embodiment, the serial number of the MFP and the affiliation information of the MFP cooperation management tenant are registered as the linking information. If it is determined that the MFP belongs to an individual management tenant, the process proceeds to step 1004. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1009.

[0052] Step 1004 is a step of searching for tenant information 13023 and PIN code information 13026 in the reference table created in step 1302 .

[0053] Step 1005 is a step for judging the result of the previous step. If the corresponding information exists in the reference table, the process proceeds to step 1006. If the corresponding information does not exist, the process proceeds to step 1008 after the PIN code is entered incorrectly, and the process ends.

[0054] Step 1009 is a step of searching for tenant information 13023 and PIN code information 13026 in the reference table, similar to step 1004. Step 1010 is a step of determining the result, similar to step 1005. Step 1006 is a step of displaying a job list linked to the PIN code.

[0055] FIG. 11 shows details of the job list display process in step 1006.

[0056] Step 1101 is a step of searching the reference table of step 1302. This is a step of searching the tenant information 13023 and the PIN code information 13026 in the reference table to specify a corresponding record.

[0057] Step 1102 is a step for acquiring information on the body of the mail (eg, the subject of the mail) and job information on the attached file (eg, the job name of the attached file) from the job information 13021 in the reference table identified in the previous step.

[0058] Step 1103 is a step in which the job information acquired in the previous step is displayed as a job list of print jobs on the display control unit 502 of the MFP 110.

[0059] When the job list is displayed in step 1006, a job is selected in step 1007.

[0060] In step 1007, if a job is selected and the print execution button is pressed, the process proceeds to step 1008, where the selected job is notified to the MFP 110 and printing is performed. Also, if the cancel button is pressed in step 1007, the process proceeds to after step 1008 and ends.

[0061] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a commonly usable destination address and PIN code even when registering a user for a single printer (individual account registration) and when registering a user for multiple printers (general account registration). This makes it possible to build a general-purpose printing system that can also be used in small offices.

Claims

1. a providing means for providing, when an instruction for user registration to use a first image forming apparatus is given in the first image forming apparatus, a first instruction section for performing user registration to use the first image forming apparatus individually, and a second instruction section for performing user registration to use a plurality of image forming apparatuses including the first image forming apparatus in a general purpose manner; a first notification means for, when the first instruction unit is instructed, issuing a first PIN code for using the first image forming apparatus in association with an email address of a user, and notifying the email address of the user of the issued first PIN code and a first email address to which a job is to be sent; a second notification means for, when the second instruction unit is instructed, issuing a second PIN code for general-purpose use of a plurality of image forming apparatuses including the first image forming apparatus in association with a user's email address, and notifying the user's email address of the issued second PIN code and a second email address to which a job will be sent; A printing system comprising:

2. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the providing means provides a screen including the first instruction section and the second instruction section to the first image forming device, thereby causing the screen to be displayed on the first image forming device.

3. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the providing unit provides an email including the first instruction portion and the second instruction portion to an email address of the user.

Images