Image formation system, method for controlling image formation system, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To solve the problem that there is a risk that an important function of an image forming apparatus is inappropriately executed.SOLUTION: In an image formation system including an image forming apparatus having an input part and an executable function, and an information processing device communicable with the image forming apparatus, the information processing device causes the image forming apparatus to set first authority information related to an authority for a first function to be executed on the basis of reception of a request in the image forming apparatus in association with identification information of a user using the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus sets second authority information related to an authority of a second function to be executed on the basis of an input of a request from an input part in the image forming apparatus in association with the first authority information and the identification information, and the image forming apparatus determines whether or not a requested first function or second function can be executed on the basis of the first authority information or the second authority information together with the identification information when the identification information is acquired by the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus is requested to execute the first function or the second function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system, a control method for an image forming system, and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a system has been disclosed in which a management server as a management device notifies an administrator when settings of an important function for an image forming device are changed for execution. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-33529 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described system, there is a risk that important functions of the image forming device may be improperly performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An image forming system comprising an image forming device having an input unit and executable functions, and an information processing device capable of communicating with the image forming device, wherein the information processing device sets first authority information relating to the authority of a first function to be executed in the image forming device based on receiving a request in the image forming device, in association with identification information of a user using the image forming device; the image forming device sets second authority information relating to the authority of a second function to be executed in the image forming device based on input of a request via the input unit in association with the first authority information and the identification information; when the identification information is acquired by the image forming device and a request is made to the image forming device to execute the first function or the second function, the image forming device determines whether or not to execute the requested first function or the second function based on the first authority information or the second authority information together with the identification information.

[0006] A control method for an image forming system comprising an image forming device having an input unit and executable functions, and an information processing device capable of communicating with the image forming device, wherein the information processing device causes first authority information relating to the authority of a first function to be executed in the image forming device upon receiving a request to be associated with identification information of a user using the image forming device and set in the image forming device, and the image forming device sets second authority information relating to the authority of a second function to be executed in the image forming device upon input of a request via the input unit, in association with the first authority information and the identification information, and when the identification information is acquired by the image forming device and a request is made to the image forming device to execute the first function or the second function, the image forming device determines whether or not to execute the requested first function or the second function based on the first authority information or the second authority information together with the identification information.

[0007] An image forming device capable of communicating with an information processing device and comprising an input unit, a memory unit, and a control unit capable of executing functions, wherein the control unit acquires first authority information relating to the authority of a first function to be executed upon receiving a request from the information processing device, associates it with a user's identification information and sets it in the memory unit, and sets second authority information relating to the authority of a second function to be executed upon input of a request by the input unit, associates it with the first authority information and the identification information and sets it in the memory unit, and acquires the identification information, and when execution of the first function or the second function is requested, determines whether or not the requested first function or the second function can be executed based on the first authority information or the second authority information together with the identification information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming system. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the relationship between first authority information and second authority information. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the relationship between the first authority information and the second authority information. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a state transition diagram showing a control method for the image forming system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a state transition diagram showing a control method for the image forming system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a state transition diagram showing a control method for an image forming system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing examples of the ranking of the results of executing functions and the relationship between the first authority information and the second authority information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1. Image formation system configuration As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 according to the embodiment includes a first information processing device 10, a second information processing device 20, a third information processing device 30, and an image forming device 40. The first information processing device 10 is an information processing device that can set function authority for the image forming device 40, as will be described later, and is a so-called management device. 1, the first information processing device 10 is used by a first person M1 who is both an administrator and a user of the image forming device 40. The second information processing device 20 is used by a second person M2 who is a user of the image forming device 40, and the third information processing device 30 is used by a third person M3 who is a user of the image forming device 40. The image forming system 1 may not include the third information processing device 30, or may further include information processing devices similar to the second information processing device 20 and the third information processing device 30.

[0010] These devices that make up the image forming system 1 are connected to a network 2 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), which is a communication network within a limited range such as a company, and are capable of communicating with each other. The network 2 may be a WAN (Wide Area Network), such as the Internet. Each of these devices is assigned a unique communication address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and can communicate by specifying the IP address of the communication destination. These devices can communicate using protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).

[0011] The first information processing device 10 includes a first control unit 11, a first communication unit 12, a first storage unit 13, and a first input / output unit . The first control unit 11 comprehensively controls each unit of the first information processing device 10. The first control unit 11 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU is also called a processor.

[0012] The first storage unit 13 includes a memory such as a flash ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a volatile memory. The first control unit 11 reads out a program stored in the flash ROM of the first storage unit 13, and executes the program using the RAM of the first storage unit 13 as a working area. The first storage unit 13 of the first information processing device 10 also stores a web browser and the like. The first control unit 11 can read out the web browser from the first storage unit 13 and execute it.

[0013] The first communication unit 12 of the first information processing device 10 includes a circuit that can communicate with the network 2 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The first communication unit 12 is capable of communicating with other devices constituting the image forming system 1 via the network 2. Although the first information processing device 10 transmits and receives data to and from a communication destination through the first communication unit 12, in the following description, for the sake of simplicity, the transmission and reception through the first communication unit 12 will be omitted. Furthermore, although the first communication unit 12 communicates through the network 2, in the following description, the transmission and reception through the network 2 will be omitted.

[0014] The first input / output unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 is a user interface for the first party M1. The first input / output unit 14 is, for example, a touch panel display. The first input / output unit 14 includes a display panel as an output unit that displays various information, and a detection panel as an input unit. The detection panel is configured to be overlaid on the display panel, and detects the operation of a person's finger using a method such as a capacitance method, a resistive film method, or an optical method. In the first input / output unit 14, the input unit may be a keyboard or a mouse, and the output unit may be a stand-type liquid crystal display.

[0015] The second information processing device 20 includes a second control unit 21, a second communication unit 22, a second storage unit 23, and a second input / output unit 24. These components of the second information processing device 20 are almost the same as those of the first information processing device 10, and therefore, a description of the components will be omitted. When the second information processing device 20 sends and receives data to and from a communication destination, it does so via the network 2 using the second communication unit 22. However, as in the case of the first information processing device 10, the following description will omit the sending and receiving via the network 2 using the second communication unit 22.

[0016] The third information processing device 30 includes a third control unit 31, a third communication unit 32, a third storage unit 33, and a third input / output unit 34. These components of the third information processing device 30 are almost the same as those of the first information processing device 10, and therefore, description of the components will be omitted. When the third information processing device 30 sends and receives data to and from a communication destination, it does so via the network 2 using the third communication unit 32. However, as in the case of the first information processing device 10, the following description will omit the sending and receiving via the network 2 using the third communication unit 32.

[0017] The image forming device 40 includes a fourth control unit 41, a fourth communication unit 42, a fourth storage unit 43, and a fourth input / output unit 44. These components of the image forming device 40 are almost the same as those of the first information processing device 10, and therefore, description of the components will be omitted. When the image forming device 40 sends and receives data to and from a communication destination, it does so via the network 2 using the fourth communication unit 42. However, as in the case of the first information processing device 10, the following description will omit the sending and receiving via the network 2 using the fourth communication unit 42.

[0018] Furthermore, the image forming device 40 is equipped with a printing unit 45 including a head and a transport mechanism, and is capable of printing on a medium. The head may be of any type, such as an inkjet type, a thermal type, or a laser type. The image forming device 40 is also equipped with an image acquisition unit 46 having an image sensor such as a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and is capable of acquiring an image of the medium.

[0019] Furthermore, the fourth storage unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 40 also stores firmware that controls the printing unit 45 and the image acquisition unit 46. The fourth control unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 can read and execute the firmware from the fourth storage unit 43 to control the printing unit 45 and the image acquisition unit 46. The image forming device 40 can have the functions of a scanner, a copier, a fax, etc. in addition to the function of a printer by including the printing unit 45 and the image acquisition unit 46. Such an image forming device 40 is also called a multifunction device.

[0020] The fourth storage unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 40 also stores various web pages. The fourth control unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 can read and provide web pages from the fourth storage unit 43 in response to requests from other devices. In this way, the fourth control unit 41 also functions as a so-called web server. In this case, the other devices function as so-called web clients.

[0021] Each device constituting the image forming system 1, including the image forming device 40, can execute a web browser. These devices can send and receive web pages and various information input to web pages. In the following description, it will be omitted that these devices execute a web browser and perform each process.

[0022] Incidentally, each user of the image forming device 40 can use each information processing device to register login information such as a user name and password to the image forming device 40 from a web page provided by the image forming device 40, and then log in. For example, a second person M2 who is a user can operate the second input / output unit 24 of the second information processing device 20 to access a portal site provided by the image forming device 40, obtain a web page, and enter login information such as a user name and password to register. After registration, the second person M2 can use the second information processing device 20 to access the portal site provided by the image forming device 40, obtain a web page, and enter login information to log in.

[0023] Furthermore, the second person M2 can directly register login information in the image forming apparatus 40 using the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40, and can also log in. As described above, other people who use image forming apparatus 40 can also register login information in image forming apparatus 40 via the web page and log in. Furthermore, other people who use image forming apparatus 40 can directly register login information in image forming apparatus 40 and log in using fourth input / output unit 44 of image forming apparatus 40.

[0024] The image forming device 40 stores the login information of each registered user as identification information 43c in the fourth storage unit 43. The identification information 43c is also information that identifies the user who uses the image forming device 40. Hereinafter, the login information of the registered user will also be referred to as identification information 43c. When the fourth control unit 41 acquires login information from each information processing device or the fourth input / output unit 44, it refers to the identification information 43c in the fourth memory unit 43, determines whether it matches the identification information 43c, and if it does match, allows the login.

[0025] Next, a description will be given of the image forming apparatus 40 determining whether or not to execute a function requested by each user. The image forming apparatus 40 has various executable functions. Specifically, the fourth storage unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 40 stores various executable functions, such as the print function, copy function, scan function, and FAX function described above, as well as network functions, which can be read and executed by the fourth control unit 41. In this case, based on a request via a web page from another device or a request from a user via the fourth input / output unit 44, the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming device 40 can refer to the fourth memory unit 43 and execute the requested function, such as by rewriting and changing the parameters corresponding to the request.

[0026] Some of these functions, such as network functions, are important to the image forming device 40, and if parameter changes are made, the image forming device 40 may be unable to communicate depending on the changes. Furthermore, among the print functions, there are important functions such as a function to initialize parameters, etc. When an initialization function is executed in image forming device 40, for example, the paper size may change, and the user of image forming device 40 may not be able to print as intended.

[0027] Suppose that a first party M1 who manages image forming device 40 grants the authority to execute the above-mentioned important functions to any user of image forming device 40. In this case, there is a risk that a user who is not familiar with the functions of image forming device 40 may mistakenly execute an important function. There is also a risk that a person who does not have the authority to use image forming device 40 or execute a function may improperly obtain the authority by some means and execute an important function.

[0028] Therefore, the first party M1 who manages the image forming apparatus 40 sets the authority for each function in the image forming apparatus 40 for each user. Specifically, the first person M1 uses the first information processing device 10 to set, via a web page provided by the image forming device 40, first authority information 43a and second authority information 43b, which are information on authority for each function, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, for each of the second person M2 and third person M3 who are users, in the image forming device 40. The first person M1 can also set authority for himself or herself.

[0029] As a result, the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b are stored in the fourth storage unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 40 in association with each of the second party M2 and the third party M3. The first authority information 43a is information related to authority when execution of a function is requested from a web page. The first authority information 43a is information related to authority of a first function that is executed in the image forming device 40 based on reception of a request from each information processing device. The first function is, for example, "function A" shown in the first authority information in FIG. 2. By the operation of the first person M1, the first information processing device 10 can set the first authority information 43a in the image forming device 40 in association with the user's identification information 43c.

[0030] The second authority information 43b is information relating to authority when execution of a function is requested from the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40. The second authority information 43b is information relating to authority of a second function that is executed in the image forming apparatus 40 based on a user request input via the fourth input / output unit 44. The second function is, for example, "function M" shown in the second authority information in FIG. 3. The image forming apparatus 40 can set the second authority information 43b in association with the first authority information 43a and the user identification information 43c.

[0031] For example, suppose that a second person M2 operates the second information processing device 20 and sends login information of the second person M2 to the image forming device 40 via a web page provided by the image forming device 40, requesting the execution of a specified function. First, the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming device 40 refers to the identification information 43c of the fourth memory unit 43 to determine whether the second person M2, whose login information has been received, is registered, and if it determines that the second person M2 is registered, it allows the login. Next, the fourth control unit 41 refers to the first authority information 43a in the fourth storage unit 43 corresponding to the login information of the second party M2, and determines whether authority for the requested predetermined function has been set. If the fourth control unit 41 determines that authority for the requested predetermined function has been set for the second party M2, it executes the predetermined function.

[0032] Also, for example, it is assumed that a third party M3 uses the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40 to input login information of the third party M3 to the image forming apparatus 40 and requests execution of a predetermined function. First, the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming device 40 refers to the identification information 43c of the fourth memory unit 43 to determine whether the third party M3, which is the input login information, is registered, and if it determines that the third party M3 is registered, it allows the login. Next, the fourth control unit 41 refers to the second authority information 43b in the fourth storage unit 43 corresponding to the third party M3, which is the login information, and determines whether authority for the requested predetermined function has been set. If the fourth control unit 41 determines that authority for the requested predetermined function has been set for the third party M3, it executes the predetermined function.

[0033] That is, when execution of a predetermined function is requested along with login information, the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 first refers to the identification information 43c and determines whether or not to permit login. If the fourth control unit 41 determines that the login information is not registered, it does not permit login for the requester. Next, even if login is permitted, the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming device 40 refers to the first authority information 43a or the second authority information 43b corresponding to the identification information 43c, which is the login information, in the fourth memory unit 43, and if it determines that the authority for the requested specified function has not been set, it does not execute the specified function.

[0034] In other words, when the identification information 43c, which is login information, is acquired by the image forming device 40 and a request is made to the image forming device 40 to execute the first or second function, the image forming device 40 can determine whether or not to execute the requested first or second function based on this identification information 43c and the first authority information 43a or the second authority information 43b. In this way, the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 can determine whether or not the requested function can be executed by using the identification information 43c, which is login information, and the first authority information 43a or the second authority information 43b corresponding to this identification information 43c. This can prevent a person requesting the execution of a function from mistakenly or improperly executing an important function of the image forming apparatus 40.

[0035] Note that administrator identification information, which is login information of a first party M1 who is an administrator different from the second party M2 and the third party M3 who are users, is also stored in the identification information 43c of the fourth storage unit 43. Furthermore, the image forming device 40 stores setting authority for the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b in the fourth storage unit 43 in association with the administrator identification information of the first party M1. The fourth control unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 can determine the setting authority by referring to the fourth storage unit 43. The first person M1 can use the first information processing device 10 to log in by entering administrator identification information on a web page provided by the image forming apparatus 40, and set the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b in the image forming apparatus 40. On the other hand, the second person M2 and the third person M3, who do not have the setting authority, cannot set the information.

[0036] In this way, when the administrator identification information is acquired by the image forming device 40 and a request is made to the image forming device 40 to set up using the first authority information 43a, the image forming device 40 refers to the fourth memory unit 43 and determines whether or not the requested setting up using the first authority information 43a can be made based on the administrator identification information. That is, when the image forming apparatus 40 determines that the acquired administrator identification information is associated with the authority to perform the setting according to the first authority information 43a, it determines that the requested setting according to the first authority information 43a is permitted and executes it.

[0037] 2. Control method of image forming system of first embodiment A control method for the image forming system 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. It is assumed that the login information of each of the first party M1, the second party M2, and the third party M3 is registered as identification information 43c in the fourth storage unit 43. The first party M1, the second party M2, and the third party M3 can log in to the image forming device 40, and in the following description, it is assumed that they are permitted to log in.

[0038] In the following description, for convenience, the first person M1, the second person M2, and the third person M3 will also be referred to as their login information, and these pieces of login information will also be referred to as user identification information 43c. In the following description, the first control unit 11 of the first information processing device 10, the second control unit 21 of the second information processing device 20, the third control unit 31 of the third information processing device 30, and the fourth control unit 41 of the image forming device 40 actually execute their respective processes. However, for the sake of simplicity, the following description will omit the execution of each control unit.

[0039] In the first embodiment, a second party M2 uses a second information processing device 20 to request the image forming device 40 to execute a predetermined function via a Web page acquired from the image forming device 40. A first party M1 who is an administrator of the image forming device 40 uses the first information processing device 10 to set authority for a second party M2 who is a user to execute functions of the image forming device 40. Specifically, the first party M1 operates the first input / output unit 14 of the first information processing device 10, and requests the image forming device 40 to set authority for the second party M2 related to the first authority information 43a via a Web page acquired from the image forming device 40 (S101).

[0040] Specifically, the first person M1 operates the first input / output unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 to access a portal site provided by the image forming device 40 and acquire a web page. The first information processing device 10 displays the acquired web page via the first input / output unit 14. The first person M1 operates the first input / output unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 to input a request for setting the authority related to the first authority information 43a for the second person M2. The first information processing device 10 can transmit the input to the web page to the image forming device 40 to request this setting.

[0041] The image forming apparatus 40 receives this setting request and executes setting of the authority related to the first authority information 43a for the second party M2 (S102). Specifically, the image forming apparatus 40 stores this setting in the first authority information 43a of the fourth storage unit 43. In this way, the first information processing device 10 can use the Web page provided by the image forming device 40 to cause the image forming device 40 to set the first authority information 43a.

[0042] For example, it is assumed that the first party M1 requests the image forming apparatus 40 to set the authority for the second party M2 with respect to the first authority information 43a relating to the authority when execution of a function is requested from a Web page. The image forming device 40 that has received the request sets the first authority information 43a as shown in Fig. 2 for the second party M2. In Fig. 2, a function item with a check mark indicates that authority has been set. In the example of Fig. 2, authority is set for "function A" among "functions A" to "function D" of the image forming device 40.

[0043] On the other hand, the second authority information 43b is information related to authority when execution of a function is requested from the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40. In the example of Fig. 2, the function items of the first authority information 43a and the function items of the second authority information 43b are different but correspond to each other. When setting the requested items of the first authority information 43a, the image forming apparatus 40 can also set the corresponding items of the second authority information 43b as follows.

[0044] 2 also shows the correspondence between the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b. As shown in Fig. 2, when the image forming device 40 sets authority for "function A," which is a function of one piece of first authority information 43a, it can also set authority for "function E" to "function G," which are functions of multiple pieces of second authority information 43b corresponding to "function A."

[0045] That is, the image forming apparatus 40 can set the authority even when there are multiple items of the second function related to the second authority information 43b corresponding to the item of the first function related to the first authority information 43a. In this case, "Function A" is the item of the first function related to the first authority information 43a, and "Function E" to "Function G" are multiple items of the second function related to the second authority information 43b. In other words, the image forming apparatus 40 can set the authority by including the second function item related to the second authority information 43b that corresponds to the first function item related to the first authority information 43a.

[0046] The first party M1 can also request the second authority information 43b to set an authority for the second party M2. Upon receiving the request, the image forming device 40 sets the second authority information 43b for the second party M2 as shown in Fig. 2. In the example of Fig. 2, authority is set for "function E" to "function G" among "function E" to "function H" of the image forming device 40.

[0047] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the image forming device 40 sets the functions "Function I" to "Function K" of multiple first authority information 43a, it can also simultaneously set "Function M," which is a function of one second authority information 43b corresponding to "Function I" to "Function K." In this way, the image forming device 40 can set authority by including the first function items "Function I" to "Function K" related to the first authority information 43a that correspond to the second function item "Function M" related to the second authority information 43b. In other words, the image forming device 40 can set authority even if there are multiple first function items related to the first authority information 43a that correspond to the second function items related to the second authority information 43b.

[0048] 2 and 3, the same applies when the image forming device 40, based on a request from the first party M1, sets authority for executing a function for a third party M3 other than the second party M2. In other words, when there are multiple pieces of identification information 43c, such as login information for a second person M2 and login information for a third person M3, the first information processing device 10 can cause the image forming device 40 to set the first authority information 43a in association with each piece of identification information 43c. The first person M1 can also directly operate the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40 to cause the image forming apparatus 40 to set the first authority information 43a.

[0049] 4, the control method of the image forming system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. The second party M2 uses the second information processing device 20 to request the image forming device 40 to execute a predetermined function via a web page provided by the image forming device 40 (S103). For example, the second person M2 operates the second input / output unit 24 of the second information processing device 20 to access a portal site provided by the image forming device 40, acquires a web page, and inputs information to request the execution of a predetermined function. The second information processing device 20 can transmit the input information to the web page to the image forming device 40 and request the execution of the predetermined function. Upon receiving the request, the image forming device 40 refers to the first authority information 43a in the fourth memory unit 43 corresponding to the second party M2, and determines whether authority for the requested specific function is set (S104).

[0050] At this time, the image forming apparatus 40 can notify the second party M2 of the result of the determination (S105). For example, when the second party M2 receives a notification that the authority for a predetermined function has not been set and visually confirms this on the second information processing device 20, the second party M2 can request the first party M1 to set the authority. If the image forming apparatus 40 determines that the authority for the requested predetermined function is set for the second party M2, the image forming apparatus 40 executes the requested function (S106).

[0051] In this way, the image forming device 40 can set, for the second party M2, first authority information 43a relating to the authority when a function is requested to be executed from a web page, and second authority information 43b relating to the authority when a function is requested to be executed from the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming device 40, while matching these information to each other. When the second party M2 uses a web page from the second information processing device 20, the second party M2 can request the image forming device 40 to execute a predetermined function and execute the function. The same applies to other people who use the image forming device 40, such as the third party M3.

[0052] 3. Control method of image forming system according to the second embodiment The second embodiment is an embodiment in which a second party M2 or the like directly requests the image forming apparatus 40 to execute a predetermined function via the fourth input / output unit 44.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5, a first party M1 uses a first information processing device 10 to set authority for a second party M2 to execute functions of an image forming device 40. Specifically, the first person M1 operates the first input / output unit 14 of the first information processing device 10 and requests the image forming device 40 to set the authority related to the second authority information 43b for the second person M2 via a web page obtained from the image forming device 40 (S201). In response to the setting request, the image forming apparatus 40 sets the authority related to the second authority information 43b for the second party M2 (S202). Specifically, the image forming apparatus 40 stores this setting in the second authority information 43b of the fourth storage unit 43.

[0054] For example, suppose that a first party M1 requests the image forming device 40 to set authority for a second party M2 regarding the second authority information 43b relating to the authority when a request to execute a function is made from the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming device 40. Specifically, it is assumed that the first party M1 requests the setting of authority for "function E" to "function G" in the second authority information 43b shown in Fig. 2. Upon receiving the setting request, the image forming device 40 sets the authority for "function E" to "function G" for the second party M2 in the second authority information 43b.

[0055] At this time, the image forming apparatus 40 can set the requested items of the second authority information 43b and also set the corresponding items of the first authority information 43a at the same time. As shown in FIG. 2, when the image forming device 40 sets the functions "Function E" to "Function G" of multiple second authority information 43b, it can also simultaneously set "Function A" which is a function of one first authority information 43a corresponding to the multiple "Function E" to "Function G."

[0056] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, when the image forming device 40 sets "Function M," which is a function of one second authority information 43b, it can also simultaneously set multiple functions of the first authority information 43a, "Function I" to "Function K," which correspond to "Function M." The above description of FIGS. 2 and 3 also applies to the case where the image forming apparatus 40 makes settings for the third party M3. The first person M1 can also directly operate the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40 to cause the image forming apparatus 40 to set the second authority information 43b.

[0057] 5, the control method of the image forming system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. The second person M2 operates the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40 (S203) to directly request the execution of a predetermined function. The image forming device 40 detects an operation by the second person M2 through the fourth input / output unit 44, and acquires information such as the input login information and a request for a predetermined function. The image forming device 40 refers to the second authority information 43b in the fourth storage unit 43 corresponding to the login information of the second person M2, and determines whether authority for the requested predetermined function has been set (S204).

[0058] At this time, the image forming apparatus 40 displays the result of the determination to the second party M2 on the fourth input / output unit 44 (S205). For example, when the second party M2 visually recognizes on the fourth input / output unit 44 a display indicating that the authority for a predetermined function has not been set, the second party M2 can request the first party M1 to set the authority. If the image forming apparatus 40 determines that the authority for the requested predetermined function is set for the second party M2, it executes this function (S206).

[0059] In this way, the image forming apparatus 40 can set a predetermined function while associating the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b with the second party M2. Furthermore, even when the second party M2 uses the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming device 40, the second party M2 can request the image forming device 40 to execute a predetermined function and execute the function. The same applies to other people who use the image forming device 40, such as the third party M3.

[0060] 4. Control method of image forming system according to the third embodiment The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the first information processing device 10 adds authority settings to the image forming device 40 based on the results of functions that have been requested and executed in the past from a web page or the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming device 40.

[0061] As in the case of Fig. 5, as shown in Fig. 6, the second party M2 operates the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming device 40 to directly request the execution of a predetermined function (S301). Here, it is assumed that the authority of the second authority information 43b corresponding to the second party M2 is set. The image forming device 40 executes the predetermined function requested by the second party M2 (S302). The image forming apparatus 40 can store performance information of a predetermined second function related to the executed second authority information 43b in the fourth storage unit 43. In this case, the image forming apparatus 40 stores the performance information without specifying the login information of the second party M2. Similarly, the image forming apparatus 40 stores performance information for parties other than the second party M2 without specifying the login information.

[0062] 4, the third party M3 uses the third information processing device 30 to request the image forming device 40 to execute a predetermined function via a web page provided by the image forming device 40 (S303). Here, it is assumed that the authority of the first authority information 43a corresponding to the third party M3 is set. The image forming device 40 executes the predetermined function requested by the third party M3 (S304). The image forming apparatus 40 can store performance information of a predetermined first function related to the executed first authority information 43a in the fourth storage unit 43. In this case, the image forming apparatus 40 stores the performance information without specifying the login information of the third party M3. Similarly, the image forming apparatus 40 stores performance information for parties other than the third party M3 without specifying the login information.

[0063] The image forming apparatus 40 tally up the performance information of these executed functions (S305). Specifically, the image forming apparatus 40 refers to the fourth storage unit 43, and as described above, tally up the performance information, which is the second functions that have been requested and executed directly from the fourth input / output unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 40, and the number of times they have been executed. In addition, as described above, the image forming apparatus 40 tally up the performance information, which is the first functions that have been requested and executed by the web page, and the number of times they have been executed. The image forming apparatus 40 can compile performance information of at least one of the first and second functions that have been executed.

[0064] An example of performance information, which is the result of aggregating these, is shown as "performance ranking" in Figure 7. Figure 7 shows that the higher the "performance ranking" for a function, the higher its ranking. In the example in Figure 7, "function R" is ranked first, indicating that it has been executed the most times. Note that the "performance ranking" can also include information on the number of times it has been executed. The first party M1 uses the first information processing device 10 to request performance information from the image forming device 40 via a web page acquired from the image forming device 40 (S306). In response to this request, the image forming device 40 transmits the performance information (S307). Note that the image forming apparatus 40 may transmit a notice of the execution to the first information processing apparatus 10 each time the first function or the second function is executed, and the first information processing apparatus 10 may tally up the performance information. In this case, the first information processing apparatus 10 does not need to request the performance information from the image forming apparatus 40.

[0065] Returning to FIG. 6, the first party M1 uses the first information processing device 10 to request, via a Web page, the image forming device 40 to perform additional settings for functions that have been frequently executed based on the acquired performance information (S308). For example, the first person M1 can use the first information processing device 10 to determine that the function that has been executed the most times is "function R" based on the performance information as shown in Fig. 7. The first person M1 uses the first information processing device 10 to request that "function R" be added to the first authority information 43a and also to the second authority information 43b.

[0066] In this case, the first information processing device 10 does not distinguish between the second party M2 to the third party M3, etc., and can request additional setting of "function R" for the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b for all users who use the image forming device 40. It is assumed that the authority to execute all functions of the image forming device 40 is set in advance for the first party M1, and no request is made to the first party M1.

[0067] The first information processing device 10 may request, for example, the addition of a well-established function to either the first authority information 43 a or the second authority information 43 b. The image forming device 40 that is requested to add the function can add the function to both the first authority information 43 a and the second authority information 43 b. Furthermore, if the function items in the first authority information 43a and the function items in the second authority information 43b are different, the image forming device 40 can make additional settings for the corresponding items, as described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, the first information processing device 10 can request the additional setting of multiple functions, such as "Function R" to "Function Y" shown in Figure 7, from the top of the "achievement ranking" to any rank, and the image forming device 40 can also additionally set these functions.

[0068] The image forming apparatus 40 receives the request for additional setting from the first information processing apparatus 10, and executes setting of authority for the functions related to the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b for which additional setting is requested (S309). Specifically, the image forming apparatus 40 stores this setting in the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b of the fourth storage unit 43. The first information processing device 10 can cause the image forming device 40 to additionally set the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b based on the performance information acquired from the image forming device 40.

[0069] In this way, the first information processing device 10 can cause the image forming device 40 to set the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b based on the performance information obtained from the image forming device 40. The first information processing device 10 can allow a user of the image forming device 40 to add and set a function that has been executed frequently while associating it with the first authority information 43a and the second authority information 43b. That is, the image forming apparatus 40 can store the performance information of at least one of the first and second functions that have been executed without specifying the identification information 43c, which is the login information of the user.

[0070] As a result, a user of image forming device 40, such as second party M2, can request and have image forming device 40 execute a function that is frequently executed by other users as well as the user himself / herself. In this case, whether the user, such as second party M2, uses a web page or image forming device 40, the user can request and have image forming device 40 execute a function that is frequently executed.

[0071] Note that the image forming apparatus 40 may itself, as described above, perform additional settings for functions that have been frequently executed based on performance information, without relying on the first information processing apparatus 10. In this case, the image forming apparatus 40 may add authority settings without relying on a request for additional settings from the first information processing apparatus 10.

[0072] As described above, the image forming system 1 of the embodiment includes the image forming apparatus 40 having the fourth input / output unit 44 and executable functions, and the first information processing apparatus 10 capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 40. The first information processing device 10 can associate first authority information 43a relating to the authority of a first function executed in the image forming device 40 based on receiving a request with identification information 43c of a user using the image forming device 40 and set it in the image forming device 40. In addition, the image forming device 40 can also set second authority information 43b relating to the authority of a second function executed in the image forming device 40 based on input of a request by the fourth input / output unit 44, in correspondence with the first authority information 43a and the identification information 43c.

[0073] When the identification information 43c is acquired by the image forming device 40 and the image forming device 40 is requested to execute the first function or the second function, the image forming device 40 determines whether or not to execute the requested first function or the second function based on the identification information 43c and the first authority information 43a or the second authority information 43b. In this way, the image forming device 40 can determine whether or not to execute the requested function by using the identification information 43c and the first authority information 43a or the second authority information 43b corresponding to the identification information 43c. This can prevent a person requesting the execution of a function from mistakenly or improperly executing an important function of the image forming device 40. In this case, the image forming apparatus 40 can flexibly respond to requests from other apparatuses via web pages or requests from the user via the fourth input / output unit 44, thereby improving convenience.

[0074] As described above, the embodiments have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and may be changed, replaced, deleted, etc. as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. For example, the image forming system 1 may be configured to include one or more of the second information processing device 20 and the third information processing device 30 in addition to the first information processing device 10 and the image forming device 40. Furthermore, the image forming system 1 may be configured to include four or more information processing devices, including yet another information processing device.

[0075] Furthermore, each information processing device does not have to be linked to each person, and each information processing device does not have to correspond one-to-one to each person. The image forming device 40 does not have to be specified as the second information processing device 20, the third information processing device 30, etc. The first information processing device 10 to the third information processing device 30 may be any combination, and each person may log in to any information processing device. For example, there may be only one first information processing device 10, and each person may log in to the image forming device 40 using the same first information processing device 10 at different times, or each person may log in directly to the image forming device 40 and request the execution of a function. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1...image forming system, 2...network, 10...first information processing device, 11...first control unit, 12...first communication unit, 13...first memory unit, 14...first input / output unit, 20...second information processing device, 30...third information processing device, 40...image forming device, 41...fourth control unit, 42...fourth communication unit, 43...fourth memory unit, 43a...first authority information, 43b...second authority information, 43c...identification information, 44...fourth input / output unit, 45...printing unit, 46...image acquisition unit, M1...first party, M2...second party, M3...third party.

Claims

1. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus having an input unit and an executable function, and an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus, the information processing device causes the image forming device to associate first authority information relating to authority for a first function executed in response to the reception of a request with identification information of a user who uses the image forming device, and set the first authority information in the image forming device; the image forming apparatus sets second authority information relating to authority of a second function executed based on an input of a request via the input unit in the image forming apparatus in association with the first authority information and the identification information; When the identification information is acquired by the image forming apparatus and execution of the first function or the second function is requested to the image forming apparatus, The image forming system is configured such that the image forming apparatus determines whether or not the requested first function or the second function can be executed based on the identification information and the first authority information or the second authority information.

2. the image forming apparatus stores performance information of at least one of the first function and the second function executed in the image forming apparatus without specifying the identification information; The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing device causes the image forming device to set the first authority information based on the performance information acquired from the image forming device.

3. the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus are in a relationship of a Web server and a Web client, The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing device causes the image forming device to set the first authority information by using a web page provided by the image forming device.

4. In the image forming apparatus, the setting authority based on the first authority information is associated with administrator identification information of an administrator different from the user, When the administrator identification information is acquired by the image forming apparatus and a setting based on the first authority information is requested to the image forming apparatus, The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus determines whether or not the requested setting based on the first authority information is acceptable based on the administrator identification information.

5. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the number of the second function items in the second authority information corresponding to the first function items in the first authority information is plural.

6. 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the second function item related to the second authority information includes the first function item related to the corresponding first authority information.

7. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of pieces of identification information, and the information processing device causes the image forming device to set the first authority information in association with each piece of identification information.

8. A control method for an image forming system including an image forming apparatus having an input unit and an executable function, and an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus, the information processing device causes the image forming device to associate first authority information relating to authority for a first function executed in response to the reception of a request with identification information of a user who uses the image forming device, and set the first authority information in the image forming device; the image forming apparatus sets second authority information relating to authority of a second function executed based on an input of a request via the input unit in the image forming apparatus in association with the first authority information and the identification information; When the identification information is acquired by the image forming apparatus and execution of the first function or the second function is requested to the image forming apparatus, A control method for an image forming system, wherein the image forming apparatus determines whether or not the requested first function or second function can be executed based on the identification information and the first authority information or the second authority information.

9. capable of communicating with an information processing device; an input unit; A memory unit; an image forming apparatus including a control unit capable of executing a function, The control unit acquiring, from the information processing device, first authority information relating to authority of a first function to be executed based on the reception of the request, and setting the information in the storage unit in association with user identification information; setting, in the storage unit, second authority information relating to authority of a second function to be executed based on an input of a request by the input unit, in association with the first authority information and the identification information; When the identification information is acquired and execution of the first function or the second function is requested, The image forming apparatus determines whether or not the requested first function or the requested second function can be executed based on the identification information and the first authority information or the second authority information.

Images