Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To easily set permission of execution of a print job of an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes an estimation unit configured to estimate a transmission position of the mobile terminal based on a signal periodically received from the mobile terminal, and an execution unit configured to execute the print job received from the information processing apparatus if the transmission position of the mobile terminal is within a predetermined range, and not to execute the print job received from the information processing apparatus if the transmission position of the mobile terminal is not within the predetermined range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, a printing system, a processing method for an image forming apparatus, a processing method for a printing system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, subscription services have become popular in the field of image forming devices. Subscription services are services in which customers pay for monthly usage instead of signing individual contracts for the image forming device itself, consumables such as ink and toner used for printing, and repair costs.

[0003] As shown in Patent Document 1, for example, monthly usage is limited to a certain amount, meaning that printing can be done freely as long as it is within a predetermined print volume limit within a specified period. In printing systems that charge for such subscription services, an upper limit is set on the amount of printing that can be done within a certain period, and an additional fee (charge) is incurred for any amount exceeding the limit.

[0004] Some examples of the benefits of using a printing system with a subscription service are as follows: First, the administrator who manages the printing system's usage fees can keep initial costs, such as the cost of purchasing image forming devices, low. Second, because the usage fee for the image forming device is fixed as long as the printing volume within a certain period is within a certain limit, it is easy to estimate the cost of the image forming device and manage the budget.

[0005] By taking advantage of the above benefits, the impact on the budget can be reduced, for example, in educational settings, where not only teachers and staff who use image forming devices as before while being aware of the various costs involved, but also children and third parties during community interactions print without being aware of the various costs involved.

[0006] Furthermore, as described above, in cases where children or third parties can freely enter and exit the area where the image forming device is located, a login process may be performed before using the image forming device to prevent unauthorized use of the image forming device. The login process involves, for example, inputting user information of the user required for the login process into the image forming device. A simple method for performing the login process is to start short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal linked to the user, as described in Patent Document 2, and input user information via short-range wireless communication.

[0007] Examples of short-range wireless communication technologies include Bluetooth and NFC (Near Field Communication). Within the Bluetooth standard, and particularly within the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard, there is technology that detects the communication distance between devices communicating with short-range wireless communication and the direction of the other party as seen from the wireless communication terminal. By knowing the distance and direction between short-range wireless communication terminals, it is possible to estimate the relative position of the short-range wireless communication terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-124342 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-26163 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] For example, consider a case where a child uses an image forming device to print in an educational setting. In an educational setting, the child is at the educational setting most of the time, such as during class time, breaks, and after school, and can log in to the image forming device and print at his or her own convenience.

[0010] However, printing outside of class hours has disadvantages, such as an increased risk of injury from paper fragments from printed materials, and an unintended increase in usage of the image forming device due to printing for purposes other than education. To avoid these, it is necessary to prevent children from printing when there is no teacher or other supervisor nearby.

[0011] One way to prevent children and others from printing is to turn off the image forming device and lock the power switch so that it cannot be operated when a teacher or staff member leaves the device. Alternatively, it is necessary to change the print permission settings of the image forming device in administrator mode or the like so that printing cannot be performed even if a child or others logs in to the image forming device.

[0012] These methods involve complicated tasks even when a supervisor such as a teacher or staff member has to leave the vicinity of the image forming device due to an unexpected event, which reduces the convenience of the supervisor.

[0013] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that simplifies the process for users to log in to an image forming device and execute printing. However, if the user is assumed to be a child, logging in would enable printing, and so there is no mention of changing the print permission settings.

[0014] An object of the present disclosure is to make it possible to easily set permission for execution of a print job in an image forming apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The image forming device has an estimation means for estimating the transmission position of the portable terminal based on a signal periodically received from the portable terminal, and an execution means for executing a print job received from the information processing device if the transmission position of the previous portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and not executing the print job received from the information processing device if the transmission position of the previous portable terminal is not within the predetermined range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present disclosure, permission to execute a print job in an image forming apparatus can be easily set. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system including an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a controller unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between an image forming apparatus and a portable terminal. [Figure 6] 10 is a communication flowchart for validating print permission of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus when changing print settings. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a mobile terminal that transmits a Beacon signal and print permission setting information. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display on a display unit of a mobile terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a controller unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal. [Figure 13A] 10 is a communication flowchart for validating print permission of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 13B] 10 is a communication flowchart for validating print permission of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for performing short-distance wireless communication of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for changing a print permission setting of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a mobile terminal that sends print permission setting information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components described in the embodiment are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0019] (First embodiment) 1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) equipped with multiple functions such as a scanner function, a printer function, a copy function, and a function for communicating with external devices. Note that the image forming apparatus 1 may be a printer or the like in addition to a multifunction peripheral (MFP).

[0020] These functions are controlled by a controller unit 100 shown in Fig. 2, which will be described later. The scanner function, print function, and copy function are realized by operating a scanner unit 130 and a printer unit 140 in response to instructions from the controller unit 100. An operation unit 150 is also provided on the front of the image forming apparatus 1 to enable the user to check the status of the image forming apparatus 1 and input operation commands to the controller unit 100.

[0021] In addition, the controller unit 100 controls a wired local area network (LAN) and a wireless communication function as a communication function with an external device. The wireless communication function includes a standard that enables communication over a wide area, such as a wireless LAN (WLAN), as well as a short-range wireless communication technology, such as BLE. In particular, when estimating the relative position between wireless communication terminals, such as BLE, the arrangement of the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 in the image forming apparatus 1 has a significant effect on the relative position estimation.

[0022] An example of estimating the relative positions of short-range wireless communication terminals using BLE is described below. A short-range wireless communication terminal using BLE transmits a Beacon signal to the master device from the slave device to establish communication (pairing), and the master device transmits a pairing request signal to the slave device based on the received Beacon signal. After that, pairing is established. After pairing is established, the master device and slave device communicate bidirectionally.

[0023] To estimate the relative position, the master device must estimate and calculate the relative angle and relative distance (communication distance) to the slave device from the signal state of the beacon signal received by the master device. The relative angle can be estimated by installing multiple communication antennas on the master or slave device and calculating the phase difference between the transmitted and received radio waves. If there is no phase difference between the beacon signals sent using two transmitting or receiving antennas, the devices are facing each other. However, if the distance between either of the two antennas becomes short, a phase difference in the beacon signals will occur. If the slave device has multiple antennas and each transmits a beacon signal, the master device's single antenna calculates the relative angle from the phase difference between the received beacon signals. Conversely, if the slave device has a single transmitting antenna and the master device has multiple antennas, the relative angle can be calculated from the phase difference between the beacon signals sent from the transmitting antenna and received by each receiving antenna.

[0024] Furthermore, the method for estimating relative distance utilizes the fact that the radio wave strength (RSSI value) of a beacon signal has a weak correlation and attenuates as the distance increases, but the correlation of relative distance can deteriorate due to factors such as radio wave reflection, which can increase the radio wave strength even when the communication distance is long. Therefore, when estimating relative distance with poor accuracy, it is necessary to use a method that does not calculate the specific relative distance, such as determining whether the relative distance is closer than a threshold, i.e., whether the radio wave strength is above a threshold.

[0025] In this embodiment, a slave device having one Beacon signal transmitting antenna is disposed in the mobile terminal 2 in Fig. 2, and a master device having multiple (two or more) receiving antenna groups is disposed in the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 below the operation unit 150 of the image forming apparatus 1. However, the arrangement of the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 does not necessarily have to be configured as in this embodiment, and one or multiple Beacon signal transmitting antennas may be disposed in the image forming apparatus 1. Furthermore, the Beacon signal transmitting and receiving antennas do not necessarily have to be built into the image forming apparatus 1 and the mobile terminal 2, and for example, the short-range wireless communication antenna of the image forming apparatus 1 may be disposed on a wall or ceiling of a room in which the image forming apparatus 1 is placed.

[0026] Additionally, in this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 is arranged below the operation unit 150 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be closest to the user within the image forming apparatus 1. However, the arrangement of the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 does not necessarily have to be below the operation unit 150 as in this embodiment, and is not limited to a configuration for performing short-range wireless communication.

[0027] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system including an image forming apparatus 1. The printing system includes the image forming apparatus 1, a mobile terminal 2, a communication network 3, an image forming apparatus management server 4, and a group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs.

[0028] The image forming apparatus 1 is an MFP equipped with multiple functions such as a scanner function and a copy function, and includes an operation unit 150, a controller unit 100, a group of short-range wireless communication antennas 125, a scanner unit 130, a printer unit 140, and a power supply unit 160. The image forming apparatus 1 is also connected to a communication network 3.

[0029] The controller unit 100 controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 1. At the same time, the controller unit 100 also serves as a display unit that displays the status of the image forming apparatus 1 and menus for various operations. Details of the controller unit 100 will be described later.

[0030] The power supply unit 160 supplies power to each part in the image forming apparatus 1. When the power supply is OFF, the power supply unit 160 does not supply power to each part in the image forming apparatus 1. When the power supply is ON, the power supply unit 160 supplies DC and AC power to each part, and the image forming apparatus 1 operates.

[0031] The scanner unit 130 reads an original and generates binary black and white or multi-value color image data.

[0032] The printer unit 140 prints, on printing paper, image data generated by the scanner unit 130 and print data received from the print job execution PC group 5, which will be described later.

[0033] The operation unit 150 has a display unit (such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying the status of the image forming apparatus 1 to the user, and an input mechanism such as buttons and / or a touch panel for receiving input and output from the user to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0034] The short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 is controlled by the controller unit 100, which will be described later.

[0035] The image forming apparatus 1 is also connected to a communication network 3 by a controller unit 100, which will be described later.

[0036] The communication network 3 is mainly composed of a wired LAN, a WLAN, and access points (AP) for transmitting and receiving radio waves over the WLAN, and enables communication between devices connected to the communication network 3. An image forming device management server 4 may also be provided within the communication network 3.

[0037] The image forming device management server 4 has a function to control the usage status of each image forming device and whether or not various jobs such as printing and copying can be executed when multiple image forming devices identical to the image forming device 1 are connected within the communication network 3. Furthermore, the user information for logging in to the image forming device 1 may be stored within the image forming device 1, but may also be stored within the image forming device management server 4 and shared among multiple image forming devices.

[0038] The mobile terminal 2 is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 via short-range wireless communication via a short-range wireless communication antenna group 125, and is further connected to the communication network 3 using a wireless LAN function. The mobile terminal 2 is a smartphone, a tablet PC, or the like.

[0039] The group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs is connected to the communication network 3 using a wired LAN or WLAN. The group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs is composed of one or more information processing devices such as PCs or tablet terminals. This information processing device is used to execute a print job for the image forming device 1. When the image forming device 1 is in a state where it can print, and an information processing device in the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs sends a print job to the image forming device 1 via the communication network 3, the image forming device 1 prints an image on printing paper using the image data and print settings in the print job.

[0040] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the controller unit 100 in Fig. 2. The controller unit 100 has a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, a storage control unit 108, a storage 109, a network I / F 120, a short-range wireless communication I / F 124, and a short-range wireless communication antenna group 125. The controller unit 100 also has a scanner I / F 131, a scanner control unit 132, a printer I / F 141, a printer control unit 142, and an operation unit I / F 151.

[0041] The CPU 101 executes software programs stored in the RAM 102 and controls the entire device.

[0042] The ROM 103 stores, for example, programs for executing configurations related to the startup of the controller unit 100, fixed parameters, and the like.

[0043] The RAM 102 is used to store programs and temporary data when the CPU 101 controls the image forming apparatus 1. The programs and temporary data stored in the RAM 102 are read from the ROM 103 or a storage 109 described below.

[0044] The scanner control unit 132 receives setting information set by the user when performing scanner processing via the scanner I / F 131 through communication with the CPU 101, and controls the operation of the scanner unit 130 based on the setting information.

[0045] The printer control unit 142 receives setting information set by the user when performing print processing via the printer I / F 141 through communication with the CPU 101, and controls the operation of the printer unit 140 based on the setting information.

[0046] The operation unit I / F 151 is an interface with the operation unit 150, which has a liquid crystal display unit that can be operated using a touch panel. The CPU 101 generates screen display image data to be displayed on the operation unit 150 by executing the OS and application programs, and outputs the screen display image data from the operation unit I / F 151 to the operation unit 150. The CPU 101 also acquires information input as a user operation from the operation unit 150 via the operation unit I / F 151 by executing the OS and application programs.

[0047] Storage 109 stores programs executed by CPU 101, program management tables, and various data as main storage, and data transmission and reception is controlled by storage control unit 108. Storage 109 can also store print jobs. The program to be executed is a boot program executed by CPU 101 to start the OS when image forming apparatus 1 is started. When a print job is stored, print information such as the number of sheets, color / black and white type, single-sided / double-sided, and enlargement / reduction is stored. After a print job has been stored, if a user issues a print instruction, the print job is printed. Examples of storage 109 include an HDD, SSD, eMMC, NAND flash memory, or NOR flash memory.

[0048] The network I / F 120 transmits and receives data to and from the communication network 3. Specifically, the network I / F 120 receives data sent from the communication network 3, and transmits image data read by the scanner unit 130 and image data stored in the storage 109 to a predetermined destination via the communication network 3.

[0049] The short-range wireless communication I / F 124 transmits and receives data to and from nearby short-range wireless communication devices using the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125. In this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication I / F 124 operates in accordance with the master device of the BLE standard, and therefore receives a Beacon signal from the slave device before establishing pairing with the destination slave device. The short-range wireless communication I / F 124 has a calculation function for estimating the transmission position of the slave device from the received Beacon signal. Note that some of the functions of the short-range wireless communication I / F 124, particularly some or all of the calculation functions, may be performed by the CPU 101, and the configuration need not be limited to that of this embodiment.

[0050] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 2 in Fig. 2. The mobile terminal 2 has a controller unit 200, a display unit 207, an operation unit 209, a call unit 213, an audio antenna 216, a wireless LAN antenna 218, and a short-range wireless communication antenna 220.

[0051] The controller unit 200 has a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a storage device 204, a power supply control unit 205, a display unit controller 206, an operation unit controller 208, and a call unit controller 212. The controller unit 200 further has a wireless LAN I / F 217 and a short-range wireless communication I / F 219. The operation unit 209 has a touch panel 210 and keys 211. The call unit 213 has a microphone 214 and a speaker 215.

[0052] The CPU 201 is a central processing unit that controls the entire mobile terminal 2 .

[0053] The RAM 202 is a work memory for the CPU 201 to operate, and is used to load various programs and store the results of arithmetic processing.

[0054] The ROM 203 is a memory that stores the boot program for the CPU 201 and various setting information.

[0055] The storage device 204 is a non-volatile memory for storing large programs and data, and is a flash memory or HDD inside the controller unit 200.

[0056] The power supply control unit 205 is configured with a battery, a battery charging module, etc., in order to control the power required for the mobile terminal 2 to operate.

[0057] The display controller 206 transmits image data to the display 207 in accordance with the communication protocol of the display 207 .

[0058] An operation unit controller 208 receives input from a touch panel 210 and keys 211 and converts it into data that the CPU 201 can understand.

[0059] The call controller 212 converts the audio signal received from the microphone 214 into radio waves to be transmitted to the other device and outputs them to the audio antenna 216, and also converts the radio waves received from the other device via the audio antenna 216 into audio and outputs it to the speaker 215.

[0060] The wireless LAN I / F 217 transmits and receives data to and from an external terminal via a wireless LAN antenna 218 .

[0061] The short-range wireless communication I / F 219 has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from an external terminal via the short-range wireless communication antenna 220, and a function of analyzing received data. In this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication I / F 219 has a function of transmitting and receiving data compliant with the BLE standard and transmitting a Beacon signal, and transmits a Beacon signal at regular intervals to estimate the relative position of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0062] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship of the portable terminal 2 and the like when printing on the image forming apparatus 1 is permitted.

[0063] A group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs is placed in the room where the image forming device 1 is placed, and the inside of the room can be seen from outside through doors 7 and 8 and a window 9. The image forming device 1 and the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs are connected to a communication network 3 (not shown).

[0064] When a user of the portable terminal 2 enables the print permission setting of the image forming device 1 for the print job execution PC group 5, the portable terminal 2 starts transmitting a Beacon signal. The Beacon signal includes device information (device-specific ID) of the portable terminal 2 and a print request code. If the distance between the portable terminal 2 and the image forming device 1 is within a certain range (for example, 20 m), the Beacon signal transmitted by the portable terminal 2 is received by the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 of the image forming device 1. In other words, the area in which the Beacon signal transmitted by the portable terminal 2 is received extends beyond the inside of the room in which the image forming device 1 is placed, and also extends outside the room via windows 9, etc.

[0065] When the image forming device 1 receives a Beacon signal via short-range wireless communication including the portable terminal 2, it estimates the transmission position of the received Beacon signal from the signal phase difference between the antennas in the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 of the image forming device 1 and the received radio wave intensity. The image forming device 1 also pre-records transmission position information of the Beacon signal received from, for example, an edge of the room in which the image forming device 1 is located, thereby pre-setting the inside of the room, i.e., the print permission determination area 6. Note that the print permission determination area 6 does not necessarily have to specify the entire interior of the room in which the image forming device 1 is located, and may be limited to a specific area, for example, the northern half of the room.

[0066] Furthermore, while the radio wave strength of a received Beacon signal generally attenuates as the distance between the transmitter and receiver increases, it can also increase or decrease due to reflection or diffraction from surrounding metal housings. In particular, if the surrounding metal housing has an effect that attenuates the radio wave strength of the received Beacon signal, the image forming device 1 will mistakenly recognize the transmission distance of the Beacon signal as being farther than the actual distance. In other words, depending on the layout of the metal housing, the print permission determination area 6 may become relatively narrow. To address this, when setting the print permission determination area 6, it is possible to anticipate that the radio wave strength of the mobile terminal 2 that transmits the Beacon signal will fluctuate due to changes in the layout of metal fixtures in the room where the image forming device 1 is located, and to set the print permission determination area 6 wider in the direction away from the image forming device 1 than the room where the image forming device 1 is located.

[0067] Additionally, the Beacon signal is transmitted periodically by the portable terminal 2, and the transmission period of the Beacon signal may be relatively long, such as two seconds. If the transmission period of the Beacon signal is made longer, the power consumption of the portable terminal 2 due to the Beacon signal can be reduced, but if a Beacon signal sent once cannot be transmitted correctly to the image forming device 1 due to external disturbances or the like, the Beacon signal will not be transmitted until the next period (four seconds later), which may result in a decrease in the response speed for enabling and disabling the print permission setting of the image forming device 1 and reduce user convenience.

[0068] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the radio wave intensity of a beacon signal may fluctuate due to the influence of the surrounding metal housing. Therefore, if the mobile terminal 2 periodically transmits beacon signals while moving and the image forming apparatus 1 continuously estimates its location information, the amount of change in the transmission location information due to the movement may not necessarily match the amount of change in the estimated transmission location information. To estimate the location information as accurately as possible under these circumstances, one method is to correct the transmission location information using a moving average or other method based on the transmission location estimation results obtained using multiple beacon signals. From the perspective of correcting the transmission location information using multiple beacon signals, a short transmission interval between beacon signals is preferable because long transmission intervals between beacon signals degrade accuracy. Taking these factors into consideration, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the transmission location information while reducing the power consumption of the mobile terminal 2 by transmitting beacon signals intermittently, for example, by transmitting five beacon signals at 100 ms intervals every two seconds.

[0069] The image forming device 1 estimates the transmission position of the portable terminal 2 using the Beacon signal received from the portable terminal 2, and if it can estimate that the portable terminal 2 is inside the print permission determination area 6, it sends a reply signal from the image forming device 1 to the portable terminal 2 to execute pairing via near field communication. After executing pairing, the portable terminal 2 transfers print permission information for authorizing the execution of a print job by the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5 to the image forming device 1, and the image forming device 1 validates the print permission for the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5 based on the print permission information received. After validating the print permission, the pairing via near field communication between the image forming device 1 and the portable terminal 2 is temporarily canceled, and the portable terminal 2 starts transmitting Beacon signals again.

[0070] When a user with portable terminal 2 passes through door 7 and enters the room where image forming device 1 is located, image forming device 1 estimates that the transmission position of the Beacon signal received from portable terminal 2 is inside print permission determination area 6, and permits execution of the print job by print job execution PC group 5. After that, image forming device 1 continuously determines whether portable terminal 2 is estimated to be inside print permission determination area 6 based on the Beacon signal periodically transmitted from portable terminal 2. When the user with portable terminal 2 moves outside the room where image forming device 1 is located, that is, to the position of portable terminal 2', image forming device 1 estimates that the position of portable terminal 2 is outside print permission determination area 6, and disables print permission for print job execution PC group 5.

[0071] As a result, while the user holding the portable terminal 2 is inside the print permission determination area 6, the print job execution PC group 5 can freely execute print jobs on the image forming device 1.

[0072] Although not shown in the present embodiment, a mobile terminal other than the mobile terminal 2 having similar functions may transmit a Beacon signal for setting print permission to the image forming device 1 during the same period as the mobile terminal 2. The image forming device 1 may enable multiple print permissions based on the print permission settings received from the mobile terminals whose Beacon signals are estimated to be within the print permission determination area 6. For example, while the print permission of the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5 is being enabled by the mobile terminal 2, the print permission of another PC for executing print jobs may be enabled by another mobile terminal. Alternatively, the other mobile terminal may enable the print permission of the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5 in a manner that overlaps with the print permission of the mobile terminal 2. In this case, if the mobile terminal 2 and the other mobile terminal have enabled the print permission of the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5, the image forming device 1 disables the print permission of the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5 when both the mobile terminal 2 and the other mobile terminal move outside the print permission determination area 6.

[0073] In this embodiment, the user IDs of the PCs that execute print jobs on the image forming device 1 are collectively referred to as the group of PCs for executing print jobs 5, and the user IDs of multiple PCs for executing print jobs can be individually set as print permission on the mobile terminal 2 and set on the image forming device 1.

[0074] 6 is a diagram illustrating a communication flow for validating print permission for the image forming apparatus 1. Below, a processing method for the image forming apparatus 1, the portable terminal 2, and the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs will be described.

[0075] The communication flow will be described as follows: after the portable terminal 2 validates the print permission setting, the portable terminal 2 moves into the print permission decision area 6, and then moves out of the print permission decision area 6.

[0076] First, in step S601, when the user carrying the portable terminal 2 is outside the print permission determination area 6, the user enables the print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5 on the portable terminal 2.

[0077] As a result, in step S602, the portable terminal 2 transmits a Beacon signal including the device-specific ID and the print request code.

[0078] In step S603, if the distance between the image forming apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 2 is within a range where short-distance wireless communication is possible, the image forming apparatus 1 receives a Beacon signal from the portable terminal 2.

[0079] In step S604, the image forming apparatus 1 estimates that the location of the portable terminal 2, estimated from the received Beacon signal of the portable terminal 2, is outside the print permission determination area 6, and therefore does not perform pairing with the portable terminal 2.

[0080] Thereafter, the same process is repeated even if the Beacon signal of the portable terminal 2 is periodically transmitted from outside the print permission determination area 6. As in step S604, the portable terminal 2 is estimated to be outside the print permission determination area 6, and the print permission of the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs is invalidated.

[0081] In step S605, the print job execution PC group 5 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0082] In step S606, even if the image forming apparatus 1 receives the print job via the communication network 3, it does not execute the print job and discards the print job.

[0083] In step S607, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits a print denial notification to the print job executing PC group 5.

[0084] In step S608, the print job execution PC group 5 receives the print denial notification. Instead of sending and receiving the print job as in the series of operations from steps S605 to S608, when the print job execution PC group 5 selects the image forming device 1 as the destination of the print job, the print job execution PC group 5 may communicate to confirm the print permission status of the image forming device 1, and the print denial notification may be sent from the image forming device 1 through this communication, as in step S607.

[0085] Next, in step S609, the user holding the portable terminal 2 for which the print permission setting has been enabled moves into the print permission determination area 6.

[0086] In step S610, the mobile terminal 2 continues to transmit the Beacon signal from step S602.

[0087] In step S611, similarly to step S603, the image forming apparatus 1 receives a Beacon signal including the unique ID of the portable terminal 2 and the print request code.

[0088] In step S612, the image forming apparatus 1 estimates that the portable terminal 2 is within the print permission determination area 6.

[0089] In step S613, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits a pairing request to the portable terminal 2.

[0090] In step S614, the portable terminal 2 receives a pairing request from the image forming apparatus 1, and in steps S614 and S615, the portable terminal 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 execute pairing with each other.

[0091] In step S616, the mobile terminal 2 stops transmitting the Beacon signal.

[0092] In step S617, the paired portable terminal 2 transmits the print permission setting information of the print job execution PC group 5 to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0093] In step S618, the image forming apparatus 1 validates the print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5 based on the received print permission setting information.

[0094] In steps S619 and S620, the image forming apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 2 disconnect the pairing with each other.

[0095] In step S621, after disconnecting the pairing, the portable terminal 2 again periodically transmits the same Beacon signal as in step S602.

[0096] In step S622, the image forming apparatus 1 periodically receives a Beacon signal including the unique ID of the portable terminal 2 and a print request code.

[0097] In step S623, the image forming apparatus 1 estimates from the received Beacon signal that the portable terminal 2 is within the print permission determination area 6, and continues to enable the print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5. The print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5 has been enabled since step S618.

[0098] In step S624, the print job executing PC group 5 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0099] In step S625, the image forming apparatus 1 receives the print job from the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs.

[0100] In step S626, the image forming apparatus 1 functions as an execution unit and executes the received print job.

[0101] In step S627, the user carrying the portable terminal 2 moves out of the print permission decision area 6 while the portable terminal 2 is periodically transmitting a Beacon signal in the same manner as in step S621.

[0102] In step S628, the portable terminal 2 transmits a Beacon signal, similar to step S621.

[0103] In step S629, image forming apparatus 1 receives the Beacon signal.

[0104] In step S630, the image forming apparatus 1 estimates that the portable terminal 2 is outside the print permission determination area 6.

[0105] In step S631, the image forming apparatus 1 invalidates the print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5 that was enabled by the portable terminal 2.

[0106] After step S631, when a print job is sent from the print job execution PC group 5 to the image forming apparatus 1, the same processing as in the flow from steps S605 to S608 is performed.

[0107] Although not shown, a case will be described in which, even if the portable terminal 2 is within the print permission determination area 6, the Beacon signal transmission in step S610 is not performed for a certain period of time or longer due to a malfunction of the portable terminal 2, etc. In this case, the image forming device 1 assumes that the portable terminal 2 has moved outside the print permission determination area 6, as in step S630, and disables the print permission setting of the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs, as in step S631.

[0108] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation flow of the image forming apparatus 1 when changing print settings based on the reception result of the Beacon signal.

[0109] In step S701, CPU 101 determines whether or not a Beacon signal has been received. CPU 101 periodically receives a Beacon signal including the unique ID of portable terminal 2 from portable terminal 2. If a Beacon signal has been received (Yes in S701), the process proceeds to step S702, and if not (No in S701), the process proceeds to step S712.

[0110] In step S702, CPU 101 determines whether the received Beacon signal includes a print request code to confirm whether the Beacon signal is from portable terminal 2 used in this embodiment. If the received Beacon signal includes a print request code (Yes in S702), the process proceeds to step S703, and if the received Beacon signal does not include a print request code (No in S702), the process proceeds to step S712.

[0111] In step S703, the CPU 101 functions as an estimation unit and estimates the transmission position of the mobile terminal 2 that transmitted the Beacon signal based on the received Beacon signal.

[0112] In step S704, CPU 101 determines whether the estimated transmission location of portable terminal 2 is inside print permission determination area 6. The inside of print permission determination area 6 is an example of a predetermined range. If it is inside print permission determination area 6 (Yes in S704), proceed to step S705, and if it is not inside print permission determination area 6 (No in S704), proceed to step S709.

[0113] In step S705, the CPU 101 transmits a pairing request to the portable terminal 2 that transmitted the Beacon signal, and executes pairing with the portable terminal 2.

[0114] In step S706, CPU 101 receives print permission setting information from the paired portable terminal 2 and disconnects the pairing with portable terminal 2. The print permission setting information includes the unique ID of the paired portable terminal 2 and the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be enabled in the group 5 of PCs for executing print jobs.

[0115] In step S707, the CPU 101 adds the unique ID of the paired mobile terminal 2 included in the print permission setting information and the user ID for which the print permission setting, such as the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs, to a print permission setting list that lists IDs that are permitted to print on the image forming device 1.

[0116] In step S708, CPU 101 validates the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the unique ID of portable terminal 2 written in the print permission setting list, and returns to step S701 to wait for reception of the next Beacon signal.

[0117] Here, in step S626 of FIG. 6, if the print permission setting for the user ID of the print job received from the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs is enabled, CPU 101 executes the print job of the enabled user ID received from the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs.

[0118] In addition, if multiple mobile terminals pass through the flow from steps S701 to S707 and each mobile terminal attempts to activate the print permission settings for the same user ID, the unique IDs of the multiple mobile terminals are linked to the user ID listed in the print permission settings list.

[0119] In step S709, CPU 101 determines whether the unique ID of the estimated portable terminal is listed in the print permission setting list. If the unique ID of the estimated portable terminal is listed in the print permission setting list (Yes in S709), the process proceeds to step S710, and if the unique ID of the estimated portable terminal is not listed in the print permission setting list (No in S709), the process proceeds to step S711.

[0120] In step S710, since CPU 101 needs to invalidate the print permission setting for the user ID linked to this unique ID, it deletes only the unique ID of the mobile terminal from the user IDs linked to the unique ID of the mobile terminal listed in the print permission setting list.

[0121] In step S711, CPU 101 deletes from the print permission setting list any user ID that is not linked to any unique ID of a mobile terminal. If the user ID from which the unique ID of the mobile terminal was deleted in step S710 is also linked to the unique ID of another mobile terminal, the user ID is not deleted in step S711.

[0122] After step S711, the process proceeds to step S708, where CPU 101 validates the print permission setting of image forming apparatus 1 based on the print permission setting list.

[0123] Here, in step S711, CPU 101 invalidates the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the unique ID of the mobile terminal 2. In step S606 in Fig. 6, if the print permission setting of the user ID of the print job received from the group 5 of PCs for executing print jobs is invalidated, CPU 101 does not execute the print job received from the group 5 of PCs for executing print jobs and for the invalidated user ID.

[0124] In step S712, CPU 101 determines whether or not there is a user ID listed in the print permission setting list. If there is no user ID (No in S712), CPU 101 returns to step S701 to wait for reception of the next Beacon signal.

[0125] If the user ID is in the print permission setting list (Yes in S712), it is possible that the print permission setting in the mobile terminal that has enabled the print permission setting has become invalid and the Beacon signal is no longer being transmitted, or that the mobile terminal is unusable due to a dead battery, etc., and it cannot be denied that the mobile terminal has moved and is waiting outside the print permission determination area 6. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S713.

[0126] In step S713, CPU 101 determines whether any of the user IDs listed in the print permission setting list is linked to the unique ID of the mobile terminal. If no user ID is linked to the unique ID of the mobile terminal (Yes in S713), the process proceeds to step S711. If any of the user IDs is linked to the unique ID of the mobile terminal (No in S713), the process proceeds to step S714.

[0127] In step S714, CPU 101 determines whether a Beacon signal including the unique ID of the corresponding mobile terminal has not been received for a certain period of time. If there is a unique ID of a mobile terminal from which a Beacon signal has not been received for a certain period of time (Yes in S714), that mobile terminal is in a state where it cannot transmit a Beacon signal, so the process proceeds to step S715. If there is no unique ID of a mobile terminal from which a Beacon signal has not been received for a certain period of time (No in S714), the process proceeds to step S711.

[0128] In step S715, CPU 101 deletes the unique ID of the portable terminal that has not been able to transmit a Beacon signal from the user ID associated with that unique ID, and proceeds to step S711.

[0129] It should be noted that the fixed period used for the judgment in step S714 should preferably be a period of multiple periods with respect to the transmission period of the Beacon signal (for example, 2 seconds in this embodiment). For example, if the Beacon signal is received after two periods (4 seconds), step S714 will be judged as Yes.

[0130] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation flow of the portable terminal 2 for sending a Beacon signal including a print request code to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0131] First, in step S801, the CPU 201 controls the display unit 207 of the portable terminal 2 to display a print permission setting screen 901 such as that shown in Fig. 9(a). Details of the print permission setting screen will be described later, but before the portable terminal 2 sends a Beacon signal, it is necessary to determine the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be enabled and the time for which the print permission setting is to be enabled.

[0132] After step S801, in step S802, the CPU 201 prompts the user to select a user ID for which the print permission setting is to be enabled from a list of user IDs as shown in FIGS. 9B, 9C, and 9D. When selecting a user ID, it is desired to enable the print permission settings of the user IDs of multiple PCs at once, such as the print job execution PC group 5. For this reason, the CPU 201 controls the display unit 207 to display an area selection button 902 and a group selection button 904. When the area selection button 902 is selected, a small area selection screen 903 is displayed in which a list of areas in which the image forming device 1 or other image forming devices is located can be confirmed, and the user selects the image forming device for which the print permission setting is to be enabled and its location area (FIG. 9B). When the image forming device for which the print permission setting and its location area are to be enabled is selected using the small area selection screen 903, the user ID of a device capable of executing print jobs, such as a PC, located in the area in which the image forming device is located is added to the print permission setting information. When the group selection button 904 is selected, a small group selection screen 905 is displayed, which can display groups of multiple user IDs for which you want to enable print permission settings. When you use the small group selection screen 905 to select a group of user IDs for which you want to enable print permission settings, the user IDs included in the selected group are added to the print permission settings information (FIG. 9(c)). Also, if you want to enable print permission settings for individual user IDs not specified in the area selection button 902 or group selection button 904, you can select the individual selection button 906, enter the user ID you want to enable in the small individual selection screen 907, and add it to the print permission settings information (FIG. 9(d)).

[0133] In step S803, CPU 201 causes mobile terminal 2 to set a time limit for enabling the print permission setting of image forming apparatus 1 using print setting enablement end time input screen 908 displayed on display unit 207 (FIG. 9A). Note that a default setting may be set in advance for print setting enablement end time input screen 908 and changed using operation unit 209. This default setting may be set to, for example, the time per unit of training, seminar, or lesson that a user of mobile terminal 2 uses image forming apparatus 1 to teach. This is because, if the user of mobile terminal 2 wants to print using image forming apparatus 1 for one unit of training, etc., without setting the print setting enablement end time, the print permission setting of image forming apparatus 1 will remain enabled as long as the user of mobile terminal 2 is inside print permission determination area 6 of image forming apparatus 1 even after the training ends, making it impossible to prevent unnecessary printing. Furthermore, if a user who has the portable terminal 2 leaves the portable terminal 2 in the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 1, the print permission setting of the image forming device 1 will always be enabled while the portable terminal 2 continues to operate, and similarly, unnecessary printing cannot be prevented.

[0134] In step S804, after the selection of the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be validated and the end time for validation has been completed in steps S802 and S803, the CPU 201 selects the setting completion button 909 in FIG. 9A.

[0135] In step S805, the CPU 201 starts transmitting a Beacon signal including the unique ID and the print request code.

[0136] In step S806, CPU 201 determines whether or not a pairing request has been received from image forming apparatus 1. If a pairing request has not been received (No in S806), the process returns to step S805 and repeats the transmission of the Beacon signal. If a pairing request has been received (Yes in S806), the process proceeds to step S807.

[0137] In step S807, the CPU 201 transmits the print permission setting information to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0138] In step S808, the CPU 201 cancels the pairing with the image forming apparatus 1.

[0139] In step S809, the CPU 201 starts periodically transmitting a Beacon signal, similar to step S805.

[0140] In step S810, CPU 201 determines whether the validity end time of the print permission setting has arrived. If the validity end time has not arrived (No in S810), the process returns to step S809 and continues to transmit Beacon signals. If the validity end time has arrived (Yes in S810), the process proceeds to step S811.

[0141] In step S811, the CPU 201 stops transmitting the Beacon signal.

[0142] In the present embodiment, the method has been described in which the print permission setting information for which the mobile terminal 2 wants to enable the print permission setting is transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 to the image forming device 1 using short-range wireless communication, but the print permission setting information may also be transmitted to the image forming device 1 via the communication network 3. Furthermore, after the mobile terminal 2 creates the print permission setting information, the print permission setting information may be stored from the mobile terminal 2 in the image forming device management server 4, and after the mobile terminal 2 enters the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 1, the image forming device 1 may obtain the print permission setting information from the image forming device management server 4 and enable the print permission setting.

[0143] (Second embodiment) In the second embodiment, the configuration of the first embodiment is changed so that a master device that receives Beacon signals is arranged in the image forming apparatus 1, and a slave device that transmits Beacon signals to the portable terminal 2. In the second embodiment, a method for enabling the print permission setting of the image forming apparatus 10 is described using an image forming apparatus 10 (FIG. 10) equipped with a slave device that transmits Beacon signals and a portable terminal 20 (FIG. 12) equipped with a master device that receives Beacon signals.

[0144] In the second embodiment, the slave device has two or more Beacon signal transmitting antennas and the master device has one Beacon signal receiving antenna, but the number of transmitting and receiving signal antennas is not limited to this. For example, the slave device may have one Beacon signal transmitting antenna and the master device may have two or more Beacon signal receiving antennas.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an operation unit 150, a short-range wireless communication antenna group 125, a scanner unit 130, a printer unit 140, and a power supply unit 160, similar to the image forming apparatus 1 of FIG.

[0146] The image forming apparatus 10 has a controller unit 1000 shown in Fig. 11. The controller unit 1000 shown in Fig. 11 is configured by providing a short-range wireless communication I / F 1024 instead of the short-range wireless communication I / F 124 of the controller unit 100 shown in Fig. 3.

[0147] 11, a controller unit 1000 having a short-range wireless communication I / F 1024 is mounted in the image forming apparatus 10 instead of the controller unit 100 in order to transmit a Beacon signal from the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125. The short-range wireless communication I / F 1024 has a function of transmitting a Beacon signal from each antenna of the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125 when transmitting a Beacon signal.

[0148] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal 20. The mobile terminal 20 in Fig. 12 is configured by providing a short-range wireless communication I / F 2019 instead of the short-range wireless communication I / F 219 in the mobile terminal 2 in Fig. 4.

[0149] Like the mobile terminal 2, the mobile terminal 20 has a display unit 207, an operation unit 209, a call unit 213, an audio antenna 216, a wireless LAN antenna 218, and a short-range wireless communication antenna 220. However, in order to receive a Beacon signal via the short-range wireless communication antenna 220, a controller unit 2000 having a short-range wireless communication I / F 2019 is mounted in the mobile terminal 20 instead of the controller unit 200 in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 12 .

[0150] The short-range wireless communication I / F 2019 has a function of estimating the relative position of the image forming apparatus 10 from the phase difference and radio wave intensity of the Beacon signals transmitted from each of the short-range wireless communication antennas 125 of the image forming apparatus 10. Note that part of the function of estimating the relative position, particularly the calculation function such as phase difference calculation, may be shared with the CPU 201.

[0151] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the communication flow for enabling the print permission setting of the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs of the image forming device 10 by the mobile terminal 20 when the relationship between the image forming device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 in FIG. 6 is replaced with the relationship between the image forming device 10 and the mobile terminal 20.

[0152] The communication flow will be described as follows: after the mobile terminal 20 validates the print permission setting, the mobile terminal 20 moves into the print permission determination area 6, and then moves out of the print permission determination area 6.

[0153] A detailed flow will be described later, but the explanation will be given on the assumption that the position information of the print permission determination area 6 linked to the image forming device 10 is recorded in advance in the internal storage device 204 of the mobile terminal 20. There are multiple methods for inputting the position information of the print permission determination area 6 linked to the image forming device 10 into the mobile terminal 20, and although several examples will be given in this embodiment, the method for obtaining the position information of the print permission determination area 6 is not limited thereto.

[0154] In the first method, the image forming device 10 stores the location information of the print permission determination area 6 associated with the image forming device 10 in the image forming device management server 4, and the mobile terminal 20 obtains the location information from the image forming device management server 4 via the communication network 3 and stores it in the storage device 204. Note that the image forming device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 may be paired via short-range wireless communication or the like to transmit and receive the location information data without using the communication network 3. Furthermore, the location information may be obtained each time the mobile terminal 20 estimates location information inside or outside the print permission determination area 6 through communication with the image forming device management server 4 or via short-range wireless communication. In this embodiment, the description is written under the assumption that the location information is obtained once before the print permission setting is enabled, but this does not limit the frequency with which the location information of the print permission determination area 6 is obtained.

[0155] The second method is that the mobile terminal 20 stores information on the radio waves received at each position in the print permission determination area 6 from the Beacon signal transmitted by the image forming apparatus 10 in advance, and defines this as the print permission determination area 6.

[0156] From here, a communication flow for enabling the print permission setting of the print job executing PC group 5 of the image forming apparatus 10 by the mobile terminal 20 will be described, starting from step S1301.

[0157] First, in step S1301, the image forming apparatus 10 transmits a Beacon signal including a device-specific ID of the image forming apparatus 10 via the short-range wireless communication antenna group 125. The Beacon signal transmitted from the image forming apparatus 10 is similar to the Beacon signal transmitted by the portable terminal 2 of the first embodiment (S602), and is transmitted periodically and continuously.

[0158] In step S1302, the mobile terminal 20, outside the print permission decision area 6 of the image forming apparatus 10, validates the print permission setting.

[0159] In step S1303, the portable terminal 20 receives the Beacon signal from the image forming apparatus 10.

[0160] In step S1304, the mobile terminal 20 estimates the relative transmission position of the image forming apparatus 10 from the received Beacon signal.

[0161] In step S1305, the portable terminal 20 compares the estimated transmission position of the image forming device 10 with the position information of the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 10, determines that the portable terminal 20 received the Beacon signal outside the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 10, does not perform pairing with the image forming device 10, and waits until it receives the next Beacon signal.

[0162] In step S1306, the print job execution PC group 5 transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 10 before the mobile terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 10 are paired and the print permission setting is enabled.

[0163] In step S1307, the image forming apparatus 10 receives the print job from the print job executing PC group 5 via the communication network 3, and discards the received print job without executing it.

[0164] In step S1308, the image forming apparatus 10 transmits a print denial notification to the print job executing PC group 5.

[0165] In step S1309, the print job execution PC group 5 receives the print denial notification. Instead of sending and receiving the print job as in the series of operations from steps S1306 to S1309, when the print job execution PC group 5 selects the image forming device 10 as the destination of the print job, the print job execution PC group 5 may communicate to confirm the print permission status of the image forming device 10, and the print denial notification may be sent from the image forming device 10 through this communication, as in step S1308.

[0166] In step S1310, the user holding the portable terminal 20 that has selected to enable the print permission setting moves into the print permission decision area 6 of the image forming apparatus .

[0167] In step S1311, the image forming apparatus 10 periodically transmits a Beacon signal including the device-specific ID of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0168] In step S1312, the portable terminal 20 receives the Beacon signal from the image forming apparatus 10, similarly to step S1303.

[0169] In step S1313, the mobile terminal 20 estimates the transmission position of the image forming apparatus 10 from the Beacon signal, similar to step S1304.

[0170] In step S1314, since the portable terminal 20 is located within the print permission determination area 6, the portable terminal 20 determines that a Beacon signal has been received within the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming apparatus .

[0171] In step S1315, the portable terminal 20 transmits a pairing request to the image forming apparatus 10.

[0172] In step S1316, the image forming apparatus 10 receives a pairing request from the portable terminal 20, and in steps S1316 and S1317, the image forming apparatus 10 and the portable terminal 20 execute pairing with each other.

[0173] In step S1318, the image forming apparatus 10 stops transmitting the Beacon signal that it has been transmitting.

[0174] In step S1319, when pairing between the image forming apparatus 10 and the portable terminal 20 is established, the image forming apparatus 10 transmits the network address of the image forming apparatus 10 to the portable terminal 20 via short-range wireless communication. Note that in order to protect the security of the image forming apparatus 10, if information other than the network address, such as a password, is required when changing the print permission setting to access the image forming apparatus 10, the image forming apparatus 10 may transmit that information together with the network address in step S1319.

[0175] In step S1320, the mobile terminal 20 receives the information transmitted in step S1319.

[0176] In step S1321, the mobile terminal 20 stores the received information in the storage device 204.

[0177] In steps S1322 and S1323, the portable terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 10 disconnect the pairing with each other.

[0178] In step S1324, the mobile terminal 20 transmits print permission setting information to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication network 3 using the network address of the image forming apparatus 10 and information required for accessing the image forming apparatus 10 stored in step S1321.

[0179] In step S1325, the image forming apparatus 10 receives the print permission setting information from the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network 3.

[0180] In step S1326, the image forming apparatus 10 validates the print permission setting of the print job executing PC group 5 based on the print permission setting information transmitted from the portable terminal 20.

[0181] In step S1327, the image forming apparatus 10 that has terminated pairing in step S1323 resumes transmission of a Beacon signal including the apparatus-specific ID of the image forming apparatus 10, similar to step S1311.

[0182] In step S1328, the portable terminal 20 receives a Beacon signal from the image forming apparatus 10, similarly to steps S1312 to S1314, even after the pairing is terminated.

[0183] In step S1329, the portable terminal 20 estimates the relative transmission position of the image forming apparatus 10 from the received Beacon signal.

[0184] In step S1330, the portable terminal 20 compares the estimated transmission position of the image forming device 10 with the position information of the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 10, and determines that the portable terminal 20 received the Beacon signal inside the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 10. However, because the network address of the image forming device 10 has already been saved and the print permission settings of the image forming device 10 have also been changed as intended, pairing with the image forming device 10 is not performed.

[0185] Note that when the mobile terminal 20 is within the print permission determination area 6 and the user selects to enable the print permission setting as in step S1302, the location of the mobile terminal 20 estimated from the Beacon signal first received by the mobile terminal 20 is inside the print permission determination area 6, and therefore the communication flow proceeds to step S1312 after step S1302. Also, when the mobile terminal 20 is within the print permission determination area 6 and wishes to enable the print permission setting of another PC or the like after transmitting the print permission setting information to the image forming device 10 in step S1324, the network address of the image forming device 10 and the like have already been saved in the storage device 204 in step S1321, and therefore steps S1324 to S1326 are repeated again to transmit information about the additional PC for which the print permission setting is to be enabled to the image forming device 10.

[0186] In step S1331, the print job execution PC group 5 transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 10 in a state in which the print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5 is enabled in step S1326.

[0187] In step S1332, the image forming apparatus 10 receives the print job from the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs.

[0188] In step S1333, the image forming apparatus 10 functions as an execution unit and executes the print job received from the group of PCs 5 for executing print jobs.

[0189] In step S1335, the portable terminal 20 moves out of the print permission decision area 6.

[0190] In step S1334, the image forming apparatus 10 continues to transmit a Beacon signal periodically.

[0191] In step S1336, the portable terminal 20 receives a Beacon signal from the image forming apparatus 10.

[0192] In step S1337, the portable terminal 20 estimates the relative transmission position of the image forming apparatus 10 from the received Beacon signal.

[0193] In step S1338, the portable terminal 20 compares the estimated transmission location of the image forming device 10 with the location information of the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 10, and determines that the portable terminal 20 received the Beacon signal outside the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming device 10.

[0194] In step S1339, the mobile terminal 20 transmits, via the communication network 3, to the image forming apparatus 10, print non-permission setting information for invalidating the print permission setting.

[0195] In step S1340, the image forming apparatus 10 receives the print non-permission setting information from the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network 3.

[0196] In step S1341, the image forming apparatus 10 invalidates the print permission setting of the print job execution PC group 5 based on the print non-permission setting information.

[0197] After this invalidation, even if the image forming apparatus 10 receives a print job from the group 5 of PCs for executing print jobs, the image forming apparatus 10 does not execute the print job received from the group 5 of PCs for executing print jobs.

[0198] In step S1342, portable terminal 20 deletes information such as the network address of image forming apparatus 10 that was saved in storage device 204 in step S1321. When portable terminal 20 moves again into print permission determination area 6 of image forming apparatus 10, steps S1315 to S1325 are executed again, and steps S1327 to S1330 and S1334 to S1342 are repeated.

[0199] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a process by short-distance wireless communication among the internal processes for executing a communication flow between the image forming apparatus 10 and the mobile terminal 20. In FIG.

[0200] First, in step S1401, CPU 101 starts transmitting a Beacon signal including the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10. CPU 101 functions as a transmitting unit and periodically transmits the Beacon signal.

[0201] In step S1402, CPU 101 determines whether or not a pairing request has been received from mobile terminal 20. If a pairing request has not been received (No in S1402), the process returns to step S1401 and the transmission of a Beacon signal is repeated periodically. If a pairing request has been received (Yes in S1402), the process proceeds to step S1403.

[0202] In step S1403, the CPU 101 executes pairing with the mobile terminal 20 and stops transmission of the Beacon signal.

[0203] In step S 1404 , CPU 101 transmits the network address of image forming apparatus 10 to portable terminal 20 .

[0204] In step S1405, CPU 101 disconnects the pairing with portable terminal 20. After that, the process returns to step S1401, and CPU 101 resumes transmission of a Beacon signal including the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10.

[0205] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an internal process for validating or invalidating the print permission setting after the image forming apparatus 10 receives the print permission setting information via the communication network 3. In FIG.

[0206] First, in step S1501, CPU 101 determines whether or not print permission setting information has been received from portable terminal 20 via communication network 3. The print permission setting information includes the unique ID of the portable terminal 20 that sent it, the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be enabled in print job execution PC group 5, and the print permission time for which the print permission is to remain enabled. If print permission setting information has been received (Yes in S1501), the process proceeds to step S1502, and if print permission setting information has not been received (No in S1501), the process proceeds to step S1504.

[0207] In step S1502, CPU 101 adds the unique ID of the source mobile terminal included in the print permission setting information, the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be enabled, such as the print job execution PC group 5, and the print permission time for which the print permission is to be kept enabled, to a print permission setting list that lists IDs that are permitted to print on the image forming apparatus 10. Then, the process proceeds to step S1503.

[0208] In step S1503, the CPU 101 validates the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the unique ID of the mobile terminal 20 written in the print permission setting list, and the process returns to step S1501.

[0209] In step S1504, CPU 101 determines whether or not print non-permission setting information has been received from mobile terminal 20 via communication network 3. The print non-permission setting information includes the unique ID of the mobile terminal 20 that sent it and the user ID of the user for whom the print permission setting is to be invalidated. If print non-permission setting information has been received (Yes in S1504), the process proceeds to step S1505. If print non-permission setting information has not been received (No in S1504), the process proceeds to step S1506.

[0210] In step S1505, CPU 101 deletes from the print permission setting list the user ID for which the print permission setting corresponding to the unique ID of mobile terminal 20 included in the received print non-permission setting information is to be invalidated, and proceeds to step S1503.

[0211] Here, in step S1505, CPU 101 invalidates (deletes) the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to mobile terminal 20 included in the print non-permission setting information. After that, if the print permission setting of the user ID of the print job received from print job execution PC group 5 is invalidated as in step S1307 of FIG. 13, CPU 101 does not execute the print job of the user ID received from print job execution PC group 5.

[0212] In step S1506, CPU 101 determines whether the user ID is registered in the print permission setting list. If the user ID is registered in the print permission setting list (Yes in S1506), the process proceeds to step S1507. If the user ID is not registered in the print permission setting list (No in S1506), the process returns to step S1501.

[0213] In step S1507, CPU 101 determines whether the print permission time for each user ID registered in the print permission setting list has exceeded. If there is a user ID whose print permission time has exceeded (Yes in S1507), the process proceeds to step S1508. If there is no user ID whose print permission time has exceeded (No in S1507), the process proceeds to step S1503.

[0214] In step S1508, CPU 101 deletes the user ID whose print permission time has expired from the print permission setting list, and proceeds to step S1503. Here, user IDs whose print permission time has not expired (No in S1507) are not deleted from the print permission setting list, and so the print permission setting remains valid even when proceeding to step S1503.

[0215] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the internal processing of the mobile terminal 20.

[0216] First, in steps S1601 to S1604, similar to steps S801 to S804 in FIG. 8, the CPU 201 sets the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be validated and the end time for validation.

[0217] In step S1605, CPU 201 determines whether a Beacon signal has been received. CPU 201 periodically receives a Beacon signal from image forming apparatus 10. If a Beacon signal has been received (Yes in S1605), the process proceeds to step S1606. If a Beacon signal has not been received (No in S1605), the process returns to step S1605.

[0218] In step S1606, CPU 201 determines whether the received Beacon signal includes the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10. If the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10 is included (Yes in S1606), the process proceeds to step S1607. If the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10 is not included (No in S1606), the process proceeds to step S1605.

[0219] In step S1607, the CPU 201 functions as an estimation unit, and estimates the transmission distance and transmission angle of the image forming device 10 based on the received Beacon signal, and estimates the reception position of the mobile terminal 20 relative to the image forming device 10.

[0220] In step S1608, CPU 201 determines whether the estimated receiving position of portable terminal 20 is inside print permission determination area 6. The inside of print permission determination area 6 is an example of a predetermined range. If it is inside print permission determination area 6 (Yes in S1608), proceed to step S1609. If it is not inside print permission determination area 6 (No in S1608), return to step S1605.

[0221] In step S1609, the CPU 201 transmits a pairing request to the image forming apparatus 10 and executes pairing with the image forming apparatus 10 for short-range wireless communication.

[0222] In step S1610, CPU 201 receives the network address of image forming apparatus 10 from image forming apparatus 10 and stores it in storage device 204 in mobile terminal 20.

[0223] In step S1611, the CPU 201 disconnects the pairing with the image forming apparatus 10.

[0224] In step S1612, CPU 201 functions as a transmitting unit and uses the network address of image forming device 10 stored in storage device 204 to transmit print permission setting information to image forming device 10 via communication network 3, including the unique ID of mobile terminal 20, information about the user ID for which the print permission setting is to be enabled, and the print permission time for which the print setting is to remain enabled.

[0225] In step S1613, CPU 201 determines whether or not the next Beacon signal has been received from image forming apparatus 10. If a Beacon signal has been received (Yes in S1613), the process proceeds to step S1614. If a Beacon signal has not been received (No in S1613), the process proceeds to step S1619.

[0226] In step S1614, CPU 201 determines whether the received Beacon signal includes the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10. If the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10 is included (Yes in S1614), the process proceeds to step S1615. If the unique ID of image forming apparatus 10 is not included (No in S1614), the process proceeds to step S1619.

[0227] In step S1615, the CPU 201 estimates the reception position of the mobile terminal 20 from the received Beacon signal.

[0228] In step S1616, CPU 201 determines whether the estimated receiving position of portable terminal 20 is outside the print permission determination area 6. If it is outside the print permission determination area 6 (Yes in S1616), the process proceeds to step S1617. If it is not outside the print permission determination area 6 (No in S1616), the process proceeds to step S1619.

[0229] In step S1617, CPU 201 uses the network address of image forming apparatus 10 to transmit print non-permission setting information to image forming apparatus 10 via communication network 3, and instructs image forming apparatus 10 to invalidate the print permission setting.

[0230] In step S1618, the CPU 201 deletes the network address of the image forming apparatus 10 from the storage device 204, and the process returns to step S1601.

[0231] In step S1619, CPU 201 determines whether the print permission time of the print permission setting information transmitted to image forming apparatus 10 in step S1612 has expired. If the print permission time has expired (Yes in S1619), CPU 201 proceeds to step S1617 and transmits print non-permission setting information to image forming apparatus 10. If the print permission time has not expired (No in S1619), CPU 201 returns to step S1613 and waits for reception of the next Beacon signal.

[0232] In this embodiment, the portable terminal 20 receives a short-range wireless communication Beacon signal transmitted from the image forming apparatus 10, and estimates the reception position of the Beacon signal of the portable terminal 20 relative to the image forming apparatus 10, thereby determining whether the portable terminal 20 is within the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming apparatus 10. However, the technique provided in this embodiment, which determines whether the portable terminal 20 is inside or outside the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming apparatus 10, is not limited to the configuration using the short-range wireless communication Beacon signal, and the determination can be made if the positions, or the distance and direction, of the image forming apparatus 10 and the portable terminal 20 are known.

[0233] For example, when wireless LAN access points for communicating with the communication network 3 are located in multiple locations, the wireless LAN I / F of the portable terminal 20 may detect that it has connected to the nearest wireless LAN access point to the image forming apparatus 10, determine that the portable terminal 20 is within the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming apparatus 10, and then the portable terminal 20 may transmit print permission setting information to the image forming apparatus 10 as in step S1612. Alternatively, when the location of the image forming apparatus 10 is fixed and the portable terminal 20 is capable of indoor / outdoor positioning using a positioning technology such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or IMES (Indoor Messaging System), if the location information determined by the portable terminal 20 indicates that the location is within the print permission determination area 6 of the image forming apparatus 10, the portable terminal 20 may transmit print permission setting information to the image forming apparatus 10 as in step S1612.

[0234] Although not described in this embodiment, as a means for preventing the image forming device 10 from printing when the portable terminal 20 leaves the image forming device 10, the power supply of the image forming device 10 may be switched to a power saving state when the portable terminal 20 leaves the image forming device 10.

[0235] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the near field communication I / F 1024 and the near field communication antenna group 125 in the image forming apparatus 10 are configured to operate using the power supply of the image forming apparatus 10, but they may be configured to have a power supply separate from the image forming apparatus 10. In this case, the image forming apparatus 10 may be configured to be powered on only while the print permission setting is enabled and to be powered off when the print permission setting is disabled. For example, in response to a request for near field communication pairing in step S1316, the near field communication I / F 1024 powers on the image forming apparatus 10, performs printing, etc., and then powers off the image forming apparatus 10 after disabling all print permission settings in step S1341 or the like. This allows the image forming apparatus 10 to be powered off until the next pairing request from the portable terminal 20 in step S1316.

[0236] Unlike a typical office environment, educational settings may involve unexpected equipment operations or the insertion of foreign objects (metal, liquid, etc.), which may result in equipment damage or electric shock. In this case, when a supervisor such as a teacher leaves the image forming device 10, it is preferable to switch to a power-saving state or even turn off the power rather than changing the print permission setting, as this will take longer to restore the device to a printable state, but this is preferable from the perspective of prioritizing the safety of the person printing, such as a child.

[0237] As described above, according to the first and second embodiments, when a supervisor does not want a user to print using an image forming apparatus, the supervisor can easily disable the print permission setting of the image forming apparatus.

[0238] (Other embodiments) The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present disclosure can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0239] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments merely illustrate specific examples of implementing the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

[0240] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program. (Configuration 1) an estimation means for estimating a transmitting position of a mobile terminal based on a signal periodically received from the mobile terminal; an execution means for executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and not executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; An image forming apparatus comprising: (Configuration 2) The execution means If the transmission location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, a request is sent to the portable terminal, print permission setting information including a user ID is received from the portable terminal, the print permission setting of the user ID is enabled, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed. The image forming device according to configuration 1, characterized in that if the transmission location of the mobile terminal is not within a predetermined range, the print permission setting for the user ID is invalidated and the print job for the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed. (Configuration 3) the signal periodically received from the mobile terminal includes an ID of the mobile terminal; The execution means If the transmission location of the mobile terminal is within a predetermined range, a request is sent to the mobile terminal, print permission setting information including a user ID is received from the mobile terminal, the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the ID of the mobile terminal is enabled, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed. The image forming device according to configuration 2, characterized in that if the transmission location of the mobile terminal is not within a predetermined range, the image forming device invalidates the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the ID of the mobile terminal and does not execute the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device. (Configuration 4) 4. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 3, wherein the request is a pairing request. (Configuration 5) 5. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 4, wherein the signal periodically received from the mobile terminal is a beacon signal. (Configuration 6) The image forming apparatus according to configuration 5, wherein, when the transmission position of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, the execution unit transmits a pairing request to the portable terminal, executes pairing with the portable terminal, receives print permission setting information including a user ID from the portable terminal, enables the print permission setting for the user ID corresponding to the ID of the portable terminal, terminates pairing with the portable terminal, and periodically receives a Beacon signal from the portable terminal. (Configuration 7) an image forming apparatus according to configuration 6; a portable terminal that periodically transmits the Beacon signal after transmitting the print permission setting information to the image forming apparatus until the validity period ends; A printing system comprising: (Configuration 8) The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, A mobile terminal that periodically transmits a signal; an information processing device that transmits a print job to the image forming device; A printing system comprising: (Configuration 9) A mobile device, an image forming apparatus, The mobile terminal an estimation means for estimating a receiving position of the portable terminal based on a signal periodically received from the image forming apparatus; a first transmitting means for transmitting print permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and transmitting print non-permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; The image forming device has an execution means for executing a print job received from an information processing device when the image forming device receives the print permission setting information, and not executing a print job received from the information processing device when the image forming device receives the print non-permission setting information. (Configuration 10) The print permission setting information and the print non-permission setting information each include a user ID, The execution means When the print permission setting information is received, the print permission setting of the user ID included in the print permission setting information is enabled, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed; The printing system described in configuration 9 is characterized in that, when the print non-permission setting information is received, the print permission setting for the user ID included in the print non-permission setting information is invalidated, and the print job for the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed. (Configuration 11) the print permission setting information and the print non-permission setting information each include the user ID and the ID of the mobile terminal; The execution means When the print permission setting information is received, the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the ID of the mobile terminal included in the print permission setting information is enabled, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed; The printing system described in configuration 10 is characterized in that, when the print non-permission setting information is received, the print permission setting for the user ID corresponding to the ID of the mobile terminal included in the print non-permission setting information is invalidated, and the print job for the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed. (Configuration 12) The first transmitting means If the receiving position of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, a pairing request is transmitted to the image forming device, pairing with the image forming device is performed, a network address of the image forming device is received from the image forming device, pairing with the image forming device is terminated, and the print permission setting information is transmitted to the image forming device using the network address of the image forming device. The printing system according to any one of configurations 9 to 11, characterized in that if the receiving location of the mobile terminal is not within a predetermined range, the printing non-permission setting information is transmitted to the image forming device using the network address of the image forming device. (Configuration 13) 13. The printing system according to claim 12, wherein the signal periodically received from the image forming device is a beacon signal. (Configuration 14) the image forming apparatus further comprises a second transmitting means for periodically transmitting a Beacon signal; The printing system according to configuration 13, wherein, upon receiving the pairing request, the second transmission means executes pairing with the portable terminal, stops transmitting the Beacon signal, transmits the network address of the image forming apparatus to the portable terminal, disconnects the pairing with the portable terminal, and periodically transmits the Beacon signal. (Configuration 15) The printing system according to any one of configurations 9 to 14, wherein the first sending means, after sending the print permission setting information, sends print non-permission setting information to the image forming device using the network address of the image forming device when the print permission time has expired. (Method 1) an estimation step of estimating a transmission position of a mobile terminal based on a signal periodically received from the mobile terminal; an execution step of executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and not executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; 1. A processing method for an image forming apparatus, comprising: (Method 2) A mobile device, a processing method for a printing system having an image forming apparatus, an estimation step in which the portable terminal estimates a receiving position of the portable terminal based on a signal periodically received from the image forming apparatus; a first transmission step in which the portable terminal transmits print permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and transmits print non-permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; an execution step in which the image forming apparatus executes the print job received from the information processing apparatus when the image forming apparatus receives the print permission setting information, and does not execute the print job received from the information processing apparatus when the image forming apparatus receives the print non-permission setting information; A processing method for a printing system, comprising: (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0241] 1: image forming device, 2: mobile terminal, 3: communication network, 4: image forming device management server, 5: group of PCs for executing print jobs, 6: print permission determination area, 7: door, 8: door, 9: window, 10: image forming device, 20: mobile terminal, 100: controller, 101: CPU, 102: RAM, 103: ROM, 109: storage, 120: network I / F, 124: short-range wireless communication I / F, 125: group of short-range wireless communication antennas, 130: scanner unit, 131: scanner I / F, 132: scanner control unit, 140: printer unit unit, 141: printer I / F, 142: printer control unit, 150: operation unit, 151: operation unit I / F, 160: power supply unit, 200: controller, 201: CPU, 202: RAM, 203: ROM, 204: storage device, 205: power supply control unit, 206: display unit controller, 207: display unit, 208: operation unit controller, 209: operation unit, 210: touch panel, 211: keys, 212: call unit controller, 213: call unit, 214: microphone, 215: speaker, 216: audio antenna, 217: wireless LAN I / F, 218: Wireless LAN antenna, 219: Short-range wireless communication I / F, 220: Short-range wireless communication antenna, 901: Print permission setting screen, 902: Area selection button, 903: Small area selection screen, 904: Group selection button, 905: Small group selection screen, 906: Individual selection button, 907: Small individual selection screen, 908: Print setting activation end time input screen, 909: Setting completion button, 1000: Controller unit, 1024: Short-range wireless communication I / F, 2000: Controller unit, 2019: Short-range wireless communication I / F

Claims

1. an estimation means for estimating a transmitting position of a mobile terminal based on a signal periodically received from the mobile terminal; an execution means for executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and not executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The execution means If the transmission location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, a request is sent to the portable terminal, print permission setting information including a user ID is received from the portable terminal, the print permission setting of the user ID is enabled, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed.

2. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein if the transmission location of the mobile terminal is not within a predetermined range, the print permission setting for the user ID is invalidated and the print job for the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed.

3. the signal periodically received from the mobile terminal includes an ID of the mobile terminal; The execution means If the transmission location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, a request is sent to the portable terminal, print permission setting information including a user ID is received from the portable terminal, the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the ID of the portable terminal is enabled, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed. The image forming device according to claim 2, characterized in that if the transmission location of the mobile terminal is not within a predetermined range, the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the ID of the mobile terminal is invalidated and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed.

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the request is a pairing request.

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the signal periodically received from the portable terminal is a beacon signal.

6. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when the transmission position of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, the execution unit sends a pairing request to the portable terminal, executes pairing with the portable terminal, receives print permission setting information including a user ID from the portable terminal, enables the print permission setting for the user ID corresponding to the ID of the portable terminal, terminates pairing with the portable terminal, and periodically receives a beacon signal from the portable terminal.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ; a portable terminal that periodically transmits the beacon signal after transmitting the print permission setting information to the image forming apparatus until the validity period ends; A printing system comprising:

8. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, A mobile terminal that periodically transmits a signal; an information processing device that transmits a print job to the image forming device; A printing system comprising:

9. A mobile device, an image forming apparatus, The mobile terminal an estimation means for estimating a receiving position of the portable terminal based on a signal periodically received from the image forming apparatus; a first transmitting means for transmitting print permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and transmitting print non-permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; The image forming device has an execution means for executing a print job received from an information processing device when the image forming device receives the print permission setting information, and not executing a print job received from the information processing device when the image forming device receives the print non-permission setting information.

10. The print permission setting information and the print non-permission setting information each include a user ID, The execution means When the print permission setting information is received, the print permission setting of the user ID included in the print permission setting information is validated, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed; A printing system as described in claim 9, characterized in that when the print non-permission setting information is received, the print permission setting for the user ID included in the print non-permission setting information is invalidated and the print job for the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed.

11. the print permission setting information and the print non-permission setting information each include the user ID and the ID of the portable terminal; The execution means When the print permission setting information is received, the print permission setting of the user ID corresponding to the ID of the portable terminal included in the print permission setting information is validated, and the print job of the user ID received from the information processing device is executed; A printing system as described in claim 10, characterized in that when the print non-permission setting information is received, the print permission setting for the user ID corresponding to the ID of the mobile terminal included in the print non-permission setting information is invalidated, and the print job for the user ID received from the information processing device is not executed.

12. The first transmitting means If the receiving position of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, a pairing request is transmitted to the image forming device, pairing with the image forming device is performed, a network address of the image forming device is received from the image forming device, pairing with the image forming device is terminated, and the print permission setting information is transmitted to the image forming device using the network address of the image forming device. The printing system according to claim 9 , wherein, when the receiving position of the portable terminal is not within a predetermined range, the printing non-permission setting information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus using the network address of the image forming apparatus.

13. 13. The printing system according to claim 12, wherein the signal periodically received from the image forming device is a beacon signal.

14. the image forming apparatus further comprises a second transmitting means for periodically transmitting a beacon signal; 14. The printing system according to claim 13, wherein, upon receiving the pairing request, the second transmission unit executes pairing with the portable terminal, stops transmitting the Beacon signal, transmits a network address of the image forming apparatus to the portable terminal, disconnects pairing with the portable terminal, and periodically transmits the Beacon signal.

15. The printing system according to claim 9, wherein the first transmitting means transmits the print permission setting information to the image forming device using the network address of the image forming device when the print permission time expires after transmitting the print permission setting information.

16. an estimation step of estimating a transmission position of a mobile terminal based on a signal periodically received from the mobile terminal; an execution step of executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and not executing the print job received from the information processing device when the transmission location of the previous portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; 1. A processing method for an image forming apparatus, comprising:

17. A mobile device, a processing method for a printing system having an image forming apparatus, an estimation step in which the portable terminal estimates a receiving position of the portable terminal based on a signal periodically received from the image forming apparatus; a first transmission step in which the portable terminal transmits print permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is within a predetermined range, and transmits print non-permission setting information to the image forming device when the receiving location of the portable terminal is not within the predetermined range; an execution step in which the image forming apparatus executes the print job received from the information processing apparatus when the image forming apparatus receives the print permission setting information, and does not execute the print job received from the information processing apparatus when the image forming apparatus receives the print non-permission setting information; A processing method for a printing system, comprising:

18. A program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images