Image log management system and image log management program

Abstract

When managing image logs on a blockchain, this method suppresses the decrease in the frequency of adding transaction information compared to including the image logs of all data to be processed related to the received processing request in a block. [Solution] The transaction information creation unit 54 creates overall transaction information 44A, which includes an image log of the data to be processed for the job, before the processing related to the job is completed. If the processing related to the job is canceled after the transaction information creation unit 54 has sent the overall transaction information 44A to all users, it creates partial transaction information 44B, which includes an image log of the processed data to be processed but does not include an image log of the unprocessed data to be processed. The mining processing unit 56 excludes the overall transaction information 44A related to the same job as the partial transaction information 44B from the mining process and executes the mining process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image log management system and an image log management program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when performing processing on processing target data, image data indicating the processing target data has been left as an image log.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus including a first memory provided in the apparatus itself and a second memory externally connected to the apparatus, which stores log information including image data indicating a job (e.g., a print job or a copy job) executed by the apparatus itself in the first memory and the second memory.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, if the above-mentioned image log is tampered with, the original function of the image log may not be able to be exerted. Therefore, it is advisable to manage the image log so that it is not tampered with.

[0006] This is where blockchain technology comes into play. A blockchain has a structure in which data units called blocks, each containing transaction information with the information to be recorded, are linked together like a chain. The blockchain is stored on multiple devices (also called nodes) that are directly connected to each other and can communicate directly. This mechanism prevents tampering with the data being recorded. By managing image logs with a blockchain, or in other words, by including the image log in the transaction information of each block that makes up the blockchain, it is possible to prevent tampering with the image log.

[0007] When managing image logs on a blockchain, a problem can arise if the frequency of adding transaction information containing image logs (more specifically, the blocks containing them) to the blockchain is low (referred to here as the frequency of adding transaction information). For example, if the rate at which transaction information is added to the blockchain is low, a problem can arise where transaction information awaiting mining processing accumulates.

[0008] In particular, image data such as image logs generally has a larger data volume compared to data managed on the blockchain (for example, cryptocurrency transaction information), so a decrease in the frequency of adding transaction information tends to be a problem.

[0009] The objective of the present invention is to suppress the decrease in the frequency of adding transaction information when managing image logs on a blockchain, compared to when the image logs of all data to be processed related to the received processing request are included in the block. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The invention according to claim 1 is an image log management system comprising a plurality of devices that are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate, each storing a blockchain composed of blocks having transaction information including an image log which is image data indicating data to be processed, each performing a mining process to add a new block to the blockchain, the system comprising a processor, the processor receiving processing requests to execute processing related to a plurality of data to be processed, creating overall transaction information which is the transaction information including the image log of the data to be processed related to the processing request before the processing related to the processing request is completed, transmitting the overall transaction information to the plurality of devices, and if the processing related to the processing request is canceled after the overall transaction information has been transmitted to the plurality of devices but before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the system comprising partial transaction information which is the transaction information including the image log of the processed data to be processed but not the image log of the data to be processed, and if there is an overall transaction information and a partial transaction information related to the same processing request among the transaction information waiting for mining, the system comprises partial transaction information which has the function of excluding the overall transaction information from the target of the mining process, and transmitting the partial transaction information to the plurality of devices. The invention according to claim 2 is an image log management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the processor has both the whole transaction information and the partial transaction information relating to the same processing request among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, it excludes the whole transaction information from the target of the mining processing and executes the mining processing. The invention according to claim 3 is an image log management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the processor creates partial transaction information that does not include the image log when the processing related to the processing request is aborted and there is no processed data to be processed. The invention according to claim 4 is an image log management system according to claim 2, characterized in that the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information include a processing request identifier that identifies the processing request and a device identifier that uniquely identifies the device that received the processing request, and the processor determines that the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information relate to the same processing request when the processing request identifier included in the overall transaction information and the processing request identifier included in the partial transaction information are the same, and the device identifier included in the overall transaction information and the device identifier included in the partial transaction information are the same. The invention according to claim 5 is an image log management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor does not create the partial transaction if the processing related to the processing request is canceled without a user's instruction to cancel. The invention according to claim 6 is an image log management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the processor encrypts the image log included in the transaction information so that only the device that received the processing request can decrypt it. The invention according to claim 7 is an image log management program characterized in that it causes a computer capable of accessing a blockchain composed of blocks having transaction information including image logs, which are image data indicating data to be processed, stored in a plurality of devices that are connected to each other in a manner that allows communication between them, to receive processing requests for executing processing on a plurality of data to be processed; before the processing related to the processing request is completed, it causes the computer to create overall transaction information, which is the transaction information including the image logs of the data to be processed related to the processing request, and transmits the overall transaction information to the plurality of devices; after the overall transaction information has been transmitted to the plurality of devices but before the processing related to the processing request is completed, it causes the computer to create partial transaction information, which is the transaction information including the image logs of the processed data to be processed but not the image logs of the unprocessed data to be processed, and if the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information related to the same processing request are among the transaction information waiting to be mined, it causes the computer to create partial transaction information that has the function of excluding the overall transaction information from the target of the mining process; and transmits the partial transaction information to the plurality of devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the invention of claims 1 to 3 or 7, when managing image logs on a blockchain, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the frequency of adding transaction information compared to when the image logs of all data to be processed related to the received processing request are included in the block. According to the invention of claim 4, even if the same processing request identifier can be assigned to different processing requests in each device, it is possible to appropriately determine whether a partial transaction is a whole transaction relating to the same processing request. According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to prevent image logs from being excluded from the mining process except when the user issues a job cancellation instruction. According to the invention of claim 6, the confidentiality of the image log can be improved compared to the case in which the image log is not encrypted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the image log management system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the image processing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a blockchain. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of a block header. [Figure 5] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the contents of transaction information. [Figure 6] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of overall transaction information. [Figure 7] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of partial transaction information. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows the flow of the transaction creation process according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows the mining process flow according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image log management system 10 according to the present embodiment. The image log management system 10 is configured to include a plurality of devices that are a plurality of nodes of a blockchain. In the present embodiment, the image log management system 10 is composed of a plurality of image processing apparatuses 12 as a plurality of nodes of the blockchain. In this specification, the image processing apparatus 12 included in the image log management system 10 is simply referred to as the image processing apparatus 12. The image processing apparatus 12 is a device having a printing function, a copying function, a scanning function, a FAX function, etc., and is, for example, a multifunction device. Although only three image processing apparatuses 12 constituting the image log management system 10 are shown in FIG. 1, the image log management system 10 may include a larger number of image processing apparatuses 12.

[0014] Each image processing apparatus 12 is connected to be communicable with each other by P2P (Peer to Peer) via a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network). P2P is a communication method in which devices communicate directly with each other without going through a server.

[0015] In the image log management system 10 according to the present embodiment, by managing the image logs formed in each image processing apparatus 12 with a blockchain, disappearance and falsification thereof are suppressed. An image log is image data representing processing target data in the image processing apparatus 12. For example, when the image processing apparatus 12 performs a printing process, the image data to be printed becomes the image log. Note that the processing target data is not limited to the image data to be printed. Image logs are used, for example, for suppressing information leakage, tracking, and effective utilization in business. Specifically, for example, image logs are used to manage, monitor, and track when, who, and what processing was performed in which image processing apparatus 12.

[0016] As described above, an image log is likely to have a larger data volume compared to data generally managed by a blockchain, such as virtual currency transaction information.

[0017] As will be described in detail later, a blockchain is a form of a distributed database composed of a plurality of blocks connected together. Here, the distributed database means that blockchains with the same content are stored in each image processing device 12 respectively. Each block constituting the blockchain includes one or more pieces of transaction information to be managed. In the present embodiment, the image log is included in each piece of transaction information. Further, each block includes a hash value of the block information of the immediately preceding block, which is the block that was added to the blockchain last (hereinafter, expressed as the hash value of the block for convenience). Block information is information including the transaction information and the like included in the block. A hash value is a value obtained by irreversibly converting the target data (here, the block information of the immediately preceding block). Therefore, if the transaction information included in a certain block is lost or tampered with, the hash values included in all subsequent blocks will be different from the normal ones. With such a mechanism, the loss or tampering of transaction information (image log in the present embodiment) is suppressed.

[0018] If it were easy to add blocks to a blockchain, malicious users could easily add fraudulent blocks (for example, blocks containing tampered transaction information). Therefore, blockchains generally have restrictions on adding new blocks. One such restriction is the Proof of Work (PoW) algorithm. PoW is a mechanism in which the processor of a blockchain node (image processing device 12 in this embodiment) is made to repeatedly perform calculations, and if the calculation result satisfies predetermined conditions, it is permitted to add a new block to the blockchain. In the blockchain of this embodiment, PoW is also used as a restriction on adding new blocks.

[0019] The process of adding a new block to a blockchain is called mining. In Proof-of-Work (PoW) mining, the node's processor inputs the block information of the latest block already added to the blockchain—that is, the information of one or more transactions contained in the block, the hash value of the block immediately preceding it, and a value called a nonce—into a hash function to calculate the hash value of the block. For example, a function such as SHA-256 is used as the hash function. If the calculated hash value is below a predetermined threshold (called the difficulty target), the mining process is successful, and permission is granted to add a new block to the blockchain. The hash value that falls below the threshold is called the correct hash value. If the calculated hash value is above the threshold, the processor changes the value of the nonce and calculates the hash value again. Due to the characteristics of the hash function, even a slight difference in the input data (in this case, the nonce value) will significantly change the output hash value. In this way, the processor repeats the calculation of the hash value while changing the value of the nonce until the hash value falls below the threshold (in other words, until the correct hash value is obtained). Generally, the amount of computation required to obtain the correct hash value is enormous.

[0020] As mentioned above, a massive amount of computation is required to successfully perform mining. Therefore, it has been proposed that multiple nodes collaborate to perform mining. A group of nodes that collaborate to perform mining is called a mining pool. In this embodiment as well, multiple image processing devices 12 may form a mining pool, and multiple image processing devices 12 (specifically their processors) may collaborate to perform mining.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the image processing device 12. The image processing device 12 performs its own standard operations such as printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. In this specification, these standard operations of the image processing device 12 are referred to as normal operations. In this embodiment, the image processing device 12 performs mining operations in addition to normal operations. Since each image processing device 12 included in the image log management system 10 has a similar configuration, only one image processing device 12 will be described here.

[0022] The communication interface (Interface) 20 is composed of, for example, a network adapter. The communication interface 20 performs the function of communicating with other devices via a communication line. In particular, in this embodiment, the communication interface 20 performs the function of communicating with other image processing devices 12 via P2P.

[0023] The input interface 22 consists of, for example, a button or a touch panel. The input interface 22 is used when a user inputs instructions to the image processing device 12.

[0024] The display 24 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. Various screens are displayed on the display 24 in response to instructions from the processor 50, which will be described later.

[0025] The printer 26 is, for example, a laser printer or an inkjet printer, and is a mechanism that performs printing processing to form an image on a printing medium such as paper based on an input print job. If the printer 26 is a laser printer, it consists of, for example, a photosensitive drum, a charging roller, a transfer roller, a fixing roller, and toner. If the printer 26 is an inkjet printer, it consists of nozzles, a charging electrode plate, a deflection electrode plate, and ink.

[0026] The scanner 28 consists of a light source and an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device). The scanner 28 is a mechanism that performs scanning processing to optically read paper media and acquire image data.

[0027] The memory 30 is composed of components such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 30 stores an image log management program for operating each part of the image processing device 12. The image log management program can also be stored on a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or an SD card. The image processing device 12 can read and execute the image log management program from such a storage medium. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the memory 30 stores a blockchain 32.

[0028] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of blockchain 32. As described above, blockchain 32 has a structure in which multiple blocks 40 are linked together. Each block 40 contains a header 42 and transaction information 44.

[0029] Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of the header 42 included in each block 40. As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the header 42 includes version information, the hash value of the previous block 40, and a timestamp. Version information is information indicating the version of the software or protocol related to blockchain 32. The hash value of the previous block 40 is the correct hash value calculated when the previous block 40 was added to blockchain 32. The timestamp is information indicating the time when the block 40 was added to blockchain 32. The method for generating the header 42 and the use of each piece of information included in the header 42 will be described later.

[0030] Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of the transaction information 44 included in each block 40. As shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, the transaction information 44 includes an image log, a job log which is information about the job related to the image log, a device ID as a device identifier, and a job status which is information indicating the type of transaction information 44. As described above, the image log is image data representing the data to be processed by the image processing device 12. The job log includes, for example, a job ID as a processing request identifier that identifies the job, a user ID that uniquely identifies the user who executed the job, information indicating the type of job (e.g., print, scan, copy, fax, etc.), and the date and time the job was received. The device ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the image processing device 12 that received the job and executed the processing related to that job (i.e., related to the image log included in the transaction information 44). The job status will be described later.

[0031] Returning to Figure 2, the processor 50 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 50 is connected to the communication IF 20, input IF 22, display 24, printer 26, scanner 28, and memory 30 via a data bus. The processor 50 performs its functions as a normal processing unit 52, a transaction information creation unit 54, and a mining processing unit 56, according to the image log management program stored in the memory 30.

[0032] The normal processing unit 52 and the transaction information creation unit 54 primarily perform functions related to the creation and transmission of transaction information 44 to be included in block 40.

[0033] The normal processing unit 52 controls the execution of normal processing based on jobs, which are processing commands input by the user to the image processing device 12. For example, if the normal processing unit 52 receives a print job from the user, it causes the printer 26 to perform printing. Also, for example, if the normal processing unit 52 receives a scan job from the user, it causes the scanner 28 to perform scanning. In this way, the normal processing unit 52 receives jobs that cause the image processing device 12 to perform processing related to multiple data to be processed (for example, image data to be printed in the case of a print job, or image data obtained by scanning in the case of a scan job). Specifically, after receiving a job from the user via the communication IF 20, the normal processing unit 52 authenticates the user and executes the processing related to the job when instructed by the authenticated user.

[0034] The transaction information creation unit 54 creates transaction information 44, which includes an image log. In this embodiment, after the image processing device 12 receives a job, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates transaction information 44 of different types at different timings. The details of the transaction information creation process by the transaction information creation unit 54 are described below.

[0035] The transaction information creation unit 54 creates transaction information 44, which includes an image log of the data to be processed for the job, after the image processing device 12 receives a job and before the processing related to the job is completed. In this specification, such transaction information 44 is referred to as overall transaction information. In this embodiment, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates overall transaction information that includes an image log of all the data to be processed for the job. In addition, in this embodiment, the transaction information creation unit 54 starts creating overall transaction information at the same time that the normal processing unit 52 starts processing related to the job.

[0036] Figure 6 shows an example of the contents of the overall transaction information 44A. For example, when the image processing device 12 receives a copy job instructing it to make copies of 10 pages, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates 10 image logs (image logs 1 to 10) for the 10 pages.

[0037] The transaction information creation unit 54 may encrypt the image log so that only the image processing device 12 that received the job related to the image log can decrypt it. Specific encryption methods that can be used include, for example, known methods such as public-key cryptography. In this embodiment, the image log is managed on the blockchain 32. Managing the image log on the blockchain 32 means that the image log is simultaneously transmitted to multiple devices (image processing devices 12 in this embodiment) included in the blockchain system, and anyone with access to the blockchain 32 can view the image log. On the other hand, conventionally, image logs were not made public for security reasons. Therefore, in this embodiment, the image log is encrypted so that only the image processing device 12 that received the job related to the image log can decrypt it.

[0038] Furthermore, the transaction information creation unit 54 obtains the job log and device ID of the job. Specifically, the job ID is determined by the transaction information creation unit 54 as appropriate. The user ID and job type can be obtained from the accepted job. The job acceptance date and time can also be obtained from the timing function provided in the image processing device 12. The device ID may be stored in memory 30 in advance, and the transaction information creation unit 54 can read and obtain its own device ID from memory 30.

[0039] The transaction information creation unit 54 creates overall transaction information 44A that includes the above information.

[0040] Furthermore, the transaction information creation unit 54 assigns a job status, which is information indicating the type of transaction information 44, to the overall transaction information 44A. In this embodiment, the transaction information creation unit 54 assigns the information "Active" as the job status. When the job status is "Active", it means that the transaction information 44 is the overall transaction information 44A.

[0041] The transaction information creation unit 54 simultaneously transmits the created overall transaction information 44A to the other image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10. Each image processing device 12 stores the overall transaction information 44A obtained from any of the multiple image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10 (including its own device) in the memory 30.

[0042] In this embodiment, the completion condition for a job is that the overall transaction information 44A related to the job is created and simultaneously transmitted to the other image processing devices 12. Therefore, if the overall transaction information 44A is not simultaneously transmitted for any reason, the normal processing unit 52 will not complete the execution of the job (cancel it). This is to prevent a situation where the processing related to the job is executed in the image processing device 12, but the image log related to that job is not recorded.

[0043] Processing related to a job input to the image processing device 12 may be interrupted midway. If processing related to a job is interrupted, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates transaction information 44 of a different type from the overall transaction information 44A.

[0044] Specifically, the transaction information creation unit 54, after simultaneously transmitting the overall transaction information 44A related to a job to multiple image processing devices 12, creates transaction information 44 that includes image logs of processed target data up to that point but does not include image logs of unprocessed target data if the processing related to the job is canceled before the processing related to the job is completed. In this specification, such transaction information 44 is referred to as partial transaction information.

[0045] Figure 7 shows an example of the contents of partial transaction information 44B. For example, consider a case where the normal processing unit 52 starts executing a copy job that instructs the copying of 10 pages, and the processing of the copy job is canceled after the processing of the first 3 pages is completed. In this case, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates three image logs (image logs 1 to 3) for the 3 pages that have been processed. On the other hand, the transaction information creation unit 54 does not create image logs for the unprocessed pages 4 to 10.

[0046] Here too, the transaction information creation unit 54 may encrypt the image log so that only the image processing device 12 that received the job related to the image log can decrypt it.

[0047] It is possible that when processing related to a job is aborted, there is no processed data to be processed. For example, this could occur if the normal processing unit 52 starts executing a copy job that instructs the copying of 10 pages, but the processing related to the copy job is aborted before the processing of the first page is completed. In this case, the transaction information creation unit 54 does not create an image log. Therefore, in this case, the transaction information creation unit 54 will create partial transaction information 44B that does not include an image log.

[0048] Furthermore, the transaction information creation unit 54 obtains the job log and device ID for the job in question. The method for obtaining these is the same as in the case of the overall transaction information 44A, so the explanation is omitted.

[0049] The transaction information creation unit 54 creates partial transaction information 44B that includes the above information.

[0050] Furthermore, the transaction information creation unit 54 assigns a job status to the partial transaction information 44B. In this embodiment, the transaction information creation unit 54 assigns the information "Cancel" as the job status. When the job status is "Cancel", it means that the transaction information 44 is partial transaction information 44B.

[0051] As will be explained in more detail later, partial transaction information 44B has the function of excluding the whole transaction information 44A from the mining process when there is both whole transaction information 44A and partial transaction information 44B related to the same job among the transaction information 44 awaiting mining processing.

[0052] The transaction information creation unit 54 should refrain from creating partial transaction information 44B if the processing related to the job is canceled without a cancellation instruction from the user. A case where the processing related to a job is canceled without a cancellation instruction from the user who entered the job into the image processing device 12 is, for example, when a malfunction occurs in the image processing device 12 and the processing related to the job cannot continue. In such a case, the user does not want the processing related to the job to continue, and the remaining processing related to the job may resume once the image processing device 12 recovers from the malfunction. As described above, partial transaction information 44B has the function of not leaving an image log included in the overall transaction information 44A related to the same job. Therefore, if partial transaction information 44B is created when the processing related to a job is canceled without a cancellation instruction from the user who entered the job into the image processing device 12, then if the processing related to the job is subsequently resumed and completed, an image log showing part of the data to be processed related to that job (the data to be processed after the resumption) will not be left. To prevent such occurrences, the transaction information creation unit 54 should refrain from creating partial transaction information 44B if the processing related to the job is canceled without a cancellation instruction from the user who requested the processing related to the job.

[0053] The transaction information creation unit 54 simultaneously transmits the created partial transaction information 44B to the other image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10. Each image processing device 12 stores the partial transaction information 44B obtained from any of the multiple image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10 (including its own device) in the memory 30.

[0054] The mining processing unit 56 is a function related to the mining of block 40, which contains transaction information 44 that is awaiting mining (i.e., has not yet been added to blockchain 32) and has been transmitted from its own device or another image processing device 12.

[0055] The mining processing unit 56 executes mining operations on blocks 40 containing transaction information 44 awaiting mining operations at predetermined timings (for example, when the number of transaction information 44 awaiting mining operations stored in memory 30 reaches a predetermined number, or at predetermined time intervals). As described above, in this embodiment, the mining processing unit 56 executes mining operations in cooperation with the mining processing unit 56 of other image processing devices 12, but the mining processing operations may also be performed by the mining processing unit 56 of a single image processing device 12.

[0056] The mining process performed by the mining processing unit 56 is as described above. Specifically, the mining processing unit 56 calculates the hash value of a composite value of one or more transaction information 44 awaiting mining, the hash value of the previous block 40, and the nonce. The mining process is considered successful if the hash value resulting from the mining process is less than a predetermined threshold. The mining processing unit 56 repeats the hash value calculation while changing the nonce until it obtains the correct hash value.

[0057] If the mining process is successful, the mining processing unit 56 generates a header 42 (see Figure 4). Specifically, the mining processing unit 56 obtains the version of the software and protocol related to blockchain 32 and uses this as version information. The mining processing unit 56 also obtains the hash value of the previous block 40 and includes this in the header 42. Furthermore, the mining processing unit 56 obtains the time when the block 40 targeted for mining was added to blockchain 32 and uses this as a timestamp.

[0058] The mining processing unit 56 forms a new block 40 containing the generated header 42 and the transaction information 44 (see Figure 5) that was the target of the mining process. It then adds the newly formed block 40 to the blockchain 32 and simultaneously transmits the new block 40 to the other image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10. Each image processing device 12 adds the received new block 40 to the blockchain 32 stored in its own device.

[0059] In this embodiment, transaction information 44 may include overall transaction information 44A and partial transaction information 44B. Here, if the mining processing unit 56 has overall transaction information 44A and partial transaction information 44B related to the same job among the transaction information 44 awaiting mining processing, it excludes the overall transaction information 44A from the target of mining processing and executes the mining processing.

[0060] First, the mining processing unit 56 determines whether or not there is partial transaction information 44B among the transaction information 44 awaiting mining processing. As described above, whether transaction information 44 is full transaction information 44A or partial transaction information 44B can be determined by referring to the job status included in the transaction information 44.

[0061] If there is partial transaction information 44B among the transaction information 44 awaiting mining processing, the mining processing unit 56 identifies the overall transaction information 44A related to the same job as the partial transaction information 44B. In this embodiment, the mining processing unit 56 determines that the overall transaction information 44A and the partial transaction information 44B relate to the same job if the job ID included in the overall transaction information 44A is the same as the job ID included in the partial transaction information 44B, and the device ID included in the overall transaction information 44A is the same as the device ID included in the partial transaction information 44B.

[0062] As for the image log management system 10 as a whole, if the job ID uniquely identifies a job, the mining processing unit 56 may determine that the overall transaction information 44A and the partial transaction information 44B relate to the same job if the job ID included in the overall transaction information 44A and the job ID included in the partial transaction information 44B are the same. In this embodiment, since each image processing device 12 may assign the same job ID to jobs input to different image processing devices 12, in order to reliably identify jobs, the overall transaction information 44A and the partial transaction information 44B are determined to relate to the same job if the job ID and the device ID are the same.

[0063] For example, suppose that among the transaction information 44 awaiting mining processing, there is the overall transaction information 44A shown in Figure 6 and the partial transaction information 44B shown in Figure 7. Since the overall transaction information 44A and the partial transaction information 44B have the same job ID and device ID, they are determined to be related to the same job. Therefore, the mining processing unit 56 excludes the overall transaction information 44A from the mining process. As a result, the mining processing unit 56 forms a new block 40 that includes the partial transaction information 44B but does not include the overall transaction information 44A, and adds the newly formed block 40 to the blockchain 32. In other words, the overall transaction information 44A will not be managed in the blockchain 32. The overall transaction information 44A may be deleted later.

[0064] As described above, the overall transaction information 44A is created before the processing related to the job is completed and includes an image log of the data to be processed related to the job (for example, all the data to be processed related to the job). In other words, the overall transaction information 44A is created regardless of whether all of the processing related to the job was actually performed. On the other hand, the partial transaction information 44B is created when the processing related to the job is aborted and includes an image log of the data to be processed up to that point, but does not include an image log of the data to be processed that has not yet been processed.

[0065] If, as in the conventional approach, partial transaction information 44B is not created when processing related to a job is aborted, and the entire transaction information 44A is targeted for mining even when processing related to a job is aborted, then the entire transaction information 44A, which includes image logs of the processed data that were not actually processed, will be targeted for mining. In the example in Figures 6 and 7, since only up to 3 pages were actually processed, only image logs 1 to 3 are needed as image logs, but the entire transaction information 44A, which includes image logs 4 to 10 that are not actually needed, will be targeted for mining.

[0066] If transaction information 44 includes unnecessary image logs, the data size of transaction information 44 will become unnecessarily large. This will reduce the frequency with which transaction information 44 is added to blockchain 32.

[0067] In this embodiment, the overall transaction information 44A is excluded from the mining process, and the partial transaction information 44B of the same job as the overall transaction information 44A is targeted for mining. Since the partial transaction information 44B does not include unnecessary image logs, i.e., image logs of processed data that have not actually been processed, its data size is smaller than that of the overall transaction information 44A. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the frequency of adding transaction information 44.

[0068] The overview of the image log management system 10 according to this embodiment is as described above. Below, the flow of the transaction information creation process will be explained according to the flowchart shown in Figure 8.

[0069] In step S10, the image processing device 12 receives a job from the user.

[0070] In step S12, the normal processing unit 52 starts processing the job received in step S10.

[0071] In step S14, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates an image log of all processing target data related to the job received in step S10. Furthermore, the transaction information creation unit 54 encrypts each created image log so that only the image processing device 12 can decrypt it.

[0072] In step S16, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates the overall transaction information 44A (see Figure 6) which includes the image log, job log, device ID, and job status "Active" created and encrypted in step S14.

[0073] In step S18, the transaction information creation unit 54 simultaneously transmits the overall transaction information 44A created in step S16 to the other image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10.

[0074] In step S20, the transaction information creation unit 54 determines whether the processing related to the job started in step S12 has been completed. If the processing related to the job has been completed, the process is terminated; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0075] In step S22, the transaction information creation unit 54 determines whether the processing related to the job started in step S12 has been aborted. If the processing related to the job has not been aborted, the process returns to step S20 and repeats steps S20 and S22 until the processing related to the job is completed or aborted. If the processing related to the job has been aborted, the process proceeds to step S24.

[0076] In step S24, the transaction information creation unit 54 determines whether the processing related to the job was canceled due to a cancellation instruction from the user. If the processing related to the job was canceled without a cancellation instruction from the user, the process terminates. If the processing related to the job was canceled due to a cancellation instruction from the user, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0077] In step S26, the transaction information creation unit 54 determines whether or not there is any processed data to be processed. If there is any processed data to be processed, the unit proceeds to step S28; otherwise, step S28 is skipped and the unit proceeds to step S30.

[0078] In step S28, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates an image log of the processed data. Furthermore, the transaction information creation unit 54 encrypts each created image log so that only the image processing device 12 can decrypt it.

[0079] In step S30, the transaction information creation unit 54 creates partial transaction information 44B (see Figure 7) which includes the image log, job log, device ID, and job status "Cancel" created and encrypted in step S28.

[0080] In step S32, the transaction information creation unit 54 simultaneously transmits the partial transaction information 44B created in step S30 to other image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10.

[0081] The mining process will now be explained according to the flowchart shown in Figure 9.

[0082] In step S40, the mining processing unit 56 determines whether or not there is partial transaction information 44B among the transaction information 44 awaiting mining processing. If there is no partial transaction information 44B, the process proceeds to step S42.

[0083] In step S42, the mining process is performed on the transaction information 44 awaiting mining (in this case, all of which are the overall transaction information 44A), and a new block 40 containing the said transaction information 44 is formed.

[0084] If it is determined in step S40 that there is partial transaction information 44B, proceed to step S44.

[0085] In step S44, the mining processing unit 56 identifies the overall transaction information 44A relating to the same job as the partial transaction information 44B. As described above, in this embodiment, the mining processing unit 56 determines that the overall transaction information 44A and the partial transaction information 44B relate to the same job if the job ID included in the overall transaction information 44A is the same as the job ID included in the partial transaction information 44B, and the device ID included in the overall transaction information 44A is the same as the device ID included in the partial transaction information 44B.

[0086] In step S46, the mining processing unit 56 excludes the overall transaction information 44A identified in step S44 from the mining process, and performs mining on one or more transaction information 44 awaiting mining, including the partial transaction information 44B found in step S40, to form a new block 40 containing the transaction information 44.

[0087] In step S48, the mining processing unit 56 adds the new block 40 formed in step S42 or S46 to the blockchain 32 and simultaneously transmits the new block 40 to other image processing devices 12 included in the image log management system 10.

[0088] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0089] In this embodiment, each process is executed on any computer. Furthermore, any computer may execute these processes using a processor as hardware, a program as software, or a combination thereof. In that case, the processor is configured to work in cooperation with the program to execute the various processes in this embodiment, and can function as a unit or means in this embodiment. Also, the execution order of the processes by the processor is not limited to the order described and may be changed as appropriate. Any computer may be a general-purpose computer, a computer designed for a specific purpose, a workstation, or any other system capable of executing each process. A processor may consist of one or more hardware components, and the type of hardware is not limited. For example, a processor may consist of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a dedicated circuit for executing a specific process such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit). Furthermore, the type of hardware may be a combination of different types of hardware. When multiple hardware components are configured to execute one or more processes of a given processor, these components may reside in physically separate devices or in the same device. Also, in any embodiment, the order of each process performed by the processor is not limited to the order described above and may be changed as appropriate. Hardware is composed of electrical circuits (circuitry) that combine circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. Furthermore, the program may be firmware or software such as microcode. Alternatively, the program may be, for example, a set of program modules, each function of which may be implemented by a processor configured to perform its respective function. The program may be program code or multiple code segments stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., storage media or other storage). The program may be divided and stored on multiple non-temporary computer-readable media located on physically separate devices. Program code or code segments may represent any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. Program code or code segments may be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending and receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.

[0090] This invention can also be applied to programs and program products.

[0091] (Note) (((1))) An image log management system comprising multiple devices that are connected to each other and each store a blockchain composed of blocks having transaction information including an image log which is image data indicating the data to be processed, each device performs mining to add a new block to the blockchain, and the devices are connected to each other in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, A processing request is received to execute processing on multiple data to be processed. Before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the overall transaction information, which includes the image log of the data to be processed related to the processing request, is created. The overall transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. If, after the overall transaction information has been transmitted to the multiple devices but before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the processing related to the processing request is canceled, a partial transaction information is created which includes an image log of the processed target data but does not include an image log of the unprocessed target data, and if the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information related to the same processing request are among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, the partial transaction information has the function of excluding the overall transaction information from the target of the mining processing. The partial transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. An image log management system characterized by the following features. (((2))) If the processor has both the whole transaction information and the partial transaction information relating to the same processing request among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, it excludes the whole transaction information from the target of the mining processing and executes the mining processing. The image log management system described in (((1))) is characterized by the following: (((3))) If the processing related to the processing request is aborted and there is no processed data to be processed, the processor creates the partial transaction information, which does not include the image log. An image log management system according to (((1))) or (((2))), characterized by the above. (((4))) The overall transaction information and the partial transaction information include a processing request identifier that identifies the processing request and a device identifier that uniquely identifies the device that received the processing request. The aforementioned processor, If the processing request identifier included in the overall transaction information and the processing request identifier included in the partial transaction information are the same, and the device identifier included in the overall transaction information and the device identifier included in the partial transaction information are the same, then it is determined that the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information relate to the same processing request. The image log management system described in (((2))) as characterized by the above. (((5))) The aforementioned processor, If the processing related to the processing request is canceled without a user's instruction to cancel, the partial transaction will not be created. The image log management system described in (((1))) is characterized by the following: (((6))) The aforementioned processor, The image log included in the transaction information is encrypted so that only the device that received the processing request can decrypt it. An image log management system according to (((1))) or (((2))), characterized by the above. (((7))) A computer capable of accessing a blockchain, which consists of blocks containing transaction information including image logs (image data representing the data to be processed) stored in multiple devices that are connected to each other and capable of communication, The system receives processing requests to execute processing on multiple data items to be processed. Before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the overall transaction information, which includes the image log of the data to be processed related to the processing request, is created. The overall transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. If, after the overall transaction information has been transmitted to the multiple devices but before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the processing related to the processing request is canceled, a partial transaction information is created which includes an image log of the processed target data but does not include an image log of the unprocessed target data, and if the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information related to the same processing request are among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, the partial transaction information is created which has the function of excluding the overall transaction information from the target of the mining processing. The partial transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. An image log management program characterized by the following features.

[0092] According to the inventions described in (((1))) to (((3))) or (((7))), when managing image logs on a blockchain, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the frequency of adding transaction information compared to when the image logs of all data to be processed related to the received processing request are included in the block. According to the invention of (((4))), even if the same processing request identifier can be assigned to different processing requests in each device, it is possible to appropriately determine whether a partial transaction is a whole transaction relating to the same processing request. According to the invention of (((5))), it is possible to prevent image logs from being excluded from the mining process except when the user gives a job cancellation instruction. According to the invention of (((6))), the confidentiality of the image log can be improved compared to the case in which the image log is not encrypted. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 10 Blockchain control system, 12 Image processing device, 20 Communication IF, 22 Input IF, 24 Display, 26 Printer, 28 Scanner, 30 Memory, 32 Blockchain, 40 Block, 42 ​​Header, 44 Transaction information, 44A Overall transaction information, 44B Partial transaction information, 50 Processor, 52 Normal processing unit, 54 Transaction information creation unit, 56 Mining processing unit.

Claims

1. An image log management system comprising multiple devices that are connected to each other and each store a blockchain composed of blocks having transaction information including an image log which is image data indicating the data to be processed, each device performs mining to add a new block to the blockchain, and the devices are connected to each other in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, A processing request is received to execute processing on multiple data to be processed. Before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the overall transaction information, which includes the image log of the data to be processed related to the processing request, is created. The overall transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. If, after the overall transaction information has been transmitted to the multiple devices but before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the processing related to the processing request is canceled, a partial transaction information is created which includes an image log of the processed target data but does not include an image log of the unprocessed target data, and if the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information related to the same processing request are among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, the partial transaction information has the function of excluding the overall transaction information from the target of the mining processing. The partial transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. An image log management system characterized by the following features.

2. If the processor has both the whole transaction information and the partial transaction information relating to the same processing request among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, it excludes the whole transaction information from the target of the mining processing and executes the mining processing. The image log management system according to feature 1.

3. If the processing related to the processing request is aborted and there is no processed data to be processed, the processor creates the partial transaction information, which does not include the image log. The image log management system according to feature 1 or 2.

4. The overall transaction information and the partial transaction information include a processing request identifier that identifies the processing request and a device identifier that uniquely identifies the device that received the processing request. The aforementioned processor, If the processing request identifier included in the overall transaction information and the processing request identifier included in the partial transaction information are the same, and the device identifier included in the overall transaction information and the device identifier included in the partial transaction information are the same, then it is determined that the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information relate to the same processing request. The image log management system according to feature 2.

5. The aforementioned processor, If the processing related to the processing request is canceled without a user's instruction to cancel, the partial transaction will not be created. The image log management system according to feature 1.

6. The aforementioned processor, The image log included in the transaction information is encrypted so that only the device that received the processing request can decrypt it. The image log management system according to feature 1 or 2.

7. A computer capable of accessing a blockchain, which consists of blocks containing transaction information including image logs (image data representing the data to be processed) stored in multiple devices that are connected to each other and capable of communication, The system receives processing requests to execute processing on multiple data items to be processed. Before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the overall transaction information, which includes the image log of the data to be processed related to the processing request, is created. The overall transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. If, after the overall transaction information has been transmitted to the multiple devices but before the processing related to the processing request is completed, the processing related to the processing request is canceled, a partial transaction information is created which includes an image log of the processed target data but does not include an image log of the unprocessed target data, and if the overall transaction information and the partial transaction information related to the same processing request are among the transaction information awaiting mining processing, the partial transaction information is created which has the function of excluding the overall transaction information from the target of the mining processing. The partial transaction information is transmitted to the multiple devices. An image log management program characterized by the following features.

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