Print job management system, information processing device, and print job management program

Abstract

This invention provides a print job management system, an information processing device, and a print job management program that can improve the convenience of executing print jobs for guest users. [Solution] The print job management system includes a print job management unit that manages print jobs, and the print job management unit is capable of automatically disabling the execution of print jobs for guest users as temporary users, and when a print job for a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits automatically disabling the execution of that guest user's print jobs (S390) if it is managing unexecuted print jobs for that guest user (YES in S385). (NO in S386, YES in S387, or YES in S388)

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a print job management system, an information processing apparatus, and a print job management program for managing print jobs.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a system that can automatically disable the execution of print jobs of guest users as temporary users (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The system described in Patent Document 1 automatically disables the execution of the print job of a guest user when the print job of the guest user is executed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional system, when the print job of a guest user is executed, the execution of the print job of this guest user is automatically disabled. Therefore, when managing a plurality of print jobs of this guest user, there is a problem that print jobs other than the first executed print job among these print jobs are not executed.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a print job management system, an information processing apparatus, and a print job management program that can improve the convenience of executing print jobs of guest users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The print job management system of the present invention comprises a print job management unit that manages print jobs, the print job management unit is capable of automatically disabling the execution of print jobs for guest users as temporary users, and the print job management unit is characterized in that, when a print job for a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits automatically disabling the execution of print jobs for that specific guest user when it is managing unexecuted print jobs for that specific guest user.

[0007] With this configuration, the print job management system of the present invention, when a guest user's print job is executed, prohibits the automatic disabling of the execution of that guest user's unexecuted print jobs when the system is managing those jobs. Therefore, if multiple print jobs are being managed for that guest user, the likelihood of all of these print jobs being executed can be increased, and as a result, the convenience of executing the guest user's print jobs can be improved.

[0008] In the print job management system of the present invention, the print job management unit may prohibit the automatic disabling of execution of the print job for a specific guest user before a specific time has elapsed from a reference time.

[0009] This configuration allows the print job management system of the present invention to automatically prevent the execution of a specific guest user's print job before a certain time has elapsed from a reference point, thereby increasing the likelihood that the guest user's print job will be executed, and consequently improving the convenience of executing the guest user's print job.

[0010] In the print job management system of the present invention, if a specific guest user logs in before the specific time has elapsed from the reference time, the print job management unit may set the time of the latest login by the specific guest user as the new reference time.

[0011] With this configuration, if a specific guest user logs in before a certain time has elapsed from the reference time, the print job management system of the present invention sets the time of the guest user's latest login as the new reference time. This improves the likelihood that the guest user's print jobs will be executed, and as a result, improves the convenience of executing print jobs for the guest user.

[0012] In the print job management system of the present invention, if a specific guest user logs in after a specific time has elapsed from the reference time, the print job management unit may set the time of the latest login by the specific guest user as the new reference time.

[0013] With this configuration, the print job management system of the present invention, when a specific guest user logs in after a certain amount of time has elapsed from a reference time, sets the time of the guest user's latest login as the new reference time. This improves the likelihood that the guest user's print jobs will be executed, and as a result, improves the convenience of executing print jobs for the guest user.

[0014] In the print job management system of the present invention, the print job management unit may prohibit the uploading of new print jobs by a specific guest user after a specific time has elapsed from the reference time.

[0015] With this configuration, the print job management system of the present invention prohibits a specific guest user from uploading new print jobs after a certain period of time has elapsed from a reference point. This reduces the possibility that the period during which the execution of this guest user's print jobs is automatically prohibited will be extended too much by the uploading of new print jobs.

[0016] In the print job management system of the present invention, the print job management unit terminates the management of print jobs that have exceeded the maintenance time when a maintenance time is set for the time during which the print job is maintained. The print job management unit also automatically disables the execution of print jobs for a specific guest user when a specific guest user's print job is executed, even if it is managing unexecuted print jobs for that specific guest user, if a specific time has elapsed from the reference time and no maintenance time has been set. The print job management unit may also notify the specific guest user of job information as information about their unexecuted print jobs via email when it has automatically disabled the execution of their print jobs.

[0017] With this configuration, the print job management system of the present invention, when it automatically disables the execution of a print job for a specific guest user, will notify the guest user via email of the information regarding the guest user's unexecuted print jobs when the system is managing that guest user's unexecuted print jobs, thereby allowing the guest user to become aware of their unexecuted print jobs.

[0018] In the print job management system of the present invention, when the print job management unit automatically prevents the execution of a print job by a specific guest user, and is managing the unexecuted print jobs of that specific guest user, it may attach the file of the unexecuted print job of that specific guest user to the email as job information.

[0019] With this configuration, when the print job management system of the present invention automatically disables the execution of a specific guest user's print jobs, and is managing the unexecuted print jobs of that guest user, it attaches the files of the unexecuted print jobs of that guest user to an email, making it easy for the guest user to recognize the unexecuted print jobs.

[0020] In the print job management system of the present invention, when the print job management unit automatically makes it impossible for a specific guest user to execute a print job, and when it is managing the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user, if the total amount of data for all the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user is less than or equal to a specific amount of data, it may attach the files of all the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user as job information to the email, and if the total amount of data for all the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user is not less than or equal to the specific amount of data, it may include the file names of all the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user as job information to the email.

[0021] With this configuration, the print job management system of the present invention, when it automatically disables the execution of a print job for a specific guest user, manages the unexecuted print jobs of that guest user. If the total data volume of all unexecuted print jobs for that guest user is below a certain data volume, it attaches the files of all unexecuted print jobs for that guest user to an email. If the total data volume of all unexecuted print jobs for that guest user is not below a certain data volume, it includes the filenames of all unexecuted print jobs for that guest user in the email. This reduces the possibility of the email size becoming too large.

[0022] The information processing device of the present invention includes a print job management unit that manages print jobs, the print job management unit is capable of automatically disabling the execution of print jobs for guest users as temporary users, and the print job management unit is characterized in that, when a print job for a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits automatically disabling the execution of print jobs for that specific guest user when it is managing unexecuted print jobs for that specific guest user.

[0023] With this configuration, when the print job of a guest user is executed, if the information processing apparatus of the present invention is managing the unexecuted print jobs of this guest user, it prohibits automatically making it impossible to execute the print job of this guest user. Therefore, when managing a plurality of print jobs of this guest user, it is possible to improve the possibility that all of these print jobs will be executed. As a result, the convenience of executing the print jobs of the guest user can be improved.

[0024] The print job management program of the present invention causes a computer to realize a print job management unit that manages print jobs. The print job management unit can automatically make it impossible to execute the print jobs of a guest user as a temporary user. When the print job of a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits automatically making it impossible to execute the print job of the specific guest user when managing the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user.

[0025] With this configuration, when the print job of a guest user is executed, if a computer that executes the print job management program of the present invention is managing the unexecuted print jobs of this guest user, it prohibits automatically making it impossible to execute the print job of this guest user. Therefore, when managing a plurality of print jobs of this guest user, it is possible to improve the possibility that all of these print jobs will be executed. As a result, the convenience of executing the print jobs of the guest user can be improved.

Advantages of the Invention

[0026] The print job management system, information processing apparatus, and print job management program of the present invention can improve the convenience of executing the print jobs of a guest user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1]This is a block diagram of an example of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example print job management system configured on a single computer. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows an example of tenant management information. [Figure 4] Figure 2 shows an example of user management information. [Figure 5] Figure 2 shows an example of device management information. [Figure 6] Figure 2 shows an example of job management information. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example of a user terminal. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus that is composed of MFPs. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when the tenant login page is displayed on the user's terminal. [Figure 10] (a) This figure shows an example of the login page displayed in the operation shown in Figure 9 when the guest self-registration function is enabled. (b) This figure shows an example of the login page displayed in the operation shown in Figure 9 when the guest self-registration function is not enabled. [Figure 11] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when the login button is pressed on the login page. [Figure 12] Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the operation of the print job management system when a user logs in. [Figure 13] Figure 1 shows a sequence diagram of the system's operation when the guest self-registration function is enabled. [Figure 14] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when a user terminal displays the user list page. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of the user list page displayed during the operation shown in Figure 14. [Figure 16] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when a tenant administrator registers a user. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of a user addition page that appears during the operation shown in Figure 16. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example of the body text of the activation confirmation email sent during the operation shown in Figure 16. [Figure 19] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when a guest applicant registers themselves as a guest user. [Figure 20] Figure 19 shows an example of a guest registration page that appears during the operation described. [Figure 21] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when a user is activated. [Figure 22] This figure shows an example of the user activation page displayed during the operation shown in Figure 21. [Figure 23] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when the print job management system registers a print job. [Figure 24] Figure 23 is a flowchart of the job registration process. [Figure 25] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when logging in to the print job management system from the image forming apparatus. [Figure 26] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when an image forming apparatus executes a print job. [Figure 27] This figure shows an example of the job list page displayed during the operation shown in Figure 26. [Figure 28] Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the operation of the print job management system when a print job is automatically deleted. [Figure 29] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of the system's operation when a tenant administrator deletes a user. [Figure 30]Figure 2 shows a flowchart of the operation of the print job management system when generating an account deletion email. [Figure 31] Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the operation of the print job management system when guest users are automatically deleted. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] First, the configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0030] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example of the system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, System 10 includes a print job management system 20 that manages jobs to be printed by the image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "print jobs"). The print job management system 20 may be composed of one computer, such as a PC (Personal Computer), or it may be composed of multiple computers. The print job management system 20 may be configured on the cloud.

[0032] System 10 includes a user terminal 30 used by users of the print job management system 20. System 10 may also include at least one other user terminal with a similar configuration to user terminal 30. The user terminal may be configured as a computer, such as a PC.

[0033] System 10 includes an image forming apparatus 40 for forming an image. System 10 may also include at least one other image forming apparatus with a configuration similar to that of the image forming apparatus 40. The image forming apparatus may be, for example, a dedicated printer or an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral).

[0034] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example of a print job management system 20 configured on a single computer.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, the print job management system 20 includes an operation unit 21 which is an operation device such as a keyboard or mouse into which various operations are input; a display unit 22 which is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays various information; a communication unit 23 which is a communication device that communicates with external devices via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, or directly via wired or wireless connection without going through a network; a storage unit 24 which is a non-volatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that stores various information; and a control unit 25 which controls the entire print job management system 20.

[0036] The storage unit 24 is capable of storing a print job management program 24a for managing print jobs. The print job management program 24a may, for example, be installed in the print job management system 20 during the manufacturing stage, or it may be additionally installed in the print job management system 20 from an external storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, or it may be additionally installed in the print job management system 20 from a network.

[0037] The storage unit 24 can store job retention default time information 24b, which indicates the default time until a print job is automatically deleted, i.e., the default time for which a print job is maintained (hereinafter referred to as "job retention default time"). The job retention default time information 24b can be edited by the administrator of the print job management system 20.

[0038] The storage unit 24 is capable of storing tenant management information 24c for managing tenants of the print job management system 20.

[0039] Figure 3 shows an example of tenant management information 24c.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, tenant management information 24c includes the tenant ID as tenant identification information, the URL of the web page for user login (hereinafter referred to as the "login page"), the specific time for which print jobs are maintained (hereinafter referred to as the "job maintenance time"), unexecuted job notification information indicating whether or not to include information on print jobs registered by this user that have not yet been executed in the account deletion email sent to notify the user of the deletion, and whether the guest self-registration function is enabled, which is a function that allows a person who wishes to become a guest user (hereinafter referred to as the "guest applicant") to sign up for a guest user account (hereinafter referred to as the "guest account") as a temporary user. Each tenant includes guest self-registration function information indicating whether or not a guest account is registered, login date and time update information indicating whether or not the standard login date and time will be updated after a specific time that serves as the basis for maintaining the guest account (hereinafter referred to as the "guest maintenance standard time") has elapsed from the guest user's standard login date and time (hereinafter referred to as the "standard login date and time"), new job acceptance information indicating whether or not new print job registrations will be accepted after the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the standard login date and time, guest automatic deletion method indicating the method for automatically deleting guest accounts, and guest automatic deletion information indicating whether or not the guest account will be automatically deleted when neither the default job maintenance time nor the job maintenance time exists, if the guest automatic deletion method is the "second automatic deletion method" described later. The tenant management information 24c shown in Figure 3 is depicted with some information omitted.

[0041] The unexecuted job notification information will show either "Include," which indicates that when deleting a user, information about print jobs registered by that user that have not yet been executed will be included in the account deletion email, or "Do not include," which indicates that when deleting a user, information about print jobs registered by that user that have not yet been executed will not be included in the account deletion email.

[0042] The guest self-registration function information will show either "Enabled," indicating that the guest self-registration function is enabled, or "Disabled," indicating that the guest self-registration function is not enabled.

[0043] The login time update information will show either "Update" to indicate that the base login time will be updated after the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the base login time, or "Do not update" to indicate that the base login time will not be updated after the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the base login time.

[0044] The new job acceptance information will show either "Accept" to indicate that new print jobs will be accepted after the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the reference login date and time, or "Do not accept" to indicate that new print jobs will not be accepted after the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the reference login date and time.

[0045] The guest account deletion method is one of two methods: "Method 1," which automatically deletes guest accounts depending on the guest user's login status, or "Method 2," which automatically deletes guest accounts depending on the guest user's login status and the status of print jobs held by the guest user.

[0046] The guest automatic deletion information will show either "Delete" to indicate that the guest account will be automatically deleted when neither the default job maintenance time nor the job maintenance time exists, or "Do not delete" to indicate that the guest account will not be automatically deleted when neither the default job maintenance time nor the job maintenance time exists.

[0047] As shown in Figure 2, the storage unit 24 is capable of storing user management information 24d for managing users of the print job management system 20.

[0048] Figure 4 shows an example of user management information 24d.

[0049] As shown in Figure 4, the user management information 24d includes, for each user, the username as user identification information, the user's password, the tenant ID of the tenant to which the user belongs, the user's email address, the user's first name, the user's last name, the user's role, and the user's reference login date and time. User roles include, for example, administrators in the tenant (hereinafter referred to as "tenant administrators"), general users, and guest users. The user management information 24d shown in Figure 4 is depicted with some information omitted.

[0050] As shown in Figure 2, the storage unit 24 is capable of storing device management information 24e for managing the image forming apparatus.

[0051] Figure 5 shows an example of device management information 24e.

[0052] As shown in Figure 5, the device management information 24e includes a device ID as identification information for the image forming apparatus and the tenant ID of the tenant to which the image forming apparatus belongs, for each image forming apparatus. The device management information 24e shown in Figure 5 is depicted with some information omitted.

[0053] As shown in Figure 2, the storage unit 24 can store print jobs 24f. In addition to print jobs 24f, the storage unit 24 can store at least one other print job.

[0054] The memory unit 24 is capable of storing job management information 24g for managing print jobs.

[0055] Figure 6 shows an example of job management information 24g.

[0056] As shown in Figure 6, the job management information 24g includes, for each print job, a job ID as identification information for the print job, the username of the user who registered the print job, the tenant ID of the tenant to which the user who registered the print job belongs, the date and time the print job was registered (hereinafter referred to as "registration date and time"), and an execution status indicating whether or not the print job has been executed. The execution status shows either "Not executed," which indicates that the print job has not yet been executed, or "Executed," which indicates that the print job has been executed. Some information is omitted when depicting the job management information 24g shown in Figure 6.

[0057] The control unit 25 shown in Figure 2 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and various data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a working area for the CPU of the control unit 25. The CPU of the control unit 25 executes programs stored in the storage unit 24 or the ROM of the control unit 25.

[0058] The control unit 25 implements a print job management unit 25a that manages print jobs by executing a print job management program 24a.

[0059] Figure 7 is a block diagram of an example of a user terminal 30.

[0060] As shown in Figure 7, the user terminal 30 includes an operation unit 31 which is an operation device such as a keyboard or mouse into which various operations are input, a display unit 32 which is a display device such as an LCD that displays various information, a communication unit 33 which is a communication device that communicates with external devices via a network such as a LAN or the Internet, or directly via wired or wireless connection without going through a network, a storage unit 34 which is a non-volatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory or HDD that stores various information, and a control unit 35 that controls the entire user terminal 30.

[0061] The storage unit 34 is capable of storing a web browser program 34a as a program for a web browser. The web browser program 34a may, for example, be installed on the user terminal 30 during the manufacturing stage, or it may be additionally installed on the user terminal 30 from an external storage medium such as a USB memory, or it may be additionally installed on the user terminal 30 from a network.

[0062] The storage unit 34 can store the email client program 34b, which is a program for an email client. The email client program 34b may, for example, be installed on the user terminal 30 during the manufacturing stage, or it may be additionally installed on the user terminal 30 from an external storage medium such as a USB memory, or it may be additionally installed on the user terminal 30 from a network.

[0063] The control unit 35 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM that stores programs and various data, and RAM as memory used as a workspace for the CPU of the control unit 35. The CPU of the control unit 35 executes programs stored in the storage unit 34 or the ROM of the control unit 35.

[0064] The control unit 35 implements a web browser 35a by executing a web browser program 34a.

[0065] The control unit 35 implements the email client 35b by executing the email client program 34b.

[0066] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus 40 that is configured with an MFP.

[0067] As shown in Figure 8, the image forming apparatus 40 is a computer comprising an operation unit 41 which is an operation device such as buttons into which various operations are input; a display unit 42 which is a display device such as an LCD which displays various information; a printer 43 which is a printing device which prints images onto a recording medium such as paper; a scanner 44 which is a reading device which reads images from an original document; a communication unit 45 which is a communication device which communicates with external devices via a network such as a LAN or the Internet, or directly by wired or wireless connection without going through a network; a fax communication unit 46 which is a fax device which communicates faxes with an external facsimile device (not shown) via a communication line such as a public telephone line; a storage unit 47 which is a non-volatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory or HDD which stores various information; and a control unit 48 which controls the entire image forming apparatus 40.

[0068] The storage unit 47 can store a print job execution program 47a for executing print jobs. The print job execution program 47a may be installed in the image forming apparatus 40 during the manufacturing stage, or it may be additionally installed in the image forming apparatus 40 from an external storage medium such as a USB memory, or it may be additionally installed in the image forming apparatus 40 from a network.

[0069] The control unit 48 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM that stores programs and various data, and RAM as memory used as a workspace for the CPU of the control unit 48. The CPU of the control unit 48 executes programs stored in the storage unit 47 or the ROM of the control unit 48.

[0070] The control unit 48 implements a print job execution unit 48a that executes a print job by running a print job execution program 47a.

[0071] Next, we will describe the operation of system 10.

[0072] First, we will explain the behavior of System 10 when the tenant login page is displayed on the user's device.

[0073] The login page is provided for each tenant by the print job management section 25a of the print job management system 20.

[0074] The following describes the operation of System 10 when the login page for Tenant A is displayed on the user's terminal, representing the tenants of the print job management system 20.

[0075] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram of the operation of System 10 when the login page for tenant A is displayed on the user's terminal.

[0076] Users of the print job management system 20 can instruct their terminal's web browser to access the login page of tenant A. When the web browser is instructed to access the login page of tenant A, it accesses the login page of tenant A as shown in Figure 9 (S101).

[0077] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives an access request in S101, it sends the data of the login page targeted by the access request in S101 to the user's terminal's web browser (S102).

[0078] When the user's terminal's web browser receives data sent from the print job management system 20 in S102, it displays the login page 400 (see, for example, Figure 10) on the display unit 32 based on the received data (S103).

[0079] Figure 10(a) shows an example of the login page 400 displayed in the operation shown in Figure 9 when the guest self-registration function is enabled. Figure 10(b) shows an example of the login page 400 displayed in the operation shown in Figure 9 when the guest self-registration function is not enabled.

[0080] The login page 400 shown in Figure 10(a) includes a text box 401 as a widget for entering a username, a text box 402 as a widget for entering a password, a login button 403 as a widget for performing the login, and a guest registration button 404 as a widget for signing up for a guest account.

[0081] The print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 displays the login page 400 shown in Figure 10(a) if the guest self-registration function information associated with tenant A's tenant ID in tenant management information 24c is marked as "enabled," and displays the login page 400 shown in Figure 10(b) if the guest self-registration function information associated with tenant A's tenant ID in tenant management information 24c is not marked as "enabled."

[0082] The login page 400 shown in Figure 10(b) is the same as the login page 400 shown in Figure 10(a), except that the guest registration button 404 is grayed out and cannot be operated.

[0083] The print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 may display a login page 400 that does not have a guest registration button 404, instead of the login page 400 shown in Figure 10(b), if the guest self-registration function information associated with the tenant ID of tenant A in the tenant management information 24c is not marked as "enabled".

[0084] Next, we will explain the operation of system 10 when the login button 403 is pressed on login page 400.

[0085] The following explanation describes the case where the target tenant for login page 400 is Tenant A.

[0086] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram of the operation of system 10 when the login button 403 is pressed on the login page 400.

[0087] Users of the print job management system 20 can press the login button 403 via the user terminal's control panel when the login page 400 is displayed on the user terminal's display. When the login button 403 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser sends an instruction to execute the login process (hereinafter referred to as the "login processing instruction") to the print job management system 20 (S121), as shown in Figure 11. The web browser includes the value entered in text box 401 as the username in the login processing instruction when the login button 403 is pressed. The web browser also includes the value entered in text box 402 as the password in the login processing instruction when the login button 403 is pressed.

[0088] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a login processing instruction sent from a user terminal in S121, it performs authentication based on the username and password combination included in the received login processing instruction (S122). The print job management unit 25a determines that authentication is successful if the username and password combination included in the login processing instruction is included in the user management information 24d in association with the tenant ID of the target tenant of the login page 400, i.e., tenant A. On the other hand, the print job management unit 25a determines that authentication is failed if the username and password combination included in the login processing instruction is not included in the user management information 24d in association with the tenant ID of the target tenant of the login page 400, i.e., tenant A.

[0089] If authentication in S122 is successful, the print job management unit 25a notifies the user's terminal's web browser of permission to log in (S123).

[0090] When the user's terminal's web browser receives the notification in S123, it displays permission to log in on the user's terminal's display (S124). If a user of the print job management system 20 is logged in to the print job management system 20 via the user's terminal, they can perform various operations on the print job management system 20 via the user's terminal.

[0091] If authentication in S122 fails, the print job management unit 25a notifies the user's terminal's web browser that login is not permitted (S125).

[0092] When the user's terminal's web browser receives the notification in S125, it displays a message on the user's terminal indicating that login is not permitted (S126).

[0093] Next, we will explain how the print job management system 20 operates when a user logs in.

[0094] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the print job management system 20 when a user logs in.

[0095] When authentication in S122 (see Figure 11) is successful, the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 performs the operation shown in Figure 12.

[0096] As shown in Figure 12, the print job management unit 25a identifies the current date and time (S141).

[0097] When the processing in S141 is completed, the print job management unit 25a determines whether the role of the user whose authentication in S122 was successful (hereinafter referred to as the "target user" in the operation description shown in Figure 12) is that of a guest user (S142).

[0098] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S142 that the target user's role is a guest user, it determines whether there is a reference login date and time associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the tenant to which the target user belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "target tenant" in the operation description shown in Figure 12) and the target user's username (S143).

[0099] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S143 that there is a reference login date and time associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target user, it determines whether the time from the reference login date and time associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target user to the date and time identified in S141 exceeds the guest maintenance reference time (S144).

[0100] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S144 that the time from the reference login date and time associated in user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target user exceeds the guest maintenance reference time, it determines whether "update" is indicated in the login date and time update information associated in tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID of the target tenant (S145).

[0101] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S143 that a reference login date and time is not associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the target tenant's tenant ID and the target user's username, or if it determines in S144 that the time from the reference login date and time associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the target tenant's tenant ID and the target user's username to the date and time identified in S141 does not exceed the guest maintenance reference time, or if it determines in S145 that "update" is indicated in the login date and time update information associated in the tenant management information 24c with the target tenant's tenant ID, it registers the date and time identified in S141 as a new reference login date and time in the user management information 24d, associating it with the combination of the target tenant's tenant ID and the target user's username (S146).

[0102] The print job management unit 25a terminates the operation shown in Figure 12 when it determines in S142 that the target user's role is not that of a guest user, or when it determines in S145 that the login date and time update information associated with the target tenant's tenant ID in tenant management information 24c does not indicate "update", or when the process in S146 is completed.

[0103] Next, we will explain the operation of System 10 when the guest self-registration function is enabled.

[0104] The following explanation describes the case where the tenant to which the tenant manager belongs is Tenant A.

[0105] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram of the operation of system 10 when the guest self-registration function is enabled.

[0106] If the tenant administrator is logged into the print job management system 20 via the user terminal, they can perform an operation to enable the guest self-registration function on the user terminal via the user terminal's control panel. When the operation to enable the guest self-registration function is performed, the user terminal's web browser sends an instruction to enable the guest self-registration function (hereinafter referred to as the "guest self-registration function activation instruction") to the print job management system 20, as shown in Figure 13 (S161).

[0107] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a guest self-registration function activation instruction sent from the user terminal in S161, it stores "enabled" in the guest self-registration function information associated with the tenant ID of tenant A in the tenant management information 24c (S162).

[0108] The above describes the case where the tenant administrator enables the guest self-registration function. However, the same applies when the tenant administrator disables the guest self-registration function. The same also applies when the tenant administrator edits the job maintenance time, unexecuted job notification information, login date and time update information, new job acceptance information, guest automatic deletion method, and guest automatic deletion information in tenant management information 24c.

[0109] Next, we will explain the operation of System 10 when a user terminal displays a web page showing a list of users (hereinafter referred to as the "user list page").

[0110] Figure 14 is a sequence diagram of the operation of System 10 when a user terminal displays the user list page.

[0111] If the tenant administrator is logged into the print job management system 20 via the user terminal, they can perform an operation to display the user list page on the user terminal via the user terminal's control panel. When the operation to display the user list page is performed, the user terminal's web browser accesses the user list page as shown in Figure 14 (S181).

[0112] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives an access request in S181, it sends the data from the user list page that was the target of the access request in S181 to the web browser of the user terminal (S182).

[0113] When the user's terminal's web browser receives data sent from the print job management system 20 in S182, it displays the user list page 410 (see, for example, Figure 15) on the display unit based on the received data (S183).

[0114] Figure 15 shows an example of the user list page 410 displayed during the operation shown in Figure 14.

[0115] The user list page 410 shown in Figure 15 includes a user list area 411 that displays a list of users, an add button 412 as a widget for adding users, and a delete button 413 as a widget for deleting users.

[0116] Next, we will explain how System 10 operates when a tenant administrator registers a user.

[0117] Figure 16 is a sequence diagram of the operation of System 10 when a tenant administrator registers a user.

[0118] If the tenant administrator is logged into the print job management system 20 via the user terminal and the user list page 410 (see Figure 15) is displayed on the user terminal's display, the tenant administrator can press the add button 412 (see Figure 15) via the user terminal's control panel. When the add button 412 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser accesses a web page for adding a user (hereinafter referred to as the "user addition page"), as shown in Figure 16 (S201).

[0119] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives an access request in S201, it sends the data of the user addition page that is the target of the access request in S201 to the web browser of the user terminal (S202).

[0120] When the user's terminal's web browser receives data sent from the print job management system 20 in S202, it displays a user-added page 420 (see, for example, Figure 17) on the display unit based on the received data (S203).

[0121] Figure 17 shows an example of the user addition page 420 that is displayed during the operation shown in Figure 16.

[0122] The following section explains the case where the target tenant on user addition page 420 is Tenant A.

[0123] The user addition page 420 shown in Figure 17 includes a text box 421 as a widget for entering the username, a text box 422 as a widget for entering the last name, a text box 423 as a widget for entering the first name, a text box 424 as a widget for entering the email address, radio buttons 425a and 425b as widgets for selecting the user's role, and a registration button 426 as a widget for registering the user to be added. Radio button 425a is a button for selecting "General User" as the user's role. Radio button 425b is a button for selecting "Guest User" as the user's role. Only one of radio buttons 425a or 425b is always selected.

[0124] A tenant administrator can press the registration button 426 via the user terminal's control panel if they are logged into the print job management system 20 via the user terminal and the user addition page 420 is displayed on the user terminal's display. When the registration button 426 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser sends a user registration instruction (hereinafter referred to as "user registration instruction") to the print job management system 20, as shown in Figure 16 (S204). The web browser includes in the user registration instruction a combination of the username entered in text box 421 at the time the registration button 426 was pressed, the last name entered in text box 422 at the time the registration button 426 was pressed, the first name entered in text box 423 at the time the registration button 426 was pressed, the email address entered in text box 424 at the time the registration button 426 was pressed, and the role selected by radio buttons 425a and 425b at the time the registration button 426 was pressed.

[0125] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a user registration instruction sent from a user terminal in S204, it registers the combination of username, last name, first name, email address, and role included in the received user registration instruction in the user management information 24d, associating it with the target tenant on the user addition page 420, i.e., the tenant ID of tenant A (S205).

[0126] When the processing in S205 is completed, the print job management unit 25a sends an activation confirmation email (see Figure 18) to the email address registered in S205 to confirm the activation of the user registered in S205 (S206).

[0127] Figure 18 shows an example of the body text 430 of the activation confirmation email sent in the operation shown in Figure 16.

[0128] As shown in Figure 18, the body of the activation confirmation email 430 includes an activation button 431 as a widget for user activation. The activation button 431 in the body of the activation confirmation email 430 sent in S206 is associated with the tenant ID and username combination registered in S205.

[0129] Next, we will explain how System 10 operates when a guest applicant registers themselves as a guest user.

[0130] Figure 19 is a sequence diagram of the operation of System 10 when a guest applicant registers themselves as a guest user.

[0131] If the login page 400 (see Figure 10(a)) is displayed on the user terminal's display and the guest registration button 404 (see Figure 10(a)) is not grayed out, a guest applicant can press the guest registration button 404 via the user terminal's control panel. When the guest registration button 404 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser accesses a web page for registering a guest user (hereinafter referred to as the "guest registration page"), as shown in Figure 19 (S221).

[0132] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives an access request in S221, it sends the data of the guest registration page that was the target of the access request in S221 to the web browser of the user's terminal (S222).

[0133] When the user's terminal's web browser receives data sent from the print job management system 20 in S222, it displays the guest registration page 440 (see, for example, Figure 20) on the display unit based on the received data (S223).

[0134] Figure 20 shows an example of the guest registration page 440 displayed during the operation shown in Figure 19.

[0135] The following section describes the case where the target tenant on guest registration page 440 is Tenant A.

[0136] The guest registration page 440 shown in Figure 20 includes a text box 441 as a widget for entering the username, a text box 442 as a widget for entering the last name, a text box 443 as a widget for entering the first name, a text box 444 as a widget for entering the email address, and a registration button 445 as a widget for registering a guest user.

[0137] If the guest registration page 440 is displayed on the user terminal's display, the user can press the registration button 445 via the user terminal's control panel. When the registration button 445 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser sends a user registration instruction to the print job management system 20, as shown in Figure 19 (S224). The web browser includes in the user registration instruction the username entered in text box 441 at the time the registration button 445 was pressed, the last name entered in text box 442 at the time the registration button 445 was pressed, the first name entered in text box 443 at the time the registration button 445 was pressed, the email address entered in text box 444 at the time the registration button 445 was pressed, and the guest user as a role.

[0138] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a user registration instruction sent from a user terminal in S224, it registers the combination of username, last name, first name, email address, and role included in the received user registration instruction in the user management information 24d, associating it with the target tenant of the guest registration page 440, i.e., the tenant ID of tenant A (S225).

[0139] When the processing in S225 is completed, the print job management unit 25a sends an activation confirmation email (see Figure 18) to the email address registered in S225 to confirm the activation of the guest user registered in S225 (S226). The activation button 431 in the body 430 of the activation confirmation email sent in S226 is associated with the tenant ID and username combination registered in S225.

[0140] Next, we will describe the operation of System 10 when a user is activated.

[0141] Figure 21 is a sequence diagram of the operation of system 10 when a user is activated.

[0142] When a user receives an activation confirmation email via the email client on their terminal, they can press the activation button 431 (see Figure 18) on the received activation confirmation email via the control panel of their terminal. When the activation button 431 is pressed, the default web browser on the user terminal accesses a web page (hereinafter referred to as the "user activation page") for activating the user identified by the tenant ID and username combination associated with the activation button 431, as shown in Figure 21 (S241).

[0143] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives an access request in S241, it sends the data of the user activation page that was the target of the access request in S241 to the user's terminal's web browser (S242).

[0144] When the user's terminal's web browser receives data sent from the print job management system 20 in S242, it displays the user activation page 450 (see, for example, Figure 22) on the display unit based on the received data (S243).

[0145] Figure 22 shows an example of the user activation page 450 displayed during the operation shown in Figure 21.

[0146] The user activation page 450 shown in Figure 22 includes an EULA display area 451 for displaying the End User License Agreement (EULA), a checkbox 452 as a widget to be checked when the user agrees to the End User License Agreement shown in the EULA display area 451, a text box 453 as a widget for entering the user's password, and an activation button 454 as a widget for activating the user. The activation button 454 is grayed out and cannot be pressed in at least one of the following cases: when the checkbox 452 is not checked, or when no text is entered in the text box 453. In other words, the activation button 454 can only be pressed when the checkbox 452 is checked and text is entered in the text box 453.

[0147] When the user activation page 450 is displayed on the user terminal's display, the user can press the activation button 454 via the user terminal's control panel. When the activation button 454 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser sends user activation instructions (hereinafter referred to as "user activation instructions") to the print job management system 20, as shown in Figure 21 (S244). The web browser includes the password entered in the text box 453 at the time the activation button 454 is pressed in the user activation instructions.

[0148] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a user activation instruction sent from a user terminal in S244, it associates the password included in the received user activation instruction with the target tenant ID and username combination on the user activation page 450 and registers it in the user management information 24d (S245).

[0149] Users can access the print job management system 20 once their password is registered in the user management information 24d.

[0150] Next, we will describe the operation of system 10 when the print job management system 20 registers a print job.

[0151] Figure 23 is a sequence diagram of the operation of system 10 when the print job management system 20 registers a print job.

[0152] Users such as general users and guest users can register a print job via their user terminal if they are logged into the print job management system 20 via their user terminal. When the user terminal's web browser executes the print job registration operation, it sends a print job registration instruction (hereinafter referred to as "job registration instruction") to the print job management system 20, as shown in Figure 23 (S261).

[0153] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a job registration instruction sent from a user terminal in S261, it executes a job registration process (see Figure 24) as a process corresponding to this job registration instruction (S262).

[0154] Figure 24 is a flowchart of the job registration process shown in Figure 23.

[0155] As shown in Figure 24, the print job management unit 25a identifies the current date and time (S281).

[0156] When the processing in S281 is completed, the print job management unit 25a determines in S261 whether the role of the user who sent the job registration instruction from the user terminal (hereinafter referred to as the "target user" in the operation description shown in Figure 24) is that of a guest user (S282).

[0157] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S282 that the target user's role is a guest user, it determines whether the time from the reference login date and time, which is associated in user management information 24d with the tenant ID of the tenant to which the target user belongs (hereinafter referred to as the "target tenant" in the operation description shown in Figure 24), to the date and time identified in S281 exceeds the guest maintenance reference time (S283).

[0158] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S283 that the time from the reference login date and time associated in user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target user exceeds the guest maintenance reference time, it determines whether "Accepted" is indicated in the new job acceptance information associated in tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID of the target tenant (S284).

[0159] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S282 that the target user's role is not that of a guest user, or if it determines in S283 that the time from the reference login date and time associated in user management information 24d with the combination of the target tenant's tenant ID and the target user's username does not exceed the guest maintenance reference time, or if it determines in S284 that "accept" is indicated in the new job acceptance information associated in tenant management information 24c with the target tenant's tenant ID, then in S261 the print job that is the target of the job registration instruction sent from the user terminal is stored in the storage unit 24 (S285).

[0160] Next, the print job management unit 25a stores in the job management information 24g a combination of the job ID of the print job stored in S285, the username of the target user, the tenant ID of the target tenant, the registration date and time as identified in S281, and the execution status as not executed (S286).

[0161] The print job management unit 25a terminates the operation shown in Figure 24 when it determines in S284 that the new job acceptance information associated with the target tenant's tenant ID in tenant management information 24c does not indicate "accepted", or when the processing in S286 is completed.

[0162] Next, we will describe the operation of system 10 when logging in to the print job management system 20 from the image forming apparatus.

[0163] In the following section, representing the image forming apparatus, we will describe the operation of system 10 when logging in to the print job management system 20 from the image forming apparatus 40.

[0164] Figure 25 is a sequence diagram of the operation of system 10 when logging in from the image forming apparatus 40 to the print job management system 20.

[0165] Users such as general users and guest users can instruct the image forming apparatus 40 to log in to the print job management system 20 via the operation unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40. When the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 receives an instruction to log in to the print job management system 20, it sends a login instruction (hereinafter referred to as "login instruction") to the print job management system 20 (S301). The print job execution unit 48a includes the username and password entered via the operation unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40 in the login instruction.

[0166] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a login instruction sent from the image forming apparatus 40 in S301, it performs authentication based on the username and password combination included in the received login instruction (S302). The print job management unit 25a determines that authentication is successful if the username and password combination included in the login instruction is included in the user management information 24d, which is associated with the device ID of the image forming apparatus 40 in the device management information 24e. On the other hand, the print job management unit 25a determines that authentication is failed if the username and password combination included in the login instruction is not included in the user management information 24d, which is associated with the device ID of the image forming apparatus 40 in the device management information 24e.

[0167] If authentication in S302 is successful, the print job management unit 25a notifies the image forming apparatus 40 that login is permitted (S303).

[0168] When the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 receives the notification in S303, it displays permission to log in on the display unit 42 (S304). If a user of the image forming apparatus 40 has already logged in to the print job management system 20 via the image forming apparatus 40, they can perform various operations on the print job management system 20 via the image forming apparatus 40.

[0169] If authentication in S302 fails, the print job management unit 25a notifies the image forming apparatus 40 that login is not permitted (S305).

[0170] When the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 receives the notification in S305, it displays "Login denied" on the display unit 42 (S306).

[0171] The print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 performs the operations shown in Figure 12, whether logged in from an image forming apparatus or from a user terminal.

[0172] Next, we will describe the operation of system 10 when the image forming apparatus executes a print job.

[0173] In the following section, the operation of the system 10 when the image forming apparatus 40 executes a print job will be described, with the image forming apparatus 40 being a representative example.

[0174] Figure 26 is a sequence diagram of the operation of system 10 when the image forming apparatus 40 executes a print job.

[0175] Users such as general users and guest users can perform operations on the print job management system 20 via the image forming apparatus 40 to display a web page showing a list of print jobs (hereinafter referred to as the "job list page") when they are logged in to the print job management system 20 via the image forming apparatus 40. When an operation to display the job list page is performed, the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 accesses the job list page as shown in Figure 26 (S321).

[0176] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives an access request in S321, it identifies the print job associated in the job management information 24g with the combination of the username of the user who accessed the system in S321 and the tenant ID of the tenant to which this user belongs (S322).

[0177] When the processing in S322 is completed, the print job management unit 25a transmits the data of the job list page, which shows a list of print jobs identified in S322, to the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 (S323).

[0178] When the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 receives data transmitted from the print job management system 20 in S323, it displays the job list page 460 (see, for example, Figure 27) on the display unit 42 based on the received data (S324).

[0179] Figure 27 shows an example of the job list page 460 displayed during the operation shown in Figure 26.

[0180] The job list page 460 shown in Figure 27 includes a job list area 461 that displays a list of print jobs and a print button 462 that serves as a widget for executing print jobs.

[0181] When the job list page 460 is displayed on the display unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 40, the user can press the print button 462 via the operation unit 41 of the image forming apparatus 40. When the print button 462 is pressed on the display unit 42 while the print list page 460 shown in Figure 27 is displayed on the image forming apparatus 40, the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 requests the print job management system 20 for the print job that was selected in the job list area 461 at the time the print button 462 was pressed (S325), as shown in Figure 26.

[0182] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a request in S325, it transmits the print job that is the subject of the request in S325 to the image forming apparatus 40 (S326).

[0183] When the print job execution unit 48a of the image forming apparatus 40 receives a print job sent from the print job management system 20 in S326, it executes printing based on the received print job using the printer 43 (S327).

[0184] When the printing in S327 is completed, the print job execution unit 48a notifies the print job management system 20 of the completion of the print job (S328). The print job execution unit 48a includes the job ID of the completed print job in the notification in S328.

[0185] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives the notification in S328, it writes "Executed" to the execution status associated with the job ID included in the received notification in the job management information 24g (S329).

[0186] Next, we will explain how the print job management system 20 operates when a print job is automatically deleted.

[0187] Figure 28 is a flowchart showing the operation of the print job management system 20 when a print job is automatically deleted.

[0188] The print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 periodically performs the operations shown in Figure 28 for each print job stored in the job management information 24g.

[0189] As shown in Figure 28, the print job management unit 25a identifies the current date and time (S341).

[0190] When the processing in S341 is completed, the print job management unit 25a determines whether or not there is a job maintenance time associated in tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID associated in job management information 24g with the job ID of the target print job (S342).

[0191] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S342 that there is a job maintenance time associated in tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID associated in job management information 24g with the job ID of the target print job, it determines whether the time from the registration date and time associated in job management information 24g with the job ID of the target print job to the date and time identified in S341 exceeds the job maintenance time associated in tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID associated in job management information 24g with the job ID of the target print job (S343).

[0192] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S342 that there is no job maintenance time associated in tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID associated in job management information 24g with the job ID of the target print job, it determines whether or not a specific job maintenance default time exists in job maintenance default time information 24b (S344).

[0193] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S344 that a specific default job maintenance time exists in the default job maintenance time information 24b, it determines whether the time from the registration date and time associated with the job ID of the target print job in the job management information 24g to the date and time identified in S341 exceeds the default job maintenance time indicated in the default job maintenance time information 24b (S345).

[0194] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S343 that the time from the registration date and time associated with the job ID of the target print job in the job management information 24g to the date and time specified in S341 exceeds the job maintenance time associated with the tenant ID associated with the job ID of the target print job in the job management information 24g in tenant management information 24c, or if it determines in S345 that the time from the registration date and time associated with the job ID of the target print job in the job management information 24g to the date and time specified in S341 exceeds the default job maintenance time indicated in the default job maintenance time information 24b, it deletes the record of the target print job from the job management information 24g (S346).

[0195] Next, the print job management unit 25a deletes the target print job from the storage unit 24 (S347).

[0196] The print job management unit 25a terminates the operation shown in Figure 28 when it determines in S343 that the time from the registration date and time associated with the job ID of the target print job in the job management information 24g to the date and time specified in S341 does not exceed the job maintenance time associated with the tenant ID associated with the job ID of the target print job in the tenant management information 24c, or when it determines in S344 that there is no specific time in the default job maintenance time information 24b, or when it determines in S345 that the time from the registration date and time associated with the job ID of the target print job in the job management information 24g to the date and time specified in S341 does not exceed the default job maintenance time shown in the default job maintenance time information 24b, or when the processing in S347 is completed.

[0197] The above describes the case in which the print job management system 20 automatically deletes print jobs. However, the print job management system 20 may also delete print jobs in response to instructions from a user. For example, the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 may delete a print job stored in the storage unit 24 from the storage unit 24 in response to instructions from a user via a user terminal, identified by a combination of username and tenant ID associated with the job ID of the print job in the job management information 24g.

[0198] Next, we will describe how System 10 behaves when a tenant administrator deletes a user.

[0199] Figure 29 is a sequence diagram of the operation of System 10 when a tenant administrator deletes a user.

[0200] A tenant administrator, having logged into the print job management system 20 via a user terminal and with the user list page 410 (see Figure 15) displayed on the user terminal's display, can select at least one user displayed in the user list area 411 (see Figure 15) via the user terminal's control panel and then press the delete button 413 (see Figure 15) via the user terminal's control panel. When the delete button 413 is pressed, the user terminal's web browser sends a user deletion instruction (hereinafter referred to as "user deletion instruction") to the print job management system 20, as shown in Figure 29 (S361). The web browser includes a combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant on the user list page 410 and the username of the user that was selected in the user list area 411 at the time the delete button 413 was pressed in the user deletion instruction.

[0201] When the print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 receives a user deletion instruction sent from a user terminal in S361, it sends an account deletion email to the email address associated in the user management information 24d with the tenant ID and username combination included in the user deletion instruction sent from the user terminal in S361 (S362). If the user deletion instruction includes multiple usernames, the print job management unit 25a executes the process in S362 for each username included in the user deletion instruction.

[0202] When the print job management unit 25a generates an account deletion email in S362, it generates the account deletion email by the operation shown in Figure 30.

[0203] Figure 30 is a flowchart showing the operation of the print job management system 20 when generating an account deletion email.

[0204] As shown in Figure 30, the print job management unit 25a determines whether "include" is indicated in the unexecuted job notification information associated in the tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID of the tenant identified by the tenant ID associated in the user management information 24d with the user who is the target of the account deletion email to be generated (hereinafter referred to as "target user" in the description of the operation shown in Figure 30) (hereinafter referred to as "target tenant" in the description of the operation shown in Figure 30) (S371).

[0205] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S371 that the unexecuted job notification information associated with the tenant ID of the target tenant in tenant management information 24c is marked as "include", it determines whether or not there is a print job associated in job management information 24g with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "unexecuted" (S372).

[0206] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S372 that there is a print job associated in job management information 24g with a combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "not executed", it determines whether the total data volume of all print jobs associated in job management information 24g with a combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "not executed" is less than or equal to a specific data volume (S373).

[0207] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S373 that the total amount of data for all print jobs associated in job management information 24g with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "not executed" is less than or equal to a certain amount of data, it generates an account deletion email with the files of all print jobs associated in job management information 24g with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "not executed" attached (S374).

[0208] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S373 that the total amount of data for all print jobs associated in job management information 24g with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "not executed" is not less than a certain amount of data, it generates an account deletion email in the body that includes the file names of all print jobs associated in job management information 24g with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status of "not executed" (S375).

[0209] The print job management unit 25a generates a normal account deletion email (S376) if it determines in S371 that "include" is not indicated in the unexecuted job notification information associated with the target tenant's tenant ID in tenant management information 24c, or if it determines in S372 that there are no print jobs associated with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status "unexecuted" in job management information 24g. In other words, the account deletion email generated in S376 does not have the file of the print job associated with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status "unexecuted" attached, nor does it include the file name of the print job associated with the combination of the target user's username, the target tenant's tenant ID, and the execution status "unexecuted" in job management information 24g in the body of the email.

[0210] When the print job management unit 25a completes processing S374, S375, or S376, it terminates the operation shown in Figure 30.

[0211] As shown in Figure 29, when the processing in S362 is completed, the print job management unit 25a deletes the record containing the tenant ID and username combination included in the user deletion instruction sent from the user terminal in S361 from the user management information 24d (S363). If the user deletion instruction includes multiple usernames, the print job management unit 25a executes the processing in S363 for each username included in the user deletion instruction.

[0212] Next, the print job management unit 25a deletes all print jobs identified by the job ID associated in the job management information 24g with the tenant ID and username combination included in the user deletion instruction sent from the user terminal in S361 from the storage unit 24 (S364). If the user deletion instruction includes multiple usernames, the print job management unit 25a executes the process in S364 for each username included in the user deletion instruction.

[0213] Next, the print job management unit 25a deletes the record containing the tenant ID and username combination included in the user deletion instruction sent from the user terminal in S361 from the job management information 24g (S365). If the user deletion instruction includes multiple usernames, the print job management unit 25a executes the process in S365 for each username included in the user deletion instruction.

[0214] Next, we will explain how the print job management system 20 operates when guest users are automatically deleted.

[0215] Figure 31 is a flowchart showing the operation of the print job management system 20 when guest users are automatically deleted.

[0216] The print job management unit 25a of the print job management system 20 periodically performs the operations shown in Figure 31 for each guest user stored in the user management information 24d.

[0217] As shown in Figure 31, the print job management unit 25a identifies the current date and time (S381).

[0218] When the processing in S381 is completed, the print job management unit 25a determines whether or not a reference login date and time is associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the tenant to which the target guest user (hereinafter referred to as "target guest user" in the operation description shown in Figure 31) belongs (hereinafter referred to as "target tenant" in the operation description shown in Figure 31) and the username of the target guest user (S382).

[0219] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S382 that a reference login date and time is associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user, it determines whether the time from the reference login date and time associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user to the date and time identified in S381 exceeds the guest maintenance reference time (S383).

[0220] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S383 that the time from the reference login date and time associated in user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user exceeds the guest maintenance reference time, it determines whether the first automatic deletion method is indicated in the guest automatic deletion method in tenant management information 24c (S384).

[0221] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S384 that the first automatic deletion method is not indicated in the guest automatic deletion method in the tenant management information 24c, it determines whether or not there are any unexecuted print jobs associated in the job management information 24g with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user (S385).

[0222] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S385 that there is an unexecuted print job associated in job management information 24g with the combination of the target tenant's tenant ID and the target guest user's username, it determines whether "delete" is indicated in the guest automatic deletion information associated in tenant management information 24c with the target tenant's tenant ID (S386).

[0223] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S386 that the guest automatic deletion information associated with the tenant ID of the target tenant in the tenant management information 24c indicates "delete", it determines whether or not there is a job retention time associated with the tenant ID of the target tenant in the tenant management information 24c (S387).

[0224] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S387 that there is no job maintenance time associated with the tenant ID of the target tenant in the tenant management information 24c, it determines whether or not a specific job maintenance default time exists in the job maintenance default time information 24b (S388).

[0225] If the print job management unit 25a determines in S384 that the first automatic deletion method is indicated in the guest automatic deletion method in the tenant management information 24c, or determines in S385 that there are no unexecuted print jobs associated in the job management information 24g with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user, or determines in S388 that there is no specific default job maintenance time in the job maintenance default time information 24b, it sends an account deletion email to the email address associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user (S389).

[0226] When the print job management unit 25a generates an account deletion email in S389, it generates the account deletion email using the operation shown in Figure 30.

[0227] As shown in Figure 31, when the print job management unit 25a completes the processing in S389, it deletes the record containing the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user from the user management information 24d (S390).

[0228] Next, the print job management unit 25a deletes all print jobs identified by the job ID associated in the job management information 24g with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user from the storage unit 24 (S391).

[0229] Next, the print job management unit 25a deletes the record containing the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user from the job management information 24g (S392).

[0230] The print job management unit 25a terminates the operation shown in Figure 31 when it determines in S382 that a reference login date and time is not associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user, or when it determines in S383 that the time from the reference login date and time associated in the user management information 24d with the combination of the tenant ID of the target tenant and the username of the target guest user does not exceed the guest maintenance reference time, or when it determines in S386 that "delete" is not indicated in the guest automatic deletion information associated in the tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID of the target tenant, or when it determines in S387 that a job maintenance time exists associated in the tenant management information 24c with the tenant ID of the target tenant, or when it determines in S388 that a specific job maintenance default time exists in the job maintenance default time information 24b, or when the processing in S392 is completed.

[0231] As explained above, when a print job for a guest user is executed, the print job management system 20 prohibits it from automatically disabling the execution of that guest user's print job (S390) if it is managing that guest user's unexecuted print jobs (S385 YES). Therefore, if multiple print jobs for this guest user are being managed, the likelihood of all of these print jobs being executed is increased, and as a result, the convenience of executing the guest user's print jobs is improved.

[0232] The print job management system 20 prohibits (NO in S383) from automatically disabling (S390) the execution of a specific guest user's print job before the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the reference login date and time. This improves the likelihood that the guest user's print job will be executed, and as a result, improves the convenience of executing the guest user's print job.

[0233] The print job management system 20, if a specific guest user logs in before the guest maintenance reference time has elapsed from the reference login time (NO in S144), sets the latest login time by this guest user as the new reference login time (S146). This improves the likelihood that this guest user's print jobs will be executed, and as a result, improves the convenience of executing print jobs for guest users.

[0234] The print job management system 20, when a specific guest user logs in after the guest maintenance reference time has elapsed from the reference login date and time (YES in S144), sets the latest login time by this guest user as the new reference login date and time (YES in S145 and S146). This improves the likelihood that this guest user's print jobs will be executed, and as a result, improves the convenience of executing print jobs for guest users.

[0235] The print job management system 20 prohibits a specific guest user from uploading new print jobs (S285) (S284 NO) after the guest maintenance standard time has elapsed from the reference login date and time (S283 YES), thereby reducing the possibility that the period during which this guest user's print jobs are automatically disabled will be extended too much by the upload of new print jobs.

[0236] If the print job management system 20 automatically disables the execution of a specific guest user's print jobs (S390), and manages the guest user's unexecuted print jobs (YES in S385), it will notify the guest user of information about the unexecuted print jobs via account deletion email (S374, S375, and S389), thereby allowing the guest user to become aware of their unexecuted print jobs.

[0237] If the print job management system 20 automatically disables the execution of a specific guest user's print jobs (S390), and if it manages the unexecuted print jobs of that guest user (YES in S385), it attaches the files of the unexecuted print jobs of that guest user to the account deletion email (S374), making it easy for the guest user to recognize their unexecuted print jobs.

[0238] The print job management system 20 automatically disables the execution of a specific guest user's print jobs (S390). If it manages the unexecuted print jobs of this guest user (YES in S385), and the total data volume of all unexecuted print jobs of this guest user is less than or equal to a certain data volume (YES in S373), it attaches the files of all unexecuted print jobs of this guest user to the account deletion email (S374). If the total data volume of all unexecuted print jobs of this guest user is not less than or equal to a certain data volume (NO in S373), it includes the filenames of all unexecuted print jobs of this guest user in the account deletion email (S375). This reduces the possibility of the account deletion email becoming too large.

[0239] The print job management system 20 employs a method of automatically deleting guest user accounts to prevent guest users from executing print jobs. However, the print job management system 20 may employ a method other than automatically deleting guest user accounts if it is possible to automatically prevent guest users from executing print jobs. For example, the print job management system 20 can automatically prevent guest users from executing print jobs by automatically disabling the guest user account without deleting it. [Explanation of symbols]

[0240] 20. Print job management system (computer, information processing device) 24a Print Job Management Program 24f print job 25a Print Job Management Department

Claims

1. It is equipped with a print job management unit that manages print jobs, The aforementioned print job management unit can automatically prevent guest users, who are temporary users, from executing the aforementioned print jobs. The print job management system is characterized in that, when a print job for a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits the automatic disabling of execution of the print job for that specific guest user when it is managing the unexecuted print jobs for that specific guest user.

2. The print job management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the print job management unit prohibits automatically disabling the execution of the print job for a specific guest user before a specific time has elapsed from a reference time.

3. The print job management system according to claim 2, characterized in that if the print job management unit is logged in by the specific guest user before the specific time has elapsed from the reference time, the latest login time by the specific guest user is set as the new reference time.

4. The print job management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, if the print job management unit is logged in by the specific guest user after a specific time has elapsed from the reference time, the latest login time by the specific guest user is set as the new reference time.

5. The print job management system according to claim 2, characterized in that the print job management unit prohibits the uploading of new print jobs by the specific guest user after a specific time has elapsed from the reference time.

6. The print job management unit terminates the management of print jobs that have exceeded the maintenance time if a maintenance time has been set for the duration of the print job. When the print job management unit is executing the print job of the specified guest user, even if it is managing the unexecuted print jobs of the specified guest user, if the specified time has elapsed from the reference time and the maintenance time has not been set, it will automatically disable the execution of the print job of the specified guest user. The print job management system according to claim 2, characterized in that when the print job management unit automatically makes it impossible for a specific guest user to execute the print job, it notifies the specific guest user of the job information as information about the specific guest user's unexecuted print job via email when it is managing the specific guest user's unexecuted print job.

7. The print job management system according to claim 6, characterized in that when the print job management unit automatically makes it impossible for a specific guest user to execute the print job, and when it is managing the unexecuted print jobs of the specific guest user, it attaches the file of the unexecuted print job of the specific guest user as job information to the email.

8. When the print job management unit automatically disables the execution of the print job for the specific guest user, and is managing the unexecuted print jobs for the specific guest user, When the total amount of data for all unexecuted print jobs of the specified guest user is less than or equal to a specified amount of data, the files of all unexecuted print jobs of the specified guest user are attached to the email as the job information. The print job management system according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the total amount of data for all unexecuted print jobs of the specified guest user is not less than or equal to the specified amount of data, the file names of all unexecuted print jobs of the specified guest user are included in the email as job information.

9. It is equipped with a print job management unit that manages print jobs, The aforementioned print job management unit can automatically prevent guest users, who are temporary users, from executing the aforementioned print jobs. The information processing device is characterized in that, when a print job for a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits the automatic disabling of execution of the print job for that specific guest user when it is managing the unexecuted print jobs for that specific guest user.

10. The print job management unit, which manages print jobs, is implemented on a computer. The aforementioned print job management unit can automatically prevent guest users, who are temporary users, from executing the aforementioned print jobs. The print job management program is characterized in that, when a print job for a specific guest user is executed, the print job management unit prohibits the automatic disabling of execution of the print job for the specific guest user when it is managing the unexecuted print jobs for the specific guest user.

Images