Information processing device and information processing program

Abstract

To allow data provision modes to be diversified according to whether users are present, compared with the case of providing data by a uniform provision mode.SOLUTION: When an information processing device receives data for a user by facsimile communication, the information processing device performs a process by a provision mode of the data according to whether a user is present at a business base registered in advance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that data received by facsimile communication is output according to the user's situation. The information processing device in Patent Document 1 receives data from a sender by facsimile communication, and controls the execution of either transferring the data to a destination by e-mail or printing the data on a recording medium according to transfer conditions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-040255 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Recently, with the advancement of teleworking, the way of working has become more diverse, and work is now being carried out at various business locations, such as a main office, a satellite office, a coworking space, and a home. The business locations where users work vary from time to time. In addition, sometimes the user is at the business location, and sometimes the user is outside the business location due to leaving work, vacation, and the like. In this background, the problem is how to provide data such as received faxes to the user. For example, if the user is at the business location, the user can receive the data by printing it at the business location. On the other hand, if the user is outside the business location, the user cannot receive the data even if it is printed. Therefore, if data is provided in a uniform manner regardless of the user's location at the business location, it may be inconvenient for the user.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and an information processing program that can diversify the manner in which data is provided depending on the user's location, as compared to the case in which data is provided in a uniform manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a processor, which, when receiving data for a user via facsimile communication, executes processing in a manner in which the data is provided according to the location of the user at a pre-registered business location.

[0007] An information processing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, in which the processor executes the processing by setting the provision manner to at least one of printing, sending by email, and storing on a server.

[0008] An information processing device according to a third aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the processor determines whether the location status is inside the business base or outside the business base.

[0009] An information processing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein when the location status is identified as being within the business base and there is equipment capable of printing at the business base, the processor executes the processing with the provision mode being printing of the data by the equipment.

[0010] An information processing device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein when there are multiple devices at the business base, the processor prints the data using a device used by the user identified from the usage history of the multiple devices.

[0011] An information processing device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the third aspect of the present invention, and when the location status is determined to be outside the business base, the processor executes the processing by setting the provision manner to sending an email or storing in a server.

[0012] An information processing device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein when the location status is determined to be outside the business base, the processor executes the processing to retain the data for a certain period of time.

[0013] An information processing device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the processor executes the process after the certain period of time has elapsed, with the provision mode being email transmission.

[0014] An information processing device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to any of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, wherein the usage information of a management server that manages users includes at least one of login information, access source information, and location information associated with the business location, and the location status is identified by the processor according to the usage information.

[0015] An information processing device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, wherein the login information is information that the user logs in when he / she arrives at work and logs out when he / she leaves work, and the processor determines, by the login information, that the location status is within the business base if the user is logged in, and determines, by the processor, that the location status is outside the business base if the user is logged out based on the login information.

[0016] An information processing device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, wherein the access source information is information on access to the management server from an equipment used by the user for business, and the processor identifies a section of the business base corresponding to the access source information as the location status.

[0017] An information processing device according to a 12th aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to an 11th aspect of the present invention, in which, if there is a device capable of printing in the area, the processor executes the processing by setting the provision mode as printing of the data by the device.

[0018] An information processing device according to a 13th aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to the 9th aspect of the present invention, wherein the location information is information identifying which of a plurality of business locations the user is located at, and the processor identifies the business location corresponding to the location information as the location status.

[0019] An information processing device according to a 14th aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to any of the 9th to 13th aspects of the present invention, wherein the processor identifies the location status by a combination of the login information, the access source information, and the location information of the usage information.

[0020] An information processing device according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects of the present invention, and when there are a plurality of business locations, the provision aspect is determined for each business location so that, depending on whether printing is possible at that business location, printing is performed if printing is possible, and if printing is not possible, sending by email or storing in a server.

[0021] An information processing program according to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention causes a computer, when receiving data for a user via facsimile communication, to execute processing in a manner in which the data is provided according to the location status of the user at a pre-registered business location. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the first and sixteenth aspects of the present invention, the manner in which data is provided can be diversified according to the user's location situation, compared to a case in which data is provided in a uniform manner.

[0023] According to the second aspect of the present invention, data can be provided to a user in a variety of providing modes.

[0024] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the location of the user, whether inside or outside the business base, can be identified, and the business status of the user can be grasped.

[0025] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, data can be printed and provided to a user located within a business base.

[0026] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, data can be smoothly provided by printing on a device close to the user.

[0027] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, data can be provided so that it can be viewed remotely for users outside the business location.

[0028] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a grace period for deciding the mode of provision, assuming a case where the user moves from outside to inside the business base.

[0029] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when a user does not return from outside a business location, data can be provided so that it can be viewed remotely.

[0030] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the specific location situation of the user can be identified by the usage information.

[0031] According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the user's arrival at work, departure from work, and leaving the office can be identified from the usage information.

[0032] According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to identify the section within the business base where the user is located.

[0033] According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, data can be printed on a device located in the bay.

[0034] According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to identify which of a plurality of business locations the user is located at, and to transfer data to the business location where the user is located.

[0035] According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the latest location status of a user can be identified by tracing the transition of the user.

[0036] According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, data can be provided in a manner that corresponds to the printing availability status of the business base. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a data management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of usage information stored in an information storage unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case in which the location status of a certain user is determined by time period for the behavior tables (A) and (B). [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the location status and provision mode of each user. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a data providing process performed by an information processing device. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a case where a plurality of image forming apparatuses are provided at a secondary business location. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart of a data providing process in a first modified example. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of device usage information acquired from a plurality of image forming apparatuses. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a case in which a secondary business base has a plurality of sections, and an image forming apparatus is installed in each section. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart of a data providing process in a second modified example. [Figure 13]13 is a flowchart of a data providing process in a third modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a data management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the data management system 1, a user management server 2, an information processing device 10 in an entire business base 3, and a terminal 40 owned by a user are connected via a network N. In the data management system 1, when business data 20 such as a FAX for a user is received by facsimile communication, the information processing device 10 manages the manner in which the data 20 is provided to the user. The entire business base 3 includes a main business base 3A which is a main office, and a secondary business base 3B which is a satellite office. Note that there may be multiple satellite offices. The main business base 3A and the secondary business base 3B each have an image forming device 30 (30A and 30B). The image forming device 30 is installed in the number required appropriately at each business base. Note that the devices and equipment in the entire business base 3 and the terminal 40 may be connected by a dedicated line such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network) different from the network N. In the following description, when the business bases as a whole 3, the main business base 3A, and the secondary business bases 3B are not specified, they will be simply referred to as "business bases."

[0040] The user management server 2 is a server equipped with a function for managing users. The user management server 2 may be a server provided by any service, such as a directory service for collecting data, and a time management service provided as SaaS (Software as a Service), etc., as long as it can manage the work status of users. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a user logs in and out of the time management service provided by the user management server 2 to perform work. The user management server 2 accumulates information on the user's use of the user management server 2, and the information processing device 10 acquires this information. Specific aspects of the use information will be described later.

[0041] The information processing device 10 is a device that controls the manner in which data 20 (e.g., data in an image format) received by facsimile communication is provided. The information processing device 10 performs processing in a manner that corresponds to the user's location, and the manner in which the data is provided includes printing the data 20 by the image forming device 30, sending an e-mail, and storing the data. The information processing device 10 transfers the data 20 to the image forming device 30 as appropriate based on the user's location, and causes the image forming device 30 to print the data 20. The information processing device 10 may have the functions of the image forming device 30.

[0042] The data 20 is facsimile data received by facsimile communication. The data 20 may be e-mail or other data other than facsimile data. The data 20 includes user information and is transmitted in a format that allows the destination user to be identified. The format of the user information included in the data 20 includes, for example, metadata and image data, and the destination user can be identified by an identification method corresponding to each format. In the case of metadata, the user information includes a company name, a user ID, an email address, etc. If the user information is metadata, the destination user can be identified by referring to the metadata. If the user information is image data, the destination user can be identified by collating character string information read by OCR.

[0043] The image forming device 30 is a device having at least a facsimile function and a print function. Specifically, the image forming device 30 has a function of printing the data 20 transferred from the information processing device 10 on paper as a recording medium, a function of transferring the data 20 to an external device, and the like. The image forming device 30 may further have at least one of a scan function and a copy function. The image forming device also has an address book linked to a user.

[0044] The terminal 40 is a terminal such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a mobile phone. For convenience of explanation, the terminal 40 is shown in FIG. 1 as being connected to the entire business base 3 via a network N, but it is possible to use an internal network within the entire business base 3, and a VPN connection may be made from outside the office. A user logs in or out of the attendance management service of the user management server 2 from the terminal 40.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0046] 2, the information processing device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication interface (I / F) 17. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 19 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0047] The CPU 11 is a central processing unit, and executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 11 reads a program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14, and executes the program using the RAM 13 as a working area. The CPU 11 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program recorded in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In this embodiment, a data provision processing program is stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

[0048] The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 14 is configured with a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system, and various data.

[0049] The input unit 15 includes a pointing device such as a mouse, and a keyboard, and is used to perform various input operations.

[0050] The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. The display unit 16 may function as the input unit 15 by adopting a touch panel system.

[0051] The communication interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the terminal 40, and uses standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0052] The information processing device 10 may be provided with, as the sensor 18, a position information sensor that acquires information on the current position, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor.

[0053] When executing the above information recording program, the information processing device 10 realizes various functions using the above hardware resources. The functional configuration realized by the information processing device 10 will be described.

[0054] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the information processing device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0055] 3, the information processing device 10 has, as its functional components, a communication unit 101, an information storage unit 102, a discrimination unit 103, and a control unit 104. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 11 reading and executing an information recording program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

[0056] The communication unit 101 receives data 20 for a user. Furthermore, the communication unit 101 acquires usage information on the user to whom the data 20 is directed from the user management server 2 through communication with the user management server 2. Furthermore, the communication unit 101 transfers the data 20 to the image forming apparatus 30 as necessary.

[0057] The information storage unit 102 stores management information, rules on the mode of provision, and usage information received from the user management server 2. The management information includes user identification information and device identification information. The user identification information is, for example, information for identifying a user, such as a user ID, name, and email address. The device identification information is information for identifying the image forming device 30, such as a device ID, name, FAX ID, email address, IP address, and MAC address of the image forming device 30. The rules on the mode of provision will be described later. An example of usage information will be described below.

[0058] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the usage information stored in the information storage unit 102. The usage information 102A in FIG. 4 has a login history and a connection source IP address as items in a table format. The items in the example shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The login and logout in the login history indicate the time of accessing the user management server 2 to log in and the time of logout. The connection source IP address is the IP address of the connection source when the user last logged in from the terminal 40 that can access the user management server 2 from inside and outside the entire business base 3. The login and logout times are recorded in the format of "YYYY / MM / DD hh:mm:ss". The login history is an example of login information, and the connection source IP address is an example of access source information. Regarding the login history, login is recorded when the user performs work at the business base, that is, when the user comes to work, when the user uses the in-house system, or when the user returns to the office from outside the office, and logout is recorded when the user goes outside the business base, that is, when the user goes out or when the user leaves the office. Therefore, if the most recent login history is login, it is usually assumed that the user is in the office, and if the most recent login history is logout, it is assumed that the user is outside the office. Depending on the access source information, it can be determined whether the user is at a business location or is accessing remotely via a VPN. Note that login information and access source information are examples of usage information, and information regarding the location of other users may also be used as usage information. For example, location information indicating which business location out of all business locations 3 the user is at may be obtained from the user management server 2 as usage information. Location information is not limited to access for logging in or logging out of the attendance management service, and it is sufficient to record the business location being accessed from the connection source IP address when accessing to use all services provided by the user management server 2.

[0059] The discrimination unit 103 identifies the destination user from the user information included in the data 20. Next, the discrimination unit 103 discriminates the user's location status based on the usage information. Here, an example of a mode of discrimination of the user's location status using the usage information in the discrimination unit 103 will be described. In the discrimination unit 103, except for exceptions, when the connection source IP address where the last login was made is an IP address within the business base, it is determined that the user is in the company of the business base corresponding to the IP address. In addition, when the user has logged out after the last login or when the connection source IP address is an IP address of a VPN, it is determined that the user is outside the business base, that is, outside the company. In addition, when there is no login during the day, it is determined that the user is not at work and is outside the company. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a case in which the location status is discriminated by time period for the behavior tables (A) and (B) of a certain user.

[0060] The behavior table (A) shown in FIG. 5 is an example of a case where the user's behavior is divided into "morning (09:00-12:00)", "daytime (12:00-14:00)", and "afternoon (14:00-)". In the behavior table (A), the user goes out in the daytime and logs in to the user management server 2 from the outside. The user comes to the main business base 3A during the "morning" time period and logs in to the attendance management service of the management server 2 from the terminal 40 of a desktop PC. The login occurs at "09:00" during the "morning" time period, and the IP address from which the last login originates is the business base 3A. Since the login occurs and the IP address from which the last login originates is within the main business base 3A, the discrimination unit 103 discriminates the user's location status as being within the main business base 3A during the "morning". Next, in the "daytime" time period, the user moves from the main business base 3A to a destination (outside the company), so the user logs out from the desktop PC terminal 40 before moving. Even if the source IP address of the last login is the main business base 3A, since the user logged out at the time "12:00" in the "daytime" time period, the discrimination unit 103 determines that the user is outside the company in the "daytime". In the "afternoon" time period, the user arrives at the destination (outside the company) and logs in from the notebook PC terminal 40. At the time "14:00" in the "afternoon" time period, a new login occurs, and the source IP address of the last login is a VPN. Since there is a new login and the source IP address of the last login is a VPN, the discrimination unit 103 determines that the user is outside the company in the "afternoon". Note that "outside the company" here does not matter whether it is a destination, home, or a coworking space.

[0061] Behavior table (B) is an example in which the user's behavior is divided into "daytime (09:00-17:00)," "evening (17:00-20:00)," and "night (20:00 and after)." Behavior table (B) shows a case in which the user remains logged in in the morning and then logs in via VPN from outside the company in the evening. The user comes to the secondary business location 3B during the "morning" time period and logs in to the attendance management service of the management server 2 from a desktop PC terminal 40. The login occurs at "09:00" during the "daytime" time period, and the IP address from which the last login originated is the secondary business location 3B. Since there is a login and the IP address from which the last login originated is within the secondary business location 3B, the discrimination unit 103 discriminates that the user is present within the primary business location 3A during the "daytime." Next, during the "evening" time period, the user logs in to the desktop PC of the primary business location 3A, and logs in to the attendance management service of the management server 2 from a desktop PC terminal 40. Assume that the user has not logged out and the account is locked. In this case, since the time when the source IP address last logged in from the secondary business base 3B has passed a certain time, the discrimination unit 103 discriminates that the user is outside the company in the "evening". In this way, even if the source IP address of the last login is within the business base, if a certain time has passed, it is inferred that the user is not likely to be working within the business base and is discriminated that the user is outside the company. In the "afternoon" time period, the user starts up the terminal 40 of the notebook PC at home and logs in from the notebook PC. At the time "20:00" in the "night" time period, a new login occurs, and the source IP address of the last login is a VPN. Since there is a new login and the source IP address of the last login is a VPN, the discrimination unit 103 discriminates that the user is outside the company in the "night".

[0062] The above is an explanation of the behavior tables (A) and (B) in FIG. 5. As described above, the location status can be determined from the combination of the login information (login or logout in the login history) of the usage information and the access source information (connection source IP address). Although the description has been given of an example of simply moving outside the company, the present invention is not limited to this, and various cases are naturally assumed, such as moving between business locations from the main business location 3A to the secondary business location 3B, moving from home to a business location, and the like. In addition, in the combination of the usage information, the location information may be acquired, and when all the combinations of the usage information match, it may be determined that the user is inside or outside the company. This makes it possible to more reliably identify the user's location status. By the above processing of the determination unit 103, it is possible to identify the user's location status as being inside any business location (in the company) or outside the business location (outside the company).

[0063] The control unit 104 determines the providing mode of the data 20 according to the location status determined by the determination unit 103 according to the rules of the providing mode, and executes processing of the data 20 according to the determined providing mode. The providing mode is, for example, printing or e-mail transmission. Instead of e-mail transmission, storage in a server may be performed. Printing is printing by the image forming device 30 at the business base where the destination user is located. E-mail transmission is sending the data 20 attached to the e-mail address of the user identification information of the destination user. Storage in a server is providing a data storage directory (not shown) accessible by the user in the storage 14 in the information processing device 10, and storing the data 20 in the data storage directory. In the following description, the case of printing or e-mail transmission will be described. It is assumed that the rules of the providing mode stored in the information storage unit 102 prescribe rules according to whether the location status is inside or outside the business base. In the rules of the providing mode of the present embodiment, it is prescribes that if it is determined that the user is inside the business base, it is determined to provide the data by printing, and if it is determined that the user is outside the business base, it is determined to provide the data by e-mail transmission. Note that the rules for the manner of provision are not limited to this. For example, even if the result of determining the location status is outside the company, if the return to the company is scheduled in advance in the schedule management of the attendance management service, it may be decided to provide the information by printing rather than by email.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the location status and the provision mode of each user. In the example shown in FIG. 6, three data 20 are received, and user A, user B, and user C are identified as destination users. The location status of each user is identified from the usage information, and then the provision mode according to the location status is determined. In addition, the user management server 2 collects the usage information of user A, user B, and user C via a terminal 40 (not shown), and the information processing device 10 acquires the usage information. For user A, the user has logged in from the terminal 40 of the secondary business base 3B, and it is determined that the location status is within the secondary business base 3B. Therefore, for user A, the control unit 104 processes the data 20 in a provision mode in which the data 20 is transferred to the image forming device 30 of the secondary business base 3B and printed. For user B, the user has connected to the VPN from home, and it is determined that the location status is outside the company. For user C, the user has not logged in on the day and has not yet come to work, and it is determined that the location status is outside the company. Therefore, for users B and C, when the location is outside the company, the control unit 104 processes the data 20 in a provision mode of sending the data by email. Note that even if the user is inside the company, it is possible that the business base where the user is located does not have an image forming device 30. In such a case, a rule for the provision mode may be set so that, depending on whether printing is possible at the business base (i.e., whether the image forming device 30 is present), the data is printed if printing is possible and sent by email.

[0065] Next, the operation of the information processing device 10 will be described.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the data providing process by the information processing device 10. The data providing process is performed by the CPU 11 reading out the information recording program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14, expanding it in the RAM 13, and executing it. The data providing process shown in Fig. 7 is performed when the communication unit 101 receives the data 20.

[0067] In step S101, the CPU 11 identifies a destination user from the received data 20. The method of identifying the destination user may be a method according to the format of the user information included in the data 20, as described above.

[0068] In step S102, the CPU 11 acquires from the user management server 2 the usage information of the user of the identified destination.

[0069] In step S103, the CPU 11 determines the user's location status based on the usage information acquired in step S102.

[0070] In step S104, the CPU 11 determines whether the location situation determined in step S103 is inside the company or outside the company. If the location situation is inside the company, the process proceeds to step S105. If the location situation is outside the company, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0071] In step S105, the CPU 11 determines the form of provision to be provision by printing, in accordance with the rules for the form of provision.

[0072] In step S106, the CPU 11 prints the data 20 by the image forming device 30 at the business location corresponding to the location situation. If the business location where the user is located is the main business location 3A, the data 20 is transferred to the image forming device 30A for printing. If the business location where the user is located is the secondary business location 3B, the data 20 is transferred to the image forming device 30B for printing.

[0073] In step S107, the CPU 11 determines that the provision mode is to be the provision by email transmission, in accordance with the rules for the provision mode.

[0074] In step S108, CPU 11 obtains an email address from the user identification information of the destination user, and transmits data 20 attached to the email address.

[0075] As described above, according to this embodiment, the data can be provided in a variety of ways depending on the user's location, compared to the case where the data is provided in a uniform manner.

[0076] (Variation 1) Next, modified examples of the data management system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, as the first modified example, a case where there are multiple image forming devices 30 at the business base where the user is located will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a case where there are multiple image forming devices 30 (30B1 to 30B3) at a secondary business base 3B. In such a case, the problem arises as to which image forming device 30 should be used to print the data 20. Therefore, the discrimination unit 103 identifies the image forming device 30 used by the destination user for business purposes.

[0077] A flowchart of the data provision process in the first modified example is shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9, after it is determined in step S105 that the data will be provided by printing, the processes in and after step S201 are carried out.

[0078] In step S201, the CPU 11 collects device usage information from each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 30 (30B1 to 30B3).

[0079] In step S202, the CPU 11 identifies the image forming device 30 most recently used by the destination user based on the collected device usage information. An example of identifying the image forming device 30 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of device usage information acquired from a plurality of image forming devices 30. If the destination user is user A, it is understood that the image forming device 30 last used by user A was image forming device 30B3, which was used on the date and time "2020 / 09 / 28 16:25:00". Therefore, the image forming device 30 most recently used by destination user A is identified as image forming device 30B3.

[0080] In step S203, the CPU 11 prints the data 20 by the image forming device 30 identified in step S202.

[0081] As a second modified example, when there are multiple sections in a business base, a case will be described in which a section corresponding to the access source information is identified and an image forming device 30 installed in the section is identified. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a case in which there are multiple sections in a secondary business base 3B, and an image forming device 30 is installed in each section. An IP address capable of identifying the section is assigned to the section in the business base, and when a user logs in to the management server 2 from a terminal 40 in the section, the IP address capable of identifying the section is recorded in the usage information as a connection source IP address. Therefore, the section in which the user is located can be identified from the connection source IP address in the location situation. If the section is identified, the image forming device 30 installed in the section can be identified. In addition, it is not necessary to refer to the device usage information of the image forming device 30 as described above.

[0082] A flowchart of the data provision process in the second modified example is shown in Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 12, after it is decided to provide the data by printing in step S105, the processes in and after step S301 are performed. Note that in the determination in step S103, the location status is stored including the connection source IP address.

[0083] In step S301, the CPU 11 identifies the business base and area in which the user is located from the source IP address in the location situation determined in step S103.

[0084] In step S302, the CPU 11 prints the data 20 by the image forming device 30 installed in the section identified in step S301.

[0085] As a third modified example, a case where the data is put on hold will be described. After determining that the mode of provision is email transmission, the control unit 104 holds the data 20 for a certain period of time and puts the email transmission on hold. If the user returns from outside the company before the certain period has elapsed, the mode of provision is switched to printing and processing is performed, and if the certain period has elapsed without the user returning from outside the company, email transmission is performed.

[0086] A flowchart of the data provision process in the third modified example is shown in Fig. 13. As shown in Fig. 13, after it is determined in step S107 that the data is to be provided by email transmission, the processes in and after step S401 are carried out.

[0087] In step S401, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed. If the certain period of time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S108. If the certain period of time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S402.

[0088] In step S402, the CPU 11 judges whether or not the user has returned to the company. If the user has returned to the company, the process proceeds to step S106. If the user has not returned to the company, the process returns to step S401 and is repeated. This holds the processing of the data 20 until a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0089] Other aspects of the embodiment will be described. The determination unit 103 may determine the working status indicating whether the user is at work or not at work (has finished work) based on not only the location status but also the login history. In this case, the control unit 104 may process the data 20 in a manner of provision according to the location status and the working status. For example, when the user is at work and not in the business base, the data 20 may be held for a certain period of time, and when the user is not at work, the data 20 may be immediately sent by e-mail. When the user is not at work, the data 20 may be sent by e-mail to related users together with the user according to the settings of the user.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the data providing process executed by the CPU by reading the software (program) may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. In this case, examples of the processor include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process. The data providing process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the data providing process program is stored (installed) in advance in a ROM or storage, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The program may also be downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0092] In addition, the operations of the processor in the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1 Data Management System 2. User Management Server 3. Entire business base 3A Main place of business 3B Secondary business base 10. Information processing device 20 Information storage device 30 Image forming device 40 Terminals 101 Communications Department 102 Information storage section 103 Discrimination part 104 Control section

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, When data for a user is received by facsimile communication, Executing a process in accordance with a mode of providing the data according to a location situation of the user at a pre-registered business base; Identifying whether the user is inside or outside the business location as the location status, and determining whether the user is working or not based on a login history; When the location status is identified as being outside the business base and the user is determined to be at work, the data is held for a certain period of time, and after the certain period of time has elapsed, the data is provided in an e-mail format and the process is executed; When the location status is identified as being outside the business base and the user is determined to be off-work, the process is executed so that the data is not held for a certain period of time, the provision mode is changed to email transmission, and email transmission is sent to the user and related users according to the user's settings. Information processing device.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information providing mode is at least one of printing, sending by e-mail, and storing in a server, and the process is executed.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the location status is specified as being inside or outside the business base.

4. If the location is determined to be within the business base and there is a device capable of printing at the business base, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the providing mode is printing of the data by the device, and the process is executed.

5. If there are multiple devices at the business location, The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the data is printed by a device used by the user that is identified from a usage history of the plurality of devices.

6. If the location is determined to be outside the business location, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the information providing mode is sending the information by email or storing the information in a server, and the process is executed.

7. The usage information of the management server that manages the user includes at least one of login information, access source information, and location information associated with the business base, 7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the location status is specified according to the usage information.

8. The login information is information that the user logs in when coming to work and logs out when leaving work, If the login information indicates that the user is logged in, the location status is identified as being within the business base; The information processing device according to claim 7 , wherein, when the login information indicates that the user has logged out, the location status is specified as being outside the business base.

9. the access source information is information on an access to the management server from a device used by the user for business purposes; The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a section of the business base corresponding to the access source information is specified as the location status.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, when a device capable of printing is present in the section, the process is executed such that the providing mode is printing of the data by the device.

11. The location information is information for identifying which of a plurality of business locations the user is located at, The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the business base corresponding to the location information is specified as the location status.

12. 12. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the location status is specified by a combination of two or more of the login information, the access source information, and the location information of the usage information.

13. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein when there are multiple business locations, the provision manner is determined for each business location depending on whether printing is possible at the business location, so that if printing is possible, printing is performed, and if printing is not possible, sending by email or storing in a server.

14. On the computer, When data for a user is received by facsimile communication, a process is executed in a manner to provide the data in accordance with the location of the user at a preregistered business base; Specifying whether the user is inside or outside the business location as the location status, and determining whether the user is working or not based on the login history; When the location status is identified as being outside the business base and the user is determined to be at work, the data is held for a certain period of time, and after the certain period of time has elapsed, the data is provided in an e-mail format and the process is executed; When the location status is identified as being outside the business base and the user is determined to be off-work, the information processing program executes the process so that, without retaining the data for a certain period of time, the provision mode is changed to email transmission, and an email is sent to the user and related users according to the user's settings.

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