Image forming apparatus and printing method

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: printing cannot be executed in a state in which a user is not authenticated when user authentication is effective.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus of an embodiment has an image display unit, an operation unit, a storage unit, and a print request control unit. The image display unit displays an image when a user is not authenticated. The operation unit receives a request to print the image from the user. The storage unit stores information on the user applied to the image displayed when the user is not authenticated. The print request control unit applies the information on the user stored in the storage unit to the image whose printing is requested by the operation unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, image forming devices have user authentication and an idle screen. User authentication is used to manage MFPs (Multifunction Peripherals). When user authentication is enabled, only registered users can use the device. When user authentication is disabled, anyone can use the device. The idle screen is the image displayed when the MFP is in a standby state and the user has not been authenticated. The images displayed at this time are images stored in the MFP and images displayed from the Internet. When the above two technologies are combined, a situation occurs where the idle screen, which is displayed when user authentication is enabled, is displayed even when the user is not authenticated. In such a case, if you try to print an image displayed as the idle screen, you will be unable to print unless you are a registered user and have authenticated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-48165 [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-224000 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can execute printing even when the user is not authenticated when user authentication is enabled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment 、 Image display unit and 、 Operation unit and 、 Memory section and 、 Print request control unit , a job execution unit; The image display section has User authentication function is enabled and User is not authenticated Content in state The operation panel is In the above state The above content The memory unit accepts print requests. content Grant to Specified as specified The print request control unit stores user information. Print the content of the designated user's information upon receipt Grant. The job execution unit instructs the printer unit to execute printing of the content. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a part of the configuration of a CPU according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an external view showing a part of the external appearance of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing a process for executing printing in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the invention will be described.

[0008] (First embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an operation unit 101, a read only memory (ROM) 102, a storage 103, a central processing unit (CPU) 104, a random access memory (RAM) 105, and a printer unit 109. Each unit is connected via a bus.

[0009] The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on a sheet using a developer such as toner. The sheet is, for example, paper or label paper. The sheet may be any material on whose surface the image forming apparatus 100 can form an image.

[0010] The operation unit 101 includes an image display device 601 and operation buttons 602. The image display device 601 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like. The image display device 601 displays various information related to the image forming apparatus 100. When the user is not authenticated, the image display device 601 displays an image or video (hereinafter referred to as content) as an idle screen. The image display device 601 is configured as a touch panel, and the user inputs instructions to the image forming apparatus by touching the image display device 601. The operation buttons 602 are for accepting user operations. The operation unit 101 accepts user operations, such as settings related to print processing and instructions to execute printing, via the image display device 601, or the like. The operation unit 101 controls the display of the screen display device 601 and acquires information input by the user.

[0011] The CPU 104 controls the entire image forming apparatus 100. The CPU 104 includes a print request control unit 111, a job management unit 106, and a job execution unit 107. The RAM 105 stores information related to the cause of an error when an error occurs. The ROM 102 stores data used by each unit for processing.

[0012] The print request control unit 111 assigns user information to the content displayed as an idle screen. The user information assigned in this process is information on a user designated by an administrator (hereinafter, referred to as designated user 110). This designated user 110 may consist of only a user name.

[0013] The job execution unit 107 performs the following process to confirm whether printing can be executed. The job execution unit 107 sends an instruction to the job management unit 106 to confirm whether the designated user 110 is able to execute printing. The job execution unit 107 determines whether to print or to end printing without printing based on the confirmation result from the job management unit 106. If printing is to be executed, the job execution unit 107 issues an instruction to the printer unit 109 to print the content. If printing is not to be executed, the job execution unit 107 stores the determination result in RAM 105. The job management unit 106 reads out user information 108 stored in the storage 103. The job management unit 106 checks whether information of a user identical to a designated user 110 is stored and other conditions. The other conditions include, for example, whether printing authority is available and whether there is a usable amount. After the check, the job management unit 106 transmits the check result to the job execution unit 107.

[0014] In this embodiment, the storage 103 is exemplified by an HDD (Hard Disc Drive). This storage 103 stores designated users 110. In addition, information on one or more users, consisting of a user name, counter, authority, available capacity, etc., is stored as user information 108. The counter indicates the usage amount of a function used in the image forming device. The authority refers to the authority to print information of a user who executes printing. The available capacity refers to the remaining capacity to use a function of the image forming device allocated to a user. The functions include printing, faxing, scanning, etc. Storage 103 stores content to be displayed in an idle screen state, counters for the entire image forming device 100, etc. The storage 103 stores the contents to be displayed on the image display device 601.

[0015] A printer unit 109 forms the content as an image on a sheet based on an instruction from a job execution unit 107 .

[0016] 4 is a flowchart for explaining a process for executing printing in a state where an idle screen is displayed in image forming apparatus 100 in a state where user authentication is enabled in the first embodiment. The idle screen refers to an image that is displayed in a state where a user has not been authenticated. The user authentication refers to a setting that, when enabled, prevents users other than registered users from operating image forming apparatus 100, and allows only registered users to operate image forming apparatus 100.

[0017] The user issues an instruction to print the content displayed as an idle screen through the operation unit 101. When the CPU 104 receives the instruction from the user through the operation unit 101, it sends the content to the print request control unit 111 (ACT 201). The print request control unit 111 checks whether the user authentication is valid (ACT 202). If the user authentication is not valid, it controls the printer unit 109 to print and executes the job. Note that when printing is executed when the user authentication is not valid, it may be counted in a counter for the entire image forming apparatus 100, or may be counted in the information of a user present in the user information 108 set before the job is executed. If the user authentication is valid, the print request control unit 111 performs processing to assign the designated user 110 to the content. The print request control unit 111 read by the CPU 104 checks whether the designated user 110 to be assigned to the received content is stored in the storage 103 (ACT 203). If the designated user 110 is not stored, the confirmation content is stored in the RAM 105 as error information (ACT 208). The CPU 104 reads the error information from the RAM 105, and controls the image display device 601 of the operation unit 101 to display the error information (ACT 211). If the existence of the designated user 110 is confirmed, the print request control unit 111 assigns the designated user 110 to the content (ACT 204).

[0018] The CPU 104 transmits a command to the job management section 106 via the job execution section 107 to check whether the designated user 110 attached to the content is information of a user who is allowed to execute printing (ACT 205). First, the job execution management unit 106 checks whether information of a user identical to the designated user 110 assigned to the content exists in the user information 108 (ACT206). If the job management unit 106 cannot confirm information of a user identical to the designated user 110 in the user information 108, it transmits a confirmation result to the job execution unit 107 indicating that confirmation was not possible. Upon receiving the confirmation result, the job execution unit 107 stores the content as error information in the RAM 105 (ACT208). The CPU 104 controls the image display device 601 of the operation unit 101 to display details of the error information read from the RAM 105 (ACT211). If the job management unit 106 can confirm information of a user identical to the designated user 110 in the user information 108, it transmits the confirmation result to the job execution unit 107. Next, the job management unit 106 checks the authority and available capacity of the information of the user identical to the designated user 110 stored in the user information 108 to execute printing (ACT207). If the job management unit 106 cannot check the authority of the user information or checks that the available capacity is less than the capacity to be used for this printing, it transmits the result of the check to the job execution unit 107. Upon receiving the check result, the job execution unit 107 stores the content in the RAM 105 as error information (ACT208). The CPU 104 controls the image display device 601 of the operation unit 101 to display details of the error information read from the RAM 105 (ACT211). If the job management unit 106 can check the authority and available capacity of the user information, it transmits the result of the check to the job execution unit 107. If the job execution section 107 determines from the two confirmation results received from the job management section 106 that the content can be printed, it transmits a print command and the content to the printer unit. In this embodiment, the conditions confirmed in the above process are the two mentioned above, but the conditions may be other than the two mentioned above, and there may be one or more conditions.

[0019] The CPU 104 controls the printer unit 109 to print the content transmitted from the job execution unit 107 (ACT 209).

[0020] After the printing is performed, the job management unit 106 counts the number of sheets used during the printing in the information of the same user as the designated user 110 stored in the storage 103, and ends the process (ACT 210).

[0021] In the first embodiment, information about a user who can be assigned to content is designated as a designated user 110. This process makes it possible to execute printing while keeping user authentication valid, even when printing is performed from an idle screen display state in which the user has not been authenticated.

[0022] Second embodiment Fig. 5 shows the second embodiment. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 in the second embodiment.

[0023] The same reference numerals are used for the respective parts of the second embodiment as the respective parts of the image forming apparatus 100 of the first embodiment in Figures 1 to 4. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the designated users who are assigned to the content are configured as designated user group 115 made up of a plurality of designated users such as designated user 110a, designated user 110b, etc. Each designated user stored in the designated user group 115 is assigned to only one content. Furthermore, since only one designated user 110 is assigned to each content, after printing, the designated user is counted as the same user information as the designated user (for example, designated user 110a) assigned to the content that executed printing. Even in this configuration, printing can be performed by adding the designated user information corresponding to the content, even when the idle screen is displayed on image forming device 100 with valid user authentication. Furthermore, even if the information of multiple users is specified as designated users within image forming device 100, only one user can print one piece of content, so multiple user information is not updated with one print execution, making management easier. According to at least one of the embodiments described above, by assigning the user set as a setting value to the content, printing can be performed with user authentication enabled even in the idle screen display state.

[0024] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 100...Image forming apparatus 101...Operation unit 103…Storage 104…CPU 105…RAM 106…Job Management Department 107...Job execution unit 108...User information 109…Printer unit 110…Designated User 110a…Designated Users who make up the Designated User Group 110b…Designated Users Who Comprise a Designated User Group 111...Print request control unit 115...Designated User Group 601...Image display device 602...Operation button

Claims

1. An image display unit that displays content when a user authentication function is enabled and a user is not authenticated; an operation unit for requesting printing of the content in the state; a storage unit that stores information of a designated user that is designated to be assigned to the content; a print request control unit that receives the print request and adds information about the designated user to the content to be printed; a job execution unit that instructs a printer unit to execute printing of the content; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The job execution unit transmits a command to confirm whether the designated user information attached to the content can be printed or not, and if the content can be printed, instructs a printer unit to print the content; a job management section for receiving the command and confirming whether the information of the designated user can be printed; The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising the job management section for confirming whether or not a usage right exists in the information of the designated user assigned to the content.

4. the storage unit storing a plurality of pieces of information of the designated users to be assigned to the content; the print request control unit for selecting from the storage unit and providing information of a designated user corresponding to the content requested to be printed by the operation unit; 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. When a user authentication function is enabled and the user is not authenticated, and a print request for content displayed on the image display unit is received from the user, Adding information of a designated user that has been designated in advance to be added to the content to the content; A printing method instructing a printer unit to perform printing of the content.

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