Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and program

Abstract

To provide image forming devices, an image forming system, and a program, capable of outputting a print job set with a password without requiring a user to input the password even in the image forming devices where the password is unregistered in advance, for a case when the plurality of image forming devices has a prescribed relation.SOLUTION: A password registered in one image forming device out of a plurality of image forming devices connected to a network is obtained, and a print job can be outputted if a password that is set to the print job and is required to output the print job matches the registered password.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a printing device capable of printing password-protected electronic documents, characterized in that the printing device comprises: a means for presetting at least one password in the printing device in advance as a password input means; a means for comparing a password-protected electronic document received with the password pre-preset in the printing device; and a means for printing out the document if a matching password is found as a result of the comparison.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus that is applied to a printing system that uses a print service in which the image forming apparatus is provided with a user terminal and a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network, the user terminal sending a print job to the parent apparatus based on identification information of an image forming apparatus that is set as a parent apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the parent apparatus saving the print job from the user terminal, and an image forming apparatus that is set as a child apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses executing the print job saved in the parent apparatus, the image forming apparatus being provided with an identification information setting memory unit that stores the identification information of the parent apparatus, and an identification information transmission control unit that transmits the identification information stored in the identification information setting memory unit to the user terminal when the print service is used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-083439 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-18318 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An image forming device has been proposed that can store the password in advance in order to output a print job for which a password is set, thereby making it possible to omit the need to enter the password when outputting, or to omit the need to release the password before issuing an output instruction.

[0006] However, when multiple image forming apparatuses are connected to a network, when outputting using an image forming apparatus other than the one for which the password is registered, the user must enter or cancel the password, which is time-consuming.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide an image forming device, an image forming system, and a program that, when multiple image forming devices are in a predetermined relationship, can output a print job for which a password is set without the need for a user to enter a password, even in an image forming device for which a password has not been pre-registered. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The image forming device of the first embodiment has a processor that obtains a password registered in one of a plurality of image forming devices connected to a network, and enables output of the print job when the password required to output the print job set in the print job matches the registered password.

[0009] In the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, the password set in the print job is compared with the registered password when the print job is received and a print instruction is accepted by the user using an input unit.

[0010] In the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, the password set in the print job is compared with the registered password after receiving the print job and when an instruction is received from a user using an input unit to display a list of the print jobs on a display unit.

[0011] In the image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect, the processor displays, on the display unit, a list of the print jobs and the result of the comparison for each of the print jobs.

[0012] In the image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect, when the password set in the print job does not match the registered password, the processor notifies the user that the passwords do not match.

[0013] An image forming system according to a sixth aspect has a processor that stores a password entered by a user in a memory unit of one of a plurality of image forming devices connected to a network, obtains a password registered in the one image forming device, and enables output of the print job when the password required to output the print job set in the print job matches the registered password.

[0014] An image forming program according to a seventh aspect causes a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the first aspect, when multiple image forming devices are in a predetermined relationship, an image forming device that has not pre-registered a password can output a print job for which a password has been set without requiring a user to enter a password.

[0016] According to the second aspect, by verifying the password for a print job for which a print instruction from a user has been accepted, there is no need to verify the password for a print job for which a print instruction has not been accepted, thereby reducing the processing burden of password verification.

[0017] According to the third aspect, there is an advantage that password verification can be completed when a list of print jobs is displayed before a print instruction from a user is accepted.

[0018] According to the fourth aspect, by displaying the result of password matching in the list of print jobs, it is possible to inform the user whether or not the print job can be printed before the user issues a print instruction.

[0019] According to the fifth aspect, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the user that the passwords do not match.

[0020] According to the sixth aspect, when multiple image forming devices are in a predetermined relationship, even if a password is not stored, it is possible to obtain a password from another image forming device and output a print job for which a password is set without the user having to enter the password.

[0021] According to the seventh aspect, when multiple image forming devices are in a predetermined relationship, an image forming program can be provided that, even if the password is not stored, can obtain a password from another image forming device and output a print job for which a password is set without the user having to enter the password. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation of the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the image forming apparatus subsequent to FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure 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.

[0024] An example of an image forming system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an image forming system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, in an image forming system 10 according to this embodiment, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 20, 30, and 40 are connected via a network N. This network N may be, for example, a LAN (=Local Area Network), a WAN (=Wide Area Network), or the Internet. In addition, a PC (Personal Computer) 50 is connected to the image forming system 10 via the network N. Here, Fig. 1 shows a case where there is one PC 50, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of PCs may be connected to the network N.

[0025] The image forming devices 20, 30, and 40 each have various functions, such as a printing function, a copying function, a facsimile function, and a scanning function. Here, in this embodiment, the multiple image forming apparatuses 20, 30, and 40 are in a predetermined relationship. Specifically, the predetermined relationship is, for example, a relationship in which one of the multiple image forming apparatuses 20, 30, and 40, the image forming apparatus 20 in this embodiment, is a parent apparatus, and the other image forming apparatuses 30 and 40 are set as child apparatuses. The parent apparatus is, for example, an image forming apparatus in which a print job is stored and a password is saved when using a print function. Note that the print job and the password are not limited to being saved in the parent apparatus, and may be saved in a child apparatus or in any of the image forming apparatuses. In addition, the parent apparatus may be set to an image forming apparatus common to all users, or a different image forming apparatus may be set for each user.

[0026] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the multiple image forming apparatuses 20, 30, and 40. Since the multiple image forming apparatuses 20, 30, and 40 have a common hardware configuration, the image forming apparatus 30 will be used as an example to describe the overlapping parts.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 30 according to this embodiment. 2, the image forming apparatus 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, which is an example of a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a storage 104, an input unit 105, a display unit 106, a document reading unit 107, an image forming unit 108, a communication unit 109, and an IC card reader 110. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 111 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0028] The CPU 101 is a central processing unit, and executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 101 reads a program from the ROM 102 or the storage 104, and executes the program using the RAM 103 as a working area. The CPU 101 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program recorded in the ROM 102 or the storage 104. In this embodiment, the program is stored in the ROM 102 or the storage 104.

[0029] The ROM 102 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 103 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 104 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0030] Storage 104 also stores a password that is set by a user for print data included in a print job, for example, a PDF (Portable Document Format) file, and is required to print the PDF file. As will be described later, when printing a PDF file for which a password required for printing has been set, CPU 101 inputs the stored password to enable printing. This allows the user to cancel the password in advance, and allows printing without inputting the password.

[0031] The input unit 105 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used to perform various inputs. As will be described later, the input unit 105 is used to execute functions such as issuing an instruction to start printing. In this embodiment, the touch panel display unit 106 functions as the input unit 105.

[0032] The display unit 106 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display unit 106 displays various information under the control of the CPU 101. The display unit 106 also functions as the input unit 105 by adopting a touch panel system.

[0033] The document reading unit 107 takes in documents placed on a paper feed tray of an automatic feeder (not shown) provided on the top of the image forming apparatus 30, one sheet at a time, and optically reads the taken-in documents to obtain image information. Alternatively, the document reading unit 107 optically reads a document placed on a tray such as a platen glass to obtain image information.

[0034] Here, the image information of the document read by document reading unit 107 is stored in storage 104 of image forming device 30, printed by image forming unit 108 described later, or transmitted to another image forming device having a FAX (Facsimile) function by communication unit 109 described later.

[0035] The image forming unit 108 forms, i.e., prints, an image based on the print data contained in the print job obtained from the PC 50 connected via the network N or the image information obtained by reading by the document reading unit 107, onto a recording medium such as paper.

[0036] The communication unit 109 is connected to the network N, and enables the image forming apparatus 30 to communicate with other devices such as the other image forming apparatuses 20 and 40 and the PC 50. Furthermore, the communication unit 109 connects the image forming apparatus 30 to a public line, and transmits and receives image information obtained by reading with the document reading unit 107 to and from other image forming apparatuses having a FAX function.

[0037] The IC card reader 110 is for reading information stored in an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, such as a user ID. After reading the information stored in the IC card with the IC card reader 110 and identifying the user, the functions of the image forming apparatus 30 can be executed.

[0038] It should be noted that, as a prerequisite, an IC card on which a user ID and the like are stored as user information must be distributed to the user of the image forming apparatus 30.

[0039] In addition, the method of identifying a user is not limited to reading an IC card with IC card reader 110, but may also be such that, without using IC card reader 110, the user inputs his / her ID using input unit 105 to identify the user to be used. Alternatively, user information may be registered in advance in image forming device 30, a list of registered user information may be called up and displayed on display unit 106, and the user to be used may be identified by selecting his / her own user information from the user information displayed on display unit 106.

[0040] Next, the operation of the image forming system 10 will be described.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the image forming system 10. As shown in FIG.

[0042] 3, a user accesses image forming apparatus 20 to be set as a parent machine using PC 50 connected to network N. Then, image forming apparatus 20 is set as a parent machine. CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 that has received the setting of the parent machine stores setting information for the parent machine.

[0043] Here, the setting of the parent machine is not limited to being performed using the PC 50 connected to the network N, but may be performed using the input unit 105 of the parent image forming apparatus 20 or the child image forming apparatuses 30, 40. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatuses 30, 40 are not set as child machines, and the image forming apparatuses 30, 40 other than the parent machine become child machines, but this is not limiting. The image forming apparatuses 30, 40 set as child machines may be accessed and set as child machines.

[0044] In step S102, the user accesses the image forming apparatus 20 set as the parent machine using the PC 50 connected to the network N. Then, a password for printing a print job is registered in the image forming apparatus 20. The CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 20 that has accepted the password setting stores the password. Here, the password is not limited to being registered using the PC 50 connected to the network N, and may be set using the input unit 105 of the image forming apparatus 20 as the parent machine or the image forming apparatuses 30 and 40 as the child machines. The password is not limited to being set only in the parent machine, and may also be set in the child machines. The parent machine setting in step S100 and the password registration in step S102 may be performed in the opposite order, or may be performed at the same timing.

[0045] In step S104, a user transmits a print job to be printed from PC 50 connected to network N. In this embodiment, as described above, the print job is transmitted to image forming apparatus 20, which is the parent machine. Image forming apparatus 20 receives the print job and stores it. The print job also includes user information that identifies the user who uses PC 50, allowing the CPU of image forming apparatus 20 to recognize the user who transmitted the print job.

[0046] In step S106, the user causes the IC card to be read using IC card reader 110 of image forming apparatus 30. Here, the image forming apparatus 30 into which the user has caused the IC card to be read is the image forming apparatus that the user has moved from his / her desk or the like to the installation location in order to print a print job. CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 that has received the IC card performs a login process to image forming apparatus 30.

[0047] In step S108, the user uses input unit 105 of image forming apparatus 30 to perform an operation to display a list of print jobs.

[0048] In step S110, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 requests image forming apparatus 20 to print a job for user information that matches the user information registered in the read IC card. Then, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 transmits the print job. CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 that has received the print job displays a list of print jobs on display unit 106.

[0049] In step S114, the user issues a print instruction using input unit 105 of image forming apparatus 30. For example, the user selects a job to be printed from the list of print jobs displayed, and operates a print execution switch.

[0050] In step S116, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 requests password information from image forming apparatus 20. Then, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 transmits the password information. Thereafter, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 executes printing of the print job if the password set in the print job for which the print instruction has been issued matches the password acquired from image forming apparatus 20.

[0051] Next, a process flow when a print job is printed using the image forming apparatuses 20 and 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0052] 4, when the user uses the IC card reader 110 to read an IC card, a login process for the user is performed by the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 30. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S202.

[0053] In step S202, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 determines whether or not the image forming apparatus 30 has been set as a parent apparatus by the user. If it is not determined that the image forming apparatus 30 has been set as a parent apparatus, that is, if the image forming apparatus 30 is a child apparatus, the process proceeds to the next step S204.

[0054] In step S204, the CPU 101 of the child image forming apparatus 30 acquires from the parent apparatus a print job having user information that matches the user information registered in the read IC card when the user selects the print function as a function of the image forming apparatus 30. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S206.

[0055] In step S206, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 accepts an instruction from the user using input unit 105 to display a list of print jobs on the display unit, and displays the print jobs acquired in step S204 in a list on display unit 106. Here, the instruction from the user using input unit 105 to display a list of print jobs on the display unit corresponds to the user selecting the print function as a function of image forming apparatuses 20, 30. In other words, the user has moved to the installation location of image forming apparatus 30 and selected the print function, causing the list of print jobs to be displayed. Then, the process proceeds to the next step, S208.

[0056] In step S208, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 accepts the selection of a print job to be printed by the user. Specifically, the user selects a print job to be printed from the list of print jobs displayed on display unit 106 using input unit 105, and CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 accepts the selection result. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S210.

[0057] In step S210, the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 30 accepts an instruction to print a print job from a user. Specifically, the CPU 101 accepts an operation of a switch to execute printing, which is performed after the user selects a print job in step S208. Then, the process proceeds to the next step, S212.

[0058] In step S212, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 determines whether or not a password for outputting the selected print job is set for the print job. If it is determined that a password is set, the process proceeds to the next step S214, and if it is not determined that a password is set, that is, if a password is not set, the process proceeds to step S218, which will be described later.

[0059] In step S214, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 acquires a password from image forming apparatus 20, which is the parent apparatus, and then proceeds to the next step S216.

[0060] In step S216, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 checks whether the password registered in the parent machine acquired in step S214 matches the password set in the print job for which the print instruction was accepted in step S210. If it is determined that the passwords match as a result of the check, the process proceeds to the next step S218.

[0061] In step S218, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 changes the attribute of the print job to "print permission" and prints the print job, that is, outputs the print job to paper, and then ends the process.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S216 that the passwords do not match, that is, if the passwords are different, the process proceeds to step S220.

[0063] In step S220, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 30 notifies the user that the passwords do not match. For example, this notification is made by displaying a message such as "The passwords are different" on display unit 106. Then, the process ends. Note that when a notification is made that the passwords do not match, the process may not end, but the user may still accept input of a password, compare the accepted password with the password set in the print job, and then perform printing.

[0064] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that the device is the parent device, the process proceeds to step S300 shown in FIG.

[0065] In step S300, when the user selects the print function as a function of the image forming apparatus 20, the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 20 displays a list of print jobs sent from the PC 50 on the display unit 106. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S302.

[0066] In step S302, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 accepts the selection of a print job to be printed by the user. Specifically, the user selects a print job to be printed from the list of print jobs displayed on display unit 106 using input unit 105, and CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 accepts the selection result. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S304.

[0067] In step S304, the CPU 101 of the image forming apparatus 20 accepts an instruction to print the print job from the user. Specifically, the CPU 101 accepts the operation of a switch to execute printing, which is performed after the user selects the print job in step S302. Then, the process proceeds to the next step, S306.

[0068] In step S306, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 determines whether or not a password for outputting the selected print job is set for the print job. If it is determined that a password is set, the process proceeds to the next step S308, and if it is not determined that a password is set, that is, if a password is not set, the process proceeds to step S310, which will be described later.

[0069] In step S308, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 checks whether the password stored in storage 104 matches the password set for the print job for which the print instruction was accepted in step S304. If it is determined that the passwords match as a result of the check, the process proceeds to the next step S310.

[0070] In step S310, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 changes the attribute of the print job to "print permission" and prints the print job, that is, outputs the print job to paper, and then ends the process.

[0071] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S308 that the passwords do not match, that is, if the passwords are different, the process proceeds to step S312.

[0072] In step S312, CPU 101 of image forming apparatus 20 notifies the user that the passwords do not match. For example, this notification is made by displaying a message such as "The passwords are different" on display unit 106. Then, the process ends. Note that when a notification is made that the passwords do not match, the process may not end, but the input of a password may be accepted, and the accepted password may be compared with the password set in the print job, and printing may be performed.

[0073] (Modification) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0074] In the above-described embodiment, the password registered in the parent machine is checked to see if it matches the password set in the print job when the print job is received and a print instruction is accepted by the user using the input unit (see step S216 in FIG. 4 and step S308 in FIG. 5). The password checking may be done at other times.

[0075] (Variation 1) For example, the password may be verified when the user issues an instruction to display a list of print jobs on the display unit using the input unit 105 after receiving a print job. This timing is between step S204 and step S206 in FIG. 4, or between step S202 in FIG. 4 and step S300 in FIG. 5. Here, the instruction by the user to display a list of print jobs on the display unit using the input unit 105 corresponds to the user selecting the print function as a function of the image forming apparatus 20, 30. That is, when the user selects the print function on the image forming apparatus 20, 30 that has been moved to the installation location, the password is verified. Thereafter, if the passwords match, the user selects a print job from the listed print jobs (see step S208 in FIG. 4 and step S302 in FIG. 5) and issues a print instruction (see step S210 in FIG. 4 and step S304 in FIG. 5). If the passwords do not match, the user is notified of this fact (see step S220 in FIG. 4 and step S312 in FIG. 5).

[0076] In this modified example, it is desirable to display a list of print jobs and the password matching results for each print job on the display unit 106. This configuration allows the user to recognize the password matching results before issuing a printing instruction.

[0077] (Variation 2) Also, for example, the password verification may be performed when the image forming apparatus 20 of the parent machine receives a print job. This timing corresponds to step S104 in Fig. 3. With this configuration, the parent machine performs password verification, thereby reducing the burden on the child machine of verifying the password.

[0078] In this modified example, the password matching result of the transmitted print job may be displayed on the display of PC 50. This configuration allows the user to recognize the password matching result before moving to image forming apparatus 20, 30, 40 for printing. Also, when an instruction from the user using input unit 105 to display a list of print jobs on the display unit is accepted, the list of print jobs and the password matching result for each print job may be displayed on display unit 106. This configuration allows the user to recognize the password matching result before instructing printing.

[0079] (others) The password is not limited to being registered in the image forming apparatus 20 as the parent device, but may also be registered in the child devices. In this case, when printing with the child machine, the password registered in the child machine is first compared with the password set in the print job, and if they do not match, the password is obtained from the parent machine and compared. By configuring in this way, different passwords can be registered for the parent machine and the child machine.

[0080] The technology disclosed above can also be applied to devices other than image forming devices, such as information processing devices such as smartphones and tablets. In other words, the present invention can be considered as an invention that enables a file to be transmitted from one device to another device between at least two devices, each device having unique information set thereto, and enables a file to be opened in the other device using the unique information set in one device when the file transmitted from the one device cannot be opened in the other device without the unique information set in the one device. As a specific example, first, a restriction is set so that a file such as a document file can only be opened or displayed on a specific information processing device, for example, only when device-specific information such as the terminal's MAC address (Media Access Control address) matches. Then, when a specific condition is satisfied between one smartphone and another smartphone, for example, it is confirmed that the users are the same, such as logging in with the same account, after transmitting a file from one smartphone to another smartphone by communication such as near-field wireless communication, if the MAC addresses match on the one smartphone, the file can be opened on the other smartphone.

[0081] By configuring in this way, even if a file is received on one smartphone but the user wants to open it on another smartphone or tablet, there is no need to send the file to the other smartphone or reset the restrictions so that the file can be opened on the other smartphone. Of course, the device-specific information is not limited to device-specific information predetermined for the device, such as the MAC address of the terminal, but may be a password set by the user for each device, an IP address (Internet Protocol address) set by a server other than the device, or a value calculated from them. In addition, in order to confirm the same user, in addition to logging in with the same account, a method that requires the user to perform an operation with the user's intention, such as close-proximity wireless communication, may be used, or a specific direction may be used when communicating a file, or a specific operation may be performed on the other device while one device is in standby, so that only the same user can perform an operation that satisfies a condition. In addition, confirmation of the same user is not essential, and for example, when a file is sent, the device that received the file may be able to open the file regardless of whether the user is the same or not.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the program is pre-stored (installed) in the ROM 102 or the memory unit (storage) 104, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form recorded on a 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.

[0083] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0084] In addition, the operations of the processor in the above-mentioned 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-mentioned embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10. Image forming system 20, 30, 40 Image forming apparatus 50 PC 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 Storage 105 Input section 106 Display section 107 Document Reading Unit 108 Image forming section 109 Communications Department 110 IC card reader 111 Bus N Network

Claims

1. A processor is included. The processor, Obtaining a password registered in one of the image forming apparatuses connected to the network; when a password required for outputting the print job set in the print job matches the registered password, outputting the print job is enabled; The password set for the print job is compared with the registered password when, after the print job is received, a user uses an input unit to receive an instruction to display a list of the print jobs on a display unit. Image forming device.

2. The processor, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays a list of the print jobs and a result of the comparison for each print job.

3. The processor, 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the password set in the print job does not match the registered password, a notification to that effect is given.

4. A processor is included. The processor, storing the password input by the user in a storage unit of one of the image forming apparatuses connected to the network; Obtaining a password registered in the one image forming device; when a password required for outputting the print job set in the print job matches the registered password, outputting the print job is enabled; The password set for the print job is compared with the registered password when, after the print job is received, a user uses an input unit to receive an instruction to display a list of the print jobs on a display unit. Image forming system.

5. An image forming program for causing a computer to function as the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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