Color management device, color management method, and program

Abstract

To easily manage color management target values associated with an image forming apparatus even when there are a large number of image forming apparatuses and / or a large number of color management target values.SOLUTION: A color management device 1 comprises a management unit 107 that manages information on a user who carries out color verification work using color management target values in association with correspondence information in which an image forming apparatus and the color management target values are managed in association with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a color management device, a color management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In a printing company, before printing a printed matter with an image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus), a chart (or wedge), which is a document in which color adjustment patches are arranged in a matrix, is printed on paper, and the color of the printed chart is measured with a colorimeter. Then, the printing company manages the output quality of a plurality of image forming apparatuses owned by the company by checking whether the color measured by the colorimeter satisfies a color management target value as a predetermined standard. The color management target values include those defined by standard organizations such as Japan Color, IDEAlliance, FORGA, ISO, etc., and those defined by the printing company itself. The color management target values are represented by Lab values, etc.

[0003] When performing color management of an image forming apparatus based on a color management target value, first, a person in charge of color management within the printing company sets the color management target value. As the color management target value, the allowable range of the difference between the measured value or the calculation result of the measured value and the target value (prescribed value) is often set.

[0004] After setting the color management target value, the person in charge of the image forming apparatus prints a chart using the image forming apparatus under his / her management, and measures (measures) the printed chart using a colorimeter. Then, the person in charge of color management or the person in charge of the image forming apparatus checks whether the color measurement result by the colorimeter satisfies the color management target value, and may also perform calculations as necessary.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a printing apparatus included in a color management system that has an information processing apparatus for managing each of a plurality of printing bases, each including at least one printing apparatus, and manages the color of an image printed by the printing apparatus at each printing base. When it is determined that a change in color management settings includes a change related to a first setting, it is determined whether printing is possible with the change in the setting, and if it is determined that printing is not possible, a warning is issued.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, it is normal for a printing company to own a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses needs to be able to perform printing that satisfies color management target values. Therefore, it is considered that color management of image forming apparatuses can be efficiently performed by managing color management target values in association with the image forming apparatuses.

[0008] However, the management of color management target values associated with image forming apparatuses becomes more complicated as the number of image forming apparatuses increases and as the number of color management target values increases. For example, assume that a printing company owns 3 image forming apparatuses and there are 5 types of paper handled by each image forming apparatus. Since the color tones reproduced in the output from the image forming apparatus differ depending on the type of paper and the model of the image forming apparatus, in this case, a total of 15 color management target values are required.

[0009] Also, when color management is performed in an environment where it can be used seamlessly among a plurality of bases of a printing company, the number of image forming apparatuses and the number of color management target values both increase, so the management of color management target values associated with image forming apparatuses becomes even more difficult.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to enable easy management of color management target values associated with an image forming apparatus even when the number of image forming apparatuses and / or the number of color management target values is large.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] To solve the above problems, a color management apparatus reflecting one aspect of the present invention is plural a color management apparatus that performs color management by associating a color management target value, which is a standard that the color measurement result by a colorimeter should satisfy, with the a plurality of image forming apparatus. The color management apparatus reflecting one aspect of the present invention performs a color verification operation using the color management target value on the correspondence information in which the image forming apparatus and the color management target value are managed in association with each other having execution authority and includes a management unit that manages the information of the user in association with each other. The management department performs control to display only the correspondence information related to the color verification operations that can be executed by the user logged in to the color management device on the correspondence information display screen for displaying the correspondence information, manages by associating an expiration date with the user's account, and when the expiration date of the account managed in association with the user's account has expired, performs control to delete the user information associated with the correspondence information.

[0012] Further, a color management method reflecting one aspect of the present invention is plural a color management method by a color management apparatus that performs color management by associating a color management target value, which is a standard that the color measurement result by a colorimeter should satisfy, with the a plurality of image forming apparatus. The color management method reflecting one aspect of the present invention performs a color verification operation using the color management target value on the correspondence information in which the image forming apparatus and the color management target value are managed in association with each other having execution authority and includes a procedure for managing the information of the user in association with each other. The management department performs control to display only the correspondence information related to the color verification operations that can be executed by the user logged in to the color management device on the correspondence information display screen for displaying the correspondence information, manages by associating an expiration date with the user's account, and when the expiration date of the account managed in association with the user's account has expired, performs control to delete the user information associated with the correspondence information.

[0013] Further, a program reflecting one aspect of the present invention is plural a program executable by a computer that configures a color management apparatus that performs color management by associating a color management target value, which is a standard that the color measurement result by a colorimeter should satisfy, with the a plurality of image forming apparatus. The program reflecting one aspect of the present invention performs a color verification operation using the color management target value on the correspondence information in which the image forming apparatus and the color management target value are managed in association with each other having execution authority and includes a procedure for managing the information of the user in association with each other.In the management procedure, control is performed to display only the correspondence information related to the color verification operations that can be executed by the user logged in to the color management device on the correspondence information display screen for displaying the correspondence information, an expiration date is managed in association with the user's account, and when the expiration date of the account managed in association with the user's account has expired, control is performed to delete the user information associated with the correspondence information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, even when the number of image forming apparatuses and / or the number of color management target values is large, it is possible to easily manage the color management target values associated with the image forming apparatuses. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same function or configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description of the components will be omitted.

[0017] <Configuration of Color Management Server> First, with reference to FIG. 1, a configuration example of the control system of the color management server 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the control system of the color management server 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0018] The color management server 1 is connected to a plurality of printers (an example of an image forming apparatus) and a client PC (Personal Computer), not shown, via a network, not shown. In the present embodiment, information on color management target values, which are criteria to be satisfied by color measurement results obtained by a colorimeter, not shown, and information on the printer are associated and managed in a printer color tracking management information table T4 as printer color tracking management information (an example of corresponding information). Further, in the present embodiment, the printer color tracking management information is managed in association with information on an operator (an example of a user) who performs color verification operations such as printing of charts and color measurement of printed materials.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the color management server 1 (an example of a color management device) includes a color management unit 10, a control unit 11, an operation display unit 12, a network I / F (Interface) unit 13, and a storage unit 14. The color management unit 10, the control unit 11, the operation display unit 12, the network I / F (Interface) unit 13, and the storage unit 14 are communicably connected to each other via a system bus B.

[0020] The color management unit 10 includes a color measurement data management unit 101, a color measurement result determination unit 102, a color measurement result data generation unit 103, a printer information management unit 104, a user information management unit 105, a color management target value management unit 106, a printer color tracking management information management unit 107, and a client cooperation unit 108.

[0021] The color measurement data management unit 101 manages the correspondence relationship between a plurality of printers (not shown) and color management target values. Information on the plurality of printers is managed by the printer information management unit 104, and information on the color management target values is managed by the color management target value management unit 106.

[0022] The color measurement result determination unit 102 determines whether the measurement result of a chart by a measuring instrument (not shown) is within the allowable range of error from the target value defined in the color management target value. The determination result by the color measurement result determination unit 102 is recorded in the color measurement history data D1. The color measurement history data D1 will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0023] The color measurement result data generation unit 103 uses the determination result by the color measurement result determination unit 102 to generate display data that the UI control unit 108a causes to be displayed on the browser of a client PC (not shown) connected to the color management server 1.

[0024] The printer information management unit 104 manages printer information using the printer information table T1. The printer information table T1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

[0025] The user information management unit 105 manages information related to users, such as user names and permissions given to users, using the user information table T2. The user information table T2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 described later.

[0026] The color management target value management unit 106 manages information related to color management target values, such as the name of the color management target value and the creation date of the color management target value, using the color management target value table T3. The color management target value table T3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 described later.

[0027] The printer color tracking management information management unit 107 (an example of the management unit) manages the printer color tracking management information in which a printer and a color management target value are associated, and the correspondence information with the operator, using the printer color tracking management information table T4. The printer color tracking management information table T4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 described later.

[0028] In addition, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 manages the printer color tracking management information and the history information of the color measurement results of printed matter by the printers managed in the printer color tracking management information, using the color measurement history data D1 and the printer color tracking information - color measurement information correspondence data D2. The color measurement history data D1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 described later, and the printer color tracking information - color measurement information correspondence data D2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 described later.

[0029] The client cooperation unit 108 performs processing related to cooperation with a client PC (not shown) of a printing company connected via the network I / F unit 13. The client cooperation unit 108 includes a UI (User Interface) control unit 108a and a colorimeter control unit 108b.

[0030] The UI control unit 108a performs control to display, for example, on a browser which is the UI of the client PC, a screen for performing operations such as the color measurement result by the colorimeter, the information of each table stored in the storage unit 14, and the registration or change of data to each table.

[0031] The colorimeter control unit 108b controls the operations of colorimeters (not shown) connected to each of a plurality of printers. Specifically, it transmits a control signal for instructing the start or end of color measurement to the colorimeter, or acquires the color measurement result by the colorimeter and outputs it to the storage unit 14.

[0032] The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 113. The CPU 111 reads out various programs such as system programs and color management programs stored in the ROM 113, expands them in the RAM 112, and controls the operations of each part of the color management server 1 according to the expanded programs. The above-described color management unit 10 is a functional unit realized by the CPU 111 reading out and executing a program.

[0033] The RAM 112 forms a work area for temporarily storing various programs executed by the CPU 111 and data related to these programs, and stores setting contents and the like for various operations related to color management in the work area.

[0034] The ROM 113 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as a semiconductor memory, and stores a system program corresponding to the color management server 1 and a color management program and the like that can be executed on the system program. These programs are stored in the form of computer-readable program codes, and the CPU 211 sequentially executes operations according to the program codes. That is, the ROM 113 is used as an example of a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium that stores a program executed by a computer.

[0035] The operation display unit 12 is configured as a touch panel in which, for example, a display unit (not shown) made of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electroluminescence), or the like and an operation input unit (not shown) made of a touch sensor or the like are integrally formed. In this embodiment, an example in which the display unit and the operation input unit are integrally formed as the operation display unit 12 is given, but the present invention is not limited to this. The display unit and the operation input unit made of a keyboard, a mouse, or the like may be separately configured. Alternatively, in addition to the operation display unit 12 configured as a touch panel, an operation input unit made of a keyboard, a mouse, or the like may be provided.

[0036] The network I / F unit 13 controls the transmission and reception operations of various data carried out between each printer of the printing company and the client PCs, which are connected via a network (not shown).

[0037] The storage unit 14 is composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. Stored in the storage unit 14 are a printer information table T1, a user information table T2, a color management target value table T3, a color management target value table T3, a printer color tracking management information table T4, color measurement history data D1, printer color tracking information-color measurement information correspondence data D2, etc.

[0038] <Configuration of Printer Information Table> Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the printer information table T1 managed by the printer information management unit 104 (see FIG. 1) of the color management server 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the printer information table T1.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer information table T1 has fields of "printer", "model", "serial No.", "installation site", and "automatic color measurement function".

[0040] In the "printer" field, the names of the printers owned by the printing company are stored. In the printer information table T1, five printer names from "Printer A" to "Printer E" are stored in the "printer" field. In the "model" field, the model names of the printers having the printer names stored in the "printer" field are stored.

[0041] In the field of "Serial No.", the serial No. of the printer having the printer name stored in the field of "Printer" is stored. In the field of "Installation Location", the name of the location where the printer having the printer name stored in the field of "Printer" is installed is stored, such as "Tokyo" or "New York".

[0042] In the field of "Automatic Color Measurement Function", information ("0" or "1") indicating whether the printer with the printer name stored in the field of "Printer" has the automatic color measurement function is stored. "0:Not Supported" indicates that there is no automatic measurement function, and "1:Supported" indicates that there is an automatic color measurement function.

[0043] For example, in the first row of the printer information table T1, it is shown that the model of the printer with the printer name "Printer A" is "C6000", the serial No. is "AAAA - BBBB - CCCC - XXX1", the installation location is "Tokyo", and the automatic color measurement function is "1" (yes).

[0044] <Configuration of User Information Table> Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the user information table T2 managed by the user information management unit 105 (see FIG. 1) will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the user information table T2.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the user information table T2 has fields of "User ID", "User Name", "Password", "Authority", "Email", and "Location". In the field of "User ID", information of the user ID, which is the identifier of the user, is stored. In the field of "User Name", the name of the user is stored. In the field of "Password", information of the password that needs to be entered when the user logs in to the color management server 1 is stored.

[0046] In the "Permissions" field, information on the permissions in the color management operations granted to each user is stored. In the example shown in Figure 3, there are three types of permissions: "Administrator", "Color Expert", and "Operator".

[0047] "Administrator" is a permission granted to administrators who can perform all operations, including registering users (accounts) to the color management server 1. "Color Expert" is a permission granted to color managers and the like who perform color management operations. The color manager performs operations such as granting permissions to operators for printer color tracking management information, improving the efficiency of color management operations through such permission-granting operations, and managing the color quality of the company. "Operator" is a permission granted to operators who perform color verification operations such as printing charts for verifying whether the colors in printed materials meet the color management target values and color measurement of printed materials.

[0048] In the "Email" field, the user's email address is stored. In the "Location" field, information on the location where the user belongs (works) is stored.

[0049] For example, in the first row of the user information table T2, it is shown that the user ID is "J-smith", the user name is "John Smith", the password of the user is "********", and the permission granted to the user is "Administrator". Also, it is shown that the email address of this user is "j-smith@mail1.com" and the location information is "-" (not belonging to any location).

[0050] <Configuration of the Color Management Target Value Table> Next, with reference to Figure 4, the configuration of the color management target value table T3 managed by the color management target value management unit 106 (refer to Figure 1) of the color management server 1 will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the color management target value table T3.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 4, the color management target value table T3 has fields of "color management target value", "creation date", "creator user ID", "shared between sites", "chart", "tolerance value", and "target value".

[0052] In the field of "color management target value", the name of the color management target value is stored. In the field of "creation date", when the color management target value is a custom color management target value generated by a printing company, the information of the creation date is stored in the format of "YYYY-MM-DD".

[0053] In the field of "creator user ID", when the color management target value is a custom color management target value generated by a printing company, the user ID of the creator of the custom color management target value is stored. In the field of "shared between sites", information indicating whether the setting to make the color management target value shareable between sites is valid or invalid is stored. If it is valid, "ON" is stored, and if it is invalid, "OFF" is stored.

[0054] In the field of "chart", the name of the chart used to confirm whether the color that satisfies the color management target value can be reproduced is stored. The name of the chart stores the name of a preset color management target value established by a standards organization such as Japan Color or IDEAlliance, or the name of a custom color management target value created by printing company C itself.

[0055] In "tolerance value", a value indicating the allowable range of deviation when a deviation occurs from the target value (specified value) indicated by Lab values or the like is stored. For example, "dE:3" which is the tolerance value d corresponding to "Customer Target 1" of the color management target value indicates that the allowable deviation amount from the Lab value obtained by the CIE DE2000 color difference formula is "3" or less, and "dEavg:2" indicates that the allowable deviation amount from the average value (avg) of the Lab values obtained by the CIE DE2000 color difference formula is "2" or less.

[0056] In the "Target Value" field, the values of the target value (prescribed value) indicated by the three values of "L", "a", and "b" in the Lab value are stored. The three values of "L", "a", and "b" are provided for each number of patches that make up the chart.

[0057] For example, in the first row of the color management target value table T3, it is shown that the creation date of the color management target value "Customer Target 1" is "July 1, 2020", the user ID of the creator is "Y-taro", and the setting for sharing between bases is "OFF". Also, the chart name of the color management target value is "Japan Color Control Strip", the tolerance values are "dE: 4.5, dEavg: 3, dEmax: 6, dCavgCMYgray: 3.5", and the target values are "94 (L), -0.02 (a), -1.95 (b)".

[0058] <Configuration of Printer Color Tracking Management Information Table> Next, referring to FIG. 5, the printer color tracking management information table T4 managed by the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 (see FIG. 1) will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the printer color tracking management information table T4.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 5, the printer color tracking management information table T4 has fields of "Printer Color Tracking Management Information", "Color Management Target Value", "Printer Name", and "Operator Execution Authority".

[0060] In the field of "Printer Color Tracking Management Information", the name of the printer color tracking management information is stored. In the field of "Color Management Target Value", the name of the color management target value is stored. In the field of "Printer Name", the name of the printer is stored.

[0061] The "Operator Execution Authority" stores the name of the operator who performs color verification operations such as printing a chart to check whether the colors in the printed matter meet the color management target values and color measurement of the printed matter. The field of "Operator Execution Authority" will be blank if the operator has not been assigned to the printer color tracking management information. The assignment of the operator to the printer color tracking management information is performed via the printer color tracking management screen Sc1 shown in FIG. 9 described later. The printer color tracking management screen Sc1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9.

[0062] For example, in the first row of the printer color tracking management information table T4, it is shown that in the printer color tracking management information named "Color Tracking Information 1", the color management target value named "JapanColor Target Setting" and the printer named "Printer A" are managed. Also, it is shown that the operator execution authority has not been granted yet for the printer color tracking management information named "Color Tracking Information 1".

[0063] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the operator with the user ID of "Y-hanako" is granted the authority to handle "Color Tracking Information 3" to "Color Tracking Information 6", and the operator with the user ID of "J-doe2" is granted the authority to handle "Color Tracking Information 7" and "Color Tracking Information 9". That is, multiple printer color tracking management information is assigned to one operator.

[0064] Note that in the example shown in FIG. 5, an example of managing (setting) the operator execution authority is shown in the items of the printer color tracking management information table T4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the user information table T2 (see FIG. 1), the printer color tracking management information that the operator can handle may be managed.

[0065] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a user information table T2' in which items for managing printer color tracking management information are added. The user information table T2' (an example of correspondence information) shown in FIG. 6 is obtained by adding an item of "printer color tracking management information" to the user information table T2 shown in FIG. 3. In this way, even by using the user information table T2', the correspondence information between the printer color tracking management information and the user can be managed. Registration or change of information to the user information table T2' is performed via a user account management screen Sc3 shown in FIG. 11 described later. The user account management screen Sc3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11.

[0066] <Configuration of color measurement history data> Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the configuration of the color measurement history data D1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the color measurement history data D1.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7, the color measurement history data D1 has fields of "color measurement ID", "color measurement execution date and time", "printer color tracking management information", "color measurement result", "color measuring instrument", "color measurement performer", and "color measurement value".

[0068] In the field of "color measurement ID", an ID assigned to each color measurement job is stored. In the field of "color measurement execution date", the date and time when color measurement is performed by the color measuring instrument is stored in the format of "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS". In the field of "printer color tracking management information", the name of the printer color tracking management information is stored.

[0069] In the field of "color measurement result", a value of "Pass" or "Fail" indicating the color measurement result by the color measurement result determination unit 102 (see FIG. 1) is stored. "Pass" indicates that the color measurement value is within the allowable range of the target value, and "Fail" indicates that the color measurement value exceeds the allowable range of the target value. In the field of "color measuring instrument", the name of the color measuring instrument is stored, and in the field of "color measurement performer", the user ID of the operator who performed the color measurement is stored. In the field of "color measurement value", the color measurement value acquired by the color measuring instrument is stored.

[0070] For example, in the first row of the color measurement history data D1, the execution date and time of the color measurement job with the color measurement ID "108" is "14:03:00 on July 9, 2020", the printer color tracking management information is "Color tracking information 5", and the color measurement result is shown as "Pass". Also, the name of the color measuring instrument used for the color measurement is "Handheld type 002 made by X", the color measurement implementer is a user with the user ID "Y-hanako", and the color measurement values are shown as "93, -0.05, -2.96,...". Each row constituting the color measurement history data D1 corresponds to one color measurement (color measurement job).

[0071] <Configuration of Printer Color Tracking Information - Color Measurement Information Corresponding Data> Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the printer color tracking information - color measurement information corresponding data D2 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the printer color tracking information - color measurement information corresponding data D2.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 8, the printer color tracking information - color measurement information corresponding data D2 has fields of "printer color tracking management information" and "color measurement ID history information". In the field of "printer color tracking management information", the name of the printer color tracking management information is stored. In the field of "color measurement ID history information", the color measurement ID of the color measurement result of the chart for which the color management target value is set in the printer color tracking management information is stored.

[0073] Also in the printer color tracking information - color measurement information corresponding data D2 shown in FIG. 8, similar to the color measurement history data D1 shown in FIG. 7, each row corresponds to one color measurement (color measurement job).

[0074] For example, in the first row of the printer color tracking information - color measurement information corresponding data D2, it is shown that the color measurement IDs associated with the printer color tracking management information of "color tracking information 1" are "93", "94", "79"... Thus, by associating the printer color tracking management information with the color measurement ID information, it becomes possible to easily refer to the data of the past color measurement history associated with the color measurement ID and create graphs, etc. using the printer color tracking management information.

[0075] <Configuration of Printer Color Tracking Management Screen> Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the configuration of the printer color tracking management screen Sc1 for assigning a user (operator) to the printer color tracking management information will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the printer color tracking management screen Sc1.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 9, the printer color tracking management screen Sc1 includes a printer color tracking management information selection section Ar1, a user selection section Ar2, a reflection button Bn1, an OK button Bn2, and a cancel button Bn3.

[0077] The printer color tracking management information selection section Ar1 has check boxes and each item of "printer color tracking management", "color management target value", and "printer". In the item of "printer color tracking management", the name of the printer color tracking management information is shown, in the item of "color management target value", the name of the color management target value is shown, and in the item of "printer", the name of the printer is shown.

[0078] The association of the operator with the printer color tracking management information is performed, for example, by an administrator having the authority of "Administrator" or a color manager having the authority of "Color Expert". Which user to select as the operator (operator selection method) can be appropriately set for each printing company, for example, by a person in charge responsible for the management of the printer associated with the color management target value or a person familiar with the color management target value.

[0079] The user selection unit Ar2 has an authorization menu Mn1 and a user information display unit Ar21. The authorization menu Mn1 includes a pull-down list of "authorizations" and a pull-down list of "locations". The pull-down list of "authorizations" is a list where the execution authorizations of the users to be displayed in the list can be selected, and the pull-down list of "locations" is a list where the locations of the users to be displayed in the list can be selected.

[0080] The user information display unit Ar21 has items of "user ID", "user name", and "authorization". The user ID is shown in the item of "user ID", and the user name is shown in the item of "user name". In the item of "authorization", information on the execution authorizations granted to the user, such as "Color Expert" and "Operator", is shown.

[0081] The color manager (or administrator) selects the printer color tracking information to be associated with the operator in the printer color tracking information selection unit Ar1 of the printer color tracking management screen Sc1, selects the user to be associated with the printer color tracking information in the user selection unit Ar2, and by pressing the reflection button Bn1, the selected printer color tracking information and the selected user (operator) can be associated.

[0082] Then, the color manager can confirm the association between the printer color tracking management information and the operator by pressing the OK button Bn2. On the other hand, the color manager can cancel the association between the printer color tracking management information and the operator by pressing the cancel button Bn3.

[0083] In the example shown in FIG. 9, a user with a user ID of "Y-hanako" is associated with "color tracking information 5". By performing such an operation, the user with a user ID of "Y-hanako" is granted the execution authorization for the color verification task (hereinafter, may also be simply referred to as "task") using the color management target value of "JapanColor target setting" and the printer with a printer name of "Printer C".

[0084] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a printer color tracking management screen Sc2 displayed when logging in with operator authority. The printer color tracking management screen Sc2 (an example of a correspondence information display screen) shown in FIG. 10 has a printer color tracking management information selection unit Ar1, an OK button Bn2, and a cancel button Bn3.

[0085] When a user with operator authority logs in, only the printer color tracking management information associated with that user is displayed on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2. Then, the user can track the printer color tracking management information for which printing and color measurement of the chart are to be performed, and by pressing the OK button Bn2, color verification operations such as printing and color measurement of the chart using the selected printer color tracking management information, and display of the history of color measurement results, etc. can be performed.

[0086] FIG. 10 shows an example when a user with a user ID of "Y-hanako" logs in. For the user ID "Y-hanako", in the printer color tracking management information table T4 shown in FIG. 5, printer color tracking management information from "color tracking information 3" to "color tracking information 6" is associated. Therefore, also on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2 shown in FIG. 10, only the printer color tracking management information from "color tracking information 3" to "color tracking information 6" associated with the user ID "Y-hanako" is displayed.

[0087] By performing such control, the operator can easily select any printer color tracking management information from the printer color tracking management information for which execution authority is granted. Also, since printer color tracking management information for which the user does not have execution authority is not displayed on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2, it is possible to prevent printer color tracking management information for which other users have execution authority from being disclosed to the logged-in user.

[0088] <Configuration of User Account Management Screen> Next, referring to FIG. 11, a user account management screen that enables adding, changing, or deleting user information will be described for the user information table T2' (see FIG. 6) to which items for managing printer color tracking management information are added. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the user account management screen Sc3.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 11, the user account management screen Sc3 has a user selection section Ar3, an add button Bn4, a delete button Bn5, a printer color tracking management information selection section Ar4, an OK button Bn2, and a cancel button Bn3.

[0090] The user selection section Ar3 has items for "User ID", "User Name", "Authority", "Email", and "Location". The "User ID" item shows the user ID, and the "User Name" item shows the user name. The "Authority" item shows information on the authority given to the user, such as "Administrator", "Color Expert", "Operator", etc. The "Email" item displays the user's email address, and the "Location" item displays information on the location to which the user belongs.

[0091] The printer color tracking management information selection section Ar4 has items for "Printer Color Tracking Management Information", "Color Management Target Value", and "Printer". The "Printer Color Tracking Management Information" item displays the name of the printer color tracking management information, the "Color Management Target Value" item displays the name of the color management target value, and the "Printer" item displays the name of the printer.

[0092] The add button Bn4 is a button pressed when adding a new user to the user selection section Ar3. The delete button Bn5 is a button pressed when deleting the correspondence information between the user account and the printer color tracking management information from the user information table T2'.

[0093] The color manager can associate the selected printer color tracking information with the selected user (operator) by selecting the user for whom the printer color tracking information is to be newly associated or the association is to be changed in the user selection section Ar3 of the user account management screen Sc3, selecting the printer color tracking information for which the operator is to be associated or the association is to be changed in the printer color tracking management information selection section Ar4, and pressing the reflection button Bn1.

[0094] Then, the color manager can determine the association between the printer color tracking management information and the operator by pressing the OK button Bn2. On the other hand, the color manager can cancel the association between the printer color tracking management information and the operator by pressing the cancel button Bn3.

[0095] When the add button Bn4 is pressed, the correspondence information between the printer color tracking management information and the operator determined by pressing the OK button Bn2 is added to the user information table T2'. On the other hand, when the delete button Bn5 is pressed, the correspondence information between the printer color tracking management information and the operator determined by pressing the OK button Bn2 is deleted from the user information table T2'.

[0096] According to this embodiment, since the color manager manages the association between the printer color tracking management information and the operator, even when the number of printers and / or the number of color management target values is large, it is possible to easily manage the color management target values associated with the printers. And by adjusting the correspondence between the printer color tracking management information and the operator using the color management server 1 of this embodiment, the color manager can easily improve the efficiency of the operator's work and manage the color quality of the company.

[0097] For example, in a printing company, when there is a need to perform a large amount of printing, operators may be hired on a one-time basis. In such cases, by setting an expiration date for the execution authority of the color verification operation based on the printer color tracking management information of the company for each operator hired on a one-time basis, it becomes possible to easily and surely manage the operators.

[0098] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a printer color tracking management screen Sc4 that can assign an expiration date to the execution authority granted to an operator. The printer color tracking management screen Sc4 shown in FIG. 12 is obtained by adding a date input form Fm, which is an interface for setting an expiration date, to the printer color tracking management screen Sc1 shown in FIG. 9.

[0099] The date input form has a date input field Fm1 and a calendar display field Fm2. The calendar display field Fm2 is displayed when the date input field Fm1 is selected. The color manager can set the expiration date (end date) of the execution authority granted to the operator by entering a date in the date input field Fm1 or by selecting a date from the calendar display field Fm2.

[0100] When the set expiration date arrives, the authority set for the operator is revoked. That is, the user ID registered in the "operator execution authority" item is deleted from the printer color tracking management information table T4 (see FIG. 5). Also, in the case of the user information table T2' (see FIG. 6), the printer color tracking management information registered in the "printer color tracking management information" item is deleted. Therefore, even in a business form where operators are replaced in a short period, it becomes possible to surely manage the operators, and it is also possible to prevent the information on the color management target values from being erroneously disclosed to users whose employment period has expired.

[0101] <Color management method by color management server> Next, with reference to FIG. 13, a color management method by the color management server 1 will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of color management processing by the color management server 1.

[0102] First, based on an operation by an administrator, an operator's user account is added to a user information table T2 (see FIG. 3) (or a user information table T2' (see FIG. 6)) (step S1).

[0103] Next, a printer color tracking management information generation process is performed (step S2). The printer color tracking management information generation process in step S2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 14 below. Next, a process of granting an execution authority of an operator to the printer color tracking management information is performed (step S3). The process of granting the execution authority of the operator in step S3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 15.

[0104] Next, with reference to FIG. 14, the printer color tracking management information generation process in step S2 of FIG. 13 will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the printer color tracking management information generation process. First, based on an operation by a color manager or the like, information on color management target values is registered in a color management target value table T3 (see FIG. 4) (step S11).

[0105] Next, based on an operation by a color manager or the like, information on the printer is registered in a printer information table T1 (see FIG. 2) (step S12). Note that the process of step S11 and the process of step S12 may be performed in either order.

[0106] Next, based on an operation by a color manager or the like, the information on the color management target values and the printer information are associated and registered in a printer color tracking management information table T4 (step S13). After the process of step S13, the printer color tracking management information generation process by the color management server 1 ends.

[0107] Next, with reference to FIG. 15, the process of granting the execution authority of the operator in step S3 of FIG. 13 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the process of granting the execution authority of the operator.

[0108] First, based on an operation by a color manager or the like, in the printer color tracking management screen Sc1 (see FIG. 9), printer color tracking management information for which execution permission is to be granted is selected (step S21). In the example shown in FIG. 9, "Color Tracking Information 5" in which "JapanColor Target Setting" of the color management target value is associated with "Printer C" is selected.

[0109] Next, based on an operation by a color manager or the like, from the permission granting menu Mn, the permission for the permission granting target is selected (step S22). In the example shown in FIG. 9, "Below Color Expert" is selected.

[0110] Next, based on an operation by a color manager or the like, in the printer color tracking management screen Sc1, a user for which execution permission is to be granted is selected (step S23). In the example shown in FIG. 9, a user with the user ID "Y-hanako" is selected.

[0111] Next, when the reflection button Bn1 and the OK button Bn2 on the printer color tracking management screen Sc1 are pressed by a color manager or the like, execution permission for the printer color tracking management information selected in step S21 is granted to the user selected in step S23 (step S24). After the process of step S24, the operator execution permission granting process by the color management server 1 ends.

[0112] Next, with reference to FIG. 16, the display process of the printer color tracking management information will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the display process of the printer color tracking management information. First, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 (see FIG. 1) of the color management server 1 receives a display request for the printer color tracking management list from the user (step S31).

[0113] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires a record of printer color tracking management information associated with the user from the printer color tracking management information table T4 (see FIG. 5) (step S32). Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether there is printer color tracking management information with the execution authority granted to the user who made the display request of the list in the printer color tracking management information table T4 (step S33).

[0114] In step S33, if it is determined that there is corresponding printer color tracking management information (if step S33 is a YES determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires the record of the corresponding printer color tracking management information and adds the acquired record to a display list (not shown) (step S34). The display list is a list temporarily stored in the RAM 112 (see FIG. 1) or the like. For example, if the user who made the display request of the list is the user with the user ID "Y-hanako", the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 selects the record of "color tracking information 3" associated with the user ID "Y-hanako" from the printer color tracking management information table T4 (see FIG. 5) and adds it to the display list.

[0115] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether there is unconfirmed printer color tracking management information (step S35). For example, since there is also printer color tracking management information associated with the user ID "Y-hanako" other than "color tracking information 3", in this case, step S36 is a YES determination. If step S35 is a YES determination, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 returns to step S32 to make a determination. As a result, "color tracking information 4" to "color tracking information 6", which are the printer color tracking management information associated with the user ID "Y-hanako", are also acquired one by one.

[0116] On the other hand, in step S33, when it is determined that there is no printer color tracking management information for which the user's execution authority is granted (when step S33 is NO), the determination in step S35 is made. That is, it is determined whether there is unconfirmed printer color tracking management information.

[0117] In step S35, when it is determined that there is no unconfirmed printer color tracking management information (when step S35 is NO), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 extracts the printer color tracking management information added to the display list and displays it on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2 (see FIG. 10) (step S36).

[0118] By performing this process, "Color Tracking Information 3" to "Color Tracking Information 6", which are printer color tracking management information associated with the user ID "Y-hanako", are displayed on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2. After the process of step S36, the display process of the printer color tracking management information ends.

[0119] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the display process of the printer color tracking management information when managing the information of the color tracking management information in the user information table T2' (see FIG. 6).

[0120] First, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 of the color management server 1 receives a display request for the printer color tracking management list from the user (step S41). Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires the record of the printer color tracking management information for which the user's execution authority has been granted from the user information table T2' (step S42).

[0121] In the example shown in FIG. 6, by performing the process of step S42, a record including the user ID "Y-hanako" is extracted from the user information table T2' (see FIG. 6).

[0122] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether there is any printer color tracking management information with an unacquired execution permission (step S43). If it is determined in step S43 that there is unacquired printer color tracking management information (when step S43 is a YES determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires the color tracking management information associated with the user ID from the record of the printer color tracking management information acquired in step S42 (step S44). For example, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires the record of "color tracking information 3" from the printer color tracking management information associated with the user ID "Y-hanako".

[0123] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 adds the printer color tracking management information acquired in step S44 to a display list (not shown) (step S45). After the process of step S454, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 returns to step S43 to make a determination.

[0124] If it is determined in step S43 that there is no unacquired printer color tracking management information with permission granted (when step S43 is a NO determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 displays the printer color tracking management information added to the display list on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2 (see FIG. 10) (step S46). After the process of step S46, the display process of the printer color tracking management information by the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 ends.

[0125] In the above-described embodiment, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 manages by associating the information of the user (operator) who performs the color verification operation using the color management target value with the printer color tracking management information which is the correspondence information with the printer. Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the color management target value and the printer information can be managed based on the user information, even when the number of printers and / or the number of color management target values is large, it becomes possible to easily manage the color management target value associated with the printer.

[0126] Also, in the above-described embodiment, when there are a plurality of color management target values for which the user performs color verification operations, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 manages by associating a plurality of printer color tracking management information with the user. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when the number of printers and / or the number of color management target values is large, it becomes possible to easily manage the color management target values associated with the printers.

[0127] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 performs control to display only the printer color tracking management information associated with the user on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2 (see FIG. 10) for displaying the printer color tracking management information. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the printer color tracking management information from being accidentally viewed by a user who is not managed in association with the printer color tracking management information.

[0128] For example, even when users at a plurality of bases of a printing company are in an environment where they can access the color management server 1, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent information such as color management target values and know-how managed by the color management server 1 from leaking to operators at other bases.

[0129] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 manages by associating an expiration date with the user, and for a user who logs in to the color management device 1 when the expiration date has passed, the printer color tracking management information associated with the user is not displayed on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2 (see FIG. 10). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even in a printing company where an operation mode is adopted in which operators are replaced in a short period of time, it is possible to prevent information managed by the color management server 1 from leaking to a retired operator or the like.

[0130] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 manages the printer color tracking management information and the history information of the color measurement results of printed materials by the printers managed in the printer color tracking management information, using the printer color tracking information-color measurement information correspondence data D2 (see FIG. 8). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily refer to the data of the past color measurement history associated with the color measurement ID and create a graph or the like using the printer color tracking management information.

[0131] <Various Modification Examples> Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various other application examples and modification examples can be taken without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0132] [Modification Example 1] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which there are a plurality of printer color tracking management information is given, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a new user account is created, if only one piece of printer color tracking management information is registered, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 may automatically associate the printer color tracking management information with the newly added user account. That is, the execution authority for the operations related to the printer color tracking management information may be granted to the newly added user account.

[0133] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for granting execution authority to a user according to Modification Example 1. First, based on an operation by an administrator, the user account of the operator is added to the user information table T2 (see FIG. 3) (or the user information table T2' (see FIG. 6)) (step S41).

[0134] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether there is only one piece of printer color tracking management information registered in the printer color tracking management information table T4 (see FIG. 5) (step S42).

[0135] In step S42, when it is determined that there is only one registered printer color tracking management information (when step S42 is a YES determination), a pop-up screen for confirming the necessity of automatic grant of execution rights is displayed on the user account management screen Sc3 (see FIG. 11) (step S43). An example of the user account management screen Sc3 on which the pop-up screen is displayed will be described with reference to FIG. 19 below.

[0136] For example, when an administrator with a user ID of “J-smith” registers a user account with the user ID “J-doe2”, assume that at that time, the only registered printer color tracking management information is “color tracking information 2”. In this case, on the user account management screen Sc3, a pop-up screen for confirming whether to grant the execution right for the business related to the printer color tracking management information of “color tracking information 2” to the user account with the user ID “J-doe2” is displayed.

[0137] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether an instruction to permit automatic grant of execution rights is input for the pop-up screen (step S44). In step S44, when it is determined that an instruction to permit is input (when step S44 is a YES determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 grants the execution right for the business related to the printer color tracking management information to the user account added in step S41 (step S45).

[0138] After the process of step S45, or when step S42 is a NO determination, or when step S44 is a NO determination, the user account management screen Sc3 is displayed on the display unit of a client PC (not shown) (step S46). After the process of step S46, the procedure for granting the execution right to the user ends.

[0139] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the user account management screen Sc3 on which the pop-up screen is displayed. On the user account management screen Sc3 shown in FIG. 19, a pop-up screen Sc5 is displayed.

[0140] On the pop-up screen Sc5, a message "An account for J-doe2 has been created. There is only one piece of printer color tracking information. Do you grant the permission to this color tracking information?" is displayed, and below this message, the corresponding printer color tracking information is shown. In the example shown in FIG. 19, the printer color tracking management information of "Color Tracking Information 2" is displayed. At the lower right of the pop-up screen Sc5, an OK button Bn6 and a Cancel button Bn7 are arranged.

[0141] In the state where this pop-up screen Sc5 is displayed, if the user presses the OK button Bn6, the printer color tracking management information is associated with the user account. That is, the execution permission for the operations related to the printer color tracking management information is granted to the user account. On the other hand, if the Cancel button Bn7 is pressed, the execution permission for the operations related to the printer color tracking management information is not granted to the user account.

[0142] By performing such control by the printer color tracking management information management unit 107, when only one piece of printer color tracking management information is registered at the time of registering the user account, the execution permission for the operations related to the printer color tracking management information is easily and surely granted to the user account.

[0143] [Modification Example 2] Also, for example, the color management server 1 may analyze the color measurement tendency using the information stored in the storage unit 14 (see FIG. 1) and notify the result of the analysis to a user such as an operator.

[0144] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a configuration example of color measurement history data D1 according to Modification 2. In the color measurement history data D1 shown in FIG. 20, it is recorded that the color measurement result at color measurement ID “106” was “Fail”, and subsequently, it is recorded that the color measurement result at color measurement ID “107” was “Pass”. This indicates that since the color measurement result of color measurement ID “107” was “Fail”, color adjustment was performed on the printer of “Printer B”, and the chart was printed again, resulting in a “Pass” color measurement result for that chart.

[0145] Also, looking at the color measurement history of “Color Tracking Information 3” before color measurement ID “95”, it can be seen that the color measurement results of color measurement IDs “43” and “78” were both “Fail”. Also, it can be seen that the color measurement by any color measurement ID was performed on Sunday. From this, it can be understood that the color management target value managed by the printer color tracking management information “Color Tracking Information 3” and the color measurement of the chart printed using the printer tend to result in a “Fail” color measurement result on Sunday due to some factor.

[0146] Therefore, based on the results of such trend analysis, by sending a message notifying this trend to the contact information such as Email associated with the user ID of the user who performed the corresponding color measurement, it becomes possible for the operator to take some countermeasures. For example, before the start of Sunday operations, sending a message prompting the user with user ID “Y-hanako” to perform color adjustment at the pre-chart-printing stage, or displaying a pop-up message when the user logs in to the color management server 1, increases the likelihood of preventing the “Fail” color measurement results that tend to occur every Sunday.

[0147] Such notification of trends can be performed, for example, by providing a scheduler for notifying trends (hereinafter referred to as a trend notification scheduler) and based on the content described in the scheduler. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the trend notification scheduler Sd.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 21, in the trend notification scheduler Sd, the day-of-week item and the item of printer color tracking management information are associated with each other. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the printer color tracking management information is represented only by a numerical value, such as "3" if it is "color tracking information 3". However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be managed by the name itself of the printer color tracking management information, or other names or symbols.

[0149] It is shown in the trend notification scheduler Sd shown in FIG. 21 that the notification day of the trend regarding the printer color tracking management information of "color tracking information 3" is Sunday. The trend notification to the user can be realized, for example, by providing a trend notification flag (not shown) indicating that notification is necessary in association with the user account, and turning on the trend notification flag in the user account for which notification should be made.

[0150] Then, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 sends a trend notification message to the Email address of the user account for which the trend notification flag is ON at any timing until the start of business on the day of the week for which trend notification should be made. Further, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 performs trend notification by pop-up notification when the user of the user account logs in to the color management server 1. Note that the transmission of the trend notification message to the Email address and the pop-up notification do not both have to be performed, and only one of them may be performed.

[0151] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the trend notification method (1) by the color management server 1.

[0152] First, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 of the color management server 1 checks the trend notification scheduler Sd (see FIG. 21) at a predetermined timing or the like (step S51). Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether printer color tracking management information is registered in the trend notification scheduler Sd (step S52). As shown in the example of FIG. 21, when "3" (color tracking information 3) is recorded in the Sunday item, step S52 is determined as YES.

[0153] In step S52, if it is determined that the printer color tracking management information is not registered (if step S52 is NO), the color management server 1 ends the trend notification process. On the other hand, in step S52, if it is determined that the printer color tracking management information is registered (if step S52 is YES), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires the printer color tracking management information registered in the trend notification scheduler Sd (step S53). In the example shown in FIG. 21, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 acquires the printer color tracking management information of "color tracking information 3".

[0154] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 identifies the user account having the execution authority for the operations related to the printer color tracking management information acquired in step S53 (step S54). For example, in the printer color tracking management information table T4 (see FIG. 5), the user account associated with "color tracking information 3" acquired from the trend notification scheduler Sd is the user account with the user ID "Y-hanako". Therefore, in step S54, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 identifies the user account with the user ID "Y-hanako".

[0155] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 turns on the trend notification flag (not shown) of the user account specified in step S54 (step S55). Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether there is any unacquired printer color tracking management information (step S56). As in the example shown in FIG. 21, when there is one piece of printer color tracking management information (“color tracking information 3”) registered in the trend report scheduler Sd, step S56 results in a NO determination.

[0156] In step S56, if it is determined that there is unacquired printer color tracking management information (if step S56 results in a YES determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 returns to step S53 to continue the process. On the other hand, in step S56, if it is determined that there is no unacquired printer color tracking management information (if step S56 results in a NO determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 sends a trend notification message to the Email address of the user account specified in step S54 (step S57). After the process of step S57, the trend notification method (1) by the color management server 1 ends.

[0157] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the trend notification method (2) by the color management server 1.

[0158] First, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 of the color management server 1 determines whether it has detected a login to the color management server 1 by the user (operator) (step S61). In step S61, if it is determined that the login has not been detected (if step S61 results in a NO determination), the determination in step S61 is repeated.

[0159] On the one hand, in step S61, when it is determined that a login has been detected (when step S61 is a YES determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 determines whether the trend notification flag associated with the user is ON (step S62). In step S62, when it is determined that the trend notification flag is ON (when step S62 is a YES determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 causes a pop-up message Pm for trend notification (see FIG. 24 described later) to be displayed via the UI control unit 108a (see FIG. 1) (step S63).

[0160] Next, the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 causes a printer color tracking management screen Sc2 (see FIG. 10) to be displayed on the display unit of a client PC (not shown) via the UI control unit 108a (step S64). On the other hand, in step S62, when it is determined that the trend notification flag is OFF (when step S62 is a NO determination), the printer color tracking management information management unit 107 performs the process of step S64. After the process of step S64, the trend notification process (2) by the color management server 1 ends.

[0161] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the printer color tracking management screen Sc2 on which the pop-up message Pm for trend notification is displayed.

[0162] As shown in FIG. 24, a pop-up message Pm for trend notification is displayed on the printer color tracking management screen Sc2. The pop-up message Pm for trend notification displays a message "Welcome, Ms. Hanako Yamada. Currently, 'Color Tracking Information 3' may not pass. It is recommended to perform color adjustment on the actual machine before performing color verification." Also, below the message, it is shown that the color management target value managed as the printer color tracking management information "Color Tracking Information 3" is "JapanColor Target Setting" and the printer is "Printer B".

[0163] By performing such processing by the color management server 1, the user (operator) can know that the color verification that he / she tried to perform after logging in is likely to fail, and can take measures such as performing color adjustment before the color verification. As a result, in the color verification operation managed by the printer color tracking management information, the probability of occurrence of a failure can be reduced.

[0164] [Other Modification Examples] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the color management server 1 performs color management of printers within a printing company is given, but the present invention is not limited to this. The color management server 1 according to the present invention may share information on color management target values between different companies such as a certain printing company and a subcontractor printing company of the printing company.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0165] 1... Color management server, 10... Color management unit, 11... Control unit, 104... Printer information management unit, 105... User information management unit, 106... Color management target value management unit, 107... Printer color tracking management information management unit, 108a... UI control unit, D1... Color measurement history data, D2... Printer color tracking information - color measurement information correspondence data, T1... Printer information table, T2, T2'... User information table, T3... Color management target value table, T4... Printer color tracking management information table

Claims

Claim 1. A color management device that performs color management by associating a plurality of color management target values, which are criteria that the color measurement results by a colorimeter should satisfy, with a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprising: a management unit that manages, by associating, information of a user who has the execution authority to perform a color verification operation using the color management target value with correspondence information in which the image forming apparatus and the color management target value are managed by association; the management unit performs control to display only the correspondence information related to the color verification operation that can be executed by the user logged in to the color management device on a correspondence information display screen for displaying the correspondence information, manages by associating an expiration date with the user's account, and when the expiration date of the account managed in association with the user's account has expired, performs control to delete the information of the user associated with the correspondence information Color management device.

2. When the expiration date has passed, the management unit does not display the correspondence information associated with the user on the correspondence information display screen for a user who has logged in to the color management device. The color management device according to claim 1.

3. The management unit manages by associating the correspondence information with history information of color measurement results of printed matter by the image forming apparatus managed in the correspondence information. The color management device according to claim 2.

4. Based on the history information of the color measurement results, the management unit notifies a user associated with the correspondence information analyzed to have a tendency that the color measurement results do not satisfy the criteria of information regarding the analysis result of the tendency. The color management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The information regarding the analysis result of the tendency includes a notification prompting the user to perform color adjustment before performing the color verification operation. The color management device according to claim 4. Claim 6. A color management method by a color management device that performs color management by associating a plurality of color management target values, which are criteria that the color measurement results by a colorimeter should satisfy, with a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprising: a procedure in which a management unit manages by associating information of a user who has the execution authority to perform a color verification operation using the color management target value with correspondence information in which the image forming apparatus and the color management target value are managed by association The management unit performs control to display only the correspondence information related to the color verification operation that can be executed by the user logged in to the color management device on the correspondence information display screen for displaying the correspondence information, manages by associating an expiration date with the user's account, and when the expiration date of the account managed in association with the user's account has expired, performs control to delete the user information associated with the correspondence information. Color management method. **Claim 7**: A program executable by a computer that configures a color management device that performs color management by associating a plurality of color management target values, which are criteria to be satisfied by color measurement results obtained by a colorimeter, with a plurality of image forming devices, including a procedure for managing by associating information of a user who has the right to execute a color verification operation using the color management target value with correspondence information in which the image forming device and the color management target value are managed in association with each other, In the procedure for management, on the correspondence information display screen for displaying the correspondence information, control is performed to display only the correspondence information related to the color verification operation that can be executed by the user logged in to the color management device, an expiration date is managed in association with the user's account, and when the expiration date of the account managed in association with the user's account has expired, control is performed to delete the user information associated with the correspondence information. Program.

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