Image forming apparatus and program

Abstract

To provide an image forming device capable of managing a processing change for a terminal device of a communication partner by a server, and a program.SOLUTION: A printer 17 of a printing system 10 acquires a communication destination list 72 (communication destination list 27) from a server 11 (S13, S23). For an instruction from a terminal device 15C included in the communication destination list 72 acquired in S23, the printer 17 executes processing corresponding to the instruction (S53, S59, S67). On the other hand, for an instruction from a terminal device 15B not included in the communication destination list 72, the printer 17 does not execute processing corresponding to the instruction (S47).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Various techniques have been proposed for image forming devices that allow filtering settings to restrict communication with other parties. For example, the image forming device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below allows filtering settings based on communication port numbers. When a specific port number, such as the port number of the RAW protocol used for printing, is changed from the default number, the printer notifies the user of the port numbers that will be enabled or disabled as a result of the change in filtering settings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-253724 A (Fig. 8) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The image forming device described in Patent Document 1 accepts settings to enable or disable communication connections depending on the port number used by an application running on the image forming device. However, when there are multiple terminal devices that can issue connection requests or print instructions to the image forming device, there are cases where it is desired to change the processing executed by the image forming device in response to instructions from the multiple terminal devices. Therefore, a technology is needed to change the processing for terminal devices that can communicate with the image forming device.

[0005] The present application discloses a technique for solving the above-mentioned problems, and provides an image forming apparatus and a program that allow a server to manage changes to processing on a terminal device of a communication partner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus disclosed in the present application is an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit, a communication unit capable of communicating with a terminal device, and a control unit, wherein the control unit executes an acquisition process to acquire a communication destination list including at least a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices from a server that acquires and stores the status of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices, and an instruction response process to execute a process corresponding to an instruction from the first terminal device included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, and to restrict the process corresponding to the instruction from an instruction from a second terminal device not included in the communication destination list.

[0007] In addition, the image forming apparatus disclosed in the present application is an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit, a communication unit capable of communicating with a terminal device, and a control unit, wherein the control unit executes an acquisition process to acquire a communication destination list of the one or more terminal devices, which does not include at least a first terminal device, from a server that acquires and stores the status of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices, and an instruction response process to execute a process corresponding to the instruction in response to an instruction from the first terminal device not included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, and to restrict the process corresponding to the instruction in response to an instruction from a second terminal device included in the communication destination list.

[0008] Furthermore, the contents disclosed in this specification are not limited to implementation as an image forming apparatus, but may also be usefully implemented as a program that can be read by a computer of a terminal device that can communicate with the image forming apparatus, for example. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the image forming apparatus and the program having the above configuration, the server can manage changes to the processing of the terminal device of the communication partner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the printing system shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing data stored in a communication destination list. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating data stored in a communication destination list according to another example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing data stored in a terminal DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing data stored in a printer DB. [Figure 7] 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing of a server, a terminal device, and a printer in a communication destination list processing. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing of a server, a terminal device, and a printer in a communication destination list processing. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing by a server, a terminal device, and a printer in communication destination list processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing by a server, a terminal device, and a printer in communication destination list processing according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing processing by a server, a terminal device, and a printer in communication destination list processing according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing processing by a server, a terminal device, and a printer in communication destination list processing according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (First embodiment) A printing system 10 according to a first embodiment, which is an embodiment embodying an image forming apparatus and a program according to the present application, will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the printing system 10, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the printing system 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing system 10 includes a server 11, an administration PC 13, multiple terminal devices 15, and multiple printers 17. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates only one terminal device 15 and one printer 17 to avoid cluttering the drawing. Furthermore, the printing system 10 may be configured to include one terminal device 15 and one printer 17, or may be configured to use multiple printers 17 with one terminal device 15, or may be configured to use one printer 17 with multiple terminal devices 15.

[0012] For example, a company that uses the printing system 10 lends a terminal device 15 and a printer 17 to a user (such as an employee in charge of sales). The user can execute printing using the printer 17 by operating the terminal device 15. The server 11 is, for example, a management server that manages the terminal device 15. An administrator of the terminal device 15 or the printer 17 (such as a company system administrator) can use the management function of the server 11 to restrict the functions of the terminal device 15 by operating the management PC 13.

[0013] More specifically, the server 11 is, for example, an MDM (Mobile Device Management) server, which is a server that centrally manages a plurality of terminal devices 15 that are to be managed. The server 11 includes a server control unit 21 and a communication IF (abbreviation of interface) 22. The server control unit 21 and the like are capable of communicating with each other via a communication bus 23. The communication IF 22 is, for example, a LAN interface, and is connected to a network 19. The network 19 includes, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet, a LAN, and mobile communication networks such as 4G and 5G.

[0014] The server control unit 21 controls the server 11 in an overall manner. The server control unit 21 includes a server storage unit 24 and a server CPU 25. The server storage unit 24 is configured, for example, by combining RAM, ROM, and an HDD. The server storage unit 24 stores a server program 26, a communication destination list 27, a terminal DB (short for database) 28, and a printer DB 29. The server program 26 is a program that causes the server 11 to execute various processes. For example, the server control unit 21 controls access to the server 11 by executing the server program 26 on the server CPU 25. Furthermore, the server control unit 21 executes the server program 26 on the server CPU 25 to restrict functions of the terminal device 15 that is a target of MDM management, based on instructions obtained from the administration PC 13.

[0015] In the following description, the server control unit 21, which executes the server program 26 on the server CPU 25, may be referred to simply as a device name or program name. For example, the phrase "the server 11 receives an instruction from the management PC 13 via the communication IF 22" means "the server control unit 21 executes the server program 26 on the server CPU 25, thereby controlling the communication IF 22 and receiving an instruction from the management PC 13 via the communication IF 22." The same applies to the management PC 13, which executes a management program 38 on its CPU 31 (described below), the terminal device 15, which executes an OS program 49 and an application program (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an application) 50 on its terminal CPU 48, and the printer 17, which executes a printer program 71 on its printer CPU 70. In addition, the term "receive" in this application is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request. In other words, the process of the server 11 receiving an instruction without a request is also included in the concept of "the server 11 receiving an instruction."

[0016] The communication destination list 27 is data sent from the server 11 to each printer 17. The printer 17 changes the processing for the terminal device 15 with which it is communicating based on the communication destination list 27 (printer-side communication destination list 72) acquired from the server 11. The terminal DB 28 is data for managing each terminal device 15. The printer DB 29 is data for managing the communication destination list 72 of each printer 17. The communication destination list 27, terminal DB 28, and printer DB 29 will be described in detail below.

[0017] Next, the management PC 13 will be described. In the following description of the management PC 13, terminal device 15, and printer 17, details similar to those of the server 11 will be omitted as appropriate. The management PC 13 is, for example, a notebook or desktop personal computer. The management PC 13 includes a CPU 31, a storage unit 32, a user IF 33, a display 34, and a communication IF 35. The CPU 31 and other components are capable of communicating with each other via a communication bus 37. The management PC 13 executes various processes by having the CPU 31 execute a management program 38 stored in the storage unit 32. The management PC 13 changes the display content of the display 34 in response to operational inputs made to the user IF 33 (such as a mouse or keyboard). The management PC 13 is also connectable to the network 19 via the communication IF 35.

[0018] Next, the terminal device 15 will be described. The terminal device 15 is, for example, a smartphone. Note that the terminal device of the present application is not limited to a smartphone, and may be a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, or the like. The terminal device 15 includes a terminal control unit 41, a first communication IF 43, a second communication IF 44, and a touch panel 45. The terminal control unit 41 and the like are capable of communicating with each other via a communication bus 46.

[0019] The terminal control unit 41 controls the terminal device 15 in an overall manner, and includes a terminal storage unit 47 and a terminal CPU 48. The terminal storage unit 47 is configured by combining, for example, RAM, ROM, etc. An OS program 49 and applications 50 are stored in the terminal storage unit 47. The OS program 49 is a program that controls the terminal device 15 in an overall manner, and provides basic functions and services to the applications 50. The OS program 49 is, for example, Android (registered trademark) OS or iOS (registered trademark). Furthermore, if the terminal device 15 is, for example, a laptop PC, the OS program 49 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark) OS.

[0020] The application 50 is, for example, a program provided by the vendor of the printer 17, and is a program that uses the functions of the OS program 49, etc. to send print instructions to the printer 17, obtain setting information for the printer 17, send setting instructions to the printer 17, etc. The terminal control unit 41 executes the OS program 49 and the application 50 on the terminal CPU 48, and controls the operation of the terminal device 15.

[0021] Therefore, the server program 26 of the server 11 and the management program 38 of the management PC 13 include a program compatible with MDM that can control the terminal device 15 that runs on the Android (registered trademark) OS or the like. For example, an administrator can operate the management PC 13 and use the MDM function of the server 11 to execute various controls on the terminal device 15. The various controls referred to here include, for example, limiting functions such as communication functions of each of the managed terminal devices 15, deleting data on the terminal device 15, initializing the device, locking the screen, and locking the device against loss. Note that the server 11 may be a server that is capable of at least one of the above-mentioned limiting controls such as limiting functions, deleting data, initializing the device, locking the screen, and locking the device against loss.

[0022] Furthermore, the server 11 has a MAM (Mobile Application Management) function in addition to the MDM function. The server 11 can control the installation of the application 50 on the terminal device 15, the setting of parameters at the time of installation, etc., based on instructions from the management PC 13, for example. Note that the server 11 does not necessarily have to have the MAM function.

[0023] The first communication IF 43 is a communication interface capable of performing short-range wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, for example. The terminal device 15 can communicate with the first communication IF 61 of the printer 17 via the first communication IF 43 and can send print instructions and the like to the printer 17. The second communication IF 44 is a communication interface capable of communication with a mobile communication system network such as 4G or 5G, and wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The terminal device 15 is connected to the network 19 via the second communication IF 44. The terminal device 15 can also communicate with the printer 17 via the second communication IF 44 and can send print instructions and the like to the printer 17. The terminal device 15 may be connected to the network 19 via a wired connection. The above-described communication method is merely an example and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the communication standard of the first communication IF 43 is not limited to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and other short-range wireless communication standards such as NFC may also be used. The second communication IF 44 may also be configured to be able to communicate with the second communication IF 62 of the printer 17 using the WFD (abbreviation of Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark)) standard established by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

[0024] Furthermore, the terminal device 15 accepts user operation input via the touch panel 45. Furthermore, the terminal device 15 displays various types of information on the touch panel 45. The user IF provided in the terminal device 15 is not limited to the touch panel 45, and may include a button switch or a slide switch in addition to or instead of the touch panel 45. Furthermore, the terminal device 15 may be provided with a display device such as an LCD and an input device such as a keyboard separately.

[0025] Next, the printer 17 will be described. The printer 17 is, for example, a portable printing device that can be carried around, and prints image data of a print job acquired via wired or wireless communication with the terminal device 15 onto a sheet (such as thermal paper). The printer 17 includes a first communication IF 61, a second communication IF 62, a power supply unit 63, a printing unit 64, a user IF 65, and a printer control unit 67. The first communication IF 61 and the like can communicate with each other via a communication bus 68.

[0026] The first communication IF 61 is a communication interface capable of performing short-range wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, for example, and communicates with the first communication IF 43 of the terminal device 15. The second communication IF 62 is a communication interface capable of communication via a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or a wired LAN, for example. The printer 17 can connect to the network 19 by connecting to an access point within the company or at a business trip destination via the second communication IF 62, for example.

[0027] The power supply unit 63 includes, for example, a power supply circuit and a battery that generate power from a commercial power source to supply to each device in the printer 17. Therefore, the printer 17 is a mobile printer that can perform printing operations and the like using a battery as its power source even when not connected to a commercial power source. The power supply unit 63 may also be configured to include only one of a power supply circuit and a battery that can use a commercial power source. The image forming apparatus of the present application may also be, for example, a portable image forming apparatus such as a label printer or receipt printer, or a battery-powered fax machine or scanner. The image forming apparatus may also be a stationary printer or a multifunction device equipped with printing, faxing, scanning, and copying functions.

[0028] The printing unit 64 includes, for example, a thermal head and prints an image on a sheet by a direct thermal method. The printing unit 64 may also be configured to print by an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. The user IF 65 includes, for example, a touch panel, push button switches, etc., and receives operation inputs from the user and displays various information. The printer 17 may also be configured without a touch panel and to include only switches such as push button switches or slide switches.

[0029] The printer control unit 67 controls the printer 17 in an overall manner. The printer control unit 67 includes a printer storage unit 69 and a printer CPU 70. The printer storage unit 69 is configured by combining RAM, ROM, etc. The printer storage unit 69 is capable of storing a printer program 71, a communication destination list 72, template data 74, and personal information 75. The printer program 71 is, for example, firmware that controls each unit of the printer 17 in an overall manner. The printer control unit 67 executes the printer program 71 using the printer CPU 70 to control the printing unit 64, etc. The communication destination list 72 is information on the communication destination list 27 obtained from the server 11.

[0030] The template data 74 is, for example, template data used when printing standard documents such as receipts and reports, or data typically used for documents such as company logos. The personal information 75 is, for example, data to be inserted into a template, such as the name and affiliation of the user of the printer 17, the customer name, and the customer address. The printer 17 executes printing using, for example, a template or personal information specified in a print job. Alternatively, the printer 17 executes printing using a preset template or personal information based on a predetermined operation on the user IF 65. The confirmation information 76 indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 2 will be described in the second embodiment, which will be described later. The printer 17 of the first embodiment may be provided with this confirmation information 76 and execute control using the confirmation information 76, or may be configured without the confirmation information 76.

[0031] (Regarding contact lists 27 and 72, terminal DB 28, and printer DB 29) The printer 17 of this embodiment can receive print instructions and the like from the terminal device 15 via the first communication IF 43 and the second communication IF 44. Therefore, without any restrictions, the printer 17 may receive and execute print instructions and the like not only from the terminal device 15 of a legitimate user but also from unspecified terminal devices 15. For example, a previous user at the company may connect a terminal device 15 to the printer 17 using the printer 17's past history and execute a print job. Furthermore, portable image forming devices such as mobile printers may be connected by third parties other than the owner while on a business trip or at a sales location. If the printer 17 is used fraudulently, consumables such as sheets may be consumed by third parties, parts such as the thermal head may deteriorate with use, or personal information 75 may be leaked through printing or other means. Therefore, the printing system 10 of this embodiment uses the communication destination lists 27 and 72 to limit the terminal devices 15 that can connect to the printer 17 and limit the terminal devices 15 that can issue print instructions and the like. As described above, the communication destination list 72 is data obtained by storing the communication destination list 27 on the server 11 side in the printer 17. Therefore, the following explanation will mainly focus on the communication destination list 72, and will omit explanation of the communication destination list 27 as appropriate.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows an example of data stored in the communication destination list 72. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication destination list 72 stores multiple MAC addresses. The multiple MAC addresses are MAC addresses of LAN interfaces (e.g., communication interfaces for Wi-Fi (registration)) of the second communication IF 44 of the terminal device 15. The printer 17 permits connection to its own second communication IF 62 for second communication IFs 44 whose MAC address information is set in the communication destination list 72 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "listed in the communication destination list 72"), i.e., terminal devices 15 with listed MAC addresses. On the other hand, the printer 17 denies connection to its own device for terminal devices 15 with MAC addresses not listed in the communication destination list 72. Therefore, the communication destination list 72 of this embodiment is a so-called whitelist.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the communication destination list 72 stores information about processing details associated with each of a plurality of MAC addresses. In the example shown in FIG. 3, two processing details, "printing" and "settings change," are stored as processing details. These processing details indicate whether or not to permit processing based on instructions when a terminal device 15 with each MAC address connects to the printer 17 and the terminal device 15 issues a printing instruction or a setting change instruction to the printer 17 after the connection. In the figure, "○" indicates permission, and "×" indicates denial. For example, when the printer 17 receives a connection from the terminal device 15 with the top MAC address "01:01:XX:XX:XX:XX," the printer 17 accepts both a printing instruction and a setting change instruction as post-connection instructions and executes processing according to the instructions. On the other hand, when the printer 17 receives a connection from the terminal device 15 with the second top MAC address "23:01:XX:XX:XX:XX," the printer 17 does not accept a printing instruction, but only a setting change instruction as post-connection instructions. In this way, the printer 17 can change the permitted processing content for each terminal device 15.

[0034] 3 is an example. For example, the processing content is not limited to the two processing contents described above, and may be a print preview process or a print process using template data 74. Furthermore, if printer 17 has functions other than printing, a scan function or a fax function may be adopted as the processing content of communication destination list 72.

[0035] 3 illustrates the MAC address (LAN interface) of the second communication IF 44, the communication destination list 72 can be set in a similar manner for other communication methods. For example, when the first communication IF 43 of each terminal device 15 performs communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, the communication destination list 72 may be configured to set a physical address (public address) specific to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication interface. In this case, similar to the MAC address, the communication destination list 72 may list a public address for which connection is permitted. Alternatively, when NFC communication is used as short-range wireless communication, the NFCID may be used as information for identifying the terminal device 15 and listed in the communication destination list 72.

[0036] 3, the MAC addresses permitted for connection are associated with processing details and set in the communication destination list 72, but as shown in FIG. 4, only the MAC addresses permitted for connection may be set. In this case, the printer 17 may permit connection only from terminal devices 15 listed in the communication destination list 72, and uniformly permit printing processing and setting change processing after connection. In this case, when a connection is accepted, the printer 17 may check only the MAC address of the connecting terminal device 15 in the communication destination list 72, and if the MAC address is listed in the communication destination list 72, it may execute all instructions from the connected terminal device 15 in subsequent processing.

[0037] Alternatively, the MAC address does not have to be listed in the communication destination list 72. The printer 17 may permit connection to a terminal device 15 that has received a connection instruction, but may determine whether to execute a printing process or a setting change process after connection based on the communication destination list 72. Therefore, the "instruction from the first terminal device" in this application is not limited to a connection instruction, but may also be another instruction such as a printing instruction or a setting change instruction.

[0038] 3 and 4, a so-called whitelist is used as the communication destination list 72, which allows connections for MAC addresses listed in the communication destination list 72. However, this is not limiting. A so-called blacklist, which does not allow connections for MAC addresses listed in the communication destination list 72, may also be used as the communication destination list 72. In this case, for example, if the list of MAC addresses in FIG. 4 is used as the blacklist, the printer 17 does not allow connections for terminal devices 15 listed in the communication destination list 72. On the other hand, the printer 17 allows connections for terminal devices 15 not listed in the communication destination list 72. Even in the case of such a blacklist, the printer 17 may set in the communication destination list 72 the processing content that the terminal device 15 is allowed to perform after connection. Furthermore, the printer 17 may be configured to be able to switch between a mode using a whitelist and a mode using a blacklist.

[0039] FIG. 5 also shows an example of data stored in the terminal DB 28. The terminal DB 28 stores data for managing the terminal device 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal DB 28 stores information such as a terminal ID, a user account, a password, a physical address, and installed applications in association with each other. The terminal ID is, for example, a serial number assigned to the terminal device 15 by the vendor of the terminal device 15, and is unique information that enables the terminal device 15 to be distinguished from other terminal devices 15. The user account is the account name of a user authorized to use the terminal device 15. The password is the password for that user account. The physical address is the communication interface of the terminal device 15, more specifically, for example, the MAC address of the first communication IF 43 and the public address of the second communication IF 44. The installed applications are information indicating the types of applications (including application 50) installed in the terminal device 15. As described above, applications installed in the terminal device 15 are installed or uninstalled by the server 11 using the MDM function. When the server 11 receives and executes an instruction for the terminal device 15 from the management PC 13, the server 11 updates the information in the terminal DB 28. Note that the example shown in Fig. 5 is just an example. The server 11 may use the MDM function to store information in the terminal DB 28 indicating whether data on the terminal device 15 has been initialized or whether the screen has been locked.

[0040] FIG. 6 shows an example of data stored in the printer DB 29. The printer DB 29 stores information related to the destination lists 27 and 72 of the printer 17. In this embodiment, the server 11 not only manages the status of the terminal device 15 using the terminal DB 28, but also manages the status of the printer 17. As shown in FIG. 6, the printer DB 29 stores a printer ID, a confirmation date and time, and a destination list in association with each other. The printer ID is, for example, a serial number assigned to the printer 17 by the printer 17 vendor, and is unique information that enables the printer 17 to be distinguished from other printers 17. The confirmation date and time is information on the date and time when the authenticity of the destination list 27 was confirmed by the authentication process (S29 in FIG. 7), which will be described later. The destination list is information on the list name of the destination list 27 sent to the printer 17, i.e., the destination list 72 held by the printer 17.

[0041] The server 11 may have multiple types of communication destination lists 27 and use different communication destination lists 27 for each printer 17, or all printers 17 may use the same communication destination list 27. For example, in a large company, a different communication destination list 27 may be prepared for each department, and in a small company, the same communication destination list 27 may be used for all printers 17, and the communication destination lists 27 may be updated collectively to implement connection restrictions and processing restrictions (sometimes called connection restrictions, etc.).

[0042] (contact list processing) Next, the communication destination list processing executed by the printing system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the processing of the server 11, terminal device 15, and printer 17 in the communication destination list processing. By executing the communication destination list processing, the printing system 10 restricts the terminal devices 15 that can connect to the printer 17 based on the communication destination lists 27 and 72, and restricts the processing content (printing, setting changes) that the terminal device 15 can instruct the printer 17 to perform after connection. The sequence diagrams in this specification basically show the processing of the CPUs (server CPU 25, CPU 31, terminal CPU 48, and printer CPU 70) in accordance with the instructions written in each program. In other words, processes such as "request," "send," and "determination" in the following description represent CPU processing. CPU processing also includes hardware control via a program. In this specification, "data" is represented by a computer-readable bit string. Data with essentially the same meaning but different formats is treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification.

[0043] In the following description, as an example, a case will be described in which the MAC address of a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless communication interface is set in the communication destination list 27, and connection restrictions and processing restrictions are implemented based on the MAC address. Note that connection restrictions and the like can also be implemented when other physical addresses, such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) public address, are used. A case will also be described in which three terminal devices 15 connect to the printer 17. To distinguish between the terminal devices 15, they will be referred to as terminal devices 15A, 15B, and 15C. When the terminal devices 15 are not distinguished and are referred to collectively, they will be referred to as terminal device 15. Terminal device 15A is, for example, a terminal device 15A of a system administrator, and is a terminal device 15A whose MAC address information is not set in the communication destination list 72. Terminal device 15B is, for example, a terminal device 15B of an employee who is not authorized to use the printer 17 or a terminal device 15B of an external third party, and is a terminal device 15B that is not listed in the communication destination list 72. Terminal device 15C is terminal device 15C of the user of printer 17, and is terminal device 15C listed in communication destination list 72. Also, in the initial state of printer 17, communication destination list 72 is not stored in printer control unit 67. Also, the following explanation will mainly focus on the case where communication destination list 72 is a whitelist, but the same can be implemented when communication destination list 72 is a blacklist.

[0044] First, as shown in step (hereinafter simply referred to as "S") 11 in Fig. 7, the terminal device 15A transmits an instruction to the server 11 via the network 19 to request the communication destination list 27 (hereinafter simply referred to as "request"). For example, when the application 50 is launched, the terminal device 15 executes S11 to request the communication destination list 27. Alternatively, after launching the application 50, the terminal device 15 may request the communication destination list 27 based on an operation input to the touch panel 45. The terminal device 15A executes the application 50 on the terminal CPU 48 to execute the processing from S11 onwards.

[0045] When the server 11 receives the request of S11, it transmits the communication destination list 27 to the terminal device 15A (S13). For example, if all employees use the same communication destination list 27, only one communication destination list 27 is stored in the server storage unit 24, and the server 11 transmits that communication destination list 27 to the terminal device 15 (S13). Alternatively, the server 11 may obtain the terminal ID of the terminal device 15A or the printer ID of the printer 17 from the terminal device 15A, identify the communication destination list 27 corresponding to the terminal ID or printer ID, and transmit it to the terminal device 15A.

[0046] When the terminal device 15A acquires the communication destination list 27 in S13, it transmits a connection request to the printer 17 by Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication via the network 19 (S15). The method of specifying the printer 17 to which the communication destination list 27 is to be sent is not particularly limited. For example, the terminal device 15 may send the communication destination list 27 to the printer 17 set in the print settings of the application 50, i.e., the selected printer 17 or the default printer 17. Alternatively, the terminal device 15 may search for printers 17 within the same LAN, display a list, and accept from the user the selection of the printer 17 to which the communication destination list 27 is to be sent from the list.

[0047] When printer 17 receives the connection request, it determines whether it has a communication destination list 72 (S17). Since printer 17 does not have a communication destination list 72, it sends a response permitting the connection to terminal device 15A (S19). If printer 17 already has a communication destination list 72, it determines whether to permit connection of terminal device 15A based on that communication destination list 72. The process of determining whether to permit connection using this communication destination list 72 will be described later.

[0048] Furthermore, the printer 17 requests the communication destination list 27 from the terminal device 15A (S21). Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the printer 17 does not have the communication destination list 72, the printer 17 does not determine whether or not a connection is possible. In other words, regardless of whether the terminal device 15 that sent the connection request is listed in the communication destination list 27 of the server 11, the printer 17 permits the connection in response to the connection request (S19) and requests the communication destination list 27 from that terminal device 15 (in this case, terminal device 15A) (S21). This allows connection for all terminal devices 15 that can communicate with the printer 17 (that can send connection requests), and the printer 17 can obtain the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 via that terminal device 15. For example, if the printer 17 is not connected to the Internet (server 11), the printer 17 can obtain the communication destination list 27 via the terminal device 15.

[0049] The conditions for permitting connection of a terminal device 15 without determining whether a connection is possible and for acquiring the communication destination list 27 from the terminal device 15 are not limited to the above-described condition of not storing the communication destination list 27. For example, the printer 17 may transition to a state in which it permits connection without determining whether a connection is possible and acquire the communication destination list 27 via the terminal device 15 when at least one of the following conditions is met: the printer 17 is powered on; a predetermined time has elapsed since acquiring the communication destination list 27; and the printer 17 has received an instruction from a user to acquire the communication destination list 27. For example, the printer 17 may discard its own communication destination list 72 each time it is powered off. Then, the printer 17 may transition to a state in which a connection is permitted when it is powered on, permitting connection from all communicable terminal devices 15, and acquiring the communication destination list 27. For example, in an environment in which the printer 17 connects to the server 11 via the terminal device 15 each time it is powered on, the printer 17 can always use the latest communication destination list 27 by discarding the communication destination list 72 each time it is powered off.

[0050] Alternatively, the printer 17 may discard / invalidate the destination list 72 when a first time has elapsed since the printer 17 acquired the destination list 27 and reflected it in the device settings. Then, when a second time has elapsed since the printer 17 acquired the destination list 27, the printer 17 may enter a state in which it permits connection without determining whether or not a connection is possible, permitting connection from a communicable terminal device 15, and acquiring the destination list 27. This second time is preferably shorter than the first time. This makes it possible to set the validity period of the destination list 72 to the first time, and update the destination list 72 based on the passage of the second time before the first time has elapsed. Furthermore, the printer 17 may permit connection from the terminal device 15 and acquire the destination list 27 even if the data in the destination list 27 has been erased from the printer storage unit 69 for some reason.

[0051] Alternatively, the printer 17 may receive an instruction to acquire a new communication destination list 27 based on an operation input via the user IF 65. Upon receiving the instruction, the printer 17 discards the communication destination list 72. This causes the printer 17 to enter a state in which it does not retain the communication destination list 72 and accepts a connection from the terminal device 15 without determining whether a connection is possible. Furthermore, upon receiving the instruction, the printer 17 may transition to a state in which it accepts a connection from the terminal device 15, regardless of whether it retains a communication destination list 72 or the contents of the retained communication destination list 72. Furthermore, the printer 17 may transition to a state in which it accepts a connection based on a specific operation, such as pressing the power button for three seconds or more. Furthermore, the printer 17 may transition to a state in which it accepts a connection based on a condition that an internal server of the printer 17, such as an EWS (Embedded Web Server), is accessed and the settings are changed. This allows the communication destination list 27 to be updated based on user operations.

[0052] When the terminal device 15A receives the request of S21, it transmits the communication destination list 27 received from the server 11 in S13 to the printer 17 (S23). When the printer 17 receives the communication destination list 27 from the terminal device 15A, it transmits an authenticity request to the server 11 via the terminal device 15A to inquire of the server 11 about the authenticity of the received communication destination list 27 (S25, S27). By executing S25, the printer 17 inquires of the server 11 about whether the communication destination list 27 received via the terminal device 15A is the communication destination list 27 transmitted from the server 11 to the terminal device 15A, i.e., whether the communication destination list 27 is legitimate.

[0053] In S25 and S27, the printer 17 transmits the communication destination list 27 acquired in S23 and its own printer ID together with an authentication request to the server 11. When the server 11 acquires the authentication request from the terminal device 15 in S27, it determines the authenticity of the communication destination list 27 (S29). The server 11 transmits the authentication determination result to the printer 17 via the terminal device 15A (S31, S33). The printer 17 confirms the determination result acquired from the server 11 (S35).

[0054] For example, in S29, the server 11 determines whether the communication destination list 27 acquired from the printer 17 is included in the communication destination lists 27 stored in the server storage unit 24 of the server 11. If included, the server 11 transmits to the printer 17 a determination result that the communication destination list 27 is legitimate, that is, the communication destination list 27 transmitted from the server 11 to the terminal device 15A (S31, S33). In this case, the printer 17 determines in S35 that the communication destination list 27 acquired from the terminal device 15A is legitimate, and reflects the communication destination list 27 acquired from the terminal device 15A in its settings as a communication destination list 72 (S37). In subsequent communications with the terminal device 15, the printer 17 implements connection restrictions and the like using the communication destination list 72 reflected in the settings. Furthermore, the server 11 associates the printer ID acquired in S27, the confirmation date and time when the authenticity was confirmed in S29, and the list name of the communication destination list 27 whose authenticity was confirmed in the printer DB 29, and stores these in association with each other (see FIG. 6). This allows the server 11 to manage the communication destination list 72 of the printer 17 based on the printer DB 29.

[0055] Furthermore, if the server 11 determines in S29 that the destination list 27 acquired from the printer 17 is not included in its own destination list 27, it transmits to the printer 17 a determination result that the destination list 27 is not a legitimate destination list 27, i.e., that the destination list 27 has not been sent from the server 11 to the terminal device 15A (S31, S33). In this case, the printer 17 determines in S35 that the destination list 27 is not a legitimate destination list 27, discards the destination list 27 acquired from the terminal device 15A, and does not reflect it in the settings. The printer 17 maintains a state in which it does not hold a destination list 72, and again permits connection from the terminal device 15A, etc., and acquires a destination list 27. This prevents an unauthorized destination list 27 not sent by the server 11 from being reflected in the settings of the printer 17. This prevents authorized users from being unable to use the printer 17. This also prevents unauthorized users from using the printer 17.

[0056] The method for verifying the authenticity of the communication destination list 27 is not limited to the above-described method of verifying whether the communication destination list 27 is the one held by the server 11. For example, the server 11 may record, as history information, the terminal ID of the terminal device 15A that transmitted the communication destination list 27 in S13 and information about the transmitted communication destination list 27. Then, in S29, the server 11 may determine that the communication destination list 27 is legitimate if the terminal ID of the terminal device 15A that received the authenticity request in S27 and the communication destination list 27 remain in the history information.

[0057] In S37, the printer 17 reflects the communication destination list 27 as the communication destination list 72 in the device settings. Then, the printer 17 determines whether the currently connected terminal device 15A is a device that may be permitted to connect based on the reflected communication destination list 72 (S39). As described above, the terminal device 15A is not listed in the communication destination list 72. For example, the terminal device 15A is the terminal of the system administrator who sets the communication destination list 72 for the printer 17, and is not the terminal of a user who uses the printer 17 for printing, etc., and therefore is not listed in the communication destination list 72. Therefore, the printer 17 disconnects Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication with the terminal device 15A (S41). Therefore, after acquiring the communication destination list 27, if the printer 17 has established communication with the terminal device 15A (an example of a second terminal device of the present application) that is not listed in the communication destination list 27, the printer 17 disconnects the communication (S41). Furthermore, if a terminal device 15 other than the terminal device 15A that was relayed to obtain the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 is connected, the printer 17 may disconnect communication with the terminal device 15 if that terminal device 15 is not included in the communication destination list 72 after setting the communication destination list 72. Furthermore, if the printer 17 updates the communication destination list 72, the printer 17 may disconnect communication with a terminal device 15 that was listed in the old communication destination list 72 but is not listed in the new communication destination list 72. Note that the same process can be carried out when the communication destination list 72 is a blacklist. In this case, for example, the terminal device 15A becomes a terminal device 15 that is listed in the communication destination list 72 (a terminal device that is not permitted to connect). Because the currently connected terminal device 15A is listed in the communication destination list 72 (S39), the printer 17 disconnects communication with the terminal device 15A (S41).

[0058] Furthermore, in communication between the terminal device 15 and the printer 17 via the network 19 (router, etc.), the method by which the printer 17 obtains the MAC address of the terminal device 15 with which it is communicating is not particularly limited. For example, if the printer 17 can detect the MAC address of the terminal device 15 from communication data exchanged with the terminal device 15, the printer 17 may use the MAC address in the determination process of S39. Alternatively, the printer 17 may send an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) request to identify the MAC address from the IP address of the terminal device 15. Alternatively, the printer 17 may inquire of the application 50 of the terminal device 15 about the MAC address of the terminal device 15.

[0059] Next, the processing after reflecting the communication destination list 72 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. For example, after printer 17 disconnects communication with terminal device 15A in S41 of Fig. 7, it receives a connection request from terminal device 15B via network 19 (S43). Upon receiving the connection request, printer 17 determines whether the MAC address of terminal device 15B is listed in communication destination list 72, and determines whether terminal device 15B is a device that may be permitted to connect (S45). Because terminal device 15B is not listed in communication destination list 72, printer 17 notifies terminal device 15B that the connection is not permitted, and rejects the connection (S47).

[0060] For example, in TCP / IP protocol communication with terminal device 15B, if printer 17 receives a connection establishment request packet (SYN packet) from terminal device 15B (S43), it responds with a packet (RST packet) refusing the connection establishment (S47). Alternatively, printer 17 may discard the connection request of S43 and notify application 50 of terminal device 15B of a communication error or the like (S47). Furthermore, printer 17 may discard the connection request of S43 without notifying terminal device 15B of S47. Similarly, in Bluetooth® standard communication, connection can be refused based on communication destination list 72. For example, if printer 17 receives a pairing request through Bluetooth® standard communication (S43), it may refuse the pairing request (S47). Furthermore, printer 17 may refuse, for example, print instructions or setting change instructions from terminal device 15B that are not listed in communication destination list 72, regardless of connection requests. The same process can be carried out when the communication destination list 72 is a blacklist. In this case, for example, the terminal device 15B is a terminal device 15 listed in the communication destination list 72. Because the terminal device 15B that received the connection request in S43 is listed in the communication destination list 72 (S45), the printer 17 rejects the connection with the terminal device 15B (S47).

[0061] On the other hand, when the printer 17 receives a connection request from terminal device 15C listed in the communication destination list 72 (S49), it determines that the device is one that can be connected to based on the communication destination list 72 (S51) and permits the connection (S53). Note that the same process can be carried out when the communication destination list 72 is a blacklist. In this case, for example, terminal device 15C is a terminal device 15 that is not listed in the communication destination list 72. Because terminal device 15C that received the connection request in S49 is not listed in the communication destination list 72 (S51), the printer 17 permits the connection (S53).

[0062] After establishing a connection in S53, the printer 17 receives a print instruction from the terminal device 15C (S55). The printer 17 then determines whether the terminal device 15C is a device that can execute printing based on the communication destination list 72 (S57). The printer 17 checks the processing details associated with the MAC address of the terminal device 15C in the communication destination list 72 (see FIG. 3). If printing from the terminal device 15C is permitted (marked "O" in FIG. 3), the printer 17 executes printing based on the print instruction (S59). When printing is complete, the printer 17 sends a completion notification to the terminal device 15C (S61). This allows the printer 17 to execute only print instructions from terminal devices 15 that are permitted to print in the communication destination list 72. If the terminal device 15C is not permitted to print in the communication destination list 72, the printer 17 may, for example, not execute printing and notify the application 50 of the terminal device 15C of a print error. Alternatively, the printer 17 may not respond to the terminal device 15 and instead display an error on the user IF 65 of the printer itself. Furthermore, when using a communication destination list 72 in which only MAC addresses are set, as shown in FIG. 4, after the printer 17 establishes a connection in S53, if it receives a print instruction (S55), it will execute printing (S59) without executing the judgment process (judgment of the processing content) in S57.

[0063] The same process can also be carried out when the communication destination list 72 is a blacklist. In this case, for example, the process permitted for a terminal device 15 that has been permitted to connect may be set in the blacklist communication destination list 72 separately from the MAC addresses of devices that are denied connection (blacklisted). The printer 17 may then determine whether to permit printing for a terminal device 15C, etc., that has been permitted to connect, based on the process information set separately from the blacklist. Alternatively, when using a blacklist communication destination list 72 in which only MAC addresses are set, as shown in FIG. 5, the printer 17 may connect to a terminal device 15C that is not listed in the communication destination list 72, and then, after receiving a print instruction (S55), execute printing (S59) without executing the determination process of S57.

[0064] The printer 17 can also process a setting change instruction in the same way as a print instruction. When the printer 17 receives a setting change instruction from the terminal device 15C (S63), it determines whether the device is permitted to execute the setting change based on the communication destination list 72 (S65). If the setting change by the terminal device 15C is permitted, the printer 17 executes the setting change based on the instruction (S67). For example, the printer 17 may accept a time setting change, a change to the contents of the template data 74 or personal information 75, or a change to the IP address. When the setting change is complete, the printer 17 sends a completion notification to the terminal device 15C (S69). This allows only terminal devices 15 permitted in the communication destination list 72 to execute the setting change. Note that if the terminal device 15C is not permitted to execute the setting change in the communication destination list 72, the printer 17, for example, does not execute the setting change and notifies the terminal device 15C of an error. Incidentally, in the case of a setting change instruction, as in the case of the print instruction described above, if the communication destination list 72 is a blacklist, control based on the blacklist can be executed.

[0065] Incidentally, the printer 17 is an example of an image forming device. The first communication IF 61 and the second communication IF 62 are examples of a communication unit. The printing unit 64 is an example of an image forming unit. The printer control unit 67 is an example of a control unit. The terminal device 15C is an example of a first terminal device. The terminal device 15A is an example of a relay terminal device. The terminal device 15B is an example of a second terminal device. The application 50 is an example of a program. S13 and S23 are examples of acquisition processing and transmission processing. S47, S53, 57, S59, 65, and S67 are examples of instruction response processing. S41 is an example of disconnection processing. S25 is an example of inquiry processing.

[0066] (Effects) According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved. (1) In this embodiment, the printer 17 acquires a communication destination list 72 (communication destination list 27) from the server 11, which acquires and stores the status of the printer 17 and at least one or more terminal devices 15 (S13, S23). If the communication destination list 72 acquired in S23 is a so-called whitelist, the printer 17 executes processing corresponding to instructions from the terminal device 15C included in the communication destination list 72 (the connection request in S49, the print instruction in S53, and the setting change instruction in S63) (S53, S59, S67). On the other hand, the printer 17 does not execute processing corresponding to instructions (such as a connection request) from the terminal device 15B not included in the communication destination list 72 (S47).

[0067] According to this, when an instruction is received from one of the multiple terminal devices 15, the processing content to be executed by the printer 17 can be changed using the communication destination list 72 obtained from the server 11. For example, if there are multiple users who may use the printer 17, or if the printer 17 is used outside, the printer 17 may receive connection requests or print instructions from unspecified users. In such a case where there are multiple terminal devices 15 that may issue connection requests or print instructions to the printer 17, the processing to be executed by the printer 17 in response to instructions from the multiple terminal devices 15A, 15B, and 15C can be changed using the communication destination list 72 obtained from the server 11. Therefore, the processing of the printer 17 can be managed by the server 11. A system administrator, for example, can collectively manage the communication destination lists 27 (operations) of multiple printers 17 by setting or changing the communication destination list 27 of the server 11.

[0068] (2) In S13 and S23, the printer 17 acquires the communication destination list 72 from the server 11 via the terminal device 15A. If the acquired communication destination list 72 is a whitelist and the terminal device 15A is not included in the communication destination list 72, the printer 17 disconnects communication with the terminal device 15A after acquiring the communication destination list 72 (S41). Accordingly, even if the terminal device 15A that connected to acquire the communication destination list 72 is not listed in the communication destination list 72, communication is disconnected even if the terminal device 15A is currently connected. As a result, after acquiring the communication destination list 72, only the terminal devices 15 listed in the communication destination list 72 can be connected to the printer 17.

[0069] (3) Furthermore, even when the communication destination list 72 is a so-called blacklist, connection restrictions can be implemented in the same manner as with the whitelist. For example, in response to an instruction from terminal device 15C that is not included in the acquired communication destination list 72, printer 17 executes processing corresponding to the instruction (S53, S59, S67). On the other hand, in response to an instruction from terminal device 15B that is included in the communication destination list 72, printer 17 does not execute processing corresponding to the instruction (S47). This allows the processing that printer 17 executes in response to instructions from multiple terminal devices 15A, 15B, and 15C to be changed using the communication destination list 72 acquired from server 11.

[0070] (4) Furthermore, even when the printer 17 acquires the blacklisted communication destination list 72 from the server 11 via the terminal device 15A, if the communication destination list 72 includes the terminal device 15A, the printer 17 may disconnect communication with the terminal device 15A after acquiring the communication destination list 72 (S41). This allows only terminal devices 15 that are not listed in the communication destination list 72 to connect to the printer 17 after acquiring the communication destination list 72.

[0071] (5) Furthermore, the printer 17 is a portable image forming device. In the case of a portable image forming device such as a mobile printer, there is a risk that the printer may be connected to by an unspecified terminal device 15 while on a business trip, etc. For this reason, it is extremely useful to employ a portable image forming device as an image forming device whose processing content to be executed based on an instruction from the terminal device 15 can be changed using the communication destination list 72 obtained from the server 11.

[0072] (6) The communication destination list 72 also includes information on at least one of the MAC address and the Bluetooth (registered trademark) public address of the terminal device 15. By using the MAC address or the public address, which is a physical address unique to the device, the terminal device 15 can be identified based on the communication destination list 72, and appropriate measures can be taken, such as refusing connection or allowing printing.

[0073] (7) The printer 17 inquires of the server 11 as to whether the communication destination list 72 acquired via the terminal device 15A is the communication destination list 27 sent from the server 11 (S25). If the printer 17 finds that the communication destination list 27 was sent from the server 11, it executes processing such as S45 based on the communication destination list 72. This makes it possible to prevent, for example, a communication destination list 27 that has expired on the server 11 side from being applied to the settings of the printer 17. Alternatively, even if the communication destination list 27 is forged by a malicious third party, it is possible to prevent settings of a fraudulently created communication destination list 27 from being reflected in the printer 17. This makes it possible to prevent connection and printing from terminal devices 15B and the like other than terminal devices 15 that should be permitted.

[0074] (8) In S13 and S23, the printer 17 acquires the destination list 27 from the server 11 via the terminal device 15A, and acquires the destination list 27 regardless of whether the relayed terminal device 15 is the terminal device 15C included in the destination list 27 or the terminal device 15A not included. This allows the printer 17 to acquire the destination list 27 from the server 11 via any terminal device 15 that is communicable without being subject to the restrictions set in the destination list 27. For example, as in the above embodiment, the printer 17 can acquire the destination lists 27 from all communicable terminal devices 15 on the condition that the terminal device 15 does not store the destination list 72. Alternatively, if the destination list 72 has expired, for example, the printer 17 can acquire the destination list 27 from any terminal device 15 that is communicable without being subject to the restrictions set in the destination list 72, even if the terminal device 15 still stores the destination list 72. If the printer 17 holds an old communication destination list 72 , the printer 17 may acquire the communication destination list 27 only from the terminal device 15 permitted in the communication destination list 72 .

[0075] (9) When at least one of the following conditions is met: the printer 17 is powered on; a predetermined time has elapsed since the printer 17 acquired the communication destination list 27; and the printer 17 receives an instruction from the user to acquire the communication destination list 27, the printer 17 may transition to a state in which connection is permitted and acquire the communication destination list 27 from a terminal device 15 with which it can communicate. In this way, for example, the communication destination list 27 can be updated to the latest communication destination list 27 each time the user powers on the printer 17. The communication destination list 27 can also be updated to the latest communication destination list 27 when a predetermined time has elapsed, such as when the expiration date of the communication destination list 27 has passed. The communication destination list 27 can also be updated to the latest communication destination list 27 in response to a user instruction when the user intentionally wants to update the communication destination list 27.

[0076] (10) The printer 17 executes printing by the printing unit 64 based on a print instruction (an example of an image formation instruction of the present application) obtained from the terminal device 15C listed in the communication destination list 72 (S59). On the other hand, the printer 17 does not permit connection to, or accept print instructions from, the terminal device 15B that is not listed in the communication destination list 72 (S47). In this way, the communication destination list 72 can be used to manage, by the communication destination list 27 of the server 11, the terminal devices 15 that are permitted to cause the printer 17 to execute printing, among the terminal devices 15 that can communicate.

[0077] (11) When the printer 17 receives a connection request from the second communication IF 62 from the terminal device 15C listed in the communication destination list 72 (S49), the printer 17 permits the connection (S53). On the other hand, when the printer 17 receives a connection request from the terminal device 15B not listed in the communication destination list 72 (S43), the printer 17 does not permit the connection (S47). By using the communication destination list 72, the terminal devices 15 that are permitted to connect to the printer 17, among the terminal devices 15 that can communicate, can be managed by the communication destination list 27 of the server 11.

[0078] (13) After acquiring the communication destination list 72 in S23, if the printer 17 is connected to a terminal device 15A that is not included in the acquired communication destination list 72, the printer 17 disconnects the connected communication (S41). That is, regardless of whether the terminal device 15A is a relay terminal device that was relayed to acquire the communication destination list 72, if the terminal device 15A is connected to a terminal device 15 that is not included in the acquired communication destination list 72, the connection may be disconnected. As a result, the connection of the terminal device 15 that was connected before the communication destination list 72 was acquired is disconnected according to the contents of the acquired communication destination list 72. The settings of the communication destination list 72 can also be reflected in the terminal device 15 that was connected before the settings were made.

[0079] (14) The communication destination lists 27 and 72 associate the MAC address of the terminal device 15 (an example of identification information in the present application) with the process content permitted in response to an instruction from the terminal device 15 (see FIG. 3). In S57 and S65, if the process instructed from the terminal device 15C listed in the communication destination list 72 corresponds to the process content permitted in the communication destination list 72, the printer 17 executes the process corresponding to the instruction. This makes it possible to set what type of instruction is accepted from the terminal device 15 and executed by the printer 17, based on the process content set in the communication destination list 27. It is possible to set a terminal device 15 that is permitted only to print, or a terminal device 15 that is permitted to print and change settings, and so on, and settings can be made according to the authority of the user who uses the terminal device 15.

[0080] (15) The server 11 is an MDM server and is capable of restricting functions and erasing data for the terminal device 15. The server 11, which can perform such function restrictions, can manage connection restrictions and processing restrictions for the printer 17 used by the terminal device 15.

[0081] (Second embodiment) Next, a printing system 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In the first embodiment described above, the terminal device 15A requests the server 11 for the communication destination list 27 before sending a connection request to the printer 17. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the terminal device 15A first sends a connection request to the printer 17. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same parts as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0082] 9, the terminal device 15A transmits a connection request to the printer 17 (S71). The terminal device 15A transmits the connection request (S71) based on, for example, a user's operation input to the application 50 (such as an operation to select the printer 17 or an operation to start the application 50). Because the printer 17 does not hold the communication destination list 72 (S17), it transmits a response to the terminal device 15A permitting the connection (S19).

[0083] Furthermore, the printer 17 requests the server 11 for the communication destination list 27 via the terminal device 15A (S73, S75). At this time, the printer 17 transmits its own device status information to the terminal device 15A (S73, S75). The status information of the printer 17 here refers to information indicating the communication method that the printer can use for communication, such as wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or NFC. The server 11 selects the communication destination list 27 to be transmitted based on the status information acquired from the printer 17 (S77). As a result, for example, if the server 11 has communication destination lists 27 corresponding to each communication method, such as a communication destination list 27 in which the MAC address of the wired LAN interface is set, a communication destination list 27 in which the MAC address of the wireless LAN interface is set, a communication destination list 27 in which the Bluetooth (registered trademark) public address is set, and a communication destination list 27 in which the NFCID is set, the server 11 can select and transmit the communication destination list 27 required by the printer 17 based on the status information (S13, S23). For example, for a printer 17 that does not have a second communication IF 62 and has only a first communication IF 61 for Bluetooth (registered trademark), it is possible to select and transmit only the communication destination list 27 in which the public address is set.

[0084] Therefore, in the present application, the status information of the printer itself refers to information that serves as a criterion for selecting a destination list 27 appropriate for use by the printer 17 from among multiple destination lists 27 present on the server 11. Therefore, the status information can be information indicating various printer 17 statuses that can be used as criteria for selecting a destination list 27. For example, the status information can be the model number or serial number of the printer 17. The status information can also be information about the communication interface settings enabled on the printer 17. In this case, the server 11 can execute control so that destination lists 27 corresponding to communication interfaces that are provided as communications interfaces but are disabled in the software settings or are unavailable due to an error or the like are not sent to the printer 17. Furthermore, if a destination list 27 exists in which various processing functions, such as printing, scanning, and faxing functions, are set, the status information can also include information about the functions provided by the printer 17 in addition to information about the communication interface. For example, a destination list 27 in which only the printing function and setting changes are set as processing functions is sent to a printer 17 that only has a printing function. Furthermore, a communication destination list 27 in which the print function, scan function, and setting change are set as processing contents may be sent to a printer 17 that has both a print function and a scan function. This allows the server 11 to send only the communication destination list 27 that is necessary depending on the status of the printer 17.

[0085] After acquiring the communication destination list 27 in S13 and S23, the printer 17 checks whether the acquired communication destination list 27 is the communication destination list 27 sent from the server 11 (S78). In the first embodiment described above, the printer 17 inquired of the server 11 whether the communication destination list 27 was the one sent from the server 11 (the authenticity of the communication destination list 27) (S25 and S27). In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, the printer 17 determines the authenticity.

[0086] For example, as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2, the printer 17 may determine the authenticity using the confirmation information 76 stored in the printer storage unit 69 (S78 in FIG. 9). The confirmation information 76 may be, for example, a hash value, a password, or a decryption key. The printer 17 may calculate a hash value for the communication destination list 27 acquired in S23 using a predetermined calculation formula, and if the calculated hash value matches the confirmation information 76 (hash value) previously stored in the printer control unit 67, the printer 17 may determine that the communication destination list 27 sent by the server 11 is legitimate. If the printer 17 determines that the communication destination list 27 is legitimate, the printer 17 updates its own settings with the communication destination list 27 without querying the server 11 (S37).

[0087] Alternatively, the server 11 may transmit the destination list 27 to the server 11 while it is password-protected. The printer 17 may then determine that the destination list 27 is legitimate if it can unlock the password in the destination list 27 using the password in the confirmation information 76 stored in the printer 17's own device. Alternatively, the server 11 may encrypt the destination list 27 using a predetermined encryption method before transmitting it, and the printer 17 may determine that the destination list 27 is legitimate if it can unlock the encryption of the destination list 27 using the decryption key in the confirmation information 76 stored in the printer 17's own device. The printer 17 may also execute both the authenticity inquiry of the first embodiment and its own determination of authenticity using the confirmation information 76 of the second embodiment. For example, if the printer 17 executes an inquiry to the server 11 and is unable to obtain the inquiry result, it may determine the authenticity based on the confirmation information 76 and apply the destination list 27.

[0088] Incidentally, in the second embodiment described above, S78 is an example of confirmation processing.

[0089] According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved. (1) The printer 17 may also have confirmation information 76 (hash value, password, decryption key, etc.) for determining whether the data is transmitted from the server 11. The printer 17 checks whether the communication destination list 27 acquired via the terminal device 15A is transmitted from the server 11 based on the confirmation information 76 (S78). If the printer 17 determines as a result of S78 that the communication destination list 27 was transmitted from the server 11, it executes a connection request, a print instruction, a setting change instruction, etc. based on the communication destination list 27.

[0090] According to this, unlike the first embodiment, there is no need to inquire about authenticity to the server 11. Therefore, even if communication with the server 11 is not possible, for example, even if the inquiry result cannot be obtained from the server 11, the authenticity of the communication destination list 27 can be confirmed by the own device. Furthermore, the processing load on the server 11 in the work of checking the communication destination list 27 can be reduced.

[0091] (Third embodiment) Next, a printing system 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 10. In the second embodiment described above, the server 11 executes the determination to select a communication destination list 27 appropriate for the printer 17 (S77). In contrast, in the third embodiment, the printer 17 executes the selection of the communication destination list 27.

[0092] More specifically, the terminal device 15A requests the server 11 for a communication destination list 27, as in the first embodiment (S11). Upon receiving the request of S11, the server 11 transmits all of the communication destination lists 27 stored in the terminal device 15A to the terminal device 15A (S79). The terminal device 15A executes the processes from S15 onward, as in the first embodiment, and upon receiving the request of S21, transmits all of the communication destination lists 27 acquired from the server 11 to the printer 17 (S81). The printer 17 then selects an appropriate communication destination list 27 from all of the communication destination lists 27 acquired from the server 11 via the terminal device 15A, depending on the status of the printer 17 (S83). For example, if the printer 17 has only a first communication IF 61 for Bluetooth (registered trademark), it selects only the communication destination list 27 for which a public address is set, and executes a confirmation process with the server 11 (S25). This allows the printer 17 to implement connection restrictions, etc., using the appropriate communication destination list 27.

[0093] Incidentally, in the third embodiment, S83 is an example of the acquisition process.

[0094] According to the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved. (1) In addition, in S83, the printer 17 acquires multiple communication destination lists 27 from the server 11 and selects a communication destination list 27 to use depending on the state of the printer 17. This allows the printer 17 to select an appropriate communication destination list 27 depending on the type of communication interface and type of communication method provided in the printer 17, and to implement connection restrictions, etc. Also, the server 11 does not need to perform a process to verify the authenticity of the communication destination list 27.

[0095] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a printing system 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In the third embodiment described above, the printer 17 selected an appropriate communication destination list 27 from among multiple communication destination lists 27 selected by the server 11 (S83). In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, the terminal device 15A that performs relaying selects the communication destination list 27.

[0096] More specifically, the terminal device 15A acquires all communication destination lists 27 from the server 11, as in the third embodiment (S79). The printer 17, after receiving the connection request of S15 and permitting the connection (S19), as in the first embodiment, requests the communication destination lists 27 and transmits status information of its own device to the terminal device 15A (S85). The terminal device 15A selects a communication destination list 27 to be transmitted to the printer 17 from all communication destination lists 27 acquired from the server 11, based on the status information acquired from the printer 17 (S87). The terminal device 15A then transmits only the selected communication destination list 27 to the printer 17 (S89). Even with this configuration, the terminal device 15A can select an appropriate communication destination list 27 from all communication destination lists 27 acquired from the server 11, depending on the status of the printer 17.

[0097] According to the fourth embodiment described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved. (1) Furthermore, the terminal device 15A acquires multiple communication destination lists 27 from the server 11 (S79), selects a communication destination list 27 that corresponds to the status of the printer 17 (S87), and transmits it to the printer 17 (S89). This allows the terminal device 15A to select a communication destination list 27 that corresponds to the type of communication interface and type of communication method provided to the printer 17. Furthermore, the process of the server 11 verifying the authenticity of the communication destination list 27 and the process of the printer 17 selecting the communication destination list 27 are no longer necessary.

[0098] (Fifth embodiment) Next, a printing system 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 12. In the above-described embodiments, the printer 17 acquires the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 via the terminal device 15. In contrast, in the fifth embodiment, the printer 17 acquires the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 without going through the terminal device 15.

[0099] More specifically, for example, when the printer 17 is powered on (S91), it determines whether it has a communication destination list 72 (S17), and if it does not, it requests the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 (S93). The conditions under which the printer 17 requests the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 are not limited to the above-mentioned power-on condition or the condition that the printer 17 does not have a communication destination list 72. For example, the printer 17 may request the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 when a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the printer 17 obtained the communication destination list 27. Alternatively, the printer 17 may request the communication destination list 27 from the server 11 based on an operational input via the user IF 65.

[0100] When the server 11 receives the request of S93, it transmits the communication destination list 27 to the printer 17 (S95). The printer 17 reflects the received communication destination list 27 in its own settings (S97). The printer 17 then determines a connection request from the terminal device 15 based on the reflected communication destination list 27 (S99, S101, S103). In this way, if the printer 17 can communicate with the server 11 without going through the terminal device 15, it may request and obtain the communication destination list 27 from the server 11. Furthermore, if the printer 17 fails to obtain the communication destination list 27 from the server 11, it may obtain the communication destination list 27 via the terminal device 15 as in the first to fourth embodiments.

[0101] Also in the fifth embodiment, the printer 17 may acquire all of the communication destination lists 27 from the server 11 in S93 and select a communication destination list 27 to be reflected in the settings based on the status information of the printer 17. Alternatively, the printer 17 may send the status information to the server 11 in S93. Then, the server 11 may select a communication destination list 27 to be sent to the printer 17 based on the status information.

[0102] (Variation) Although specific examples of the present application have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Modifications of the above embodiment are listed below. For example, in the first to fourth embodiments, when the printer 17 acquires the communication destination list 27 via the terminal device 15, the printer 17 may reflect the acquired communication destination list 27 in the settings without performing a confirmation process with the server 11. Furthermore, if the printer 17 fails to acquire the communication destination list 27 from the server 11, it may use the past communication destination list 72 if it is stored in the printer itself. Furthermore, if the terminal device 15A that the printer 17 connected to in order to obtain the communication destination list 27 is not listed in the obtained communication destination list 27, the printer 17 disconnects communication with the terminal device 15A that is not listed (S41), but it is not necessary to disconnect the communication with the terminal device 15A. In other words, the printer 17 may maintain the connection with the terminal device 15A that was connected before the communication destination list 27 was applied. Furthermore, the information set in the communication destination lists 27 and 72 is not limited to physical addresses such as MAC addresses and Bluetooth (registered trademark) public addresses. For example, it may be the IP address of the terminal device 15, the terminal ID of the terminal device 15, the application ID of the application 50, or identification information set in the terminal device 15 by a system administrator or the like. In other words, the information set in the communication destination lists 27 and 72 may be various information that can identify the terminal device 15.

[0103] The configuration of the printing system 10 in the above embodiment is an example. For example, the printing system 10 does not need to include the management PC 13. Furthermore, the printing system 10 does not need to include the server 11 (MDM server) that manages the terminal device 15. Although the terminal device 15 in the present invention is a smartphone, it is not limited to this, and other terminals such as a desktop PC, a notebook PC, and a tablet PC can be used as the information processing device. Furthermore, although a printer 17 is employed as the image forming apparatus of the present application, this is not limiting. The image forming apparatus of the present application may also be a label printer, a scanner, a fax machine, etc. In the case of a scanner or a fax machine, the reading unit (scanning unit) that reads an image is an example of the image forming unit of the present application. The image forming apparatus may also be a multifunction machine equipped with a fax function, a scanning function, a printing function, a copying function, etc. Furthermore, although the printer control unit 67 including the printer storage unit 69 is employed as the control unit of the present invention, the control unit of the present invention does not need to include a storage unit. Although the printer 17 is configured to include the first communication IF 61 and the second communication IF 62 as the communication unit of the present application, it may be configured to include only one of them.Furthermore, the terminal device 15 may be configured to include either the first communication IF 43 or the second communication IF 44. The server 11 may also manage at least one terminal device 15 in the terminal DB 28. Also, the server 11 may be configured such that a plurality of terminal devices 15 can communicate with one printer 17, or such that only one terminal device 15 can communicate with one printer 17. The printer 17 does not need to be provided with the template data 74 or the personal information 75 . Furthermore, the storage unit that stores each program (server program 26, management program 38, OS program 49, application 50, printer program 71) is not particularly limited, and may be a ROM or flash memory of each storage unit. Furthermore, the storage unit that stores each program may be a computer-readable storage medium. In addition to the above examples, recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs may also be used as computer-readable storage media. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 15 Terminal device (first terminal device, second terminal device, relay terminal device), 15A terminal device (relay terminal device), 15B terminal device (second terminal device), 15C terminal device (first terminal device), 17 printer (image forming device), 27 communication destination list, 50 application (program), 72, 61 first communication IF (communication unit), 62 second communication IF (communication unit), 64 printing unit (image forming unit), 67 printer control unit (control unit), 76 confirmation information.

Claims

1. an image forming unit; a communication unit capable of communicating with a terminal device; A control unit; An image forming apparatus comprising: The control unit an acquisition process for acquiring a communication destination list from an external device that acquires and stores the status of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices; an instruction response process for executing, for the one or more terminal devices, either a process corresponding to an instruction from the terminal device or a process limiting the process corresponding to the instruction, depending on whether the terminal device is included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process; Run The communication destination list includes: Among the one or more terminal devices, at least a first terminal device is included; The control unit in the instruction response process, for an instruction from the first terminal device included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, a process corresponding to the instruction is executed, and for an instruction from a second terminal device not included in the communication destination list, the process corresponding to the instruction is restricted; The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit If the relay terminal device is not included in the acquired communication destination list, the image forming device executes a disconnection process to disconnect communication with the relay terminal device after acquiring the communication destination list.

2. An image forming unit; a communication unit capable of communicating with a terminal device; A control unit; An image forming apparatus comprising: The control unit an acquisition process for acquiring a communication destination list from an external device that acquires and stores the status of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices; an instruction response process for executing, for the one or more terminal devices, either a process corresponding to an instruction from the terminal device or a process limiting the process corresponding to the instruction, depending on whether the terminal device is included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process; Run The communication destination list includes: Among the one or more terminal devices, at least the first terminal device is not included, The control unit in the instruction response process, for an instruction from the first terminal device not included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, a process corresponding to the instruction is executed, and for an instruction from the second terminal device included in the communication destination list, a process corresponding to the instruction is restricted; The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit If the relay terminal device is included in the acquired communication destination list, the image forming device executes a disconnection process to disconnect communication with the relay terminal device after acquiring the communication destination list.

3. the image forming apparatus, 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a portable image forming apparatus.

4. The communication destination list includes:

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one of a MAC address and a Bluetooth (registered trademark) public address for at least one of the terminal devices.

5. The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit executes an inquiry process to inquire of the server whether the communication destination list acquired from the relay terminal device is the communication destination list transmitted from the server; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the result of the inquiry process is that the communication destination list has been sent from the server, the instruction response process is executed based on the communication destination list.

6. The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, the image forming apparatus, having confirmation information for determining whether the data is transmitted from the server; The control unit In the acquisition process, the communication destination list is acquired from the relay terminal device, executes a confirmation process for confirming whether the communication destination list acquired from the relay terminal device is data transmitted from the server based on the confirmation information; 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the confirmation process finds that the communication destination list has been sent from the server, the instruction response process is performed based on the communication destination list.

7. The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication destination list is acquired from the relay terminal apparatus regardless of whether the relay terminal apparatus is the first terminal apparatus or the second terminal apparatus.

8. The control unit 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition process is executed when at least one of the following conditions is met: the image forming apparatus is powered on; a predetermined time has elapsed since the communication destination list was acquired by the acquisition process; and an instruction to acquire the communication destination list is received from a user.

9. The control unit 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the acquisition process, a plurality of communication destination lists are acquired from the external device, and the communication destination list to be used in the instruction response process is selected depending on the state of the image forming apparatus itself.

10. The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit In the acquisition process, the communication destination list is acquired from the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the communication destination lists are acquired from the server, and the communication destination list is selected according to a state of the image forming apparatus and transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

11. The control unit 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the instruction response processing, image formation is performed by the image forming unit based on the image formation instruction acquired from the first terminal device, and image formation is not performed by the image forming unit based on the image formation instruction acquired from the second terminal device.

12. The control unit 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the instruction response processing, if a connection request is received from the first terminal device to the communication unit, the connection is permitted, and if a connection request is received from the second terminal device to the communication unit, the connection is not permitted.

13. The control unit 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the acquisition process is performed, if communication is established with the second terminal device that is not included in the acquired communication destination list, the communication is terminated.

14. The communication destination list includes: identification information of at least one of the terminal devices is associated with a process permitted in response to an instruction from the terminal device; The control unit 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the instruction response processing, if the processing instructed from the first terminal device corresponds to a processing permitted in the communication destination list, the processing corresponding to the instruction is executed.

15. The external device is is a server, The server 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of function restriction and data deletion is possible for at least one of the terminal devices.

16. an image forming unit; a communication unit capable of communicating with a terminal device; A control unit; An image forming apparatus comprising: The control unit an acquisition process of acquiring a communication destination list including at least a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices from an external device that acquires and stores the statuses of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices; an instruction response process in which, in response to an instruction from the first terminal device included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, a process corresponding to the instruction is executed, and, in response to an instruction from a second terminal device not included in the communication destination list, the process corresponding to the instruction is restricted; Run The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit If the relay terminal device is not included in the acquired communication destination list, the image forming device executes a disconnection process to disconnect communication with the relay terminal device after acquiring the communication destination list.

17. an image forming unit; a communication unit capable of communicating with a terminal device; A control unit; An image forming apparatus comprising: The control unit an acquisition process of acquiring a communication destination list of the one or more terminal devices, the communication destination list including at least a first terminal device, from an external device that acquires and stores statuses of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices; an instruction response process for executing a process corresponding to an instruction from the first terminal device not included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, and for restricting the process corresponding to an instruction from the second terminal device included in the communication destination list; Run The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The control unit If the relay terminal device is included in the acquired communication destination list, the image forming device executes a disconnection process to disconnect communication with the relay terminal device after acquiring the communication destination list.

18. A computer-readable program for an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal device, the image forming apparatus, an image forming unit; a communication unit capable of communicating with the terminal device; Equipped with The computer, an acquisition process for acquiring a communication destination list from an external device that acquires and stores the status of the image forming apparatus and at least one of the terminal devices; an instruction response process for executing, for the one or more terminal devices, either a process corresponding to an instruction from the terminal device or a process limiting the process corresponding to the instruction, depending on whether the terminal device is included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process; Execute The communication destination list includes: Among the one or more terminal devices, at least a first terminal device is included; The computer, In the instruction response process, for an instruction from the first terminal device included in the communication destination list acquired by the acquisition process, a process corresponding to the instruction is executed, and for an instruction from a second terminal device not included in the communication destination list, the process corresponding to the instruction is restricted; The external device is a relay terminal device capable of acquiring the communication destination list from a server, The computer, a program for executing a disconnection process for disconnecting communication with the relay terminal device after acquiring the communication destination list, if the relay terminal device is not included in the acquired communication destination list;

Images