Information processing device and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device that the other user can be adaptable without centralizing distributed authority to a single user when the user with the authority assigned to change the setting of the changing object cannot be adaptable, and when multiple authorities to change each of multiple settings are decentralized and managed by multiple users.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises a processor, and the processor is decentralized and managed by multiple users. The processor accepts a first authority assigned to a first user and to change the setting for the object to be changed and a second authority assigned to a second user among the multiple authorities to change each of the multiple settings, and exchanges the second authority for the first authority.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that allows unregistered users to temporarily use image forming functions even when the administrator is absent, without compromising security as much as possible. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-027237 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, a method is known in which authority of an administrator who manages an image forming apparatus is distributed and the distributed authority is assigned to multiple users, thereby allowing multiple users to manage multiple settings of the image forming apparatus.

[0005] However, when multiple users manage multiple settings of an image forming device using distributed authority, if a user who has been assigned authority to change the setting to be changed is unavailable due to absence or other reasons, the setting cannot be changed immediately. In this case, it is expected that the authority to change the setting to be changed will be granted to another user, but if the authority is concentrated in the hands of one user, there is a risk that a management method that prevents damage to the entire system will not be maintained if fraudulent acts are committed against the image forming device.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable a user to change a setting to be changed by another user when the user to whom the authority to change the setting to be changed is assigned is unable to do so, without concentrating the distributed authority in a single user, when multiple authorities to change multiple settings are distributed and managed by multiple users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device of a first aspect includes a processor, and the processor is managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of users, and accepts an exchange of a first authority assigned to a first user and for changing a setting to be changed, among a plurality of authorities for changing each of a plurality of settings, with a second authority assigned to a second user, and exchanges the second authority for the first authority.

[0008] The information processing device of the second aspect is the information processing device of the first aspect, wherein the processor notifies the first user of authority information regarding the exchanged authority and information for canceling the exchange of the authority.

[0009] The information processing device of a third aspect is the information processing device of the second aspect, wherein the processor notifies the authority information to users other than the first user and the second user among the plurality of users.

[0010] An information processing device of a fourth aspect is an information processing device of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the processor cancels the exchange of the first authority and the second authority when a predetermined cancellation condition is met.

[0011] The information processing device of the fifth aspect is the information processing device of the fourth aspect, in which, when the predetermined cancellation condition is met, the information processing device receives a cancellation of the exchange by the first user using information for canceling the exchange of rights.

[0012] An information processing device of a sixth aspect is an information processing device of the fourth or fifth aspect, in which the predetermined release condition is met when a predetermined time has elapsed since the exchange of the first authority and the second authority.

[0013] An information processing device of a seventh aspect is an information processing device of any of the fourth to sixth aspects, wherein when the processor cancels the exchange between the first authority and the second authority, it notifies the multiple users of information indicating that the exchange between the first authority and the second authority has been canceled.

[0014] An information processing program of an eighth aspect causes a computer to execute a process of accepting an exchange of a first authority, assigned to a first user and for changing a setting to be changed, with a second authority assigned to a second user, among multiple authorities for changing multiple settings that are managed in a distributed manner by multiple users, and exchanging the second authority for the first authority. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the first and eighth aspects, when multiple authorities for changing multiple settings are distributed and managed by multiple users, if a user who has been assigned the authority to change the setting to be changed is unable to respond, it is possible to enable another user to respond without concentrating the distributed authorities in a single user.

[0016] According to the second aspect, the first user can be made aware that the exchange of rights has been carried out and that the exchange of rights can be cancelled.

[0017] According to the third aspect, it is possible to make all of the multiple users aware that the exchange of privileges has been carried out.

[0018] According to the fourth aspect, when the cancellation condition is met, the authority of the first user and the second user can be restored to the original state.

[0019] According to the fifth aspect, the authority of the first user and the second user can be restored to the original state at the will of the first user.

[0020] According to the sixth aspect, the authority of the first user and the second user can be restored to the original state without receiving any user operation.

[0021] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to make all of the multiple users aware that the exchange of the first authority and the second authority has been cancelled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of replacement processing by the image forming apparatus. [Figure 5] 10 is a first example of a display displayed on a display unit of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] 10 is a second example of a display displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a list of pre-exchange authorities assigned to a plurality of users. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a list of exchanged authorities assigned to a plurality of users. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The information processing system 10 according to this embodiment will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system 10. As shown in FIG.

[0024] 1, the information processing system 10 includes an image forming apparatus 20 and a user terminal 50. The image forming apparatus 20 and the user terminal 50 are connected via a network N and are capable of communicating with each other. As an example, the network N may be the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 20 is provided with multiple authorities for changing multiple settings such as copy settings and network settings. In this embodiment, to prevent damage from spreading to the entire system in the event of fraudulent acts being committed against the image forming apparatus 20 due to the authority being concentrated in one user, the multiple authorities are managed in a distributed manner by multiple users. As an example, in this embodiment, there are three users, User A, User B, and User C, as the multiple users. Note that the number of users is not limited to three, and may be more or less than this.

[0026] The user terminal 50 is a terminal owned by a plurality of users who manage the image forming apparatus 20. As an example, the user terminal 50 may be a general-purpose computer device such as a server computer or a personal computer (PC), or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. In this embodiment, as an example, the user terminal 50 is a smartphone.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 20, which is an example of an information processing apparatus.

[0028] 2, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 30 that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 20. The control unit 30 includes a CPU 31 (= Central Processing Unit), a ROM 32 (= Read Only Memory), a RAM 33 (= Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface (= I / O) 34, which are connected via a bus 35 so as to be able to communicate with one another.

[0029] The CPU 31 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each component. Specifically, the CPU 31 reads programs from the ROM 32 or the storage unit 36 (described later) and executes the programs using the RAM 33 as a work area. The CPU 31 controls the above-described components and performs various arithmetic operations according to the programs stored in the ROM 32 or the storage unit 36. In this embodiment, the ROM 32 or the storage unit 36 stores an information processing program for executing at least the exchange process (described later). The information processing program may be pre-installed in the image forming apparatus 20, or may be stored in a non-volatile storage medium or distributed via the network N and installed in the image forming apparatus 20 as needed. Examples of non-volatile storage media include a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a DVD-ROM, a flash memory, and a memory card. The CPU 31 is an example of a "processor."

[0030] The ROM 32 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 33 serves as a working area for temporarily storing programs or data.

[0031] The I / O 34 is connected to a storage unit 36, a display unit 37, an operation unit 38, a document reading unit 39, an image forming unit 40, and a communication unit 41. Each of these units can communicate with the CPU 31 via the I / O 34.

[0032] The storage unit 36 is configured with a storage device such as an HDD, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and stores various programs and various data. The storage unit 36 stores an address book in which at least the email addresses of each of a plurality of users are registered.

[0033] For example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display is used for the display unit 37. The display unit 37 is integrally provided with a touch panel. The operation unit 38 is provided with various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key.

[0034] The display unit 37 and the operation unit 38 receive various instructions from a user of the image forming apparatus 20. These various instructions include, for example, an instruction to start reading a document, an instruction to start copying a document, etc. The display unit 37 displays various information such as the results of processing executed in response to instructions received from the user and notifications regarding the processing.

[0035] The document reading unit 39 takes in documents one by one that are placed on a paper feed tray of an automatic document feeder (not shown) that is provided above the image forming apparatus 20, and optically reads the taken-in documents to obtain image information. Alternatively, the document reading unit 39 optically reads documents that are placed on a document tray such as a platen glass to obtain image information.

[0036] The image forming unit 40 forms an image based on image information obtained by reading by the document reading unit 39 or image information obtained from an external PC or the like connected via the network N onto a recording medium such as paper.

[0037] The communication unit 41 is an interface for communicating with other devices. For this communication, for example, a wired communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or FDDI, or a wireless communication standard such as 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used.

[0038] When executing the information processing program, the image forming apparatus 20 uses the hardware resources described above to execute processing based on the information processing program.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the user terminal 50 includes a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a storage unit 54, an input unit 55, a display unit 56, and a communication unit 57. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 58 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0040] The CPU 51 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 51 reads programs from the ROM 52 or the storage unit 54 and executes the programs using the RAM 53 as a work area. The CPU 51 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM 52 or the storage unit 54.

[0041] The ROM 52 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 53 serves as a working area for temporarily storing programs or data.

[0042] The storage unit 54 is configured by a storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system, and various data.

[0043] The input unit 55 includes, for example, various buttons, a microphone, a camera, and the like, and is used to perform various inputs.

[0044] The display unit 56 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. The display unit 56 employs a touch panel system, and also functions as the input unit 55.

[0045] The communication unit 57 is an interface for communicating with other devices. For this communication, for example, a wired communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or FDDI, or a wireless communication standard such as 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used.

[0046] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of an exchange process for exchanging the authorities assigned to multiple users by the image forming apparatus 20. The exchange process is performed by the CPU 31 reading out an information processing program from the ROM 32 or the storage unit 36, expanding the program into the RAM 33, and executing the program.

[0047] 4, the CPU 31 determines whether any of the multiple users has logged in to the image forming apparatus 20, and if it determines that any of the users has logged in (step S10: YES), the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if the CPU 31 determines that any of the users has not logged in (step S10: NO), the exchange process ends.

[0048] In step S11, CPU 31 determines whether an application for exchanging authority (hereinafter referred to as "exchange application") has been executed, and if it is determined that the exchange application has been executed (step S11: YES), the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if CPU 31 determines that the exchange application has not been executed (step S11: NO), the exchange process ends.

[0049] In step S12, CPU 31 displays settings for which no authority is assigned to the user who logged in in step S10 on display unit 37. Then, the process proceeds to step S13. As an example, if the user who logged in in step S10 is user B, CPU 31 displays the display example shown in FIG. 5 on display unit 37 in step S12.

[0050] Fig. 5 is a first example of a display displayed on the display unit 37 of the image forming apparatus 20. In the example of the display shown in Fig. 5, setting information 60, a check box 62, a decision button 64, and a back button 66 are displayed.

[0051] The setting information 60 indicates settings for which no authority is assigned to the user who logged in to the image forming apparatus 20 in step S10, in this case, user B. In Fig. 5, six settings, "common settings," "copy settings," "network settings," "printer settings," "scanner settings," and "fax settings," are displayed as the setting information 60. Note that the settings are not limited to the above types, and other types may be provided.

[0052] The check box 62 allows user B to select a setting to be exchanged from among the six settings displayed as setting information 60. The display example shown in Fig. 5 shows, as an example, the state after a check mark has been added to the check box 62 to the left of "Fax Settings" from among the six settings displayed as setting information 60. In other words, the display example shown in Fig. 5 shows the state after user B has selected "Fax Settings" as the setting to be exchanged.

[0053] The decision button 64 becomes operable after a check mark is placed in any of the check boxes 62, and is a button for deciding the setting corresponding to the check box 62 with the check mark as the setting to be exchanged.

[0054] The back button 66 is a button for displaying the home screen (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0055] 4, in step S13, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the setting to be replaced has been selected, and if it determines that the setting has been selected (step S13: YES), the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the CPU 31 determines that the setting has not been selected (step S13: NO), the process waits until the setting is selected.

[0056] In step S14, CPU 31 displays the settings for which authority is assigned to the user who logged in in step S10 on display unit 37. Then, the process proceeds to step S15. As an example, if the user who logged in in step S10 is user B, CPU 31 displays the display example shown in FIG. 6 on display unit 37 in step S14.

[0057] Fig. 6 is a second display example displayed on the display unit 37 of the image forming apparatus 20. In the display example shown in Fig. 6, setting information 68, a check box 70, a decision button 72, and a back button 66 are displayed.

[0058] The setting information 68 indicates the settings for which authority is assigned to the user who logged in to the image forming apparatus 20 in step S10, in this case, user B. In Fig. 6, four settings, "Internet fax settings," "email settings," "email / internet fax settings," and "address book settings," are displayed as the setting information 68. Note that the settings are not limited to the above types, and other types may be provided.

[0059] The check box 70 allows user B to select the settings to be exchanged from among the four settings displayed as setting information 68. The display example shown in Fig. 6 shows, as an example, the state after a check mark has been added to the check box 70 to the left of "Address Book Settings" from among the four settings displayed as setting information 68. In other words, the display example shown in Fig. 6 shows the state after user B has selected "Address Book Settings" as the settings to be exchanged.

[0060] The decision button 72 becomes operable after a check mark is placed in any of the check boxes 70, and is a button for deciding the setting corresponding to the checked check box 70 as the setting to be exchanged.

[0061] 4, in step S15, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the setting to be replaced has been selected, and if it determines that the setting has been selected (step S15: YES), the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the CPU 31 determines that the setting has not been selected (step S15: NO), the process waits until the setting is selected.

[0062] In step S16, the CPU 31 exchanges the authority to change the settings selected in steps S13 and S15, and then proceeds to step S17.

[0063] In step S17, the CPU 31 issues various notifications to the multiple users, and then ends the exchange process.

[0064] As an example, the CPU 31 notifies a second user, who is the exchange partner of the executing user who executed the exchange of rights, of the rights information related to the exchanged rights and a release number for canceling the exchange of rights. Specifically, the CPU 31 sends an email containing the rights information and the release number to the email address of the second user. The second user is an example of a "first user," and the executing user is an example of a "second user." In this embodiment, as an example, the second user is "User A," and the executing user is "User B."

[0065] The authority information includes settings that can be changed based on the authority temporarily acquired by each of the executing user and the other user. The release number is, for example, a multi-digit number. The release number is an example of "information for canceling the exchange of authority."

[0066] Furthermore, the CPU 31 notifies the authority information to a user among the multiple users other than the executing user and the other user, in this case, user C. Specifically, the CPU 31 sends an email containing the authority information to the email address of user C. User C is an example of a "user other than the first user and the second user."

[0067] Next, the authorities assigned to a plurality of users before and after the exchange will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0068] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a list of authorities assigned to multiple users before the exchange. In this embodiment, as an example, ten settings are provided for the image forming apparatus 20: "Common Settings," "Copy Settings," "Network Settings," "Printer Settings," "Scanner Settings," "Fax Settings," "Internet Fax Settings," "Email Settings," "Email / Internet Fax Settings," and "Address Book Settings."

[0069] In this embodiment, the ten authorities for changing the above ten settings are distributed and managed by a plurality of users, namely, user A, user B, and user C. In this embodiment, the above ten authorities are distributed so that the authorities held by user A, user B, and user C do not overlap. However, this is not limiting, and when a plurality of authorities are distributed and managed, some of the authorities may be shared by a plurality of users.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 7, before the replacement, User A was assigned the authority to change the "Printer Settings," "Scanner Settings," and "Fax Settings," User B was assigned the authority to change the "Internet Fax Settings," "Email Settings," "Email / Internet Fax Settings," and "Address Book Settings," and User C was assigned the authority to change the "Common Settings," "Copy Settings," and "Network Settings." Note that in Figs. 7 and 8, the symbol "◯" indicates that authority has been assigned, and the symbol "×" indicates that authority has not been assigned.

[0071] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a list of exchanged authorities assigned to multiple users. Here, as an example, assume that the "fax authority" for changing fax settings held by user A in Fig. 7 and the "address book authority" for changing address book settings held by user B have been exchanged. The fax authority is an example of the "first authority," and the address book authority is an example of the "second authority."

[0072] As shown in Fig. 8, after the replacement, User A is assigned the authority to change the "Printer Settings," "Scanner Settings," and "Address Book Settings," User B is assigned the authority to change the "Internet Fax Settings," "Email Settings," "Email / Internet Fax Settings," and "Fax Settings," and User C is assigned the authority to change the "Common Settings," "Copy Settings," and "Network Settings." Note that in Fig. 8, cells whose contents have been changed from those in Fig. 7 are shown in black.

[0073] In this embodiment, the following case is assumed as a situation in which the replacement process shown in Fig. 4 is performed: As an example, this situation occurs when multiple users receive setting change requests from general users who do not have the authority to change the settings of the image forming device 20, and one of the multiple users who has been assigned the authority to change the settings corresponding to the change request is unavailable and cannot respond, for example.

[0074] In the above situation, in the present embodiment, as an example, the CPU 31 accepts an exchange of, among multiple authorities for changing multiple settings of the image forming apparatus 20, fax authority assigned to user A, who is the other user, for changing the fax setting to be changed, with address book authority assigned to user B, who is the executing user. Then, the CPU 31 exchanges the address book authority for fax authority. After the exchange, the CPU 31 assigns the address book authority to user A and the fax authority to user B, as shown in FIG. 8 . As a result, according to the present embodiment, when multiple authorities for changing multiple settings are distributed and managed by multiple users, if a user assigned the authority to change the setting to be changed is unable to handle the request, it is possible to allow another user to handle the request without concentrating the distributed authorities on a single user.

[0075] In this embodiment, the CPU 31 notifies the other user, user A, of the authority information and the release number. This allows the other user to recognize that the authority exchange has been completed and that the authority exchange can be released.

[0076] In this embodiment, the CPU 31 notifies the user C, who is a user other than the executing user and the other user, of the authority information. As a result, according to this embodiment, it is possible to make all of the multiple users aware that the authority exchange has been carried out.

[0077] In this embodiment, when a predetermined cancellation condition is met, the CPU 31 cancels the exchange of the fax authority and the address book authority performed above, thereby restoring the authorities of the other user and the executing user to their original states.

[0078] For example, in this embodiment, cases where a predetermined cancellation condition is met include when user A, the other user, accepts cancellation of the exchange using a cancellation number, and when a predetermined time has passed since the exchange of fax authority and address book authority. For example, cancellation of the exchange using a cancellation number is performed by user A logging in to the image forming device 20, executing the exchange app, and entering the cancellation number on a predetermined screen of the exchange app. As a result, according to this embodiment, the other user can restore the authority of the other user and the executing user to their original state at their will. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the authority of the other user and the executing user can be restored to their original state without receiving user operation. The above-mentioned "predetermined time" may be in units of time, such as one hour or three hours, or in units of days, such as one day or three days.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the exchange between fax authority and address book authority is cancelled, the CPU 31 notifies multiple users by sending a cancellation email indicating that the exchange between fax authority and address book authority has been cancelled. This allows all multiple users to know that the exchange between fax authority and address book authority has been cancelled. The cancellation email is an example of "information indicating that the exchange has been cancelled."

[0080] (others) In the above embodiment, the "information for canceling the exchange of rights" is an example of a release number that is a multi-digit number, but this example is not limited to this. As another example, the "information for canceling the exchange of rights" may be an release code that is made up of a multi-digit alphabet, a multi-digit alphanumeric character, or a combination of a multi-digit alphabet, a number, and a symbol.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the situation in which the replacement process is performed is when multiple users receive a setting change request from a general user, and one of the multiple users who has been assigned the authority to change the setting corresponding to the change request cannot respond. In this case, if the user who has been assigned the authority cannot respond, one of the multiple users may make a manual decision, or the user terminal 50 may make the decision automatically without human intervention.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the selection of the settings to be replaced by the original user is accepted by displaying the display example shown in Fig. 6 on the display unit 37. At this time, the original user selects settings that are not currently being used, but this selection may be made manually by the original user or automatically by the image forming apparatus 20 without human intervention.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the exchanged authority is returned to its original state when a predetermined cancellation condition is met, but this is not limited to this, and the state after the exchange may be maintained and the authority may not be returned to its original state.

[0084] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0085] Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 20 Image forming device (an example of an information processing device) 31 CPU (an example of a processor)

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Accepting an exchange of a first authority assigned to a first user and for changing a setting to be changed, among a plurality of authorities for changing a plurality of settings that are managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of users, with a second authority assigned to a second user; exchanging the second authority for the first authority; notifying the first user of right information relating to the exchanged right and information for canceling the right exchange; Information processing device.

2. The processor: notifying users other than the first user and the second user of the plurality of users of the authority information; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor: When a predetermined cancellation condition is met, the exchange of the first authority and the second authority is cancelled.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The predetermined cancellation condition is satisfied when a cancellation of the exchange by the first user using information for canceling the exchange of rights is accepted. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The predetermined cancellation condition is met when a predetermined time has elapsed since the exchange of the first authority and the second authority.

5. The information processing device according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The processor: When the exchange between the first right and the second right is cancelled, notify the plurality of users of information indicating that the exchange between the first right and the second right has been cancelled. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

7. On the computer, Accepting an exchange of a first authority assigned to a first user and for changing a setting to be changed, among a plurality of authorities for changing a plurality of settings that are managed in a distributed manner by a plurality of users, with a second authority assigned to a second user; exchanging the second authority for the first authority; notifying the first user of right information relating to the exchanged right and information for canceling the right exchange; An information processing program for executing processing.

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