Image forming apparatus, control method for image forming apparatus, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: determining whether printing can be performed on a cloud service having an inspection function disables the execution of control according to an installation environment of an image forming apparatus and the user authority of a log-in user.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus can communicate with a system having an inspection function, and the image forming apparatus transmits data information on an object to be inspected to the system, receives a result of inspection, and causes the image forming apparatus to execute a predetermined operation according to the received inspection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Recent changes in work styles are accelerating the trend toward distributed workers and devices. As a result, there is an increasing trend toward direct access from external networks such as the Internet, rather than just within a firewall. Against this backdrop, security models are shifting from a perimeter defense model that assumes that a firewall protects the perimeter from the outside, to a zero-trust security defense approach that assumes that no one can trust anything.

[0003] To prevent documents printed on a printing device from being lost or to prevent information leaks by malicious users, it is necessary to check the contents of the data. As a method for checking the contents of the data, general cloud services offer a data protection (DLP) mechanism that can determine whether the data contains confidential information.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a method in which print data is inspected on a server, a printability determination is made, and the printability result is transmitted to a printing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-49520 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the method of Patent Document 1, if the determination as to whether printing is possible is made on the server, it is not possible to perform control according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus or the user authority of the logged-in user.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of at least some of the above-mentioned problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that allows image forming devices and information processing devices to utilize the inspection results.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to perform print control in accordance with the installation environment of the image forming apparatus and the user authority of the logged-in user, based on the result of inspection on the server. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a system having a censorship function, and includes a transmitting means for transmitting data information to be censored to the system, a receiving means for receiving the censorship result from the system, and a control means for causing the image forming apparatus to perform a predetermined operation according to the received censorship result. When the predetermined operation according to the received inspection result is set to "printing not permitted" and the received inspection result is a first inspection result indicating that the censored data is likely to contain confidential information, the control means controls to change the authority of the censored data to read-only, and when the predetermined operation according to the received inspection result is set to "printing not permitted" and the received inspection result is a second inspection result indicating that the censored data is more likely to contain confidential information than the first inspection result, the control means controls not to change the authority of the censored data to read-only. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, print data is inspected, and based on the inspection results, it is possible to determine whether printing is permitted or not depending on the installation location of the image forming apparatus and the logged-in user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] An example of a system configuration diagram in an embodiment [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a multifunction peripheral 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of the multifunction peripheral 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] (A) An example of a sequence diagram in an embodiment (B) An example of a sequence diagram in an embodiment [Figure 5](A) An example of an action table when alert information is acquired by the printing device in the first embodiment. (B) An example of an action table that differs by location. [Figure 6] An example of a flowchart in the first embodiment [Figure 7] An example of the operation setting screen when alert information is obtained [Figure 8] An example of a notification screen when printing is not possible [Figure 9] An example of a flowchart in the second embodiment [Figure 10] 10 is an example of an operation table when alert information is acquired by a printing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] An example of a flowchart in the third embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In this embodiment, a printing device, a multifunction peripheral, or an MFP (Multifunctional Peripheral) will be described as an example of an image forming device. A server or a PC will be described as an example of information processing device. In this embodiment, data to be censored or data information will be described as an example of print data to be printed by the image forming device. [Example]

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the network configuration of this embodiment.

[0014] In this embodiment, the system having the network configuration shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as a printing system.

[0015] The multifunction device 1000 with printing capabilities can communicate with information processing devices such as a PC 2000 via a network 100. Through communication, it is possible to send and receive print data, scanned image data, device management information, etc. The multifunction device 1000 with printing capabilities can also send and receive data, inspection results (alert information), etc. to and from a cloud service 3000 consisting of one or more information processing devices (servers).

[0016] Cloud service 3000 offers a data censorship (DLP) mechanism as one of its services. Data censorship (DLP) can determine whether pre-registered prohibited words are included in the contents of print data, and can conceal or delete any confidential information that is determined to be confidential. This will be explained in detail using an example where a phone number is set as an prohibited word.

[0017] First, the cloud service is configured to perform some kind of control on data containing phone numbers. The control can be varied, for example, to respond with a multi-stage alert signal indicating the extent to which phone numbers are included in the data, to notify a pre-registered administrator, or to black out the phone number portion.

[0018] Next, when the data is saved to the cloud service or when an inspection is instructed, the contents of the saved data are checked. For example, in the case of a phone number, the check is performed by searching for a string of a certain number of digits.

[0019] Subsequently, if it is determined that the data contains a telephone number, control is carried out based on preset content.

[0020] The types of prohibited words that can be detected on the DLP, the control that can be set, and the method of checking the contents of data vary depending on the service content provided on the cloud service and are not limited thereto.

[0021] 1 shows only one each of the multifunction peripheral, PC, and server, the printing system is not limited to this, and may be configured with, for example, multiple multifunction peripherals, PCs, and servers.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a hardware block diagram showing the configuration of the multifunction peripheral 1000. As shown in FIG.

[0023] The multifunction peripheral 1000 is made up of a main controller 200 and each unit. The main controller 200 is equipped with a CPU 211, a ROM 212, a RAM 213, a HDD 214, and a flash memory 215. It also includes an operation unit I / F 216, a printer I / F 217, a scanner I / F 218, a USB-HOST I / F 219, and a network I / F 220.

[0024] The CPU 211 executes the software programs of the multifunction peripheral 1000 and controls the entire device.

[0025] The ROM 212 is a read-only memory that stores the boot program and fixed parameters of the multifunction peripheral 1000.

[0026] The RAM 213 is a random access memory that is used to store programs and temporary data when the CPU 211 controls the multifunction peripheral 1000 .

[0027] The HDD 214 is a hard disk drive that stores system software, applications, and various data. The CPU 211 executes a boot program stored in the ROM 212, loads the program stored in the HDD 214 into the RAM 213, and executes the loaded program to control the operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000.

[0028] The flash memory 215 stores a loader, a kernel, and applications. In addition to the executable program, the flash memory 215 also stores license information for enabling the functions of the multifunction peripheral 1000, and signatures and public keys used for verification to detect program tampering.

[0029] The operation unit I / F 216 is an I / F for transmitting instructions input by the user of the multifunction peripheral 1000 via the operation unit 230 to the CPU 211. The operation unit I / F 216 also receives processing content for switching the content displayed on the operation unit 230 from the CPU 211 and transmits it to the operation unit 230. The operation unit 230 is equipped with a liquid crystal display unit with a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like, and displays the status of the multifunction peripheral 1000 and operation menus, and receives instructions from the user.

[0030] The printer I / F 217 controls the printing process by the printer unit 240 .

[0031] The scanner I / F 218 controls the reading of the document by the scanner unit 250 .

[0032] The USB-Host I / F 219 is an interface for connecting the main controller 200 and an external USB device 260. An example of the external USB device 260 is a fax unit. In this example, the fax unit sends faxes based on image data transferred from the HDD 214 via the USB-Host I / F 219. It also generates image data based on received data and transfers the image data to the HDD 214 via the USB-Host I / F 219. As mentioned above, the image data stored in the HDD 214 is printed on a recording sheet or the like by the printer unit 240. Other examples of the external USB device 260 include a USB memory stick and a USB keyboard. Update files required for firmware updates can also be transferred from the USB memory stick.

[0033] The network I / F 220 controls the transmission and reception of data to and from an external information processing device via the network 100 .

[0034] 3 is a block diagram illustrating software modules showing the configuration of the multifunction peripheral 1000 according to the first embodiment. The software modules shown in FIG. 3 are realized by the CPU 211 executing a program loaded in the RAM 213.

[0035] The startup control unit 311 is a program that controls the processing at the time of startup of the multifunction peripheral 1000, and starts up the OS (Operating System) of the main controller 200, and launches the basic system for running various programs.

[0036] The operation section control section 312 is a program for controlling the operation section unit 230 via the operation section I / F 216 .

[0037] A printer control unit 313 controls printing by the printer unit 240, and a scanner control unit 314 is a module for executing functions such as reading an original by the scanner unit 250.

[0038] The USB control unit 315 is a program for controlling the USB device via the USB-Host I / F 219 .

[0039] The communication control unit 316 is a module for controlling a plurality of communication protocols supported by the multifunction peripheral 1000 via the network I / F 220 .

[0040] The error notification control unit 317 controls the error content to be notified to the operation unit 230 and external devices connected via the network 100 when a problem is detected in the content of the print data by the print data inspection process described later in Figure 6.

[0041] The operation setting management unit 318 is a program that manages the operation settings when alert information is acquired, which will be described later with reference to Figures 5 and 7. The administrator who manages the multifunction peripheral 1000 provides the operation settings of the multifunction peripheral 1000 when alert information is acquired to the printer control unit 313 at the time of printing.

[0042] The print judgment processing unit 319 judges whether printing is possible in the multifunction peripheral 1000 in accordance with the alert information resulting from the inspection process of the information processing device 3000. To judge whether printing is possible, the multifunction peripheral 1000 judges whether printing is possible by referring to the operation setting management unit 318 that manages the operation settings at the time of acquiring the alert information.

[0043] The user data management unit 320 is a program that manages data on users who are allowed to use the multifunction peripheral 1000 .

[0044] The authentication control unit 321 controls authentication of a user who has requested authentication from the multifunction peripheral 1000 based on user information registered by the user data management unit 320 .

[0045] FIG. 4A shows a sequence diagram in this embodiment when the data selected by the user does not contain confidential information.

[0046] In step S401, a user logs in to the multifunction peripheral 1000. The login process is performed based on information such as a user ID and password received from the user at the time of login. If the login is permitted, a login ticket including, for example, login user information is issued. The login ticket is information generated in response to successful authentication of the user. For example, it is encrypted credential information, which is a bit string arranged according to a predetermined rule.

[0047] Next, in step S402, the user selects a cloud service that has data that the user wants to print, and then logs in to the cloud service using the login ticket.

[0048] Next, in step 403, the multifunction peripheral receives file list information on the logged-in cloud service from the information processing device, and displays the file list on the operation unit 230 of the multifunction peripheral.

[0049] In step S404, the user selects data to be printed from the file list displayed on the operation unit 230.

[0050] Then, in step S405, the cloud service performs inspection processing on the data selected by the user in step S404. When the inspection processing by the cloud service is completed, in step S406, the inspection result (alert information) is transmitted to the multifunction peripheral.

[0051] Next, in step S407, the operation table of the multifunction device according to the alert information type, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, is referenced to determine whether the data selected by the user can be printed.

[0052] In step S408, if it is determined that printing is possible as a result of the print possibility determination process in step S407, the multifunction peripheral issues an instruction to the cloud service to obtain print data.

[0053] In step S409, the multifunction device acquires print data from the cloud service.

[0054] In step S410, the multifunction device executes printing of the print data acquired in step S409.

[0055] 4B is a sequence diagram showing the process in this embodiment when confidential information is included in the data selected by the user. Steps S411 to S415 are the same as steps S401 to S405 in FIG. 4A.

[0056] In step S416, the multifunction peripheral determines that confidential information exists or may exist as a result of the cloud service inspection process in step S415, and receives the corresponding inspection result (alert information).

[0057] Then, in step S417, a determination is made as to whether printing is possible by referring to the operation table of the multifunction device according to the alert information type in Fig. 5, which will be described later. If it is determined in step S417 that printing is not possible, processing is performed based on the operation on the cloud and the operation settings on the multifunction device in Fig. 5.

[0058] For example, if the inspection result received in step S416 is "LIKELY" (FIG. 5), which is an alert indicating that confidential information is likely to be present, in step S418 the multifunction device changes the access right for the data to "Read" for the cloud service. In this embodiment, "Read" means that the data is read-only. The multifunction device then displays a message to the user on the operation unit 230 or the like that printing is not possible.

[0059] In FIG. 4B, the process of changing the access authority to Read has been described, but it is also possible to control printing by masking confidential information portions.

[0060] 4, the censorship system is described for the case where print data is stored in storage on a cloud service that has a censorship function, but the print data does not have to be stored in storage on the cloud service. In this case, in S404 and S414, the print data or information on the location of the print data, such as a URL, is sent from the multifunction device to the information processing device.

[0061] FIG. 5A shows an example of the operation table 500 of the information processing device (cloud) 3000 and the multifunction peripheral 1000 when alert information is acquired, which is managed by the operation setting management unit 318 in the system according to the embodiment. The contents of the operation table 500 may be the same for multiple multifunction peripherals connected to the cloud, or each multifunction peripheral may have a different operation table. In the former case, the multifunction peripheral will output the same determination result regardless of the installation environment. In the latter case, the multifunction peripheral can determine whether printing is possible or not, taking into account the installation environment of the multifunction peripheral. The installation environment may be an office, a satellite office, a coworking space, a home environment, or other places with different security levels.

[0062] In the embodiment, alert information received from the information processing device (cloud) 3000 will be described using examples of LIKELIHOOD_UNSPECIFIED, VERY_UNLIKELY, UNLIKELY, POSSIBLE, LIKELY, and VERY_LIKELY. The above indicate the possibility of confidential information being present. For example, LIKELIHOOD_UNSPECIFIED is alert information output when the information processing device (cloud) determines that the possibility of confidential information being present is low as a result of censorship processing. The possibility of confidential information being present increases in the order VERY_UNLIKELY, UNLIKELY, POSSIBLE, LIKELY, and VERY_LIKELY. Note that many APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are publicly available for the information processing device (cloud) 3000 with censorship functionality, and it is not necessary to limit use to only the above alert information.

[0063] As a result of the inspection process by the information processing device (cloud server), the MFP 1000 can separate its own processing based on the processing result. This process separation can be configured by the MFP 1000 itself, regardless of the cloud inspection result. In this embodiment, for example, when the MFP 1000 receives alert information of LIKELIHOOD_UNSPECIFIED, the operation on the cloud service is set to data copying enabled. The cloud operation in this setting table 500 is the processing that the MFP 1000 performs on the cloud service. If set to "data copying enabled," this operation allows print data to be obtained from the cloud service to the MFP 1000, and the MFP 1000 performs data copying (data acquisition) to the cloud. "Read only OK" means that printing from the cloud service to the MFP 1000 is not permitted, but data from the cloud service with the inspection function can be displayed on the MFP 1000. "Read also not permitted" means that data on the cloud service cannot even be displayed on the MFP 1000, and access rights to the cloud service are changed. The operation on the multifunction device is a setting for whether or not printing is possible on the multifunction device 1000. If it is set as "printable", printing is possible on the multifunction device 1000, so printing is performed. If it is set as "printable", printing is not possible on the multifunction device 1000. The processing performed on the multifunction device 1000 is not limited to this embodiment, and can be set according to the device specifications and operation details.

[0064] Furthermore, the contents of the settings table 500 may differ for each multifunction device. For the sake of explanation, an example of determining operation depending on each installation location is shown in settings table 510 in Figure 5(B). For example, even if the alert type is the same "POSSIBLE," a multifunction device installed in an office may be determined to be able to print, whereas a multifunction device installed in a satellite office or at home may be determined to be unable to print. This makes it possible to determine whether printing is possible, taking into account the installation environment of the printing device, based on the inspection results on the cloud service.

[0065] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed when a user prints data stored in the information processing device (cloud service) 3000 having a censorship function in the system according to the first embodiment.

[0066] In step S601, the multifunction peripheral 1000 accepts a login from a user. Then, in step S602, the multifunction peripheral 1000 accepts a print instruction for print data selected by the user.

[0067] Next, in step S603, the CPU 211 determines whether the zero trust mode of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is enabled based on the operation setting values ​​for the zero trust mode managed by the operation setting management unit 318.

[0068] If the determination in step S603 indicates that the zero trust mode of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is enabled, the process proceeds to step S604, where the CPU 211 requests the information processing device (cloud service) 3000, which has a data censorship function, to execute censorship processing. The request here is assumed to be a request using an API published on the cloud service. For example, consider a case where a user has enabled the zero trust mode 701 of the multifunction peripheral 1000. At this time, trigger information according to a specific API is transmitted from the multifunction peripheral 1000 to the information processing device 3000. Upon receiving the trigger information, the information processing device 3000 returns the alert information shown in FIG. 5 from the cloud service to the multifunction peripheral 1000. Even if no request for censorship is received, the information processing device 3000 may be configured to automatically execute censorship processing when a file to be printed on the multifunction peripheral 1000 is selected. If the zero trust mode is not enabled, the process proceeds to step S608.

[0069] Then, in step S605, the information processing device (cloud) 3000 executes inspection processing on the selected print data to be printed, and when the inspection processing is completed, the multifunction peripheral 1000 receives alert information from the information processing device 3000. Then, the process proceeds to step S606.

[0070] In step S606, the print determination processing unit 319 refers to the operation setting management unit 318 and determines whether printing is permitted in response to the alert information received from the information processing device (cloud) 3000 in step S605.

[0071] In step S607, it is determined whether the print data can be printed based on the printability determination process in step S606. Specifically, after the printability determination process in step S606, the CPU 211 determines whether the operation settings on the multifunction peripheral 1000 in the operation table 500 at the time of acquiring the alert information indicate that printing is possible. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to step S608.

[0072] In step S608, the CPU 211 acquires print data from the information processing device 3000 (cloud).

[0073] Then, in step S609, the printer control unit 313 executes printing of the print data.

[0074] If it is determined in step S607 that the operation on the multifunction device is printing NG, the process proceeds to step S610. In step S610, the CPU 211 causes the error notification control unit 317 to control the multifunction device 1000 based on the operation settings for printing NG in the operation setting values ​​for zero trust mode managed by the operation setting management unit 318.

[0075] In this embodiment, we have described the case of printing data stored on a cloud service that has a data inspection function, but the storage service in which the print data is stored and the service that implements DLP may be provided as different cloud services.

[0076] 7 shows an example of a screen 700 displayed on the PC 2000 via the remote UI of the multifunction peripheral 1000 when an administrator managing the multifunction peripheral 1000 sets the operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000 when alert information is received from the information processing device 3000 in FIG. 5 for the printing device. The screen of FIG. 7 may be controlled to be displayed on the operation unit 230 of the multifunction peripheral 1000. The operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is an example of an operation in this embodiment. The operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is set by input from the remote UI or the operation unit 230 of the multifunction peripheral 1000. The setting contents of FIG. 7 are managed by the operation setting management unit 318.

[0077] The alert operation setting screen 700 is composed of a zero trust mode setting 701, a print operation setting 702 for when an alert occurs, and an operation setting 703 for when printing is not possible. When the check box in the zero trust mode setting 701 is selected, the zero trust mode of the multifunction device 1000 is enabled. When the zero trust mode is enabled, the multifunction device 1000 requests the information processing device (cloud) 3000 to perform censorship processing of the print data before starting printing. On the other hand, when the check box in the zero trust mode setting 701 is deselected, the multifunction device 1000 starts printing the print data without requesting censorship processing from the information processing device (cloud) 3000.

[0078] In the alert operation setting 702, the operation to be used in the print availability determination process after alert information is acquired from the information processing device (3000) is set. The alert information includes, for example, information such as LIKELY and VERY_UNLIKELY. The names and number of alert types are not limited to the example in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to set the operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000 when multiple pieces of alert information are received.

[0079] The print NG operation settings 703 are used to set the operation to be performed when the print judgment processing unit 319 determines that printing is NG. Specifically, the print NG operation settings 703 include "NG display on operation panel" which displays a message on the operation panel of the multifunction peripheral 1000 that printing is NG, and "email notification" which notifies by email that the print data cannot be printed. When the OK button 720 is selected, an instruction to register the operation setting values ​​for when an alert is obtained, which were entered on the alert operation settings screen 700, is sent from the PC 2000 to the multifunction peripheral 1000.

[0080] The CPU 211 saves the operational setting values ​​at the time of acquiring the alert information from the PC 2000 in the HDD 214 or the like, and ends this processing.

[0081] 8 shows an example of a warning screen 800 displayed on the operation unit 230 when the printability result is determined to be NG in step S06019 of Fig. 6. The warning screen 800 displays a message prompting the user to confirm the contents of the print data and an OK button 801. When the user presses the OK button 801, the screen displayed on the operation unit 230 transitions to the previous operation screen. [Example]

[0082] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0083] In the first embodiment, after the user selects print data, the multifunction peripheral 1000 requests the information processing device (cloud service) 3000 to perform inspection processing, and the information processing device (cloud) 3000 then performs inspection processing.

[0084] However, depending on the information processing device (cloud service) 3000, censorship processing may be performed at the time when data is saved.

[0085] Therefore, in the second embodiment, the operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000 (FIG. 9) when alert information is received by the multifunction peripheral 1000 at the same time as the selection of data on the information processing device (cloud service) 3000 will be described.

[0086] The parts not explained in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0087] As in the first embodiment, in steps S901 and S902, login from the user and selection of print data are accepted.

[0088] In step S903, the inspection result (alert information) is received together with the selected print data from the information processing device (cloud).

[0089] Then, in step S904, similar to step S603 in the first embodiment, it is determined whether the MFP 1000 is in zero trust mode as instructed by the user. If the determination in step S904 shows that the zero trust mode is enabled, the process proceeds to step S905. If the zero trust mode is not enabled in step S904, the process proceeds to step S907, where the printer control unit 313 executes printing of the print data selected by the user.

[0090] Steps S905 and S906 are the same as steps S606 and S607 in embodiment 1. Then, as a result of the print determination process in step S906, it is determined whether printing is possible, and if printing is possible, the process proceeds to step S907, where the printer control unit 313 prints the print data.

[0091] If it is determined in step S906 that the operation on the multifunction peripheral is printing NG, the process proceeds to step S908. In step S908, similar to step S610 in the first embodiment, the CPU 211 causes the error notification control unit 317 to control the multifunction peripheral 1000 based on the operation settings for printing NG in the operation setting values ​​in the zero trust mode managed by the operation setting management unit 318.

[0092] As described above, even if inspection processing has been performed in advance depending on the type of information processing device (cloud) 3000, the multifunction device 1000 can determine whether printing is permitted or not. [Example]

[0093] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0094] In the first and second embodiments, the determination as to whether printing is possible is made based on alert information without taking into consideration the user authority of the logged-in user of the multifunction peripheral 1000.

[0095] However, printing may be permitted depending on the user authority of the user who uses the multifunction peripheral 1000. Therefore, in the third embodiment, a case where the user authority of the logged-in user of the multifunction peripheral 1000 is determined will be described.

[0096] FIG. 10 shows an operation table for the multifunction peripheral 1000 in the system according to the third embodiment, managed by the operation setting management unit 318, when alert information is acquired. This shows an example of an operation setting table 1010 for a printing device according to the user authority of the logged-in user of the multifunction peripheral 1000. The types of alert information will be explained using the same alert information as in FIG. 5. In the example of the operation setting table 1010, the operation of the multifunction peripheral 1000 can be changed by the logged-in user, that is, a managerial employee and a general employee. By setting the operation table for the multifunction peripheral 1000 according to user authority, as in the operation setting table 1010, it is possible to cause different operations to be performed depending on the logged-in user, even when the same information processing device (cloud server) has performed an inspection process. For example, when the multifunction peripheral 1000 receives an UNLIKELY alert, which is relatively unlikely to contain confidential information, a managerial employee can print, but a general employee cannot print.

[0097] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart in the third embodiment.

[0098] The parts not explained in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0099] Steps S1101 to S1105 are the same as steps S601 to S605 in the first embodiment (FIG. 5). In step S1106, a process is performed to determine whether the operational setting table 1010 managed by the operational setting management unit 318 has location-specific settings for the multifunction peripheral 1000. If location-specific settings are found in step S1107, the process proceeds to step S1108, where the CPU 211 determines the user authority of the logged-in user of the multifunction peripheral. This determination method may involve acquiring information from an authentication server, or may involve previously registering the user authority of the logged-in user of the multifunction peripheral in an operational setting management table or the like. Then, in step S1109, the print determination processing unit 319 references the operational setting management unit 318 and performs a print permission determination process when the alert information was received from the information processing device (cloud) 3000 in step S1105.

[0100] In step S1110, it is determined whether the print data can be printed based on the operation of the print possibility determination process in step S1109. After the print possibility determination process in step S1109, CPU 211 refers to the operation setting table 1010 corresponding to the installation location of multifunction peripheral 1000 at the time of acquiring the alert information, and determines whether the print data can be printed. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to step S1111.

[0101] Steps S1111 to S1113 are the same as steps S617 to S610 in the first embodiment.

[0102] As a result of the above, it becomes possible to determine whether printing is permitted or not according to the user authority of the logged-in user of the multifunction peripheral 1000.

[0103] (Other Examples) While various examples and embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions within this specification.

[0104] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0105] The object of the present invention can also be achieved by performing the following process: a storage medium storing program code for software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1000 Image forming device 220 Network Interface 211 CPU

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a system having a censorship function, a transmitting means for transmitting data to be censored to the system; receiving means for receiving the inspection result from the system; a control means for causing the image forming apparatus to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with the received inspection result; When the predetermined operation according to the received inspection result is set to "printing prohibited" and the received inspection result is a first inspection result indicating that the data to be censored is likely to contain confidential information, the control means controls to change the authority of the data to be censored to read-only; When the predetermined operation according to the received inspection result is set to print-prohibited and the received inspection result is a second inspection result indicating that the possibility that the data to be censored contains confidential information is higher than the possibility of the first inspection result, the control means does not change the authority of the data to be censored to read-only. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The predetermined operation is a preset operation that the image forming device executes in response to the received inspection result.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. an authentication unit that authenticates a login user when logging in to the image forming apparatus; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is set based on the user authority of the logged-in user.

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is set based on an installation location of the image forming apparatus.

5. a printing means for printing an image on a recording sheet; If the predetermined operation according to the received inspection result is set to be printable, the control means causes the printing means to execute a process of printing the data to be inspected.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. A display unit for displaying a screen is provided, If the preset operation corresponding to the received inspection result is set to printing not possible, the control means displays a message that printing is not possible on the display unit.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

7. The predetermined operation is set on a setting screen displayed on the display unit.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. The system having the censorship function is configured with one or more servers.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

9. The data to be censored is print data.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

10. The data to be censored is data indicating the location of the print data to be censored.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

11. A printing system configured with one or more servers and an image forming device, Acceptance means for accepting a print instruction; a censoring unit that censors the print data to be printed received by the receiving unit; a setting unit for setting the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the result of the inspection; a control unit that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the setting of the setting unit; When the operation according to the result of the censorship is set to "printing prohibited" and the result of the censorship is a first censorship result indicating that the print data is likely to contain confidential information, the control means controls to change the authority of the print data to "read only," When the operation according to the result of the censorship is set to "printing prohibited" and the result of the censorship is a second censorship result indicating that the print data is more likely to contain confidential information than the first censorship result, the control means does not change the permission of the print data to read-only. A printing system characterized by:

12. an authentication unit that authenticates a login user when logging in to the image forming apparatus; The setting unit sets the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the result of the inspection based on the user authority of the logged-in user.

12. The printing system according to claim 11.

13. The setting unit sets the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the result of the inspection based on the installation location of the image forming apparatus.

13. The printing system according to claim 11 or 12.

14. If the print data is set to be printable as a result of inspection by the setting means, The control means controls the printing of the print data.

14. The printing system according to claim 11, wherein the printing system is a printing system for printing a plurality of images.

15. A display means for displaying a screen is provided, If the setting means determines that the print data is set to be unprintable as a result of inspection of the print data, the control means displays a message indicating that the print data is unprintable on the display means.

15. The printing system according to claim 11, wherein the printing system is a printing system for printing a plurality of images.

16. The censoring means censors whether or not the contents of the print data contain any previously set NG words.

16. The printing system according to claim 11, wherein the printing system is a printing system for printing a plurality of images.

17. A printing system configured with one or more servers and an image forming device, a receiving step of receiving a print instruction; an inspection step of inspecting the print data to be printed received in the reception step; a setting step of setting an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the result of the inspection; a control step of controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus based on the setting in the setting step, When the operation according to the result of the censorship is set to "printing prohibited" and the result of the censorship is a first censorship result indicating that the print data is likely to contain confidential information, the control step controls to change the authority of the print data to "read only," A control method for a printing system, characterized in that if the action according to the result of the censorship is set to ``printing not allowed'' and the result of the censorship is a second censorship result indicating that the print data is more likely to contain confidential information than the first censorship result, the control process does not change the authority of the print data to ``read-only.''

18. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 17.

Images