Log recording device, log recording method, and image forming device

Abstract

To improve traceability of information on a log of an instrument operation.SOLUTION: An interface unit acquires, at a predetermined timing, a request for recording a job executed according to an application program and specification information for specifying the executed job. A storage control unit acquires an image corresponding to the executed job based on the acquired specification information, and stores image log information including the acquired image corresponding to the job and job log information on the executed job in association with each other in a storage unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a log recording device, a log recording method, and an image forming device. [Background technology]

[0002] A preview function that allows a user to view a desired document via an operation unit of an image forming device is known. However, if a malicious user uses this preview function, it may result in information leakage. For this reason, log information (image log information) is recorded to identify the user who used the preview function.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2015-050595 A) discloses an image forming system that can prevent information leakage due to the execution of a preview. This image forming system executes a preview of an image before executing a job to form an image, and stores a log image as a history of the image for this preview in a management server. This prevents information leakage due to the execution of a preview. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional image forming devices, previews are not treated as jobs for which job log information is recorded. Therefore, in conventional image forming devices, when a user executes only a preview without executing a job on the operation unit app, only the image log information of the executed preview is recorded, and the job log information of the preview is not recorded. As such, conventional image forming devices have operations that are not recorded as job log information, which makes it difficult to track operations based on the log information in the event of information leakage, etc.

[0005] By defining the image preview itself as a job, both image log information and job log information can be recorded even when only the preview is performed. However, in this case, the preview job and other jobs performed after the preview, such as a print job, are treated as separate jobs. This makes it difficult to show the relationship between the two, and it also makes it difficult to track operations based on the log information in the event of an information leak.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a log recording device, a log recording method, and an image forming device that improve the traceability of log information of device operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides: At the timing when a print job is executed after an image preview is executed, a log including identification information of the print job, the date and time when the print job was executed, and the date and time when the preview was executed is generated. Record required Accept the request The interface section is The aforementioned Interface section By acquired The logging request Based on The aforementioned Acquire an image, The aforementioned image and identification information of the print job. Image log information including: The print job information includes identification information of the print job, the date and time when the print job was executed, and the date and time when the preview was executed. Job log information Write and a storage control unit that stores the information in the storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides an advantage in that it is possible to improve the traceability of log information of device operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the software configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the log collection server device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image server device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the operation of recording log information in an image forming apparatus according to a reference example. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of recording log information in the image forming system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when the operation unit application executes a job. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the operation unit application when only a preview is performed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the operation unit application when an image stored in a medium is previewed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the operation unit browser when an image stored in an external server device is viewed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An image forming system according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] (System Configuration) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming system according to an embodiment is configured by interconnecting one or more image forming apparatuses 1, at least one log collection server apparatus 2, and at least one image server apparatus 3 via a network 4. The network 4 may be a wide area network such as the Internet, or a private network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The log collection server apparatus 2 is an example of a storage unit (external storage unit).

[0012] The image forming apparatus 1 has an operation unit equipped with an OS (operating system) capable of running applications. The log collection server device 2 collects operation log information and image information of the image forming apparatus 1. The image server device 3 stores image data that can be accessed from the operation unit application (reference numeral 961 in FIG. 3) and operation unit browser (reference numeral 962 in FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0013] (Hardware configuration of image forming device) Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a controller 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation unit 940, and a network I / F 950.

[0014] The controller 910 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a local memory (MEM-C) 907, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 908, and an HDD 909. The NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

[0015] The CPU 901 is a control unit that performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 1. The NB 903 is a bridge that connects the CPU 901 with the MEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921. The NB 903 has a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

[0016] The MEM-P902 has a ROM902a, which is memory for storing programs or data that realize the functions of the memory controller, and a RAM902b, which is used for expanding the programs or data and as a drawing memory during memory printing, etc. The programs stored in the RAM902b may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD.

[0017] The SB 904 is a bridge for connecting the NB 903 with PCI devices and peripheral devices. The ASIC 906 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing purposes that has hardware elements for image processing, and serves as a bridge for connecting the AGP bus 921, PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 922, HDD controller 908, and MEM-C 907.

[0018] This ASIC 906 has a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 906, and a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 907. The ASIC 906 also has a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that perform image rotation and the like using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via a PCI bus 922. A USB interface or an IEEE1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) interface may be connected to the ASIC 906.

[0019] The MEM-C 907 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer. The HDD 909 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. The HDD 909 controls the writing and reading of data to and from the HDD 909 under the control of the CPU 901.

[0020] The HDD 909 also stores a log collection program. The CPU 901 executes this log collection program to generate job log information and image log information corresponding to each operation. The job log information and image log information are stored in a storage area for job log information (job log storage unit) and a storage area for image log information (image log storage unit) provided in the HDD 909, and are also transmitted to and stored in the log collection server device 2 and the image server device 3 via the network 4. The job log storage unit and the image log storage unit of the HDD 909 are examples of a storage unit (internal storage unit).

[0021] The AGP bus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphics processing. The AGP bus 921 directly accesses the MEM-P 902 at high throughput, enabling the graphics accelerator card to run at high speed.

[0022] The short-distance communication circuit 920 includes a short-distance communication circuit 920. The short-distance communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. Furthermore, the engine control unit 930 includes a scanner unit 931 and a printer unit 932.

[0023] The operation unit 940 has a display unit 940a such as a touch panel that displays current setting values ​​or a selection screen, etc., and accepts input from the operator. The operation unit 940 also has operation keys 940b that include a numeric keypad for inputting setting values ​​for image formation conditions, such as density setting conditions, and a start key for issuing an instruction to start copying.

[0024] The operation unit 940 may be provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, or may be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. In the case where the operation unit 940 is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, when the operation unit 940 is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, communication between the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 and the operation unit 940 is performed by wired communication via a communication interface. Furthermore, when the operation unit 940 is detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, communication between the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 and the operation unit 940 is performed by wireless communication such as the above-mentioned Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0025] The controller 910 controls the entire image forming apparatus 1, for example, performing drawing control, communication control, and processing of input from the operation unit 940. The scanner unit 931 or the printer unit 932 has image processing functions such as error diffusion processing and gamma conversion processing.

[0026] The image forming device 1 can be switched between the document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function in sequence using the application switching key on the operation unit 940. When the document box function is selected, the image forming device 1 enters document box mode, and when the copy function is selected, the image forming device 1 enters copy mode. When the printer function is selected, the image forming device 1 enters printer mode, and when the facsimile mode is selected, the image forming device 1 enters facsimile mode.

[0027] The network I / F 950 is an interface for performing data communication using the communication network 100. The short-range communication circuit 920 and the network I / F 950 are electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via a PCI bus 922.

[0028] (Software configuration of image forming device) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the software configuration of image forming apparatus 1. As shown in Fig. 3, CPU 901 executes a log collection program to realize the functions of an operation unit management module 971, an interface unit (I / F unit) 972, a job log management unit 973, an image log management unit 974, a log control unit 975, an image management module 976, and a network transmission unit 977. I / F unit 972 is an example of an interface unit. Log control unit 975 is an example of a storage control unit.

[0029] An operation unit management module 971 manages the operation unit 940. An I / F unit 972 provides an interface that enables an application on the operation unit 940 to control the log of the controller 910. A job log management unit 973 records and manages job log information in a job log storage unit in the HDD 909. An image log management unit 974 records and manages image log information in an image log storage unit in the HDD 909.

[0030] The log control unit 975 controls the managed job log information and image log information. The image management module 976 manages images other than the image logs on the controller 910. The network transmission unit 977 transmits the job log information and image log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network 4. This allows the same log information (job log information and image log information) stored on the image forming apparatus 1 side to be stored in the log collection server device 2, facilitating tracking based on the log information by a log manager or the like.

[0031] The operation unit 940 has an operation unit application program (operation unit app) 961 that runs on a general-purpose OS such as Android (trademark), and an operation unit browser 962. The operation unit app 961 and the operation unit browser 962 are examples of application programs.

[0032] The operation unit 940 is equipped with a storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory 963 or a card-type memory 964, in which image data accessible by each application is stored.

[0033] (Hardware configuration of the log collection server device) Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the log collection server device 2. As shown in Fig. 4, the log collection server device 2 includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502 and a RAM 503, an HDD 504, an HDD controller 505, and a display 506. The log collection server device 2 also includes an external device connection I / F 508, a network I / F 509, a media I / F 516, and a keyboard 511. The CPU 501 to the display 506, the external device connection I / F 508, the network I / F 509, the keyboard 511, and the media I / F 516 are connected to one another via a bus line 510.

[0034] The CPU 501 controls the overall operation of the log collecting server device 2. The ROM 502 stores programs used to drive the CPU 501, such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader). The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The HDD 504 stores various data such as programs, and log information (job log information and image log information) received from the image forming apparatus 1. The HDD controller 505 controls the writing and reading of various data to and from the HDD 504 under the control of the CPU 501. The display 506 displays various information such as a cursor, menus, windows, characters, or images.

[0035] The external device connection I / F 508 is an interface for connecting various external devices such as a USB memory, a printer, etc. The network I / F 509 is an interface for performing data communication with the image forming apparatus 1 via the network 4.

[0036] A keyboard 511 has a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. A media I / F 516 controls writing (storing) or reading of data to a recording medium 515 such as a flash memory (registered trademark).

[0037] (Image server hardware configuration) Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image server device 3. As shown in Fig. 5, the image server device 3 includes a CPU 601, a ROM 602, a RAM 603, an HDD 604, an HDD controller 605, and a display 606. The image server device 3 also includes an external device connection I / F 608, a network I / F 609, a media I / F 616, and a keyboard 611. The CPU 601 to the display 606, the external device connection I / F 608, the network I / F 609, the keyboard 611, and the media I / F 616 are all interconnected via a bus line 610.

[0038] The CPU 601 controls the overall operation of the image server device 3. The ROM 602 stores programs used to drive the CPU 601, such as an IPL. The RAM 603 is used as a work area for the CPU 601. The HDD 604 stores various data such as programs, and image data that can be read from the image forming device 1. The HDD controller 605 controls the writing and reading of various data to and from the HDD 604 under the control of the CPU 601. The display 606 displays various information such as a cursor, menus, windows, characters, or images.

[0039] The external device connection I / F 608 is an interface for connecting various external devices such as a USB memory, a printer, etc. The network I / F 609 is an interface for performing data communication with the image forming apparatus 1 via the network 4.

[0040] The keyboard 611 has a plurality of keys and is used to input characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. The media I / F 616 controls writing (storing) or reading of data to a recording medium 615 such as a flash memory (registered trademark).

[0041] (Reference example) Here, the operation of an image forming apparatus as a reference example will be described, which is capable of recording both image log information and job log information even when only a preview is executed by defining the image preview itself as a job. Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the log information recording operation of this image forming apparatus as a reference example.

[0042] 6, when a user operates the preview button on the operation unit 991, the operation unit application 992 detects this (step S101) and sends a request to obtain a preview image to the image management module 994 via the I / F unit 993 (steps S102 and S103). Upon receiving the request to obtain a preview image, the image management module 994 records job log information and image log information (steps S104 and S105).

[0043] After recording each piece of log information, the image management module 994 transmits a preview image to the operation unit application 992 via the I / F unit 993 (steps S106 and S107). The operation unit application 992 displays the received preview image on the display unit (step S108).

[0044] Next, it is assumed that the user designates execution of a print job via the operation unit 991 (step S109). When execution of this print job is designated, the operation unit application 992 transmits a request to execute the print job to the job execution module 995 via the I / F unit 993 (steps S110 and S111). The job execution module 995 records job log information and image log information corresponding to the print job (steps S112 and S113).

[0045] In the case of the image forming apparatus of this reference example, the job log information of the preview job (step S104) and the job log information of another job, such as a print job, performed after the preview (step S112) are treated as separate jobs (managed with separate jog identification numbers). This makes it difficult to show the relationship between the two, and makes it difficult to track operations based on the log information in the event of information leakage, etc.

[0046] (Overview of image forming system according to embodiment) For this reason, in the image forming system according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the operation unit application 961 of the operation unit 940 includes an I / F unit 972 that enables recording of arbitrary log information. The operation unit application 961 uses the I / F unit 972 to record log information at the timing of job execution after a preview. At that time, parameters related to the preview are included. This allows the log control unit 975 to record, in the job log information, log information indicating, for example, that a preview was performed before the execution of a print job, and the previewed pages, etc. In addition, a job ID that associates a job including the preview execution results is recorded as bibliographic information in the image log information. This improves traceability based on the log information.

[0047] (Operation of the control panel app when a print job is executed after previewing) This will be explained in detail below. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations performed by the operation unit application 961 when the job is executed. In Fig. 8, when the user operates the preview button, the operation unit application 961 detects this (step S1) and transmits a request to obtain a preview image to the image management module 976 of the controller 910 via the I / F unit 972 (steps S2 and S3). The image management module 976 transmits the preview image and the image ID assigned to the preview image to the operation unit application 961 via the I / F unit 972 (steps S4 and S5). As a result, the operation unit application 961 displays the preview image obtained from the image management module 976 (step S6).

[0048] Next, when the user instructs execution of a job such as a print job, the operation unit application 961 detects this instruction to execute the job (step S7). Then, the operation unit application 961 requests execution of the print job via the I / F unit 972 to the job execution module 998 on the controller 910 that executes the print job (steps S8 and S9). After executing the print job, the job execution module 998 transmits the execution result together with the job ID to the operation unit application 961 via the I / F unit 972 (steps S10 and S11).

[0049] Next, the operation unit application 961 transmits a log recording request to the log control unit 975 on the controller 910 via the I / F unit 972 at any timing, such as after the job has been executed (steps S12 and S13). At this time, the operation unit application 961 transmits various parameters necessary for recording job log information and image log information, including the various parameters in the log recording request. Specifically, the operation unit application 961 transmits information indicating that a preview was performed before the job was executed, information indicating the page viewed in the preview, and the like, to the log control unit 975. Table 1 below shows an example of parameters transmitted from the operation unit application 961 to the log control unit 975 when a user with user ID "12345" executes a print job after a preview.

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051] The example shown in Table 1 indicates that a "job ID" of 000015, a "job type" indicating that document printing was executed, "job execution date and time information" indicating that the job was executed at 15:03 on December 20, 2019, and a "user ID" of 12345 were sent as parameters to the log control unit 975. The example shown in Table 1 also indicates that a "document ID" of the previewed document such as 6789, "preview date and time information" of the document such as 15:00 on December 20, 2019, and "preview page information" indicating pages 1, 2, etc. of the previewed document were sent as parameters to the log control unit 975.

[0052] Next, the log control unit 975 acquires image data associated with the document ID included in the parameters from the image management module 976 as shown in Table 1 (step S14). Then, the log control unit 975 records job log information in the job log storage unit of the HDD 909 via the job log management unit 973 based on the above parameters (step S15). The log control unit 975 also transmits the job log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S15). To explain this in more detail based on the example of Table 1, the job log information recorded includes "Type: Document Print," "Job ID," "User ID," "Job Execution Date and Time," "Document ID," "Preview Date and Time Information," and "Preview Page Information."

[0053] Furthermore, the log control unit 975 treats the job ID associated with the job as bibliographic information, includes it in the image log information, and records it in the image log storage unit via the image log management unit 974 (step S16). Furthermore, the log control unit 975 transmits the image log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S16). To explain this more specifically based on the example of Table 1, the image log information recorded includes the "entire document," "document ID," and "job ID."

[0054] In this way, the operation unit application 961 records log information in the image forming apparatus 1 and the log collection server device 2 via the I / F unit 972 at the timing of job execution after the preview. At this time, the log information including parameters related to the preview is recorded. This allows the log control unit 975 to record job log information including information indicating that a preview was performed before the job and information indicating the previewed page. In addition, a job ID that associates the job including the preview execution result can be recorded as bibliographic information together with the image log information.

[0055] Furthermore, by recording log information in the same format as the log information recorded on the image forming apparatus 1 side on the log collection server device 2 and the image server device 3, the log administrator can improve the traceability of the log information.

[0056] (Operation of the control panel app when only preview is performed) Next, Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the operation unit application 961 when only a preview is performed. In Fig. 9, the operations from step S1 to step S6 from when the preview button is operated by the user until the preview image is displayed are the same as those described above. Note that the preview is an example of a job.

[0057] To end such a preview, the user operates a preview end button on the operation unit 940. When the operation unit application 961 detects the operation of the preview end button (step S21), it controls to end the display of the preview screen (step S22). Then, the operation unit application 961 transmits a log recording request to the log control unit 975 on the controller 910 via the I / F unit 972 (steps S23 and S24). At this time, the operation unit application 961 transmits various parameters necessary for recording job log information and image log information, as described above, in the log recording request. When only a preview is performed, a job such as printing is not executed, so information regarding the execution of the job is not included in the parameters. In this case, information indicating the date and time the preview was performed and the page of the previewed document, etc., are included in the parameters and transmitted to the log control unit 975.

[0058] That is, when only a preview is performed, the operation panel application 961 includes information indicating that only a preview has been performed and information indicating the previewed page in a log recording request and transmits the same to the log control unit 975. Table 2 below shows an example of parameters transmitted from the operation panel application 961 to the log control unit 975 when a user with a user ID of "12345" performs only a preview.

[0059] [Table 2]

[0060] The example shown in Table 2 indicates that a "user ID" of 12345, a "document ID" of 6789, "preview date and time information" of 15:00 on December 20, 2019, and "preview page information" indicating previewed document pages 1, 2, etc. were sent as parameters to the log control unit 975. Note that at least the "document ID," "preview date and time information," and "preview page information" are examples of specific information.

[0061] Next, the log control unit 975 acquires image data from the image management module 976 based on the document ID and preview page information included in the parameters as shown in Table 2 (steps S25 and S26). Then, the log control unit 975 records job log information of the preview in the job log storage unit of the HDD 909 via the job log management unit 973 based on the above-mentioned parameters (step S27). The log control unit 975 also transmits the job log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S27). To explain this more specifically based on the example of Table 2, the job log information records information on "type: preview," "job ID," "user ID," "job execution date and time," "image ID," "preview date and time," and "preview page."

[0062] The log control unit 975 also treats the job ID associated with the job as bibliographic information, includes it in the image log information, and records it in the image log storage unit via the image log management unit 974 (step S28). The log control unit 975 also transmits the image log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S28). To explain this more specifically based on the example of Table 2, the image log information recorded includes the "previewed image," "image ID," and "job ID."

[0063] In this way, the operation unit application 961 records log information via the I / F unit 972 when the preview ends. At this time, the log information that is recorded includes parameters related to the preview. This allows the log control unit 975 to record information indicating that only the preview was performed and information indicating the previewed page in the job log information, and also to record only the target page as an image log.

[0064] (Operation of the control panel app when previewing images stored on media) 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the operation unit application 961 when an image stored in a medium is previewed. To preview an image stored in a medium, the user inserts a medium such as a USB memory 963 or a card-type memory 964 into the operation unit 940 as shown in FIG. 3 (step S31). Then, the user operates the operation unit 940 to specify a preview of an image stored in the medium. When the operation unit application 961 detects an operation to specify a preview of an image stored in the medium (step S32), it reads the specified image from the medium and displays a preview (step S33).

[0065] Next, when a preview of an image stored in the medium is displayed, the operation unit application 961 transmits a log recording request to the log control unit 975 on the controller 910 via the I / F unit 972 at a predetermined timing (steps S34 and S35). At this time, the operation unit application 961 transmits the log recording request together with various parameters necessary for recording job log information and image log information, as described above. In this case, the previewed image, image ID, date and time when the preview was performed, etc. are included in the parameters and transmitted to the log control unit 975.

[0066] The log control unit 975 requests the image management module 976 to register the image previewed from the media, which is the image included in the parameters and transmitted (step S36). The image management module 976 records the image previewed from the media in the image log storage unit via the image log management unit 974. The image management module 976 also transmits the image previewed from the media to the image server device 3 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it. When the image management module 976 has completed registration of the image previewed from the media, it transmits the image ID assigned to the registered image to the log control unit 975 (step S37).

[0067] Next, the log control unit 975 records job log information including "Type: Preview," "Job ID," "User ID," "Job execution date and time," "Image ID," and "Preview date and time" in the job log storage unit of the HDD 909 via the job log management unit 973 (step S38). The log control unit 975 also transmits such job log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it there (step S38).

[0068] The log control unit 975 also records image log information including the "previewed image," "image ID," and "job ID" in the image log storage unit via the image log management unit 974 (step S39). The log control unit 975 also transmits such image log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S39).

[0069] In this way, the operation unit application 961 records log information via the I / F unit 972 at the timing of previewing an image on the media. At this time, the log information including parameters related to the preview and image data previewed from the media is recorded. This allows the log control unit 975 to record job log information including information indicating that an image on the media has been previewed and the image ID of the previewed image on the media, as well as image log information including the previewed image on the media.

[0070] (Operation of the control panel browser when viewing images from an external server device) 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the operation unit browser 962 when viewing an image (an example of network display information) stored in the external server device 999. In this case, the user operates the operation unit 940 to perform a display operation of the image stored in the external server device 999 (step S41). As a result, the operation unit browser 962 obtains a Web (World Wide Web) page from the external server device 999 and displays it (steps S42 and S43).

[0071] Next, at a predetermined timing, the operation unit browser 962 transmits a log recording request, including a request for a screen capture of the currently displayed Web page, to the log control unit 975 on the controller 910 via the I / F unit 972 (steps S44 and S45). The log control unit 975 requests the operation unit management module 971 to capture a screen of the currently displayed Web page (step S46). As a result, the operation unit management module 971 performs a screen capture of the currently displayed Web page, and transmits image data of the captured screen of the Web page to the log control unit 975 (step S47).

[0072] Next, the log control unit 975 records job log information, in this case including "Type: Browsing," "Job ID," "User ID," "Job execution date and time," "Image ID of the captured image," and "Preview date and time," in the job log storage unit of the HDD 909 via the job log management unit 973 (step S48). The log control unit 975 also transmits such job log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S48).

[0073] The log control unit 975 also records image log information including the "captured image," "image ID," and "job ID" in the image log storage unit via the image log management unit 974 (step S49). The log control unit 975 also transmits such image log information to the log collection server device 2 via the network transmission unit 977 and records it (step S49).

[0074] In this way, when a web page is displayed, the operation unit browser 962 records log information via the I / F unit 972. At this time, the log information recorded includes parameters related to the display of the web page and a captured image of the viewed web page. This allows the log control unit 975 to record job log information related to the display of the web page and record the captured image of the web page as image log information.

[0075] (Effects of the embodiment) As is clear from the above description, the image forming system according to the embodiment is provided with an I / F unit 972 for recording log information, which allows the application (operation unit app 961 or operation unit browser 962) of the operation unit 940 of the image forming apparatus 1 to record log information of any image and operation at any timing. This allows the log collection server device 2 and the image server device 3 to record log information in the same format as the log information recorded on the image forming apparatus 1 side, while ensuring the flexibility of the operation unit app 961 that records log information, thereby improving the traceability of the log information by the log manager.

[0076] For example, even if only a preview is performed on an image where information leakage has occurred, by referring to the log information recorded in the log collection server device 2 for the period in which information leakage is predicted to occur, the date and time of the information leakage, the user who previewed the image where information leakage has occurred, the page that was previewed, etc. can be easily identified.

[0077] Furthermore, since the preview and other jobs such as a print job performed afterwards can be recorded in association with each other, tracking can be facilitated in the event of information leakage.

[0078] Furthermore, when an image (such as a media print, a document on an external server device 999 displayed on the operation unit browser 962, etc.) is displayed on the operation unit 940 without going through the controller 910, the controller 910 cannot record the image as a log, making it difficult to track information leaks.

[0079] However, in the case of the image forming system of the embodiment, images displayed without going through the controller 910 can be captured and recorded together with the viewing date and time, user information, etc. This makes it easy to track down any information leaks.

[0080] Furthermore, in the case of an operation panel application developed by a third party, although it is possible to record log information of job-related functions of the controller 910, it has been difficult to record log information of arbitrary operations. For this reason, it has been necessary to develop a unique log function (a function for sending logs from the operation panel application to a server on a network), which has led to problems such as reduced ease of development and log manageability.

[0081] However, in the image forming system according to the embodiment, log information of any image and operation can be recorded at any timing. Therefore, even if the operation unit application 961 is developed by a third vendor, it is not necessary to develop a function for transmitting logs from the operation unit application 961 to the log collection server device 2 on the network, thereby improving ease of development and log management.

[0082] Finally, the above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments and modifications of each embodiment are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1. Image forming device 2. Log collection server device 3. Image server device 4 Network 901 CPU 909 HDD 940 Operation unit 961 Operation unit app 962 Control Panel Browser 963 USB memory 964 Card-type memory 971 Operation Management Module 972 I / F section 973 Job Log Management Unit 974 Image Log Management Department 975 Log control section 976 Image Management Module 977 Network Transmitter [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0084] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-050595

Claims

1. An interface unit that, when a print job is executed after an image preview is executed, acquires a log recording request including identification information of the print job, the date and time when the print job was executed, and the date and time when the preview was executed; a storage control unit that acquires the image based on the log recording request acquired by the interface unit, and stores in a storage unit image log information including the image and identification information of the print job, and job log information including the identification information of the print job, the date and time when the print job was executed, and the date and time when the preview was executed; A logging device having:

2. The interface unit executes a preview of an image based on an application program, and when the preview is terminated, acquires a log recording request including a date and time when the preview was executed and identification information of the image; the storage control unit acquires the image based on the log recording request acquired by the interface unit, and stores, in the storage unit, image log information including the image and identification information of the image, and job log information including the date and time when the preview was executed and the identification information of the image; The log recording device according to claim 1 .

3. The interface unit, when displaying an image read from a medium based on an application program, acquires a log recording request including the image and a date and time when the displaying is executed; the storage control unit acquires identification information of the image based on the log recording request acquired by the interface unit, and stores image log information including the image and the identification information of the image, and job log information including the date and time when the display was executed and the identification information of the image, in the storage unit; The log recording device according to claim 1 .

4. A capture image generating unit that generates a capture image of an acquired image acquired from a server device on a network, the interface unit acquires, based on an application program, a log recording request at a timing when the acquired image is displayed, the log recording request including a date and time when the display is executed and a request to generate a capture image of the acquired image; the storage control unit acquires, based on the log recording request acquired by the interface unit, a capture image of the acquired image generated by the capture image generation unit and identification information of the capture image, and stores, in the storage unit, image log information including the capture image and the identification information of the capture image, and job log information including the date and time when the display was executed and the identification information of the capture image; The log recording device according to claim 1 .

5. The storage control unit stores the job log information and the image log information in an internal storage unit of the device to which the log recording device is applied and in an external storage unit of a server device on a predetermined network, respectively.

5. The log recording device according to claim 1, wherein:

6. an acquisition step in which an interface unit acquires, at a timing when a print job is executed after an image preview is executed, a log recording request including identification information of the print job, a date and time when the print job was executed, and a date and time when the preview was executed; a storage control step in which a storage control unit acquires the image based on the log recording request acquired in the acquisition step, and stores in a storage unit image log information including the image and identification information of the print job, and job log information including the identification information of the print job, the date and time when the print job was executed, and the date and time when the preview was executed; A logging method having:

7. An image forming apparatus comprising the log recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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