Print output management system, print output management method, and print output management program

Abstract

To store print history obtained by using an external printer to print a specific file to be used for business and pay a print allowance according to the print history.SOLUTION: A print output management system 600 includes a communication unit 307 that accesses a file 102 stored in a server 100, an identification unit 303 that identifies an installation place of a home printer 500 or a USB connection printer 501, and a printing unit 301 that, when the file 102 stored in the server 100 is printed with the home printer 500 or the USB connection printer 501, stores print information 104 according to the installation place of the home printer 500 or the USB connection printer 501.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print output management system, a print output management method, and a print output management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, image forming devices called multifunction devices that combine functions such as copying, faxing, scanning, and printing have been installed in offices. Multifunction devices are connected to servers or terminals via a local area network (LAN), for example, and are shared and used by multiple people in the office.

[0003] Furthermore, the abstract of Patent Document 1 states, "The server 1 outputs print data to the printer P specified by the PC 20, and when this print data is printed, it stores in a print history table a print history such as the user name of the PC 20 that instructed the printing, the name of the print document, and the name of the printer used. The server 1 then determines whether the print data is for public or private use based on the print document name in this print history, and classifies and stores the data (part of the print history) corresponding to the determined print data into a public table and a private table. The server then performs billing processes such as issuing invoices for each individual based on the data registered in the private table." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-50691 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, remote work has become common, whereby employees perform their work from home or on a remote device. When users perform remote work from home or on a remote device, they may use a printer that they own or that is installed in a free workspace for their work. In such cases, for example, even when printing documents related to work, using a personally owned printer may result in the user having to pay for the paper and ink required for printing.

[0006] Therefore, when a user wants to print a document related to work but the printing is not essential, the user refrains from printing the document and utilizes the monitor instead.

[0007] However, when considering work efficiency, it is thought that printing documents related to work in the workplace would be more efficient. Remote work tends to discourage printing, which is thought to decrease work efficiency.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need to create a system that can prove that work-related documents printed on an external printer during remote work so that users do not have to bear the costs associated with printing using a printer (paper, usage fees, ink, etc.).

[0009] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the printer that prints is equipped with a means for authenticating the user and a means for determining whether the print data is for official or private use, and the printer itself manages the user authentication and print data. Therefore, when printing using a printer that is used by an unspecified number of users outside the workplace, the cost of paper and ink required for printing using an external printer becomes the personal responsibility of the individual.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to save a print history of files used for business purposes that have been printed using an external printer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] That is, the above-mentioned problems of the present invention are solved by the following configuration. (1) A communication means for accessing files stored on the server; A means for identifying the location of the printer; When a file stored in the server is printed by a printer, the printer is hand Saving print information Control whether to save or not Means and A print output management system comprising:

[0012] (2) The communication means is: From the IP address of the server that stores the files you access , internal server Determine whether or not Along with The control means When printing a file other than that stored on the in-house server, the print information is not saved. The print output management system according to (1).

[0014] ( 3 The identification means is The location of the printer is determined by the IP address of the printer. Whether it is installed inside or outside the company Identify together , The control means The print history indicating that printing was performed using a printer installed outside the company is used as the print information, and if the printer is installed outside the company, the print information is saved, and if the printer is installed inside the company, the print information is not saved. The print output management system according to (1).

[0018] ( 4 ) the terminal accessing the file stored on the server; Identifying a location for the printer; When the terminal prints a file stored in the server using a printer, the terminal hand Saving print information Control whether to save or not save Steps and A print output management method including:

[0019] ( 5 ) to your computer, Steps to access files stored on the server, Steps to identify the location of the printer, When a file stored in the server is printed by a printer, the printer is hand Saving print information Control whether to save or not save procedure, A print output management program for executing the above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to save the print history of files used for business printing using an external printer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a print output management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server. [Figure 3] 10 is an example showing print information stored in a server. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a terminal of the print output management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is an example for realizing the present invention, and should be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Furthermore, in each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0023] <Present Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a print output management system 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] 1, the print output management system 600 includes a server 100 and a terminal 300. The server 100 and the terminal 300 are connected via an internet network 505.

[0025] The server 100 is connected to an in-house printer 502 that can be used via the in-house network 200 and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connected printer 503 that can be used via a USB connection. Private Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are assigned to the server 100 and the in-house printer 502 by a Domain Name System (DNS) server (not shown) or the like in the in-house network 200. The server 100 communicates with other devices connected to the Internet using a global IP address assigned to a VPN-compatible router 504 that connects the in-house network 200 to a Wide Area Network (WAN). This global IP address is also the global IP address of the server 100.

[0026] The server 100 communicates with the terminal 300 and the like of the virtual private network using a private IP address assigned in the virtual private network.

[0027] The server 100 is configured to include a file 102 , print information 104 , and a notification unit 105 .

[0028] File 102 is a specific file used by a user in the course of business, and is stored on server 100. In the workplace to which the user belongs, the user, who is an employee, stores specific files used in business, such as file 102, on server 100 and shares them with other employees in the workplace.

[0029] The print information 104 is a print history of the file 102 stored in the server 100 being printed by a home printer 500 (described later) or a USB-connected printer 501 (described later). The print information 104 will be described in detail later.

[0030] When a file 102 stored in the server 100 is accessed from a terminal 300 or the like, the notification unit 105 notifies the accessed terminal 300 or the like of which server the server 100 itself is. The notification unit 105 notifies the terminal 300 that it is a specific server, for example, by notifying the terminal 300 of the global IP address of the server 100.

[0031] For example, the server 100 notifies the communication unit 307 of the terminal 300 accessed by the user of the global IP address of the server 100. This enables the terminal 300 to identify the installation location of the server 100. Note that the notification unit 105 is an optional component.

[0032] The server 100 is provided with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) compatible router 504 that can be connected to the terminal 300 via the in-house network 200. The VPN compatible router 504 is a router for constructing a virtual private network that can securely communicate information with the server 100 via the Internet 505.

[0033] A home printer 500 that can be used via the home network 400 and a USB-connected printer 501 that can be used via a USB connection are connected to the terminal 300. Private Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are assigned to the terminal 300 and the home printer 501. The terminal 300 communicates with other devices connected to the Internet using a global IP address assigned to a device that connects the home network 400 to the WAN. The terminal 300 communicates with the server 100 of the virtual private network and the like using a private IP address assigned in the virtual private network.

[0034] The terminal 300 is configured to include the following functional units: a communication unit 307 , a specification unit 303 , and a printing unit 301 .

[0035] The communication unit 307 is a functional unit that accesses the file 102 stored in the server 100. The communication unit 307 controls a communication control card such as a network interface card, for example. As a result, the terminal 300 establishes a virtual private network with an external device (for example, the server 100) connected to a communication network such as a LAN or a WAN (Wide Area Network) via the communication unit 307, and transmits and receives various data.

[0036] The communication unit 307 determines that the file 102 is a specific file used for business purposes because the IP address of the server 100 storing the file 102 is within the range of private IP addresses and is routed through a virtual private network. The communication unit 307 may also receive notification of the global IP address of the server 100 storing the file 102 and determine that the file 102 is a specific file used for business purposes based on this global IP address.

[0037] The range of IPv4 private IP addresses is specified in RFC1918 and is one of the following: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 (24-bit block), 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 (20-bit block), or 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 (16-bit block). The private IP address range for IPv6 is the fc00:: / 7 address block, which is an RFC4193 Unique Local Address.

[0038] The identifying unit 303 identifies the installation location of the in-house printer 502, the USB-connected printer 503, the home printer 500, or the USB-connected printer 501.

[0039] For example, the identifying unit 303 identifies that the installation location of the USB-connected printer 503 is different from the home network 400 because the IP address of the server 100 to which the USB-connected printer 503 is connected is in the private IP address range and is connected via a virtual private network. The identifying unit 303 also identifies that the installation location of the home printer 500 is different from the home network 400 because the IP address of the in-house printer 502 when viewed from the terminal 303 is in the private IP address range and is connected via a virtual private network.

[0040] Furthermore, the identifying unit 303 identifies the installation location of the USB-connected printer 501 as being near the installation location of the terminal 300 and not within the in-house network 200, because the USB-connected printer 501 is connected to the terminal 300. The identifying unit 303 also identifies the installation location of the home printer 500 as being within the home network 400, because the IP address of the home printer 500 is within the range of private IP addresses and is not connected via a virtual private network.

[0041] For example, the printing unit 301 generates a print job for printing the file 102 in the terminal 300, generates image data to be printed, and forms a toner image on printing paper in the home printer 500. When the file 102 stored in the server 100 is printed by the home printer 500 via the home network 400, the printing unit 301 stores print information 104 according to the installation location of the home printer 500.

[0042] Furthermore, the printing unit 301 generates a print job for printing the file 102 in the terminal 300, generates image data to be printed, and forms a toner image on printing paper in the USB-connected printer 501. When the file 102 stored in the server 100 is printed by the USB-connected printer 501, the printing unit 301 stores print information 104 according to the installation location of the USB-connected printer 501.

[0043] Then, the printing unit 301 stores the print information 104 in an area of ​​the server 100 that can be viewed only by the administrator. Note that the printing unit 301 may store the print information 104 in another server or the terminal 300 that instructs the print job, and is not particularly limited thereto.

[0044] By adopting such a configuration, the terminal 300 can connect to the VPN-compatible router 504 via the home network 400 and the Internet 505, and can build a virtual private network with the server 100. In this way, the terminal 300 can access the file 102 stored in the server 100, and can print the accessed file 102 on the home printer 500 or the USB-connected printer 501.

[0045] In this embodiment, the print information 104 records the print history of printing outside the workplace using one of multiple printers (home printer 500 or USB-connected printer 501, in-house printer 502 or USB-connected printer 503), i.e., when the user prints at home or in a coworking space they rent, etc. This allows the company to which the user belongs to pay the user for the number of pages printed by the user and the cost of paper.

[0046] <Server hardware configuration> Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of server 100. As shown in Fig. 2, server 100 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a storage unit 120, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 130, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 140, an operation unit 150, a display unit 160, and a network interface card 170.

[0047] The CPU 110 is a central processing unit, and embodies the notification unit 105 and communication unit 307 described above by executing a control program stored in the storage unit 120 or the ROM 130 .

[0048] The storage unit 120 stores the file 102, the print information 104, the control program, various data, etc. The storage unit 120 is a large-capacity storage device, and is configured, for example, by a hard disk drive, a nonvolatile memory, or the like.

[0049] The ROM 130 stores the programs executed by the CPU 110, as well as data and parameters used in the execution of these programs.

[0050] The RAM 140 functions as a work area for temporarily storing various programs executable by the CPU 110, input data, output data, parameters, and the like.

[0051] The operation unit 150 includes various operation keys such as a numeric keypad, a start key, etc. The operation unit 150 accepts various input operations by the user and outputs operation signals to the CPU 110.

[0052] Display unit 160 displays various operation screens, image status displays, operation status of each function, etc. under the control of CPU 110. Note that operation unit 150 and display unit 160 may form a display operation unit. In this case, the display operation unit is formed, for example, by a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel, and can display buttons on the liquid crystal display and detect operation inputs to these buttons.

[0053] The network interface card 170 is a communication interface for communicating with the terminal 300, and is configured by a communication control card such as a LAN card. The network interface card 170 may also be a wireless LAN adapter for wireless communication. The internal bus 195 interconnects the components of the server 100.

[0054] <Print information> 3 is an example showing print information 104 stored in server 100. Print information 104 shown in FIG.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 3, the print information 104 has columns for date, printer name, file name, size, color / monochrome type, and number of copies.

[0056] Print information 104 indicates that home printer 500 was used to print five A4-sized color pages of the report in file 102 on January 10. Print information 104 also indicates that USB-connected printer 501 connected to terminal 300 was used to print three A4-sized color pages of the monthly report in file 102 on February 28.

[0057] 3 is an example, and may include, for example, an item indicating single-sided printing or double-sided printing, and / or an item indicating 2-in-1 layout, an item indicating the location of the printer, etc. Furthermore, the print information 104 may be stored in a storage unit 320 (described later) of the terminal 300 that issues the print job.

[0058] Furthermore, the content of the print information 104 is used as the calculation basis for calculating the printing allowance according to the print history. Therefore, in the print output management system 600, the unit price when using the home printer 500 and the unit price when using the USB-connected printer 501 may be set separately. This allows the print output management system 600 to more accurately calculate the cost of printing by each user on their own.

[0059] <Device hardware configuration> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal 300. As shown in Fig. 4, the terminal 300 is configured to include a CPU 310, a storage unit 320, a ROM 330, a RAM 340, an operation unit 350, a display unit 360, and a network interface card 370.

[0060] The CPU 310 is a central processing unit that executes a control program stored in the storage unit 320 or the ROM 330 to embody the above-mentioned specification unit 303 and printing unit 301 .

[0061] The storage unit 320 stores control programs, various data, etc. The storage unit 320 is a large-capacity storage device, and is configured, for example, with a hard disk drive, non-volatile memory, etc. The storage unit 320 may also store the print information 104.

[0062] The ROM 330 stores the programs executed by the CPU 310, as well as data and parameters used in the execution of these programs.

[0063] The RAM 340 functions as a work area for temporarily storing various programs executable by the CPU 310, input data, output data, parameters, and the like.

[0064] The operation unit 350 includes various operation keys such as a numeric keypad, a start key, etc. The operation unit 350 accepts various input operations by the user and outputs operation signals to the CPU 310.

[0065] Display unit 360 displays various operation screens, image status displays, the operating status of each function, and the like under the control of CPU 310. Note that operation unit 350 and display unit 360 may form a display operation unit. In this case, the display operation unit is formed, for example, by a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel, and can display buttons on the LCD display and detect operation inputs to these buttons.

[0066] The network interface card 370 is configured by a communication control card such as the LAN card described above. The communication unit 307 controls the network interface card 370 to build a virtual private network with the VPN-compatible router 504.

[0067] <Device operation> FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal 300 of the print output management system 600 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] In remote work, a user connects to an internal company network from outside the company via a virtual private network. In this case, first, the user's terminal 300 generates a virtual network interface on itself, and establishes a virtual private network between itself and the internal company network via the VPN-enabled router 504, and accesses the internal company network (step S10). Specifically, the communication unit 307 of the terminal 300 enables the virtual private network via the home network 400 and the Internet 505, and further via the VPN-enabled router 504, using the virtual network interface and network interface card 370 that it has generated.

[0069] The terminal 300 accesses the file 102 stored in the in-house server 100 (step S11). The server 100 connected to the in-house network 200 stores a large number of files 102 used for business purposes. The terminal 300 accesses the file 102 in the in-house server 100 via a virtual private network.

[0070] The communication unit 307 of the terminal 300 determines whether the IP address of the server 100 is an IP address of the internal network 200 (step S12). If the IP address of the server 100 is an IP address of the internal network 200 (Yes in step S12), the printing unit 301 prints the accessed file 102 (step S13) and proceeds to step S14.

[0071] Here, when the IP address of server 100 seen from terminal 300 is within the range of private IP addresses and passes through a virtual private network, communication unit 307 identifies it as an IP address of intranet 200. Note that when the global IP address of server 100 notified by notification unit 105 is the global IP address of intranet 200, communication unit 307 identifies it as an IP address of intranet 200.

[0072] On the other hand, if the IP address of the server 100 is not an IP address of the internal network 200 (No in step S12), the communication unit 307 ends the processing of the terminal 300 in FIG.

[0073] In step S14, the identification unit 303 determines whether the IP address of the printer is an IP address of the internal network 200 (step S14). If the IP address of the printer is an IP address of the internal network 200 (Yes in step S14), the identification unit 303 ends the processing of the terminal 300 in FIG.

[0074] On the other hand, if the printer's IP address is not an IP address of the in-house network 200 (No in step S14), the printing unit 301 saves the print information 104 (step S15), and the processing of the terminal 300 in FIG. 5 ends.

[0075] The identifying unit 303 identifies that the IP address of the home printer 500 is not an IP address of the in-house network 200 because the IP address is within the range of private IP addresses and does not pass through a virtual private network.

[0076] The identifying unit 303 also determines the IP address of the USB-connected printer 501 as the IP address of the terminal 300 connected to the USB-connected printer 501, and identifies whether or not this IP address is an IP address of the in-house network 200.

[0077] In this way, when the file 102 stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 is printed by the home printer 500 or the USB-connected printer 501, the printing unit 301 stores the print information 104 according to the installation location of the home printer 500 or the USB-connected printer 501. The print information 104 is stored in the server 100, but may also be stored in the terminal 300 that instructed the print job.

[0078] As described above, the print output management system 600 according to this embodiment is configured to include the communication unit 307, the identification unit 303, and the printing unit 301. The communication unit 307 accesses the file 102 stored in the server 100. The identification unit 303 identifies the installation location of the home printer 500 or the USB-connected printer 501. When the file 102 stored in the server 100 is printed by the printer, the printing unit 301 stores print information 104 according to the installation location of the printer.

[0079] As a result, the print output management system 600 records the print history of files 102 used for business that have been printed by the user during remote work. Therefore, the user can avoid paying printing costs when printing a business file by himself / herself. In other words, the print output management system 600 can manage the print history by distinguishing between the file 102 used for business and the use of an external printer such as a home printer 500 or a USB-connected printer 501.

[0080] Therefore, with this print output management system 600, a company can provide a printing allowance to an employee user to compensate for the cost of printing done by that user in accordance with the user's printing history.

[0081] It should be noted that if the print information 104 is saved in the terminal 300, the print history of the print information 104 is not saved in the server 100. In such a case, the user may issue an invoice based on the print information 104 in the terminal 300. This allows the company to pay a printing allowance for when an employee prints a specific file used for work, such as the file 102, by himself.

[0082] (Variation) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, for example, the following (a) to (b).

[0083] (a) The server 100 may include a notification unit 105 that notifies the communication unit 307 of the terminal 300 whether the server 100 itself is a specific server when the file 102 stored in the server 100 itself is accessed. This allows the communication unit 307 of the terminal 300 to recognize that the file 102 of the server 100 has been accessed.

[0084] (b) The identification unit 303 may access the server 100 via the virtual private network, thereby identifying the location of the server 100 and determining that a file stored in the server 100 is a specific file related to business. The identification unit 303 can connect to the VPN-compatible router 504 via the home network 400 and the Internet 505 to construct a virtual private network, and therefore can identify the location of the server 100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 100 servers 102 files 104 Print Information 105 Notification section (notification means) 107 Communications Department 170 Network Interface Card 200 Internal network 300 devices 301 Printing Department (Printing means) 303 Specification part (specification means) 307 Communications Department 370 Network Interface Card 400 Home Network 500 home printers 501 USB connected printer 502 In-house printer 503 USB connected printer 504 VPN-enabled router 505 Internet Network

Claims

1. A communication means for accessing files stored on the server; A means for identifying the location of the printer; a control means for controlling whether or not to save print information in accordance with the installation location of the printer when the file saved in the server is printed by the printer; A print output management system comprising:

2. The communication means is The IP address of the server storing the file you are accessing is used to determine whether it is an internal server or not. The control means When printing a file other than that stored on the in-house server, the print information is not saved. The print output management system according to claim 1 .

3. The identification means Identifying the location of the printer, whether it is installed inside or outside the company, based on the IP address of the printer; The control means The print history indicating that printing was performed using a printer installed outside the company is used as the print information, and if the printer is installed outside the company, the print information is saved, and if the printer is installed inside the company, the print information is not saved. The print output management system according to claim 1 .

4. accessing a file stored on a server by a terminal; Identifying a location for the printer; a step of controlling whether or not the terminal stores print information according to the installation location of the printer when the terminal prints the file stored in the server using the printer; A print output management method including:

5. On the computer, Steps to access files stored on the server, Steps to identify the location of the printer, a procedure for controlling whether or not to save print information depending on the installation location of the printer when printing a file saved in the server by the printer; A print output management program for executing the above.

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