Image processing device, image processing system, and image processing program

Abstract

To provide an image processing device, image processing system and image processing program which allow a user whose access to a secret section subjected to masking processing of a printed matter is not restricted to confirm the secret section when receiving the printed matter subjected to masking processing.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus 12 inquires whether or not to perform masking with the combination of a document ID and an access policy ID to a secret information management server 16b when printing a target document. The secret information management server 16b transmits a confirmation result on whether or not masking is required to the image formation apparatus 12. The image formation apparatus 12 that has received the result acquires a list of keywords of the masking object and a two-dimensional code for masking confirmation from the secret information management server 16b, and performs printing by adding the two-dimensional code for masking confirmation to the document by masking a keyword portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image processing device, an image processing system, and an image processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 proposes a data processing device that acquires policy information for authenticating a job requester from a policy server, adds the acquired first policy information or second policy information including the first policy information and additional information input by the user to a job, and transfers the job to which the first or second policy information has been added to an image forming device.

[0003] Patent Document 2 proposes an image forming system that includes a confidential word registration unit that registers confidential words linked to users, an ID information acquisition unit that acquires, from a print job, creator ID information that identifies the user as the creator of a document file and executor ID information that identifies the user as the executor of the image forming process, a confidential word management unit that uses, based on input from the user, the confidential words linked to the user identified by the creator ID information and the confidential words linked to the user identified by the executor ID information to determine a confidential area that is an area to be kept confidential in an image generated using the print job, and an image forming unit that performs a masking process to make the confidential area difficult to read and forms an image that has been masked.

[0004] Patent document 3 proposes a document security system that executes processing requested by a user when permission is granted based on the user's usage authority for the device and the user's usage authority for the document, and executes subsequent obligations according to the type of document obtained from the image data of the document. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-188477 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-078497 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-299322 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When access to data is restricted, information leakage of the confidential part can be prevented by masking the confidential part of the image generated by printing. However, if a user who does not have restricted access to the confidential part of the printed material receives a masked printed material, the user will not know where the original data is located and will not be able to check the confidential part. In order to check the masked confidential part, a process such as requesting the user who created the data to print the original data without masking is required.

[0007] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide an image processing device, an image processing system, and an image processing program that enable a user who does not have restricted access to the masked confidential portion of a printed material to check the confidential portion when receiving the masked printed material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, an image processing device according to a first aspect includes a processor, which, when printing data to be printed, performs a masking process on a predetermined confidential portion in accordance with a predetermined access policy, and embeds query information for inquiring about the confidential portion in the masked data and outputs the data.

[0009] An image processing device according to a second aspect is the image processing device according to the first aspect, wherein the inquiry information includes data identification information that identifies the data, and access policy identification information that identifies the access policy.

[0010] An image processing device according to a third aspect is the image processing device according to the second aspect, wherein the inquiry information is a two-dimensional code in which the data identification information and the access policy identification information are recorded.

[0011] An image processing device according to a fourth aspect is an image processing device according to the second or third aspect, in which the processor obtains the query information from the results of reading a printed material on which the query information is printed, obtains the current access policy using the access policy identification information, and restores and displays the confidential portion of the data corresponding to the data identification information in accordance with the current access policy.

[0012] An image processing device according to a fifth aspect is an image processing device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the processor restores and displays the hidden portion if the current access policy and the access policy identification information of the query information are consistent.

[0013] In the image processing device of the sixth aspect, in the image processing device of the fourth or fifth aspect, if the current access policy and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information do not match, the processor performs a masking process on the confidential part in accordance with the current access policy and displays it.

[0014] An image processing device according to a seventh aspect is an image processing device according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, wherein if the result of masking the current data does not match the result of reading the printed matter, the processor does not restore the secret part and makes it undisplayable.

[0015] An image processing device according to an eighth aspect is an image processing device according to the fourth or sixth aspect, wherein the processor restores and displays the confidential portion when the current access policy and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information are consistent, the access policy identification information of the inquiry information exists, the current access policy identification information and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information are consistent, and the result of masking the current data and the result of reading the printed material are consistent.

[0016] An image processing system according to a ninth aspect includes the image processing device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, and a server that manages the access policy and the secret portion.

[0017] An image processing program according to a tenth aspect causes a computer to execute a process in which, when printing data to be printed, a masking process is performed on a predetermined confidential portion in accordance with a predetermined access policy, and query information for inquiring about the confidential portion is embedded in the masked data and output. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the first aspect, an image processing device can be provided that allows a user who has no restrictions on access to the masked confidential portion of a printed matter to check the confidential portion when receiving the masked printed matter.

[0019] According to the second aspect, it is possible to check the secret part that has been masked in accordance with the access policy.

[0020] According to the third aspect, it is possible to obtain the data identification information and the access policy identification information by reading the printed matter on which the two-dimensional code is printed.

[0021] According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to display the masked secret part in accordance with the current access policy.

[0022] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to display the masked confidential part to a user who has access authority.

[0023] According to the sixth aspect, it is possible to display the confidential portion in a display method that complies with the current access policy.

[0024] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to prevent a user who is not allowed to access the data from being able to refer to the data.

[0025] According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to display the masked confidential part to a user who has access authority.

[0026] According to the ninth aspect, an image processing system can be provided that enables a user who has no restrictions on access to the masked confidential portion of a printed matter to check the confidential portion when receiving the masked printed matter.

[0027] According to the tenth aspect, an image processing program can be provided that allows a user who has no restrictions on access to the masked confidential portion of a printed matter to check the confidential portion when receiving the masked printed matter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an electrical system of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a main part of an electrical system of an information processing terminal and a server according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a zero trust network constructed and operated in an information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 5]This is a diagram for explaining the access policy when a new device or application is added to a zero trust network. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a problem that occurs when an access policy is changed. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table between documents and whether or not masking is required. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a keyword table to be masked. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a flow when data is output in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram for explaining the flow when checking the masking details of a document in which a two-dimensional code is embedded in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of processing performed when printing a document stored in a cloud server in an image forming apparatus of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed when checking masked content of a document to which a two-dimensional code has been added in the image forming apparatus of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by a confidential information management server of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a policy confirmation table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] An example of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an information processing system in which multiple image forming apparatuses, multiple information processing terminals, and multiple servers are connected to each other via communication lines such as a network will be described as an example of an image processing system. Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment includes multiple image forming apparatuses 12a, 12b, . . . , multiple information processing terminals 14a, 14b, . . . , and multiple servers 16a, 16b, . . . . Note that when it is not necessary to distinguish between the image forming apparatuses 12a, 12b, . . . , the information processing terminals 14a, 14b, . . . , and the servers 16a, 16b, . . . , the alphabets at the end of the reference numerals may be omitted. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is described in which multiple image forming apparatuses 12a, 12b, . . . , information processing terminals 14a, 14b, . . . , and multiple servers 16a, 16b, . . . . However, at least one of the image forming apparatus 12, the information processing terminal 14, and the server 16 may be a single apparatus. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 12 is described as an example of an image processing apparatus.

[0031] The image forming apparatuses 12, information processing terminals 14, and servers 16 are connected to each other via communication lines 18 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, an intranet, etc. The image forming apparatuses 12, information processing terminals 14, and servers 16 are capable of transmitting and receiving various data to and from each other via the communication lines 18.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electrical system of the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 20 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 20B, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20C. The CPU 20A controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 12. The RAM 20C is used as a work area when the CPU 20A executes various programs. The ROM 20B stores various control programs, parameters, and the like in advance. In the image forming apparatus 12, the various components of the control unit 20 are electrically connected via a system bus 42.

[0034] Meanwhile, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes a hard disk drive (HDD) 26 that stores various data, such as user information, setting parameters, and various information related to linked services, as well as application programs such as image processing programs. The image forming apparatus 12 is also connected to a user interface 22 and includes a display control unit 28 that controls the display of various operation screens on the display of the user interface 22. The image forming apparatus 12 is also connected to the user interface 22 and includes an operation input detection unit 30 that detects operation instructions input via the user interface 22. In the image forming apparatus 12, the HDD 26, the display control unit 28, and the operation input detection unit 30 are electrically connected to a system bus 42. While the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment uses the HDD 26 as a storage unit, this is not limiting and a non-volatile storage unit, such as a flash memory, may also be used.

[0035] The image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment also includes a reading control unit 32 that controls the optical image reading operation by the document reading unit 44 and the document feeding operation by the document transport unit, and an image forming control unit 34 that controls the image formation process by the image forming unit 24 and the transport of paper to the image forming unit 24 by the transport unit 25. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a communication line I / F (interface) unit 36 ​​that is connected to a communication line 18 and transmits and receives communication data to and from other external devices, such as a server 16, that are connected to the communication line 18. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a facsimile I / F (interface) unit 38 that is connected to a telephone line (not shown) and transmits and receives facsimile data to and from a facsimile device connected to the telephone line. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a transmission / reception control unit 40 that controls the transmission and reception of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38. In the image forming device 12, the transmission / reception control unit 40, the reading control unit 32, the image forming control unit 34, the communication line I / F unit 36, and the facsimile I / F unit 38 are electrically connected to a system bus 42. Although not shown, the image forming device 12 includes a configuration for acquiring user information, such as a card reader, for performing user authentication and the like.

[0036] With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 20A to access the RAM 20C, the ROM 20B, and the HDD 26. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the display of information such as an operation screen and various messages on the display of the user interface 22 via the display control unit 28. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the operation of the document reading unit 44 and the document transport unit via the reading control unit 32. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the operation of the image forming unit 24 and the transport unit 25 via the image formation control unit 34, and to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 36. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the transmission and reception of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38 via the transmission and reception control unit 40. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 12 has the CPU 20A grasp the operation content in the user interface 22 based on the operation information detected by the operation input detection unit 30, and executes various controls based on the operation content.

[0037] Next, a description will be given of the main configuration of the electrical systems of the information processing terminal 14 and the server 16 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electrical systems of the information processing terminal 14 and the server 16 according to this embodiment. Note that the information processing terminal 14 and the server 16 basically have the configuration of a general computer, so the server 16 will be described here as a representative.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3 , the server 16 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 16A, a ROM 16B, a RAM 16C, a HDD 16D, a keyboard 16E, a display 16F, and a communication line I / F (interface) unit 16G. The CPU 16A controls the overall operation of the server 16. The ROM 16B stores various control programs and parameters in advance. The RAM 16C is used as a work area when the CPU 16A executes various programs. The HDD 16D stores various data and application programs. The keyboard 16E is used to input various information. The display 16F is used to display various information. The communication line I / F unit 16G is connected to a communication line 18 and transmits and receives various data to and from other devices connected to the communication line 18. The above-described components of the server 16 are electrically connected to each other via a system bus 16H. Although the server 16 according to this embodiment uses the HDD 16D as a storage unit, other non-volatile storage units such as flash memory may also be used.

[0039] With the above configuration, the server 16 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 16A to access the ROM 16B, RAM 16C, and HDD 16D, to obtain various data via the keyboard 16E, and to display various information on the display 16F. The server 16 also uses the CPU 16A to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 16G.

[0040] In the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, a zero trust network is constructed and operated. Note that zero trust is a network model that is premised on "not trusting any access."

[0041] As shown in Fig. 4, in the zero trust network 50, when an application, device, etc. is added to the zero trust network 50, access to resources (devices, applications, etc.) incorporated in the system is restricted by an access policy set by an administrator. The access policy is determined based on the resource itself, the interrelationships between resources, and the entity accessing it (user, application, device), and is managed by the policy management server 16a. In addition, each time a resource is accessed, the access policy is dynamically evaluated to determine whether the resource has the necessary permissions and whether the process should be permitted.

[0042] Adding a new device or application requires the creation of a new access policy, as shown by the dashed and dotted lines in Figure 5. If the new access policy does not affect the existing access policy, the currently running process continues as is. On the other hand, if the new access policy affects the existing access policy, the target access policy is updated, and since the current access policy is invalid, the process is stopped and each resource is notified that re-authentication is required.

[0043] Under existing access policies, if access to a document is permitted, the user can access the document and print it from the image forming device 12. However, if the access policy is changed during printing and the user no longer has access to the document, as shown in Figure 6, the printing process is interrupted when re-authentication is required, but the printed document remains as is, which creates a problem in that the contents of the document that should not be accessible can be viewed or redistributed. The information processing system 10 according to this embodiment solves this problem.

[0044] The information processing system 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0045] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned plurality of servers 16 include a policy management server 16a, a confidential information management server 16b, and a cloud server 16c.

[0046] The policy management server 16a manages access policies determined based on individual resources, interrelationships between resources, and access subjects.

[0047] The confidential information management server 16b performs a process of confirming a document and whether or not it needs to be masked by combining a document ID (identification) as an example of data identification information for identifying a document and an access policy ID as an example of access policy identification information for identifying an access policy. The confidential information management server 16b also manages keywords for performing masking. For example, the confidential information management server 16b stores a correspondence table between documents and whether or not they need to be masked, as shown in FIG. 8, and a table of keywords to be masked, as shown in FIG. 9, etc.

[0048] The cloud server 16c provides, for example, a document management service and performs processing to manage various documents.

[0049] In the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment, when a user prints data or a document from the image forming device 12, a masking process is performed to mask predetermined confidential portions in accordance with a predetermined access policy, and then the data or document is printed.

[0050] When checking the masked content, the document printed from the image forming device 12 is read, and the necessary portions are restored in accordance with the access policy and displayed on the user interface 22 of the image forming device 12 .

[0051] Next, a specific flow when printing a document stored in the cloud server 16c in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the flow when outputting data in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0052] First, user A logs in to the system and instructs printing of a document stored in cloud server 16c using image forming apparatus 12. Logging in to the system may be by card authentication, authentication using a personal identification number or the like, or various other authentication methods such as biometric authentication.

[0053] When printing a target document, the image forming apparatus 12 inquires of the confidential information management server 16b whether or not to mask the document using a combination of the document ID and the access policy ID.

[0054] 8, based on the combination of the document ID and the access policy ID, the confidential information management server 16b checks the correspondence table between the document and whether masking is required, and returns the confirmation result as to whether masking is required to the image forming apparatus 12. For example, if the document ID is document 001 and the access policy ID is AP-0001, no masking is required, and if the document ID is document 002 and the access policy ID is AP-0002, masking is required, and the content of the masking is keyword ID-001.

[0055] Upon receiving the results, the image forming device 12 obtains a list of keywords to be masked and a two-dimensional code for confirming the masking from the confidential information management server 16b. Then, the image forming device 12 masks the keyword portion and adds the two-dimensional code for confirming the masking to the document before printing. For example, the two-dimensional code may include a document ID that identifies the document to be printed and an access policy ID that identifies the applied access policy. The document and the two-dimensional code may be printed on separate sheets of paper, or the two-dimensional code may be added to and printed within the document.

[0056] Next, a flow for checking the masking details of a document in which a two-dimensional code is embedded will be described. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a flow for checking the masking details of a document in which a two-dimensional code is embedded in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0057] If user A wants to remove the masking from a printed document and check its contents as described above, user A logs in to the system and reads the masked document from image forming device 12 belonging to zero trust network 50.

[0058] The image forming device 12 extracts the two-dimensional code from the read data and sends the two-dimensional code to the confidential information management server 16b.

[0059] The confidential information management server 16b extracts the document ID and the access policy ID from the two-dimensional code, and checks whether the user A who requested the processing can access the document stored in the cloud server 16c and whether the access policy ID exists. The document ID and the access policy ID may be extracted from the two-dimensional code by the image forming device 12.

[0060] Furthermore, the confidential information management server 16b checks the access policy at the time of login, evaluates the contents of a policy check table (see FIG. 15) described later, and determines how to display the information.

[0061] The confidential information management server 16b also compares the masked data on the system with the data read by the image forming device 12, evaluates the contents of the policy confirmation table, and determines how to display the data. The determined display contents are then transmitted to the image forming device 12.

[0062] Upon receiving the result, the image forming device 12 obtains the list of keywords to be masked and the two-dimensional code for confirmation from the confidential information management server 16b, masks the keyword portion, and displays the document on the user interface 22 of the image forming device 12. As a result, the document content is displayed in accordance with the access policy.

[0063] Next, specific processing performed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0064] First, a process performed by image forming apparatus 12 when printing a document stored in cloud server 16c will be described. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a process performed by image forming apparatus 12 in information processing system 10 according to this embodiment when printing a document stored in cloud server 16c. The process in Fig. 12 starts, for example, when a user logs in to the system and selects a document stored in cloud server 16c.

[0065] In step 100, the CPU 20A inquires of the confidential information management server 16b about whether or not masking of the document to be printed is necessary, and then proceeds to step 102. That is, the CPU 20A transmits the document ID and the access policy ID to the confidential information management server 16b, and inquires about whether or not masking is necessary based on the combination of the document ID and the access policy ID.

[0066] In step 102, the CPU 20A determines whether or not a masking necessity result has been received from the confidential information management server 16b.

[0067] In step 104, the CPU 20A determines whether masking is necessary. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 106, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 108.

[0068] In step 106, the CPU 20A executes printing without masking, and ends the series of processes.

[0069] On the other hand, in step 108, the CPU 20A acquires the keywords to be masked from the confidential information management server 16b, and the process proceeds to step 110.

[0070] In step 110, the CPU 20A masks the keyword portion, embeds a two-dimensional code for verification in the document, executes printing, and ends the series of processes.

[0071] Next, a process performed by the image forming apparatus 12 when checking the masked content of a document to which a two-dimensional code has been added will be described. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a process performed by the image forming apparatus 12 of the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment when checking the masked content of a document to which a two-dimensional code has been added. The process in Fig. 13 starts, for example, when a user logs in to the system and receives an instruction from the image forming apparatus 12 to read the document.

[0072] In step 200, the CPU 20A reads the target document and proceeds to step 202.

[0073] In step 202, the CPU 20A extracts the two-dimensional code from the read result and proceeds to step 204.

[0074] In step 204, the CPU 20A transmits the extracted two-dimensional code to the secret information management server 16b to inquire about the display content, and then proceeds to step 206.

[0075] In step 206, the CPU 20A determines whether or not the inquiry result has been received, and waits until the determination is affirmative, and then proceeds to step 208.

[0076] In step 208, CPU 20A displays the document on user interface 22 in accordance with the received query result, and then ends the series of processes. As a result, the content permitted by the access policy is displayed without being masked.

[0077] Next, specific processing performed by the confidential information management server 16b will be described. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the confidential information management server 16b of the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. The processing in Fig. 14 starts when a two-dimensional code is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 12 and an inquiry about the display content is made.

[0078] In step 300, the CPU 16A receives the two-dimensional code transmitted from the image forming device 12 and proceeds to step 302.

[0079] In step 302, the CPU 16A extracts the document ID and the access policy ID from the two-dimensional code, and the process proceeds to step 304.

[0080] In step 304, the CPU 16A checks whether the target document can be accessed and whether an access policy ID exists, and then proceeds to step 306.

[0081] In step 306, the CPU 16A performs a display method determination process in accordance with the policy confirmation table, and then the process proceeds to step 308. The display method determination process will be described in detail later.

[0082] In step 308, CPU 16A transmits the display method determination result to image forming apparatus 12, and the series of processes ends.

[0083] Next, the above-mentioned display method determination process will be described in detail. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a policy confirmation table to be referred to when the display method determination process is performed.

[0084] The confidential information management server 16b checks, from the document ID and access policy ID extracted from the two-dimensional code, whether the user who requested the processing is permitted to access the document corresponding to the document ID, and also checks whether the access policy ID exists.

[0085] The confidential information management server 16b also checks the access policy at the time of login and determines how to display the document according to the contents of the policy confirmation table. It then compares the masked data on the system with the data read by the image forming device 12 and determines how to display the document according to the contents of the policy confirmation table.

[0086] Specifically, the consistency of each item is checked according to the policy confirmation table shown in Figure 15. That is, by checking the consistency between the current access policy and the access policy ID of the two-dimensional code, it is confirmed whether the user can access the data they want to check. If the user cannot access the data they want to check, it is determined that the document cannot be displayed.

[0087] On the other hand, if the data the user wants to check is accessible, it is checked whether or not the access policy ID of the two-dimensional code for confirmation exists, and if it does not exist, it is determined that the document cannot be displayed.

[0088] If the access policy ID of the two-dimensional code exists, it is checked whether the current access policy ID and the access policy of the two-dimensional code are the same, and if they are not, it is masked according to the current access policy ID and determined to be displayable.

[0089] If the current access policy ID and the access policy ID of the two-dimensional code are the same, the system checks whether the masking result of the current data is the same as the data read by the image forming device 12. If they are the same, it determines that the data can be displayed without masking; if they are not, it determines that the data cannot be displayed. The reason for checking whether the masking result of the current data is the same as the data read by the image forming device 12 is to prevent data that identifies a document, such as a two-dimensional code, from being pasted onto another document and read, allowing users who are not authorized to access that data to access the data. If the masking state when the data was first printed is the same as the masking result of the data in the system, the system determines that the combination of the document, two-dimensional code, and accessing user is correct, and displays the document.

[0090] Here, an example has been described in which the display method is determined in accordance with the policy confirmation table of Fig. 15, but the determination of the display method is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to check only whether the current access policy matches the access policy ID of the two-dimensional code, and restore and display the hidden part if they match, and hide it if they do not match.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the policy management server 16a, the confidential information management server 16b, and the cloud server 16c are described separately, but this is not limiting. For example, there may be one server equipped with the functions of each server, or there may be two servers.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the processing of each unit is described as an example, but the processing of each unit is not limited to the above. For example, the processing performed by the confidential information management server 16b may be performed by the policy management server 16a or the image forming device 12. In this case, if necessary information is obtained from the confidential information management server 16b, the processing can be performed by a server other than the confidential information management server 16b.

[0093] In the above embodiment, an example of query information is described in which a two-dimensional code recording a document ID and an access policy ID is added to a document and printed, but query information is not limited to a two-dimensional code. For example, a one-dimensional code recording a document ID and an access policy ID may be applied. Alternatively, the document ID and the access policy ID may be printed as a character string. Furthermore, the query information may include information other than the document ID and the access policy ID.

[0094] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a CPU has been described as an example of a processor, but the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0095] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0096] Furthermore, the processing performed by each unit of the information processing system 10 according to the above embodiment may be processing performed by software, processing performed by hardware, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the processing performed by each unit of the information processing system 10 may be stored as a program on a storage medium and distributed.

[0097] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 10 Information Processing Systems 12 Image forming device 16 servers 16a Policy Management Server 16b Confidential information management server 16c Cloud Server 16A CPU 22 User Interface

Claims

1. a processor, the processor comprising: When printing the data to be printed, data identification information for identifying the data to be printed and access policy identification information for identifying the access policy applied to the data to be printed are transmitted to a server that manages the access policy and the predetermined confidential portion, and information on whether masking is required and the confidential portion to be masked corresponding to the combination of the data identification information and the access policy identification information is obtained from the server; performing a masking process on the secret portion in accordance with the access policy based on the acquired secret portion; an image processing apparatus that generates inquiry information including the data identification information and the access policy identification information, embeds the inquiry information in the data that has been subjected to the masking process, and outputs the data;

2. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inquiry information is a two-dimensional code in which the data identification information and the access policy identification information are recorded.

3. An image processing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the processor obtains the inquiry information from the reading result of a printed material on which the inquiry information is printed, obtains the current access policy using the access policy identification information, and restores and displays the confidential portion of the data corresponding to the data identification information in accordance with the current access policy.

4. 4. The image processing device according to claim 3, wherein the processor restores and displays the hidden portion when the current access policy and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information match.

5. 5. The image processing device according to claim 3, wherein when the current access policy and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information do not match, the processor performs a masking process on the confidential portion in accordance with the current access policy and displays it.

6. The image processing device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the processor does not restore the secret part and makes it undisplayable if the result of masking the current data does not match the result of reading the printed material.

7. The image processing device described in claim 3 or claim 5, wherein the processor restores and displays the confidential portion when the current access policy and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information are consistent, the access policy identification information of the inquiry information exists, the current access policy identification information and the access policy identification information of the inquiry information are consistent, and the result of masking the current data and the result of reading the printed material are consistent.

8. An image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; the server; An image processing system comprising:

9. On the computer, When printing the data to be printed, data identification information for identifying the data to be printed and access policy identification information for identifying the access policy applied to the data to be printed are transmitted to a server that manages the access policy and the predetermined confidential portion, and information on whether masking is required and the confidential portion to be masked corresponding to the combination of the data identification information and the access policy identification information is obtained from the server; performing a masking process on the secret portion in accordance with the access policy based on the acquired secret portion; an image processing program for executing a process of generating inquiry information including the data identification information and the access policy identification information, and embedding the inquiry information in the data that has been subjected to the masking process and outputting the data;

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