JP2002215371A - Imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging system, capable of print-processing only the portions other than confidential portions by designating the confidential portions of a document by a host terminal to process so as not to record the confidential portions. SOLUTION: In this imaging system 1, when the confidential portion of the data in a print file is designated, work station terminals WS1 to WSn connected to a LAN3 will transmit, as a confidential designation command or by adding to the print file by applying a confidential designation data processing, such as half-tone dot meshing, the confidential information notifying that the confidential portion is present to printers Pr1 to Prn through the LAN3. The printers Pr1 to Prn, when confidential information is added to the received print file, will omit the output of recording of the confidential portion, based on the confidential information, and performs a confidential non-recording processing for recording and outputting the data other than those on the confidential portion. Thus, sentences which include the secret portions can be recorded and outputted, while these sentences are held easily and surely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming system, and more particularly, to a non-recording process for a confidential portion by designating a confidential portion of a document at a host terminal, and a printing process for only the non-confidential portion. To an image forming system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer includes:
Image data is received from a host device such as a host computer, and the paper in a paper cassette or a manual feed tray is conveyed, passed through a toner transfer section and a fixing section to form an image, and discharged out of the apparatus.

Such an image forming apparatus receives image data (print file) from a host apparatus when the state of the image forming apparatus is in a printable state.
Immediately, image formation is started, and the recording paper on which the image has been recorded is discharged onto a discharge tray outside the apparatus.

In recent years, networking has progressed, and image data from a plurality of host devices connected via a network, which are connected via a plurality of host devices such as personal computers, are received and recorded. An image forming apparatus has appeared. An image forming apparatus connected to such a network sequentially receives image data from a plurality of host devices, sequentially records and outputs the image data on recording paper, and sequentially discharges the image data on a paper discharge tray.

In recent years, in a printer system having a network function, when printing a text or the like including a confidential portion, a confidential information is added to the first page or each page of the file, or after printing, A measure is taken to erase the confidential part by painting it black. In addition, if you do not take the print result sheet immediately after printing, it will be seen by others, and if the printed sheet is lost, it will be troublesome and require cumbersome work. .

Accordingly, the present applicant first assigns an identification number to each received data and saves the data in a method for maintaining confidentiality of output data in a printing apparatus which receives a print command and output data from a host apparatus and prints out the data. Furthermore, an output data confidentiality holding method is proposed in which data to which an identification number is assigned is read by inputting the identification number, developed and output (JP-A-6-290006).
Reference).

That is, this output data confidentiality method attempts to maintain the confidentiality of output data by not outputting data unless a specific output requester makes a direct output request.

[0008]

However, in the method of maintaining confidentiality described in the above publication, it is necessary to improve the security in order to easily and surely secure the confidentiality.

That is, the confidentiality protection method described in the above publication is designed so that data output is not performed unless a specific output requester makes a direct output request, so that the method is inefficient and the specific output requester is not directly When an output request is made, a confidential part is also output. Therefore, there is a possibility that the confidential part may be seen when there is a person nearby, and there is a need for improvement to ensure confidentiality. Also, for documents that require recording and outputting parts other than the confidential part and distributing, etc., it is necessary to perform work such as blacking out the confidential part, as in the past, in order to improve usability. There was a need for improvement.

In view of the above, according to the present invention, the confidential portion can be recorded and output without recording the confidential portion or its page according to the application, and the confidentiality can be ensured. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming system capable of improving usability.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a confidential portion is specified in the data of the print file, the host device connected to the network prints confidential information notifying that the confidential portion exists. The print file is sent to a printer connected to the network via the network, and if the confidential information is added to the transmitted print file, the printer sends the confidential information based on the confidential information. By omitting the recording and output of the part and performing confidential non-recording processing to record and output data other than the confidential part, only the other part is recorded and output without recording and outputting the confidential part, and the text including the confidential part is confidential. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming system capable of recording and outputting while easily and surely holding.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the host device adds the confidential information to the print file by using a printer driver mounted on the host device, thereby eliminating the recording output of the confidential portion. It is performed by the host device without going to the place and operating and setting the printer device. It is intended to provide an image forming system.

[0013] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the printer device comprises:
Only when the confidential non-recording process is set to ON by the confidential non-recording process selecting means for turning on / off the confidential non-recording process,
By performing the confidential non-recording process, once the confidential non-recording process is set to ON, the confidential non-recording process is set to ON and the confidential non-recording process is set to ON until the printer is reset. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly usable image forming system that reliably prevents a confidential part from being recorded due to forgetting to do so.

[0014]

According to an image forming system of the present invention, a host device and a printer device are connected via a network, and a print file is transmitted from the host device to the printer device via the network. When the transmission is performed, in the image forming system in which the printer device develops the print file and records and outputs the data on the recording paper, when the confidential portion of the data of the print file is designated, the host device Is added to the print file and transmitted to the printer via the network, and the printer has the confidential information added to the transmitted print file. And omit the recording and output of the confidential part based on the confidential information. By performing sensitive non-recording process of recording the output data other than dense portion has achieved the above objects.

According to the above configuration, when the confidential portion of the print file data is designated, the host device connected to the network adds confidential information notifying that the confidential portion exists to the print file. Via a network to a printer connected to the network, and if the printer has added the confidential information to the transmitted print file, the confidential portion is recorded and output based on the confidential information. Is omitted, and confidential non-recording processing is performed to record and output data other than the confidential part, so that only the other part can be recorded and output without recording and outputting the confidential part. In addition, it is possible to record and output while securely holding the data.

In this case, for example, as described in claim 2, the host device may add the confidential information to the print file by a printer driver mounted on the host device.

According to the above configuration, the host device adds the confidential information to the print file by the printer driver mounted on the host device, so that the recording output of the confidential portion is omitted up to the installation location of the printer device. It can be performed by the host device without operating and setting the printer device, and the confidential part recording can be omitted. be able to.

Further, for example, the printer device turns on / off the confidential non-recording process.
The security non-recording process may be provided only when the security non-recording process is set to on by the security non-recording process selection unit.

According to the above configuration, the printer performs the confidential non-recording process only when the confidential non-recording process is set to ON by the confidential non-recording process selecting means for turning on / off the confidential non-recording process. Once the confidential non-recording process is set to ON, the confidential portion is turned on, for example, by turning on the confidential non-recording process and forgetting to set the confidential non-recording process to ON until the printer is reset. Recording can be reliably prevented, and usability can be improved.

[0020]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description. The embodiments are not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the image forming system of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an image forming system 1 to which the embodiment of the image forming system of the present invention is applied. It is a system configuration diagram.

In FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 includes a LAN (Local Area Network) 3 through a hub (HUB) 2.
Are constructed, and workstation terminals WS1 to WSn as a plurality of host devices and a plurality of printer devices Pr1 to Prn are connected via a hub 2. The network is not limited to the LAN3.

Each of the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn
The printer shares the printers Pr1 to Prn via the LAN3, transfers the print file to the printers Pr1 to Prn via the LAN3, and records and outputs the data of the print file to the printers Pr1 to Prn.

Each of the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn
If the print file contains a confidential part that you do not want to be recorded and output, a command that specifies the page of the confidential part (a confidential specification command) is indicated in the header of the print file, indicating that the file contains the confidential part. The print file is added to the confidential information and transmitted to the printer devices Pr1 to Prn. This confidentiality designation command may be realized as a function of an application mounted on the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn to create a document, or operated under an OS (Operating System) mounted on the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn. May be realized by a print driver.

For example, when the printer driver adds a confidentiality designation command, a "secret" button for designating confidentiality is provided in the menu of the printer driver in addition to the "print" button, and the confidential portion is included in the print file. If the operator specifies the confidential part and operates the "secret" button before operating the "print" button, the printer driver adds the confidential specification command to the print file.

Each of the workstation terminals WS1 to WS1
When the print file includes a confidential part that the user does not want to record and output, the WSn indicates in the header of the print file that the file includes the confidential part,
Instead of adding a confidential designation command for designating a confidential portion page, a predetermined confidential designation data process indicating that the confidential portion is a confidential portion such as shading is performed as confidential information, and the confidential designation data process is performed. The print file is transmitted to the printer devices Pr1 to Prn. This confidentiality designation command is transmitted from the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn.
May be implemented as a function of an application that is installed in a computer and creates a document, or may be implemented as a workstation terminal WS1.
~ WSn may be implemented by a print driver operating under an OS (Operating System).

Further, each workstation terminal WS1
WSn are printer devices Pr1 connected to LAN3.
Printer device P to print out of Prn
The print file can be transmitted by designating r1 to Prn and printed out by the printer devices Pr1 to Prn.

The printers Pr1 to Prn are connected to LAN3
When a print file is sent through the printer, the data of the print file is recorded and output on recording paper.
If the confidential data processing has been performed, a confidential non-recording processing function that records and outputs only the non-confidential specified part by omitting the recording and output of the confidential part specified in the confidential specification command or the confidential specification data processing is provided. Have.

The printers Pr1 to Prn are:
Operation panel (secure non-recording process selecting means) 10 shown in FIG.
The operation panel 10 includes an LCD (Liquid C
Various buttons such as a crystal display 11, an online button 12, an execution button 13, an upper scroll button 14, and a lower scroll button 15 are provided. Each of the printer devices Pr1 to Prn has various operation modes,
The operation mode includes a secret non-recording mode in which the above-mentioned secret non-recording process is executed, and a normal recording mode in which execution of the secret non-recording process is stopped and all data is recorded and output. When the operator operates the online button 12 to go offline, and then operates the upper scroll button 14 or the lower scroll button 15, the operation modes of the printers Pr1 to Prn are sequentially changed to the LCD1.
By operating the execution button 13 while the confidential non-recording mode is displayed on the LCD 11 and the confidential non-recording mode is displayed on the LCD 11, the confidential non-recording mode can be set, and the normal recording mode is displayed on the LCD 11. Run button 1 in state
By operating No. 3, the normal recording mode can be set.

In this operation mode setting operation, only when the operation mode is set to the confidential non-recording mode, the printers Pr1 to Prn omit the recording and output of the confidential portion and record only the non-secure designated portion. Execute the confidential non-recording process to be output.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. In the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn record a document on the printer device Pr.
1 to Prn, if there is a confidential part in the document and the confidential part is specified and designated as confidential, the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn add a confidential designation command or By performing the confidentiality specification data processing, the print files subjected to the confidentiality specification processing can be transferred to the printers Pr1 to Pr
rn. And the workstation terminal WS
1 to WSn transmit the print file to the printer devices Pr1 to Prn specified by the printer driver or the like.

As described above, this confidentiality designation processing may be performed by the document creation application installed in the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn, or may be performed by the printer driver.

When a print file is transmitted, the printer devices Pr1 to Prn record and output the data of the print file on a recording sheet. If the operation mode is set to the normal operation mode, the printer device Pr1 to Prn receives the data. Even if the confidentiality designation processing is performed on the print file, all the data of the print file is recorded and output on the recording paper.

When the operation mode is set to the confidential non-recording mode, the printer devices Pr1 to Prn perform the confidential portion of the print file when the confidential designation process is performed on the transmitted print file. The recording output is omitted, and only the non-confidential portion is recorded on the recording paper.

That is, when a confidential specification command is added to the print file as confidential specification processing,
The printer device Pr1 set to the secret non-recording mode
~ Prn knows that the file is a file containing a confidential part by looking at the header of the print file by the printer controller, and omits recording and output of the page containing the confidential part when expanding the print file. Record and output only non-confidential pages.

When confidential data processing such as shading is applied to the confidential portion as confidential specifying processing, the printers Pr1 to Pr1 set to the confidential non-recording mode are set.
When the printer controller expands the print file sent by the printer controller, the Prn performs processing for designating confidentiality such as shading, omits recording and output of portions, and records and outputs only non-confidential portions.

Then, as described above, the printer Pr
1 to Prn omits recording and output of the confidential portion only when the operation mode is set to the confidential non-recording mode,
In order to execute the confidential non-recording process of recording and outputting only the non-confidential designated portion, it is assumed that the printer Pr1 is set to the confidential non-recording mode and the printer Pr2 is set to the normal operation mode. Device Pr1
Performs the above confidential non-recording process when a print file subjected to confidential designation processing is transmitted.
r2 performs a normal recording process of recording and outputting a confidential portion even if a confidential process is performed on the print file.

As described above, in the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, when the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn as the host devices connected to the LAN 3 specify the confidential part of the print file data, The confidential information for notifying that the confidential portion exists is added as a confidential specification command or to a print file by performing confidential specification data processing such as shading, and transmitted to the printer devices Pr1 to Prn via the LAN 3. When confidential information is added to the transmitted print file, the printer devices Pr1 to Prn omit the recording and output of the confidential portion and record and output data other than the confidential portion based on the confidential information. Perform confidential non-recording processing.

Therefore, it is possible to record and output only the other portion without recording and outputting the confidential portion, and it is possible to record and output a sentence including the confidential portion while maintaining the confidentiality easily and securely.

Further, the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment
, The workstation terminals WS1 to WSn add the confidential information to the print file using a printer driver mounted on the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn.

Therefore, it is possible to omit the recording and output of the confidential portion from the workstation terminals WS1 to WSn without setting the location by installing the printer devices Pr1 to Prn and operating the operation panel 10. It is possible to easily switch between a confidential non-recording processing operation for omitting recording of a part and a normal recording processing operation, thereby improving usability.

Further, in the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, the printers Pr1 to Prn
The confidential non-recording process is performed only when the confidential non-recording mode is set by operating the button.

Therefore, once the confidential non-recording mode is set, the confidential portion is forgotten to be set to the confidential non-recording mode as the confidential non-recording mode until the printers Pr1 to Prn are reset. Recording can be reliably prevented, and usability can be improved.

As described above, the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

[0045]

According to the image forming system of the first aspect of the present invention, when a confidential portion of the print file data is designated, the host device connected to the network determines that the confidential portion exists. The confidential information to be notified is added to the print file and transmitted via the network to a printer connected to the network. If the confidential information is added to the transmitted print file, the printer Based on the information, the recording and output of the confidential portion is omitted, and the confidential non-recording process of recording and outputting data other than the confidential portion is performed. Therefore, only the other portion can be recorded and output without recording and outputting the confidential portion. In addition, it is possible to record and output a sentence including a confidential part while keeping confidentiality easily and reliably.

According to the image forming system of the present invention, since the host device adds the confidential information to the print file by the printer driver mounted on the host device, the recording output of the confidential portion is omitted. It can be performed by the host device without going to the installation location of the printer device and operating and setting the printer device, facilitating the confidential non-recording operation and the ordinary recording process operation to omit recording of the confidential part. Switching can improve usability.

According to the image forming system of the third aspect of the present invention, only when the confidential non-recording process is set to ON by the confidential non-recording process selecting means for turning on / off the confidential non-recording process. , Because it performs confidential non-recording processing,
Once the confidential non-recording process is set to ON, the confidential part is recorded by turning on the confidential non-recording process and forgetting to set the confidential non-recording process to ON until the printer is reset. Can be reliably prevented, and the usability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming system to which an embodiment of the image forming system of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an operation panel of the printer of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 2 Hub 3 LAN WS1-WSn Workstation terminal Pr1-Prn Printer 10 Operation panel 11 LCD 12 Online button 13 Execution button 14 Up scroll button 15 Down scroll button

Claims (3)

[Claims] A host device and a printer device are connected via a network, and when a print file is transmitted from the host device to the printer device via the network, the printer device develops the print file and converts the print file into recording paper. In the image forming system that records and outputs data to the print file, when a confidential portion of the data of the print file is designated, the host device adds confidential information notifying that the confidential portion exists to the print file. Transmitting to the printer device via the network, the printer device, if the confidential information is added to the transmitted print file,
An image forming system, wherein recording / output of the confidential portion is omitted based on the confidential information, and confidential non-recording processing for recording / outputting data other than the confidential portion is performed. 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the host device adds the confidential information to the print file by a printer driver mounted on the host device. 3. The printer device further comprises a security non-recording process selecting means for turning on / off the security non-recording process, and when the security non-recording process is turned on by the security non-recording process selecting means. 3. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein only the confidential non-recording process is performed.