JP2013008353A - Data processor, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data processor for distributing a print job to image forming apparatuses according to a predetermined condition, a program and a recording medium.SOLUTION: A data processor 110 for distributing print processing to a plurality of image forming apparatuses includes: drawing means 224 for generating drawing data in response to a printing request; extraction means 222 for extracting information for determining a transmission destination of print data relating to the printing request; transmission destination determination means 244 for determining a transmission destination from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses 122 to 128 according to the information for determining the transmission destination; modification means 260 for modifying one or both of drawing data 234 and printing setting information, corresponding to the determined transmission destination; and transmission means 242 for transmitting modified print data including the drawing data and the printing setting information to the image forming apparatus of the transmission destination, and instructing printing processing.

Description

  The present invention relates to a data processing technique for print output. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data processing device that distributes print jobs to image forming apparatuses according to predetermined conditions, a program for realizing the data processing device, and a recording medium that stores the program.

  In recent office environments, a multi-function peripheral (MFP), a laser printer, a print server, and the like are often connected to a network and a plurality of image forming apparatuses can be used. However, in such an environment where a plurality of image forming apparatuses can be used from a plurality of locations, there is a possibility of causing a problem due to a specification mistake when selecting a desired one from the plurality of image forming apparatuses. is there.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a technique for dealing with the above-described problems, there is an output destination distribution system that determines an output destination according to information specific to a computer on which printing has been performed, and executes printing on the determined image forming apparatus. Are known.

  For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-157208 (Patent Document 1) discloses a data processing apparatus that manages print outputs of a plurality of client computers via a network. This data processing apparatus receives a print request via a network, creates an intermediate file as a page image from print data corresponding to the print request, and selects and calls a remote driver corresponding to output destination printer information. A virtual printer driver for generating output data for the remote printer and outputting the output data to the corresponding remote printer.

  Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-2881 (Patent Document 2) includes a virtual printer driver, rewrites data generated by the virtual printer driver according to a rule that conditions selection of an output destination and change of output contents, and determination A configuration is disclosed in which a printer driver corresponding to the output destination is selected and a print command is issued.

  However, in the prior art distribution system, documents are printed uniformly regardless of the location where the image forming apparatus to which print data is sent is installed, which is sufficient from the viewpoint of information security. It wasn't. For example, when there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses that can be designated as shipping destinations, and some of them are installed in a place where anyone can enter, there is a possibility that a confidential document will be printed there. It is not desirable to output a document containing confidential confidential information etc. to a place where anyone can see it, and improvement is desired from the viewpoint of security. In the sorting system according to the prior art, it may be possible to determine a rule for determining the shipping destination based on the installation location of the image forming apparatus, but the rule setting becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the prior art. The present invention relates to a distribution system that distributes print data delivery destinations, and print data according to image forming apparatuses having different attributes such as installation locations. An object of the present invention is to provide a data processing device, a program, and a recording medium that can solve the problem of information security caused by a document being printed uniformly regardless of the attributes of the image forming device To do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a data processing apparatus having the following features. In response to a print request, the data processing apparatus determines a delivery destination, a drawing unit that generates drawing data, an extraction unit that extracts information for determining a delivery destination of the print data related to the print request, and a delivery destination And a destination determination unit that determines a destination from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses according to the information for printing, and the print processing is distributed among the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The data processing apparatus further includes a modification unit configured to modify one or both of the drawing data and the print setting information according to the determined shipping destination, and the drawing data for the image forming apparatus serving as the shipping destination. And sending means for sending the modified print data including the print setting information and instructing the printing process.

  The present invention can further provide a computer-executable program for realizing a data processing apparatus for causing a computer to function as each of the above-described means and for distributing print processing to a plurality of image forming apparatuses. Furthermore, the present invention can provide a recording medium for storing the program in a computer-readable manner.

  According to the above-described configuration, when distributing the print data delivery destination, the print data corresponding to the delivery destination is modified and then sent out. As a result, it is possible to avoid a problem caused by the document being printed uniformly regardless of the attribute of the image forming apparatus to which the print data is sent.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network environment of a printer network including a data processing apparatus according to an embodiment. The hardware block diagram of the data processor by this embodiment. The figure which shows the functional block of the data processor by this embodiment. The detailed functional block diagram of the document modification part by this embodiment. The detailed functional block diagram of the modification part classified by type by this embodiment. The schematic diagram showing the drawing data after document modification by this embodiment. (A) The figure which illustrates the data structure of the matching table which the dispatch process part by this embodiment refers, and (B) the classification table which the destination type determination part refers. The figure which illustrates the data structure of the table which the confidential document determination part by this embodiment refers. The sequence diagram which shows the distribution process which the data processor by this embodiment performs. The figure which illustrates the data structure of the other confidential keyword registration table which the confidential document determination part by this embodiment refers. The sequence diagram which shows the other distribution process which the data processor by this embodiment performs. The functional block diagram relevant to the edit assistance function of the classification table by this embodiment. The figure which illustrates the management screen for editing the classification table of this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated with embodiment, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned later.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network environment of a printer network 100 including a data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. The printer network 100 is configured by connecting a plurality of clients 112, 114, 116, and 118 arranged in an office or the like to a network 130. In the exemplary printer network 100 shown in FIG. 1, an MFP 122, laser printers 124 and 126, an inkjet printer 128, and the like are further connected to the network 130 as remote printers. Hereinafter, the MFP 122 and the printers 124 to 128 will be collectively referred to as remote printers.

  The network 130 may include a wired network such as 1000Base-TX Ethernet (registered trademark) and a wireless network of a standard such as IEEE 802.11. The data processing apparatus 110, the clients 112 to 118, and the remote printers 122 to 128 communicate with each other by packet communication based on the TCP / IP protocol via the network 130. The network 130 may include a wide area network such as the Internet constructed in a secure environment such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network) in addition to a LAN (Local Area Network).

  In response to the print request from the clients 112 to 118, the data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment determines an appropriate destination printer for the print data according to various conditions. The data processing apparatus 110 executes a process for modifying the print data in accordance with the determined remote printer at the delivery destination. The data processing apparatus 110 calls a printer driver corresponding to the remote printer, and sends the modified print data to the remote printer.

  The remote printer determined as the shipping destination can be determined in association with the clients 112 to 118. In FIG. 1, areas 140, 150, and 160 surrounded by a dotted line represent bases that are regarded as the same location. In the printer network 100, for example, the user can cause print output to be performed by a remote printer disposed in the same location where the client to be used is installed or in a nearby location.

  According to the illustration of FIG. 1, the client 112 and the remote printer 122 constitute the location 140, and other clients and printers are similarly associated to constitute the locations 150 and 160. However, the network environment illustrated in FIG. 1 is an example, and one or more clients may exist in each of the locations 140 to 160. One or more remote printers may exist in each of the locations 140 to 160. Further, only the client or only the remote printer may be arranged in the location.

  The remote printers 122 to 128 are installed at respective locations. However, depending on the attributes of the image forming apparatus such as the installation location, there are security concerns such as installation in a room where anyone can enter. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid that a document including confidential information as content is printed out as it is from a remote printer whose security is not ensured. Therefore, the data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment performs processing for modifying the print data in correspondence with the determined remote printer at the shipping destination, and then sends it to the remote printer at the determined shipping destination for print output. To do. Details of the above-described virtual printer driver and processing for modifying print data will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. The data processing device 110 includes a microprocessor unit (MPU) 12, a non-volatile memory 14 that stores a basic input output system (BIOS), and a memory 16 that provides an execution storage space that enables program processing by the MPU 12. Including. The MPU 12 reads the BIOS from the nonvolatile memory 14 at the time of startup, performs system diagnosis, and manages the input / output device 26.

  The MPU 12 is connected to the storage control interface 18 via the internal bus 22, and the hard disk 20 executes data writing or reading in response to an input / output request from the MPU 12. As the storage control interface 18, an interface for managing input / output of the hard disk 20 according to standards such as IDE (Integrated Device Electronics), ATA (AT Attachment), SATA, and eSATA can be used. The MPU 12 controls a serial or parallel interface 24 such as USB or IEEE 1164 via the internal bus 22, communicates with an input / output device 26 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a printer, and receives an input from a user.

  Data processor 110 further includes a VRAM 28 and a graphics chip 30. The graphic chip 30 processes the video signal in response to a command from the MPU 12 and displays it on the display device 32. The MPU 12 is also connected to a network I / F (NIC: Network Interface Card) 34 via the internal bus 22. As a result, the data processing device 110 communicates with external devices such as the clients 112 to 118 and the remote printers 122 to 128 via the network 130.

  The data processing device 110 reads a program (not shown) stored in a storage device such as the nonvolatile memory 14, the hard disk 20, or other NV-RAM (not shown) or an SD card (not shown). Expand to the memory area. As a result, the data processing apparatus 110 implements each functional unit and each process described later under an appropriate operating system (OS). As the OS, an OS having any architecture such as Windows (registered trademark), UNIX (registered trademark), or LINUX (registered trademark) can be employed.

  Although a detailed description is omitted, the clients 112 to 118 of this embodiment can also have the same configuration as the hardware configuration shown in FIG. The clients 112 to 118 can be configured as an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a workstation, or a portable information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) or a smartphone.

  Hereinafter, the distribution process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the data processing device 110 includes a plurality of functional units. These functional units are realized on the computer by the MPU 12 reading a program stored in the hard disk 20 into the memory 16 and executing the program.

  The data processing device 110 includes a data processing unit 210 and an application execution unit 212. The application execution unit 212 receives instructions from the clients 112 to 118 via the network 130 and executes various processes. In the embodiment to be described, the clients 112 to 118 are configured as so-called thin clients. A transaction can be performed between the data processing apparatus 110 and the clients 112 to 118 using an appropriate remote connection protocol such as RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol).

  When a print command for a document created by the application 214 is issued by remote operation, in response to the occurrence of a print command event by the print request source notification unit 216, a print job (hereinafter simply referred to as a GDI) is made via an API call such as GDI. The job data is transferred to the data processing unit 210.

  The data processing unit 210 includes a virtual printer driver 218, a job storage unit 226, and a shipping processing unit 240. In response to the call from the application execution unit 212, the virtual printer driver 218 receives job data and starts processing related to the job. The job storage unit 226 temporarily stores job data sent from the application 214 when the virtual printer driver 218 is called. The shipping processing unit 240 controls the shipping destination according to a predetermined rule, appropriately modifies the print data based on the security corresponding to the shipping destination, and prints to the determined printer driver 300 of any one of the remote printers 122 to 128. Pass data. The printer driver 300 receives the print data and causes the corresponding remote printers 122 to 128 to print out the print data.

  More specifically, the virtual printer driver 218 includes a virtual print management unit 220, a job information data extraction unit 222, and a virtual drawing unit 224. When receiving the job data, the virtual printer driver 218 calls the virtual print management unit 220 and stores the job data in the job storage unit 226. The virtual print management unit 220 calls the virtual drawing unit 224, and the virtual drawing unit 224 transfers the drawing data 234 for each page from the job data currently stored in the job storage unit 226 to the work areas 230a to 230c for each job. Store.

  The drawing data 234 is generated in a format that can be reused by the system. The data format of the drawing data 234 is not particularly limited, and examples include EMF (Enhanced Meta File), bitmap, PDF (Portable Document Format), and XPS (EXL Paper Specification). For example, in the case of a Windows (registered trademark) system which is a specific embodiment, the drawing data 234 is obtained by dividing the EMF file generated by the spooler into predetermined unit units such as page units by the print processor, and the work area 230. It is generated by copying to. Alternatively, the drawing data 234 is generated when the graphic module generates EMF in the work area 230 for each page.

  The virtual print management unit 220 further calls the job information data extraction unit 222. The job information data extraction unit 222 extracts information for determining the shipping destination from the job data stored in the job storage unit 226, and uses the job information data 232 describing the information as work areas 230a to 230c for each job. To store. The job information data also includes print setting information.

  Information for determining the shipping destination includes terminal identification information such as the MAC address (Media Access Control Address) and IP address (Internet Protocol Address) of the print request source client, the login user name and user of the user who made the print request Various conditional information such as user identification information such as authority, print setting information of a job, print content information such as a document name, and the number of pages can be listed. Further, in an embodiment in which print output is performed in association with a user or terminal different from the request source of the print request, terminal identification information of the destination client of print output and user identification information of the destination user are used as information for determining the shipping destination. It may be used.

  Further, in a specific embodiment, the data processing unit 210 may include an image processing unit 236 that acquires the drawing data 234 and the job information data 232 of the work area 230 and executes processing such as page allocation and imposition. .

  The shipping processing unit 240 is activated as an instance for each job, determines the shipping destination based on the data output from the virtual printer driver 218 according to a predetermined rule, and displays the drawing data and print setting information corresponding to the shipping destination. After modifying one or both, the data is output to the determined remote printer. The instance of the dispatch processing unit 240 activated for each job ends when the print output is completed. More specifically, the shipping processing unit 240 includes a data shipping unit 242, a shipping destination determination unit 244, and a document modification unit 260.

  The data shipping unit 242 requests the shipping destination determination unit 244 to determine the shipping destination and receives the determined shipping destination. Upon receiving the notification of the shipping destination determined from the shipping destination determination unit 244, the data shipping unit 242 sets the notified shipping destination and requests the document modification unit 260 to make a modification corresponding to the shipping destination. To do. When the alteration is completed, the data sending unit 242 calls the printer driver 300 of the remote printer corresponding to the destination, sends the print data to the destination remote printer with the altered contents, and instructs the printing process. .

  The shipping destination determining unit 244 refers to the association table 246 that defines the association between the clients 112 to 118 and the remote printers 122 to 128, and determines the shipping destination according to various conditioning information. When the shipping destination determination unit 244 determines the shipping destination, the shipping destination determination unit 244 notifies the data shipping unit 242 of the determined shipping destination.

  The association table 246 conditions selection of a remote printer as a delivery destination, and is preferably provided as a user-definable file according to a specific application. FIG. 7A illustrates the data structure of the association table referred to by the dispatch processing unit 240 of this embodiment. The association table 246 shown in FIG. 7A includes a field 246a in which conditioning information to be subjected to conditioning for determining a shipping destination is specified, and a field 246b in which a value for the conditioning information is specified. The association table 246 further inputs an identifier for identifying a remote printer to be associated (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus identifier) when the conditioning information specified in the field 246a is a value specified in the field 246b. Field 246c.

  In response to a request from the data sending unit 242, the document modifying unit 260 performs a modification process corresponding to the determined remote printer of the sending destination on one or both of the drawing data and the print setting information, so that the print data Modify the contents of. Details of the document modification unit 260 will be described later.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the shipping processing unit 240 may further include a UI display unit 248 and a login determination unit 250 in order to allow the printed material to be received by a user other than the user who has made the print request. The login determination unit 250 determines whether the destination user is logged in to any client in the network. When the login determination unit 250 determines that the login is in progress, the shipping destination determination unit 244 determines the destination user or the remote printer associated with the client to which the destination user is logged in as the shipping destination.

  The UI display unit 248 generates a print dialog that displays the printer name of the remote printer determined as the shipping destination by the shipping destination determination unit 244 so as to be specified, and displays the print dialog on the client associated with the destination user. Thereby, even if the user who issues the print instruction and the user who receives the printed matter are different, the printed matter can be efficiently received by the other party.

  In the embodiment to be described, the data processing apparatus 110 will be described as including the data processing unit 210 and the application execution unit 212 integrally. However, the functional units shown in FIG. 3 do not have to be mounted as shown in FIG. 3, and in other embodiments, the broken lines shown in FIG. 3 can be separated and mounted as network boundaries. More specifically, the left-hand side application execution unit 212 and the right-hand side data processing unit 210 can be separated and mounted on separate computer devices.

  Further, in the embodiment to be described, the description will be made assuming that the client 112 to 118 remotely accesses the data processing apparatus 110 by a remote connection protocol such as RDP, and makes a document creation or a document print request by the application 214. However, in other embodiments, the functions of the data processing device 110 may be implemented on the client.

  For example, each of the clients 112 to 118 is configured to have the functions of the application execution unit 212 and the data processing unit 210, or is configured to have only the application execution unit 212, so that it is implemented as a so-called fat client. You can also These specific mounting formats can be changed as appropriate according to the environment in which the printer network 100 is installed and the specific usage of the user.

  Further, in the embodiment to be described, the virtual printer driver 218, the work area 230, and the dispatch processing unit 240 are described as being mounted on the same computer. However, these functional units are separated on separate computers, and the network It can also be implemented as a device composed of a plurality of computers that perform communication via the network.

  Hereinafter, the modification process performed in the distribution system of the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating detailed functional blocks of the document modification unit 260 described above. The document modification unit 260 shown in FIG. 4 starts a modification process in response to a request for document modification from the data sending unit 242 together with an image forming apparatus identifier that identifies the determined remote printer as a delivery destination. More specifically, the document modification unit 260 includes a shipping destination type determination unit 262 and a document modification processing unit 264.

  The shipping destination type determination unit 262 refers to the classification table 270 describing rules for classifying remote printers, and determines the type associated with the remote printer determined as the shipping destination. FIG. 7B illustrates the data structure of the classification table referred to by the shipping destination type determination unit 262 of this embodiment. The classification table 270 illustrated in FIG. 7B exemplifies types classified from the viewpoint of security secured in the remote printer, and is preferably a user-definable file according to a specific application. Provided. The classification table 270 shown in FIG. 7B includes a field 270a in which an image forming apparatus identifier for identifying a remote printer is designated, and a field 270b in which a type associated with the remote printer is designated.

  The type is not particularly limited, and may be classified according to the installed floor or the installed room in addition to the security level secured in the environment where the remote printer is installed. In addition, the above types may be classified according to the use of a remote printer such as public or private. That is, the above types can be broadly classified according to the attributes of the image forming apparatus, such as the location or environment where the remote printers 122 to 128 are installed. Also, the remote printer and the type may be directly associated with each other, or may be indirectly associated with each other via an attribute value such as the installation location of the remote printer.

  Further, as long as the classification table 270 is appropriately accessible from the document modification unit 260, the data processing apparatus 110 does not necessarily have to hold the classification table 270. For example, the classification table 270 can be arranged in an easy-to-use form such as being arranged on a shared file server accessible by the administrator. In an environment in which a plurality of data processing devices 110 operate, maintaining the classification table 270 as a common file can improve maintainability. Furthermore, security can be suitably ensured by setting change authority only to the administrator for the file of the classification table 270. In the following description, it is assumed that the contents of the classification table 270 are defined in advance by the administrator of the system.

  The document modification processing unit 264 executes document modification processing for modifying the contents of the drawing data and the print setting information according to the type into which the shipping destination determined by the shipping destination type determination unit 262 is classified. More specifically, the document modification processing unit 264 includes one or more type-specific modification units 266 that are in charge of processing for each type. FIG. 4 illustrates the type A modification unit 266a and the type B modification unit 266b. Two types of modification sections 266 by type are illustrated.

  Note that FIG. 4 is an example, and the number of destination types is not particularly limited, and can be one or more arbitrary numbers. In addition, it is not always necessary to provide the type-specific modification unit 266 in one-to-one correspondence with the destination type. For example, when there is a type that is not subjected to document modification, the corresponding type-specific modification unit 266 can be omitted.

  Each type modification unit 266 has a different function for each type in charge, and performs document modification with contents corresponding to the type into which the shipping destination is classified. Upon being called, the type-by-type modification unit 266 confirms that the type of the shipping destination is its own charge type, and then modifies the drawing data 234A before modification to generate the modified drawing data 234B. . Also, the type-specific modification unit 266 can modify the print setting information in place of modification of the drawing data or together with modification of the drawing data.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing detailed functional blocks of the type-by-type modification unit 266 described above. The type X modification unit 266x shown in FIG. 5 includes a confidential document determination unit 272, a text addition unit 274, a watermark addition unit 276, a background pattern addition unit 278, a user name addition unit 280, and a printing date and time addition unit 282. , A document destruction unit 284 and a printing method change unit 285. Note that each detailed functional unit illustrated in FIG. 5 is an example, and is configured to include one or more appropriate functional units according to the use or purpose of the distribution system.

  The confidential document determination unit 272 refers to the confidential keyword registration table 286, analyzes the drawing data 234, and includes the confidential keyword registered in advance in the drawing data 234, and whether the document related to the job corresponds to the confidential document. Determine whether or not. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the confidential keyword registration table 286 referred to by the confidential document determination unit 272. The confidential keyword registration table 286 shown in FIG. 8A includes a field 286a where a registration number is input and a field 286b where a character string registered as a confidential keyword is registered.

  The confidential keyword registration table 286 is not limited to a table for registering only specific keywords, and a character string using a wild card or a regular expression may be registered in the field 286b. In still other embodiments, confidential keywords can be registered as patterns. Further, the confidential document determination unit 272 may evaluate the confidentiality of the document related to the job in multiple stages. In this case, detailed classification information such as a confidential level or category can be attached in association with the confidential keyword.

  FIG. 8B shows a data structure of a table for registering confidential keywords as patterns. The confidential keyword registration table 288 shown in FIG. 8B includes a field 288a in which the type of pattern is input, a field 288b in which it is specified whether the determination of the confidential document by the corresponding pattern is valid, Field 288c defining an exception. Examples of the pattern include a telephone number, a credit card number, a social security number, and an e-mail address.

  For example, when the phone number pattern is valid, when a character string pattern representing the phone number in the drawing data 234 is found, and the phone number is other than the phone number specified in the exception In addition, the document can be determined as a confidential document. Information that can be specified as such patterns is closely related to personal information such as address, bank account number, date of birth, resident's card code, etc. in addition to the above-mentioned telephone number, credit card number, social security number, email address, etc. Information can be targeted.

  The text addition unit 274, watermark addition unit 276, copy-forgery-inhibited pattern addition unit 278, user name addition unit 280, print date addition unit 282, document destruction unit 284, and printing method change unit 285 are determined by the confidential document determination unit 272, respectively. Accordingly, the modification process can be performed when the document related to the job corresponds to the confidential document. Examples of the modification process include a process of adding marking or tracking information to the drawing data 234, a process of destroying the document content, and a process of changing the printing method.

  More specifically, the text adding unit 274 can add, as marking, a character string representing a display indicating that the document related to the print output is a confidential document or a display for calling attention to security. Examples of such character strings include “Confidential”, “Confidential”, “External secret”, “External secret”, “Personal information”, “Handling precautions”, and the like.

  Similarly, the watermark adding unit 276 and the tint block adding unit 278 are marked with a watermark, stamp, or tint block representing a display indicating that the document related to the printout is a confidential document or a display for raising a security notice. Can be added. As such watermarks, stamps, and background patterns, the above-mentioned “confidential”, “confidential”, “confidential”, “confidential”, “personal information”, “handling attention”, etc. are designed, or A character string background pattern can be listed.

  The user name adding unit 280 can add a character string that displays the user name of the user who made the print request as tracking information. The printing date and time adding unit 282 can add a character string that displays the date and time when the request is made as tracking information. The addition of such tracking information enables the leakage path to be tracked when information leakage is discovered at a later date, and applies certain deterrence to information leakage.

  The tracking information includes user identification information for identifying the requesting user, such as the user name of the requester of the print request, user identification information for identifying the destination user of the print output, and the requestor or destination requesting terminal. Examples include terminal identification information and image forming apparatus identification information for identifying a remote printer as a shipping destination. Such tracking information can be added to the drawing data in the form of a character string, a stamp, a watermark, the above-mentioned background pattern, watermark, or barcode.

  The document destruction unit 284 is a means for performing modification so that the contents of the drawing data are not output. In the above modification, the drawing data 234 is painted black, the drawing data 234 is replaced by a fixed page such as an empty page or an error notification page, or the drawing data is discarded by filling the drawing data with a predetermined value. Can be done.

  In the embodiment to be described, the description will be made on the assumption that all drawing data is modified so as not to be output when it corresponds to a confidential document. However, it is not particularly limited, and in other embodiments, only a character string corresponding to a confidential keyword or a character string corresponding to a predetermined pattern in drawing data is not output. It is good also as an aspect which erase | eliminates and outputs.

  The printing method change unit 285 is a means for performing a modification to change the printing method for the print output. The above modification can change the printing method for the print output from a printing method that is not accumulated printing to accumulated printing.

  The stored printing is also referred to as pending printing, and is a printing method in which print data is temporarily stored on the remote printer side and print output is executed in response to an operation from the user. In accumulated printing, in normal printing, when the user gives a print instruction on the client, print data is sent to the remote printer, and then print output is performed, while waiting for some operation from the user to the remote printer. This is a printing method with improved security in that it is printed out. Examples of operations that the user needs to perform on the remote printer include selection of print data, operation of holding an IC card, and password input operation.

  Note that each function unit included in the type X modification unit 266x illustrated in FIG. 5 is an example, and the type X modification unit 266x includes, in the drawing data 234, confidential information that is registered in advance. The user can have any means for performing various modifications for adding various markings, modification for adding various tracking information to the drawing data, modification for preventing the contents of the drawing data from being output, or modification for changing the printing method. What is necessary is just to prepare according to environment, specific use, and purpose.

  With the above-described configuration including one or more type-specific modification units 266, security measures as described below can be taken. That is, when outputting to a remote printer classified as a type with a high security level (that is, security is ensured), a character string “Confidential” is added to a header or the like in a document including confidential information. Print output with some modification. On the other hand, when outputting to a remote printer classified as a type with a low security level (that is, security is not sufficiently secured), all documents including confidential information are painted black and printed out. , Security measures such as

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the drawing data after the document modification. FIG. 6A illustrates the drawing data in which the character string “Confidential” is attached to the header. FIG. 6B illustrates drawing data in which a character string of the user name is attached to the header. FIG. 6C illustrates the drawing data to which the background pattern of the character string “Confidential” is added. FIG. 6D illustrates black-drawn drawing data.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a distribution process executed by the data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 9 starts in response to the virtual printer driver 218 receiving job data. In step S100, the virtual printer driver 218 calls the virtual drawing unit 224 to generate drawing data. In step S <b> 101, the virtual drawing unit 224 reads job data, generates drawing data 234, and stores it in the work area 230.

  In step S102, the virtual printer driver 218 calls the job information data extraction unit 222 to extract job information data. In step S <b> 103, the job information data extraction unit 222 extracts information for determining a shipping destination from the job data, and stores job information data describing the information in the work area 230.

  In step S <b> 104, the virtual printer driver 218 requests the dispatch processing unit 240 to perform a dispatch process for distributing the print output process related to the print request. In step S105, the shipping processing unit 240 calls the data shipping unit 242 and instructs execution of printing. In step S106, the data shipping unit 242 requests the shipping destination determination unit 244 to determine the shipping destination. In step S107, the shipping destination determination unit 244 reads the job information data, and determines the shipping destination according to the conditioning information included in the job information data.

  In step S108, the data sending unit 242 requests the document modification unit 260 to modify the document. In step S109, the document modification unit 260 calls the shipping destination type determination unit 262, requests the determination of the type into which the remote printer of the shipping destination is classified, and acquires the determined shipping destination type. In the following description, it is assumed that the type is determined to be B.

  In step S110, the document modification unit 260 passes the destination to be modified, calls the type A modification unit 266a, and instructs document modification. In step S111, the type A modification unit 266a confirms whether or not the delivery destination to be modified is classified into the type for which the modification is performed from the delivered type. It is determined that it is not a type.

  In step S112, the document modification unit 260 passes the destination to be modified, calls the type B modification unit 266b, and instructs document modification. In step S113, the type B modification unit 266b confirms whether or not the delivery destination to be modified is classified into the type for which the modification is performed from the delivered type. It is determined that it is a type. In step S <b> 114, the type B modification unit 266 b reads the drawing data 234, performs the modification process that it comprises, and overwrites the drawing data 234.

  When the document modification to the drawing data 234 is completed, the data sending unit 242 loads the modified drawing data 234 from the work area 230 in step S115. In step S116, the data sending unit 242 calls the printer driver 300 corresponding to the determined remote printer of the sending destination, and outputs drawing data to the remote printer.

  In the above embodiment, the document modification unit 260 itself does not consider the type of the shipping destination, requests modification by each type modification unit 266a, 266b, and each type modification unit 266a, 266b is the type that it is responsible for. The document modification process is performed only in a certain case. Therefore, it is not necessary for the document modification unit 260 to call the type-specific modification unit 266 for each type, and the processing of the document modification unit 260 can be simplified.

  In addition, with the above-described configuration, it is possible to perform the security measures described below. For example, when outputting to a remote printer classified as a type with a high security level, printing is performed without any particular modification. On the other hand, when outputting to a remote printer classified as a type that does not have a high security level (for example, “Medium security level” or “Low security level”), for example, an unpublished product name, development name, etc. A security measure can be taken in which a document containing a confidential keyword is changed to stored printing and printed out.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of another confidential keyword registration table 286B referred to by the confidential document determination unit 272. The confidential keyword registration table 286B shown in FIG. 10 includes a field 286a in which a registration number is input, a field 286b in which a character string registered as a confidential keyword is registered, and a field 286c in which a confidential keyword category is registered. . Here, the category of confidential keywords is a category in which classified keywords are further subdivided. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a category can be used to distinguish a confidential keyword registered as an unpublished product name from a confidential keyword registered as a product development name.

  The confidential document determination unit 272 refers to the confidential keyword registration table 286B, analyzes the drawing data 234, and includes whether the drawing keyword 234 includes a confidential keyword registered in advance, and the document related to the job corresponds to the confidential document. Along with the determination, the classification of the confidential keyword is determined.

  FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing another distribution process executed by the data processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 11, the document modification processing unit 264 is exemplified by two types of modification units by type: a type C modification unit and a type D modification unit. The process shown in FIG. 11 starts in response to the virtual printer driver 218 receiving job data. In addition, since the process of step S200-step S208 is similar to the process shown in FIG. 9, detailed description is omitted.

  When the document modification unit 260 receives a request for document modification in step S208, in step S209, the document modification unit 260 calls the shipping destination type determination unit 262, requests the determination of the type into which the remote printer of the shipping destination is classified, and determines the determined shipping. Get the previous type. Here, a description will be given assuming that the type is security and it is determined that it is type D.

  In step S210, the document modification unit 260 passes the destination to be modified, calls the type C modification unit, and instructs document modification. In step S211, the type C modification unit confirms whether or not the delivery destination to be modified is classified into the type for which the modification target is assigned from the passed type. It is determined that In step S212, the type C modification unit further reads the drawing data and confirms whether or not the confidential keyword classified into the category of the unpublished product name is included. Here, the confidential keyword of the unpublished product name is included. It is determined that there is not. Since it is determined that the confidential keyword of the unpublished product name is not included, the type C modification unit ends the process.

  On the other hand, in step S213, the document modification unit 260 passes the destination to be modified, calls the type D modification unit, and instructs document modification. In step S214, the type D modification unit confirms whether or not the shipping destination to be modified is classified into the type to which it is responsible from the passed type. It is determined that In step S215, the type D modification unit reads the drawing data 234, confirms whether or not the confidential keyword classified into the product development name category is included, and here determines that the confidential keyword of the development name is included. Is done. In step S216, the type D modifying unit refers to the print setting information to check whether or not a command for instructing accumulated printing already exists in the print data, and determines that it does not exist here. This is to cope with the case where the type has already been changed to accumulated printing by another type modification unit.

  In step S217, the type D modification unit generates a dialog for requesting the user to input a password required when collecting the stored print, and displays it on the client associated with the requesting user and is input by the user. Get password. In step S218, the type D modification unit performs a modification process included in the type D modification unit, and here adds a command for accumulated printing to the print data. An example of the command added here is as follows.

@PJL SET NAME = "title"
@PJL SET PASSWORD = “1234”
@PJL SECUREJOB

  In the above command, the NAME attribute represents the name of the document. The PASSWORD attribute designates a password that is required to be input at the time of collection, and may itself be encrypted. SECREJOB is a command for notifying that accumulated printing is to be performed. In the case of changing to accumulated printing, the above-described command is added to the print data.

  When the document modification for the print data is completed, the data sending unit 242 loads the drawing data 234 from the work area 230 in step S219. In step S220, the data sending unit 242 calls the printer driver 300 corresponding to the determined remote printer of the sending destination, and outputs drawing data to the remote printer. In this case, the remote printer performs print processing after receiving a document selection and correct password input from the user.

  As described above, the classification table 270 according to the present embodiment is provided as a file in a format that can be appropriately changed on the user side. Therefore, the classification table 270 may be directly edited using a general-purpose editor. Hereinafter, functions for supporting editing of the classification table 270 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram related to the classification table editing support function according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the data processing apparatus 110 includes a classification rule editing unit 290 for editing the classification table 270, a printer information collection unit 292, and a management interface unit 294. FIG. 12 further shows a type description unit 268 as a functional unit included in the document modification unit 260.

  The management interface unit 294 is an interface for accessing the classification rule editing unit 290 from the local side of the data processing apparatus 110 or by remote connection from an external terminal. The classification rule editing unit 290 is a functional unit that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for editing the classification rule. In a specific embodiment, the classification rule editing unit 290 can be configured as a web server that publishes a management screen as a web page.

  The printer information collection unit 292 collects information regarding the remote printers 122 to 128 that are candidates for the shipping destination registered in the data processing apparatus 110. For example, the printer information collection unit 292 searches for remote printers 122 to 128 on the network 130, and an MIB (Management Information Base) included in the remote printers 122 to 128 uses an appropriate protocol such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). Information to be retained can be collected. Information collected includes information such as the serial number, name, and installation location of the remote printer. By presenting the information collected by the printer information collection unit 292 on the management screen, it is possible to assist the administrator in easily recognizing the remote printer.

  The type description unit 268 describes an outline of document modification content corresponding to the document modification unit 260. By presenting the information held by the type description unit 268 on the management screen, it is possible to assist the administrator in easily understanding the processing corresponding to the type.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a management screen for editing the classification table according to the present embodiment. The management screen 310 shown in FIG. 13 includes a table 320 for displaying a list of remote printers and a table 340 for displaying a list of types for classifying remote printers. In the table 320, the remote printers 122 to 128 on the searched network 130 are listed and associated with types to be classified. The display of each remote printer is attached with information such as the acquired installation location, for example. The type associated with each remote printer is configured to be switched by, for example, an arrow 324 in the table.

  The management screen 310 shown in FIG. 13 further includes a re-search button 330. When the re-search button 330 is clicked on the management screen 310, in response to this, the printer information collection unit 292 collects information related to the remote printer on the network 130 again. Then, the classification rule editing unit 290 updates the table 320 according to the updated information.

  By assigning a type to a remote printer in advance through the management screen 310 shown in FIG. 13, the classification table 270 can be edited efficiently. For convenience of explanation, the remote printer is described as being directly associated with the type. However, in another embodiment, the remote printer may be automatically classified based on collected information such as a place where the remote printer is installed.

  According to the embodiment described above, in the distribution system that distributes the shipping destination of the print data, the shipping process is performed after the modification corresponding to the shipping destination is performed. Therefore, by setting the security modification to correspond to a remote printer for which sufficient security cannot be ensured, the document is uniformly sent regardless of the location where the remote printer to which the print data is sent is installed. Problems caused by printing can be avoided. For example, it is possible to prevent a document including confidential information that is kept secret from being output as it is to a place where anyone can see it. In addition, since remote printers are classified by security type and the contents of modification are defined corresponding to the type, the formulation of modification rules can be simplified.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the distribution system that distributes the print data delivery destination, by changing the print data according to the remote printer (image forming apparatus) having different attributes such as the installation location, It is possible to provide a data processing apparatus, a program, and a recording medium that can solve the problem of information security caused by the document being printed uniformly regardless of the attributes of the image forming apparatus.

  The functional unit can be realized by a computer-executable program written in a legacy programming language such as an assembler, C, C ++, C #, Java (registered trademark), an object-oriented programming language, or the like. ROM, EEPROM, EPROM, Store in a device-readable recording medium such as flash memory, flexible disk, CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, Blu-ray disc, SD card, MO, or distribute it through an electric communication line can do.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art may conceive other embodiments, additions, modifications, deletions, and the like. It can be changed within the range that can be done, and any embodiment is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the effects of the present invention are exhibited.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... MPU, 14 ... Non-volatile memory, 16 ... Memory, 18 ... Storage control interface, 20 ... Hard disk, 22 ... Internal bus, 24 ... Interface, 26 ... Input / output device, 28 ... VRAM, 30 ... Graphic chip, 32 ... Display device, 34 ... NIC, 100 ... Printer network, 110 ... Data processing device, 112-118 ... Client, 122-128 ... Remote printer, 130 ... Network, 140, 150, 160 ... Location, 210 ... Data processing unit 212 ... Application execution unit, 214 ... Application, 216 ... Print request source notification unit, 218 ... Virtual printer driver, 220 ... Virtual print management unit, 222 ... Job information data extraction unit, 224 ... Virtual drawing unit, 226 ... Job storage Part, 230 ... Business area, 232 ... job information data, 234 ... drawing data, 236 ... image processing unit, 240 ... shipping processing unit, 242 ... data sending unit, 244 ... shipping destination determination unit, 246 ... association table, 248 ... UI display unit , 250 ... login determination unit, 260 ... document modification unit, 262 ... shipping destination type determination unit, 264 ... document modification processing unit, 266 ... type modification unit, 268 ... type description unit, 270 ... classification table, 272 ... confidential document Determining unit, 274 ... text adding unit, 276 ... watermark adding unit, 278 ... tint block adding unit, 280 ... user name adding unit, 282 ... printing date and time adding unit, 284 ... document destruction unit, 285 ... printing method changing unit, 286 288 ... Confidential keyword registration table 290 ... Classification rule editing unit 292 ... Printer information collection unit 294 ... Management interface Department, 300 ... printer driver, 310 ... interface, 320, 340 ... table, 330 ... button

JP 2010-157208 A JP 2011-2881 A

Claims (9)

A data processing apparatus for distributing print processing among a plurality of image forming apparatuses,
A drawing means for generating drawing data in response to the print request;
Extraction means for extracting information for determining the destination of the print data for the print request;
A destination determination means for determining a destination from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses according to information for determining the destination;
Modification means for applying modification according to the determined delivery destination to one or both of the drawing data and print setting information;
A data processing apparatus comprising: a sending unit that sends the modified print data including the drawing data and the print setting information to the destination image forming apparatus and instructs the print process.   The modification unit includes a type determination unit that classifies a delivery destination and determines a type, and a plurality of types of modification that respectively modify one or both of the drawing data and the print setting information by modifying contents according to the type. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means. The type-specific modification means are respectively
Means for analyzing the drawing data and detecting that pre-registered information is included;
A modification for adding marking to the drawing data, a modification for adding tracking information to the drawing data, a modification for preventing the contents of the drawing data from being output, or a printing method when pre-registered information is included The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for performing modification to change the data. The marking is a character string, a stamp, a watermark, or a tint block,
The tracking information includes user identification information for identifying a user who has requested the print request, terminal identification information for identifying a terminal that has requested the print request, date and time when the print request was issued, or image formation of the shipping destination. A character string indicating image forming apparatus identification information for identifying the apparatus, stamp, watermark, copy-forgery-inhibited pattern, watermark or barcode,
The modification to prevent the output is to black out the drawing data, replace the drawing data with a fixed page, or discard the drawing data,
The data processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the modification that changes the printing method is to temporarily store print data on the image forming apparatus side and change the print data to stored printing that is output in response to a user operation.   The data processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a storage unit that stores a file describing a condition for classifying the destination type in a changeable format.   The information for determining the shipping destination includes the host name of the request source of the print request, the IP address of the request source of the print request, the MAC address of the request source of the print request, and the user of the request source of the print request. Including at least one piece of identification information for identifying, a host name of the print output destination, an IP address of the print output destination, a MAC address of the print output destination, and identification information for identifying a user of the print output destination. Item 6. The data processing device according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the destination type is classified according to a place or environment where the image forming apparatus is installed. A computer-executable program for realizing a data processing apparatus for distributing print processing to a plurality of image forming apparatuses,
Drawing means for generating drawing data in response to a print request;
Extraction means for extracting information for determining a destination of print data for the print request;
A destination determination unit for determining a destination from among the plurality of image forming apparatuses in accordance with information for determining the destination.
A modification unit that performs modification according to the determined shipping destination on one or both of the drawing data and the print setting information, and the drawing data and the print setting information for the image forming apparatus of the shipping destination, A program for sending modified print data and causing it to function as a sending means for instructing the printing process.   A recording medium for storing the computer-executable program according to claim 8 in a computer-readable manner.