JP6795108B2 - Management device, management method, program, management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is, management device for managing the processing in the image forming apparatus including the MFP, management method, program, related to the management system.

In recent years, in an organization such as a company, an image forming apparatus (including a multifunction device having a FAX function, a scanner function, a copying function, etc.) and a plurality of computer terminals may be connected on a network to share the image forming apparatus. It is often seen. In such an environment, it is necessary to maintain the confidentiality of the image data handled on the network. Further, since the image forming apparatus is shared and used by a plurality of users, improvement in usage efficiency is desired.

For example, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-222141 (Patent Document 1), in the network scanner device, at least a user name, a password, distribution information, and a user of the destination are used for each destination distributed via the network. A user who has succeeded in authentication by performing user authentication based on a destination information storage means for setting and registering destination information consisting of other available destinations and a set of a user name and password of the destination information storage means. A network scanner device that is permitted to be used only by the user is disclosed.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-222141

However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the image data of the scanned document is transferred to the destination, when the transfer destination terminal is shared by a plurality of users, the image data is viewed by another person. there is a possibility.

Further, in the disclosed invention of Patent Document 1, all users who have been authenticated as users are permitted to use the network scanner device. Recent image forming devices have a fax function, a copying function, etc. in addition to the scanner function, and if the free use of this image forming device is permitted, the image forming device may be used for an unexpected purpose. There is.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems in view of such problems, and provides a management device and an image forming device management system capable of maintaining the confidentiality of information in an image forming device. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has adopted the following configuration.

The present invention is a management device that controls user authentication and connects to an image forming device via a network , and associates user identification information that identifies a user with recording medium identification information that can identify a recording medium. A user information storage means for storing the user information, and a setting means for receiving the setting of the management device that performs user authentication processing using the user information held in the user information holding device connected to the management device via a network. The receiving means for receiving the recording medium identification information recorded on the recording medium owned by the user, which is transmitted from the image forming apparatus, is received from the image forming apparatus, and the management apparatus receives from the image forming apparatus. When controlling the user authentication process based on the recording medium identification information, the control means has a control means for controlling the user authentication process based on the user information stored in the user information storage means. When it is determined that the setting is set, the user authentication process is controlled based on the user information held in the user information holding device in cooperation with the user information holding device.

According to the present invention, since the function of using the image forming apparatus is restricted for each user, the security of management related to user information is enhanced, and the confidentiality of information can be maintained.

The management device and the image forming apparatus management system of the present invention acquire usage restriction information related to the use of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the acquired user identification information, and execute processing in the image forming apparatus based on the usage restriction information. It is a thing.
(First Embodiment)
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus management system 10 has a configuration in which a management server 11, an active directory server (hereinafter, AD server) 13, a user terminal 15, a printing server 16, and an image forming apparatus 17 are connected via a network.

In the image forming apparatus management system 10, the user identification information acquired by the image forming apparatus 17 is transmitted to the management server 11. The management server 11 acquires usage restriction information in the image forming apparatus 17 for each user based on the user identification information. Then, the management server 11 transmits the acquired usage restriction information to the image forming apparatus 17. The image forming apparatus 17 receives this usage restriction information and controls the use of the image forming apparatus 17 for each user.

The management server 11 is a management device that controls the management of user information and the use of the image forming device 17. Details of the management server 11 will be described later. The AD server 13 holds user ID information for identifying the user of the image forming apparatus 17. Here, the user ID information held in the AD server 13 may be registered in advance by the administrator or the user of the image forming apparatus management system 10 using the user terminal 15 or the like.

In the management server 11, in the user authentication process for permitting the user to use the image forming apparatus 17, whether or not to perform the user authentication process based on the user ID information held in the AD server 13 is selected by the setting of the management server 11. It is possible to do.

The user terminal 15 selects a document to be printed by the image forming apparatus 17, gives a print instruction, and is a computer having a CPU, a memory, and the like. Further, in the user terminal 15, various setting conditions of the management server 11 can be changed by using a browser. The print server 16 temporarily holds a print job, which is a print processing instruction executed by the image forming apparatus 17, transmitted from the user terminal 15. The details of the print server 16 will be described later.

The image forming apparatus 17 is a multifunction device (Multi Function Peripheral) capable of realizing a fax function, a scanner function, a copy function, a print function, and the like. The image forming apparatus 17 has an IC card reader, and the IC card reader acquires IC card identification information which is information unique to the IC card.

The details of the image forming apparatus 17, the management server 11, and the printing server 16 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 17 according to the present embodiment. The image forming device 17 includes a control unit 171, a display operation device 172, a recording device 173, an IC card reader 174, an information format conversion unit 175, a communication unit 176, an execution processing history storage unit 177, an individual information storage unit 178, and a password generation unit. It has 179 and.

The control unit 171 controls the execution of processes for realizing various functions such as the fax function, the scanner function, the copy function, and the print function described above, and the control of these processes. The display operation device 172 operates the image forming device 17, for example, a numeric keypad or an operation panel. It is preferable that the display operation device 172 is provided with a display unit that displays the state of the device of the image forming device 17 and a column of processing executed by the image forming device 17 so as to be viewable by the user.

The recording device 173 records the set value of the image forming device 17, the image data read by the image forming device 17, an electronic document, and the like. The IC card reader 174 acquires IC card identification information unique to the IC card recorded on the IC card owned by the user. In the present embodiment, the IC card reader 174 is a non-contact type IC card reader capable of acquiring IC card information without contacting the IC card, but the IC card is brought into contact with the IC card to acquire the IC card information. It may be a contact type IC card reader. Further, in the present embodiment, the IC card reader 174 is configured to be possessed by the image forming apparatus 17, but the IC card reader 174 may be connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 17 by an appropriate connection method.

The information format conversion unit 175 controls conversion of the format of the IC card identification information acquired by the IC card reader 174. For example, the IC card used in the present embodiment is a FeliCa (registered trademark) card, and the IC card identification information acquired from the IC card reader 174 is information in a format corresponding to FeliCa (registered trademark). The IC card identification information used in the process executed in the present embodiment is IC card identification information in the form of a FeliCa (registered trademark) card.

Here, for example, when the IC card used is not a FeliCa (registered trademark) card, the format of the IC card identification information of the IC card used is different from the IC card identification information of the FeliCa (registered trademark) card. Can be considered. In such a case, the information format conversion unit 175 converts the format of the IC card identification information acquired from the IC card into the same format as the IC card identification information of the FeliCa (registered trademark) card, for example. It may be feasible.

The communication unit 176 communicates with the management device 11 and the user terminal 15. The execution process history storage unit 177 records the history of the processes executed by the image forming apparatus 17. The execution process history storage unit 177 may be provided in the recording device 173. In the execution processing history storage unit 177, the history of the processing executed in the image forming apparatus 17 is recorded in association with, for example, the user identification information and the type of processing, and is executed by the user identification information and the type of processing. You can search the processing history. This search result may be displayed so as to be viewable by the user, for example, on a display unit provided in the display operation device 172.

Further, in the execution processing history storage unit 177, for example, the execution history of the print function, the user ID of the user who used the image forming apparatus 17, the name given to the image forming apparatus 17, the time when the processing to be executed is received, and the processing Information such as the time when the process is completed and the number of pages of the electronic document or image data processed by the image forming apparatus 17 is stored.

Here, the execution processing history stored in the execution processing history storage unit 177 is periodically uploaded to the management server 11 via the communication unit 176, and is also retained in the management server 11.

Individual information for each user is stored in the individual information storage unit 178. This individual information is, for example, setting information for each user in the image forming apparatus 17, an address book, image data processed by the image forming apparatus 17, or an electronic document or the like. The individual information is information corresponding to the user identification information, and is read out when the "personal menu" described later is selected in the image forming apparatus 17. When this "personal menu" is selected in the image forming apparatus 17, and the individual information is read out, the control unit 171 executes the process in the image forming apparatus 17 based on the individual information. The individual information storage unit 178 may be provided in the recording device 173.

The password generation unit 179 generates a password according to a specific algorithm based on the user identification information, and the password once generated here is stored in the individual information storage unit 178.

In the image forming apparatus 17, for example, the information format conversion unit 175, the execution processing history storage unit 177, the individual information storage unit 178, and the password generation unit 179 are recording media on which the application for realizing the functions of each unit can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 17. It may be recorded in. In this case, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus 17 is provided with a recording medium reading unit for reading the recording medium, and the image forming apparatus 17 reads and executes the application recorded on the recording medium to perform the above-mentioned units. It may be the one that realizes the function of. Further, the recording medium may be, for example, an SD (Secure Digital) memory card or the like.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the management server 11 in the present embodiment. The management server 11 includes a user information storage device 120, a control unit 111, a usage restriction information acquisition unit 112, a display device 113, and a communication unit 114.

The user information storage device 120 stores IC card identification information 121, user ID information 122, and usage restriction information 123 in advance as user information. The IC card identification information 121 is obtained in advance by acquiring the IC card identification information acquired by the IC card reader 174. The user ID information 122 is information associated with the IC card identification information 121, and is extracted by the control unit 111 based on the IC card identification information 121. In the present embodiment, the user identification information indicates information in which the IC card identification information 121 and the user ID information 122 corresponding to the IC card identification information 121 are combined.

The usage restriction information 123 indicates functions or setting conditions that can be used by the user in the image forming apparatus 17, and is information corresponding to the user ID information 122. Specifically, the usage restriction information includes, for example, whether or not the scanning function of the image forming apparatus 17 can be used, whether or not the fax function can be used, whether or not the monochrome printing function can be used, and whether or not the color printing function can be used. In the image forming apparatus 17 of the present embodiment, based on the usage restriction information, for example, the user A is permitted to use the scan function, the fax function, the monochrome print function, and the color print function, and the user B is allowed to use the scan function. , It is possible to perform control such as permitting the use of only the print function. These pieces of information stored in the user information storage device 120 are, for example, those registered in advance by the administrator of the image forming apparatus management system 10 or the user.

The control unit 111 controls the processing executed in the management server 11. The usage restriction information acquisition unit 112 acquires the usage restriction information 123 held in the user information storage device 120. The display device 113 displays information related to the status of the image forming apparatus management system 10, such as the device status of the management server 11 and the status of other devices connected to the management server 11. The display device 113 may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel provided on the management server 11, or a liquid crystal display connected to the outside of the management server 11 by an appropriate means. The communication unit 114 communicates with the print server 16 and the image forming apparatus 17.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the print server 16 in the present embodiment. The print server 16 includes a print instruction holding unit 161, a print control unit 162, and a communication unit 163. The print instruction holding unit 161 temporarily holds a print job which is a print processing instruction transmitted from the user terminal 15. When the user issues a print instruction at the user terminal 15 or the image forming apparatus 17, the print control unit 162 transmits the print job held by the print instruction holding unit 161 to the image forming apparatus 17, and the image forming apparatus 17 transmits the print job. To execute the print job in. The communication unit 163 communicates between the management server 11 and the image forming apparatus 17.

In the print server 16 of the present embodiment, for example, when a plurality of image forming devices are connected to the image forming device management system 10, the image forming device which is the transmission destination of the print job held in the print command holding unit 161. Can be selected. For example, when another process is executed by one of the plurality of image forming devices, the print control unit 162 avoids this image forming device, selects another image forming device, and selects this image. The printing job can be executed quickly in the forming apparatus.

Further, up to four print servers 16 can be connected to one image forming apparatus. By connecting a plurality of print servers in this way, the print server can hold more print jobs. Further, as described above, the print server of the present embodiment can quickly select an image forming apparatus in a state where the printing job can be executed and execute the printing job, so that the load on the image forming apparatus is increased. The print job held without causing it can be executed promptly. In addition, for example, even if one of a plurality of printing servers fails, the printing server can be repaired, repaired, and inspected without stopping the operation of the entire image forming apparatus management system by operating the other printing server. It can be carried out.

Next, the user authentication process in the image forming apparatus management system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a user authentication process in the image forming apparatus management system 10.

The image forming apparatus 17 acquires the IC card identification information from the IC card reader 174, and transmits the IC card identification information acquired by the communication unit 176 to the management server 11. When the management server 11 receives the IC card identification information from the communication unit 114, the control unit 111 searches for the IC card identification information 121 in the user information storage device 120 based on the IC card identification information. Then, it is determined whether or not the corresponding IC card identification information is held in the IC card identification information 121 (S51).

When the acquired IC card identification information is held in the IC card identification information 121, the control unit 111 next draws out the user ID corresponding to the acquired IC card identification information from the user ID information 122. Then, it is determined whether or not the management server 11 is set to perform the user authentication process using the AD server 13 (S52).

When the user authentication process using the AD server 13 is set in S52, the control unit 111 accesses the AD server 13 and is extracted from the user ID information held in the AD server 13. It is confirmed whether or not the user ID exists (S53).

Here, if the corresponding user ID exists in the AD server 13, the control unit 111 authenticates the user (S54). When the management server 11 is not set to perform the user authentication process using the AD server 13 in S52, the control unit 111 is at the time when the user information corresponding to the user information storage device 120 is held in S51. Judges that the user has been authenticated.

In S53, when the existence confirmation process of the user ID by the AD server 13 results in an error, the control unit 111 sets the image forming apparatus 17 for this user ID based on the usage restriction information 123 corresponding to the corresponding user ID. Determine whether to permit the use (S55). Here, if the user ID is permitted to be used, the control unit 111 assumes that the user has been authenticated. Then, if the user ID is not permitted to be used, the control unit 111 terminates the user authentication process assuming that the login process has failed (S56).

When the user authentication process is performed in S54, in the management server 11, the control unit 111 acquires the usage restriction information corresponding to the user authenticated from the usage restriction information 123 by the usage restriction information acquisition unit 112. Then, the control unit 111 transmits the usage restriction information acquired by the communication unit 114 to the image forming apparatus 17.

In the image forming apparatus 17, the control unit 171 receives this usage restriction information and controls the processing of the image forming apparatus 17 so as to realize only the functions that can be used by the authenticated user.

Next, the personal menu processing executed by the image forming apparatus 17 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The "personal menu" referred to in the present embodiment is a name of a function that can be used only by a user whose user ID and password are registered in advance in the image forming apparatus 17. Functions that can be executed in the "personal menu" include, for example, access to and viewing image data and electronic documents stored in the image forming apparatus 17 for each user, use of the user's individual address book, and viewing of user's individual mail documents. And so on. Further, when the personal menu is selected, the user can individually customize the display on the display unit provided in the display operation device 172 and the setting state of the image forming device 17. Further, the personal menu processing referred to here means the processing executed by the image forming apparatus 17 when the personal menu is selected.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of personal menu processing in the image forming apparatus 17 of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the state of the display operation device 172 when the personal menu process is selected, and FIG. 7 (A) shows the state of the display operation device 172 before logging in to the personal menu. (B) shows the state of the display operation device 172 after logging in to the personal menu.

In the image forming apparatus 17, when the user holds the IC card over the IC card reader 174, the user authentication process described with reference to FIG. 5 is executed (S61). Here, the image forming apparatus 17 is in a state in which the display operating apparatus 172 cannot operate the image forming apparatus 17 until the user authentication is performed (hereinafter, this state is referred to as a hard key lock).

When the user is authenticated in S61 and the user is permitted to use the image forming apparatus 17, the control unit 171 releases this hard key lock state (S62). Then, the control unit 171 shifts the state of the image forming apparatus 17 to a state in which the user's usable functions can be executed based on the user's usage restriction information transmitted from the management server 11 (S63).

Here, when the user selects the execution to the "personal menu" process (S64), the control unit 171 puts the "individual" on the display unit provided in the display operation device 172 as shown in FIG. 7A. It is displayed that "Menu" has been selected (S65). The "it function" referred to in FIGS. 6 and 7 is a general term for a function of directly transmitting and receiving information via a network in an image forming apparatus, and in the present embodiment, a function that can be realized by personal menu processing is also an "it function". It was assumed to be included in.

Next, the control unit 171 of the image forming apparatus 17 performs a login process to the personal menu (S66). In the image forming apparatus 17, the password generation unit 179 generates a password based on the user ID extracted from the IC card identification information in S61. At this time, the user ID registered in advance by the user and the password generated by the password generation unit 179 based on the user ID are held in the image forming apparatus 17.

The control unit 171 determines whether or not the held user ID and password match the user ID acquired in S61 and the password generated from the user ID (S67).

In S67, when the corresponding user ID is not held in the image forming apparatus 17, the control unit 171 determines that the user is a new user who has not been registered, causes the display operation device 172 to display the user registration screen, and causes the user to display the user registration screen. The process proceeds to the registration process (S68).

If the password is invalid in S67, the control unit 171 locks a hard key other than the on-demand key of the display operation device 172 (S69). Here, the on-demand key is one of the operation units arranged in the display operation device 172, and is for issuing a print instruction to a print job already held in the image forming device 17. Operation key.

The password fraud that occurs in the image forming apparatus 17 is an initial password required for logging in to the personal name menu, and is when the user changes the password generated by the password generation unit 179 to a user's own password. Occur. Therefore, the control unit 171 displays a touch panel screen or the like on which the password can be input to the display operation device 172, and displays that it is necessary to input the changed password (S70). In S70, when the correct password is input by the user, the control unit 171 releases the hard key lock state (S71) according to the usage restriction information, and is held again in the image forming apparatus 17, a pre-registered user. The process returns to the process of determining whether the ID, the changed password, the user ID acquired in S61, and the password entered in S70 match.

If an error occurs in the login process for some reason in S67, the control unit 171 erases the fact that the "personal menu" displayed on the display operation device 172 in S65 is selected (S72). Then, the control unit 171 displays on the display operation device 172 that the login process for the personal menu has become an error (S73).

After that, the control unit 171 controls the image forming apparatus 17 in order to realize a function that can be used without the user logging in to the personal menu based on the usage restriction information.

In S67, when the user ID and password held in the image forming apparatus 17 match the user ID acquired in S61 and the password generated from this user ID, the control unit 171 enters the personal menu of this user. Assuming that the login is successful, the individual information corresponding to the user ID is acquired from the individual information storage unit 178. Then, the control unit 171 limits the setting conditions and the like related to the use of the image forming apparatus 17 based on this individual information (S74).

Next, the control unit 171 makes the operation keys used when the personal menu function of the display operation device 172 available (S75), and selects the "personal menu" displayed on the display operation device 172 in S65. The effect is erased (S76). Then, the control unit 171 displays on the display operation device 172 that the password information generated by the password generation unit 179 can be viewed by the user (S77). As a result, the login process to the personal menu in the image forming apparatus 17 is completed, and the personal menu for each user is displayed on the display operation device 172 as shown in FIG. 7B.

In the present embodiment, in the image forming apparatus 17, the user name corresponding to the registered user ID may be registered, or the user name may be displayed on the screen immediately after the user's login is completed.

In S64, when the user does not select the execution to the "personal menu" process, the control unit 171 controls the image forming apparatus 17 based on the usage restriction information acquired from the management server 11 in S61 (S79). This allows the user to use the image forming apparatus 17.

Further, the password information that can be viewed by the user displayed on the display operation device 172 in S77 is the initial password generated by the password generation unit 179 or when the initial password is changed to the user's own password. Information related to setting changes. In the present embodiment, it may be possible to transition from the screen of the display operation device 172 in S77 to the setting screen for changing the password, or if the user has already changed the password, the initial password is changed again. You may transition to a screen that can notify the user. Further, when notifying the user of the password, the displayed password may be automatically deleted when a predetermined time has elapsed after the password is displayed on the display operation device 172.

As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus is used to manage the user identification information by the management server and limit the functions that can be used by the image forming apparatus based on the user identification information. With regard to the user information held inside, the security of managing the user information is strengthened, and the confidentiality of the information can be maintained.

Further, since only the restrictions that can be used are used for each user, unnecessary processing is not executed in the image forming apparatus, and the usage efficiency is good. Further, since the user ID is acquired by the contactless IC card, it is not necessary to input the user ID every time the user logs in, and the operability can be improved. Further, since it is not necessary to hold the password itself by having the password generation unit that generates the password from the user ID, it is possible to prevent the password from being leaked even if the information related to the user identification information is leaked.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to deal with the case where the type of the IC card is changed and the format of the IC card identification information is changed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the processes executed by the image forming apparatus are classified and recorded for each user identification information or for each type of executed processing, so that the processing executed by the image forming apparatus is recorded. It becomes easy to grasp.

Further, in the present embodiment, since it is possible to display the state of the entire image forming apparatus management system so that the user can view it, it is easy to grasp the operation of the entire system and the state of each connected device. It becomes.
(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment is an improvement of the first embodiment. In the description of the second embodiment, those having the same functional configuration as that of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus management system 10A, the management server 11A, the AD server 13A, the user terminal 15, the printing server 16A, the image forming apparatus (MFP) 17A, and the management terminal 18 for controlling the management server 11A are connected via a network. It is composed.

Each device constituting the image forming device management system 10A of the present embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a functional configuration diagram of the management server 11A of the second embodiment.

The management server 11A can be realized, for example, by installing a program for the management server 11A on a general computer having an arithmetic processing unit and a storage device. Each part of the management server 11A described below shows the functions realized by this program.

The management server 11A has a user information management unit 130, a print job deletion instruction unit 140, a print order change unit 150, and a user information update file acquisition unit 160, in addition to each unit of the management server 11 of the first embodiment.

The user information management unit 130 includes a user information registration unit 132, a user information deletion unit 133, and a user information update unit 134.

The user information registration unit 132 registers user information in the user information rating device 120. The user information deletion unit 133 deletes the user information from the user information storage device 120. The user information update unit 134 updates the user information stored in the user information storage device 120 based on the user information update information described later.

The print job deletion instruction unit 140 generates a print job deletion instruction for collectively deleting the print jobs stored in the print server 16A. The print order change instruction unit 150 generates an execution order change instruction for changing the execution order of the print jobs stored in the print server 16A.

The user information update file acquisition unit 160 acquires an update file for updating the user information stored in the user information storage device 120. The update file may be created by another device connected to the management server 11A via a network, for example. In this case, the management server 11A can acquire the update file by downloading it. Further, the update file may be created by, for example, a general computer not connected to the management server 11A and recorded on the recording medium. In this case, the management server 11A can acquire the update file by reading the update file from the recording medium.

Next, the AD server 13A of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of the AD server 13A of the second embodiment.

The AD server 13A has an authentication information storage unit 135 and an authentication processing unit 138. The authentication information storage unit 135 is associated with the user identification information 136, which is information in which the IC card identification information 121, the user ID information 122 corresponding to the IC card identification information 121, and the user ID information 122 are combined, and the user ID information 122. The password 137 and the like are stored. The user identification information 136 is registered and stored in advance by, for example, a system administrator. The authentication processing unit 138 performs an authentication process for authenticating the user by determining whether or not the user identification information stored in the authentication information storage unit 135 is valid.

Next, the print server 16A of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a functional configuration diagram of the print server 16A of the second embodiment.

The print server 16A has a print job deletion unit 164 and a print order change unit 165 in addition to each unit of the print server 16 of the first embodiment. The print job deletion unit 164 receives a print job deletion instruction from the management server 11A, and collectively deletes the print jobs held in the print command holding unit 161. The print order change unit 165 changes the execution order of the print jobs held in the print instruction holding unit 161 in response to the print order change instruction from the management server 11A.

Next, the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a functional configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 17A of the second embodiment.

When reading information from the IC card, the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment can read the information recorded in an arbitrarily set area. The image forming apparatus 17A has an arithmetic processing unit and a storage device, and by causing the arithmetic processing unit to execute a program for the image forming apparatus 17A, the functions of each part described below are realized.

The image forming apparatus 17A has an area setting information acquisition unit 181, an area setting unit 182, and a card reader control unit 183, in addition to each unit of the image forming apparatus 17 of the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the area setting information acquisition unit 181, the area setting unit 182, the card reader control unit 183, and the information format conversion unit 175 of the image forming apparatus 17A constitute a plug-in 180. The plug-in 180 may be downloaded from, for example, a device connected to the image forming apparatus 17A via a network. Further, the plug-in 180 may be recorded on a recording medium such as a USB memory. It is preferable that the image forming apparatus 17A is provided with, for example, an insertion port for a USB memory stick. In the image forming apparatus 17A, the function of the plug-in 180 may be realized by reading and activating the plug-in 180 recorded on the recording medium.

Each part constituting the plug-in 180 will be described below. The area setting information acquisition unit 181 acquires the area setting information generated by the management terminal 18 described later. The area setting unit 182 sets the area based on the area setting information acquired by the area setting information acquisition unit 181. Specifically, the area setting unit 182 stores the acquired area setting information in the area setting information storage unit 184 of the recording device 173.

The card reader control unit 183 controls the reading of information by the IC card reader 174. When reading the information of the IC card, the IC card reader 174 refers to the area setting information storage unit 184 and reads the information of the set area.

The information format conversion unit 175 is as described in the first embodiment. That is, the format of the information read from the IC card reader 174 is converted into the format of the information that can be handled by the image forming apparatus management system 10A of the present embodiment.

With such a configuration, the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment can correspond to a plurality of types of IC cards in which information is recorded according to different standards. The image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment acquires the area setting information from the management terminal 18, but the present invention is not limited to this. The area setting information may be recorded on a recording medium in the same manner as the plug-in 180, for example. The area setting information acquisition unit 181 may acquire the area setting information recorded from the recording medium.

Next, the management terminal 18 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a functional configuration diagram of the management terminal 18 of the second embodiment.

The management terminal 18 can be realized by installing a program for the management terminal 18 on a general computer having an arithmetic processing unit and a storage device. Each part of the management terminal 18 shows a function realized by a program.

The management terminal 18 has a display device 190, a control unit 191 and a storage device 192, an area setting information generation unit 193, and a communication unit 194.

The display device 190 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays the processing result of the management terminal 18. The control unit 191 controls various processes executed by the management terminal 18. The storage device 192 stores calculation results by the calculation processing device, setting information of the management terminal 18, and the like. The area setting information generation unit 193 generates the area setting information. The processing of the area setting information generation unit 193 will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings. The communication unit 194 communicates with the management terminal 18 and each device connected via the network.

The process of generating the area setting information in the area information setting unit 193 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an IC card. FIG. 14 (A) is a diagram illustrating an information recording format of the IC card A, and FIG. 14 (B) is a diagram showing information recorded on the IC card A.

Information is recorded on the IC card A in the format shown in FIG. 14 (A). In the example shown in FIG. 14A, the IC card identification information is recorded at the beginning, the employee number information is recorded in the block 1, the information on the number of times the IC card A is issued in the block 2, and the IC card A in the block 3. Information on the issue date of the IC card A and information on the expiration date of the IC card A are recorded in the block 4.

The format shown in FIG. 14A is different for each IC card standard, and is predetermined by the issuer who issues the IC card. The format of the information recorded on the IC card also differs depending on the IC card standard. For example, in the case of a FeliCa (registered trademark) card, information is recorded in the information format of the FeliCa (registered trademark) card in a format dedicated to the FeliCa (registered trademark) card. Further, for example, in the case of an eLWISE card, information is recorded in the format dedicated to the eLWISE card in the information format of the eLWISE card.

FIG. 14B shows the location of each information area recorded on the IC card A. For example, it can be seen that block 1, which is an area in which an employee number is recorded, starts at address 0 and ends at address 9.

The management terminal 18 of the present embodiment generates area setting information using the format information of the IC card A as shown in FIG. The format information of the IC card A is assumed to be provided in advance by the IC card issuer.

The area setting information generation unit 193 of the management terminal 18 is a function realized by the area setting program. In the management terminal 18, when the user who operates the management terminal 18 instructs the generation of the area setting information, the area setting program is started.

In the area setting program, an area for reading information from the IC card A can be set. The area setting program causes the display device 190 of the management terminal 18 to display a setting screen for setting the area of the read information. FIG. 15 shows an example of a setting screen for setting the type of the area for reading information. In the area setting program of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the types of areas for reading information from the IC card A include a card identification information recording area, an arbitrary area in the IC card A, and an area according to the standard format. Either can be selected and set.

Further, in the present embodiment, four patterns of area setting information can be set for one type of IC card. The type of IC card indicates the type of IC card standard.

When the IC card identification information is selected as the area for reading the information on the setting screen of FIG. 15, the area setting program sets the area for reading the information as the first area recorded on the IC card A. The recording area of the IC card identification information may be preset by a system administrator or the like. In the area setting program of the present embodiment, when the IC card identification information is selected as the area for reading the information, the area for reading the information based on this setting is set as the area where the IC card identification information is recorded.

Further, when an area according to the standard format is selected as the area for reading information on the setting screen of FIG. 15, the area setting program sets the area for reading information as the area according to the standard format. The standard format is provided to the system administrator in advance by the issuer of the IC card A, and is set in the management terminal 18. Specifically, when the standard format is followed, for example, information indicating an area where IC card identification information is recorded, information indicating an area where an employee number is recorded, and the like are stored in the management terminal 18 as format information. There is. The area setting program sets an area for reading information based on the format information stored in the management terminal 18.

Next, a case where an arbitrary area in the IC card A is selected as the type of the area for reading information from the IC card A on the setting screen of FIG. 15 will be described.

The area setting of the IC card A will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example in which an area setting information generation screen for generating area setting information of the IC card A is displayed. FIG. 16 shows an area setting information generation screen when reading the information recorded in the IC card.

On the area setting information generation screen, there are a block specification unit 190A that specifies the block to read information, a position specification unit 190B that specifies the position in the specified block, and an information list unit 190C that displays the items of the information to be read. It is provided. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the block 1 and the block 3 of the IC card A are designated in the block designation unit 190A. Further, in the position designation unit 190B, all the data of the blocks 1 and 3 are designated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the area setting information indicating that all the data recorded in the blocks 1 and 3 of the IC card is acquired is generated.

In the information list unit 190C, the employee number, which is all the data recorded in the block 1, and the expiration date, which is all the data recorded in the block 3, are displayed as the items of the information acquired by the area setting information. .. Therefore, according to the area setting program of the present embodiment, the block can be specified and the position of the information in the block can be specified while checking the items of the information to be read on the area setting information generation screen. Therefore, for example, when the area setting information is generated by a system administrator or the like, the area setting information can be generated by a simple operation.

The area setting information generated in the management terminal 18 is provided to the image forming apparatus 17A via, for example, a network. Further, the area setting information may be recorded on a recording medium such as a USB memory at the management terminal 18. The image forming apparatus 17A reads the area setting information recorded on the recording medium and acquires the area setting information. Further, in the present embodiment, the area setting program is installed in the management terminal 18, but the present invention is not limited to this. The area setting program may be installed on the user terminal 15, for example. Further, the area setting program may be installed in a general computer that is not connected to the image forming apparatus 17A, and the generated area setting information may be recorded on the recording medium and provided to the image forming apparatus 17A.

Next, the operation of the plug-in 180 in the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment will be described. In the image forming apparatus 17A, information based on the area setting information can be read from the IC card by operating the program lag-in 180. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the plug-in 180 in the image forming apparatus 17A.

The plug-in 180 starts processing when it is selected as the plan-in to be executed in step S170. The selection of the plug-in is explained below.

The image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment has a plurality of types of plug-ins for controlling the reading of information from the IC card in addition to the plug-in 180. The system administrator can select a plug-in to be executed by the image forming apparatus 17A. The selection of the plug-in is performed by, for example, an administrator tool for managing the image forming apparatus management system 10A. The administrator tool may be provided by the management terminal 18, or may be provided by the image forming apparatus 17A.

Examples of other plug-ins included in the image forming apparatus 17A include SSFC plug-ins conforming to the SSFC (Shared Security Formats Cooperation) standard and eLWISE plug-ins conforming to the eLWISE card standard. For example, when the SSFC® plug-in is selected, the SSFC® plan is executed and the image forming apparatus 17A reads information from the IC card according to the SSFC® standard format. The plug-in 180 of the present embodiment may be applied, for example, as a FeliCa (registered trademark) plug-in in accordance with the FeliCa (registered trademark) standard.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a plug-in selection screen executed by the image forming apparatus 17A. This selection screen may be displayed on the display device included in the management terminal 18 that controls the management server 11A, or may be displayed on the display operation device 172 of the image forming device 17A. When the plug-in 180 is selected on the selection screen shown in FIG. 18, the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment executes the plug-in 180 using this selection instruction as an execution instruction.

The image forming apparatus 17A proceeds to step S171 following step S170. When the plug-in 180 is executed in the image forming apparatus 17A, the area setting information acquisition unit 181 acquires the area setting information. The area setting information acquisition unit 181 may acquire the area setting information from the management terminal 18 via the network, or may acquire the area setting information recorded on the recording medium. Following step S171, the process proceeds to step S172, and the area setting unit 182 sets the acquired area setting information in the image forming apparatus 17A. That is, the area setting unit 182 stores the selected area setting information in the area setting information storage unit 184. Here, the setting of the area setting information in the image forming apparatus 17A is completed.

Following step S172, the process proceeds to step S173, and when the IC card A is held by the IC card reader 174, the IC card reader 174 is recorded in the area set by the IC card A under the control of the card reader control unit 183. Read the information. The card reader control unit 183 refers to the area setting information stored in the area setting information storage unit 184, and controls reading of the information of the IC card reader 174 based on the referenced area setting information. The IC card reader 174 may acquire the format information of the IC card A when the IC card A is held.

In the area setting program of the present embodiment, four patterns of area setting information can be generated for one type of IC card. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 17A may acquire and set the area setting information of a plurality of patterns. When a plurality of patterns of area setting information are set in the image forming apparatus 17A, the card reader control unit 183 determines whether or not each area setting information corresponds to the format of the IC card A in order from the first acquired area setting information. To determine. The card reader control unit 183 controls the reading of information by the IC card reader 174 based on the area setting information determined to correspond to the IC card format.

Following step S173, the process proceeds to step S174, and when the information is read by the IC card reader 174, the information format conversion unit 175 converts the read information into a predetermined information format. The predetermined format is a format of information handled by the image forming apparatus management system 10A of the present embodiment, and is a format of information that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 17A. For example, when the image forming apparatus 17A has specifications corresponding to the information in the format of the FeliCa (registered trademark) card, and the information read from the IC card reader 174 is in the format of the eLWISE card, the information format conversion unit 175 Converts the format of the read information to the format of the FeliCa® card. If the information read by the IC card reader 174 is in a format that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 17A, the information format conversion unit 175 does not have to perform the information format conversion processing.

Following step S174, the process proceeds to step S175, and the image forming apparatus 17A transmits the information whose format has been changed by the information format conversion unit 175 to the management server 11A. The management server 11A executes the user login process using the information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 17A.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment, an area for reading information in the IC card can be set, and the information recorded in the set area can be read. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 17A, the information to be read from the IC card can be set according to the usage environment of the image forming apparatus management system 10A. Further, in the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment, the format of the read information can be converted into a format that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 17A. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment, it is possible to support a plurality of types of IC card readers having different standards. Therefore, the versatility of the image forming apparatus 17A can be improved.

Next, the login process of this embodiment will be described. In the image forming apparatus management system 10A of the present embodiment, for example, even if the user forgets the IC card, he / she can log in by inputting the user ID information and the password.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a login process according to the second embodiment.

The display operation device 172 of the image forming device 17A is provided with an instruction button 172A for instructing the display of the keyboard screen on the standby screen before the login process is started.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the image forming apparatus 17A of the second embodiment, and FIG. 20A shows an example of a standby screen displayed on the display operating apparatus 172. Further, FIG. 20B shows an example of the keyboard screen displayed on the display operation device 172. As shown in FIG. 20 (A), in the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment, the keyboard input instruction button 172A is provided on the standby screen.

When a keyboard input instruction is given by the keyboard input instruction button 172A in step S191, the image forming apparatus 17A proceeds to step S192, and causes the display operation device 172 to display the keyboard screen as shown in FIG. 20 (B).

Following step S192, the process proceeds to step S193, and the image forming apparatus 17A acquires the user ID information and the password input from the keyboard screen. Following step S193, the process proceeds to step S194 to authenticate the user ID information and password acquired by the AD server 13A. The image forming apparatus 17A transmits the acquired user ID information and the password to the AD server 13A via the management server 11A. In the AD server 13A, the information stored in the authentication information storage unit 135 and the authentication processing unit 138 determine whether or not the acquired user ID information and password are valid. The AD server 13A authenticates the user when the acquired user ID information and password are valid.

If the user is authenticated in step S195, the process proceeds to step S196, and the management server 11A permits the user to log in and ends the login process.

If the user is not authenticated in step S195, the process proceeds to step S197 to cause the display operation device 172 of the image forming device 17A to display an authentication error message. From step S197 to step S198, the image forming apparatus 17A acquires the history information of the authentication error and stores it in the execution history information storage unit 177. The authentication error history information may be stored in the management server 11A.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment, the login process can be performed by inputting the user ID information and the password by the keyboard even if the IC card is not possessed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for example, even if the user forgets the IC card, the image forming apparatus 17A can be used based on the user's usage restriction information without issuing a temporary IC card or the like.

In the image forming apparatus management system 10A of the present embodiment, up to four AD servers 13A can be installed. According to this configuration, for example, even if one AD server 13A malfunctions, another AD server 13A can handle it. Further, in the present embodiment, whether or not to display the instruction button 172A on the display operation device 172 of the image forming device 17A may be set in advance by the system administrator. When the image forming apparatus management system 10A is set to display the instruction button 172A, the AD server 13A authenticates the user identification information input from the keyboard screen.

Next, the management of user information in the management server 11A of the present embodiment will be described.

The management server 11A of the present embodiment can register, delete, and update the user information stored in the user information storage device 120.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating registration and deletion of user information in the management server 11A of the second embodiment.

When the IC card reader 174 reads the IC card identification information 121 in the image forming apparatus 17A, the management server 11A proceeds to step S211 and acquires the IC card identification information from the image forming apparatus 17A.

Following step S211 and proceeding to step S212, the management server 11A performs authentication processing of the acquired IC card identification information 121 based on the acquired IC card identification information 121 information and the user information stored in the user information storage device 120. .. If the IC card identification information 121 is not authenticated in S212, the management server 11A transmits the IC card identification information to the AD server 13A. Proceeding to step S213, the authentication processing unit 138 of the AD server 13A performs the authentication processing of the acquired IC card identification information 121 based on the acquired IC card identification information and the user identification information 135.

If the IC card identification information 121 acquired by the AD server 13A is not authenticated in step S213, the AD server 13A transmits an authentication error message to the image forming apparatus 17A via the management server 11A. The process proceeds to step S214, and an authentication error message is displayed on the display operation device 172 of the image forming device 17A.

When the IC card identification information 121 acquired by the AD server 13A is authenticated in step S213, the management server 11A receives a message from the AD server 13A indicating that the user has been authenticated. Upon receiving this message, the management server 11A proceeds to step S215 to log in the user.

Proceeding to step S216 following step S215, the management server 11A registers the user identification information 136 corresponding to the IC card identification information 121 authenticated by the AD server 13A in the user information storage unit 120 by the user information registration unit 132. ..

Specifically, the user information registration unit 132 receives a message that the IC card identification information 121 has been authenticated by the AD server 13A, and the user ID information 122 corresponding to the IC card identification information 121 authenticated by the AD server 13A. To get. Then, the user information registration unit 132 associates the use restriction information with the IC card identification information 121 and the user ID information 122 (user identification information 136) and stores the usage restriction information in the user information storage device 120. The usage restriction information associated with the user identification information 136 is information stored in the user information storage device 120 in advance as initial settings. In the present embodiment, when the usage restriction information is in the initial setting state, all the functions of the image forming apparatus 17A can be used.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the IC card identification information 121 is not authenticated by the management server 11A and is authenticated by the AD server 13A, it is assumed that the user is authenticated. Then, the management server 11A acquires the user ID information 122 corresponding to the IC card identification information 121 from the AD server 13A, associates it with the default usage restriction information, and registers it in the user information storage device 120 of the management server 11A.

Therefore, the system administrator only needs to register the user identification information 136 in the AD server 13A when registering the new user information of the image forming apparatus management system 10A. Therefore, the image forming apparatus management system 10A of the present embodiment does not need to register the user identification information in both the AD server 13A and the management server 11A, and the burden on the system administrator can be reduced.

When the management server 11A authenticates the IC card identification information 121 in step S212, the management server 11A outputs the user identification information 136 including the IC card identification information 121, the IC card identification information 121, and the user ID information 122 to the AD server. Send to 13A. Following step S212, the process proceeds to step S217, and the AD server 13A performs an authentication process for the user identification information 136. When the AD server 13A authenticates the user identification information 136, the process proceeds to step S218, and the management server 11A logs in the user.

If the AD server 13A does not authenticate the user identification information 136 in step S217, the process proceeds to step S219, and the management server 11A invalidates the IC card identification information 121 and sends an authentication error message to the image forming apparatus 17A. Proceeding to step S220 following step S219, the user information deletion unit 133 in the management server 11A receives the IC card identification information 121 that was not authenticated by the AD server 13A from the user information storage device 120 and the corresponding user ID information. Delete 122 and the usage restriction information.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when invalid user information is stored in the management server 11A, it can be automatically deleted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the user information updating unit 134 can update the user information including the registration and deletion of the user information described above.

The user information registration / deletion process described with reference to FIG. 21 is executed only when the IC card identification information of the user to be registered / deleted is acquired. On the other hand, the user information updating unit 134 periodically updates the user information stored in the user information storage device 120.

In the management server 11A, the update file acquisition unit 160 periodically acquires an update file for updating the user information created in advance. When the update file is acquired, the user information update unit 134 rewrites and updates the user information stored in the user information storage device 120 based on the update file.

Here, the update file will be described.

The update file mainly has information related to IC card identification information and user ID information. The information in the update file is information corresponding to the user identification information 136 stored in the AD server 13A. The AD server 13A periodically writes out the user identification information 136 stored in the AD server 13A as a file in a predetermined format and provides it to the management server 11A. The predetermined format indicates a format that can be processed by the management server 11A. In this embodiment, for example, a CSV format file or the like.

The management server 11A acquires an update file periodically provided from the AD server 13A, and updates the user information based on the acquired update file. In the management server 11A, the user information in the user information storage device 120 can be made to correspond to the information in the AD server 13A by this update process. The update of the user information on the management server 11A also includes the update of the usage restriction information.

For example, when new user identification information 136 is added to the update file, the user information update unit 134 associates the default usage restriction information with the newly added user identification information 136, and the user information storage device 120. Store in. When the user identification information 136 is deleted from the update file, the user information update unit 134 deletes the usage restriction information corresponding to the deleted user identification information from the user information storage device 120.

As described above, in the management server 11A of the present embodiment, the user information can be periodically updated in correspondence with the AD server 13A. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform dual information management of managing the user identification information 136 in the AD server 13A and managing the user information in the management server 11A. Therefore, the burden of information management on the system administrator can be reduced.

Further, the management server 11A of the present embodiment can collectively delete the print jobs stored in the print server 16A.

In the management server 11A, the print job deletion instruction unit 140 generates a print job deletion instruction and sends it to the print server 16A. In response to this instruction, the print server 16A deletes the print job held in the print instruction holding unit 161 by the print job deleting unit 164.

The management server 11A may periodically generate a print job deletion instruction and send it to the print server 16A. The print job deletion instruction unit 140 generates a print job deletion instruction for each period preset by the system administrator and transmits the print job deletion instruction to the print server 16A. The print job deletion instruction generated here may be a batch deletion of print jobs. In this case, the print server 16A deletes all the print jobs held in the print command holding unit 161 at once each time the print job deletion instruction is received.

Further, the management server 11A may generate a print job deletion instruction for deleting the print jobs accumulated in a predetermined period set by the system administrator, for example. For example, it is assumed that the system administrator has set to delete the print jobs accumulated in 8 days from 10 days ago to 2 days ago. In this case, the print job deletion instruction unit 140 transmits the print job deletion instruction and the period information set by the system administrator to the print server 16A. The print server 16A deletes the print jobs accumulated during the period set according to the period information.

The print job deletion instruction unit 140 may display a setting screen for setting the period information and prompting the print job deletion instruction on the display device 113 of the management server 11A. The system administrator can generate a print job deletion instruction by setting a period according to the setting screen and issuing a print job deletion instruction.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent a huge amount of data from being accumulated in the print server 16A, and it is possible to reduce the capacity of the print server 16A.
Further, in the management server 11A of the present embodiment, the print order change instruction unit 150 can change the execution order of the print jobs stored in the print server 16A.

In the present embodiment, for example, when the print server 16A is set to execute the print job in the order of the newest date and time when the print job is received, the print order change instruction unit 150 changes the setting of the print server 16A. Can be done. The management server 11A uses the print order change instruction unit 150 to generate an instruction to change the setting to execute the print job in the order of the oldest date and time when the print job is received. The management server 11A transmits the generated print order change instruction to the print server 16A. The print server 16A receives the print order change instruction and changes the print job execution order setting.

The print order change instruction unit 150 may display a setting screen prompting the print order change setting on the display device 113 of the management server 11A. The system administrator can generate a print order change instruction by setting the print order according to the setting screen.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the execution order of the print jobs can be changed, so that the print server 16A can execute the print jobs in an appropriate order according to the operation of the image forming apparatus management system 10A.
(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 20 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Among the components of the image forming apparatus management system 20 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 22, those having the same functions and configurations as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of FIG. 1, and the description thereof will be described here. Is omitted. Hereinafter, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described in FIG.

In the image forming apparatus management system 20 of the third embodiment, the portion corresponding to the image forming apparatus 17A of the second embodiment is the image forming apparatus 17a, the operation terminal 21 for operating the image forming apparatus 17a, and the operation terminal 21. It was composed of an IC card reader 174a connected to the outside. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the configurations of the image forming apparatus 17a, the operation terminal 21, and the IC card reader 174a.

The image forming apparatus 17a and the IC card reader 174a are connected to the operation terminal 21, and the operation terminal 21 is connected to the network constituting the image forming apparatus management system 20. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 17a is serially connected to the operation terminal 21 by RS232C or the like. The IC card reader 174a is connected to the operation terminal 21 by USB or the like.

The image forming device 17a includes a control unit 171a, a display operation device 172a, a recording device 173a, and a communication unit 176a. The control unit 171a controls the execution of processes for realizing the print function, the scan function, the copy function, and the like that can be realized by the image forming apparatus 17a, or the control of these processes. The display operation device 172a operates the image forming device 17a, and is, for example, a numeric keypad or an operation panel. The recording device 173a records the set values of the image forming device 17a and the like. The communication unit 176a communicates with the operation terminal 21.

The operation terminal 21 is, for example, a computer or the like, and has a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, a recording device 213, a display unit 214, an operation unit 215, and a plug-in 180. The control unit 211 controls the execution of processes for realizing the functions of the operation terminal 21 or the control of these processes. The communication unit 212 communicates with the image forming apparatus 17a, the IC card reader 174a, and each device connected to the network. The plug-in 180 is as described in the second embodiment. Further, the operation terminal 21 of the present embodiment may include the area setting information generation unit 193 described in the second embodiment. That is, the area setting program may be installed in the operation terminal 21.

The recording device 213 stores the set value of the operation terminal 21, and may temporarily record the calculated value or the like which is the processing result executed by the control unit 211. The recording device 213 includes information related to the system setting of the image forming device management system 20, IC card identification information, and a user ID in case the operation terminal 21 cannot communicate with the management server 11 and the print server 16. User identification information, usage restriction information corresponding to this user identification information, information indicating a history of a user who has used the image forming apparatus 17a, and the like are recorded, and these information are periodically transmitted to the management server 11. ..

The display unit 214 displays the result of processing executed by the operation terminal 21, the state of the image forming apparatus 17a, and the like, and may be, for example, a liquid crystal display connected to the outside of the operation terminal 21. .. The operation unit 215 is for operating the operation terminal 215, and may be, for example, a keyboard or a mouse connected to the outside of the operation terminal 21. Since the IC card reader 174a has the same function as that of the second embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The user authentication process in the third embodiment will be described below. First, the IC card identification information held by the user is acquired by the IC card reader 174a. The control unit 211 of the operation terminal 21 acquires the IC card identification information from the IC card reader 174a. Then, the IC card identification information acquired by the communication unit 212 is transmitted to the management server 11. Based on the IC card identification information, the management server 11 retrieves the user ID corresponding to the IC card identification information and acquires the usage restriction information corresponding to the extracted user ID.

Then, the management server 11 transmits the usage restriction information acquired by the communication unit 114 to the operation terminal 21. The operation terminal 21 acquires the usage restriction information via the communication unit 212, and controls the image forming apparatus 17a based on the usage restriction information.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus is managed by the operation terminal 21 and the management server 11 that operate the image forming apparatus 17a in this way.

In this embodiment, the application that realizes the functions of the plug-in 180, the execution processing history storage unit 177, the individual information storage unit 178, and the password generation unit 179 described in the first embodiment is read by the operation terminal 21. It may be recorded on a possible recording medium. In this case, the operation terminal 21 has a recording medium reading unit (not shown), and by reading the recording medium, it is possible to have the functions of each of the above units. In that case, the operation terminal 21 controls the image forming apparatus 17a by performing processing by each of the above parts according to the functions that can be realized by the image forming apparatus 17a.
(Fourth Embodiment)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 30 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Among the components of the image forming apparatus management system 30 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 24, those having the same functions and configurations as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of FIG. 1, and the description thereof will be described here. Is omitted. Hereinafter, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described in FIG. 24.

In the image forming apparatus management system 30 of the fourth embodiment, the portion corresponding to the image forming apparatus 17 of the first embodiment is controlled by the laser printer 17b which is an image forming apparatus and the control terminal 31 which controls the laser printer 17b. It was composed of a setting terminal 32 for setting the terminal 31 and an IC card reader 174b connected to the outside of the control terminal. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a laser printer 17b, a control terminal 31, a setting terminal 32, and an IC card reader 174b.

The laser printer 17b is an image forming apparatus having a printer function. The control terminal 31 includes a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, a display unit 313, a recording device 314, and a plug-in 180. The control unit 311 controls processing for realizing the function of the control terminal 31 or control of these processing. The communication unit 312 communicates with each device constituting the image forming apparatus management system 30 and with the laser printer 17b. The display unit 313 displays the status of the entire system in the image forming apparatus management system 30, the communication status between the control terminal 31 and each device, and the like. The plug-in 180 is as described in the second embodiment. Further, the control terminal 31 of the present embodiment may include the area setting information generation unit 193 described in the second embodiment. That is, the area setting program may be installed in the control terminal 31.
The display unit 313 is an LED (Light Emitting Diode) which is a light emitting element of three colors, and the system state of the image forming apparatus management system 30 of the present embodiment and the control terminal 31 and the management server are combined by combining these three color LEDs. The communication status with the 11 and the print server 16 and the device status of the management server 11 and the print server 16 are displayed to the user. The details of this display method will be described later.

The recording device 314 records the set value of the control terminal 31 and the like. Further, in the recording device 314, in case the control terminal 31 cannot communicate with the management server 11 and the print server 16, information related to the system setting of the image forming device management system 30, IC card identification information and a user ID User identification information consisting of the above, usage restriction information corresponding to this user identification information, information indicating the history of the user who used the laser printer 17b, and the like are recorded, and these information are periodically transmitted to the management server 11. To.

The IC card reader 174b has the same function as the IC card reader 174a of the second embodiment, and is connected to the control terminal 31 by USB or the like. The setting terminal 32 performs various settings in the control terminal 31, and is, for example, a computer. The setting terminal 32 is connected to the control terminal 31 by a cross cable or the like.

The user authentication process in this embodiment will be described below. First, the IC card identification information of the IC card owned by the user is acquired by the IC card reader 174b. The control unit 311 of the control terminal 31 acquires the IC card identification information from the IC card reader 174b. Then, the IC card identification information acquired by the communication unit 312 is transmitted to the management server 11. Based on the IC card identification information, the management server 11 retrieves the user ID associated with the IC card identification information and acquires the usage restriction information corresponding to the extracted user ID.

Then, the management server 11 transmits the usage restriction information acquired by the communication unit 114 to the control terminal 31. The control terminal 31 acquires the usage restriction information via the communication unit 312, and controls the laser printer 17b based on the usage restriction information.

For example, when the user authenticated by the usage restriction information restricts the use of the laser printer 17b, the control unit 311 sets the operation keys provided in the laser printer 17b to the hard key lock state in which the laser printer 17b cannot be used. To do. Further, when the user authenticated by the user is permitted to use the laser printer 17b based on the usage restriction information, the control unit 311 sets the hard key lock state of the laser printer 17b to be released. In this way, the user can execute the printing process by using the operation keys of the laser printer 17b.

In the present embodiment, the control terminal 31 and the management server 11 limit and manage the use of the laser printer 17b, which is an image forming apparatus, as described above. With such a configuration, the present invention can be applied not only to the management of an expensive image forming apparatus but also to the management of a laser printer or the like which is expected to be cheaper and easily available to the user. You can get the effect of playing with.

Next, the display method performed by the display unit 313 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a display method showing a state of the image forming apparatus management system 30 in the display unit 313. FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a display method showing a state of a second print server when a plurality of print servers 16 are connected in the fourth embodiment. In FIGS. 26 and 27, the horizontal direction indicates the passage of time, and one square is converted to 1 second. The display unit 313 shows a state in which 1 second has passed for each 1 square shift to the left side of the paper. And said.

The display unit 313 of the control terminal 31 has three color LEDs of green, red, and yellow. In the present embodiment, the LED 1 is a green LED, indicating the power state of the control terminal 31. LED1 lights up when the power of the control terminal 31 is ON. The LED 2 is a red LED and mainly indicates the state of the device of the control terminal 31. The LED 3 is a yellow LED, and mainly indicates the state of the devices of the management server 11 and the print server 16 and the communication state of the control terminal 31 and the management server 11 and the print server 16. The blinking method of LED2 and LED3 will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 26A is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication state of the service in the control terminal 31 on the display unit 313. The service referred to here means data transmission / reception within the control terminal 31. When there is an abnormality in the communication status of the service in the control terminal 31, the LED 2 blinks once every 5 seconds on the display unit 313. That is, after the LED 2 is turned on for 1 second, the rest period in which none of the LEDs is turned on continues for 4 seconds. Then, it returns to the blinking of LED2 again. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the communication abnormality of the service in the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26B is a diagram showing a disk capacity warning of the local disk of the control terminal 31 on the display unit 313. When the remaining capacity of the disk capacity of the control terminal 31 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the LED 2 blinks twice every second, and then the pause period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED2. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the disk capacity warning of the local disk of the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26C is a diagram showing an abnormality in the device of the IC card reader 174b on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 2 blinks 3 times every 1 second, and then the rest period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED2. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the abnormality of the device of the IC card reader 174b.

FIG. 26 (D) is a diagram showing an abnormality in the device state of the control terminal 31 on the display unit 313. The abnormality of the device state of the control terminal 31 means a state in which data communication cannot be performed due to a failure of the control terminal 31 or the like. In this case, the LED 3 blinks once every 5 seconds. That is, after the LED 3 is turned on for 1 second, the rest period in which none of the LEDs is turned on continues for 4 seconds. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the abnormality of the device state of the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26 (E) is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication state with the print server 16 on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 3 blinks twice every second, after which the rest period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of an abnormality in the communication status between the print server 16 and the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26F is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication state with the management server 11 on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 3 blinks 3 times every 1 second, and then the rest period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of an abnormality in the communication status between the management server 11 and the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26 (G) is a diagram showing an internal error of the control terminal 31 on the display unit 313. The internal error means, for example, a case where the process executed in the control terminal 31 cannot be executed for some reason. In this case, LED2 and LED3 repeat blinking every second at the same timing. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the internal error abnormality of the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26 (H) is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication state of the service in the print server 16 on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 3 blinks four times every second, after which the rest period continues for four seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of an abnormality in the communication status of the service in the print server 16.

FIG. 26 (I) is a diagram showing a disk capacity warning of the print server 16 on the display unit 313. When the remaining capacity of the disk capacity in the print server 16 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the LED 3 blinks 5 times every 1 second, and then the pause period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the disk capacity warning of the print server 16.

FIG. 26 (J) is a diagram showing a database capacity warning of the print server 16 on the display unit 313. The database of the print server 16 means, for example, a data storage area in which various data are stored in the print server 16. When the remaining capacity of the database in the print server 16 becomes less than or equal to a predetermined value, in this case, the LED 3 blinks 6 times every 1 second, and then the pause period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the database capacity warning of the print server 16.

FIG. 26 (K) is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication status of the service in the management server 11 on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 3 blinks 7 times every 1 second, and then the rest period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the abnormality of the communication status of the service in the management server 11.

FIG. 26 (L) is a diagram showing a disk capacity warning of the management server 11 on the display unit 313. When the remaining capacity of the disk capacity in the management server 11 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the LED 3 blinks eight times every second, and then the pause period continues for four seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the disk capacity warning of the management server 11.

FIG. 26 (M) is a diagram showing a database capacity warning of the management server 11 on the display unit 313. The database of the management server 11 means, for example, a data storage area in which various data are stored in the management server 11. When the remaining capacity of the database in the management server 11 becomes less than or equal to the predetermined value, in this case, the LED 3 blinks 9 times every 1 second, and then the pause period continues for 4 seconds. And again, it returns to blinking every second of LED3. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the database capacity warning of the management server 11.

In this way, the display unit 313 of the control terminal 31 allows the user to grasp the device status of the control terminal 31, the management server 11 and the print server 16 and the communication status between the control terminal 31 and the management server 11 and the print server 16. It is displayed in.

Further, in the image forming apparatus management system 30 of the present embodiment, a plurality of printing servers 16 can be provided. A method of displaying information related to the second print server (not shown) in this case will be described with reference to FIG. 27. In FIG. 27, the “!” Mark indicates a quick blinking of the LED with a lighting time of less than 1 second. For example, if it is "●! ●", it means that the LED repeats blinking twice with a lighting time of less than 1 second.

FIG. 27A is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication state between the second print server and the control terminal 31 on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 3 blinks twice every second, and blinks with a lighting time of less than 1 second twice during the subsequent 4 seconds. After that, the LED 3 returns to blinking every second. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of an abnormality in the communication status with the second print server.

FIG. 27B is a diagram showing an abnormality in the communication status of the service in the second print server on the display unit 313. In this case, the LED 3 blinks four times every second, and the lighting time of less than one second blinks twice during the subsequent four seconds. After that, the LED 3 returns to blinking every second. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the abnormality in the communication status of the service in the second print server.

FIG. 27C is a diagram showing a disk capacity warning of the second print server on the display unit 313. When the remaining capacity of the disk capacity in the second print server becomes less than the specified value, in this case, the LED 3 blinks 5 times every 1 second, and the lighting time blinks less than 1 second during the subsequent 4 seconds. Repeat twice. After that, the LED 3 returns to blinking every second. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the disk capacity warning of the second print server.

FIG. 27 (D) is a diagram showing a database capacity warning of the second print server on the display unit 313. The database of the second print server means, for example, a data storage area in which various types of data are stored in the print server. When the remaining capacity of the disk capacity in the second print server becomes less than the specified value, in this case, the LED 3 blinks 6 times every second, and the lighting time blinks less than 1 second during the subsequent 4 seconds. Repeat twice. After that, the LED 3 returns to blinking every second. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of the database capacity warning of the second print server.

In this way, the control terminal 31 of the present embodiment shows the device status of the plurality of print servers and the communication status with the control terminal 31 on the display unit 313 even when a plurality of print servers are connected. Information can be displayed so that the user can grasp it.

Further, the procedure for realizing each function of the management servers 11 and 11A in each of the above-described embodiments may be recorded on a recording medium as a computer-readable image forming apparatus management program.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a recording medium on which a program for realizing each function of the management servers 11 and 11A described in each embodiment is recorded. By reading the program recorded on the recording medium 410 into the computer 500 and executing the program, each function described in the present embodiment can be realized.

For example, the computer 500 includes a CPU 510, a hard disk 520, a memory 530, a display unit 540, an input unit 550, a communication unit 560, and a recording medium reading unit 570. The CPU 510 is an arithmetic processing unit that executes arithmetic operations and processes executed by the computer 500. The hard disk 520 is a storage means for storing data, and stores an application running on the computer 500, data created by the application, and the like. Various setting values related to the computer 500, calculation results of the CPU 510, and the like are stored in the memory 530.

The display unit 540 is a display or the like, and displays data or the like created by the computer 500 so that the user can view it. The input unit 550 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and various data are input by the user's operation. The communication unit 560 is, for example, a network control unit or the like, for the computer 500 to communicate with an external device. The recording medium reading unit 570 reads data, programs, and the like recorded on various recording media, such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk driver.

The recording medium 410 records an image forming apparatus management program 400 that realizes each function of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus management program 400 is read by the recording medium reading unit 570 and executed by the CPU 510. The recording medium 410 may be, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), or the like, and may be a medium that can be read by the computer 500. Further, the image forming apparatus management program 400 may be received by the communication unit 560 via the network and stored in the hard disk 520 or the like.

Further, the procedure for realizing each function of the image forming apparatus 17, 17A, 17a in each of the above-described embodiments may be recorded on a recording medium as a computer-readable image forming program.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a recording medium in which a program for realizing each function of the image forming apparatus 17, 17A, 17a described in each embodiment is recorded. By reading the program recorded on the recording medium 710 into the image forming apparatus 600 and executing the program, each function described in the present embodiment can be realized.

For example, the image forming apparatus 600 includes a CPU 610, a hard disk 620, a memory 630, a display operation unit 640, a scanner unit 650, a communication unit 660, a recording medium reading unit 670, and a plotter unit 680. The CPU 610 is an arithmetic processing unit that executes arithmetic and processing executed by the image forming apparatus 600. The hard disk 620 is a storage means for storing data, and stores an application running on the image forming apparatus 600, data created by this application, and the like. The memory 630 stores various setting values related to the image forming apparatus 600, calculation results of the CPU 610, and the like.

The display operation unit 640 is an operation panel or the like having a display unit, and displays the operation of the image forming apparatus 600, the apparatus state, the progress of the processing, and the like. The scanner unit 650 is composed of a scanner, a scanner engine, and the like, and scans a paper document to obtain image data. The communication unit 660 is, for example, a network control unit or the like, for the image forming apparatus 600 to communicate with an external device. The recording medium reading unit 670 reads data, programs, and the like recorded on various recording media, such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk driver. The plotter unit 680 is composed of a plotter, a plotter engine, and the like, and prints out image data.

The recording medium 710 records an image forming program 700 that realizes each function of the present embodiment. The image forming program 700 is read by the recording medium reading unit 670 and executed by the CPU 610. The recording medium 710 may be, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), or the like, and may be a medium that can be read by the image forming apparatus 600. Further, the image forming program 700 may be received by the communication unit 660 via the network and stored in the hard disk 620 or the like.

Although the present invention has been described above based on each embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the above embodiments. With respect to these points, the gist of the present invention can be changed without impairing the gist of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form thereof.

It is a system block diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 10 in 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 17 in 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the management server 11 in the 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the print server 16 in the 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the user authentication process in the image forming apparatus management system 10. It is a flowchart explaining the operation of the personal menu processing in the image forming apparatus 17 of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the state of the display operation apparatus 172 when the personal menu processing is selected. It is a system block diagram of the image formation apparatus management system 10A of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the management server 11A of the second embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the AD server 13A of the second embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the print server 16A of the second embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 17A of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the management terminal 18 of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining an IC card. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting screen which sets the type of the area which reads the information. It is a figure which shows the example which displayed the area setting information generation screen which generates the area setting information of IC card A. It is a flowchart explaining the operation of the plug-in 180 in the image forming apparatus 17A. It is a figure which shows an example of the selection screen of the plug-in executed by the image forming apparatus 17A. It is a flowchart explaining the login process in the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen in the image forming apparatus 17A of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the registration and deletion of the user information in the management server 11A of the second embodiment. It is a system block diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 20 in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structure of the image forming apparatus 17a, the operation terminal 21, and IC card reader 174a. It is a system block diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 30 in 4th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structure of the laser printer 17b, the control terminal 31, the setting terminal 32, and the IC card reader 174b. It is a figure explaining the state of the LED which shows the state of the image forming apparatus management system 30 in the display unit 313. It is a figure explaining the state of the LED which shows the state of the 2nd printing server when a plurality of printing servers 16 are connected in the 4th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the recording medium in which the program which realizes each function of the management server 11 and 11A described in each embodiment is recorded. It is a figure explaining the recording medium which recorded the program which realizes each function of the image forming apparatus 17, 17A, 17a described in each embodiment.

10, 20, 30 Image forming device management system 11, 11A Management server 13 AD server 15 User terminal 16, 16A Printing server 17, 17A, 17a Image forming device 17b Laser printer 21 Operation terminal 31 Control terminal 111, 171, 211, 311 Control unit 130 User information management unit 140 Print job deletion instruction unit 150 Printing order change instruction unit 160 Update file acquisition unit 174, 174a, 174b IC card reader 180 Plug-in 193 Area setting information generation unit

Claims (11)

A management device that controls user authentication and connects to an image forming device via a network .
A user information storage means for storing user information in which user identification information for identifying a user and recording medium identification information for identifying a recording medium are associated with each other.
A setting means for receiving the setting of the management device that performs user authentication processing using the user information held in the user information holding device connected to the management device via the network, and
Wherein transmitted from the image forming apparatus, the recording medium identification information which the user is recorded on the recording medium owned, receiving means for receiving from said image forming apparatus,
When the management device controls the user authentication process based on the recording medium identification information received from the image forming device , the control for controlling the user authentication process based on the user information stored in the user information storage means. With means,
The control means is characterized in that, when it is determined that the settings are set, the control means cooperates with the user information holding device and controls the user authentication process based on the user information held in the user information holding device. Management device. The control means
In the case of the above setting, the confirmation result of whether or not the user identification information specified from the recording medium identification information received by the receiving means exists in the user information held in the user information holding device. The management device according to claim 1, which determines the success or failure of authentication of the user based on the above. The control means
When the user authentication process is controlled based on the user information stored in the user information storage means, the user information stored in the user information storage means and the received recording medium identification information are used as the basis for the user information. The management device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, which determines the success or failure of user authentication. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recording medium possessed by the user is a portable recording medium. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recording medium is an IC card, and the recording medium identification information capable of identifying the recording medium is IC card identification information. The user information holding device, characterized in that it is a Actived i rectory server management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The receiving means
The image forming apparatus obtains the recording medium identification information recorded on the recording medium owned by the user used when logging in to the image forming apparatus, which is acquired by the image forming apparatus connected to the management apparatus via a network. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the management device receives from. The user information stored in the user information storage means includes use restriction information indicating functions or setting conditions that can be used in the image forming apparatus.
Any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control means transmits to the image forming apparatus the use restriction information corresponding to the user authenticated by the user authentication process based on the received recording medium identification information. The management device according to paragraph 1. It is a management method by a management device that controls the user authentication process and connects to the image forming device via a network .
A step of storing user information in which user identification information that identifies a user and recording medium identification information that can identify a recording medium are associated with each other in the management device.
A process of accepting the setting of the management device that performs user authentication processing using the user information held in the user information holding device connected to the management device via the network.
A step of receiving the recording medium identification information recorded on the recording medium owned by the user, which is transmitted from the image forming apparatus , and
When the management device controls the user authentication process based on the recording medium identification information received from the image forming device , the step of controlling the user authentication process based on the user information stored in the management device, and Have,
In the step of controlling the user authentication process, when it is determined that the setting is set, the user authentication process is performed in cooperation with the user information holding device based on the user information held in the user information holding device. A management method characterized by controlling. A program that a computer runs
A process of storing user information in which a user identification information that identifies a user and a recording medium identification information that can identify a recording medium are associated with each other in the computer.
A process of receiving the setting of the computer intends rows a user authentication process using the user information held in the user information holding device connected via the computer network,
A process of receiving the recording medium identification information recorded on the recording medium owned by the user, which is transmitted from the image forming apparatus , and
When the computer controls the user authentication process based on the recording medium identification information received from the image forming apparatus, the process of controlling the user authentication process based on the user information stored in the computer and the computer. To execute
In the process of controlling the user authentication process, when it is determined that the setting is set, the user authentication process is performed in cooperation with the user information holding device based on the user information held in the user information holding device. A program characterized by causing the computer to execute a process to be controlled. A management system having an image forming apparatus and a management apparatus that connects to the image forming apparatus via a network and controls a user authentication process of a user who uses the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus
It has a transmission means for acquiring the recording medium identification information recorded on the recording medium owned by the user and transmitting the acquired recording medium identification information to the management device.
The management device
A user information storage means for storing user information in which user identification information for identifying a user and recording medium identification information for identifying a recording medium are associated with each other.
A setting means for receiving the setting of the management device that performs user authentication processing using the user information held in the user information holding device connected to the management device via the network, and
A receiving means for receiving the recording medium identification information recorded on the recording medium owned by the user transmitted from the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus .
When the management device controls the user authentication process based on the recording medium identification information received from the image forming device, the control means for controlling the user authentication process based on the user information stored in the user information storage means. And have
The control means is characterized in that, when it is determined that the settings are set, the control means cooperates with the user information holding device and controls the user authentication process based on the user information held in the user information holding device. Management system.

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