Printer device, printing method, printing program, and recording medium

• US 20060001897A1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Naruhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,551,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3221 of a job number or identification, e.g. communication number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently

Abstract

A printer device is provided that includes: an authenticating unit that performs user authentication; a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information; and an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit.

Claims

1. A printer device comprising:

an authenticating unit that performs user authentication;

a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information; and

an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit.

2. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is user authentication information that is contained in the print job and is used for authenticating a user.

3. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is guest job identification information that is contained in the print job and indicates that the print job is the guest job.

4. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, which can handle a plurality of printer control languages,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is written in a particular printer control language among the plurality of printer control languages.

5. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of interfaces,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received via a particular interface among the plurality of interfaces.

6. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, which is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received from a particular terminal among the plurality of terminals.

7. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, which can determine whether the existence of the guest job is allowed.

8. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a user who is authenticated by the authenticating unit is allowed to perform an operation relating to the guest job.

9. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a display unit that displays an image while hiding the information of the document relating to the guest job, when the user who is authenticated by the authenticating unit does not have authority to manage the printer device.

10. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a recording unit that records an operation relating to the guest job performed by a user who is authenticated by the authenticating unit, the operation being recorded as a job performed by the user.

11. The printer device as claimed in claim 10, wherein, when the print job contains user authentication information to be used for authenticating a user and guest job identification information indicating the print job is the guest job, the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, and the recording unit records the operation relating to the guest job performed by the user authenticated by the authenticating unit, the operation being recorded as a job performed by the user.

12. The printer device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a document accumulating unit that accumulates documents relating to the print job,

wherein, once accumulated in the document accumulating unit, the documents relating to the guest job are printed in accordance with a request from the user authenticated by the authenticating unit.

13. The printer device as claimed in claim 12, wherein, when the user authenticated by the authenticating unit has the authority to manage the printer device, an instruction can be issued to collectively print the documents accumulated in the document accumulating unit.

14. A printing method that is utilized by a printer device comprising an authenticating unit that authenticates a user, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a print job is to be regarded as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information; and

performing document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination performed in the step of determining the print job.

15. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the predetermined information is user authentication information that is contained in the print job and is used for authenticating a user.

16. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the predetermined information is guest job identification information that is contained in the print job and indicates that the print job is the guest job.

17. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, which can handle a plurality of printer control languages,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is written in a particular printer control language among the plurality of printer control languages.

18. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of interfaces,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received via a particular interface among the plurality of interfaces.

19. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, which is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received from a particular terminal among the plurality of terminals.

20. A printing program for causing a computer to execute the printing method as claimed in claim 14.

21. A recording medium that can be read by a computer in which the printing program as claimed in claim 20 is recorded.