Processing apparatus, job execution apparatus, method for controlling the processing apparatus and storage medium

• US 20070127061A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Itagaki, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00832 Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• 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 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

An IC card reader/writer is connected to an image forming apparatus in advance. The image forming apparatus is provided with a job database for storing job information for one or more jobs in association with the number of reads of a user card respectively, a number of reads count portion for counting the number of reads that a user continually made the IC card reader/writer read the user ID, and a job execution control portion for performing control processing so that execution of a job for processing contents is started. The processing contents correspond to the number of reads that was counted and are stored in the job database.

Claims

1. A processing apparatus, comprising:

an interface for connecting to a reading device reading information from a portable storage medium;

a memory device for storing one or more processing contents in association with number of reads of predetermined information respectively;

a counter for counting number of reads that a user continually made the reading device read the predetermined information recorded on the storage medium; and

a controller for performing control processing so that execution of processing for the processing contents is started, the processing contents corresponding to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and being stored in the memory device.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is an IC card, and the reading device is an IC card reader.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving portion for receiving designation of contents of processing desired by the user,

wherein the memory device stores, as the processing contents, contents relating to the designation received by the receiving portion.

4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the receiving portion receives the designation of the contents of the processing desired by the user and designation of the number of reads of the predetermined information, the number of reads being a condition for starting the execution of processing for the contents of the processing desired by the user, and

the memory device stores, as the processing contents, contents relating to the designation received by the receiving portion in association with the number of reads relating to the designation.

5. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a printing device for printing an image on paper,

wherein the receiving portion receives designation of contents relating to print processing for printing an image on paper, and

the controller performs control processing for the printing device so that execution of the print processing for the processing contents is started, the processing contents corresponding to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and being stored in the memory device.

6. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a transmission device for transmitting image data to an external device,

wherein the receiving portion receives designation of contents relating to transmission processing for transmitting image data to an external device, and

the controller performs control processing for the transmission device so that execution of the transmission processing for the processing contents is started, the processing contents corresponding to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and being stored in the memory device.

7. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying, for the user, one or more operation pictures by which the user performs an operation,

wherein the memory device stores, as the processing contents, information as to which of the operation pictures is displayed on the display device, and

the controller performs control processing, based on the processing contents, for the display device so that the operation picture indicated in the processing contents is displayed, the processing contents corresponding to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and being stored in the memory device.

8. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory device stores, as the processing contents, information as to which one of login processing or logout processing is to be executed for a predetermined account, and

the controller performs control processing so that the login processing is executed for the predetermined account if the processing contents are information indicating that the login processing is to be executed, and performs control processing so that the logout processing is executed for the predetermined account if the processing contents are information indicating that the logout processing is to be executed, the processing contents corresponding to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and being stored in the memory device.

9. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is shared by plural accounts,

the memory device stores, as the processing contents, information as to which of the accounts is processed for login to the processing apparatus, and

the controller performs control processing so that the login processing is executed for the account indicated in the processing contents that correspond to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and are stored in the memory device.

10. A job execution apparatus connected to a reading device reading information from a portable storage medium, the job execution apparatus comprising:

a receiving portion for receiving a reservation for execution of a job together with processing contents in executing the job and a starting condition value that is a counting number used as a condition for starting the execution of the job;

a memory device for storing the processing contents and the starting condition value, both of which relating to the reservation that was received by the receiving portion;

a counter for counting number of reads that the reading device continually read predetermined information from the storage medium; and

a controller for performing control processing so that execution of a job for the processing contents is started, the processing contents corresponding to the starting condition value that is equal to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and being stored in the memory device.

11. A job execution apparatus connected to a reading device reading information from a portable storage medium, the job execution apparatus comprising:

a receiving portion for receiving a reservation for execution of a job that is desired by a user together with processing contents in executing the job and a starting condition value that is a counting number used as a condition for starting the execution of the job;

a memory device for storing the processing contents relating to the reservation that was received in association with the starting condition value relating to the reservation and a user ID of the user who is a source of the reservation;

a counter for counting number of reads that the reading device continually read the user ID recorded on the storage medium; and

a controller for performing control processing so that execution of a job for the processing contents is started, the processing contents corresponding to the user ID that was read by the reading device and to the starting condition value that is equal to the number of reads that was counted by the counter with respect to the user ID and being stored in the memory device.

12. A method for controlling a processing apparatus, the method comprising:

preparing a reading device connected to the processing apparatus, the reading device reading information from a portable storage medium;

making a memory device store processing contents of one or more processing that is to be executed by the processing apparatus in association with number of reads of predetermined information respectively; and

controlling the processing apparatus to count number of reads that a user continually made the reading device read the predetermined information recorded on the storage medium, and to start execution of processing for the processing contents that correspond to the number of reads that was counted by the counter and are stored in the memory device.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for use in a computer that controls a processing apparatus connected to a reading device reading information from a portable storage medium, the computer program making the computer execute the processing comprising the steps of:

counting number of reads that a user continually made the reading device read predetermined information recorded on the storage medium;

calling processing contents corresponding to the number of reads that was counted from a memory device storing the processing contents in association with number of reads of predetermined information respectively, the processing contents being for one or more processing that is to be executed by the processing apparatus; and

controlling the processing apparatus so that execution of processing for the processing contents that was called is started.