MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20070282995A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Mizuno, Atsushi, Hosoda, Yasuhiro
• Application Number:
  US11/734,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282995A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1289 in server-client-printer device configuration, e.g. the server does not see the printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements

Abstract

A plurality of device groups are layered and displayed on a display unit based on management information for grouping a plurality of image processing devices and managing them as a device group having a layer attribute. Setting of function restriction information on a function restricted in use in executing a job is accepted for the device group selected from the device groups. The function restriction information is set for all image processing devices in the set device group. At this time, the set function restriction information is set for a group of image processing devices on a lower layer of the selected device group.

Claims

1. A management system connected via a network to a plurality of image processing devices and a client apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit adapted to store management information for grouping the plurality of image processing devices and managing the plurality of image processing devices as a device group having a layer attribute;

a display controller adapted to layer a plurality of device groups based on the management information and causes a display unit to display the layered device groups;

a selection unit adapted to select a device group from the layered device groups displayed on the display unit;

a setting acceptance unit adapted to accept, for the device group selected by said selection unit, setting of function restriction information on a function restricted in use in executing a job; and

a setting unit which sets the function restriction information for all image processing devices in the set device group,

wherein said setting unit sets, for a group of image processing devices on a lower layer of the selected device group, the function restriction information set by said setting unit.

2. A management system which has an authentication unit adapted to perform authentication for a request from an external apparatus, and a response unit adapted to send back a response associated with function restriction in job execution to an authentication requesting side based on the authentication by the authentication unit, and which can communicate with a plurality of image processing devices, comprising:

a grouping unit adapted to set a group of image processing devices;

a setting indication unit adapted to indicate function restriction setting of an image processing device; and

a setting unit which makes the function restriction setting indicated by said setting indication unit at once for the image processing devices grouped by said grouping unit,

wherein when one of the grouped image processing devices issues the request, the response unit sends back a response associated with function restriction with reference to contents set by the setting unit.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said grouping unit sets a layer attribute for the group of image processing devices.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said setting unit makes the function restriction setting at once for image processing devices in a group on a lower layer of a selected group.

5. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a selection acceptance unit adapted to accept selection of one of groups; and

a moving indication acceptance unit adapted to accept an indication to move the selection-accepted group to a group having another layer attribute,

wherein said setting unit makes setting based on the function restriction setting of a destination group for image processing devices in the moving indication-accepted group.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an identification unit adapted to identify a group that is improper as a destination when said selection acceptance unit accepts selection of a group; and

a display controller adapted to identifiably display the group identified by said identification unit.

7. The system according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of groups are displayed in a tree structure based on the layer attribute.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein

the authentication unit authenticates a user,

the response unit sends back a response associated with function restriction corresponding to the user to be authenticated with reference to function restriction setting of the user, and

the management system further comprising:

a priority setting unit adapted to set, for the group of devices, which of function restriction setting of a user-independent applicable device and function restriction setting of each user is prioritized; and

a use selection unit adapted to selectively use one of the function restriction setting of the user-independent applicable device and the function restriction setting of each user based on setting by said priority setting unit when executing a job from a user.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein said setting unit sets restriction on login of a guest user to an image processing device.

10. The system according to claim 2, wherein said setting unit sets permission/inhibition of remote copy or permission/inhibition of remote scan as function restriction setting.

11. The system according to claim 2, wherein an external apparatus is an image processing device, and a request from the image processing device is issued at a timing when the image processing device is activated or when an indication is input via an operation unit of the image processing device.

12. A management system comprising:

a grouping unit adapted to set a group of image processing devices;

a setting indication unit adapted to indicate function restriction setting associated with a function of an image processing device that is restricted in use in executing a job by the image processing device; and

a setting unit adapted to make the function restriction setting indicated by said setting indication unit at once for the image processing devices grouped by said grouping unit.

13. A method of controlling a management system which is connected via a network to a plurality of image processing devices and a client apparatus, and has a storage unit adapted to store management information for grouping the plurality of image processing devices and managing the plurality of image processing devices as a device group having a layer attribute, comprising:

a display control step of layering a plurality of device groups based on the management information and causing a display unit to display the layered device groups;

a selection step of selecting a device group from the layered device groups displayed on the display unit;

a setting accepting step of accepting, for the device group selected in the selection step, setting of function restriction information on a function restricted in use in executing a job; and

a setting step of setting the function restriction information for all image processing devices in the set device group,

wherein in the setting step, the set function restriction information is set for a group of image processing devices on a lower layer of the selected device group.

14. A method of controlling a management system which has an authentication unit adapted to perform authentication for a request from an external apparatus, and a response unit adapted to send back a response associated with function restriction in job execution to an authentication requesting side based on the authentication by the authentication unit, and which can communicate with a plurality of image processing devices, comprising:

a grouping step of setting a group of image processing devices;

a setting indication step of indicating function restriction setting of an image processing device;

a setting step of making the function restriction setting indicated in the setting indication step at once for the image processing devices grouped in the grouping step; and

a response step of causing the response unit to send back a response associated with function restriction with reference to contents set in the setting step when one of the grouped image processing devices issues the request.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the grouping step, a layer attribute is set for the group of image processing devices.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein in the setting step, the function restriction setting is made at once for image processing devices in a group on a lower layer of a selected group.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

a selection accepting step of accepting selection of one of groups; and

a moving indication accepting step of accepting an indication to move the selection-accepted group to a group having another layer attribute,

wherein in the setting step, setting based on the function restriction setting of a destination group is made for image processing devices in the moving indication-accepted group.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

an identification step of identifying a group that is improper as a destination when selection of a group is accepted in the selection accepting step; and

a display control step of identifiably displaying the group identified in the identification step.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein a plurality of groups are displayed in a tree structure based on the layer attribute.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

an authentication step of authenticating a user by the authentication unit;

a step of causing the response unit to send back a response associated with function restriction corresponding to the user to be authenticated with reference to function restriction setting of the user;

a priority setting step of setting, for the group of devices, which of function restriction setting of a user-independent applicable device and function restriction setting of each user is prioritized; and

a use selection step of selectively using one of the function restriction setting of the user-independent applicable device and the function restriction setting of each user based on setting in the priority setting step when executing a job from a user.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the setting step, restriction on login of a guest user to an image processing device is set.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the setting step, permission/inhibition of remote copy or permission/inhibition of remote scan is set as function restriction setting.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein an external apparatus is an image processing device, and a request from the image processing device is issued at a timing when the image processing device is activated or when an indication is input via an operation unit of the image processing device.

24. A method of controlling a management system, comprising:

a grouping step of setting a group of image processing devices;

a setting indication step of indicating function restriction setting associated with a function of an image processing device that is restricted in use in executing a job by the image processing device; and

a setting step of making the function restriction setting indicated in the setting indication step at once for the image processing devices grouped in the grouping step.

25. A computer program which is stored in a computer-readable storage medium and causes a computer to execute a method of controlling a management system which is connected via a network to a plurality of image processing devices and a client apparatus, and has a storage unit adapted to store management information for grouping the plurality of image processing devices and managing the plurality of image processing devices as a device group having a layer attribute, the method comprising:

a display control step of layering a plurality of device groups based on the management information and causing a display unit to display the layered device groups;

a selection step of selecting a device group from the layered device groups displayed on the display unit;

a setting accepting step of accepting, for the device group selected in the selection step, setting of function restriction information on a function restricted in use in executing a job; and

a setting step of setting the function restriction information for all image processing devices in the set device group,

wherein in the setting step, the set function restriction information is set for a group of image processing devices on a lower layer of the selected device group.

26. A computer program which is stored in a computer-readable storage medium and causes a computer to execute a method of controlling a management system which has an authentication unit adapted to perform authentication for a request from an external apparatus, and a response unit adapted to send back a response associated with function restriction in job execution to an authentication requesting side based on the authentication by the authentication unit, and which can communicate with a plurality of image processing devices, the method comprising:

a grouping step of setting a group of image processing devices;

a setting indication step of indicating function restriction setting of an image processing device;

a setting step of making the function restriction setting indicated in the setting indication step at once for the image processing devices grouped in the grouping step; and

a response step of causing the response unit to send back a response associated with function restriction with reference to contents set in the setting step when one of the grouped image processing devices issues the request.

27. A computer program which is stored in a computer-readable storage medium and causes a computer to execute a method of controlling a management system, the method comprising:

a grouping step of setting a group of image processing devices;

a setting indication step of indicating function restriction setting associated with a function of an image processing device that is restricted in use in executing a job by the image processing device; and

a setting step of making the function restriction setting indicated in the setting indication step at once for the image processing devices grouped in the grouping step.