IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100020345A1
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Achiwa, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network

Abstract

A method is provided for controlling an image forming apparatus provided in a room managed by a management apparatus capable of managing an entry or exit state of a participant who attends a conference and configured to process a print job received from a client computer. The method includes determining whether the room is used by a participant of a conference relating to the print job transmitted from the client computer, outputting the print job in a case where it is determined that the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job, and restricting an output of the print job in a case where it is determined that the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus provided in a room managed by a management apparatus capable of managing an entry or exit state of a participant who attends a conference and configured to process a print job received from a client computer, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a determining unit configured to determine whether the room is used by a participant of a conference relating to the print job transmitted from the client computer; and

an output control unit configured to output the print job in a case where the determining unit determines that the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job, and configured to restrict an output of the print job in a case where the determining unit determines that the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit is configured to determine whether current time is within a usage time period during which a sender having input the print job from the client computer is permitted to use the room, and

wherein the output control unit is configured to output the print job in a case where the determining unit determines that the current time is within the usage time period during which the sender is permitted to use the room and that the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job, and is configured to restrict an output of the print job in a case where the determining unit does not determine that the current time is within the usage time period during which the sender is permitted to use the room and that the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding unit configured to hold the print job in a case where the determining unit determines that the participant of the conference relating to the print job is not present in the room while the current time is within the usage time period during which the sender is permitted to use the room.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inquiring unit configured to inquire the management apparatus whether the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job, and

wherein the determining unit is configured to determine whether the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job based on a response result received by the inquiring unit from the management apparatus.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the determining unit is configured to determine whether the room is exclusively used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit is configured to determine whether the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job and a person other than the participant of the conference.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the output control unit is configured to restrict an output of the print job held by the holding unit in a case where the determining unit determines that the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job in the usage time period during which the sender is permitted to use the room.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit is configured to delete the print job in a case where the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the output control unit is configured to delete the print job held by the holding unit in a case where the determining unit determines that the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job in the usage time period during which the sender is permitted to use the room.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the participant of the conference relating to the print job is a participant of a conference to which the sender of the print job belongs.

11. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus provided in a room managed by a management apparatus capable of managing an entry or exit state of a participant who attends a conference and configured to process a print job received from a client computer,

wherein the management apparatus comprises:

a determining unit configured to determine whether the room is used by a participant of a conference relating to the print job, which is informed by the image forming apparatus as being transmitted from the client computer; and

a response unit configured to return a determination result made by the determining unit to the image forming apparatus,

wherein the image forming apparatus comprises;

a notifying unit configured to notify the management apparatus of the sender in a case where the print job is received; and

an output control unit configured to control an output of the print job based on the determination result returned from the response unit in response to a notice from the notifying unit.

12. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus provided in a room managed by a management apparatus capable of managing an entry or exit state of a participant who attends a conference and configured to process a print job received from a client computer, the method comprising:

determining whether the room is used by a participant of a conference relating to the print job transmitted from the client computer;

outputting the print job in a case where it is determined that the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job; and

restricting an output of the print job in a case where it is determined that the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.

13. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer executable program for controlling an image forming apparatus provided in a room managed by a management apparatus capable of managing an entry or exit state of a participant who attends a conference and configured to process a print job received from a client computer, the computer executable program comprising:

determining whether the room is used by a participant of a conference relating to the print job transmitted from the client computer;

outputting the print job in a case where it is determined that the room is used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job; and

restricting an output of the print job in a case where it is determined that the room is not used by the participant of the conference relating to the print job.