PRINT MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, COMPUTER READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM STORED WITH PRINT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, PRINT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20160286085A1
• Filed: 02/22/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: WAGATSUMA, Yoshifumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,033,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

The print management apparatus includes a condition acquisition unit that acquires designated agent information and designated person number information, an authentication unit that inquires of the designated agent information about user identification information provided from a user intended to perform printing, and authenticates that the user is a designated agent designated by an inputter himself/herself, and a print control unit that allows an image forming apparatus to perform the printing based on the print job when designated agents corresponding to the number designated by the designated are authenticated by the authentication unit via same the image forming apparatus.

Claims

1. A print management apparatus comprising:

a condition acquisition unit that acquires designated agent information for designating a plurality of agents capable of performing proxy printing based on a print job, and designated person number information for designating a number of agents who perform authentication in order to perform printing based on said print job;

an authentication unit that inquires of said designated agent information about user identification information provided from a user intended to perform printing, and authenticates that said user is an agent designated by said designated agent information; and

a print control unit that allows an image forming apparatus to perform said printing based on said print job when agents corresponding to said number designated by said designated person number information are authenticated by said authentication unit via same said image forming apparatus.

2. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said condition acquisition unit further acquires proxy authority information for designating authority to be assigned to said agents;

and

said proxy authority information includes information for designating any one of authority for permitting proxy printing in units of print jobs and authority for collectively permitting proxy printing for all print jobs held by an inputter himself/herself.

3. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said condition acquisition unit acquires a print job, and said designated agent information and said designated person number information designated for said print job.

4. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

after acquisition of a print job, said condition acquisition unit acquires said designated agent information and said designated person number information designated for said print job.

5. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

before acquisition of a print job, said condition acquisition unit acquires said designated agent information and said designated person number information designated for said print job.

6. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

in relation to said printing based on said print job, when agents corresponding to said number designated by said designated person number information are authenticated within a predetermined time after an first agent is authenticated by said authentication unit, said print control unit allows said image forming apparatus to perform said printing.

7. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein

said print control unit changes a length of said predetermined time in response to said number designated by said designated person number information.

8. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a printing post-processing unit that inquires of authentication history about identification information provided again from all agents having been already authenticated after said printing by said image forming apparatus is completed, determines whether said all agents have been present to end of said printing, and outputs a result of said determination.

9. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein

a process by said printing post-processing unit is omitted by a degree of importance of security or designation of an inputter himself/herself.

10. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

in relation to said printing based on said print job, said print control unit prevents information on said print job from being displayed on an image forming apparatus, other than an image forming apparatus to which an first agent has provided identification information for authentication.

11. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

in relation to said printing based on said print job, when an first agent has been authenticated by said authentication unit, said print control unit inputs said print job to said image forming apparatus, and starts said printing of said print job when said agents corresponding to said number designated by said designated person number information are authenticated.

12. The print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a plurality of image forming apparatuses becoming a group are registered in advance, and said plurality of image forming apparatuses are managed as a group.

19. An image forming apparatus integrally provided with said print management apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

13. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium stored with a print management program, said print management program causing a computer to execute a process comprising the steps of:

(A) acquiring designated agent information for designating a plurality of agents capable of performing proxy printing based on a print job, and designated person number information for designating a number of agents who perform authentication in order to perform printing based on said print job;

(B) inquiring of said designated agent information about user identification information provided from a user intended to perform printing, and authenticating that said user is an agent designated by said designated agent information; and

(C) allowing an image forming apparatus to perform said printing based on said print job when agents corresponding to said number designated by said designated person number information are authenticated by said authentication unit via same said image forming apparatus.

14. A print management system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses becoming a group and a print management apparatus for managing said plurality of image forming apparatuses, wherein

said print management apparatus comprises:

a condition acquisition unit that acquires designated agent information for designating a plurality of agents capable of performing proxy printing based on a print job, and designated person number information for designating a number of agents who perform authentication in order to perform printing based on said print job,

one of said plurality of image forming apparatuses comprises;

an identification information transmission unit that transmits identification information of a user intended to perform printing to said print management apparatus when said identification information is provided from said user,

said print management apparatus comprises;

an authentication unit that inquires of said designated agent information about said identification information transmitted from said identification information transmission unit, and authenticates that said user is an agent designated by said designated agent information; and

a print control unit that instructs an image forming apparatus to perform said printing based on said print job when agents corresponding to said number designated by said designated person number information are authenticated by said authentication unit via said image forming apparatus, and

said image forming apparatus comprises;

a print execution unit that performs printing designated by said print control unit.

15. The print management system as claimed in claim 14, wherein

said image forming apparatus further comprises:

a display control unit that displays a screen for confirming proxy printing or printing other than said proxy printing when said identification information of said user intended to perform printing is provided from said user.

16. The print management system as claimed in claim 15, wherein

said display control unit prevents information based on said print job from being displayed until said agents corresponding to said number designated by said designated person number information are authenticated in relation to said printing based on said print job.

17. The print management system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a job inputting apparatus that inputs a print job,

wherein

said job inputting apparatus comprises;

an electronic mail transmission unit that transmits an electronic mail addressed to an agent included in said designated agent information.

18. The print management system as claimed in claim 17, wherein

said job inputting apparatus further comprises:

a candidate storage unit that associates names, individual IDs, and mail addresses of candidates of said agents with one another for storage.