Method and apparatus for securing a print job

• US 7,383,335 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Green, Brett A., Hatten, John R., Reese, Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osman; Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US10/449,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 358/1.1, 358/1.2, 358/1.13, 726/2
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A method of printing a print job includes separating a print job into subsections, and identifying a subsection access level for the subsections of the print job. A requesting party is also provided with an access level that is determined. In one embodiment, the requesting party'"'"'s access level is placed in a print job by a print driver program of a requesting party. The subsection access level and the requesting party access level are compared, and the subsections of the print job that have a subsection access level meeting the requesting party access level are printed. A system for secure printing of a print job includes a processor, a storage device, a printer, and software operable on the processor to identify subsections of a print job, and identify a subsection access level for the subsections of the print job. The system includes media that includes instructions operable on a processor to identify subsections of a print job, and identify a subsection access level for the subsections of the print job.

Claims

1. A method for secure printing of a print job, comprising:

separating the print job into subsections;

associating a subsection access level with each of the subsections of the print job;

determining an access level of a party requesting printing of the print job, including setting the access level of the requesting party in the print job by a print driver program of the requesting party;

identifying the subsection access level of each of the subsections of the print job; and

printing a respective subsection of the print job only if the access level of the party requesting printing of the print job meets the subsection access level of the respective subsection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the subsection access level with each of the subsections of the print job includes causing a print driver of a party creating a document of the print job to set the subsection access level in the print job.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the subsection access level with each of the subsections of the print job comprises providing the print job with a header, the header including the subsections and the subsection access level associated with the subsections.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the subsection access level with each of the subsections of the print job comprises setting of the subsection access level of each of the subsections by a party creating a document of the print job.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein separating the print job into subsections comprises separating the print job into subsections by a party creating a document of the print job.

6. A system for secure printing of a print job, comprising:

a processor configured to identify a plurality of subsections of the print job, identify a subsection access level of each of the subsections of the print job, determine an access level of a party requesting printing of the print job, and compare the access level of the party requesting printing of the print job to the subsection access level of each of the subsections; and

a printer configured to print a respective subsection of the print job only if the access level of the party requesting printing of the print job meets the subsection access level of the respective subsection,

wherein the processor is configured to determine the access level of the requesting party by reading an access level of the requesting party from the print job, and wherein the access level of the requesting party is set in the print job by a print driver program of the requesting party.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor is configured to select the subsection access level for each of the subsections of the print job.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor is configured to select the subsection access level for each of the subsections of the print job by causing a print driver of a party creating a document of the print job to set the subsection access level in the print job.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the print job is separated into subsections by a party creating a document of the print job.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the subsection access level of each of the subsections of the print job is set by a party creating a document of the print job.

11. A computer-usable storage medium having a computer program thereon for causing a suitably configured information-handling system to print subsections of a print job by performing the following steps when such program is executed on the system:

identifying subsections of a print job;

identifying a subsection access level of each of the subsections of the print job;

determining an access level of a party requesting printing of the print job, including setting the access level of the requesting party in the print job by a print driver program of the requesting party;

comparing the access level of the party requesting printing of the print job to the subsection access level of each of the subsections; and

printing a respective subsection of the print job only if the access level of the party requesting printing of the print job meets the subsection access level of the respective subsection.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computer program further comprises programming for causing the system, when such program is executed on the system, to perform the following additional step of ignoring the subsections of the print job that have a subsection access level above the requesting party access level.