IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM

• US 20080192289A1
• Filed: 01/11/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Masazumi, Ishihara, Yasuhiro, Honda, Takashi, Furukawa, Kunio
• Granted Patent: US 8,629,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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
• 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 1/00488 providing an audible output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00514 for individual users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00517 involving favourite or frequently used settings
• 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 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

If image stabilization becomes necessary while an MFP is executing a print job received from a user, the MFP performs the image stabilization while emitting an operation sound if the user has not moved away from the MFP. Also, if the user has moved away from the MFP, the MFP stops the print job and logs the user out.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a printer operable to execute a print job according to a request from a user;

a home apparatus determiner operable to determine whether the image forming apparatus has been specified as a home apparatus of the user who requested execution of the print job;

a presence determiner operable to determine whether the user who requested execution of the print job is in a vicinity of the image forming apparatus; and

an execution controller operable to stop the execution of the print job if the home apparatus determiner has determined that the image forming apparatus has not been specified as the home apparatus of the user and the presence determiner has determined that the user is not in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus.

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a use permitter operable to permit use of the image forming apparatus according to the request from the user; and

a revoker operable to revoke the permission to use the image forming apparatus if the home apparatus determiner has determined that the image forming apparatus has not been specified as the home apparatus of the user who has been permitted use and the presence determiner has determined that the user is not in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a security level receiver operable to receive a security level designation for each of one or more pages of print data pertaining to the print job; and

a prohibiter operable to prohibit, depending on the security level of the page of the print data to be printed, the execution controller from stopping the execution of the print job, wherein

the printer executes the print job by printing each page having a higher security level with priority.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a reader operable to read user identification information from a user identification information storage apparatus, wherein

the presence determiner determines that the user is in the vicinity of the present apparatus only if a user pertaining to the user identification information read by the reader matches the user who made the request.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 4, wherein

the reader is an ID card reader and the user identification information storage apparatus is an ID card, or

the reader is a wireless tag reader and the user identification information storage apparatus is a wireless tag.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a biometric identifier operable to identify a user by biometric identification, wherein

the presence determiner determines that the user is in the vicinity of the present apparatus only if a user identified by the biometric identifier matches the user who made the request.

7. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a cancel setting receiver operable to receive a cancel setting that designates whether a cancel is necessary; and

a canceller operable to maintain the use permission of the image processing apparatus and prevent stopping the execution of the print job if the cancel setting receiver has received the cancel setting designating that the cancel is necessary, regardless of whether the presence determiner has determined that the user who made the request is not in the vicinity.

8. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a user information printer operable to, if printing is being performed and the presence determiner has determined that the user is not in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus, additionally print information pertaining to the user.

9. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a notifier operable to notify, by an operation sound of the image forming apparatus, that the print job has not been completed, if the home apparatus determiner has determined that the image forming apparatus has not been specified as the home apparatus of the user, and furthermore the execution of the print job has been stopped and another job is being executed.

10. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the notifier performs the notification by generating the operation sound with use of, from among a plurality of driving sources of the image processing apparatus, a driving source that consumes a least amount of power.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the another job is image stabilization processing.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the another job is manuscript reading processing.

13. An image forming system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses, each of the image forming apparatuses comprising:

a printer operable to execute a print job according to a request from a user;

a home apparatus determiner operable to determine whether the image forming apparatus has been specified as a home apparatus of the user who requested execution of the print job;

a presence determiner operable to determine whether the user who requested execution of the print job is in a vicinity of the image forming apparatus; and

an execution controller operable to stop the execution of the print job if the home apparatus determiner has determined that the image forming apparatus has not been specified as the home apparatus of the user and the presence determiner has determined that the user is not in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus.