Image forming apparatus for determining a priority order for display of user authentication icons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10477046-B2
Application number	US-201816143168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

An image forming apparatus acquires an evaluation value of each user by using a combination of a plurality of criteria determined on the basis of usage history information, and determines priority order of users having a high possibility of using the image forming apparatus next time based on the acquired evaluation value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
one or more memories storing instructions; and
one or more processors that, upon executing the instructions, configures the one or more processors to:
manage usage history information about the image forming apparatus for each user;
determine an evaluation value for each user based on the usage history information using a plurality of different types of evaluation criteria applied to the usage history information, each evaluation criteria having unique weighting values applied thereto, and to determine a priority order based on the determined evaluation value that predicts which users will use the image forming apparatus next time; and
cause display of an authentication icon of each user on a log-in screen based on the priority order,
wherein the unique weighting value applied to each evaluation criteria is corrected based on determined priority order for a selected authentication icon when authentication operation is executed through the log-in screen.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, execution of the instructions further configures the one or more processors to, based on the priority order, cause display of the authentication icons on the log-in screen on a plurality of pages in order of higher priority.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the usage history information includes a log-in history of the image forming apparatus.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one of the plurality of evaluation criteria is a number of times of log-in to the image forming apparatus by each user.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the usage history information includes a job history of a host computer with respect to the image forming apparatus.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein one of the plurality of criteria is a number of times each user transmits print jobs to the image forming apparatus.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein one of the plurality of criteria is presence or absence of a print job of each user yet to be output.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein execution of the instructions further configures the one or more processors to, calculate the evaluation value for each user through certain calculation of a plurality of evaluation criteria based on the usage history information, and
cause display of authentication icons of users on the log-in screen in order of higher calculated evaluation values.

9. A control method of an image forming apparatus comprising:
managing usage history information about the image forming apparatus for each user;
determining an evaluation value for each user based on the usage history information, using a plurality of different types of evaluation criteria applied to the usage history information each evaluation criteria having unique weighting values applied thereto, and determining a priority order based on the determined evaluation value that predicts which users will use the image forming apparatus next time;
displaying an authentication icon of each user on a log-in screen based on the priority order; and
correcting the unique weighting value applied to each evaluation criteria based on determined priority order for a selected authentication icon when authentication operation is executed through the log-in screen.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein based on the priority order, displaying the authentication icons on the log-in screen on a plurality of pages in order of higher priority.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the usage history information includes a log-in history of the image forming apparatus.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein wherein one of the plurality of evaluation criteria is a number of times of log-in to the image forming apparatus by each user.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the usage history information includes a job history of a host computer with respect to the image forming apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein one of the plurality of criteria is a number of times each user transmits print jobs to the image forming apparatus.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein one of the plurality of criteria is presence or absence of a print job of each user yet to be output.

16. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising
calculating the evaluation value for each user through certain calculation of a plurality of evaluation criteria based on the usage history information, and
displaying authentication icons of users on the log-in screen in order of higher calculated evaluation values.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which causes an image forming apparatus to execute a method, the method comprising:
managing usage history information about the image forming apparatus for each user;
determining an evaluation value for each user based on the usage history information using a plurality of different types of evaluation criteria applied to the usage history information, each evaluation criteria having unique weighting values applied thereto, and determining a priority order based on the determined evaluation value that predicts which users will use the image forming apparatus next time;
displaying an authentication icon of each user on a log-in screen based on the priority order; and
correcting the unique weighting value applied to each evaluation criteria based on determined priority order for a selected authentication icon when authentication operation is executed through the log-in screen.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tsuchitoi Naoki

Classifications

• G06F3/1238

  Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs · CPC title

• G06F3/1222

  Increasing security of the print job · CPC title

• G06F3/1267

  Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1273

  Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking · CPC title

• H04N1/4406

  Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity (mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08) · CPC title