Image forming system, server, image forming apparatus, and image forming method that reduce server capacity and allows to pull print

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020341702-A1
Application number	US-201916393491-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 24, 2019
Priority date	Apr 24, 2019
Publication date	Oct 29, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a distributed type image forming system which reduces storage capacity of server. An encryption addition part encrypts a document data for outputting by pull print with a symmetric key, encrypts the symmetric key by a public key of a user who is permitted to output of the document data, and adds the encrypted symmetric key to the document data. A division part divides document data into a job block and a user block having the symmetric key encrypted by the public key of the user and generates the blockchain of document data. A key decoding part decrypts the symmetric key included in the user block with the secret key of the user. A block acquisition part acquires other blocks from preserving apparatuses. A document reproduction part packs each block to reproduce document data. An output part outputs the reproduced document data.

First claim

1 . An image forming system including a transmitting apparatus, a document control apparatus, a preserving apparatus, and an output apparatus and allowing to pull print, includes:
the transmitting apparatus comprising:
an encryption addition part configured to encrypt a document data for outputting by pull print with a symmetric key, encrypts the symmetric key by a public key of a user who is permitted to output of the document data, and adds the encrypted symmetric key to the document data, and
a document transmission part configured to transmit the document data encrypted by the encryption addition part to the document control apparatus;
the document control apparatus comprising:
a document acquiring part configured to acquire the encrypted document data from the transmitting apparatus,
a division part configured to generate a blockchain of the encrypted document data by dividing the encrypted document data acquired by the document acquiring part into a job block having information of the document data and a user block having the symmetric key encrypted by the public key of the user and by calculating and including a previous hash value of a previous block in order, and
a storing and transmitting part configured to transmit each of the block divided by the division part to at least two preserving apparatuses;
the preserving apparatus comprising:
a storing part configured to store the block received from the document control apparatus, and
an outputting and transmitting part configured to transmit the block stored in the storing part according to an instruction from the output apparatus; and
the output apparatus comprising:
a key decoding part configured to decrypt the symmetric key included in the user block by a secret key of the user,
a block acquisition part configured to acquire the other blocks from the preserving apparatuses when the symmetric key is decoded by the key decoding part,
a document reproduction part configured to pack each block acquired by the block acquisition part and reproduce the document data, and
an output part configured to output the document data reproduced by the document reproduction part.

2 . The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the division part includes a print setting having settings of permission of printing for each user in the user block.

3 . The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the dividing part includes an end block indicating end of the user block in the blockchain.

4 . The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the output part adds a printing block indicating record of an output to the user block.

5 . The image forming system according to claim 4 , wherein
the output part requests the plurality of preserving apparatuses for confirmation about addition of the printing block.

6 . The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the block acquisition part calculates the previous hash value from last block in the order, repeatedly, and acquires the right block.

7 . The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmitting apparatus is a terminal in which the user creates the document data, the document control apparatus is a server for pull print, and the preserving apparatus and the output apparatus are image forming apparatuses.

8 . (canceled)

9 . An image forming method executed by an image forming system including a transmitting apparatus, a document control apparatus, a preserving apparatus, and an output apparatus and allowing for pull print, comprising the steps of:
by the transmitting apparatus, encrypting a document data for outputting by pull print with a symmetric key, encrypting the symmetric key by a public key of a user who is permitted to output of the document data, and adding the encrypted symmetric key to the document data; by the transmitting apparatus, transmitting the encrypted document data to the document control apparatus; by the document control apparatus, acquiring the encrypted document data from the transmitting apparatus; by the document control apparatus, generating a blockchain of the document data by dividing the acquired document data into a job block having information of the document data and a user block having the symmetric key encrypted by the public key of the user and by calculating and including a previous hash value of a previous block in order; by the document control apparatus, transmitting each of the divided block to at least two preserving apparatuses;
by the preserving apparatus, storing the block received from the document control apparatus;
by the preserving apparatus, transmitting the stored block according to an instruction from the output apparatus;
by the output apparatus, decrypting the symmetric key included in the user block by a secret key of the user;
by the output apparatus, acquiring the other blocks from the preserving apparatuses when the symmetric key is decoded;
by the output apparatus, packing each of acquired block and reproducing the document data; and
by the output apparatus, outputting the reproduced document data.

10 . The image forming method according to claim 9 , further comprising a step of:
including a print setting having settings of permission of printing for each user in the user block.

11 . The image forming method according to claim 9 , further comprising a step of:
including an end block indicating end of the user block in the blockchain.

12 . The image forming method according to claim 9 , further comprising a step of:
adding a printing block indicating record of an output to the user block.

13 . The image forming method according to claim 12 , further comprising a step of:
requesting the at least two preserving apparatuses for confirmation about addition of the printing block.

14 . The image forming method according to claim 12 , further comprising a step of:
calculating the previous hash value from last block in the order, repeatedly, and acquiring the right block.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Kosaka Naohiko

Classifications

• G06F21/608

  Secure printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1288

  in client-server-printer device configuration · CPC title

• G06F3/1222 Primary

  Increasing security of the print job · CPC title

• G06F3/1267

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

• 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