Abstract:
The advantage of the invention is to prevent malicious use of a leaked e-mail address. A printing system has a printer, and a server device which causes the printer to conduct printing of print target data included in an e-mail when receiving the e-mail that designates the printer as a printing place. The printing system has an expiration date setting section that sets an expiration date in an e-mail address that uses the printer as the printing place, a mail address registering section that registers the generated e-mail address and the set expiration date by being associated with each other, and an expiration date managing section that manages the registered expiration date and disables the e-mail address whose expiration date has expired.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-140547 filed on Jun. 22, 2012. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-140547 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a printing system, a printing device, a server, and a printing method. 
     2. Background Technology 
     A cloud computing system has been known, which has functions of receiving an e-mail and printing the text or the attached file of the received e-mail (for example, Patent Document 1). This cloud computing system (hereinafter, referred to as a printing system) has a server that generates print data corresponding to a specified printer linked with an e-mail address based on the text of the e-mail or the attached file attached to the e-mail in the case of receiving the specified e-mail, and a printer that acquires the print data from the server and conducts printing. Accordingly, a user of the printing system can conduct printing by using the printer even if a printer driver is not installed for each client such as a personal computer or a smartphone. 
     Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-71257 (Patent Document 1) is an example of the related art. 
     SUMMARY 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     However, the e-mail address linked with the printer is determined at the time of default setting, and the same e-mail address will be continuously used after that. Therefore, the user of the printer will feel psychological resistance when the user discloses the e-mail address to a third party and allows the third party to use the printing system. This sometimes hinders the wide use of the printing system that is excellent in the convenience by using the e-mail address. 
     Means Used to Solve the Above-Mentioned Problems 
     The invention has been made to address the above-described circumstances at least partly, and can be implemented as the following aspect or application example. 
     APPLICATION EXAMPLE 1 
     A printing system of the invention causes a printing device designated as a printing place to conduct printing of print target data included in an e-mail that designates the printing place, and has a setting means that sets an expiration date in an e-mail address that uses the printing device as the printing place, a registering means that registers the e-mail address and the expiration date by being associated with each other, and a managing means that manages the expiration date registered in the registering means and disables the e-mail address whose expiration date has expired. 
     With this configuration, since an expiration date is set with respect to an e-mail address, even if a user discloses the e-mail address to a third party, the e-mail address will not be used on a permanent basis. Therefore, the psychological barrier that a user feels about disclosure of the e-mail address to a third party such as a friend of a printer owner is lowered, and a user can easily disclose the e-mail address to a third party. Consequently, the printing system using an e-mail address can be used more widely, and the printing system that is more excellent in the convenience can be achieved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram that shows a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart that shows a print process; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart that shows a process of determining an expiration date. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. 
     Embodiment 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram that shows a configuration of a printing system  5  as an embodiment of the invention. The printing system  5  has a printer  30  that is connected in a state of being able to communicate through a network  50  such as the Internet, and a server device  10 . In the present embodiment, the single printer  30  is used as the printing device that is connected to the network  50 . However, a plurality of various printers that can communicate with the server device  10  can be connected to the network  50 . In the printing system  5 , in a case where a user operates an information processing device  20  that can be connected to the network  50  so as to generate contents, and an e-mail including the generated contents is sent to an e-mail address (mail address) having an expiration date information through the network  50 , the server device  10  confirms the validity of the mail address, and when it is valid, an image of the contents is printed by the printer  30  that corresponds to the mail address. 
     The server device  10  has an SMTP server  12 , an HTTP server  16 , and a print data generation server  18 . The present embodiment is based on a configuration in which these plural servers are consolidated to the single server device  10 . However, other embodiments are possible, including an embodiment in which each server exists alone or an embodiment in which the function of each server is provided as cloud service. The SMTP server  12  receives an e-mail sent to a registered e-mail address. The HTTP server  16  provides service in response to a request (HTTP request) sent from a client such as the printer  30 . The print data generation server  18  generates print data for printing the attached file attached to the e-mail or the text of the e-mail received by the SMTP server  12  in the printer  30  that corresponds to the mail address based on instructions of the SMTP server  12 . The print data generated in the print data generation server  18  is transmitted to the printer  30  that corresponds to the mail address. 
     In the present embodiment, the SMTP server  12  has a mail address registering section  13  and an expiration date managing section  14 . The mail address registering section (registering means)  13  receives a mail address generated by a mail address generating section  42 , described below, from the printer  30 , and registers the received mail address in a database for management. In the present embodiment, when the mail address is transmitted from the printer  30 , expiration date information of the mail address and a printer ID that uniquely corresponds to a model name of the printing printer  30  are also transmitted. The mail address registering section  13  registers the printer ID, the mail address, and the expiration date information by being associated with each other. Here, the expiration date information includes time data that shows the expiration date to be judged as a valid mail address, and flag information that shows it is valid until printing is conducted once without determining the expiration date. 
     The expiration date managing section (managing means)  14  acquires and manages the mail address that shows the destination of the e-mail received by the SMTP server  12 , and judges whether the acquired e-mail address is valid or not by referring to the expiration date information registered in the database of the mail address registering section  13 . As a result of the judgment, if the mail address is valid, or the flag information shows it is valid until printing is conducted once, the expiration date managing section  14  instructs the print data generation server  18  to generate print data, so that the attached file attached to the e-mail is printed in the printer  30  that corresponds to the mail address. In a case where printing is conducted with the mail address that is valid until printing is conducted once, or the expiration date of the mail address expires, the mail address registering section  13  invalidates that mail address. 
     Also, as a result of the judgment, if the mail address is invalid because the expiration date of the mail address has expired, or the mail address is invalidated because printing has already been conducted once, the expiration date managing section  14  will not instruct the print data generation server  18  to generate print data. In such a case, the e-mail can be sent back to the information processing device  20 , and a message can be issued to the e-mail sent from the information processing device  20  to notify that printing cannot be conducted. Further, the invalid mail address can be deleted from the database. The printer  30  has a communicating section  32 , a printing section  34 , a display section  36 , an operating section  38 , the mail address generating section  42 , and an expiration date setting section  44 . The communicating section  32  communicates with the server device  10  through the network  50  in accordance with HTTP. The printing section  34  prints an image, shown by the print data transmitted from the print data generation server  18 , onto a medium such as printing paper. Incidentally, as the printing method, an ink-jet method, a laser method, a thermal transfer method, or the like can be used. The display section  36  displays information such as print settings of the printer  30 . 
     The mail address generating section (generating means)  42  generates a mail address for sending an attached file that is a print target as an attachment to an e-mail so as to print in the printer  30 . The expiration date setting section (setting means)  44  sets an expiration date with respect to the mail address generated in the mail address generating section  42 . In the present embodiment, when a user determines the local part of the mail address by operating the operating section  38 , it can be possible to determine by inputting an optional character string, or it can be possible to determine a character string extracted by the mail address generating section  42  at random as the local part. Also, when the user sets the expiration date by inputting time information with respect to the determined mail address, the previously set expiration date can be used as a default set value. Incidentally, when the expiration date is set, settings for making the mail address valid until printing is conducted once are displayed, so that a user can select. The mail address determined as described above and printer ID information that can identify the printer  30  are converted into a two-dimensional bar code and displayed on the display section  36 . In addition to the mail address and the printer ID information, the information on the expiration date is transmitted from the communicating section  32  to the server device  10  through the network  50 . 
     The information processing device  20  has a contents generating section  22 , an e-mail generating section  24 , an image capturing section  26 , and a communicating section  28 . The contents generating section  22  generates contents including a document, an image, and the like by operation of a user. The image capturing section  26  captures an image by operation of a user to the two-dimensional bar code displayed on the printer  30 , and sends the captured image to the e-mail generating section  24 . The e-mail generating section  24  analyzes an image of the two-dimensional bar code sent from the image capturing section  26 , and restores the mail address and the printer ID information so as to be stored in a predetermined memory which is not shown in the drawing. Incidentally, a plurality of combinations of the mail address and the printer ID information are stored in the memory in advance. Here, in a case where a user selects the printer  30  for printing from the plurality of printer IDs stored in the memory, and instructs to print the contents generated in the contents generating section  22 , the e-mail generating section  24  generates an e-mail to which data of the contents is attached as an attached file, and sends the e-mail from the communicating section  28  to the mail address that corresponds to the selected printer  30 . However, it is not limited to the attached file, and an embodiment in which the data of the contents is decomposed in the text of the e-mail is possible. 
     In the present embodiment, the mail address and the printer ID information are converted into a two-dimensional bar code, and transmitted from the printer  30  to the information processing device  20  as an image. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, another embodiment is possible, in which information is transmitted from the printer  30  to the information processing device  20  by wireless communication based on NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and the like. Also, the mail address and the printer ID information can be displayed on the display section  36  in text form, and a user can enter characters by typing at a keyboard or the like of the information processing device  20 . In the present embodiment, a cell phone, a portable information terminal, a notebook personal computer, and a desktop personal computer can be used as the information processing device  20 .  FIG. 2  is a flow chart that shows a print process in the printing system  5 . First, the printer  30  generates a mail address that corresponds to the printer  30  itself by operation of a user (step S 300 ). Subsequently, the printer  30  sets an expiration date of the generated mail address (step S 301 ). 
     Next, the printer  30  converts the mail address and the printer ID information of itself into a two-dimensional bar code, and displays (step S 302 ). Subsequently, the printer  30  transmits the mail address, the expiration date information, and the printer ID information to the server device  10  (step S 303 ). On the other hand, the information processing device  20  captures an image of the two-dimensional bar code displayed on the printer  30  in step S 302  by operation of a user (step S 200 ), and acquires the mail address and the printer ID information from the two-dimensional bar code (step S 201 ). Subsequently, the information processing device  20  generates contents based on operation of a user (step S 202 ). 
     Next, a user determines the printer  30  that conducts printing, and issues instructions to print the generated contents (step S 203 ). As a result, the information processing device  20  generates an e-mail to which data of the contents to be printed is attached as the attached file, and sends the generated e-mail to the mail address that corresponds to the printer  30  (step S 204 ). On the other hand, the server device  10  receives the mail address, the expiration date information, and the printer ID information transmitted from the printer  30  in step S 303  (step S 100 ). Next, the server device  10  determines the expiration date of the mail address by referring to the received expiration date information (step S 104 ). Here,  FIG. 3  is a flow chart that shows a process of determining the expiration date in step S 104 . 
     When this process is started, the server device  10  judges whether or not it is attribute that is valid until printing is conducted once from the expiration date information (step S 120 ). In a case where it is attribute that is valid until printing is conducted once (Yes in step S 120 ), the process is finished without determining the expiration date. On the other hand, in a case where it is not attribute that is valid until printing is conducted once (No in step S 120 ), the server device  10  acquires an expiration date P 1  set in the printer  30  from the expiration date information (step S 121 ). Next, the server device  10  acquires an expiration date P 2  of the printer  30  from the stored expiration date information (step S 122 ). 
     Next, the server device  10  acquires change history information of the two expiration date P 1  and expiration date P 2 , respectively (step S 124 ). Next, the server device  10  focuses the change histories and the time lengths of the two expiration date P 1  and expiration date P 2  (step S 126 , step S 128 , and step S 130 ). In a case where the expiration date P 1  has a change history and the expiration date P 2  does not have a change history (Yes in step S 126 ), the process moves on to step S 134 . In a case where the expiration date P 2  has a change history and the expiration date P 1  does not have a change history (Yes in step S 128 ), the process moves on to step S 132 . In a case where both of step S 126  and step S 128  are No (No in step S 126  and step S 128 ), and the expiration date P 1  is shorter than the expiration date P 2  (Yes in step S 130 ), the process moves on to step S 134 . 
     In step S 134 , the server device  10  determines P 1  as the expiration date, and a series of processes are finished. On the other hand, in a case where the expiration date P 1  is equal to or greater than the expiration date P 2  (No in step S 130 ), the process moves on to step S 132 . In step S 132 , the server device  10  determines P 2  as the expiration date, and the process is finished. Back to  FIG. 2 , the server device  10  registers the printer ID information of the printer  30 , the mail address, and the expiration date determined in step S 104  by being associated with each other (step S 110 ), and waits until it receives an e-mail sent from the information processing device  20 . The server device  10  receives the e-mail sent from the information processing device  20  in step S 204  (step S 112 ). Here, the server device  10  acquires the expiration date of the mail address that is the address of the e-mail from the registered information, and judges whether the mail address is valid or not (step S 113 ). 
     In a case where it is judged that the mail address is valid (Yes in step S 113 ), the server device  10  specifies the model of the printer from the printer ID information associated with the mail address (step S 114 ). Next, the server device  10  generates a print job from the data of the contents of the attached file by using a processing method corresponding to the model of the printer (step S 115 ). Then, the generated print job is transmitted to the printer  30  (step S 116 ), and a series of processes are finished. On the other hand, in a case where it is judged that the mail address is invalid (No in step S 113 ), the process is finished without generating a print job. 
     The printer  30  receives the print job transmitted from the server device  10  (step  310 ), and conducts printing based on the received print job (step S 315 ). Then, the process is finished. According to the above-described processes, data of the contents to be printed is attached to an e-mail, and sends the e-mail to the mail address that corresponds to the printer  30 . With this, in the printing system  5  in which the contents are printed in the printer  30 , an expiration date can be set to the mail address, the mail address can be easily changed, and execution of printing can be controlled by confirming that the mail address is valid. Consequently, spam mails or malicious printing instructions of a third party can be effectively eliminated. Further, since the mail address can be set to be valid for one printing, leakage of address information, misuse by impersonation, or the like can be prevented by setting a temporary mail address such as a disposable mail address. Furthermore, in a case where the mail address is invalid because the expiration date of the mail address has expired, the information processing device  20  is notified of information that printing cannot be conducted, and a user can easily know that the expiration date of the mail address has expired. 
     Although an embodiment of the invention was explained with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the invention includes design changes or the like as long as it does not depart from the subject matter of the invention. For example, the mail address generating section  42  and the expiration date setting section  44  provided in the printer  30  according to the invention can be provided in the server device  10 . Further, the invention is not limited to the mail address that is valid until printing is conducted once, and the mail address that is valid until printing is conducted predetermined times such as twice or more is also possible. Further, the expiration date managing section  14  is not limited to an embodiment in which the expiration date managing section  14  is provided in the server device  10 , and an embodiment in which the expiration date managing section  14  is provided in the printer  30  is also possible. Further, a device for implementing the above-described technique includes various kinds of embodiments. There are cases in which it is achieved by a single device, and there are cases in which it is achieved by combining a plurality of devices.