Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an operation reception unit that includes an operation unit and a touch panel, the operation unit receiving an operation instruction from a user;
• a document reading unit that includes a reading mechanism and reads an original of a ticket;
• a printing unit that includes a photoconductor drum and an intermediate transfer belt, and performs a printing operation on a recording medium by forming a toner image on the photoconductor drum, transferring the toner image formed on the photoconductor drum onto the recording medium via the intermediate transfer belt, and fixing the toner image formed on the recording medium;
• a display unit that includes a display;
• and
• a control unit that includes a processor,
• wherein the control unit acts, when the processor executes a program, as
• a code number generator that generates, when the operation reception unit receives, from the user, designation of a number of tickets to be issued, a predetermined code key, and a predetermined encryption method, an encrypted code number for each of the designated number of tickets to be issued, with respect to each of ticket numbers sequentially allocated to the designated number of tickets to be issued, using the designated code key and the designated encryption method;
• a distinction image generator that generates, when the code number generator generates the code number for each of the tickets, a distinction image for distinguishing one ticket from another, the distinction image containing the code number of the ticket generated for each of the tickets;
• a controller that adds, in each of the designated number of tickets to be issued, the distinction image of each of the tickets generated by the distinction image generator, to image data of the original of the ticket read by the document reading unit, and causes the printing unit to print each of the designated number of tickets to be issued;
• and
• a display controller that controls a display operation of the display unit,
• the display controller causes the display unit to display, when the distinction image is generated, a preview image showing an example of a position of the distinction image in an image representing the ticket to be printed, using the generated distinction image and the image data, and causes the display unit to display, when the operation reception unit receives from the user an instruction to change the position of the distinction image in the preview image, a changed preview image in which the distinction image has been moved to the instructed position,
• the controller causes the printing unit, when the operation reception unit receives from the user an instruction to determine the position of the distinction image, while the preview image is displayed, to print the ticket on which the distinction image is located at the position determined according to the instruction,
• the image forming apparatus further comprises a storage device that stores, in advance, the designated number of tickets to be issued, the designated code key, the designated encryption method, and each of the ticket numbers sequentially allocated to the designated number of tickets to be issued, with respect to each of types of the ticket, and
• the control unit further acts, when the processor executes the program, as
• an input requester that requests the user, when the operation reception unit receives an instruction of management with respect to a predetermined ticket from the user, to input the number of tickets to be issued, the code key used for the ticket, and the encryption method used for the ticket;
• an identifier that identifies, when the operation reception unit receives the user's input of the number of tickets to be issued, the code key used for the ticket, and the encryption method used for the ticket, the type of the ticket to be managed, on a basis of the number of tickets to be issued, the code key, and the encryption method which have been inputted;
• a distinction image detector that detects the distinction image from the image data of the ticket read by the document reading unit;
• a code number extractor that extracts the code number from the distinction image, by analyzing the distinction image detected by the distinction image detector;
• a ticket number acquirer that acquires the ticket number, by decrypting the code number extracted by the code number extractor, using the inputted code key and the inputted encryption method;
• a decider that decides whether the ticket number acquired by the ticket number acquirer and the ticket number corresponding to the type of the ticket identified by the identifier and stored in the storage device agree with each other;
• and
• a ticket manager that classifies, when the decider decides that the acquired ticket number and the ticket number stored in the storage device agree with each other, the ticket of the agreeing ticket number as being valid.