Information recording system capable of protecting secrecy

An information recording system, comprising:

• communication media;
• a recording apparatus for receiving record data, a confidentiality level of the record data and an instruction through said communication media and transmitting a record end notice through said communication media upon an end of a recording operation on the received record data, comprising:
• control means responsive to the instruction, for outputting a record instruction and the record data, and issuing a sheet supply instruction and a mark instruction based on the confidentiality level of the record data;
• sheet supply means for supplying sheets of paper in response to the sheet supply instruction;
• recording means for recording the record data on the sheets of paper supplied from said sheet supply means in response to the record instruction;
• marking means for recording a mark on the printed sheets of paper in response to the mark instruction, said, mark corresponding to the confidentiality level of the record data recorded on the printed sheets of paper;
• a plurality of stackers for stacking recorded sheets of paper provided from said recording means, said plurality of stackers including a confidential stacker;
• detecting means for detecting the mark from each of the printed sheets;
• and
• selecting means for selecting the confidential stacker from among the plurality of stackers in accordance with the detecting result;
• and
• an information processing apparatus for transmitting the record data and the instruction to said recording apparatus through said communication media and receiving the record end notice from said recording apparatus through said communication media:
• wherein said sheet supply means comprises confidential sheet supply means for supplying a confidential sheet of paper to said recording means in response to the sheet supply instruction and general sheet supply means for supplying a general sheet of paper to said recording means in response to an input general sheet supply instruction, said information processing apparatus includes means for issuing a general print command for a general type of print data, said control means further comprises means for outputting the general sheet supply instruction to said sheet supply means and a general stacker instruction to said selecting means in response to the general print command, and said selecting means includes means for selecting one of said plurality of stackers other than said confidential stacker in response to the general stacker selection instruction.

A method for recording information, comprising steps of:

• transmitting a record instruction, a record data and a confidentiality level of the record data from an issuing one of a plurality of information processing apparatuses;
• recording the record data on sheets of paper;
• selectively stacking each of the recorded sheets of paver in one of a plurality of stackers determined in accordance with the transmitted confidentiality level of the record data which has been recorded on that sheet of paper, wherein each sheet of paper provided to the plurality of stackers has a predetermined characteristic which corresponds to the confidentiality level of the record data which has been recorded on the sheet of paper;
• transmitting a notice indicating completion of the recording to the issuing information processing apparatus when a recorded sheet has been stacked in one of the plurality of stackers by said selectively stacking step:
• informing a user of the transmitted:notice;
• supplying a confidential sheet of paper to said recording step if the transmitted confidentiality level is a confidential level;
• supplying a general sheet of paper to said printing section if the transmitted confidentiality level is a general level;
• issuing a general record instruction for a general type of record data;
• issuing a confidential record instruction for a confidential type of record data;
• selectively stacking said recorded sheets of paper in a general one of said plurality of stackers in response to the general record instruction;
• and
• selectively stacking said recorded sheets of paper in a confidential one of said plurality of stackers in response to the confidential record instruction.