Information-processing apparatus having a user-switching function and user-switching method for use in the apparatus

• US 20030182586A1
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Numano, Fujihito
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control

Abstract

An information-processing apparatus comprises a unit for determining an authority level of a user who has demanded user switching, a unit for displaying on a display of the apparatus a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the determined authority level, and a unit for switching an operation environment of an apparatus to the operation environment corresponding to a user selected from the list displayed.

Claims

1. An information-processing apparatus comprising:

means for determining an authority level of a user who has demanded user switching;

means for displaying on a display of the apparatus a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the determined authority level; and

means for switching an operation environment of the apparatus to an operation environment corresponding to a user selected from the list displayed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying on the display an authentication screen that requests a user to input a name and a password, when a user demands the user switching, and

wherein the determining means includes means for detecting the user who has demanded the user switching and the authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching, based on the name and password input in the authentication screen.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the authentication screen has a user-name input field and a password input field, and

the determining means includes:

means for determining a current log-on user; and

means for displaying the name of the current log-on user determined, as a default user name, in the user name input field of the authentication screen.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying on the display an authentication screen that requests a user to input a name and a password, when a user operates the apparatus to stop a screen saver being executed in the apparatus, and

wherein the determining means includes means for detecting the user who has operated the apparatus to stop the screen saver and the authority level of the user who has operated the apparatus, based on the name and password input in the authentication screen;

and

the means for displaying the list of users includes;

means for displaying on the display of the apparatus a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the authority level of the user who has operated the apparatus to stop the screen saver.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the authentication screen has a user-name input field and a password input field, and

the determining means includes:

means for determining a current log-on user; and

means for displaying the name of the current log-on user determined, as a default user name, in the user name input field of the authentication screen.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching means includes:

means for requesting a user to input the password of the user selected from the list displayed; and

means for switching the operation environment of the apparatus, from an operation environment corresponding to a current log-on user to the operation environment corresponding to the user selected, when the password input is identical to the password of the user selected.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining whether an authority level of a user who has demanded shut down of an operating system being executed in the apparatus is the highest of the authority levels of users who are logged on the apparatus at present; and

means for shutting down the operating system when the authority level of the user who has demanded the shut down of the operating system is the highest of the authority levels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displaying means includes:

means for limiting the authority levels of users to be selected by the user who has demanded the user switching, to the determined authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching; and

means for generating the list of users who have authority levels equal to or lower than the determined authority levels.

9. A method of switching a user who uses an information-processing apparatus, the method comprising:

determining an authority level of a user who has demanded user switching;

displaying on a display of the apparatus a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the determined authority level; and

switching an operation environment of the apparatus to an operation environment corresponding to a user selected from the list displayed.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising displaying on the display an authentication screen that requests a user to input a name and a password, when the user demands the user switching, and

wherein the determining includes detecting the user who has demanded the user switching and the authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching, based on the name and password input in the authentication screen.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising displaying on the display an authentication screen that requests a user to input a name and a password, when a user operates the apparatus to stop a screen saver being executed in the apparatus, and

wherein the determining includes detecting the user who has operated the apparatus to stop the screen saver and the authority level of the user who has operated the apparatus, based on the name and password input in the authentication screen, and

the displaying the list of users includes:

displaying on the display of the apparatus a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the authority level of the user who has operated the apparatus to stop the screen saver.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the switching includes:

requesting a user to input the password of the user selected from the list displayed; and

switching the operation environment of the apparatus, from an operation environment corresponding to a current log-on user to the operation environment corresponding to the user selected, when the password input is identical to the password of the user selected.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether an authority level of a user who has demanded shut down of an operating system being executed in the apparatus is the highest of the authority levels of users who are logged on the apparatus at present; and

shutting down the operating system when the authority level of the user who has demanded the shut down of the operating system is the highest of the authority levels.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the displaying includes:

limiting the authority levels of users to be selected by the user who has demanded the user switching, to the determined authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching; and

generating the list of users who have authority levels equal to or lower than the determined authority levels.

15. A program recorded in a computer-readable medium and designed to causing a computer to switch a user who uses the computer, the program comprising:

causing the computer to determine an authority level of a user who has demanded user switching;

causing the computer to display on a display of the computer a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the determined authority level; and

causing the computer to switch an operation environment of the computer to an operation environment corresponding to a user selected from the list displayed.

16. The program according to claim 15, further comprising causing the computer to display on the display an authentication screen that requests a user to input a name and a password, when the user demands the user switching, and

wherein the causing computer to determine the authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching includes:

causing the computer to detect the user who has demanded the user switching and the authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching, based on the name and password input in the authentication screen.

17. The program according to claim 15, further comprising causing the computer to display on the display an authentication screen that requests a user to input a name and a password, when a user operates the computer to stop a screen saver being executed in the computer,

wherein the causing computer to determine the authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching includes:

causing the computer to detect the user who has operated the computer to stop the screen saver and the authority level of the user who has operated the computer, based on the name and password input in the authentication screen, and

the causing the computer to display the list of users includes;

causing the computer to display on the display of the computer a list of users who have authority levels not higher than the authority level of the user who has operated the computer to stop the screen saver.

18. The program according to claim 15, wherein the causing the computer to switch the operation environment of the computer includes:

causing the computer to request a user to input the password of the user selected from the list displayed; and

causing the computer to switch the operation environment of the computer, from an operation environment corresponding to a current log-on user to the operation environment corresponding to the user selected, when the password input is identical to the password of the user selected.

19. The program according to claim 15, further comprising:

causing the computer to determine whether an authority level of a user who has demanded shut down of an operating system being executed in the computer is the highest of the authority levels of users who are logged on the computer at present; and

causing the computer to shut down the operating system when the authority level of the user who has demanded the shut down of the operating system is the highest of the authority levels.

20. The program according to claim 15, wherein the causing the computer to display the list of users includes:

causing the computer to limit the authority levels of users to be selected by the user who has demanded the user switching, to the determined authority level of the user who has demanded the user switching; and

causing the computer to generate the list of users who have authority levels equal to or lower than the determined authority levels.