Image forming apparatus and control method for same

• US 20030226039A1
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Maki, Nobuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling a user to obtain verification and gain access a network server accessible only after verification without the user having to be aware of the communications method and verification protocol involves an image forming apparatus selecting a verification protocol having the highest level of security from among a plurality of previously determined verification protocols. The process of selecting the verification protocol with the highest level of security is then repeated with the verification protocol having the next highest level of security from among the remaining verification protocols until a connection to the network server is successfully established.

Claims

1. A control method for an image forming apparatus connected via a network to a server device, the server device controlling access thereto by a verification process, the control method comprising the steps of:

(a) conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the highest security selected from among a plurality of verification protocols having different levels of security;

(b) determining whether or not verification has succeeded;

(c) if verification has failed, conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the next highest level of security; and

(d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) until verification to the server device is successful.

2. The control method of claim 1, wherein the type of operations that can be performed on the data in the server varies according to the verification protocol used when verification is successful.

3. The control method of claim 1, further comprising:

the step of establishing encrypted communications with the server before attempting verification.

4. A control program for an image forming apparatus connected via a network to a server device, the server device controlling access thereto by a verification process, the control program comprising program code for executing the steps of:

(a) conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the highest security selected from among a plurality of verification protocols having different levels of security;

(b) determining whether or not verification has succeeded;

(c) if verification has failed, conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the next highest level of security; and

(d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) until verification to the server device is successful.

5. An image forming apparatus connected via a network to a server device, the server device controlling access thereto by a verification process, the image forming apparatus comprising:

verification means for conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the highest security selected from among a plurality of verification protocols having different levels of security; and

control means for controlling the verification means so that, if verification has failed, the verification protocol having the highest level of security is continuously selected from among a plurality of verification protocols until verification is successful.

6. A computer-readable medium storing program code for causing a computer to execute the steps of:

(a) conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the highest security selected from among a plurality of verification protocols having different levels of security;

(b) determining whether or not verification has succeeded;

(c) if verification has failed, conducting verification according to a verification protocol having the next highest level of security; and

(d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) until verification to the server device is successful.

7. A computer system comprising:

the computer-readable medium of claim 6;

a CPU for executing the program code stored on the computer-readable medium; and

a bus for communicatively coupling the computer-readable medium and the CPU.