Image forming apparatus and address information processing method

• US 20050002057A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Oe, Takayasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5091 for user-identification or authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1458 by checking the subject access rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

An image forming apparatus and an address book process request processing method are disclosed to improve access security to an address book. The image forming apparatus include an information storage part, a request receipt part and a request processing part. The information storage part stores an address book on users. The request receipt part receives process requests for the address book together with user identification information from users. The request processing part authenticates the users based on the received user identification information and performs operations corresponding to the process requests on the address book in accordance with access authority permitted to the users. The address book includes address information for transmitting data to the users via a network and management information having user identification information of the users.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an information storage part storing an address book on at least one user;

a request receipt part receiving a process request for the address book together with user identification information from the user; and

a request processing part, when the request receipt part receives the process request together with the user identification information from the user, authenticating the user based on the received user identification information and performing an operation corresponding to the process request on the address book in accordance with access authority granted to the user,

wherein the address book comprises address information for transmitting data to the at least one user via a network and management information having user identification information of the at least one user.

2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the process request is related to a view operation, a reference operation, an edit operation, and/or a delete operation on the address information and/or the management information of the address book.

3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the access authority to the address information and/or the management information of the address book comprises view authority, reference authority, edit authority and delete authority for the address information and/or the management information of the address book.

4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request receipt part comprises a Web server for providing a Web page for allowing the user to view and/or input information.

5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request receipt part comprises an operation part for allowing the user to view and/or input information.

6. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user identification information of the management information comprises ID number and password of the at least one user.

7. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the management information further comprises available operation information and charge information of the at least one user.

8. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the address information comprises at least one of email address, FAX number and URL of the at least one user.

9. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information storage part has an access authority table indicative of access authority to each data category of the address information and the management information for each user category of the at least one user, and the request processing part authenticates the user for the process request based on the access authority table.

10. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the access authority table is configured to have a plurality of user groups having different access authority to the address information and/or the management information.

11. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the process request is related to a backup operation and/or a restore operation for the address information and/or the management information, and the access authority comprises backup authority and/or restore authority for the address information and/or the management information.

12. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the address information and/or the management information is encrypted and the encrypted address information and/or the encrypted management information is backed up/restored.

13. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request processing part, when the user is unsuccessfully authenticated for the process request, displays an error message to the user.

14. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a request control part, when the request receipt part receives a process request related to the edit operation on the address information from a user during execution of an operation corresponding to another process request, queuing the received process request.

15. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the request control part, when a plurality of process requests related to the edit operation on the same address information are queued, merges the plurality of process requests.

16. A method of processing an address book for an image forming apparatus, comprising steps of:

receiving a process request for an address book together with user identification information from a user; and

authenticating the user based on the user identification information supplied from the user; and

performing an operation corresponding to the process request on the address book in accordance with access authority granted to the user,

wherein the address book comprises address information for transmitting data to the at least one user via a network and management information having user identification information of the at least one user.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the process request is related to a view operation, a reference operation, an edit operation, and/or a delete operation on the address information and/or the management information.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the access authority to address information and/or management information of the address book comprises view authority, reference authority, edit authority and delete authority for the address information and/or the management information of the address book.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the process request and the user identification information are received via a Web server or an operation part of the image forming apparatus.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the authentication step is performed based on an access authority table indicative of access authority to each data category of the address information and the management information for each user category of the at least one user, and the operation corresponding to the process request is performed with accordance with access authority granted to the user with reference to the access authority table.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the process request is related to a backup operation and/or a restore operation on the address information and/or the management information, and the access authority comprises backup authority and/or restore authority for the address information and/or the management information.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a step of:

displaying, when the user is unsuccessfully authenticated for the process request, an error message to the user.

23. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a step of:

queuing, when a process request related to the edit operation on the address book from a user is received during execution of an operation corresponding to another process request, the received process request.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the queuing step comprises, when a plurality of process requests related to the edit operation on the same address information are queued, merging the plurality of process requests.