Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing program and recording medium

• US 20050071648A1
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimizu, Kohji, Akiyoshi, Kunihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set is provided. The information processing apparatus includes a validity determination part for determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium, wherein the validity determination part determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a validity determination part for determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium;

wherein the validity determination part determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the validity determination data is generated by encrypting the hash code generated from the program and the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising a storing part for storing the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting part.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising a storing part for storing the validity determination data into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting part.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising an installing part for installing the program determined to be valid into the information processing apparatus.

6. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising an updating part for updating the program in the information processing apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a memory card.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information processing apparatus comprising:

an adding part for adding data specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus to image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving via a network; and

a comparing part for comparing the data specific to the recording medium or specific to the image forming apparatus with data added to the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network.

10. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information processing apparatus comprising:

an encryption part for encrypting image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving the image data via a network with a key specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus; and

a decoding part for decoding the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network with the key.

11. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the machine specific data specific to the information processing apparatus is any one of a machine number of the information processing apparatus, a MAC address of the information processing apparatus and an IP address of the information processing apparatus.

18. The information processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a memory card.

19. The information processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

20. The information processing method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the information processing apparatus comprising:

an adding part for adding data specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus to image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving via a network; and

a comparing part for comparing the data specific to the recording medium or specific to the image forming apparatus with data added to the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network.

21. The information processing method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the information processing apparatus comprising:

an encryption part for encrypting image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving the image data via a network with a key specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus; and

a decoding part for decoding the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network with the key.

12. An information processing method performed in an information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set, the information processing method comprising:

a validity determination step of determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium;

wherein the information processing apparatus determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.

13. The information processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the validity determination data is generated by encrypting the hash code generated from the program and the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus.

14. The information processing method as claimed in claim 12, the information processing method further comprising a storing step of storing the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting part.

15. The information processing method as claimed in claim 12, the information processing method further comprising a storing step of storing the validity determination data into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting part.

16. The information processing method as claimed in claim 12, the information processing method further comprising an installing step of installing the program determined to be valid into the information processing apparatus.

17. The information processing method as claimed in claim 12, the information processing method further comprising an updating step of updating the program in the information processing apparatus.

22. The information processing method as claimed in claim 12, the machine specific data specific to the information processing apparatus is any one of a machine number of the information processing apparatus, a MAC address of the information processing apparatus and an IP address of the information processing apparatus.

23. An information processing program for causing an information processing apparatus to perform information processing, the information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set, the information processing program comprising:

validity determination program code means for determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium;

wherein the validity determination program code means determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.

24. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, wherein the validity determination data is generated by encrypting the hash code generated from the program and the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus.

25. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, the information processing program further comprising a storing program code means for storing the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus in the recording medium set in the recording medium setting part.

26. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, the information processing program further comprising a storing program code means for storing the validity determination data in the recording medium set in the recording medium setting part.

27. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, the information processing program further comprising an installing program code means for installing the program determined to be valid into the information processing apparatus.

28. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, the information processing program further comprising an updating program code means for updating the program in the information processing apparatus.

29. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, wherein the recording medium is a memory card.

30. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

31. The information processing program as claimed in claim 23, the machine specific data specific to the information processing apparatus is any one of a machine number of the information processing apparatus, a MAC address of the information processing apparatus and an IP address of the information processing apparatus.

32. A computer readable recording medium storing an information processing program for causing an information processing apparatus to perform image processing, the information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set, the information processing program comprising:

validity determination program code means for determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium;

wherein the validity determination program code means determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.