Data output apparatus

• US 20050102518A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wada, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,757,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data

Abstract

A request signal requesting a response signal from an ID card is transmitted, and, when a response signal is received, it is compared with the data identifying the manager, which is stored in advance, and a determination is made as to whether or not the data identifying the manager is received. If the data is determined to be received, a timer is set, and, if there is a job being held up, the output processing of the job is executed. When it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed, outputting is notified to be restricted, thereafter outputting is prohibited.

Claims

1. A data output apparatus comprising:

a controller capable of performing operations of;

preceiving data;

outputting the received data;

storing information identifying a specific user;

receiving information identifying a user;

determining, based on the stored information, whether or not the received information is the information about the specific user;

starting to measure time when it is determined that the received information is the information about the specific user;

determining, based on the measured time, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed; and

prohibiting the outputting of data when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed.

2. The data output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further capable of performing operations of:

storing the received data; and

when it is determined that the information about the specific user is received, determining whether or not data to be outputted is stored,

wherein if it is determined that data to be outputted is stored, outputting is started.

3. The data output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further capable of performing operations of

encrypting the received data;

storing the encrypted data; and

decrypting the encrypted data when outputting the data.

4. The data output apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller is further capable of performing operations of

generating a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted data;

storing the generated decryption key;

starting to measure time when the decryption key is stored, or when the information about the specific user is received;

determining, based on the measured time, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed; and

deleting the decryption key when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed.

5. The data output apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller is further capable of performing operations of:

transmitting information requesting the decryption key for decrypting the data to an external device; and

receiving the decryption key transmitted in response to the request,

wherein the received decryption key is stored.

6. The data output apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller is further capable of performing an operation of determining whether or not encrypted data is present,

wherein if there is a stored decryption key when it is determined that encrypted data is present, decryption of the data is started.

7. The data output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further capable of performing operations of

transmitting a transmission request for the information identifying the user to an external device;

and

receiving the information transmitted in response to the transmission request.

8. The data output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation of outputting the received data includes a process of transmitting the data to an external device.

9. The data output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further capable of performing an operation of notifying whether or not the outputting of data is permitted.

10. The data output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further capable of performing an operation of outputting the received data regardless of whether or not the information about the specific user is received.

11. A data output apparatus comprising:

means for receiving data;

first output means for outputting the received data;

first storing means for storing information identifying a specific user;

information receiving means for receiving information identifying a user;

means for determining, based on the information stored in the first storing means, whether or not the information received by the information receiving means is the information about the specific user;

means for starting to measure time when it is determined that the received information is the information about the specific user;

means for determining, based on the measured time, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed; and

means for prohibiting the outputting of data from the first output means when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed.

12. The data output apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

second storing means for storing the received data; and

means for determining whether or not data to be outputted from the first output means is stored, when it is determined that the information about the specific user is received,

wherein if it is determined that data to be outputted from the first output means is stored, outputting is started.

13. The data output apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for encrypting the received data;

third storing means for storing the encrypted data; and

means for decrypting the encrypted data when outputting the data from the first output means.

14. The data output apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

means for generating a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted data;

fourth storing means for storing the generated decryption key;

means for starting to measure time when the decryption key is stored, or when the information about the specific user is received;

means for determining, based on the measured time, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed; and

means for deleting the decryption key when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed.

15. The data output apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for transmitting information requesting the decryption key for decrypting the data to an external device; and

means for receiving the decryption key transmitted in response to the request,

wherein the received decryption key is stored.

16. The data output apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising means for determining whether or not encrypted data is present,

wherein if there is a stored decryption key when it is determined that encrypted data is present, decryption of the data is started.

17. The data output apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for transmitting a transmission request for the information identifying the user to an external device; and

means for receiving the information transmitted in response to the transmission request.

18. The data output apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first output means is means for transmitting data to an external device.

19. The data output apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising means for notifying whether or not the outputting of data by the first output means is permitted.

20. The data output apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising second output means for outputting data, which is different from the first output means,

wherein the outputting of data from the second output means is allowed regardless of whether or not the information about the specific user is received.