Image forming system including server device and printers as clients

• US 20050165694A1
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Tsuzuki, Toru
• Application Number:
  US11/043,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165694A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4406 Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof

Abstract

A setup is provided that enables strict management of licenses, without any incorrect use of license-requiring data if a communications failure should occur, in a configuration in which an image forming device acquires and uses license-requiring data from a server device. The configuration is such that a server device and a printer are connected, together in a mutually communicable manner, and the printer acquires license-requiring data that necessitates a license for use from the server device. If it has been confirmed that the communications state between the server device and the printer has failed, license-requiring data that is stored in a memory is deleted, thus inhibiting the printer, from using that license-requiring data for printing.

Claims

1. An image forming system comprising:

a server device; and

an image forming device communicably connected to the server device,

wherein the server device comprises;

a data storage device that stores license-requiring data, the license-requiring data being such data that necessitates a license when the image forming device downloads the data from the data storage device; and

a data transmission unit that transmits the license-requiring data,

wherein the image forming device comprises;

a reception unit that receives the license-requiring data transmitted from the data transmission unit;

an image forming portion that forms an image using the license-requiring data received at the reception unit;

a confirmation unit that confirms a communications state between the server device and the image forming-device; and

an inhibiting unit that inhibits use of the license-requiring data by the image forming portion for printing, if the confirmation unit has confirmed that the communication state between the server device and the image forming device has failed.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming device further comprises a data storage device that stores the license-requiring data received at the reception unit, wherein the inhibiting unit deletes the license-requiring data stored in the data storage device of the image forming device, if the confirmation unit has confirmed that the communication state between the server device and the image forming device has failed.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein when the image forming portion forms an image based on a first type of image data, the first type of image data containing an instruction to use the license-requiring data, the image forming portion forms the image by using the license-requiring data stored in the data storage unit of the image forming device.

4. The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein when the image forming portion forms an image based on a second type of image data different from the first type of image data, the image forming portion forms the image by using both the license-requiring data and normal data, the normal data being such that a license of the server device is not necessitated, or by selectively using one of the license-requiring data and the normal data.

5. The image forming system according to claim 4, wherein when the image forming portion forms the image based on the second type of image data, the inhibiting unit deletes the license-requiring data stored in the data storage device of the image forming device, if the confirmation unit has confirmed that the communication state between the server device and the image forming device has failed, and the image forming portion forms the image not using the license-requiring data but using the normal data.

6. The image forming system according to claim 5, wherein the second type of image data is one selected from a group consisting of font data, firmware data, and macro data.

7. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation unit confirms the communications state between the server device and the image forming device when a predetermined condition is met.

8. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming device further comprises a, transmission unit that transmits predetermined information to the server device, wherein the confirmation unit checks whether or not a predetermined communications result is received from the server in response to the predetermined information when transmission of the predetermined information is tested by the transmission unit, and wherein the inhibiting unit inhibits the image forming portion to print using the license-requiring data, if the confirmation unit confirms that the predetermined communications result has not been obtained.

9. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the server device further comprises a setting unit that sets the use of the license-requiring data stored in the data storage device to disabled, wherein the confirmation unit checks whether or not the use of the

license-requiring data is set to disabled by the setting unit, and the inhibiting unit inhibits the use of the license-requiring data for printing if the confirmation unit confirms that the use of the license-requiring data is set to disabled.

10. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming device further comprises a notification unit that notifies that the use of the license-requiring data for printing is inhibited by the inhibiting unit.

11. An image forming device communicably connected, in use, to a server device, the image forming device comprising:

a reception unit that receives license-requiring data from the server device, the license-requiring data being such data that necessitates a license of the server when downloading;

an image forming portion that forms an image using the license-requiring data received at the reception unit;

an interface connected, in use, to the server device;

a confirmation unit that confirms a communications state between the server device and the interface; and

an inhibiting unit that inhibits use of the license-requiring data by the image forming portion for printing, if the confirmation unit has confirmed that the communication state between the server device and the interface has failed.

12. The image forming device according to claim 11, further comprising a data storage device that stores the license-requiring data received at the reception unit, wherein the inhibiting unit deletes the license-requiring data stored in the data storage device, if the confirmation unit has confirmed that the communication state between the server device and the interface has failed.

13. The image forming device according to claim 12, wherein when the image forming portion forms an image based on a first type of image data, the first type of image data containing an instruction to use the license-requiring data, the image forming portion forms the image by using the license-requiring data stored in the data storage unit.

14. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein when the image forming portion forms an image based on a second type of image data different from the first type of image data, the image forming portion forms the image by using both the license-requiring data and normal data, the normal data being such that a license of the server device is not necessitated, or by selectively using one of the license-requiring data and the normal data.

15. The image forming device according to claim 14, wherein when the image forming portion forms the image based on the second type of image data, the inhibiting unit deletes the license-requiring data stored in the data storage device, if the confirmation unit has confirmed that the communication state between the server device and the interface has failed, and the image forming portion forms the image not using the license-requiring data but using the normal data.

16. The image forming device according to claim 15, wherein the second type of image data is one selected from a group consisting of font data, firmware data, and macro data.

17. The image forming device according to claim 11, wherein the confirmation unit confirms the communications state between the server device and the interface when a predetermined condition is met.

18. The image forming device according to claim 11, further comprising a transmission unit that transmits predetermined information to the server device, wherein the confirmation unit checks whether or not a predetermined communications result is received from the server in response to the predetermined information when transmission of the predetermined information is tested by the transmission unit, and wherein the inhibiting unit inhibits the image forming portion to print using the license-requiring data, if the confirmation unit confirms that the predetermined communications result has not been obtained.

19. The image forming device according to claim 11, wherein the confirmation unit checks whether or not the use of the license-requiring data is set to disabled by the server device, and the inhibiting unit inhibits the use of the license-requiring data for printing if the confirmation unit confirms that the use of the license-requiring data is set to disabled.

20. The image forming device according to claim 11, further comprising a notification unit that notifies that the use of the license-requiring data for printing is inhibited by the inhibiting unit.