Service providing system, information processing apparatus, service providing server and service providing method

• US 20060075474A1
• Filed: 10/03/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsuda, Toru, Takeuchi, Sachiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations

Abstract

A service providing system is disclosed. The service providing system includes an information processing apparatus and a service providing server, each having an authentication mechanism, that are connected via a network, wherein the information processing apparatus and the service providing server provides a service in response to a request by an authenticated user. The information processing apparatus includes: an information obtaining part for obtaining authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server wherein the authentication information is associated with a user authenticated in the information processing apparatus; and a process request part for sending a process request including the authentication information to the service providing server.

Claims

1. A service providing system comprising an information processing apparatus and a service providing server, each having an authentication mechanism, that are connected via a network, wherein the information processing apparatus and the service providing server provides a service in response to a request by an authenticated user,

the information processing apparatus comprising:

an information obtaining part for obtaining authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server wherein the authentication information is associated with a user authenticated in the information processing apparatus; and

a process request part for sending a process request including the authentication information to the service providing server.

2. The service providing system as claimed in claim 1, the service providing server comprising:

an information obtaining part for obtaining the authentication information included in the process request in response to receiving the process request from the information processing apparatus; and

a process execution part for executing a process corresponding to the process request after authentication is successfully completed using the authentication information.

3. The service providing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information obtaining part of the information processing apparatus obtains authenticated information associated with the user authenticated in the information processing apparatus;

and

the process request part sends a process request, to the service providing server, including the authenticated information and information for checking the information processing apparatus.

4. The service providing system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the information obtaining part of the service providing server obtains the authenticated information and the information for checking the information processing apparatus included in the process request in response to receiving the process request from the information processing apparatus;

and

the process execution part obtains information, associated with the authenticated information, for performing authentication in the service providing server after authentication is successfully completed using the information for checking the information processing apparatus, and the process execution part performs a process corresponding to the process request after authentication is successfully completed using the information for performing authentication in the service providing server.

5. The service providing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the process request part of the information processing apparatus includes information for checking the user into the process request as the authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server.

6. The service providing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the process request part of the information processing apparatus includes information for identifying the user and information for checking the user into the process request as the authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server.

7. The service providing system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the process request part of the information processing apparatus includes information for identifying the user into the process request as the authenticated information.

8. An information processing apparatus that is connected to a service providing server having an authentication mechanism, wherein the information processing apparatus sends a process request to the service providing server in response to a request by an authenticated user, the information processing apparatus comprising:

an information obtaining part for obtaining authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server wherein the authentication information is associated with a user authenticated in the information processing apparatus; and

a process request part for sending a process request including the authentication information to the service providing server.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information obtaining part obtains authenticated information associated with the user authenticated in the information processing apparatus;

and

the process request part sends a process request, to the service providing server, including the authenticated information and information for checking the information processing apparatus.

10. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the process request part includes information for checking the user into the process request as the authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server.

11. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the process request part includes information for identifying the user and information for checking the user into the process request as the authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server.

12. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the process request part includes information for identifying the user into the process request as the authenticated information.

13. A service providing server that is connected to an information processing apparatus having an authentication mechanism, wherein the service providing server provides a service in response to a request by an authenticated user, the service providing server comprising:

an information obtaining part for obtaining authentication information included in a process request in response to receiving the process request from the information processing apparatus; and

a process execution part for executing a process corresponding to the process request after authentication is successfully completed using the authentication information.

14. The service providing server as claimed in claim 13, wherein the information obtaining part obtains authenticated information and information for checking the information processing apparatus included in the process request in response to receiving the process request from the information processing apparatus;

and

the process execution part obtains information, associated with the authenticated information, for performing authentication in the service providing server after authentication is successfully completed using the information for checking the information processing apparatus, and the process execution part performs a process corresponding to the process request after authentication is successfully completed using the information for performing authentication in the service providing server.

15. A service providing method in a service providing system comprising an information processing apparatus and a service providing server, each having an authentication mechanism, that are connected via a network, wherein the information processing apparatus and the service providing server provides a service in response to a request by an authenticated user, wherein:

the information processing apparatus obtains authentication information for performing authentication in the service providing server wherein the authentication information is associated with a user authenticated in the information processing apparatus; and

the information processing apparatus sends a process request including the authentication information to the service providing server.

16. The service providing method as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the service providing server obtains the authentication information included in the process request in response to receiving the process request from the information processing apparatus; and

the service providing server executs a process corresponding to the process request after authentication is successfully completed using the authentication information.

17. The service providing method as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

the information processing apparatus obtains authenticated information associated with the user authenticated in the information processing apparatus; and

the information processing apparatus sends a process request, to the service providing server, including the authenticated information and information for checking the information processing apparatus.