Processing device, authentication server, processing system and function offering method

• US 20070094499A1
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Dokuni, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US11/583,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094499A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A digital MFP, which offers a function called by an operator, transmits a user ID and a password acquired from the operator to an authentication server and receives an authentication result with respect to the transmitted user ID and the password from the authentication server. The digital MFP receives a permission setting, which is information associated with the successfully authenticated user ID and the password and relates to whether or not to permit to offer a function, from the authentication server, and stores the received permission setting in a RAM. The digital MFP determines whether or not to permit to offer the function after the authentication has succeeded in accordance with the permission setting stored in the RAM.

Claims

1. A processing device comprising:

an authentication acquiring means for transmitting authentication information acquired from an operator to a remote authentication server, and receiving an authentication result with respect to the transmitted authentication information from the remote authentication server;

a permission setting receiving means for receiving a permission setting from the remote authentication server, wherein the permission setting is information associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information and relates to whether or not to permit to offer a function;

means for storing the received permission setting; and

means for determining whether or not to permit to offer the function after authentication has succeeded in accordance with the permission setting stored in the means for storing.

2. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein after the authentication acquiring means receives the authentication result indicating that the authentication has succeeded, the permission setting receiving means transmits a search request of permission setting associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information to the authentication server, and receives the permission setting from the authentication server as a response to the transmitted search request.

3. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein when the operator calls a function, the authentication acquiring means transmits the authentication information to the remote authentication server, and receives an authentication result with respect to the transmitted authentication information from the remote authentication server.

4. The processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit arranged to display a software key; and

a display control means for controlling a content of the software key displayed on the display unit,

wherein the display control means determines whether or not to permit an offering for all functions immediately after receiving the permission setting from the remote authentication server, and displays only the software key for calling a function which has been determined that offering of such a function is permitted.

5. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information is a user ID and a password entered by the operator during a login operation.

6. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the function includes a part of or all of a copy function, a fax function, a scanner function and a printer function.

7. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the function includes a part of or all of a scan instruction, a print instruction, a setting change and an editing of stored information.

8. An authentication server comprising:

a storing means for associating authentication information with a permission setting, which is information relating to whether or not to permit to offer a function after authentication has succeeded in a remote processing device, and storing the associated authentication information and the permission setting;

an authentication offering means for receiving the authentication information from the remote processing device and transmitting an authentication result with respect to the received authentication information to the processing device; and

a permission setting transmitting means for transmitting a permission setting associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information to the processing device in connection with the transmission of the authentication result.

9. The authentication server according to claim 8, wherein the permission setting associated with the authentication information can be selected from previously registered choices.

10. The authentication server according to claim 9, wherein a name for identification can be assigned to the choices, and the assigned name can be referenced when making a selection from the choices.

11. The authentication server according to claim 8, wherein after the authentication offering means transmits the authentication result indicating that the authentication has succeeded to the processing device, when the permission setting transmitting means receives a search request of the permission setting from the remote processing device, the permission setting transmitting means transmits the permission setting associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information to the remote processing device in response to the received search request.

12. The authentication server according to claim 8, wherein the authentication information is a user ID and a password.

13. The authentication server according to claim 8, wherein the function includes a part of or all of a copy function, a fax function, a scanner function and a printer function.

14. The authentication server according to claim 8, wherein the function includes a part of or all of a scan instruction, a print instruction, a setting change and an editing of stored information.

15. A processing system comprising:

a processing device which offers a function called by an operator; and

an authentication server,

wherein the processing device includes;

an authentication acquiring means for transmitting authentication information acquired from the operator to the authentication server, and receiving an authentication result with respect to the transmitted authentication information from the authentication server,

a permission setting receiving means for receiving a permission setting from the authentication server, wherein the permission setting is information associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information and relates to whether or not to permit to offer a function,

means for storing the received permission setting, and

means for determining whether or not to permit to offer the function after authentication has succeeded in accordance with the permission setting stored in the means for storing, and

wherein the authentication server includes;

a storing means for associating and storing the authentication information and the permission setting,

an authentication offering means for receiving the authentication information from the processing device and transmitting an authentication result with respect to the received authentication information to the processing device, and

a permission setting transmitting means for transmitting the permission setting associated with the received authentication information to the processing device in connection with the transmission of the authentication result.

16. The processing system according to claim 15, wherein after the authentication acquiring means receives the authentication result indicating that the authentication has succeeded, the permission setting receiving means transmits a search request of the permission setting associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information to the authentication server, and receives the permission setting from the authentication server as a response to the search request.

17. The processing system according to claim 15, wherein the authentication server can select the permission setting associated with the authentication information from previously registered choices.

18. The processing system according to claim 16, wherein a name for identification can be assigned to the choices, and the assigned name can be referenced when making a selection from the choices.

19. The processing system according to claim 15, wherein after the authentication offering means transmits the authentication result indicating that the authentication has succeeded to the processing device, when the permission setting transmitting means receives a search request of the permission setting from the processing device, the permission setting transmitting means transmits the permission setting associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information to the processing device in response to the received search request.

20. A function offering method in a processing system comprising a processing device and an authentication server, the function offering method comprising:

an associating and storing step of associating authentication information with a permission setting and storing the associated authentication information and the permission setting in the authentication server;

an authentication information transmitting step of transmitting authentication information acquired from an operator from the processing device to the authentication server;

an authentication executing step of executing authentication of the authentication information transmitted at the authentication information transmitting step in accordance with an association relation stored at the associating and storing step in the authentication server;

an authentication result transmitting step of transmitting an authentication result from the authentication server to the processing device after executing the authentication at the authentication executing step;

a permission setting transmitting step of transmitting a permission setting, which is information associated with the successfully authenticated authentication information and relates to whether or not to permit to offer a function, from the authentication server to the processing device after the authentication result indicating that authentication has succeeded is transmitted at the authentication result transmitting step;

a storing step of storing the permission setting transmitted at the permission setting transmitting step in the processing device; and

a determining step of determining whether or not to permit to offer the function after the authentication has succeeded in accordance with the permission setting stored at the storing step in the processing device.