IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS, CONTROL SERVER, AND IMAGE-FORMING SYSTEM

• US 20080059962A1
• Filed: 08/23/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Fumitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00912 Arrangements for controlling a still picture apparatus or components thereof not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00954 Scheduling operations or managing resources H04N1/0096 takes precedence; program initiating or switching G06F9/48; allocation of computer resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00957 Compiling jobs, e.g. for batch processing H04N1/3208 takes precedence; program code compilation G06F8/41
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image-forming apparatus configured to be controlled based on access-control information and to perform a flow which includes performance a plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus based on flow setting information, where flow setting information designates an order of performance of the plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus. The image-forming apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire the access-control information based on a signature included in the flow setting information if the flow setting information includes the signature, and a flow-performing unit configured to perform the flow based on the access-control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Claims

1. An image-forming apparatus configured to be controlled based on access-control information and to perform a flow which includes performing a plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus based on flow setting information which designates an order of performance of the plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus, the image-forming apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the access-control information based on a signature included in the flow setting information if the flow setting information includes the signature; and

a flow-performing unit configured to perform the flow based on the access-control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether the flow setting information includes a signature,

wherein the acquisition unit is configured, the determination unit determines that the flow setting information includes a signature, to acquire the access-control information based on the signature, and, if the determination unit determines that the flow setting information does not include a signature, to acquire the access-control information for a user who instructed performance of the flow.

3. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to acquire the access-control information for a user who has provided the flow setting information with a signature.

4. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to, if the flow setting information is not authentic, acquire the access-control information for a user who instructed performance of the flow.

5. The image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displaying unit configured to display a user interface screen to permit instruction of performance of the flow,

wherein the displaying unit is configured to display flows to be performed based on flow setting information including a signature and flows to be performed based on flow setting information which does not include a signature.

6. A method for an image-forming apparatus, which controls performance of a flow, based on access-control information, where the flow includes performing a plurality of functions of the image-forming apparatus based on flow setting information designating an order of performance of a plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

acquiring the access-control information based on a signature included in the flow setting information if the flow setting information includes the signature; and

performing the flow based on acquired access-control information.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining whether the flow setting information includes a signature,

wherein if it is determined that the flow setting information includes a signature, the access-control information is acquired based on the signature, and if it is determined that the flow setting information does not include a signature, the access-control information is acquired for a user who instructed performance of the flow.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the acquiring the access-control information includes acquiring the access-control information for a user who has provided the flow setting information with a signature.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein if the flow setting information is not authentic, acquiring the access-control information includes acquiring the access-control information for a user who instructed performance of the flow.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising displaying a user interface screen to allow instruction of performance of the flow,

wherein displaying the user interface screen includes displaying flows to be performed based on flow setting information including a signature and flows to be performed based on the flow setting information which does not include a signature.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program which, when executed by an image-forming apparatus, causes the image-forming apparatus to perform operations according to claim 6.

12. A control server configured to generate access-control information for controlling performance of a function of an image-forming apparatus, the control server comprising:

a generation unit configured to generate the access-control information based on a signature included in flow setting information in the case that a flow is performed based on the flow setting information, wherein the flow setting information designates an order of performance of a plurality of functions of the image-forming apparatus in the image-forming apparatus; and

a sending unit configured to send the access-control information to the image-forming apparatus.

13. The control server according to claim 12, further comprising a verification unit configured to verify whether the signature included in the flow setting information is authentic,

wherein the generation unit is configured to generate the access-control information based on the signature included in the flow setting information if it is verified by the verification unit that the signature is authentic.

14. The control server according to claim 12, wherein the generation unit is configured to generate the access-control information for a user who has provided the flow setting information with a signature.

15. A method for a control server configured to generate access-control information for controlling performance of a function of an image-forming apparatus, the method comprising:

generating the access-control information based on a signature included in flow setting information, where the flow setting information designates an order of performance of a plurality of functions of the image-forming apparatus; and

sending the access-control information generated by the generation unit to the image-forming apparatus.

16. An image-forming system comprising:

a control server configured to generate access-control information for controlling performance of a function of an image-forming apparatus; and

the image-forming apparatus, configured to be controlled based on access-control information and to perform a flow, where the flow includes performance of a plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus based on flow setting information designating an order of performance of the plurality of functions of the image forming apparatus,

wherein the control server comprises;

a verification unit configured to verify whether a signature included in the flow setting information is authentic; and

a generation unit configured to generate the access-control information based on a signature included in the flow setting information if it is verified by the verification unit that the signature is authentic, and

wherein the image-forming apparatus comprises;

a acquisition unit configured to acquire from the control server the access-control information generated by the generation unit; and

a flow-performing unit configured to perform the flow based on the access-control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

17. An image-forming apparatus configured to be controlled based on access-control information and to perform a flow which includes performance of a plurality of functions of the image-forming apparatus based on flow setting information, where the flow setting information designates an order of performance of the plurality of functions of the image-forming apparatus, wherein the access-control information includes flow-identification information that identifies flow setting information, the image-forming apparatus comprising;

a determination unit configured to determine whether flow setting information is identified by the flow-identification information; and

a flow-performing unit configured to perform the plurality of functions identified by the flow setting information if it is determined by the determination unit that the flow setting information is identified by the flow-identification information.

18. A method for an image-forming apparatus, which controls performance of a flow based on access-control information, where the flow includes performing a plurality of functions of the image-forming apparatus, wherein the access-control information includes flow-identification information that identifies flow setting information, the method comprising:

determining whether flow setting information is identified by the flow-identification information included in access-control information; and

performing the plurality of functions designated by the flow setting information if it is determined that the flow setting information is identified by the flow-identification information.