ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20080163349A1
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: OBARA, Takenori, OKIMURA, Naomasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns

Abstract

An electronic equipment includes: a first connecting unit that connects an external apparatus and a transmit and receive unit; a prohibit unit; an identification information storage; a second connecting unit that is connected to a key constituting member including memory unit storing therein authentication information corresponding to the identification information; a covering unit; a gain unit; a judge unit; and a permit unit.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment comprising:

a first connecting unit that connects an external apparatus and a transmit and receive unit, which transmits and receives information;

a prohibit unit that prohibits use of a function to transmit and receive the information;

an identification information storage that stores therein identification information to permit use of the function prohibited by the prohibit unit;

a second connecting unit that is connected to a key constituting member including memory unit storing therein authentication information corresponding to the identification information;

a covering unit that, in a case where the key constituting member is not connected to the second connecting unit, covers at least part of the first connecting unit and that, in a case where the key constituting member is connected to the second connecting unit, removes the covering of the first connecting unit;

a gain unit that, in a case where the key constituting member is connected to the second connecting unit, gains the authentication information from the memory unit;

a judge unit that judges whether or not the authentication information gained by the gain unit corresponds to the identification information stored in the identification information storage; and

a permit unit that, in a case where it is judged by the judge unit that the authentication information corresponds to the identification information, permits use of the information to transmit and receive function prohibited by the prohibit unit.

2. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering unit that, in a case where the key constituting member is not connected to the second connecting unit, covers at least one of parts of the first connecting unit and parts of the second connecting unit.

3. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first connecting unit comprises at least one of a connecting terminal of a local area network, and a data transmission line connecting terminal.

4. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering unit, in a case where the key constituting member is connected to the second connecting unit, is engaged with part of the key constituting member, and is moved in a direction to remove the covering of the first connecting unit.

5. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the covering unit comprises a guide unit that guides the key constituting member to the second connecting unit through a given passage, and

the covering unit, while the key constituting member is guided and connected to the second connecting unit by the guide unit, is engaged with part of the key constituting member and is moved in a direction to remove the covering of the first connecting unit.

6. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering unit comprises an energizing unit that, in a case where the key constituting member is not connected to the second connecting unit, energizes the covering unit in a direction to cover the first connecting unit.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising a covering unit as claimed in claim 1.