IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20080260144A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Hisashi
• Application Number:
  US12/104,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20080260144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00912 Arrangements for controlling a still picture apparatus or components thereof not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00928 Initialisation or control of normal start-up or shut-down, i.e. non failure or error related
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32358 using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter H04N1/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4486 using digital data encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3288 Storage of two or more complete document pages or image frames

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is supplied capable of preventing data stored in a non-volatility memory from being read out when the non-volatility memory is stolen. In the image forming apparatus, an encryption function section of encryption/decryption function section encrypts print job received from an information processing apparatus or print data made in the image forming apparatus, and stores it to a non-volatility memory; and a decryption function section of the encryption/decryption function section decrypts the print job or the print data encrypted by the encryption function section and stored in the non-volatility memory, and outputs it.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus which has a non-volatility memory to store either of print data received from a host apparatus and print data made inside the image forming apparatus, comprising:

an encrypting section that encrypts the print data; and

a decrypting section that decrypts the print data encrypted by the encrypting section,

wherein the non-volatility memory stores the print data encrypted by the encrypting section, the decrypting section decrypts the print data which is read out from the non-volatility memory.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory identifying section that confirms a proper performance of the non-volatility memory.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an encryption key generating section that generates an encryption key which is used not only by the encrypting section to encrypt the print data but also by the decrypting section to decrypt the encrypted print data, on the basis of a predetermined information; and

an encryption key setting section that sets the encryption key generated by the encryption key generating section to the encrypting section and the decrypting section.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a memory identifying section that confirms a proper performance of the non-volatility memory.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the predetermined information is random number information generated on the basis of a stationary number of the non-volatility memory.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a memory identifying section that confirms a proper performance of the non-volatility memory.