SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING INFORMATION FOR WEB SERVICES

• US 20090138965A1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ferlitsch, Andrew Rodney
• Application Number:
  US11/945,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138965A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/342 Accounting or charging based on content, e.g. charging for access to a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/346 Accounting or charging based on a number representative of the service used, e.g. number of operations or copies produced
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/348 Accounting or charging based on time or day
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4406 Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa

Abstract

A method for providing access control and accounting information for one or more services is described. A service request is received from a device. A service to execute the service request is selected. A determination is made whether the device is authorized to access the selected service. The accounting information associated with executing the service request using the selected service is calculated.

Claims

1. A method for providing access control and accounting information for one or more services, comprising:

receiving a service request from a device;

selecting a service to execute the service request;

determining whether the device is authorized to access the selected service; and

calculating the accounting information associated with executing the service request using the selected service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request is a request to translate the format of an imaging job.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

executing the service request;

transmitting an executed service request to the device; and

transmitting the accounting information associated with executing the service request to the device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the format of the output of the imaging job is translated.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein an intermediate format of the imaging job is translated, wherein the intermediate format is the format of the imaging job after the imaging job is inputted and before the imaging job is outputted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a web service.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the accounting information comprises a cost and is based on the type of the selected service, the size of the input of the imaging job and the quality of the output of the imaging job.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein a user provides the imaging job directly to the device.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein a host computing device provides the imaging job to the device, wherein the host computing device is located remotely from the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a multi-functional peripheral (MFP).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the accounting information is calculated by the device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a user of the device is authorized to access the selected service.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a natural language translation service.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is an optical character recognition (OCR) service.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a bates stamping service.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a bar code reading and bar code writing service.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is an image enhancement service.

18. A computer system that is configured to provide access control and accounting information for one or more services, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor;

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to;

receive a service request from a multi-functional peripheral (MFP) device;

select a service to execute the service request;

determine whether the MFP is authorized to access the selected service; and

calculate the accounting information associated with executing the service request using the selected service.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the service request is a request to translate the format of an imaging job.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

execute the service request;

transmit an executed service request to the MFP device; and

transmit the accounting information associated with executing the service request to the MFP device.

21. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the format of the output of the imaging job is translated.

22. The computer system of claim 19, wherein a user provides the imaging job directly to the MFP.

23. The computer system of claim 19, wherein a host computing device provides the imaging job to the MFP, wherein the host computing device is located remotely from the MFP.

24. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine whether a user of the MFP is authorized to access the selected service.

25. A computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for:

receiving a service request from a device;

selecting a service to execute the service request;

determining whether the device is authorized to access the selected service; and

calculating the accounting information associated with executing the service request using the selected service.