INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTENT MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE NON-TRANSITORY RECORDING MEDIUM ENCODED WITH CONTENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

• US 20110231906A1
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohshima, Atsushi, Morikawa, Takeshi, TORIGOSHI, Akihiro, Teramoto, Keisuke, Yamada, Masami
• Granted Patent: US 8,943,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a storage portion having a plurality of storage areas; an authentication portion for authenticating a user; a content setting portion for storing content set public by the authenticated user in a public storage area with no access restriction, of the plurality of storage areas of the storage portion, and for storing content set private into a personal storage area accessible only by the authenticated user, of the plurality of storage areas of the storage portion; and an access permission portion for, when a predetermined process is executed on the content set private stored in the personal storage area, making the content set private accessible by others through the public storage area.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a storage portion having a plurality of storage areas;

an authentication portion to authenticate a user;

a content setting portion to store content set public by said authenticated user into a public storage area with no access restriction, of the plurality of storage areas of said storage portion, and to store content set private into a personal storage area accessible only by said authenticated user, of the plurality of storage areas of said storage portion; and

an access permission portion to, when a predetermined process is executed on the content set private stored in said personal storage area, make the content set private accessible by others through said public storage area.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access permission portion includes a link information storage portion to store into said public storage area link information that allows others to access the content set private stored in said personal storage area.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a link information deletion portion to delete the link information stored in said public storage area when said predetermined process ends.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an output form setting portion to set an output form for said content;

a conversion portion to convert said content into said set output form; and

an output portion to output said converted content.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a content deletion portion to, in response to deletion of the link information stored in said public storage area by said authenticated user, delete the content stored in said personal storage area that is linked by the link information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a personal area deletion portion to delete said personal storage area in response to deletion of all the contents stored in said personal storage area.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access permission portion includes a copy portion to copy into said public storage area the content set private stored in said personal storage area.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a copy content deletion portion to delete copy content copied into said public storage area when said predetermined process ends.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an output form setting portion to set an output form for said content,

wherein said copy portion includes a conversion portion to convert said content into said set output form.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a content accepting portion to accept content; and

a publishing/not publishing setting portion to set said accepted content either public or private,

wherein said content setting portion includes a personal storage area generation portion to generate said personal storage area allocated to said authenticated user when said accepted content is set private.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined process is a process for said authenticated user to access the content set private stored in said personal storage area.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined process is a process for said authenticated user to accept permission to view the content set private stored in said personal storage area.

13. A content management method executed in an information processing apparatus including a storage portion having a plurality of storage areas, comprising the steps of:

authenticating a user;

storing content set public by said authenticated user into a public storage area with no access restriction, of the plurality of storage areas of said storage portion;

storing content set private by said authenticated user into a personal storage area accessible only by said authenticated user; and

when a predetermined process is executed on the content set private stored in said personal storage area, making the content set private accessible by others through said public storage area.

14. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium encoded with a content management program executed in a computer which controls an information processing apparatus including a storage portion having a plurality of storage areas, said content management program causing said computer to execute the steps of:

authenticating a user;

storing content set public by said authenticated user into a public storage area with no access restriction, of the plurality of storage areas of said storage portion;

storing content set private by said authenticated user into a personal storage area accessible only by said authenticated user; and

when a predetermined process is executed on the content set private stored in said personal storage area, making the content set private accessible by others through said public storage area.