SERVER APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM THEREFOR

• US 20110302639A1
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Araki, Hitaka, Yosato
• Granted Patent: US 8,561,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• 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: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A server apparatus capable of preventing unauthorized use of services by a third party through an electronic appliance that stores information used for user authentication by the server apparatus. The server apparatus receives, from an information processing apparatus, pieces of user identification information, pieces of appliance identification information, and pieces of use permission/prohibition information representing on a per service type basis whether uses of services are permitted or prohibited, and stores them so as to be associated with one another. When determining based on use permission/prohibition information, which is associated with a combination of user identification information and appliance identification information that are accepted from an electronic appliance, that use of a service represented by service type information accepted from the electronic appliance is permitted, the server apparatus transmits screen information for use of the service to the electronic appliance.

Claims

1. A server apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive, from an information processing apparatus through a network, pieces of user identification information that uniquely identify respective users, pieces of appliance identification information that uniquely identify respective electronic appliances, and pieces of use permission/prohibition information that represent on a per service type basis whether uses of services are permitted or prohibited;

a storage unit configured to store the pieces of use permission/prohibition information so as to be associated with combinations of user identification information and appliance identification information;

an acceptance unit configured to accept user identification information, appliance identification information, and service type information from any of the electronic appliances through the network;

a determination unit configured to determine whether use of a service represented by the service type information accepted by said acceptance unit is permitted or prohibited based on use permission/prohibition information stored in said storage unit so as to be associated with a combination of the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted by said acceptance unit; and

a transmission unit configured, in a case where it is determined by said determination unit that use of the service represented by the service type information accepted by said acceptance unit is permitted, to transmit screen information for use of the service represented by the service type information to the electronic appliance.

2. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein service types are classified into categories;

said storage unit stores the pieces of use permission/prohibition information on a per category basis;

the server apparatus includes a decision unit that makes a decision as to whether use of a service of a new service type represented by the service type information accepted by said acceptance unit is permitted or prohibited based on pieces of use permission/prohibition information already stored in said storage unit and representing whether uses of services of existing service types classified into a same category as the new service type are permitted or prohibited; and

said storage unit stores use permission/prohibition information representing the decision as to whether use of the service of the new service type is permitted or prohibited such that the use permission/prohibition information is associated with the combination of the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted by said acceptance unit.

3. The server apparatus according to claim 1, including:

a decision unit that makes a decision as to whether use of a service of a new service type represented by the service type information accepted by said acceptance unit is permitted or prohibited based on a number of usable service types and a number of unusable service types among existing service types represented by pieces of use permission/prohibition information already stored in said storage unit so as to be associated the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted by said acceptance unit,

wherein said storage unit stores use permission/prohibition information representing the decision as to whether use of the service of the new service type is permitted or prohibited such that the use permission/prohibition information is associated with the combination of the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted by said acceptance unit.

4. The server apparatus according claim 1, including:

a decision unit that makes a decision as to whether use of a service of a new service type represented by the service type information accepted by said acceptance unit is permitted or prohibited based on personal information that includes the user identification information accepted by said acceptance unit,

wherein said storage unit stores use permission/prohibition information representing the decision as to whether use of the service of the new service type is permitted or prohibited such that the use permission/prohibition information is associated with the combination of the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted by said acceptance unit.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein service types are classified into categories;

said storage unit stores the pieces of use permission/prohibition information on a per category basis;

the server apparatus includes a decision unit that makes a decision as to whether use of a service of a new service type represented by the service type information accepted by said acceptance unit is permitted or prohibited based on pieces of use history information already stored in said storage unit and representing past results of use of services of existing service types classified into a same category as the new service type; and

said storage unit stores use permission/prohibition information representing the decision as to whether use of the service of the new service type is permitted or prohibited such that the use permission/prohibition information is associated with the combination of the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted by said acceptance unit.

6. A control method for a server apparatus, comprising:

a reception step of receiving, from an information processing apparatus through a network, pieces of user identification information that uniquely identify respective users, pieces of appliance identification information that uniquely identify respective electronic appliances, and pieces of use permission/prohibition information that represent on a per service type basis whether uses of services are permitted or prohibited;

a storage step of storing the pieces of use permission/prohibition information so as to be associated with combinations of user identification information and appliance identification information;

an acceptance step of accepting user identification information, appliance identification information, and service type information from any of the electronic appliances through the network;

a determination step of determining whether use of a service represented by the service type information accepted in said acceptance step is permitted or prohibited based on use permission/prohibition information stored in said storage step so as to be associated with a combination of the user identification information and the appliance identification information which are accepted in said acceptance step; and

a transmission step of, in a case where it is determined in said determination step that use of the service represented by the service type information accepted in said acceptance step is permitted, transmitting screen information for use of the service represented by the service type information to the electronic appliance.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the control method as set forth in claim 6.