IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM FOR COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20120243010A1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: AIHARA, Nobuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,643,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00432 using tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00435 arranged in a predetermined sequence, e.g. using next and previous buttons
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided which performs a process on data stored in advance in accordance with operation by a verified user. The apparatus includes a user authentication portion for performing user authentication on a second user in a state where a first user is verified and logs in the image forming apparatus, an access control portion for, in a login state where both the first user and the second user are verified, giving a permission to perform a process on user data to which one of the first user and the second user determined based on a login order is granted access, and an operation control portion for, in the login state, accepting operation that relates to the user data and falls within at least one of an operation permission given in advance to the first user and an operation permission given in advance to the second user.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for performing a process on data stored in advance in accordance with operation by a verified user, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a user authentication portion configured to perform user authentication on a second user in a state where a first user is verified and logs in the image forming apparatus;

an access control portion configured to, in a login state where both the first user and the second user are verified, give a permission to perform a process on user data to which one of the first user and the second user determined based on a login order is granted access; and

an operation control portion configured to, in the login state, accept operation that relates to the user data and falls within at least one of an operation permission given in advance to the first user and an operation permission given in advance to the second user.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said one of the first user and the second user determined based on the login order is the first user who has been verified in advance of the second user.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the user authentication portion performs further user authentication on one or more users in the login state, and

the operation control portion accepts, in a login state where all of three or more users including the first user and the second user are verified, operation that falls within any of operation permissions given in advance to the three or more users.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the process on the user data includes options of printing, electronic mail transmission, and facsimile transmission, and

the operation permissions given to the first user and the second user determine a selectable process among the options.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation permissions given to the first user and the second user indicate a settable range of a print quantity.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation permissions given to the first user and the second user indicate options of selectable print colors.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation permissions given to the first user and the second user determine whether or not data is to be scanned from a document sheet.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon a computer program executed in an image forming apparatus for performing a process on data stored in advance in accordance with operation by a verified user, the computer program causing a computer included in the image forming apparatus to implement:

user authentication processing for performing user authentication on a second user in a state where a first user is verified and logs in the image forming apparatus;

access control processing for, in a login state where both the first user and the second user are verified, giving a permission to perform a process on user data to which one of the first user and the second user determined based on a login order is granted access; and

operation control processing for, in the login state, accepting operation that relates to the user data and falls within at least one of an operation permission given in advance to the first user and an operation permission given in advance to the second user.