IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20130057896A1
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 8,823,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/406 Wake-up procedures start-up of a laser scanner G06K15/1219
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4095 Secure printing computer driven secure printing G06F3/1238
• 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 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/006 Using near field communication, e.g. an inductive loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

A digital MFP includes a dual I/F storage unit including two different interfaces: an external interface (RFID) and an internal interface (bus). When the power of the digital MFP is turned ON, in steps S406 and S407, if a main controller of the digital MFP determines that license information has been written in the dual I/F storage unit from a portable terminal while the power of the digital MFP was OFF, then in step S5408, the main controller validates a function of the digital MFP corresponding to the license information, by using the license information.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus having a function of validating a license by inputting license information, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to be accessible from an external device even if the power of the image forming apparatus is OFF; and

a control unit configured to, when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned ON, if license information has been written in the storage unit from an external device while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF, validate a function of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the license information by using the license information.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein individual unit identification information of the image forming apparatus is prestored in the storage unit so as to be unchangeable from an external device, and

wherein the license information is issued by using the individual unit identification information which has been read from the storage unit while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, after the external device transmits to a server the individual unit identification information which has been read from the storage unit while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF and information for issuing a license input from the external device, the license information is issued by the server.

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

a setting unit configured to set a storage area in the storage unit writable from an external device while the power of the image forming apparatus is OFF,

wherein the license information is stored in the storage area writable from the external device.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores information about the validated function in the storage unit.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned ON, the control unit confirms the contents of the storage unit and, if an instruction for invalidating a function of the image forming apparatus is determined to have been stored in the storage unit from an external device while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF, according to the instruction, the control unit invalidates the function of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the instruction.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein according to the instruction, a function selected to be invalidated from the external device, is invalidated based on information about the validated function which has been read from the storage unit while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the instruction is stored in a storage area writable from the external device.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes two different interfaces:

a passive type RFID and a bus.

10. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus having a function of validating a license by inputting license information, and a storage unit configured to be accessible from an external device even if the power of image forming apparatus is OFF, the method comprising:

performing control to validate a function of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the license information by using the license information when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned ON, if license information has been written in the storage unit from an external device while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF.

11. A computer readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for making a computer execute a method for a control method for an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus has a function that can be activated by a input of license information and comprises a storage device accessible from an external device even if the image forming apparatus is powered off, the method comprising:

performing control to validate a function of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the license information by using the license information when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned ON, if license information has been written in the storage unit from an external device while the power of the image forming apparatus was OFF.