Method of authenticating a user of a peripheral apparatus, a peripheral apparatus, and a system for authenticating a user of a peripheral apparatus

• US 20140230023A1
• Filed: 02/12/2014
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Europa N.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Europa N.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Parks, Benjamin John
• Granted Patent: US 9,203,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity

Abstract

A method of authenticating a user at a peripheral apparatus includes receiving a log-in request from a user, sending a request to a social networking service to authenticate the user'"'"'s social networking service account, receiving the user'"'"'s social networking service account information from the social networking service, determining based on the user'"'"'s social networking service account information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, and allowing, in a case that the determining determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a user at a peripheral apparatus, comprising the peripheral apparatus:

receiving a log-in request from a user;

sending a request to a social networking service to authenticate the user'"'"'s social networking service account;

receiving the user'"'"'s social networking service account information from the social networking service;

determining based on the user'"'"'s social networking service account information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus; and

allowing, in a case that the determining determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises connecting to an administrator'"'"'s social networking service account to determine whether the user'"'"'s social networking service account information is associated with a list on the social networking service.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral apparatus is represented on the social networking service by association with one or more lists of members of the social networking service on the social networking service.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein associating the representation of the peripheral apparatus on the social networking service with the one or more lists of members of the social networking service comprises defining levels of access to functions of the peripheral apparatus for the one or more lists of members of the social networking service.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the sending of the request to the social networking service comprises requesting an access token from the social networking service.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the determining comprises using the access token to obtain the user'"'"'s social networking service username and determining whether the username is associated with the representation of the peripheral apparatus on the social networking service.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising storing the access token on the peripheral apparatus in association with information identifying the user.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the storing comprises storing the access token in association with an RFID of the user.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the stored access token is for making repeated log-in requests on behalf of the user.

10. A method according to claim 5, wherein the requesting of the access token from the social networking service comprises using an OAuth or a xAuth authentication process.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral apparatus comprises a peripheral device which functions as at least one of a printer, a fax machine, or a scanner.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of the request to the social networking service is preceded by a mobile device determining a first piece of information provided by the peripheral apparatus.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the first piece of information is a URL,

wherein the peripheral apparatus provides the URL to the user, and

wherein the mobile device determines the URL by entry of the URL into the mobile device by the user.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the URL received by the mobile device allows a user to log-in to the social networking service.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the URL received by the mobile device allows a user to log-in to the social networking service and authorise issue of an access token to the peripheral apparatus.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein the peripheral apparatus provides a machine-readable code encoding the first piece of information, and

wherein the mobile device determines the first piece of information by reading and decoding the machine-readable code provided by the peripheral apparatus.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sending of the request to the social networking service to authenticate the user is followed by the mobile device determining a second piece of information provided by the social networking service.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the second piece of information is a code and the method comprises the peripheral apparatus receiving the code from the user via a user interface of the peripheral apparatus.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the machine-readable code is a bar code or a QR code.

20. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a peripheral apparatus, causes the peripheral apparatus to perform an authentication method comprising:

receiving a log-in request from a user;

sending a request to a social networking service to authenticate the user'"'"'s social networking service account;

receiving the user'"'"'s social networking service account information from the social networking service;

determining based on the user'"'"'s social networking service account information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus; and

allowing, in a case that the determining determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

21. A peripheral apparatus configured to:

receive a log-in request from a user;

send a request to a social networking service to authenticate the user'"'"'s social networking service account;

receive the user'"'"'s social networking service account information from the social networking service;

determine based on the user'"'"'s social networking service account information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus; and

allow, in a case that the peripheral apparatus determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

42. A peripheral apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a peripheral device which functions as at least one of a printer, a fax machine, or a scanner.

22. A mobile device comprising a function for authenticating a user at a peripheral apparatus, the function including:

a code portion for reading and decoding a machine readable code in order to determine a piece of identification information; and

a code portion for using the determined piece of identification to allow a user to log-in to a social networking service in order to authorise issue of an access token to the peripheral apparatus.

23. A system for authenticating a user of a peripheral apparatus, the system comprising:

a peripheral apparatus configured to receive a log-in request from a user and to send a request to a social networking service to authenticate the user'"'"'s social networking service account; and

a social networking service configured to receive the request and to send the user'"'"'s social networking service account information to the peripheral apparatus,

wherein the peripheral apparatus is configured to

receive the user'"'"'s social networking service account information from the social networking service,

determine based on the user'"'"'s social networking service account information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, and

allow, in a case that the peripheral apparatus determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

24. A method of authenticating a user at a peripheral apparatus comprising:

a mobile device determining a first piece of identification information and sending an access request to the peripheral apparatus via a social networking service, the access request comprising the determined first piece of identification information and a second piece of information identifying the user'"'"'s social networking service account;

the peripheral apparatus receiving the access request via the social networking service and determining based on the access request information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus; and

in a case that the peripheral apparatus determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, the peripheral apparatus allowing the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein the determining by the peripheral apparatus is preceded by the peripheral apparatus connecting to an administrator'"'"'s social networking service account and registering the first piece of identification information in association with a representation of the peripheral apparatus on the social networking service, and

wherein the determining by the peripheral apparatus comprises:

connecting to the administrator'"'"'s social networking service account, accessing the access request, and determining whether the information in the access request corresponds to the registered details of the peripheral apparatus.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the access request is a direct message sent from the user'"'"'s social networking service account to the administrator'"'"'s social networking service account.

27. A method according to claim 24, wherein the peripheral apparatus determines the level of access to the peripheral apparatus based on the second piece of information identifying the user'"'"'s social networking service account.

28. A method according to claim 24, wherein:

the first piece of identification information comprises a code,

the peripheral apparatus provides the code to a user, and

the mobile device determines the first piece of identification information by entry of the code into the mobile device by the user.

29. A method according to claim 24,

wherein the peripheral apparatus provides a machine-readable code encoding the first piece of identification information, and

wherein the mobile device determines the first piece of identification information by reading and decoding the machine-readable code provided by the peripheral apparatus.

30. A method according to claim 24, wherein the first piece of identification information comprises a random number.

31. A method according to claim 24, wherein the first piece of identification information comprises a piece of information identifying an administrator'"'"'s social networking service account.

32. A method according to claim 24, wherein the peripheral apparatus is configured to generate the first piece of identification information.

33. A method according to claim 24,

wherein the first piece of identification information is derivable from a position of the peripheral apparatus, and

wherein the mobile device determines the first piece of identification information by detecting a position of the peripheral apparatus.

34. A system for authenticating a user at a peripheral apparatus, the system comprising:

a mobile device configured to determine a first piece of identification information and to send an access request to the peripheral apparatus via a social networking service, the access request comprising the determined first piece of identification information and a second piece of information identifying the user'"'"'s social service networking account;

the peripheral apparatus configured to receive the access request and to determine based on the access request information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, and

wherein the peripheral apparatus is configured, in a case that the peripheral apparatus determines that the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus, to allow the user access to the peripheral apparatus.

35. A mobile device comprising a function for authenticating a user at a peripheral apparatus, the function including:

a code portion for reading and decoding a machine readable code in order to determine a first piece of identification information; and

a code portion for sending an access request to the peripheral apparatus via a social networking service, the access request comprising the determined first piece of identification information and a second piece of information identifying the user'"'"'s social networking service account.

40. A peripheral apparatus according to claim 35 further comprising a code portion for generating the identification information.

41. A peripheral apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the peripheral apparatus is configured to provide the identification information in the form of a barcode or a QR code.

36. A peripheral apparatus comprising:

a code portion to provide a user with a first piece of identification information in the form of a machine-readable code; and

a code portion to access a social networking service account and to determine based on the first piece of identification information whether the user is authorised to access the peripheral apparatus.

37. A peripheral apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the code portion to provide the first piece of identification information is configured to provide the identification information to a user by at least one of:

displaying the identification information on a display of the peripheral apparatus, and printing the identification information.

38. A peripheral apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the identification information comprises a random number.

39. A peripheral apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the identification information comprises a piece of information identifying an administrator'"'"'s social networking service account.