IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20200137255A1
• Filed: 07/19/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SASAKI, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,470,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0048 Indicating an illegal or impossible operation or selection to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00854 Recognising an unauthorised user or user-associated action
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00925 Inhibiting an operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00938 Software related arrangements, e.g. loading applications program loading in general G06F9/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4406 Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/442 using a biometric data reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a storage section configured to store a setting indicating one of a first condition for permitting start of an application both in a login state and in a logout state and a second condition for permitting start of the application only in the login state; a receiving section configured to receive an instruction to start the application; and a control section configured to start the application if the first condition is set for the application or start the application on condition that the image forming apparatus is in the login state if the second condition is set for the application in response to a start instruction in a logout state.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a storage section configured to store a setting indicating one of a first condition for permitting start of an application both in a login state and in a logout state and a second condition for permitting start of the application only in the login state;

a receiving section configured to receive a start instruction to start the application; and

a control section configured to start the application if the image forming apparatus is in the login state or the logout state and the setting indicates the first condition or start the application if the image forming apparatus is in the login state and the setting indicates the second condition.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control section is configured to control the storage section such that the setting indicates the first condition if an installation package of the application contains information indicating the first condition; and

the control section is configured to control the storage section such that the setting indicates the second condition if the installation package contains information indicating the second condition.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the application is configured to call an API that can be used only in the login state, and wherein the control section permits calling of the API in a case in which the application is started while the image forming apparatus is in the logout state.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application is configured to call an API that can be used only in the login state, and wherein the control section permits calling of the API in a case in which the application is started while the image formatting apparatus is in a logout state.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage section is configured to store a list of APIs used in the application; and

the control section is configured to start the application on condition that the image forming apparatus is in the login state if an API that can be used only in the login state is contained in the list in a case in which the first condition is set for the application, or starts the application if the API that can be used only in the login state is not contained in the list in response to the start instruction in the logout state.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application is a first application, wherein the setting is an application setting corresponding to the first application, and wherein the storage section is configured to store a main body setting indicating one of a third condition or a fourth condition, the main body setting corresponding to both the first application and a second application;

and

wherein the control section is configured to start the application in response to receiving the start instruction if the main body setting indicates the third condition.

7. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one of (a) an image forming section configured to print an image on an image forming medium and (b) an image reading section configured to read an image from a document.

8. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising at least one of:

starting an application if a first condition that permits starting the application both in a login state and a logout state is set for the application;

or

starting the application on condition that the image forming apparatus is in the login state if a second condition that permits starting the application only in the login state is set for the application in response to an instruction to start the application in the logout state.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to begin a login process;

evaluating at least one credential corresponding to a user to determine if the at least one credential can be authenticated; and

in response to successfully authenticating the at least one credential, changing the image forming apparatus from the logout state to the login state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one credential includes a user ID and a password corresponding to the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one credential includes a biometric credential.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

analyzing a list of APIs used in the application to determine if any of the APIs can only be used in the login state; and

in response to a determination that at least one of the APIs used in the application can only be used in the login state, preventing the application from starting if the image forming apparatus is in the logout state.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first condition or the second condition is set based on an installation package of the application.

14. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a storage section configured to store a setting indicating one of a first condition or a second condition, wherein the first condition permits calling an API, and wherein the second condition does not permit calling the API; and

a control section configured to;

start an application that uses the API;

receive a call instruction to call the API;

call the API if the setting indicates the first condition; and

provide an indication that calling of the API is not permitted if the setting indicates the second condition.

15. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control section is configured to:

evaluate at least one credential corresponding to a user to determine if the at least one credential can be authenticated if the setting indicates the first condition and the image forming apparatus is in the logout state;

in response to successfully authenticating the at least one credential, change the image forming apparatus from the logout state to the login state;

call the API in response to receiving the call instruction if the setting indicates the first condition and the image forming apparatus is in the login state.

16. The image forming apparatus of claim 14, further comprising at least one of (a) an image forming section configured to print an image on an image forming medium and (b) an image reading section configured to read an image from a document.