Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing program and recording medium

• US 8,082,449 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimizu, Kohji, Akiyoshi, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, KARI L
• Application Number:
  US10/915,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,687 Days
• Field of Search: 713/187, 713/176, 713/193, 713/182, 726/10, 380/243, 380/282
• US Class Current: 713/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set is provided. The information processing apparatus includes a validity determination part for determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium, wherein the validity determination part determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting unit in which a recording medium is set, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a validity determination unit configured to determine validity of a program, which is stored in the recording medium, based on first validity determination data, which is stored in the recording medium, on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the first validity determination data, and a second comparison between machine specific data, that is specific to the information processing apparatus and which is obtained from the information processing apparatus, and machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data that is obtained from the recording medium, and in the second comparison, when the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data is a predetermined number that indicates no specific machine, the second comparison is determined to be valid;

a validity determination data generating unit configured to generate second validity determination data including the hash code generated from the program and the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus when in the second comparison the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data indicates no specific machine; and

an overwriting unit configured to overwrite the first validity determination data on the recording medium with the second validity determination data generated by the validity determination data generating unit when in the second comparison the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data indicates no specific machine.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising:

a storing unit configured to store the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting unit.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising:

an installing unit configured to install the program into the information processing apparatus when the program is determined to be valid.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprising:

an updating unit configured to update the program in the information processing apparatus.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a memory card.

6. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the information processing apparatus further comprises:

an adding unit configured to add data specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus to image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving the image data via a network; and

a comparing unit configured to compare the data specific to the recording medium or specific to the image forming apparatus with data added to the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the information processing apparatus further comprises:

an encryption unit configured to encrypt image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving the image data via a network with a key specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus; and

a decoding unit configured to decode the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network with the key.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine specific data specific to the information processing apparatus is any one of a machine number of the information processing apparatus, a MAC address of the information processing apparatus and an IP address of the information processing apparatus.

10. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

when the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data is not the same as at least one of the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and the predetermined number, then the first validity determination data is determined to be invalid.

11. An information processing method performed in an information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting unit in which a recording medium is set, the information processing method comprising:

determining, at a validity determination unit, validity of a program, which is stored in the recording medium, based on first validity determination data, which is stored in the recording medium on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the first validity determination data, and a second comparison between machine specific data, that is specific to the information processing apparatus and which is obtained from the information processing apparatus, and machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data that is obtained from the recording medium, and in the second comparison, when the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data is a predetermined number that indicates no specific machine, the second comparison is determined to be valid;

generating, at a validity determination data generating unit, second validity determination data including the hash code generated from the program and the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus when in the second comparison the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data indicates no specific machine; and

overwriting, at an overwriting unit, the first validity determination data on the recording medium with the second validity determination data generated by the validity determination data generating unit when in the second comparison the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data indicates no specific machine.

12. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

storing the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting unit.

13. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

installing the program into the information processing apparatus when the program is determined to be valid.

14. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

updating the program in the information processing apparatus.

15. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the recording medium is a memory card.

16. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

17. The information processing method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

adding data specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus to image data that is obtained by reading a document or received via a network; and

comparing the data specific to the recording medium or specific to the image forming apparatus with data added to the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network.

18. The information processing method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

encrypting image data that is obtained by reading a document or by receiving the image data via a network with a key specific to the recording medium or specific to the information processing apparatus; and

decoding the image data to be printed on a paper or to be sent via a network with the key.

19. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the machine specific data specific to the information processing apparatus is any one of a machine number of the information processing apparatus, a MAC address of the information processing apparatus and an IP address of the information processing apparatus.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for causing an information processing apparatus to perform an information processing method, the information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting unit in which a recording medium is set, the information processing method comprising:

determining, at a validity determination unit, validity of a program, which is stored in the recording medium, based on first validity determination data, which is stored in the recording medium on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the first validity determination data, and a second comparison between machine specific data, that is specific to the information processing apparatus and which is obtained from the information processing apparatus, and machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data that is obtained from the recording medium, and in the second comparison, when the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data is a predetermined number that indicates no specific machine, the second comparison is determined to be valid;

generating, at a validity determination data generating unit, second validity determination data including the hash code generated from the program and the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus when in the second comparison the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data indicates no specific machine; and

overwriting, at an overwriting unit, the first validity determination data on the recording medium with the second validity determination data generated by the validity determination data generating unit when in the second comparison the machine specific data obtained by decoding the first validity determination data indicates no specific machine.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, the information processing method further comprising:

storing the machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus into the recording medium set in the recording medium setting unit.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, the information processing method further comprising:

installing the program into the information processing apparatus when the program is determined to be valid.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, the information processing method further comprising:

updating the program in the information processing apparatus.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the recording medium is a memory card.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the machine specific data specific to the information processing apparatus is any one of a machine number of the information processing apparatus, a MAC address of the information processing apparatus and an IP address of the information processing apparatus.