Image processor

• US 8,132,230 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Akita, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Shan, April
• Application Number:
  US11/023,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,624 Days
• Field of Search: 713178-179, 713183-184, 713/185, 713/186, 726 3- 5, 726/2, 726/27, 726/18, 726/21, 726/17, 726/28, 726/29, 380/51, 380/243, 705/67, 705/72
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]

Abstract

A procedure for login in a case where a prescribed job is executed in an image processor is simplified. An image processor includes: input unit accepting an input of user authentication information from a user; user authentication unit performing user authentication by comparing the inputted user authentication information with the stored user authentication information to authorize execution of processing; and temporary ID generation unit generating an temporary ID if the user authentication is successful to store the temporary ID, being related to the user authentication information, wherein the input unit accepts an input of the temporary ID and the user authentication unit compares the inputted temporary ID with the stored temporary ID to thereby perform the user authentication and to authorize execution of the processing.

Claims

1. An image processor comprising:

a memory; and

a microprocessor-based control system configured to execute an image processing program stored in the memory to cause the image processor to;

accept an input of user authentication information comprising a first type of login information to login a first user to the image processor,

perform user authentication by comparing the inputted user authentication information with stored user authentication information to authorize a first use of the image processor,

in response to the user authentication being successful, authorize the first use of the image processor, automatically generate a temporary ID comprising a second type of login information, notify the first user of the generated temporary ID and store the generated temporary ID as related to the stored user authentication information,

accept a logout to end the first use of the image processor,

after the generation of the temporary ID and the accepting of the logout to end the first use of the image processor, accept an input of the temporary ID, instead of said user authentication information comprising the first type of login information, to login the first user to the image processor,

compare the inputted temporary ID with the stored temporary ID to thereby perform the user authentication and to authorize a second use of the image processor when the inputted temporary ID and the stored temporary ID match with each other, and

determine that a second temporary ID, matching the stored temporary ID and previously inputted by a second user to login to the image processor, is invalid when the first user succeeds in user authentication based on the user authentication information comprising the first type of login information instead of the temporary ID, wherein the determination that the inputted second temporary ID is invalid causes use of the image processor by the second user to be stopped and the second user to be forcibly logged out.

2. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to determine effectiveness of the inputted temporary ID.

3. The image processor according to claim 2, wherein the image processor,

when generating the temporary ID and storing it, is configured to set the number of effective times for the generated temporary ID, wherein the number of effective times is stored into the user authentication information as related to the stored temporary ID, and

when the number of times of authentication with the stored temporary ID exceeds the set number of effective times, is configured to render the stored temporary ID invalid, wherein the stored temporary ID is deleted from the stored user authentication information.

4. The image processor according to claim 2, wherein the image processor,

when generating the temporary ID and storing it, is configured to set an effective time from when the temporary ID is generated, wherein the effective time is stored into the user authentication information as related to the stored temporary ID, and

is configured to render the stored temporary ID the effective time of which expires invalid, wherein the stored temporary ID is deleted from the stored user authentication information.

5. The image processor according to claim 2, wherein the image processor

is configured to accept an input of the user authentication information through a network,

when generating the temporary ID and storing it, is configured to acquire a network session ID for an input through the network, wherein the network session ID is stored as related to the stored temporary ID into the user authentication information, and

when the network session ID is rendered invalid, is configured to render the related temporary ID invalid for user authentication, wherein the stored temporary ID is deleted from the stored user authentication information.

6. The image processor according to claim 2, wherein the image processor,

when generating the temporary ID and storing it, is configured to store an effectiveness showing a state of “

effective”

or “

invalid”

of the stored temporary ID being related to the stored temporary ID into the user authentication information, and

is configured to store an alteration in effectiveness of the stored temporary ID based on a command received from a manager of the image processor commanding the alteration in effectiveness of the temporary ID.

7. The image processor according to claim 2, wherein the image processor is configured to determine if the second user is already logged in based on the second temporary ID matching the inputted temporary ID when the first user succeeds in user authentication with the input of the temporary ID instead of the user authentication information comprising the first type of login information, and if the second user is already logged in based on the second temporary ID, the user authentication of the first user is made invalid and the second user is notified of the use of the temporary ID by the first user.

8. The image processor according to claim 2, wherein the image processor, in a case where the number of times of failures in user authentication with the temporary ID exceeds a prescribed number of times, is configured to render all temporary IDs invalid to delete the temporary IDs from the stored user authentication information.

9. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the first or second use of the image processor comprises executing of a print job.

10. The image processor according to claim 9, wherein the print job comprises a secret job, and the image processor is configured to require a login to be performed at both the image processor and at a remote terminal in order to execute the secret job.

11. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the image processor comprises a multiple function peripheral having at least one function selected from a group of copying function, scanning function, facsimileing function, and printing function.

17. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising a hardware display unit configured to display a login screen comprising a first input area to accept the first type of login information and a second input area to accept the second type of login information.

18. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the first type of login information comprises a user ID and a password.

12. An image processing method,

performed by an image processor comprising hardware, comprising steps of:

accepting an input of user authentication information comprising a first type of login information to login a first user to the image processor;

comparing the inputted user authentication information with stored user authentication information to thereby perform user authentication and to authorize first use of the image processor;

in response to the user authentication being successful, authorizing the first use of the image processor, automatically generating a temporary ID comprising a second type of login information, notifying the first user of the generated temporary ID and storing the generated temporary ID as related to the stored user authentication information;

accepting a logout to end the first use of the image processor;

after the generation of the temporary ID and the accepting of the logout to end the first use of the image processor, accepting an input of the temporary ID, instead of said user authentication information comprising the first type of login information, to login the first user to the image processor,

comparing the inputted temporary ID with the stored temporary ID to perform user authentication and to thereby authorize a second use of the image processor when the accepted temporary ID and the stored temporary ID match with each other, and

determining that a second temporary ID, matching the stored temporary ID and previously inputted by a second user to login to the image processor, is invalid when the first user succeeds in user authentication based on the user authentication information comprising the first type of login information instead of the temporary ID, wherein the determination that the inputted second temporary ID is invalid causes use of the image processor by the second user to be stopped and the second user to be forcibly logged out.

13. The image processing method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of determining effectiveness of the stored temporary ID.

14. The image processing method according to claim 12, wherein the first or second use of the image processor comprises executing a print job.

15. The image processing method according to claim 12, wherein the image processing method is performed by a multiple function peripherals peripheral having at least one function selected from a group of copying function, scanning function, printing function, and facsimileing function.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores an image processing program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the image processing method according to claim 12.

19. The image processing method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of displaying a login screen comprising a first input area to accept the first type of login information and a second input area to accept the second type of login information.

20. The image processing method according to claim 12, wherein the first type of login information comprises a user ID and a password.