Information processing apparatus and image processing program

• US 8,464,360 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Yasuaki, Nakajima, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughan, Michael R
• Application Number:
  US11/961,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/43 wireless channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

There is described an information processing apparatus, which makes it possible to prevent a third party from stealing and using data owned by the correctly access-authorized person, so as to securely control the data concerned. The information processing apparatus includes: a data storage section to store data; an acquiring section to acquire positional information of an access-authorized person and a control section to determine whether or not an accessing operation for accessing to the data stored in the data storage section should be allowed, based on a determined result thereof. When the external terminal device tries to access into the data stored in the data storage section or the storing area of the data, the control section transmits a request of inputting authentication information to the external terminal device, in order to determine whether or not the accessing operation to be conducted by the external terminal device should be allowed.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that is accessible from an external terminal device, comprising:

a data storage section that is provided with a plurality of storing areas to each of which an accessing operation is restricted, and which are correlated to plural sets of first identification information, being inherent to external terminal devices to be used by access-authorized persons, respectively;

a first acquiring section to acquire second identification information inherent to one of the external terminal devices from said one of the external terminal devices concerned;

a second acquiring section to acquire positional information of one of the access-authorized persons, being correlated to one of the storing areas, from an apparatus other than said one of the external terminal devices; and

a control section that determines whether or not the accessing operation for accessing to said one of the storing areas from said one of the external terminal devices should be allowed, and then, controls the accessing operation based on a determined result thereof;

wherein, when a current operator tries to access a first storing area among the plurality of storing areas from a specific external terminal device, being any one of the external terminal devices, the control section transmits a message for requesting the current operator to input authentication information so as to send the authentication information inputted by the current operator back to the control section; and

wherein, when the authentication information, inputted by the current operator currently operating the specific external terminal device, coincides with predetermined authentication information, the control section allows the current operator to conduct the accessing operation from the specific external terminal device, in response to facts that the second identification information, acquired from the specific external terminal device by the first acquiring section, coincides with first identification information correlated to the first storing areas, and the positional information of the access-authorized person correlated to the first storing area, which is acquired by the second acquiring section from the apparatus other than the specific external terminal device, fulfills a predetermined condition;

wherein the positional information represents whether the access-authorized person is present or absent in a site into which the specific external terminal device is installed.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the control section determines whether or not the accessing operation to be conducted by the specific external terminal device should be allowed, by employing an authentication table in which the predetermined authentication information and the first and second identification information inherent to the specific external terminal device to be used by the access-authorized person are registered.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first and second identification information is information of a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the specific external terminal device.

4. An information processing apparatus that is accessible from an external terminal device, comprising:

a data storage section that is provided with a plurality of storing areas to each of which an accessing operation is restricted, and which are correlated to plural sets of first identification information, being inherent to external terminal devices to be used by access-authorized persons, respectively;

a first acquiring section to acquire second identification information inherent to one of the external terminal devices from said one of the external terminal devices concerned;

a second acquiring section to acquire positional information of one of the access-authorized persons, being correlated to one of the storing areas, from an apparatus other than said one of the external terminal devices; and

a control section that determines whether or not the accessing operation for accessing to said one of the storing areas from said one of the external terminal devices should be allowed, and then, controls the accessing operation based on a determined result thereof;

wherein, when a current operator tries to access a first storing area among the plurality of storing areas from a specific external terminal device, being any one of the external terminal devices, the control section transmits a message for requesting the current operator to input first authentication information so as to send the first authentication information inputted by the current operator back to the control section; and

wherein, when the authentication information, inputted by the current operator currently operating the specific external terminal device, coincides with predetermined authentication information, the control section further transmits another message for requesting the current operator to input second authentication information, being different from the first authentication information, in response to facts that the second identification information, acquired from the specific external terminal device by the first acquiring section, coincides with first identification information correlated to the first storing area, and the positional information of the access-authorized person correlated to the first storing area, which is acquired by the second acquiring section from the apparatus other than the specific external terminal device, does not fulfill a predetermined condition, or, in response to facts that the second identification information, acquired from the specific external terminal device by the first acquiring section, does not coincide with first identification information correlated to the first storing area, and the positional information of the access-authorized person correlated to the first storing area, which is acquired by the second acquiring section from the apparatus other than the specific external terminal device, fulfills a predetermined condition;

wherein the positional information represents whether the access-authorized person is present or absent in a site into which the specific external terminal device is installed.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the control section determines whether or not the request of inputting second authentication information should be transmitted to the specific external terminal device, by employing an authentication table in which the first predetermined authentication information and the first and second identification information inherent to the specific external terminal device to be used by the access-authorized person are registered.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 5,

wherein second predetermined authentication information is also registered in the authentication table;

and

wherein, when the control section transmits the request of inputting the second authentication information to the specific external terminal device, and then, the second authentication information inputted by the specific external terminal device coincides with the second predetermined authentication information registered in the authentication table, the control section determines that the accessing operation to be conducted by the current operator from the specific external terminal device should be allowed.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 5,

wherein information of another external terminal device for requesting an inputting operation of the second authentication information is registered in the authentication table;

and

wherein, when determining that the request of inputting second authentication information should be transmitted, the control section transmits the request of inputting second authentication information to the other external terminal device.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 4,

wherein, when the control section transmits the request of inputting the second authentication information to the specific external terminal device, and then, the second authentication information inputted by the specific external terminal device coincides with second predetermined authentication information, the control section determines that the accessing operation to be conducted by the current operator from the specific external terminal device should be allowed.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the first and second identification information is information of a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the specific external terminal device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer executable program for conducting information processing operations to be implemented in an information processing apparatus that is accessible from an external terminal device, the program comprising program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

providing a data storage section that is provided with a plurality of storing areas to each of which an accessing operation is restricted, and which are correlated to plural sets of first identification information, being inherent to external terminal devices to be used by access-authorized persons, respectively;

acquiring second identification information inherent to one of the external terminal devices from said one of the external terminal devices concerned;

acquiring positional information of one of the access-authorized persons, being correlated to one of the storing areas, from an apparatus other than said one of the eternal terminal devices; and

determining whether or not the accessing operation for accessing to said one of the storing areas from said one of the external terminal devices should be allowed, and then, controlling the accessing operation based on a determined result thereof;

wherein, when a current operator tries to access a first storing area among the plurality of storing areas from a specific external terminal device, being any one of the external terminal devices, a message for requesting the current operator to input authentication information is transmitted so as to send the authentication information inputted by the current operator back to the control section; and

wherein, when the authentication information, inputted by the current operator currently operating the specific external terminal device, coincides with predetermined authentication information, allowing the current operator to conduct the accessing operation from the specific external terminal device, in response to facts that the second identification information, acquired from the specific external terminal device by the first acquiring section, coincides with first identification information correlated to the first storing areas, and the positional information of the access-authorized person correlated to the first storing area, which is acquired by the second acquiring section from the apparatus other than the specific external terminal device, fulfills a predetermined condition;

wherein the positional information represents whether the access-authorized person is present or absent in a site into which the specific external terminal device is installed.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10,

wherein it is determined whether or not the accessing operation to be conducted by the specific external terminal device should be allowed, by employing an authentication table in which the predetermined authentication information and the fit and second identification information inherent to the specific external terminal device to be used by the access-authorized person are registered.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10,

wherein the first and second identification information is information of a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the specific external terminal device.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer executable program for conducting information processing operations to be implemented in an information processing apparatus that is accessible from an external terminal device, the program comprising program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

providing a data storage section that is provided with a plurality of storing areas to each of which an accessing operation is restricted, and which are correlated to plural sets of first identification information, being inherent to external terminal devices to be sued by access-authorized persons, respectively;

acquiring second identification information inherent to one of the external terminal devices from said one of the external terminal devices concerned;

acquiring positional information of one of the access-authorized persons, being correlated to one of the storing areas, from an apparatus other than said one of the external terminal devices; and

determining whether or not the accessing operation for accessing said one of the storing areas from said one of the external terminal devices should be allowed, and then, controlling the accessing operation based on a determined result thereof;

wherein, when a current operator tries to access a first storing area among the plurality of storing areas from a specific external terminal device, being any one of the external terminal devices, a message for requesting the current operator to input first authentication information is transmitted so as to send the first authentication information inputted by the current operator back to the control section; and

wherein, when the authentication information, inputted by the current operator currently operating the specific external terminal device, coincides with predetermined authentication information, the control section further transmits another message for requesting the current operator to input second authentication information, being different from the first authentication information, in response to facts that the second identification information, acquired from the specific external terminal device by the first acquiring section, coincides with first identification information correlated to the first storing area, and the positional information of the access-authorized person correlated to the first storing area, which is acquired by the second acquiring section from the apparatus other than the specific external terminal device, does not fulfill a predetermined condition, or in response to facts that the second identification information, acquired from the specific external terminal device by the first acquiring section, does not coincide with first identification information correlated to the first storing area, and the positional information of the access-authorized person correlated to the first storing area, which is acquired by the second acquiring section from the apparatus other than the specific external terminal device, fulfills a predetermined condition;

wherein the positional information represents whether the access-authorized person is present or absent in a site into which the specific external terminal device is installed.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13,

wherein it is determined whether or not the request of inputting second authentication information should be transmitted to the specific external terminal device, by employing an authentication table in which the first predetermined authentication information and the first and second identification information inherent to the specific external terminal device to be used by the access-authorized person are registered.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14,

wherein second predetermined authentication information is also registered in the authentication table;

and

wherein, when the request of inputting the second authentication information is transmitted to the specific external terminal device, and then, the second authentication information inputted by the external terminal device coincides with the second predetermined authentication information registered in the authentication table, it is determined that the accessing operation to be conducted by the current operator from the specific external terminal device should be allowed.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14,

wherein information of another external terminal device for requesting an inputting operation of the second authentication information is registered in the authentication table;

and

wherein, when determining that the request of inputting second authentication information should be transmitted, the request of inputting second authentication information is transmitted to the other external terminal device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13,

wherein, when the request of inputting the second authentication information is transmitted to the specific external terminal device, and then, the second authentication information inputted by the specific external terminal device coincides with second predetermined authentication information, it is determined that the accessing operation to be conducted by the current operator from the specific external terminal device should be allowed.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13,

wherein the first and second identification information is information of a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the specific external terminal device.