Image processing device, control method thereof and computer program product
First Claim
1. An image processing device for performing an image-related process about an image, comprising:
- an access right information storage for storing first access right information which indicates permission of using one or more functions of the image processing device in the image processing device for each user;
an access right information searching portion for searching in the access right information storage for first access right information of a user who wants to use the one or more functions of the image processing device;
a use permission determining portion for determining whether or not use of the one or more functions of the image processing device should be permitted for the user in accordance with the first access right information of the user if the first access right information of the user is found by the access right information searching portion;
an image-related process control portion for controlling the image processing device so that an image-related process of the image processing device designated by the user can be performed when the use permission determining portion produces a determination result indicating that the user can use the one or more functions of the image processing device;
a determination request portion for requesting an authentication server via a network to act as the use permission determining portion if the first access right information does not allow the user to use the one or more functions of the image processing device, the authentication server storing second access right information, which indicates permission of use of the one or more functions of the image processing device in the image processing device for each user in accordance with the second access right information; and
wherein, when the authentication server produces a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device for the one or more functions and the image processing device receives the determination result by the authentication server from the authentication server, the image-related process control portion controls the image processing device so that the image-related process of the image processing device designated by the user can be performed in accordance with the second access right information for the user.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An image forming device is provided with a use permission determining portion, an authentication process requesting portion and a job executing portion. The use permission determining portion performs determination whether or not use of the image processing device should be permitted for a user who wants to use the image processing device. The authentication process requesting portion requests the authentication server via a network to act for the determination when the use permission determining portion cannot perform the determination. The job executing portion performs the image processing of process specifics designated by the user when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image forming device is obtained.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. An image processing device for performing an image-related process about an image, comprising:
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an access right information storage for storing first access right information which indicates permission of using one or more functions of the image processing device in the image processing device for each user; an access right information searching portion for searching in the access right information storage for first access right information of a user who wants to use the one or more functions of the image processing device; a use permission determining portion for determining whether or not use of the one or more functions of the image processing device should be permitted for the user in accordance with the first access right information of the user if the first access right information of the user is found by the access right information searching portion; an image-related process control portion for controlling the image processing device so that an image-related process of the image processing device designated by the user can be performed when the use permission determining portion produces a determination result indicating that the user can use the one or more functions of the image processing device; a determination request portion for requesting an authentication server via a network to act as the use permission determining portion if the first access right information does not allow the user to use the one or more functions of the image processing device, the authentication server storing second access right information, which indicates permission of use of the one or more functions of the image processing device in the image processing device for each user in accordance with the second access right information; and wherein, when the authentication server produces a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device for the one or more functions and the image processing device receives the determination result by the authentication server from the authentication server, the image-related process control portion controls the image processing device so that the image-related process of the image processing device designated by the user can be performed in accordance with the second access right information for the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An image processing device for performing an image-related process about an image, comprising:
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a use limitation information storage for storing first use limitation information for each user, the first use limitation information relating to limitation of using each function of the image processing device; a process specifics designation accepting portion for accepting designation of process specifics of the image-related process from a user; a use limitation information searching portion for searching in the first use limitation information storage for use limitation information of the user who designated the process specifics; a use permission determining portion for determining whether or not use of a function necessary for performing the image-related process of the designated process specifics should be permitted in accordance with the first use limitation information if the use limitation information is found by the use limitation information searching portion; a determination request portion for requesting an authentication server via a network to act as the use permission determining portion if the first use limitation information does not allow the user access to each function of the image processing device, the authentication server storing second use limitation information for each of the users; and an image-related process control portion for controlling each portion of the image processing device; wherein, when a determination result indicating that the use of the function necessary for performing the image-related process of the designated process specifics is permitted is produced by the authentication server and received by the image processing device, or produced by the use permission determining portion, the image-related process control portion controls each portion of the image processing device so that the image-related process of the designated process specifics can be performed in accordance with the second use limitation; and wherein, when a determination result indicating that the use of the function is not permitted is produced by the authentication server and received by the image processing device, or produced by the use permission determining portion, the image-related process control portion controls each portion of the image processing device to stop execution of the image-related process of the designated process specifics. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. An image processing device for performing an image-related process about an image, comprising:
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an access right information storage for storing first access right information which indicates permission of using the image processing device in the image processing device for one or more functions in accordance with the first access right information for a user; a connection making portion for making connection with an authentication server via a network, the authentication server storing second access right information which indicates permission of using the image processing device in the image processing device for the one or more functions in accordance with the second access right information for the user; a determination request portion for requesting the authentication server to determine whether or not use of the image processing device for the one or more functions in accordance with the second access right information should be permitted for the user; and an image-related process control portion for controlling the image processing device so that an image-related process of the image processing device designated by the user can be performed when the determination request portion produces a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device for the one or more functions in accordance with the first access right information or the second access right information.
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10. A method for controlling an image processing device that performs an image-related process about an image, the method comprising the steps of:
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preparing an authentication server that can be connected to the image processing device via a network; storing first access right information which indicates permission of using the image-related process in the image processing device for each user or each group including plural users; searching for the first access right information of a user who wants to use the image processing device to perform the image-related process; if the first access right information of the user is found as a result of the step for searching, determining whether use of the image-related process should be permitted for the user in accordance with the first access right information of the user, and allowing execution of the image-related process designated by the user when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device is obtained from the first access right information; if the first access right information of the user is not found as a result of the step for searching, requesting the authentication server to determine, in place of the image processing device, whether the use of the image-related process should be permitted for the user in accordance with second access right information; and allowing execution of the image-related process designated by the user when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device is obtained from the authentication server in accordance with the second access right information. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for controlling an image processing device that performs an image-related process about an image, the method comprising the steps of:
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preparing an authentication server that can be connected to the image processing device via a network; storing first access right information which indicates permission of using the image-related process in the image processing device; making connection with the authentication server via the network; if the connection with the authentication server succeeds in the step for making connection, requesting the authentication server to determine whether use of image-related process of the image processing device should be permitted for a user who wants to use the image processing device in accordance with second access right information in the authentication server for each user or each group including plural users, wherein the authentication server determines whether the use of the image-related process should be permitted for the user in accordance with the second access right information of the user or a group to which the user belongs; and allowing execution of the image-related process designated by the user when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image-related process in the image processing device is obtained based on the first or second stored access right information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for use in an image processing device that performs an image-related process about an image and stores access right information which indicates permission of using the image processing device in the image processing device for each user or each group including plural users, the computer program making the image processing device execute the processes including:
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a process for searching first access right information indicating permission of using the image processing device of a user who wants to use one or more functions of the image processing device, wherein the access right information is stored in the image processing device; if the first access right information of the user is found as a result of the searching process, a process for determining whether use of the one or more functions of the image processing device should be permitted for the user in accordance with the first access right information of the user; and
for controlling the image processing device so that the image-related process designated by the user can be performed when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device is obtained from the first access right information stored in the image processing device; andif the first access right information of the user is not found as a result of the process for searching, a process for requesting an authentication server, via a network to search for whether the use of the one or more functions of the image processing device should be permitted for the user in accordance with a second access right information; and for controlling the image processing device so that the one or more functions of the image-related process designated by the user can be performed when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device is obtained from the first access right information on the image processing device or the second access information from the authentication server. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for use in an image processing device that performs an image-related process about an image and stores first access right information which indicates permission of using the image processing device for one or more functions in accordance with the first access right information for a user, the computer program making the image processing device execute the processes including:
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a process for making connection with an authentication server via a network, the authentication server storing second access right information which indicates permission of using the image processing device for the one or more functions in accordance with the second access right information for a user; a process for requesting the authentication server via a network to determine whether or not use of the image processing device should be permitted for a user who wants to use the image processing device if the connection with the authentication server succeeds in the process for making connection; a process for determining whether or not the use of the image processing device should be permitted for the user based on the first access right information stored in the image processing device if information indicating a permission of use of the one or more functions of the image processing device for the user based on the second access right information is not obtained from the authentication server; and a process for controlling each portion of the image processing device so that the image-related process of the image processing device designated by the user can be performed when a determination result indicating that the user can use the image processing device for the one or more functions in accordance with the first access right information or the second right information is obtained. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification