Printing device capable of authorizing printing limitedly according to user level, printing system using the same and printing method thereof

• US 9,059,988 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: S-Printing Solution Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, In-sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Cervetti, David Garcia
• Application Number:
  US12/966,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 713/166
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A printing device which authorizes a printing limitedly according to a user level, a printing system using the same and a printing method thereof. The printing device includes an interface part receiving a printing data requested by a user and a security level of the requested printing data; an authentication part determining whether to print the requested printing data based on the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user; a printing part printing the requested printing data; and a controller transmitting the requested printing data received through the interface part to the printing part if the authentication part permits the printing. Accordingly, even if a user obtains an access to the system, because the user has a limitation in using and printing the data depending on his/her position or job, the security of the data can be more effectively guaranteed.

Claims

1. A printing device comprising:

an interface part to receive a request to print data from a user and a security level of the data;

an authentication part to determine whether to permit a printing of the data by comparing the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user, transmit a random password to the user based on a result of the determination, and store the transmitted random password;

a printing part to print the data; and

a controller to transmit the data to the printing part if the authentication part permits the printing and if the stored random password matches a password which the user inputs after confirming the transmitted random password via at least one of email and text message.

2. The printing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication part comprises:

an authentication information storage part to store an authentication information including the user level; and

an authentication determination part permitting the printing if the user level stored in the authentication information storage part is higher than the security level.

3. The printing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the authentication part further comprises a password processing part to generate the random password and to transmit the random password to the user, to determine whether the random password and the password inputted by the user are equal to each other, and if the authentication determination part permits the printing and the password processing part determines that the passwords are equal to each other, the controller transmits the data through the interface part to the printing part.

4. The printing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the password processing part comprises:

a password generator to generate a random password;

a password transmitter to transmit the random password externally so that the user receives the password; and

a password comparator to determine whether the random password and the password input by the user are identical to each other.

5. The printing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the authentication part further comprises an authentication information management part to determine whether to register the user based on the inputted authentication information of the user, and if the user is determined to be registered, to store the authentication information of the user in the authentication information storage part.

6. A printing method of a printing device to print data which requires security, the printing method comprising:

receiving from a computer a request to print data and an input password from a user via a computer and to receive a security level of the data requested to be printed;

determining whether to permit a printing with respect to the data by comparing the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user;

transmitting a random password to the user based on a result of the determination and storing the transmitted random password; and

printing the data when the printing is permitted and if the stored random password matches another password which the user inputs after confirming the transmitted random password via at least one of email and text message.

7. The printing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the determining whether to permit a printing with respect to the data requested to be printed based on the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user permits the printing if the user level is higher than the security level.

8. The printing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the determining whether to permit a printing with respect to the data based on the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user comprises:

generating the random password;

transmitting the random password externally so that the user receives the password;

determining whether the random password and the another password input by the user are identical to each other; and

if the user level is higher than the security level and if the passwords are identical to each other, permitting the printing with respect to the data requested to be printed.

9. The printing method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising determining whether to register the user based on authentication information of the user inputted by the user, and if the user is determined to be registered, storing the authentication information.

10. A printing system comprising:

a file server to store therein data and a security level of the data;

a client requesting the data stored in the file server; and

a printing device to receive the data from the file server and the security level of the data, transmit a random password to the user based on a result of the determination by comparing the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user, store the transmitted random password, and permit a printing of the data if the stored random password matches a password which the user inputs after confirming the transmitted random password via at least one of email and text message.

11. The printing system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the printing device comprises:

a printing device interface part to receive the data and the security level of the data from the file server;

an authentication part to determine whether to permit printing of the data by comparing the security level and the pre-stored user level;

a printing part to print the data; and

a printing device controller to transmit the data to the printing part when the security level is not greater than the user level and the input password and the random password are determined to be equal.

12. The printing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the authentication part comprises:

an authentication information storage part to store authentication information including the user level corresponding the user who requests the printing; and

an authentication determination part to permit the printing if the user level stored in the authentication storage part is higher than the security level.

13. The printing system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the file server comprises:

a storage part to store the data and the security level of the data;

a header inserting part to read out the data and the security level of the data from the storage part and to generate a data frame by inserting a header including the security level of the data to the data;

a file server interface part to receive the data frame and transmitting the data frame to the printing device; and

a file server controller to control the header inserting part to generate the data frame with respect to the data requested to be printed which is requested by the user through the client, and to apply the data frame generated by the header inserting part to the file server interface part.

14. A printing method of a printing system which comprises a file server storing data and security levels of the data, a client computer, and a printing device, the printing method comprising:

using the client computer to transmit a request to print data stored in the file server to the file server;

using the file server to transmit the data and a security level of the data to the printing device;

using the printing device to;

determine whether to permit a printing with respect to the data by comparing the security level and a pre-stored user level of a user, transmit a random password to the user based on a result of the determination, and store the transmitted random password; and

print the data if the printing is permitted and if the stored random password matches a password which the user inputs after confirming the transmitted random password via at least one of email and text message.

15. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, the using the file server comprises transmitting the data and the security level of the data to the printing device, the file server generates a data frame by inserting a header including the security level of the data into the data, and transmitting the data frame to the printing device.

16. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the printing device determining whether to permit a printing with respect to the data by comparing the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user, permits the printing if the user level is higher than the security level.

17. The printing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the printing device determining whether to permit a printing with respect to the data by comparing the security level and a pre-stored user level of the user comprises the operations of:

generating the random password;

transmitting the random password externally so that the user receives the password;

determining whether the random password and the password input by the user through the client are identical to each other; and

if the user level is higher than the security level and if the passwords are identical to each other, permitting the printing with respect to the data requested to be printed.