Image processing system and information processing method

• US 20050141024A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshihara, Kunio, Takaragi, Yoichi, Shinagawa, Tatsuo, Matsuya, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Since an image processing system that can authenticate the originality of digital data adopts an arrangement that does not save and manage digital data in a server, the server scale can be prevented from increasing, and the security can be improved. To this end, in this invention, in an image processing system in which a client and server are connected to be able to communicate with each other, the feature amount and user ID of digital data to be registered are registered in the server, and the digital data is saved in the client in correspondence with the registration number and registration date upon registering the feature amount and user ID.

Claims

1. An image processing system in which a client and server are connected to be able to communicate with each other, wherein

said client comprises:

extraction unit configured to extract a feature amount of digital data to be printed; and

first transmission unit configured to transmit the feature amount extracted by said extraction unit and a user identifier of said client to said server, said server comprises;

first storage unit configured to store the feature amount and identifier transmitted by said first transmission unit; and

second transmission unit configured to transmit a date of storage in said first storage unit, and information used to specify the feature amount and identifier stored in said first storage unit to said client, and

said client stores the date and information transmitted by said second transmission unit in second storage unit in correspondence with the digital data, and outputs the date and information transmitted by said second transmission unit, and the digital data to print them on a predetermined recording medium.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client further comprises:

acquisition unit configured to acquire the information printed on the recording medium which is obtained by reading the recording medium obtained by the output;

re-extraction unit configured to read out the digital data stored in the second storage unit on the basis of the information acquired by said acquisition unit, and re-extracting a feature amount of the digital data; and

third transmission unit configured to transmit the feature amount re-extracted by said re-extraction unit, and the information acquired by said acquisition unit to said server, and

said server further comprises;

determination unit configured to determine if the feature amount and information transmitted by said third transmission unit are stored in said first storage unit; and

fourth transmission unit configured transmit a determination result determined by said determination unit to said client.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said client further comprises output unit configured to output the determination result transmitted by said fourth transmission unit.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein when said re-extraction unit reads out the digital data stored in the second storage unit on the basis of the information acquired by said acquisition unit, and the digital data corresponding to the information is not stored in the second storage unit, said output unit outputs a message that advises accordingly.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said client has an update mode for performing a process of updated digital data when digital data stored in the second storage unit is updated, and in the update mode said first storage unit stores the feature amount and identifier of the updated digital data transmitted by said first transmission unit in association with the feature amount and identifier of digital data before update stored in said first storage unit.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein in the update mode only when the identifier of the updated digital data transmitted by said first transmission unit is an identifier which is registered in advance, said first storage unit stores the feature amount and identifier of the updated digital data.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein said determination unit determines on the basis the feature amount and identifier of the updated digital data and the feature amount and identifier of the digital data before update whether or not the feature amount and information of the updated digital data transmitted by said third transmission unit are stored in said first storage unit.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein said output unit outputs to classify the determination result into one of a case wherein the feature amount and information of the updated digital data transmitted by said third transmission unit are stored in said first storage unit as the feature amount and identifier of the updated digital data, a case wherein the feature amount and information of the updated digital data transmitted by said third transmission unit are stored in said first storage unit as the feature amount and identifier of the digital data before update, and a case wherein the feature amount and information of the updated digital data transmitted by said third transmission unit are not stored in said first storage unit.

9. An information processing method in an image processing system in which a client and server are connected to be able to communicate with each other, wherein

the client executes:

an extraction step of extracting a feature amount of digital data to be printed; and

a first transmission step of transmitting the feature amount extracted in the extraction step and a user identifier of the client to the server,

the server executes;

a first storage step of storing the feature amount and identifier transmitted in the first transmission step; and

a second transmission step of transmitting a date of storage in the first storage step, and information used to specify the feature amount and identifier stored in the first storage step to the client, and

the client stores the date and information transmitted in the second transmission step in a second storage step in correspondence with the digital data, and outputs the date and information transmitted in the second transmission step, and the digital data to print them on a predetermined recording medium.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the client further executes:

an acquisition step of acquiring the information printed on the recording medium which is obtained by reading the recording medium obtained by the output;

a re-extraction step of reading out the digital data stored in the second storage step on the basis of the information acquired in the acquisition step, and re-extracting a feature amount of the digital data; and

a third transmission step of transmitting the feature amount re-extracted in the re-extraction step, and the information acquired in the acquisition step to the server, and

the server further executes;

a determination step of determining if the feature amount and information transmitted in the third transmission step are stored in the first storage step; and

a fourth transmission step of transmitting a determination result determined in the determination step to the client.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the client further executes an output step of outputting the determination result transmitted in the fourth transmission step.

12. An information processing method in a server which is connected to a client to be able to communicate with each other, comprising:

a first storage step of storing a feature amount and identifier of print data transmitted from the client; and

a second transmission step of transmitting a date of storage in the first storage step and information used to specify the feature amount and identifier stored in the first storage step to the client, and

in that the client prints the date, information, and digital data on a predetermined recording medium.