DATA DELIVERY APPARATUS AND DATA DELIVERY METHOD

• US 20110138482A1
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kishimoto, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title

Abstract

A data delivery apparatus including a storage adapted to store limited-access data which associates user data for specifying a user, with data, access to which is permitted or limited to the user; a function determination unit adapted to determine whether a destination device to which the limited-access data is to be transmitted has an access control function of permitting or limiting access to the limited-access data for each user; an authentication unit adapted to, when the limited-access data destination device is determined not to have the access control function, request input of authentication information and performing an authentication process using the input authentication information; and a transmission control unit adapted to, when the authentication process by said authentication unit is successful, transmitting the limited-access data to the destination device.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A data delivery apparatus comprising:

an input unit configured to input an instruction for transmitting to another apparatus limited-access data to which an access from a user other than a first user is limited;

a function determination unit configured to determine whether or not the another apparatus has an access management function for limiting an access to held data for each user when the instruction is input by said input unit;

an authentication unit configured to request input of authentication information from a user and then authenticate the user using the input authentication information when it is determined by said function determination unit that the another apparatus does not have the access management function; and

a transmission control unit configured to transmit the limited-access data to the another apparatus when the user has been authenticated successfully by said authentication unit.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a second determination unit configured to determine whether or not the another apparatus manages an access regarding the first user when it is determined by said function determination unit that the another apparatus has the access management function.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the limited access data is transmitted to the another apparatus without authentication processing when it is determined by said second determination unit that the another apparatus manages an access regarding the first user.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the limited-access data is address book data containing information of a destination to which data is transmitted, which is limited or permitted to access for each user.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an image forming unit configured to form a hard copy of an image.

25. A data delivery method performed by a data delivery apparatus, said method comprising:

inputting an instruction for transmitting to another apparatus limited-access data to which an access from a user other than a first user is limited;

determining whether or not the another apparatus has an access management function for limiting an access to held data for each user when the instruction is input in the inputting step;

requesting input of authentication information from a user and then authenticating the user using the input authentication information when it is determined that the another apparatus does not have the access management function; and

transmitting the limited-access data to the another apparatus when the user has been authenticated successfully.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium in which is stored a program for causing a computer to perform a data delivery method, said method comprising:

inputting an instruction for transmitting to another apparatus limited-access data to which an access from a user other than a first user is limited;

determining whether or not the another apparatus has an access management function for limiting an access to held data for each user when the instruction is input in the inputting step;

requesting input of authentication information from a user and then authenticating the user using the input authentication information when it is determined that the another apparatus does not have the access management function; and

transmitting the limited-access data to the another apparatus when the user has been authenticated successfully.

27. A data delivery apparatus, comprising:

an input unit configured to input an instruction for transmitting to another apparatus limited-access data to which an access from a user other than a first user is limited;

a function determination unit configured to determine whether or not the another apparatus has an access management function for limiting an access to held data for each user when the instruction is input by said input unit; and

a transmission control unit configured to limit transmission of the limited-access data to the another apparatus when it is determined by said function determination unit that the another apparatus does not have the access management function.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising a second determination unit configured to determine whether or not the another apparatus manages an access regarding the first user using the access management function when it is determined by said function determination unit that the another apparatus has the access management function,

wherein said transmission control unit transmits the limited-access data to the another apparatus when it is determined by said second determination unit that the another apparatus manages an access regarding the first user using the access management function.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein user data for managing an access for the first user in the another apparatus and the limited access data are transmitted to the another apparatus when it is determined by said second determination unit that the another apparatus does not manage an access regarding the first user using the access management function.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a selection unit configured to allow a user to select whether or not the user data is transmitted to the another apparatus.

31. A data delivery method performed by a data delivery apparatus, said method comprising:

inputting an instruction for transmitting to another apparatus limited-access data to which an access from a user other than a first user is limited;

determining whether or not the another apparatus has an access management function for limiting an access to held data for each user when the instruction is input in the inputting step; and

limiting transmission of the limited-access data to the another apparatus when it is determined that the another apparatus does not have the access management function.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium in which is stored a program for causing a computer to perform a data delivery method, said method comprising:

inputting an instruction for transmitting to another apparatus limited-access data to which an access from a user other than a first user is limited;

determining whether or not the another apparatus has an access management function for limiting an access to held data for each user when the instruction is input in the inputting step; and

limiting transmission of the limited-access data to the another apparatus when it is determined that the another apparatus does not have the access management function.