Communication apparatus and method for discriminating confidentiality of received data

• US 7,512,791 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak; Christopher A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moorthy; Aravind K
• Application Number:
  US09/713,104
• Time in Patent Office: 3,058 Days
• Field of Search: 713/166, 713/165, 713/162, 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 713/166
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/08 Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32432 in a particular memory file for retrieval by the user, e.g. in a facsimile mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4486 using digital data encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID

Abstract

The invention provides a communication apparatus for transferring data received from a first network to a second network, in which the apparatus judges the destination of transfer of the received data and the secrecy level of the received data, and executes the transfer of the received data by a method based on the results of judgment.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for transferring image data from a first network to a second network, wherein the communication apparatus transfers the image data to a destination on the second network by using one of a plurality of transfer paths that are on the second network, said apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive image data via a first network;

a first discrimination unit configured to discriminate if the received image data is confidential or not;

a judgment unit configured to judge if security of each transfer path to the destination of the received image data via the second network is ensured or not, when the result of the discrimination by said first discrimination unit indicates the received image data is confidential;

a first control unit configured to control, when the result of the discrimination by said first discrimination unit indicates the received image data is not confidential, to transfer the received image data to the destination of the received data via the second network regardless of whether security of the transfer path to the destination of the received image data via the second network is ensured or not; and

a second control unit configured to control, when the result of the discrimination by said first discrimination unit indicates the received image data is confidential, to transfer the received image data to the destination of the received data via the second network when the result of the judgment by said judgment unit indicates security of the transfer path is ensured, and to store the received image data in a storage area corresponding to the destination of the received image data without transferring the received image data to the destination when the result of the judgment by said judgment unit indicates security of the transfer path is not ensured.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a management unit configured to manage address of the destination in relation with whether there exists a public key;

a second discrimination unit configured to discriminate whether there exists the public key related to the address of the destination, if said judgment unit judges that the transfer path is not secure;

an encrypting unit configured to encrypt the received image data, if said second discrimination unit discriminates that there exists the public key; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the received image data encrypted by said encrypting unit to the destination.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit information to the destination of the received data in a case where the received image data is stored in a storage area, the information indicating that the received image data is stored in the storage area.

4. A control method for a communication apparatus for transferring image data from a first network to a second network, wherein the communication apparatus transfers the image data to a destination on the second network by using one of a plurality of transfer paths that are on the second network, said method comprising:

receiving image data via a first network;

discriminating if the received image data is confidential or not;

judging if security of each transfer path to the destination of the received image data via the second network is ensured or not, when the result of the discrimination indicates the received image data is confidential;

controlling, when the result of the discrimination indicates the received image data is not confidential, to transfer the received image data to the destination of the received data via the second network regardless of whether security of the transfer path to the destination of the received image data via the second network is ensured or not; and

controlling, when the result of the discrimination indicates the received image data is confidential, to transfer the received image data to the destination of the received data via the second network when the result of the judgment indicates security of the transfer path is ensured, and to store the received image data in a storage area corresponding to the destination of the received image data without transferring the received image data to the destination when the result of the judgment indicates security of the transfer path is not ensured.

5. A storage medium computer-readably storing a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for a communication apparatus for transferring image data from a first network to a second network, wherein the communication apparatus transfers the image data to a destination on the second network by using one of a plurality of transfer paths that are on the second network, said method comprising:

receiving image data via a first network;

discriminating if the received image data is confidential or not;

judging if security of each transfer path to the destination of the received image data via the second network is ensured or not, when the result of the discrimination indicates the received image data is confidential;

controlling, when the result of the discrimination indicates the received image data is not confidential, to transfer the received image data to the destination of the received data via the second network regardless of whether security of the transfer path to the destination of the received image data via the second network is ensured or not; and

controlling, when the result of the discrimination indicates the received image data is confidential, to transfer the received image data to the destination of the received data via the second network when the result of the judgment indicates security of the transfer path is ensured, and to store the received image data in a storage area corresponding to the destination of the received image data without transferring the received image data to the destination when the result of the judgment indicates security of the transfer path is not ensured.