Image processing system and information processing method

• US 7,546,244 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshihara, Kunio, Takaragi, Yoichi, Shinagawa, Tatsuo, Matsuya, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Plucinski; Jamisue A
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, KIMBERLY L
• Application Number:
  US10/999,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 705/1, 715/246, 386/95, 378/96, 382/243
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• 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 communicate with each other, wherein

said client comprises:

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

a first transmission unit configured to transmit the feature amount extracted by said extraction unit to said server,

said server comprises;

a first storage unit configured to store the feature amount transmitted by said first transmission unit, a registration number required to specify the feature amount and an information indicating whether the digital data corresponding to the feature amount is an old version or an update version; and

a second transmission unit configured to transmit a date of storage in said first storage unit and the registration number stored in said first storage unit to said client,

said client further comprises;

a second storage unit configured to store the date and the registration number transmitted by said second transmission unit in correspondence with the digital data;

an output unit configured to output the date and the registration number transmitted by said second transmission unit and the digital data stored in said second storage unit to print them on a predetermined recording medium;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the registration number printed on the recording medium which is obtained by reading the printed recording medium;

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

a third transmission unit configured to transmit the feature amount re-extracted by said re-extraction unit and the registration number acquired by said acquisition unit to said server; and

said server further comprises;

a determination unit configured to determine that the digital data read out on the basis of the registration number acquired by said acquisition unit corresponds to either one of

i) a case wherein no corresponding digital data is found in said second storage unit,

ii) a case wherein the digital data has been updated,

iii) a case wherein the digital data is an old version, and

iv) a case wherein the digital data is a latest version, on the basis of the feature amount re-extracted by the re-extraction unit and the registration number acquired by said acquisition unit which are transmitted by said third transmission unit, and on the basis of the registration number, the feature amount and the information indicating whether the digital data corresponding to the feature amount is an old version or an updated version which are stored in said first storage unit; and

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

2. An information processing method executed by a processor in an image processing system in which a client and server are connected 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 transmitted in the first transmission step, a registration number required to specify the feature amount and an information indicating whether the digital data corresponding to the feature amount is an old version or an updated version; and

a second transmission step of transmitting a date of storage in the first storage step, and the registration number stored in the first storage step to the client,

the client further executes;

a second storage step of storing the date and the registration number transmitted in said second transmission step in correspondence with the digital data;

an output step of outputting the date and the registration number transmitted in said second transmission step and the digital data to print them on a predetermined recording medium;

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

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

a third transmission step of transmitting the feature amount re-extracted in said re-extraction step and the registration number acquired in said acquisition step to said server; and

said server further executes;

a determination step of determining that the digital data read out on the basis of the registration number acquired in said acquisition step corresponds to either one of;

i) a case wherein no corresponding digital data is found in said acquisition step,

ii) a case wherein the digital data has been updated,

iii) a case wherein the digital data is an old version, and

iv) a case wherein the digital data is a latest version, on the basis of the feature amount re-extracted in said re-extraction step and the registration number acquired in said acquisition step which are transmitted in said third transmission step, and on the basis of the registration number, the feature amount and the information indicating whether the digital data corresponding to the feature amount is an old version or an updated version which are stored in said first storage step; and

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