JP5229149B2 - Communication equipment and communication control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication control system.

  In recent years, wireless network technology between electronic devices has been rapidly spreading. Unlike wired communication, wireless communication allows communication without a physical connection, and therefore can be easily intercepted. Therefore, in wireless communication, it is necessary to share mutual authentication information for performing secure communication, encryption key for encryption communication, and the like before the first connection.

  Moreover, since security has been regarded as important in wired communication, it may be necessary to maintain similar security settings. The connection information as described above (hereinafter referred to as association information) is generally exchanged using secure means and stored in a non-volatile memory or the like in the communication device. The stored association information is used as it is in the next connection. This first association information sharing operation is interpreted as security communication complexity in communication centered on wireless communication, and means for easily exchanging this association information (hereinafter, setup by this means is referred to as simple setup). Already known.

  Wireless connection can be easily established in a secure environment between devices equipped with a wireless communication interface that complies with the wireless communication connection easy setup technology. In the wireless LAN communication of the IEEE 802.11 standard, various companies are developing a technology that enables easy initial setting. Also, WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) compiled as a standard has been announced. In WPS, a function for providing communication parameters is called a registrar, and a function for receiving and setting communication parameters from a registrar device is called an enrollee (in this specification, the same meaning is applied to other than WPS. The terms registrar and enrollee are used to have).

  Association information sharing methods are broadly classified into an In Band method for exchanging association information using the intended main communication and an Out Of Band method for exchanging association information using a route different from the main communication. The

  As the In Band method, a “PIN method” that shares association information by simple authentication using a PIN code, or a “Push Button method that makes simple authentication by pressing a predetermined button on both sides that share association information instead of a PIN code. And so on.

  As the Out Of Band method, a “wired method” in which association information is once shared by wired connection, or a “UFD (USB Flash Drive) method” in which association information or minimum authentication information is stored and relayed in a USB storage drive. and so on. In recent years, as an Out Of Band method, it is promising to exchange and share association information by applying a technology that communicates at a lower speed and closer to the main communication, such as “NFC (Near Field Communication)”. It is seen and practical application is progressing. In communication technology such as NFC, association information is exchanged almost in contact, so security can be physically secured, and there is no need for plugging / connecting lines. It can be said that it is excellent in usability because it can be exchanged. In recent years, mobile terminals with built-in NFC modules have appeared, and printing demand by direct communication using such mobile terminals has increased.

  As a conventional technique using NFC communication as an Out Of Band method, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, a predetermined processing device that a user has in and out of an area where an access point for connecting to a network is arranged for the purpose of eliminating troublesomeness when setting wireless communication The management apparatus and the user are exchanged data such as user identification information. Then, based on this identification information, it is determined whether or not the user can enter, and when it is determined that the user can enter, the setting information for wireless LAN communication with the access point is transmitted to the processing device. Wireless LAN communication can be performed using the wireless setting information sent to the processing device.

  From the viewpoint of security, this simple setup method can restrict access to the network to those who know the PIN code in the “PIN method”, whereas the “Push Button method” is just a push of a button. Yes, its security level is low. On the other hand, the “UFD method” and the “NFC method” which are the Out Of Band method can be limited to a specific USB storage drive or a person who owns the NFC token, and therefore has higher security than the In Band method ( It can be said that this method has the ability to provide security.

  However, with the conventional method, the function of the communication device is released in the same way for any simple setup, so anyone who knows the simple setup method or who has illegally obtained the means to do so can be used. You can easily use the functions of the device. For example, when the image forming apparatus is an enrollee device, there is a problem that a third party illegally performs a large amount of color printing or illegally obtains stored data stored in the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to concisely solve a security problem that is in a trade-off relationship with the above simple setup in a communication device without feeling troublesome.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the communication device of the present invention is a communication unit that performs wired or wireless communication and a registrar device and an enrollee device that are communication devices, without manual input, A plurality of types of simple setup means, which are means for sharing association information used for establishing a communication connection and establishing a communication connection, and a communication connection is established between the registrar device and the enrollee device by the simple setup means. And a function restriction unit that restricts the use of the function to at least a part of the function of the enrollee device according to the type of the simple setup unit used.

  In addition, the communication control method of the present invention provides association information used for establishing a communication connection between a communication means that performs wired or wireless communication and a registrar device and an enrollee device that are communication devices, regardless of manual input. A plurality of types of simple setup means that are means for sharing and establishing a communication connection, and simple setup means used when establishing communication connection between the registrar device and the enrollee device and starting communication by the simple setup unit An enrollee device having function restriction means for restricting the use of the function to at least a part of the functions of the enrollee device according to the type of the registrar, and a registrar device having at least the communication means and one kind of the easy setup means. It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, when communication setting is performed by so-called simple setup, by limiting at least a part of the functions of the communication device according to the simple setup means, it is possible to make a trade-off with the simple setup. It is possible to solve the security problem in the succinct manner concisely without feeling troublesome.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication system including an image forming apparatus as an enrollee device and various registrar devices according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the UI of the printer driver in Example 4 of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of the registrar device or the image forming apparatus when the function is restricted in Example 4 of the embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of a communication system including an image forming apparatus as an enrollee device and various registrar devices according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Overall system configuration)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication system including an image forming apparatus as an enrollee device and various registrar devices according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, two means are shown as means for communication connection between the registrar device 2 and the enrollee device 1. One is a communication means for performing communication via a backbone network such as WLAN or other wireless communication or wired communication, and the other is direct communication between devices (short distance communication by NFC or physical direct connection). Communication means for performing communication). As will be described later, simple setup is performed using any of the communication means. The registrar device includes a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, an NFC token, a dedicated USB storage device for the UFD system, and the like.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

(Hardware configuration of image forming apparatus 1)
In the following, as the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a copy function, a facsimile (FAX) function, a print function, a scanner function, and an input image (an original image read by the scanner function or an image input by a printer or FAX function) are distributed. A configuration example of a so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that combines functions and the like will be described as an example. However, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a controller 20, an operation unit 21, a fax control unit 22, a plotter 23, a scanner 24, and other hardware resources 25. The controller 20, the fax control unit 22, the plotter 23, the scanner 24, and other hardware resources 25 are configured to be connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus.

  The controller 20 controls the entire image forming apparatus 1 and controls image formation, communication, input from the operation unit (operation panel) 21, display of the operation unit 21, and the like. The plotter 23 is a printer engine or the like that can be connected to the PCI bus, and is, for example, a black and white plotter, a one-drum color plotter, or a four-drum color plotter. The scanner 24 is an image scanner that scans a document and reads an image thereof. The other hardware resources 25 represent various electronic devices provided in the image forming apparatus 1 other than those described here. The other hardware resources 25 include image processing parts such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

  The controller 20 includes a CPU 201, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 202, a readable / writable non-volatile memory 203, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 204, a timer 205, various interfaces described below, and the like, which are connected through a PCI bus. In addition, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 206 connected to these via an AGP bus via a bridge device (not shown), a local memory RAM 207 connected to the ASIC 206, and a hard disk drive (HDD) 208 are provided.

  The controller 20 includes a serial bus interface 210, a NIC (Network Interface Card) 211, a WLAN I / F 212, a USB host 213, and a memory card interface 214. The USB host 213 detects connection with various USB devices (not shown), and transmits / receives data to / from, for example, a USB memory. The memory card interface 214 detects a connection with a memory card (not shown), and transmits / receives data to / from the memory card.

  A RAM 202 is a system memory used as an OS, various drivers, a memory for developing programs and data such as applications, a drawing memory for a printer, and the like, and is a writable and readable memory. The non-volatile memory 203 is a memory for storing association information (including security information) and the like shared with the wireless communication device of the connection partner. The ROM 204 is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing various programs and data.

  The ASIC 206 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and also has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP bus, the PCI bus, the RAM 206 and the HDD 207, respectively. The ASIC 205 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 205, a memory controller that controls the RAM 206, and a plurality of hardware logic and DMAC (Direct Memory Access) for rotating image data. Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the plotter 23 and the electronic device such as the scanner 24 via the PCI bus. A fax control unit 22, a plotter 23, a scanner 24, and other hardware resources 25 are connected to the ASIC 205 via a PCI bus.

  A RAM 207 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and an HDD 208 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  This figure is an example of a hardware configuration, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of connecting with a PCI bus, a connection may be made with PCI-express or other buses. Moreover, you may comprise so that various other interfaces, such as Bluetooth and wireless LAN, may be provided. The operation unit 21 is formed integrally with an operation device for a user to input instructions and a display device for displaying information.

(Software configuration of image forming apparatus 1)
Next, a software configuration in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, as software included in the image forming apparatus 1, an application unit 30, a security control unit 31, a communication control unit 32, an operation port control unit 33, a file control unit 34, and a memory control unit 35. A system control unit 36 and an OS 37.

  The application unit 30 includes an application for performing encrypted communication, and includes an association application for exchanging association information with a wireless communication apparatus of a connection partner. The application unit 30 includes applications for realizing a FAX function, a printer function, a scanner function, a storage function, and the like. In addition, the application unit 30, the security control unit 31, the communication control unit 32, the communication protocol 38, and the communication device driver 39 realize a function of performing wireless communication using UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology.

  The security control unit 31 causes the nonvolatile memory 203 to store association information including security information such as authentication information and an encryption key for encrypted communication. The operation port control unit 33 controls instruction input from the user via the operation unit 21 and display of information on the operation unit 21. The file control unit 34 controls reading / writing of files to / from the HDD 208. The memory control unit 35 controls reading and writing to a memory such as the RAM 202, the nonvolatile memory 203, and the ROM 204. The system control unit 36 comprehensively controls each unit of 30 to 40.

  The OS 37 functions as an operating system, and includes a communication protocol 38, a communication device driver 39, and security information 40. The communication protocol 38 is a protocol stack for performing encrypted communication. The communication device driver 39 is a device driver that controls the communication device 41 (various interfaces 210 to 214) that performs wireless or wired communication with the communication apparatus of the connection partner.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above, the “NFC system” is configured such that an NFC R / W device (not shown) connected to the image forming apparatus 1 by USB communicates with the user's NFC token. In the “UFD method”, a dedicated USB storage device is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 by USB, and the “PUSH button method” and the “PIN method” use the numeric keypad of the operation unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 1 to perform predetermined operations. This is realized as before.

  The simple setup when the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to the network is (1) “PIN method”. When a predetermined input is made in advance from the UI of the registrar device to be communicated, (2) “Push” In the “Button method”, when the buttons installed on the operation unit or the like of both devices are pressed at the same time, (3) If “NFC method”, both NFC externally connected as USB devices or built in the device When communication is performed by bringing a module (one NFC R / W device and the other NFC token) closer to each other (4) “UFD method”, a dedicated USB storage drive is connected to the USB of the image forming apparatus 1 which is an enrollee device. When it is plugged into the host 213, the association information is stored in a predetermined memory area of the device. Thus, the setting can be made by any means.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in the communication system (FIG. 1) configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. Specifically, in the image forming apparatus 1, specifically, the CPU 201 provided in the controller 20 mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 stores programs corresponding to the OS 37 and various control units illustrated in FIG. Controlled by loading and executing. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, the OS 37 executed by the CPU 201 will be described as an operation subject. Further, the OS 37 provides a function as a function restriction unit.

  When a user causes an “easy setup” factor in any of the above simple setup means (Yes in step S1), information for identifying which simple setup means is used is a module for realizing the simple setup means ( From the UI, USB flash drive, NFC R / W, etc. of the image forming apparatus 1 to the OS 37 as a function restricting unit via the corresponding interface.

  When receiving the identification information, the OS 37 determines which simple setup means is used (S2), and activates a different application corresponding to the simple setup means. This application has the software configuration shown in FIG. 3, which part of the area (that is, each control unit and its upper application) that can be accessed by the OS 37 is subjected to access restriction (that is, which function restriction is performed). It is possible to determine in advance which part of the access restriction (function restriction) is to be performed from the UI of the image forming apparatus 1.

  Then, the OS 37 determines the function that actually performs the function restriction based on the activated application and the setting state related to the function restriction (S3).

  If it is determined that there is a function to be restricted (Yes in step S4), the corresponding function is restricted (step S5), and the process returns to step S1, and if it is determined that there is no function to be restricted (in step S4). No), it returns to step S1 as it is.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the function is limited according to the simple setup means used, anyone can communicate with each other in a trade-off relationship with the simple setup that enables easy wireless communication connection. Can solve the security problem.

  Here, embodiments of the communication system configured as described above will be described.

Example 1
When inviting a guest user in the company, the employee is made to hold a USB storage drive or an NFC token so that an easy setup using the Out of Band method is performed. So that you can communicate with Here, all functions can be used in the Out Of Band method, whereas in the In Band method, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with function restrictions such as “color printing prohibited” and “data transmission prohibited in the image forming apparatus”. , Unauthorized use of malicious guest users can be prevented. Further, since the In Band system used for guest users has different security levels in the “PIN system” and the “Push Button system”, different access restrictions may be applied.

  In this embodiment, all functions can be used by allowing employees to perform simple setup of the Out Of Band method, while the guest user is allowed to perform simple setup by the In Band method. Therefore, at least some of the functions of the enrollee device (the image forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment) are limited. As a result, security problems that are in a trade-off relationship with easy setup can be solved concisely without feeling bothersome.

(Example 2)
In the present embodiment, the access restriction is further determined based on the date and time when the simple setup is performed with respect to the first embodiment. This prevents unauthorized use on weekends when the company is closed. For example, with the simple setup using the Out Of Band method for employees, normal functions can be used even on weekends, but with the simple setup using the In Band method for guest users, most of the functions are restricted so that employees can view images as usual. Although the forming apparatus 1 can be used, it is possible to prevent the guest user from trying to illegally use the device in a quiet company. The date and time is detected using the timer 205 in FIG. In the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the function can be restricted according to an arbitrary date and time, so that the management function can be further improved as compared with the first embodiment.

(Example 3)
In the present embodiment, in addition to the association information when the simple setup is performed, authentication is performed by adding user information in addition to the association information when performing the simple setup so that the access restriction can be set more finely. User information is information that can identify the person who is going to use the device, such as an ID number assigned to each user. It is registered in advance to the device to which the function is to be restricted, and is verified during easy setup. .

  In Band systems such as the “PIN system” and “Push Button system”, user information recorded in the memory area of the registrar device is stored in the Out of Band system such as the “UFD system” and “NFC system”. Function restriction is performed using user information recorded in the area or user information recorded in the memory area in the UFD or NFC token. In the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, it is possible to further restrict functions in units of users, and further improvement of the management function can be expected as compared with the first embodiment.

Example 4
The function for which the function is restricted in the first embodiment can also be set on the registrar device side. In this embodiment, a function for restricting the functions of the image forming apparatus 1 that is an enrollee device is set on the registrar device side. For example, when the UI of the printer driver of the image forming apparatus 1 is displayed on the screen on a personal computer or the like as a registrar device after communication is started by simple setup, the restricted functions are displayed in grayscale so that they cannot be used. (Functions displayed in gray scale at this time are not accepted by the registrar device or the enrollee device), and the number of printable copies is explicitly displayed on the screen to limit the number of printable copies (see FIG. 5).

  For registrar devices that do not introduce a printer driver, such as a mobile terminal, when an attempt is made to send a signal to the image forming apparatus 1, an error display, for example, “Cannot be used with current communication method” is displayed on the screen. Perform function restriction. Of course, in the image forming apparatus 1 which is an enrollee device, a similar display can be displayed on the operation unit screen (see FIG. 6).

  In the present embodiment, since the registrar device having a UI such as a personal computer performs the function restriction by explicitly indicating the function restriction to the user, the user can immediately recognize the restricted function. Compared to this, improvement in usability can be expected.

  Note that various programs such as an OS and applications executed by the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment are files in an installable format or an executable format, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, and a DVD. (Digital Versatile Disk) or the like recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. In addition, these programs may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and distributed and provided via the network, or may be configured to be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 as an enrollee device has been described as an example applied to a so-called multifunction machine. However, any image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a scanner device, or a facsimile machine may be used. The present invention can be applied to both.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Registrar apparatus 20 Controller 21 Operation part 22 Fax control unit 23 Plotter 24 Scanner 25 Other hardware resources 201 CPU
202 RAM
203 Non-volatile memory 204 ROM
205 Timer 206 ASIC
207 RAM
208 HDD
210 Serial bus interface 211 NIC
212 WLAN Interface 213 USB Host 214 Memory Card Interface 30 Application Unit 31 Security Control Unit 32 Communication Control Unit 33 Operation Port Control Unit 34 File Control Unit 35 Memory Control Unit 36 System Control Unit 37 OS
38 Communication Protocol 39 Communication Device Driver 40 Security Information 41 Communication Device

JP 2006-345451 A

Claims (6)

A communication means for performing wired or wireless communication;
Between registrar equipment and enrollee equipment, which are communication equipment, a plurality of types of simple setup means that are means for establishing communication connection by sharing association information used for establishing communication connection without manual input,
When the communication connection between the registrar device and the enrollee device is established and the communication is started by the simple setup means, the use of the function to at least a part of the function of the enrollee device is used according to the type of the easy setup means used. A communication device comprising a function restriction means for restricting.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the function restriction unit further restricts the use of the function to at least a part of the function of the enrollee device according to a date and time when communication is started.   The communication according to claim 1, wherein the function restriction unit further restricts the use of the function to at least a part of the function of the enrollee device for each user based on the user information in the association information. machine.   The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a display unit, wherein the function restriction unit causes the display unit to display information related to a function whose use is restricted.   The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising setting means for setting the contents of function restriction performed by the function restriction means. A communication means for performing wired or wireless communication;
Between registrar equipment and enrollee equipment, which are communication equipment, a plurality of types of simple setup means that are means for establishing communication connection by sharing association information used for establishing communication connection without manual input,
When the communication connection between the registrar device and the enrollee device is established and the communication is started by the simple setup means, the use of the function to at least a part of the function of the enrollee device is used according to the type of the easy setup means used. An enrollee device having a function limiting means for limiting;
A communication control system comprising: a registrar device having at least the communication unit and one kind of the simple setup unit.

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