JP2006092295A - Service providing system, client device and service providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a service providing system capable of customizing authentication data for every service to be provided. <P>SOLUTION: This system comprises an external server 2, and an image processor 1 receiving services provided by the external server 2. The external server 2 has a management table registering authentication data necessary for authentication according to services to be provided, and changes the services to be provided according to authentication data transmitted from the image processor 1. According to this, usable services can be limited, and a service according to a user can be provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a service providing system having a user authentication function.

  Conventionally, an authentication function has been proposed in which an individual is identified and only authorized users can use the device.

  For example, in Patent Literature 1, input data displaying means for displaying on the operation panel a screen for allowing the user to input specific data for specifying a user who uses the device and authentication data for the specific data, and a specification input by the user Based on the data and the user authentication means for authenticating the user based on the authentication data, the specific data input by the user, and the data related to the time when the user input the specific data, the device of the user Use authentication means for performing the use authentication.

JP 2004-134995 A

  However, in a client device having an authentication function for authenticating a user, the authentication procedure is uniquely determined. For this reason, when the client device receives a service from another external server device, the authentication data necessary for input has not been changed according to the provided service.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a service providing system, a client device, and a service providing method capable of customizing authentication data for each provided service.

  In order to achieve the above object, a service providing system of the present invention is a service providing system including an external server device and a client device that receives a service provided by the external server device. The external server device provides the service providing system. A management table in which authentication data necessary for authentication is registered according to the service may be provided, and the service to be provided may be changed according to the authentication data transmitted from the image processing apparatus.

  By changing the authentication data according to the service provided from the external server device, it is possible to limit the services that can be used, and to provide the service according to the user.

  In the service providing system, the authentication data may be set for each user, group, and client device, and the external server device may hold a file registered for each unit.

  Since authentication data is set and files are stored in units of individual users, groups, and client devices, file management can be performed in these units.

  In the service providing system, the client device stores authentication data input during authentication with the external server device as system information, and reads the authentication data from the storage device during the authentication. Control means for displaying.

  Since authentication data input at the time of authentication is stored as system information, it is possible to simplify the effort of inputting authentication data.

  In the service providing system, the control unit may refuse to store the authentication data having a high importance level in the storage unit according to the importance level set for each unit.

  In a management group with a high degree of importance, it is possible to prevent leakage of authentication data to the outside by rejecting registration of authentication data.

  In the service providing system, when different authentication data is input as the system information, the control unit may display a message asking whether to store the input authentication data as new authentication data.

  When the authentication data is input, an inquiry is made as to whether or not the authentication data is to be stored, so that the user's desired authentication data can be registered as system information.

  The client device of the present invention is a device that receives a service provided by an external server device, and stores a storage unit that stores authentication data input at the time of authentication with the external server device as system information. Control means for reading and displaying the authentication data from the storage means. As a specific example of the client device, any device that can be connected to a network such as a personal computer, a portable terminal including a mobile phone, an image processing device including a copier or a printer may be used. However, the client device will be described as an image processing device below. To do.

  Since authentication data input at the time of authentication is stored as system information, it is possible to simplify the effort of inputting authentication data.

  In the image processing apparatus, when the control unit receives different authentication data as the system information, the control unit sends a message asking whether to store the input authentication data as new authentication data. It is good to display.

  Since authentication data input at the time of authentication is stored as system information, it is possible to simplify the effort of inputting authentication data.

  The service providing method of the present invention includes a step of receiving authentication data transmitted from a client device, a step of performing authentication by comparing the received data with authentication data registered in a management table, and the received authentication data Providing a corresponding service to the client device.

  By changing the authentication data according to the service provided from the external server device, it is possible to limit the services that can be used, and to provide the service according to the user.

  According to the present invention, the operation procedure at the time of authentication can be customized for each operation system.

  The best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the service providing system of this embodiment, an external server 2 and an image processing apparatus 1 as a client apparatus that receives a service provided by the external server 2 are connected to a network 3. In FIG. 1, only one image processing apparatus 1 is provided, but it is assumed that a plurality of image processing apparatuses 1 are connected to the network 3.

  The hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. 2 includes a control unit 11, an interface unit 12, a reading unit 13, a printing unit 14, an input / display device 15, and an auxiliary storage unit that are mutually connected by a bus B. 16 and a memory 17.

  The input / display unit 15 includes an operation panel or the like, and is used to input various operation signals to the image processing apparatus 1.

The interface unit 12 is an interface for connecting the image processing apparatus 1 to a network.

  The auxiliary storage unit 16 stores data such as images and documents related to image formation, the program, and necessary files. The memory 17 reads and stores the program from the auxiliary storage unit 16 when the image processing apparatus 1 is activated. The control unit 111 executes processing in accordance with the program read out and stored in the memory 17.

  The reading unit 13 reads data such as an image and a document related to image formation. The printing unit 14 prints data such as images and documents read by the reading unit 13.

  The external server 2 includes a management table shown in FIG. This is a registered service provided by the external server 2 and users, groups, and image processing apparatuses that are permitted to use this service. The user management table shown in FIG. 3A records a user ID for identifying a user, authentication data, and a service permitted to the user, for example, download of a specific file. The group management table shown in FIG. 3B is a table for registering a group. A group ID for identifying a group, an ID of a user registered in the group, authentication data set in the group, and provision to the group Provided service is recorded. The management table shown in FIG. 3C is a table for managing the image processing apparatus 1, and is provided to the image processing apparatus, the identification ID of the image processing apparatus, the authentication data set for each image processing apparatus, and the image processing apparatus. Service is registered.

  The external server 2 stores an instruction for causing the image processing apparatus 1 to execute a job. The instruction sheet is an electronic document describing a job flow to be executed, and the image processing apparatus 1 reads the instruction sheet and executes the instructed job.

  The user authenticates with the external server 2 when accessing the external server 2 from the image processing apparatus 1 and acquiring instructions and files. The external server 2 stores the above-described three types of authentication data.

  When authentication is performed with the external server 2 using user-specific authentication data, the files and instructions registered in the management area managed by the user and the management area accessible to all users registered in the external server 2 You can get files and instructions registered in. Similarly, when authentication with the external server 2 is performed using the authentication data set for the group, the files and instructions registered in the management area set for each group and all users registered in the external server 2 Can acquire files and instructions registered in the management area accessible by. Also, when authentication with the external server 2 is performed using authentication data set for each image processing apparatus, instructions registered in a management area accessible to all users registered in the external server 2 are acquired. Can do.

  When performing authentication with the external server 2 using user-specific authentication data, the image processing apparatus 1 inquires the corresponding user whether or not to store the input authentication information. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, when the authentication data includes a user ID and a password, the image processing apparatus 1 displays the corresponding password when the user inputs the user ID. Registration of authentication data in the image processing apparatus 1 can simplify the authentication effort.

  In this description, when the authentication information is input, the user is inquired whether the authentication information is to be stored. However, the authentication information that is automatically input may be registered.

  The user normally connects to the external server 2 using authentication data assigned to each user, but temporarily uses authentication data of other users or authentication data set for each image processing apparatus. Authentication may be performed. In such a case, for example, if user-specific authentication data is registered in the image processing apparatus 1, when a user ID is input, a user-specific password is displayed. A user who wants to access the external server 2 using the authentication data set for each image processing apparatus rewrites the password from the individual user to the one set for each image processing apparatus.

  At this time, the image processing apparatus 1 inquires whether to delete the recorded authentication data or to store it as it is. When deleting the recorded authentication data, the input screen for inputting the authentication data is all displayed blank. If “Save as is” is selected, the authentication data recorded in advance is saved as it is, and this authentication data is displayed at the next authentication.

  It should be noted that recording the authentication data in the image processing apparatus 1 may cause information leakage to others, so that this system registration may be prohibited for a group that is performing important development. Good. The image processing apparatus 1 holds the registration prohibition table shown in FIG. 5, and prohibits registration of authentication data of the group ID registered in this table.

  The embodiment described above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a service provision system. It is a figure which shows the structure of an image processing apparatus. (A) is a diagram showing a configuration of a user individual management table, (B) is a diagram showing a configuration of a group management table, and (C) is a diagram showing a configuration of an image processing device management table. , It is an example of the display screen of an image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the registration prohibition management table registered into an image processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing apparatus 2 External server 3 Network 11 Control part 12 Interface part 13 Reading part 14 Printing part 15 Input / display part 16 Auxiliary storage part 17 Memory

Claims (8)

A service providing system comprising an external server device and a client device that receives a service provided by the external server device,
The external server device has a management table in which authentication data necessary for authentication is registered according to the service to be provided,
A service providing system, wherein the service to be provided is changed according to the authentication data transmitted from the client device. The authentication data is set in units of individual users, groups, and client devices,
The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the external server device holds a file registered for each unit. The client device has storage means for storing authentication data input at the time of authentication with the external server device as system information;
3. The service providing system according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that reads out and displays the authentication data from the storage unit during the authentication.   4. The service providing system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit rejects the storage of the authentication data having a high importance set in the storage unit according to the importance set for each unit.   5. The control means, when different authentication data is input as the system information, displays a message asking whether to store the input authentication data as new authentication data. The service provision system described. An image processing device that receives a service provided by an external server device,
Storage means for storing authentication data input at the time of authentication with the external server device as system information;
And a control unit that reads and displays the authentication data from the storage unit during the authentication.   7. The control unit according to claim 6, wherein when different authentication data is input as the system information, a message asking whether to store the input authentication data as new authentication data is displayed. Client device. Receiving authentication data transmitted from the client device;
Comparing the received data with the authentication data registered in the management table for authentication;
Providing a service corresponding to the received authentication data to the client device.

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