JP2008186370A - Electrical apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric apparatus achieving accurate user authentication without degrading convenience of a user. <P>SOLUTION: By means of a main control part 3, a screen showing a plurality of file names is displayed in a display part 6 via a display control part 5 in user authentication. If a file selected by the user is already set, the user is allowed to use a multi-function machine 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric device that performs user authentication as to whether or not a user performing an operation is a user registered in advance.

  Whether the user who is logging in is an appropriate user when logging in to a personal computer, accessing an electronic file, using a bank ATM (Automated Teller Machine), etc. In other words, various user authentication systems using passwords have been proposed in order to determine whether login or the like may be permitted (for example, Patent Document 1). As one conventional password generation method, there is a method of combining numbers or symbols.

From the viewpoint of convenience for an appropriate user, the password is required to be easy to remember for the appropriate user. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of accuracy of user authentication, the password is required to be difficult to guess by others.
JP 2005-63439 A (published on March 10, 2005)

  However, if the password is generated with emphasis on the convenience for the user, it will be easily guessed by others and the accuracy of user authentication will be impaired, and the password will be generated with emphasis on the accuracy of user authentication. Tend to be difficult for users to remember.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the electric equipment which can make the precision of user authentication and the convenience for the appropriate user in user authentication compatible.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the electrical device according to claim 1 is an electrical device that performs user authentication as to whether or not the user in operation is a registered user in advance. A display unit that displays information indicating each electronic file to allow the user in operation to select the electronic file; and if the electronic file selected by the user in operation is a predetermined electronic file, An authentication unit that determines that the user is a pre-registered user and determines that the user in operation is not a pre-registered user if the user is not a predetermined electronic file. .

  The electrical device includes a display unit and an authentication unit, so that user authentication can be performed based on whether or not the user in operation selects a predetermined electronic file from the electronic files displayed on the display unit. it can. As described above, selecting the items displayed on the display unit is not as difficult for the user as inputting a complicated password. Also, it is not easy for someone other than the registered user (that is, an appropriate user) to guess which of the displayed electronic files should be selected. That is, the electric device can achieve both accuracy of user authentication and convenience for an appropriate user in user authentication.

  As the electronic file, an electronic file stored in the electric device or an electronic file stored in a storage device outside the electric device and from which the electric device can obtain information can be used. .

  Further, as in the electric device according to claim 2, the electric device according to claim 1 is configured such that the predetermined electronic file is a predetermined number of electronic files from the top in the order in which the time of use is close to the time of user authentication. Also good.

  In order to improve the accuracy of user authentication, it is not preferable to continue using the same password for a long period of time. Therefore, conventionally, the user has performed an operation for changing the password. However, for the user, the operation for changing the password is troublesome, and it is difficult to remember a new password every time the password is changed. Therefore, users tend to use the same password for a long time. That is, it is still difficult to achieve both user convenience and user authentication accuracy.

  However, according to the configuration of the electrical device, an electronic file that has been used is close to the time of user authentication, and the electronic file that the user should select at the time of user authentication. In other words, the criteria for selecting which electronic file depends on the usage status of the file. In other words, the file to be selected by the user automatically changes over time. Therefore, high accuracy is realized in user authentication. Furthermore, it is less difficult for the user to store which electronic file has been used recently than to store a list of numbers and characters that have no meaning. Therefore, the convenience for the user is also high.

  The electrical device according to claim 3 is an electrical device that performs user authentication as to whether or not the user in operation is a registered user, and for each of the two or more electronic files at the time of user authentication, If the electronic file is selected in a predetermined order by the display unit that causes the user to select the electronic file by displaying the pointing information, and the user is operating, the user is registered in advance Authentication that determines that the user being operated is not a pre-registered user if the user being operated does not match unless the electronic file is selected in a predetermined order An electrical device.

  In the electric device, the authentication unit performs user authentication according to the selection order of the electronic file by the user, so that the accuracy of user authentication is more accurate than user authentication only depending on which electronic file the user has selected. Will be improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electric device according to the third aspect, the predetermined order is the order in which the time of use is close to the time of user authentication.

  According to the electrical device, the criteria for selecting the displayed electronic file in order depends on the usage status of the file. In other words, the file to be selected by the user and the selection order automatically change with the passage of time. Therefore, high accuracy is realized in user authentication. Furthermore, it is less difficult for the user to store which electronic file has been used recently than to store a list of numbers and characters that have no meaning. Therefore, the convenience for the user is also high.

  The electrical device according to claim 5 is the electrical device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the information displayed by the display unit includes information other than information about the electronic file to be selected by the user in operation during user authentication. , Dummy information is included.

  According to the above configuration, since the dummy information is included, the accuracy of the user authentication is further improved.

  The electrical device according to claim 6 is the electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the two or more electronic files are image files, and the display unit includes the information as information indicating the electronic file. The thumbnail of the image file is displayed.

  In this way, when thumbnails of image files are displayed, it is easy for the user to identify individual files, which is highly convenient.

  The electric device of the present invention includes a display unit and an authentication unit, so that user authentication can be performed based on whether or not the user in operation has selected a predetermined file from the files displayed on the display unit. it can. As described above, it is not difficult for the user to select items displayed on the display unit, rather than inputting a complicated password. Also, it is not easy for someone other than the appropriate user to guess which of the displayed files should be selected. That is, the electric device can achieve both accuracy of user authentication and convenience for an appropriate user in user authentication.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. However, the following description does not limit the scope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the electric apparatus of the present invention is applied to a so-called multi-function machine having functions such as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile machine. Note that the electrical device of the present invention can be applied to various devices such as an ATM or a file management device, even if it is not a multifunction device.

I. First Embodiment [1] Main Part Configuration of Multifunction Machine 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the main part configuration of the multi function machine 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 includes an input receiving unit 2 that receives input from a user, a main control unit 3 that controls the operation of each unit in the multifunction device 1, a storage device 4 that stores various types of information, Provided with a display control unit 5 that controls the operation of the display unit 6 under the control of the control unit 3, a liquid crystal display unit, etc., to display an image (hereinafter, the image includes characters, symbols, drawings, etc.) The data is exchanged with an external PC (Personal Computer) 21 and server 22 via the communication line 20 under the control of the display control unit 6, the output control unit 7 for controlling the operation of the communication unit 8, etc. A communication unit 8, a scanner 9 that reads a document and obtains image information, a printing unit 10 that prints and outputs an image on paper, a FAX 11 that exchanges image information with an external device via a telephone line, and a thumbnail based on the image information Thumbnail creation section to create Equipped with a 2, and the like.

  The input receiving unit 2 includes a hard key and a touch panel. The user can press the hard key or the soft key displayed on the display unit 6, and the input receiving unit 2 receives an input from the user.

  The main control unit 3 can be configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The CPU can perform various calculations and execute programs. The ROM stores a program related to control performed by the CPU, a program related to the operation of each unit in the multi-function peripheral 1, and the like. In addition to functioning as a work area for the CPU, the RAM has an area for holding user input contents and the like. In particular, the main control unit 3 functions as an authentication unit that performs user authentication. In this embodiment, the display control unit 5, the output control unit 7, and the thumbnail creation unit 12 are provided separately from the main control unit 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is realized by the CPU executing a program. It may be a thing. In that case, the display control unit 5, the output control unit 7, and the thumbnail creation unit 12 are included in the main control unit 3.

  The storage device 4 stores information necessary for user authentication described later, that is, an ID and the like. Hereinafter, this ID stored in the storage device 4 is referred to as a registration ID. Each “information about the file” is stored in association with each registration ID. Furthermore, the storage device 4 includes a plurality of boxes. FIG. 1 shows two of these boxes, boxes 4a and 4b. The storage device 4 can store document files, image files, and the like in each box. These files may be received from the outside via the communication unit 8 or the like, or may be image information files obtained by the scanner 9 reading a document.

  A storage device provided outside the multi-function device 1, for example, a PC 21 and a server 22, etc., which acquires information such as file names and access times for files inside the storage device via the communication line 20. The storage device 4 and the storage device 4 in the multi function device 1 are collectively referred to as a storage device 4 or the like hereinafter.

[2] User Authentication Operation When the user tries to use the multifunction device 1, the main control unit 3 performs user authentication. The processing operation of the main control unit 3 at the time of user authentication will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing operations, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an ID reception screen 31, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a file selection screen 32, and FIG. 5 shows a file selection screen 33. It is a top view.

  When the user tries to perform a key operation (S1), the main control unit 3 displays the ID input screen 31 on the display unit 6 via the display control unit 5 (S2). The ID input screen 31 includes an ID input field 31a, a delete key 31b, a completion key 31c, and the like.

  The user can input an ID by pressing a character key such as a numeric keypad included in a hard key of the input receiving unit 2 or a character key (not shown) that is a soft key displayed on the ID input screen 31. it can. This input content is displayed in the ID input field 31 under the control of the display control unit 5. When the completion key 31c is pressed by the user, the input content at that time is determined as the input ID (S3). If the delete key 31b is pressed before the completion key 31c is pressed, the character input immediately before the delete key 31b is pressed is deleted.

  If there is a registration ID that matches this input ID, the main control section 3 displays the file selection screen 32 on the display section 6 via the display control section 5 based on the user information corresponding to the matching registration ID ( S4). If there is no matching registered ID, the display unit 6 displays the ID input screen 31 again with an error message such as “ID not registered” (S4 → S5 → S2).

  In step S4, the display unit 6 presents information about two or more files to the user by displaying the file selection screen 32, and causes the user to select one or more files from these files. (S6, S7). The file selection screen 32 includes a file display field 32a, a selected file display field 32b, a movement key 32c, a selection key 32d, a selection release key 32e, a completion key 32f, and the like.

  Under the control of the main control unit 3, the file display column 32a displays the file name of the file stored in the storage device 4 or the like described in the column [1]. In particular, in the present embodiment, a specific box 4a is designated in advance among a plurality of boxes in the storage device 4 in association with the registration ID confirmed in step S4. In step S6, the file names of the top two files in the order of creation at the time of creation among the files in the box 4a are displayed together with the dummy file names. The dummy file name is a fictitious file name or a file name other than the top two files that are existing files. In this embodiment, in particular, as the dummy file name, the file name of the third newest file at the time of creation in the box 4a and the dummy file name created appropriately by the main control unit 3 are displayed one by one. Let's say.

  When the user touches the movement key 32c, the cursor moves in the vertical direction in the file display field 32a accordingly. When the selection key 32d is pressed while the cursor points to a certain file name, the file name is displayed in the selected file display field 32b. When the selection release key 32e is pressed, the file name selected immediately before is deleted from the selected file display field 32b.

  When the completion key 32f is pressed while the file name is displayed in the selected file display field 32b (Yes in S8), it is determined which file has been selected.

  After the determination, the main control unit 3 performs user authentication depending on whether or not the user's selection is in accordance with a preset rule. Specifically, in the present embodiment, when two of the displayed four file names are selected as the latest file at the time of creation, the main control unit 3 is a user who has registered the operating user. And use is permitted (Yes in S9 → S10). On the other hand, if the file selected by the user is not the latest at the time of creation or if the number of selections is not two, the main control unit 3 determines that the user in operation is not a registered user and uses the “file without permitting use” Is displayed on the display unit 6 (No in S9 → S11). The main control unit 3 can display the ID input screen 31 again on the display unit 6 after displaying the error message. “Permit use” means that each unit in the multifunction device 1 is controlled so as to perform an operation according to an input received from the user via the input receiving unit 2.

II. Second Embodiment In the present embodiment, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the main control unit 3 performs user authentication based on whether or not the order of file selection by the user matches a predetermined order.

  The specific authentication operation of this embodiment is shown in the flowchart of FIG. In this authentication operation, the main control unit 3 does not match step S9 of the user authentication operation in the column [2], but whether the selection order by the user and the file selected in step S19 match the preset conditions. It is determined whether or not the user has selected three files in the order in which they were created. If the user's selection matches the above condition, the user is permitted to use it (Yes in S19 → S20), and if not, an error message is displayed (No → S21 in S19).

  When performing user authentication according to the file selection order as in the present embodiment, the main control unit 3 does not need to display a dummy file name on the display unit 6 when displaying the file name in step S16. That is, all the files displayed on the display unit 6 may be selected. However, the accuracy of user authentication is improved by displaying a dummy file as in this embodiment.

III. Third Embodiment In the present embodiment, in the configuration of the second embodiment, the main control unit 3 displays a thumbnail generated from an image file instead of a file name on the display unit 6. The specific authentication operation of this embodiment is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In this authentication operation, the main control unit 3 performs the above II. Step S36 is performed instead of step S16 of the user authentication operation (FIG. 5) described in the column. In step S36, the main control unit 3 displays the file selection screen 33 (FIG. 7) on the display unit 6. The file selection screen 33 includes a file display field 33a, a selection cancel key 33e, a completion key 33f, etc., and is abbreviated as the file selection screen 32 described above except that the file display field 33a displays a file thumbnail instead of a file name. It is the same composition.

  When the thumbnail display in the file display field 33a is touched on the file selection screen 33, the touch panel of the input receiving unit 2 recognizes that the file name has been selected (S37). The selected file name is displayed so as to be distinguishable from the unselected file name by changing the display color or the like. When the user presses the completion key 33f in this state (Yes in S38), it is determined which file has been selected. If the selection cancellation key 33be is pressed before the completion key 33e is pressed, the selection of the file made immediately before is canceled.

  And the above II. As described in the section, if the user selects three files in the order of creation, the main control unit 3 permits the user to use the multifunction device 1.

  In FIG. 7, in the file selection screen 33, thumbnails created by the thumbnail creation unit 12 and thumbnails of fictitious files are displayed. The thumbnail creating unit 12 creates four files from the latest to the fourth among the image files in the box 4a. At this time, the thumbnail creating unit 12 creates an image thumbnail of the first page for an image file extending over a plurality of pages. Then, the main control unit 3 controls the display unit 6 via the display control unit 5 to display a total of six thumbnails of these four thumbnails and a thumbnail for the fictitious image file in the file display field 33a. .

  Thereafter, as in the authentication operation of the second embodiment, user authentication is performed based on whether or not three files are selected in the order of creation.

IV. Other Embodiments In the first to third embodiments, the thumbnail is created from the image file in the box 4a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, in an external storage device associated in advance with the registration ID confirmed in step S4 (or S1, S34), for example, in the folder 21a in the PC 21 which is a terminal used by the user corresponding to this registration ID. A file to be displayed on the file selection screens 32 and 33 may be selected from the saved files.

  In the first to third embodiments, the file to be selected by the user is determined based on the created “time”. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the user's preference is determined. Can be set as appropriate. For example, as another example, in the processing operation of the third embodiment (FIG. 6), a thumbnail of an image used for the desktop background of the external PC is displayed in step S36, and in step S39, the background image is displayed. If selected, the use may be permitted. The external PC can be the PC 21 that is a terminal used by the user corresponding to the registration ID confirmed in step S4.

  In addition, among the criteria of the file to be selected by the user, including the time, in addition to the “creation time” of the first to third embodiments, “at the time of update”, “the date used at the meeting”, etc. “Access date / time” and “use date / time” are widely used.

  Furthermore, the file to be selected by the user at the time of user authentication and the selection order may be a combination of two or more conditions such as file use date, file type (extension type), and file name.

  As described above, the above I.D. ~ IV. In the column, configurations obtained by combining the components described in different columns are also included in the scope of the present invention. Further, configurations obtained by appropriately combining conventionally known techniques with these configurations are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of user authentication operation of the multifunction device 1. It is a top view of ID input screen 31 displayed at the time of the above-mentioned user authentication operation. It is a top view of the file selection screen 32 displayed at the time of the said user authentication operation | movement. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of another user authentication operation of the multifunction device 1. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of still another user authentication operation of the multifunction machine 1. It is a top view of the file selection screen 33 displayed at the time of the said user authentication operation | movement.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunction machine 2 Input reception part 3 Main control part 4 Storage device 5 Display control part 6 Display part 7 Output control part 8 Communication part 20 Communication line 21 External PC
22 Server 12 Thumbnail creation section 31 ID input screen 31a ID input field 32 File selection screen 32a File display field 33 File selection screen 33a File display field

Claims (6)

An electrical device that performs user authentication as to whether or not a user in operation is a registered user,
A display unit that allows the user in operation to select the electronic file by displaying information indicating each electronic file for two or more electronic files during user authentication;
If the electronic file selected by the user being operated is a predetermined electronic file, it is determined that the user being operated is a pre-registered user. If the electronic file is not a predetermined electronic file, the user being operated is determined. An authentication unit that determines that is not a pre-registered user.   The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined electronic files are a predetermined number of electronic files from the top in the order in which the time of use is close to the time of user authentication. An electrical device that performs user authentication as to whether the user in operation is a registered user,
A display unit that allows the user in operation to select the electronic file by displaying information indicating each electronic file for two or more electronic files during user authentication;
If the electronic file is selected by the user in operation in a predetermined order, the user in operation is authenticated as a pre-registered user, and if the electronic file is not selected in the predetermined order, the user is operating. And an authentication unit that determines that the user in operation is not a registered user if the users do not match.   The electrical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined order is an order in which the time of use is close to the time of user authentication.   The electrical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information displayed by the display unit includes dummy information in addition to information about an electronic file to be selected by the user who is operating in user authentication. The two or more electronic files are image files,
The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a thumbnail of the image file as information indicating an electronic file.

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