JP6827998B2 - Information processing device and control method of information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device capable of providing contents to an external device and a control method of the information processing device.

In recent years, with the increasing functionality of image forming devices, network functions have come to be installed as standard equipment in low-priced image forming devices, and image forming devices can be networked not only in large offices but also in small offices and general households. Opportunities to connect to and use are increasing.

It is possible to check the status and settings of the image forming apparatus connected to the network with a Web browser operating on a personal computer (PC) via the network. The user interface (UI) mounted on the image forming apparatus is called a local UI (LUI), and in contrast, the UI displayed on the Web browser is called a remote UI (RUI).

Here, in a large-scale office, a network administrator or the like is assigned to take security measures, but it is possible that the security measures are insufficient in a small-scale office or a general household. When an image forming apparatus without security measures is connected to the network, the RUI can be operated by access from the outside, which may cause problems such as leakage of confidential information.

In Patent Document 1, an account that has not been logged in for a long period of time (for example, an account of an employee who has been absent due to a long-term business trip or has already left the company) is subjected to secondary authentication in addition to normal authentication. Methods such as increasing security are disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-178830

Conventionally, in the image forming apparatus, a password for authentication can be set for access from the outside via a network. In addition, some have a function of providing access management by providing a mode for setting a department ID and a personal identification number in order to identify a department accessing the image forming apparatus. In the department ID management mode, in addition to specifying the access department to the image forming apparatus, the execution authority for a specific function (for example, copy or fax) is restricted for each department ID, or the output page at the time of function execution is executed. You can count the number of pages and the number of pages sent.

Here, if the mode is set to perform department ID management, it can be determined that the image forming apparatus has security measures taken, and in this state, it is necessary to further perform authentication processing for access from the outside. It was redundant and impaired the convenience of the user. It should be noted that such a problem is not limited to the image forming apparatus, but also exists in various information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the external device.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for maintaining the security of an information processing device such as an image forming device capable of communicating with an external device without impairing the convenience of the user.

The present invention is an information processing device capable of providing contents to an external device, and whether or not to use the first authentication process using an access password in the information processing device that requires an authentication process for accessing the contents. A means for accepting the designation regarding the above, a means for accepting the designation regarding whether or not to use the second authentication process using the ID and the password, and the specification for using the first authentication process are made and the second authentication process is performed. According to the reception of the access request from the external device in the state where the use of the above is made, the screen information of the first authentication screen for performing the first authentication process is not output to the external device. It is characterized by having a means for outputting screen information of a second authentication screen for performing a second authentication process to the external device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the security of the information processing device capable of communicating with the external device without impairing the convenience of the user.

Hardware configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment Screen transition diagram of RUI at the time of normal authentication in Example 1. RUI screen transition diagram to RUI access PIN in Example 1 Screen transition diagram of RUI at the time of department ID management setting in the first embodiment A flowchart illustrating the RUI authentication screen display process in the first embodiment. List of relationships between the settings of the image forming apparatus and the authentication screen of the RUI in the first embodiment The figure which illustrates the setting screen in Example 1. A flowchart illustrating the RUI authentication screen display process in the second embodiment. List of relationships between the settings of the image forming apparatus and the authentication screen of the RUI in the second embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 showing an embodiment of the present invention. Each block shows a module, and the arrows between the blocks show the flow of data or instructions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction device (MFP; (MultiFaction Peripheral)) having a printing unit 107, a reading unit 109, an operation panel 110, a line I / F 112, and a controller unit 101 that controls these. ). The image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to the multifunction device, and may be a printer, a scanner, a facsimile, or the like.

The controller unit 101 includes a CPU 102, a RAM 103, a ROM 104, a printing unit I / F 106, a reading unit I / F 108, MODEM 111, USB-DI / F 115, network I / F 118, and USB-HI / F 122, and each block is a system. It is connected by bus 105.

The CPU 102 comprehensively controls each of the above blocks by executing various control programs. The various control programs are executed by the CPU 102 reading the control program stored in the program area of the ROM 104. Alternatively, the various control programs are executed by the CPU 102 decompressing and expanding the compressed data stored in the program area of the ROM 104 to the RAM 103. Further, the various control programs described above may be stored in a hard disk drive (HDD) (not shown) in a compressed state / uncompressed state.

The network I / F 118 performs communication processing with the host computer 121 via the network (LAN) 120 or the like. The host computer 121 is referred to as a PC in the figure, and hereinafter referred to as a PC. The network I / F 118 and the network network 120 are connected by a communication cable such as a LAN cable 119. The PC 121 can also be connected to the image forming apparatus 100 via the USB-DI / F 115 via the USB cable 116. The network 120 may be a wireless network.

In the PC 121, the Web browser 121a can be operated, and the image forming apparatus 100 can be accessed from the PC 121 by using the Web browser 121a or the like. The PC 121 is not limited to a personal computer, and may be a tablet computer, a smartphone, or the like. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 may be accessible from the PC 121 by using another client program instead of the Web browser 121a. In this embodiment, the configuration in which the image forming apparatus 100 is accessed from the PC 121 using the Web browser 121a will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The MODEM 111 connects to the public network 114 via the line I / F 112, and performs communication processing with other image forming devices, facsimile machines, telephones, etc. (not shown). The line I / F 112 and the public line network 114 are generally connected by a telephone line 113 or the like.
The USB-HI / F 122 is directly connected to the external memory 123.

The printing unit I / F 106 serves as an interface for outputting an image signal to the printing unit 107 (printer engine). Further, the reading unit I / F 108 serves as an interface for inputting a read image signal from the reading unit 109 (scanner engine). The CPU 102 processes the image signal input from the reading unit I / F 108 and outputs it to the printing unit I / F 106 as a recorded image signal.

The CPU 102 uses the font information stored in the font area of the ROM 104 to display characters and symbols on the display unit of the operation panel 110, and receives instruction information from the operation panel 110 that has been instructed by the user.

Further, in the data area of the ROM 104, the device information of the image forming apparatus 100, the telephone directory information of the user, the department management information, and the like are stored by the CPU 102, read out by the CPU 102 as necessary, and updated as needed. To.
In this block diagram, the reading unit 109 and the printing unit 107 are configured inside the image forming apparatus 100, but each or both of them may be externally configured.

The image forming apparatus 100 can provide a user interface (remote user interface; RUI) that can be used from an external device such as the PC 121, and accesses the image forming apparatus 100 from the Web browser 121a of the PC 121 via a network or the like. , The setting of the image forming apparatus 100 can be referred / changed from the RUI of the image forming apparatus 100.

Hereinafter, the screen transition of the RUI in the first embodiment will be illustrated with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. Here, the authentication screen when the RUI access password and the department ID management are not set is called the normal authentication screen 202.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a screen transition of the RUI at the time of normal authentication in the first embodiment.
When the RUI access password and the department ID management are not set, when the image forming apparatus 100 is accessed from the PC 121, the normal authentication screen 202 is displayed on the display of the PC 121. The user 201 determines whether to log in in the administrator mode or the general user mode by selecting the radio button 202a on the normal authentication screen 202 displayed on the display of the PC 121 by the Web browser 121a of the PC 121 or the like. Press the login button 202d.

If the login mode selected by the radio button 202a is the administrator mode, the administrator ID / administrator PIN is correctly entered in the administrator ID input field 202b / administrator PIN input field 202c. There is a need. On the other hand, if the login mode is the general user mode, no particular authentication process is performed, so it is not necessary to enter the administrator ID / administrator password in the administrator ID input field 202b / administrator password input field 202c. is there.
If the authentication process is properly performed on the normal authentication screen 202, the RUI top screen 203 is displayed (screen transition), and RUI access is possible.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a screen transition of the RUI when the RUI access password in the first embodiment is set. The same components as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.
When the image forming apparatus 100 is accessed from the PC 121 when the access from the outside is restricted, the RUI access password input screen 301 is displayed on the display of the PC 121. The RUI access password input screen 301 is a screen (RUI access authentication screen) for performing authentication using the RUI access password.

The user 201 inputs the set password in the RUI access password input 301a on the RUI access password input screen 301 displayed on the display of the PC 121 by the Web browser 121a of the PC 121 or the like, and presses the OK button 301b. To do. If the entered RUI access PIN is correct, the normal authentication screen 202 is displayed (screen transition), and thereafter, the RUI top screen 203 is displayed in the same manner as in the procedure shown in FIG. 2, and RUI access is possible.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen transition of the RUI when the department ID management is set in the first embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.
When the department ID management is set, when the image forming apparatus 100 is accessed from the PC 121, the department ID management authentication screen 401 is displayed on the display of the PC 121.

The user 201 is a department in which the user is registered in the department ID input field 401a / department password input field 401b on the department ID management authentication screen 401 displayed on the display of the PC 121 by the Web browser 121a or the like of the PC 121. Enter the department ID / department password and press the login button 401c. If the entered department ID / department PIN is correct, the RUI top screen 203 is displayed (screen transition), and RUI access is possible.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart illustrating the RUI authentication screen display process in the first embodiment. Each step of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 102 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 104 or the like.

When the remote access request transmitted from the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121 is received by the image forming apparatus 100, the CPU 102 starts the processing of this flowchart. Further, in this flowchart, it is assumed that the CPU 102 executes a process in which the subject of the process is not specified.

First, in step S501, the CPU 102 confirms whether or not the use of the RUI itself is permitted. Then, when it is determined in S501 that the use of RUI is not permitted (the RUI use setting shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 described later is OFF) (when No in S501), the CPU 102 proceeds to S502. ..

In S502, the CPU 102 is controlled to display a RUI unusable screen (a screen indicating that the use of a RUI (not shown) is not permitted (prohibition of use)). That is, the CPU 102 transmits the display data of the RUI unusable screen to the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121. When the Web browser 121a receives the display data, the Web browser 121a displays the normal authentication screen 202 on the display of the PC 121 based on the display data. When the process of S502 is completed, the CPU 102 ends the process of this flowchart.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S501 that the use of the RUI is permitted (the RUI use setting is ON) (Yes in S501), the CPU 102 proceeds to S503.
In S503, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the department ID management is set. Then, when it is determined that the department ID management setting is not set (the department ID management setting shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 described later is OFF) (No in S503), the CPU 102 proceeds to S504.

In S504, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the RUI access password is set. Then, when it is determined that the RUI access PIN is set (the RUI access PIN setting shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 to be described later is ON) (Yes in S504), the CPU 102 proceeds to S505.

In S505, the CPU 102 controls to display the RUI access password input screen 301. That is, the CPU 102 transmits the display data of the RUI access password input screen 301 to the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121. When the Web browser 121a receives the display data, the Web browser 121a displays the RUI access password input screen 301 on the display of the PC 121 based on the display data.

Then, when the CPU 102 receives the RUI access password input by the user 201 on the RUI access password input screen 301 from the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121, the CPU 102 proceeds to S506.
In S506, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the RUI access PIN entered by the user 201 is correct (matches the registered RUI access PIN). That is, the CPU 102 performs an authentication process using the RUI access PIN and determines the result of the authentication.

Then, when it is determined that the RUI access password input by the user 201 is incorrect (No in S506), the CPU 102 controls to display the RUI access password input screen 301 again (S505).

On the other hand, in S506, when it is determined that the RUI access PIN entered by the user 201 is correct (Yes in S506), the CPU 102 shifts the process to S507.

In S507, the CPU 102 controls to display the normal authentication screen 202. That is, the CPU 102 transmits the display data of the normal authentication screen 202 to the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121. When the Web browser 121a receives the display data, the Web browser 121a displays the normal authentication screen 202 on the display of the PC 121 based on the display data.

Further, even when it is determined in S504 that the RUI access password is not set (the RUI access password setting is OFF) (No in S504), the CPU 102 displays the normal authentication screen 202. Control (S507).

Then, when the CPU 102 receives the login mode information or the like selected by the user 201 on the normal authentication screen 202 from the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121, the CPU 102 proceeds to S508 for processing.
In S508, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the login mode selected by the user 201 is the administrator mode (login in the administrator mode).

Then, when it is determined that the login mode selected by the user 201 is the administrator mode (login in the administrator mode) (yes in S508), the CPU 102 proceeds to S509.
In S509, the CPU 102 performs the authentication process in the administrator mode based on the administrator ID and the administrator authentication number received together with the login mode information, and determines the authentication result.

Then, when it is determined that the authentication process has failed (No in S509), the CPU 102 controls to display the normal authentication screen 202 again (S507).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the authentication process is successful (authentication process is OK) (Yes in S509), the CPU 102 controls to display the RUI top screen 203. That is, the CPU 102 transmits the display data of the RUI top screen 203 to the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121. When the Web browser 121a receives the display data, the Web browser 121a displays the RUI top screen 203 on the display of the PC 121 based on the display data.

Further, in S508, when it is determined that the login mode selected by the user 201 is the general user mode (No in S508), the CPU 102 does not perform the authentication process and controls to display the RUI top screen 203. (S510).

If it is determined in S503 that the department ID management setting is set (the department ID management setting is ON) (Yes in S503), the CPU 102 proceeds to S511.
In S511, the CPU 102 controls to display the department ID management authentication screen 401. That is, the CPU 102 transmits the display data of the department ID management authentication screen 401 to the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121. When the Web browser 121a receives the display data, the Web browser 121a displays the department ID management authentication screen 401 on the display of the PC 121 based on the display data.

Then, when the CPU 102 receives the department ID and the password entered by the user 201 on the department ID management authentication screen 401 from the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121, the CPU 102 proceeds to S512.
In S512, the CPU 102 performs an authentication process using the department ID and the personal identification number input by the user 201, and determines the result of the authentication.

Then, when it is determined that the authentication process has failed (No in S512), the CPU 102 controls to display the department ID management authentication screen 401 again (S511).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the authentication process is successful (authentication process is OK) (Yes in S512), the CPU 102 controls to display the RUI top screen 203 (S510). When the process of S510 is completed, the CPU 102 ends the process of this flowchart.

FIG. 6 is a list illustrating the relationship between the setting of the image forming apparatus and the authentication screen displayed on the RUI in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the RUI use permission, department ID management, and RUI access password setting screen in the first embodiment.
On the RUI use permission setting screen 700, it is possible to set whether or not to permit the use of RUI by selecting the radio button (ON / OFF) 700a.
On the department ID management setting screen 701, by selecting the radio button (ON / OFF) 701a, it is possible to set whether or not to manage the department ID (department ID management setting). When the department ID management setting is set, the CPU 102 authenticates and manages the use (access) of the image forming apparatus 100 for each department (that is, user group).

On the security setting screen 702, it is possible to set whether to restrict RUI access by selecting the radio button (ON / OFF) 702a. On the security setting screen 702, in the case of setting to restrict RUI access, the RUI access password can be set in the RUI access password input field 702b. In this way, on the security setting screen 702, it is possible to make a setting that enables the use restriction of the RUI by the password information (RUI access password set in 702a).

The setting values set on the RUI use permission setting screen 700, the department ID management setting screen 701, and the security setting screen 702 are stored in the data ROM of the ROM 104 under the control of the CPU 102. The ROM 104 is composed of a flash ROM, and data can be rewritten.

The RUI use permission setting screen 700, the department ID management setting screen 701, and the security setting screen 702 are displayed on the display unit of the operation panel 110 under the control of the CPU 102. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 7, on the RUI use permission setting screen 700, the department ID management setting screen 701, and the security setting screen 702, radio buttons (700a, 701a, 702a) are used to select whether to allow, restrict, or manage. However, other means such as a drop-down list may be used.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the RUI use permission setting is OFF, the RUI access prohibition screen is displayed on the display of the PC 121 regardless of whether the department ID management setting or the RUI access password setting is ON / OFF (without consideration). , Access from PC121 is prohibited.
Further, when the RUI use permission setting is ON, and when the department ID management setting is ON, the department ID management authentication screen 401 is displayed on the display of the PC 121 regardless of whether the RUI access security code setting is ON / OFF (without consideration). Is displayed, and access from the PC 121 is permitted and controlled by authentication using the department ID and the department PIN.

Further, when the RUI use permission setting is ON and the department ID management setting is OFF , and the RUI access security code setting is ON, the RUI access security code input screen 301 is displayed on the display of the PC 121, and the RUI access security code is displayed. Access from PC 121 is permitted and controlled by authentication by number.
Further, when the RUI use permission setting is ON and the department ID management setting is OFF, and when the RUI access password setting is OFF, the normal authentication screen 202 is displayed on the display of the PC 121.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the department ID management is set to ON on the department ID management setting screen 701, according to this embodiment, regardless of the setting of the RUI access restriction, when the remote access is requested, The RUI access PIN input screen 301 is not displayed. Therefore, when the department ID management is ON, the setting of the RUI access restriction on the security setting screen 702 and the input of the RUI access password do not make sense. Therefore, the RUI access restriction is set and the RUI access restriction is set by the control of the CPU 102. , It is also one of the embodiments that the input item of the RUI access password is grayed out so that it cannot be input.
In addition, even when the RUI use permission is set to OFF on the RUI use permission setting screen 700, the RUI access restriction setting and the input items of the RUI access password are grayed out under the control of the CPU 102 so that they cannot be input. You may try to do so.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the external access PIN (RUI access PIN) is set, the image forming apparatus that enables access via the network by the authentication by the external access PIN is used. , When the image forming apparatus is set to the department ID managed mode (when the department ID management is ON), the authentication is performed by the external access PIN regardless of whether the external access PIN is set or not. The configuration is such that access via the network is possible by authentication using the department ID and the department PIN registered in the department ID management. With this configuration, if security measures other than authentication by external access PIN (here, department ID management setting) are taken, redundancy that requires further authentication by external access PIN in this state. There is no need to force the user to perform various operations. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining security without impairing the convenience of the user.

In the first embodiment, in the image forming apparatus 100, whether or not to restrict the access of the RUI when the department ID is not managed is managed by the presence or absence of the setting of the RUI access password. If the system administrator is set correctly, even if the RUI is accessed with the user mode authority, the setting of the image forming apparatus 100 cannot be changed, so that there are few problems. Therefore, the setting of the system administrator. It may be configured to control whether or not access to the RUI is restricted depending on the presence or absence. Hereinafter, this configuration will be described with reference to Example 2. In Example 2, only the difference from Example 1 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart illustrating the RUI authentication screen display process in the second embodiment. Each step of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 102 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 104 or the like.
When the remote access request transmitted from the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121 is received by the image forming apparatus 100, the CPU 102 starts the processing of this flowchart. Further, in this flowchart, it is assumed that the CPU 102 executes a process in which the subject of the process is not specified.

First, since steps S801 to S803 and S809 to S810 are the same as the processes of S501 to S503 and S511 to 512 of FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.
If it is determined in S803 that the department ID management setting has not been made (No in S803), the CPU 102 proceeds to S804.

In S804, the CPU 102 determines whether or not the system administrator has been set. The system administrator setting is a setting in which a specific user or department (user group) is set as the administrator of the image forming apparatus 100, and the administrator authority of the image forming apparatus 100 is given. The administrator authority is, for example, an authority that enables all access to the image forming apparatus 100.

Then, when it is determined that the system administrator has not been set (the system administrator setting shown in FIG. 9 described later is OFF) (No in S804), the CPU 102 displays the RUI unusable screen (not shown) in S802. A screen indicating that the use of RUI is not permitted) is displayed. Since S802 is the same as the process of S502 in FIG. 5, details are omitted.

On the other hand, in S804, when it is determined that the system administrator is set (the system administrator setting is ON) (Yes in S804), the CPU 102 executes the processes of S805 to S808. Since S805 to S808 are the same as the processes of S507 to S510 in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a list illustrating the relationship between the setting of the image forming apparatus and the authentication screen displayed on the RUI in the second embodiment. Only the points different from FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment will be described.
When the RUI use permission setting is OFF, and when the RUI use permission setting is ON and the department ID management setting is ON, the same as in the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted.

When the RUI use permission setting is ON and the department ID management setting is OFF, and when the system administrator setting is ON, the normal authentication screen 202 is displayed on the display of the PC 121.
Further, when the RUI use permission setting is ON and the department ID management setting is OFF, and when the system administrator setting is OFF, the RUI access prohibition screen is displayed on the display of the PC 121 and the display of the PC 121, and the screen from the PC 121 is displayed. Access is prohibited.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, access via the network (RUI) is possible when the system administrator is set, and access via the network is possible when the system administrator is not set. In an image forming apparatus for which (RUI) is not possible, when the image forming apparatus is set to the department ID managed mode (when the department ID management is ON), the system administrator's setting is ON / Regardless of OFF, without performing authentication with the administrator ID and administrator PIN of the system administrator, access via the network is possible by authentication with the department ID and PIN registered in the department ID management. To do. With this configuration, if security measures other than authentication by administrator ID (here, department ID management setting) are taken, authentication by administrator ID and administrator PIN must be performed in this state. It does not force the user to perform such redundant operations. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining security without impairing the convenience of the user.

As a security measure other than the authentication by the RUI access PIN of the first embodiment or the authentication by the administrator authentication information of the second embodiment, the access to the image forming apparatus 100 is to be authenticated and managed for each user group. The case where the setting (department ID management setting) is made has been described. However, security measures other than authentication using the RUI access PIN or authentication using the administrator authentication information are not limited to this.

For example, a setting (user ID management setting) for authenticating and managing the use (access) of the image forming apparatus 100 may be made for each user. When a RUI access request is made from the PC 121 while the user ID management setting is set, the CPU 102 controls to display the user ID management authentication screen requesting the authentication by the user ID and the user ID PIN. .. That is, the CPU 102 transmits the display data of the user ID management authentication screen to the Web browser 121a operating on the PC 121. When the Web browser 121a receives the display data, the Web browser 121a displays the user ID management authentication screen on the display of the PC 121 based on the display data. Then, when the CPU 102 receives the user ID and the password input by the user from the user ID management authentication screen, the CPU 102 performs the authentication process using the user ID and the password. If it is determined that the authentication process has failed, the CPU 102 controls to display the user ID management authentication screen again. On the other hand, when it is determined that the authentication process is successful (authentication process is OK), the CPU 102 controls to display the RUI top screen 203.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the RUI of the image forming apparatus 100 may be available from the PC 121 via the network 120 or may be available from the PC 121 via an interface other than the network such as the USB cable 116.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 100 of each of the above embodiments, the control when providing the user interface (RUI) that can be used from an external device such as the PC 121 has been described, but the control of access other than the RUI may be used, and the image may be used. Any access control may be used as long as it is an access to a function that can be provided by the forming device 100.

Further, although the image forming apparatus accessible from an external device such as PC 121 has been described, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus, and an information processing apparatus other than the image forming apparatus may be used. For example, it may be a personal computer, a network home appliance, or the like. The present invention can be applied to any information processing device that can provide functions that can be accessed and used from an external device.

As shown above, if security measures other than authentication by access PIN or administrator authentication information are taken, authentication by access PIN or administrator authentication information must be performed in this state. It eliminates the need to force users to perform redundant operations. Therefore, it is possible to provide an information processing device such as an image forming device that can maintain security without impairing the convenience of the user.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the security of an information processing device such as an image forming device that can be accessed via a network without impairing the convenience of the user.

It should be noted that the structure and contents of the various data described above are not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the structure and contents are various depending on the intended use and purpose.
Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can take an embodiment as, for example, a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, or the like. Specifically, it may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to a device composed of one device.
In addition, all the configurations combining the above examples are also included in the present invention.

(Other Examples)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied to the system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program. This is the process to be executed.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or a device composed of one device.
The present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications (including organic combinations of each example) are possible based on the gist of the present invention, and these are excluded from the scope of the present invention. is not it. That is, all the configurations in which each of the above-described examples and modifications thereof are combined are also included in the present invention.

100 Image forming device 120 Network 121 Personal computer (PC)

Claims (18)

An information processing device that can provide content to an external device and that requires authentication processing to access the content.
Means for accepting a designation as to whether to use the first authentication process using the access password,
Means for accepting a designation as to whether to use the second authentication process using an ID and a password,
The first authentication process is performed according to the reception of the access request from the external device in the state where the designation to use the first authentication process is made and the setting to use the second authentication process is made. A means for outputting the screen information of the second authentication screen for performing the second authentication process to the external device without outputting the screen information of the first authentication screen for the purpose to the external device.
An information processing device characterized by having. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first authentication process is authentication using only the access password. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ID is a department ID. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ID is information associated with execution authority of a function included in the information processing device. It also has a printing unit that can perform printing processing to form an image on the sheet.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ID is information associated with the number of times the printing process is executed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the output means performs a process for outputting screen information in response to a request from the external device. The output means according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the output means outputs screen information for displaying an error screen on the external device based on a setting prohibiting the provision of the content. The information processing device described. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the content includes at least information on the remaining amount of toner of the information processing device. A display unit that displays information and
A means for displaying the access password change screen on the display unit,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that In a control method of an information processing device that is an information processing device that can provide content to an external device and that requires an authentication process to access the content.
A step of accepting a designation as to whether to use the first authentication process using the access password,
A step of accepting a designation as to whether to use the second authentication process using an ID and a password,
The first authentication process is performed according to the reception of the access request from the external device in the state where the designation to use the first authentication process is made and the setting to use the second authentication process is made. The step of outputting the screen information of the second authentication screen for performing the second authentication process to the external device without outputting the screen information of the first authentication screen for the purpose to the external device.
A control method characterized by having. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the first authentication is an authentication using only the access password. The control method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the ID is a department ID. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the ID is information associated with execution authority of a function included in the information processing apparatus. The information processing device further includes a printing unit capable of printing to form an image on the sheet.
The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the ID is information in which the number of times the printing process is executed is associated with the ID. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the output step is a process for outputting screen information in response to a request from the external device. The output step according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the output step outputs screen information for displaying an error screen on the external device based on a setting prohibiting the provision of the content. The control method described. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the content includes at least information regarding the remaining amount of toner in the information processing apparatus. The information processing device further includes a display unit for displaying information.
The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, further comprising a step of displaying the access password change screen on the display unit.