Automatic authentication method and system in print process

An authentication system in a print process that requires authentication, wherein said print process is executed by a printer driver in a client apparatus, said system comprising:

• means for obtaining, from electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued, information identifying an application which issued the instruction to print the electronic data, wherein said information is obtained using an application interface (API) for the printer driver;
• means for executing an authentication request for approving an output process of the electronic data based on the information identifying the application;
• and
• means for controlling the print process so as to permit execution of a generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data and from the output process, in response to a success of authentication, and for controlling the print process so as to stop execution of the generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data, in response to a failure of the authentication.

An information processing apparatus communicating with an external processing apparatus which performs an authentication for a print process executed by a printer driver in said information processing apparatus, comprising:

• extracting means for extracting, from electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued, information identifying an application which issued the instruction to print the electronic data;
• output means for outputting the information extracted by said extracting means to said external processing apparatus in order to obtain the authentication for the print process based on the information;
• and
• control means for controlling the print process so as to permit execution of a generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data and from the output means, in response to a success of the authentication, and for controlling the print process so as to stop execution of the generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data, in response to a failure of the authentication,
• wherein said extracting means extracts the information identifying the application from the electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued by calling the printer driver and an application interface (API) provided in the printer driver, and wherein said API exchanges data between the printer driver and an operating system that operates the electronic data in said information processing apparatus.

A authentication method of an information processing apparatus communicating with an external processing apparatus which performs an authentication for a print process executed by a printer driver in said information processing apparatus, said method comprising:

• an extracting step of extracting, from electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued, information identifying an application which issued the instruction to print the electronic data;
• an output step of outputting the information extracted by said extracting step to said external processing apparatus in order to obtain the authentication for the print process based on the information;
• and
• a control step of controlling the print process so as to permit execution of a generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data and from the output step, in response to a success of the authentication, and of controlling the print process so as to stop execution of the generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data, in response to a failure of the authentication,
• wherein said extracting step extracts the information identifying the application from the electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued by calling the printer driver and an application interface (API) provided in the printer driver, and wherein said API exchanges data between the printer driver and an operating system that operates the electronic data in said information processing apparatus.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for performing an authentication method of an information processing apparatus which communicates with an external processing apparatus performing an authentication for a print process executed by a printer driver in said information processing apparatus, said computer-executable program including:

• an extracting step of extracting, from electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued, information identifying an application which issued the instruction to print the electronic data;
• an output step of outputting the information extracted by said extracting step to said external processing apparatus in order to obtain the authentication for the print process based on the information;
• and
• a control step of controlling the print process so as to permit execution of a generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data and from the output step, in response to a success of the authentication, and of controlling the print process so as to stop execution of the generation of print data, using the printer driver, from the electronic data, in response to a failure of the authentication,
• wherein said extracting step extracts the information identifying the application from the electronic data for which an instruction to print has been issued by calling the printer driver and an application interface (API) provided in the printer driver, and wherein said API exchanges data between the printer driver and an operating system that operates the electronic data in said information processing apparatus.