US 7,925,015 B2Granted

Image forming system, computer-readable recording medium storing a setting change program, and setting change method

AssigneeKyocera Mita Corporation

InventorsToru Yasui, Takashi Araki, Keiko Fujii

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Abstract

An image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention has a user authentication mode for granting only authorized users a setting change for an image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus 200 includes a user authentication section 203 to perform authentication on receiving user information from a host computer 100. The image forming apparatus 200 also issues an authentication key for an authorized user and sends the key to the host computer 100. The host computer 100 sends a changed setting and the authentication key to the image forming apparatus 200, whereby making the setting change swiftly. This structure makes it possible to address a problem with related art systems that send user information every time a setting is changed and send a changed setting only when a user is deemed to have authority where authentication is redundant and time consuming.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An image forming system, comprising:

a terminal;
an image forming apparatus;
communications means to couple said terminal and said image forming apparatus;
user interface means to accept an input of user information at login, send the user information from said terminal to said image forming apparatus via said communications means, accept an input of a request of processing after said login, and send the request from said terminal to said image forming apparatus via said communications means;
said image forming apparatus having user authentication means to check the user information sent from said terminal at said login, issue an authentication key for an authorized user, set a predetermined term of validity for said authentication key issued to said authorized user, send said authentication key from said image forming apparatus to said terminal via said communications means and update the predetermined term of validity by resetting said image forming apparatus every time said image forming apparatus receives said authentication key together with said request for processing;
wherein when said authentication key sent back to the image forming apparatus with a processing request from the terminal is not recognized by the user authentication means, the user authentication means informs said image forming apparatus which in turn sends an information regarding a failed authentication to the terminal, and upon receiving said information regarding said failed authentication, said terminal invokes a re-login process to request to the image forming apparatus to issue a new authentication key;
and
setting change means to accept an input of setting change information to change a setting for said image forming apparatus:
wherein said user interface means has said setting change means, and said user interface means sends the setting change information input with said setting change means together with said authentication key from said terminal to said image forming apparatus via said communications means.

6 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that makes a computer of an image forming apparatus coupled to a terminal achieve the functions of:

receiving user information sent from said terminal;
verifying said received user information and issuing an authentication key for a user deemed to have authority;
sending said authentication key to said terminal;
receiving the authentication key and setting change information to change a setting for said image forming apparatus sent by said terminal;
changing the setting for said image forming apparatus based on said setting change information if said received authentication key and said issued authentication key correspond;
setting, by a user authentication means, a predetermined term of validity for said authentication key;
updating the predetermined term of validity by resetting said image forming apparatus every time said image forming apparatus receives said authentication key together with said request for processing;
wherein when said received authentication key and said issued authentication key do not correspond, said image forming apparatus sends an information regarding a failed authentication to the terminal, and upon receiving said information regarding said failed authentication, said terminal invokes a re-login process to request to the image forming apparatus to issue a new authentication key, and
setting change means to accept an input of setting change information to change a setting for said image forming apparatus, wherein user interface means includes said setting change means, and said user interface means sends the setting change information input with said setting change means together with said authentication key from said terminal to said image forming apparatus via a communications means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.