Network apparatus and communication controlling method
AssigneeKonica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
InventorTakeo Morohashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a network apparatuses, which makes it possible to effectively re-establish the cryptographic communication without increasing its processing burden and deteriorating the security aspects of them. The network apparatus that communicates with another network apparatus through a network to exchange cryptographic communication information including a key of cryptograph transmits, when a power off sequence is detected, a request for deleting the cryptographic communication information to the other network apparatus through a communication interface section, before a power source section is turned OFF so as to actually deactivate the network apparatus.
Claims13
An image forming apparatus that communicates with a network apparatus through a network to exchange cryptographic communication information including an encryption key, so that each of the image forming apparatus and the network apparatus stores the cryptographic communication information therein to perform cryptographic communication therebetween, the image forming apparatus comprising:
- a power source section to supply electric power so as to activate the image forming apparatus;
- a communication interface section that is coupled to the network so as to transmit the cryptographic communication information to the network apparatus through the network;
- and
- a power OFF detecting section to detect a power OFF sequence of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein, in response to detection of the power OFF sequence by the power OFF detecting section, the communication interface transmits, to the network apparatus, a request for deleting the cryptographic communication information stored in the network apparatus, the request being transmitted before the power source section of the image forming apparatus is turned OFF;
- and
- wherein the network apparatus deletes the cryptographic communication information stored in the network apparatus in response to the request for deleting the cryptographic communication information.
A communication controlling method for performing cryptographic communication in a network system, in which an image forming apparatus communicates with a network apparatus through a network to exchange cryptographic communication information including a key of cryptograph with the network apparatus, so that each of the image forming apparatus and the network apparatus stores the cryptographic communication information therein to perform the cryptographic communication therebetween, the communication controlling method comprising:
- in response to detection of a power OFF sequence of the image forming apparatus, transmitting to the network apparatus, through the network, a request for deleting the cryptographic communication information stored in the network apparatus before a power source section of the image forming apparatus is turned OFF;
- and
- implementing an operation for deleting the cryptographic communication information stored in the second network apparatus, according to the request transmitted in the transmitting step.
A network system in which a network apparatus communicates with an image forming apparatus through a network to exchange cryptographic communication information including an encryption key, so that each of the network apparatus and the image forming apparatus stores the cryptographic communication information to perform cryptographic communication between the network apparatus and the image forming apparatus, the network system comprising:
- the network apparatus;
- the image forming apparatus which comprises:
- a power source section to supply electric power so as to activate the image forming apparatus;
- a communication interface section that is coupled to the network so as to transmit the cryptographic communication information to the network apparatus through the network;
- and
- a power OFF detecting section to detect a power OFF sequence of the image forming apparatus;
- wherein, in response to detection of the power OFF sequence by the power OFF detecting section, the communication interface of the image forming apparatus transmits, to the network apparatus, a request for deleting the cryptographic communication information stored in the network apparatus, the request being transmitted before the power source section of the image forming apparatus is turned OFF;
- and
- wherein the network apparatus deletes the cryptographic communication information stored in the network apparatus in response to the request for deleting the cryptographic communication information transmitted from the image forming apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.