Image forming apparatus performing control of browsing of a file by a terminal, terminal, file browsing control system, image forming method, and recording medium

A file browsing system that performs control of browsing of a file, the system comprising:

• an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is a multifunctional peripheral (‘MFP’);
• and
• a terminal, wherein,
• the image forming apparatus comprises:
• a first control unit formed by a central processing unit (‘CPU’), wherein the first control unit formed by the CPU includes:
• a user authentication portion that determines whether a user of the image forming apparatus is an authorized user;
• and
• a document encryption portion that encrypts the file of the authorized user with a public key;
• a non-transitory recording medium that stores a plurality of viewers for causing the file to be browsed at the terminal, wherein:
• each of the plurality of viewers includes position information to permit browsing of said encrypted file and a secret key to decrypt the encrypted file, wherein the position information is not included in the file;
• the position information of each of the plurality viewers includes, in accordance with an authority of a user caused to browse at the terminal and a type of the viewer, an allowable position or an allowable position range, the plurality of viewers including i) a first viewer for a cooperative company having first position information, wherein the first position information allows the file to be browsable only from a predefined location, ii) a second viewer for a general partner having second position information, wherein the second position information allows the file to be browsable from any of a plurality of predefined locations, and iii) a third viewer for a senior management employee having third position information, wherein the third position information allows the file to be browsable from any location;
• and
• the secret keys vary for each of the plurality of viewers;
• a position information setting portion comprised by the first control unit that sets in each of the plurality of viewers, the position information to permit browsing of the encrypted file at the terminal;
• a secret key setting portion comprised by the first control unit that sets, in each of the plurality of viewers, the secret keys to decrypt the encrypted file;
• a network connection device for connecting the image forming apparatus to a network;
• a file viewer transmission portion comprised by the first control unit that uses the network connection device to transmit to the terminal the encrypted file and the plurality of viewers;
• and
• the terminal comprises:
• a second control unit that executes programs using a hardware resource, wherein the second control unit includes a file viewer acquisition portion that receives from the image forming apparatus the encrypted file and the plurality of viewers;
• a storage device that stores the encrypted file and the plurality of viewers received;
• and
• a Global Positioning System (‘GPS’) reception unit comprising a receiver and an antenna for the GPS that calculates a current position of the terminal;
• wherein the second control unit further comprises a position information determination portion that acquires the current position of the terminal by the GPS reception unit, and determine whether the position information included in a viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the storage device coincides with the current position of the terminal;
• and
• wherein the second control unit further comprises a browsing execution portion that reads the secret key included in the viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the storage device, decrypts the encrypted file using the secret key included in the viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the storage device, and causes the file to be browsed, if the position information determination portion has determined that the position information included in the viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the second storage device coincides with the current position of the terminal.

An image forming apparatus for performing control of browsing of a file by a terminal, comprising:

• a control unit formed by a central processing unit (‘CPU’), wherein the control unit formed by the CPU comprises:
• a user authentication portion that determines whether a user of the image forming apparatus is an authorized user;
• and
• a document encryption portion that encrypts said file with a public key;
• a non-transitory recording medium that stores a plurality of viewers for causing the file to be browsed at the terminal, wherein:
• each of the plurality of viewers includes position information to permit browsing of said encrypted file and a secret key to decrypt the encrypted file, wherein the position information is not included in the file;
• the position information of each of the plurality of viewers includes, in accordance with an authority of a user caused to browse at the terminal and a type of the viewer, an allowable position or an allowable position range, the plurality of viewers including i) a first viewer for a cooperative company having first position information, wherein the first position information allows the file to be browsable only from a predefined location, ii) a second viewer for a general partner having second position information, wherein the second position information allows the file to be browsable from any of a plurality of predefined locations, and
• iii) a third viewer for a senior management employee having third position information, wherein the third position information allows the file to be browsable from any location;
• and
• the secret key of each of the plurality of viewers varies;
• a position information setting portion comprised by the control unit that sets, in each of the plurality of viewers, the position information to permit browsing of said encrypted file at said terminal;
• a secret key setting portion comprised by the control unit that sets, in each of the plurality of viewers, the secret keys to decrypt the encrypted file;
• a network connection device for connecting the image forming apparatus to a network;
• and
• a file viewer transmission portion comprised by the control unit that uses the network connection device to transmit to the terminal the encrypted file and a viewer of the plurality of viewers;
• wherein the image forming apparatus is a multifunctional peripheral (‘MFP’).

A terminal for browsing a file of an authorized user encrypted by an image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a control unit that executes programs using a hardware resource, wherein the control unit comprises a file viewer acquisition portion that receives from the image forming apparatus the encrypted file and a plurality of viewers;
• a storage device that stores the encrypted file and the plurality of viewers received, wherein:
• each of the plurality of viewers includes position information to permit browsing of the file at the terminal and a secret key to decrypt the encrypted file set by the image forming apparatus, wherein the position information is not included in the file;
• the position information of each of the plurality of viewers stored in the storage device includes, in accordance with an authority of a user caused to browse at the terminal and a type of the viewer, an allowable position or an allowable position range, the plurality of viewers including i) a first viewer for a cooperative company having first position information, wherein the first position information allows the file to be browsable only from a predefined location, ii) a second viewer for a general partner having second position information, wherein the second position information allows the file to be browsable from any of a plurality of predefined locations, and iii) a third viewer for a senior management employee having third position information, wherein the third position information allows the file to be browsable from any location;
• and
• the secret keys stored in the storage device vary for each of the plurality of viewers stored in the storage device;
• and
• a Global Positioning System (‘GPS’) reception unit comprising a receiver and an antenna for the GPS that calculates a current position of the terminal;
• wherein the control unit further comprises a position information determination portion that acquires the current position of the terminal by the GPS reception unit, and determine whether the position information included in a viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the storage device coincides with the current position of the terminal,
• wherein the control unit further comprises a browsing execution portion that reads the secret key included in a viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the storage device, decrypts the encrypted file using the secret key included in a viewer of the plurality of viewers received from the image forming apparatus and stored in the storage device, and causes the decrypted file to be browsed, if the position information determination portion has determined that the position information included in the viewer and stored in the storage device coincides with the current position of the terminal, and
• wherein the image forming apparatus is a multifunctional peripheral (‘MFP’).