Control apparatus for communicating with an imaging apparatus and an authentication information acquisition device, communication system, control method, and computer-readable storage medium

摘要

A communication system includes a multifunctional apparatus, an authentication information input device, an I/F converter, and a control server. The control server includes an authentication information input device driver for controlling the operation of the authentication information input device via the I/F converter over a network and a multifunctional apparatus control section for controlling operation of the multifunctional apparatus. The authentication information input device driver causes the authentication information input device to acquire authentication information from a user, and receives, via the network, the authentication information acquired by the authentication information input device. Moreover, in cases where an authenticating section of the control server performs an authentication process with use of the authentication information and authentication is completed successfully, the multifunctional apparatus control section permits the use of the multifunctional apparatus. This makes it possible to build a flexible authentication system.

主权项

1. A control apparatus configured to communicate via a network interface with (i) an imaging apparatus for executing a job including at least one of image formation and image processing and (ii) a plurality of authentication information acquisition devices for acquiring, from a user, authentication information necessary for authentication, the control apparatus comprising:
device driver means for controlling operation of the authentication information acquisition devices via the network interface so that a selected one of the authentication information acquisition devices acquires the authentication information; authentication information receiving means for receiving, from the selected authentication information acquisition device via the network interface, the authentication information acquired by the selected authentication information acquisition device; operation control means for controlling the imaging apparatus in accordance with the authentication information received by the authentication information receiving means; transmission destination storage section in which identification information for identifying the selected authentication information acquisition device and identification information for identifying a selected one of a plurality of authentication servers that authenticates the user in accordance with the authentication information are stored so as to be correlated with each other; device identifying means for identifying the selected authentication information acquisition device that has transmitted the authentication information to the authentication information receiving means; authentication information transmitting means (a) for acquiring, from the transmission destination storage section, the authentication server identification information corresponding to the identification information for identifying the selected authentication information acquisition device identified by the device identifying means, and (b) for transmitting, to the selected authentication server indicated by the identification information thus acquired, the authentication information received by the authentication information receiving means; and authentication result receiving means for receiving a result of authentication of the user from the selected authentication server, wherein the operation control means controls operation of the imaging apparatus in accordance with the result of authentication received by the authentication result receiving means.