Image forming apparatus to restrict use of a hard disc drive and a method thereof

摘要

An image forming apparatus capable of restricting use of a hard disc drive and a method of restricting the use of the hard disc drive of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an interface unit to detect whether a hard disc drive is installed, and a control unit to execute an authentication procedure for the installed hard disc drive and to control whether data stored into the installed hard disc drive is printable by the image forming apparatus based on a result of the authentication procedure. Thus, even if the hard disc drive is maliciously taken, the use of the hard disc drive is not allowed if information about specifications of the hard disc drive does not match with stored information about reference specifications during the authentication procedure. Accordingly, the data stored in the hard disc drive are protected from any malicious purpose, thereby providing users with enhanced security and convenience.

主权项

1. An image forming apparatus in which a hard disc drive is able to be installed, comprising:
a storage device to store information about reference specifications and storage capacity corresponding to a hard disc drive to be installed; an interface device to detect whether a hard disc drive having specification information and data is installed in the image forming apparatus; and a control circuit, when the hard disc drive is installed in the image forming apparatus, to authenticate the installed hard disc drive by comparing the specification information of the installed hard disc drive to the stored information about reference specifications, the control circuit to authenticate the hard disc drive when the specification information matches the stored information and refusing authentication of the installed hard disc drive when there is not a match, the control circuit to transmit a permission communication to the installed hard disc drive to enable the data stored in the installed hard disc drive to be accessed by the image forming apparatus, and the control circuit to access the data stored in the installed hard disc drive based on a result of the authentication, wherein the information about the reference specifications comprises one or more of a serial number and a volume number of the hard disc drive, wherein, when it is determined that the serial number and the volume number of the installed hard disc drive are identical to a serial number and a volume number stored in the storage device, respectively, the control circuit to authenticate the installed hard disc drive by comparing storage capacity of the installed hard disc drive with the storage capacity stored in the storage device.