Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Computer Engineering & Consulting, Ltd.

Fukio Handa

Yoshihiro Yano

Takayuki Chikada

Syouzou Niwata

Kazutoshi Kichikawa

Shigeo Hachiki

Tadashi Fujita

Naoyuki Oshima

When the user executes printing in a system to which plural printers are connected, the waiting time of each user is minimized, and the use of the plural printers is equalized. The print management device is connected to the terminal devices and the printers via a network, for example. The print management device saves the print jobs transmitted from each of the terminal devices. When receiving the print instruction from any one of the printers, the print management device transmits the print job corresponding thereto to the printer and makes the printer execute the printing. Also, the print management device collects and manages the print execution status of the printers. When receiving a new print instruction from the printer which is already executing the print job, the print management device calculates the waiting time of each of the printers and notifies the printer having the shortest waiting time.

Print management device and print management program

IC cards (R, R, and R) are issued respectively to users &#x3b1;, &#x3b2;, and &#x3b3;. An identification code (ID()) of a computer () supplied to user &#x3b1; and environment information (ENV()) that indicates a normal network environment of the computer () are recorded in the IC card (R) issued to user &#x3b1;. When in order to use a computer, a user connects his/her IC card, the identification code and the network environment of the computer to be used are compared with the identification code and environment information recorded in the IC card and different access rights are provided in accordance to the degree of matching. The identification code may be a MAC address of a LAN circuit incorporated in the computer, and the environment information may be a default gateway address or the like. Different access rights can thus be set according to the computer or the network environment that is used.

Computer system and access right setting method

It is possible to perform encrypted communication between members of a group while assuring a sufficient security compatible with a change of the members. An IC card having the same fixed code F(a) is distributed to all the staffs of company A. When communication is performed between a staff &#x3b1; and a staff &#x3b2; belonging to the same project group, &#x3b1; of the transmission side writes an arbitrary variable code V() in the IC card () so as to generate encryption key information K(a) according to F(a) and V() in the IC card and encrypt data Dby using K(a). &#x3b2; of the reception side writes the variable code V() received from &#x3b1; in the IC card () so as to generate encryption key information K(a). By using this K(a), the encrypted data Dreceived is decrypted to obtain data D. The fixed code F(a) is different for each of the companies and rewrite-disabled so as to assure security.

IC card for encryption or decryption process and encrypted communication system and encrypted communication method using the same

It is possible to issue an IC card storing unique encryption key information in such a manner that re-issuing is enabled and sufficient security can be assured. An IC card provider X delivers an IC card having a group code G(A) to a company A and an IC card having a group code G(B) to a company B. When a company staff &#x3b1; inputs a unique personal code P(&#x3b1;) and performs initialization, in the IC card, calculation is performed according to a predetermined algorithm using the P(&#x3b1;) and G(A). Data uniquely determined by the calculation is stored as encryption key information K(&#x3b1;) in the IC card. Even if the company staff &#x3b1; loses the IC card, it is possible to obtain the IC card having the same encryption key information K(&#x3b1;) as before by performing initialization again by using the IC card delivered by the IC card provider X.

Method for issuing IC card storing encryption key information

An agent program () installed in a terminal device () is used to upload data, which are to be stored, to a data storage device () via a first network (N). Data uploaded to a first data storage unit () are stored therein as they are. On the other hand, data uploaded to a second data storage unit () are transferred, by the function of a data transferring unit (), to any of external storage sites (-) via a second network (N), and management information, which includes the URL of the storage site that is the transfer destination, is stored into an IC card (). When the data stored in the data storage unit () are required, the management information in the IC card () is given to the data transferring unit () and the relevant data are forwarded from the storage site that was the transfer destination to the data storage unit () and then downloaded to the terminal device (). The limit of the storage capacity can thereby be overcome and damages due to viruses can be suppressed.

Data storing system using network

In order to give sufficient evidential admissibility to the content of a contract made online, contractual terms data C that shows a character string of contractual terms is prepared and stored by a processor on the side of a transacting party A. The data C is then transmitted to a processor on the side of a transacting party B, and is stored. A hash value ID2 of the contractual terms data C is calculated by the B-side processor, and a signature Sigof the party B is added and transmitted to the A-side processor as formal contractual proposal information. The signature Sigis verified by the A-side processor. A coincidence is verified between a hash value ID1 of the data C and the ID2 that has been transmitted. A signature Sigof the party A is added to a coinciding hash value ID, and is transmitted to the B-side processor as formal contractual acceptance information. The signature Sigis verified by the B-side processor, and a coincidence is verified between the hash value ID2 and the ID that has been transmitted.

Electronic contract system

When a user, who has logged onto an information processing apparatus (), executes a logoff procedure, a saving unit () executes the following processes. Firstly, from among the files residing in a data storage unit (), any files that are recognized as requiring a security protection and hence are to be saved are copied into an external storage device () via a network (), and the original files in the data storage unit () are then deleted. At this moment, the address of the copy destination is stored, as management information, into a portable information recording medium () possessed by the user. When the user logs onto the information processing apparatus () again, a restoring unit () restores, based on the management information stored in the portable information recording medium (), the files saved in the external storage device () into the data storage unit (). In this way, a sufficient security can be retained when a plurality of users share a single information processing apparatus.

Information processing apparatus, and method for retaining security

A distributed data archive device ( ) is placed on an arbitrary location on a network ( ) so that data can be saved and extracted. During data saving, a to-be-saved data file (F ) is given to the archive device ( ), and a division/encryption means ( ) carries out division/encryption, and individual divided files are distributed and saved onto data servers ( ) by a network communication means ( ). A data management means ( ) forms management data that shows a division/encryption method and a depository-destination data server, and records it onto a portable recording medium ( ) during the data saving. During data extraction, the portable recording medium ( ) is connected to an arbitrary archive device ( ), and the management data is read. Based on this management data, the divided files are extracted from the depository destinations, and are reconstituted into the original data file (F ) by a decryption/integration means ( ).

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Tokyo, Japan

Fukio Handa