Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Kenichi Matsumoto

Toshihisa Motosugi

Akio Nakajima

Taketoshi Yamahata

Kazuyuki Kawabata

Eiichi Yoshida

Atsushi Tomita

Kazuhiro Araki

Katsuaki Tajima

Tsuyoshi Yoneyama

Shin Ohba

Jiro Goto

The verification system of this invention comprises an image forming apparatushaving verification function and a card readerfor reading a user ID from a card. The image forming apparatusis capable of performing short-range radio communication with a portable instrument. The portable instrumentreceives a polling command transmitted by the image forming apparatusand sends back its own identification code if it is located near the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatuspermits usage of all the functions thereof if it verifies that user is an officially permitted person according to user ID read by the card readerand the identification code sent back from the portable instrument. Consequently, there is provided a verification system having a high security level and convenient for use or a verification system which permits usage of its apparatus and other related devices within an appropriate range depending on the security level of a verified method.

Verification system, server, and electronic instrument

An image forming apparatus includes: a communication interface accessing Web addresses; a memory for storing predetermined addresses; a first determination unit for determining whether the image forming apparatus is in a first state that access of the image forming apparatus is limited to the predetermined addresses or a second state that the image forming apparatus is permitted to access any addresses; a second determination unit for determining whether a designated address is included in the predetermined addresses, when the image forming apparatus is in the first state; and a permission unit for giving to the communication interface permission to access the designated address, when the designated address is included in the predetermined addresses.

Image forming apparatus, access control method, and computer-readable recording medium recording access control program

A data file management apparatus capable of avoiding the unauthorized deletion of a file shared by a plurality of users. In the apparatus connected to a network and having the function to store the data file in such as to be shared by the users, the address information of the joint file users permitted to share the data file are registered-while being related to the data file at the time of data file storage, and in response to a data file deletion request, a message to confirm the consent of the joint file users about the data file deletion is sent to the registered address information. Upon receiving a message returned from a joint file user not to consent to the data file deletion within a predetermined period from the confirming message transmission, the data file is not deleted, while the data file is deleted otherwise.

Data file management apparatus, image forming apparatus, method of managing a data file, data file management program and program recording medium

Allocation reading is started when an allocation origin image processing apparatus sends an allocation reading start alert. An image processing apparatus which received the allocation reading start alert, i.e., the allocation destination image processing apparatus, displays a continue reading specification key on its own display for user specification to continue reading by the allocation reading function. Continue reading is started by user operation of this continue reading specification key. That is, when a document image is read by the allocation destination image processing apparatus, the image data are transmitted to the allocation origin image processing apparatus. Then, the allocation origin image processing apparatus integrates the received image data with the image data read by the allocation origin image processing apparatus.

Image processing system and apparatus for allocation reading

There is provided a printer management method in a computer system of the present invention, which controls a plurality of printers connected to a network, including acquiring information related to an elapsed time from the time when each printer made a transition to the power save mode, and selecting a printer based on the acquired information related to the elapsed time. According to the present invention, a printer can be appropriately selected even when printers are waiting in the power save mode.

Printer management method and management system

An image forming apparatus has a first detector for detecting that a consumption article has reached its life, a second detector for detecting that the consumption article has reached a certain timing before its life, a third detector for detecting an application of power and/or releasing of a power saving mode of the image forming apparatus, a first controller for making a display portion display an alarm advising a replacement of the consumption article and for making the image forming apparatus inactivate, and a second controller for releasing the alarm display and enabling the use of the image forming apparatus when a specific input is operated during the displaying of the alarm on the display portion.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Kenichi Matsumoto