Data processing apparatus, control method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9179040-B2
Application number	US-201113225267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2011
Priority date	Sep 9, 2010
Publication date	Nov 3, 2015
Grant date	Nov 3, 2015

Abstract

A data processing apparatus determines whether or not administrator authority of a user is set, and whether access is made locally or from the network. When the access is made locally, even if the user has the administrator authority, folders of all users are not displayed. The folders of all users are displayed only when the user having the administrator authority accesses from the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus communicable with a remote computer over a network, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a storage unit having a plurality of user folders as subfolders of a specific folder, each user folder corresponding to a user;
an authentication unit configured to perform an authentication process for authenticating a user;
an operation unit configured, in a case where a user is authenticated by the authentication unit, to allow the authenticated user to input an instruction and to display an operation screen, the operation screen including information for executing a function of the image forming apparatus;
a receiving unit configured to receive, from a first user who uses the remote computer, a request for displaying the subfolders of the specific folder, the first user being authenticated by the authentication unit; and
a transmitting unit configured to transmit information indicative of the plurality of user folders corresponding to at least the first user and a second user from among the plurality of user folders to the remote computer, in response to reception of the request, the second user being a different user from the first user and not being authenticated by the authentication unit,
wherein the operation unit is configured to display, when the instruction is input by the first user to display the subfolders of the specific folder, the operation screen which includes information indicative of a user folder corresponding to the first user and does not include information indicative of a user folder corresponding to the second user.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an access authority of a user is set to each of the plurality of user folders.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting unit is configured to control the receiving unit to transmit the information indicative of the plurality of user folders to the remote computer, based on a determination that a user having administrator authority has issued the request.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information indicative of the plurality of user folders includes at least a folder name.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving unit is configured to communicate with the remote computer in accordance with Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) protocol or Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the request received by the receiving unit includes user information about the user authenticated by the authentication unit.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information indicative of the user folder corresponding to the first user is information indicative of a user folder to which the user authenticated by the authentication unit has authority to access.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the authenticated user has administrator authority.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a selection unit configured to select one of a general-user mode for displaying the information indicative of a user folder corresponding to the first user and an administrator mode for displaying information indicative of the plurality of user folders each corresponding to a different one of all users,
wherein the transmitting unit is configured to control the operation unit to display the information indicative of the plurality of user folders if the administrator mode has been selected by the selection unit.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the request is used for acquiring a list of the plurality of user folders stored in the storage unit.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a printing unit configured to print an image based on a file in one of the plurality of user folders,
wherein, while displaying the operation screen, the operation unit is configured to allow the authenticated user to input a print instruction, and
wherein the transmitting unit is configured to control the printing unit to print an image based on a file in the user folder corresponding to the first user, in a case where the print instruction is input through the operation unit.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a scanning unit configured to read a document,
wherein, while displaying the operation screen, the operation unit is configured to allow the authenticated user to input a scan instruction, and
wherein the transmitting unit is configured to store an image of the document read by the scanning unit into the user folder corresponding to the first user, in a case where the scan instruction is input through the operation unit.

13. A control method for image forming apparatus communicable with a remote computer over a network, comprising a storage unit configured to store a plurality of user folders as subfolders of a specific folder, each user folder corresponding to a user, for storing a file, an authentication unit configured to perform an authentication process for authenticating a user, an operation unit configured, in a case where a user is authenticated by the authentication unit, to allow the authenticated user to input an instruction and to display an operation screen, the operation screen including information for executing a function of the image forming apparatus and a receiving unit configured to receive, from a first user who uses the remote computer, a request for displaying the subfolders of the specific folder, the first user being authenticated by the authentication unit, the control method comprising:
controlling the receiving unit to transmit information indicative of user folders corresponding to at least the first user and a second user from among the plurality of user folders to the remote computer, in response to reception of the request, the second user being a different user from the first user and not being authenticated by the authentication unit; and
controlling the operation unit to display, when the instruction is input by the first user to display the subfolders of the specific folder, the operation screen which includes information indicative of a user folder corresponding to the first user and does not include information indicative of a user folder corresponding to the second user.

14. A computer-executable program which on execution by a programmable data processing apparatus causes the image forming apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 13 .

15. An image forming apparatus communicable with a remote computer over a network, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a storage unit configured to store a plurality of user files of a specific folder, each of the plurality of user files corresponding to a user, in a folder;
an operation unit configured to allow a user to input an instruction and to display an operation screen, the operation screen including information for executing a function of the image forming apparatus;
a receiving unit configured to receive, from a first user who uses the remote computer, a request for displaying the plurality of user files of the specific folder, the first user being authenticated by the authentication unit; and
a transmitting unit configured to transmit information indicative of the plurality of user files corresponding to at least the first user and a second user from among the plurality of user files to the remote computer, in response to reception of the request, the second

Assignees

• Mizuno Takafumi
• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Mizuno Takafumi

Classifications

• G06F21/84

  output devices, e.g. displays or monitors · CPC title

• H04N1/00514

  for individual users · CPC title

• H04N1/00474

  outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print · CPC title

• H04N1/00464

  using browsers, i.e. interfaces based on mark-up languages · CPC title

• H04N1/4413 Primary

  involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN · CPC title