Temporary authentication method in case of failure in authentication using external authentication server and image forming apparatus performing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9715357-B2
Application number	US-201514598782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A method of performing user authentication in an image forming apparatus, the method including detecting whether an interruption or a failure has occurred during authentication using an external authentication server; providing a user interface (UI) screen image for selecting to retry the authentication using the external authentication server or to enter a temporary authentication mode that does not use the external authentication server; when it is selected to enter the temporary authentication mode, entering an administrator authentication mode or an internal authentication mode based on pre-set temporary authentication options; and receiving information necessary for authentication and performing authentication based on a current authentication mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of performing user authentication in an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:
detecting, by way of a processor, whether an interruption or a failure has occurred during authentication using an external authentication server that is connected to the image forming apparatus using Internet;
providing a user interface (UI) to receive a selection by a user of a temporary authentication mode that does not use the external authentication server;
when the temporary authentication mode is selected by the user, entering a network authentication mode, as the current authentication mode, which connects to an internal authentication server using intranet on a local network; and
receiving information, from the internet authentication server, for the user authentication and performing the user authentication based on the received information of the current authentication mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, the current authentication mode is changed to a second authentication mode or the user authentication is deactivated based on an input of the user who is successfully authenticated as an administrator.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second authentication mode is maintained even after the interruption or the failure is resolved.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when entering the network authentication mode, authentication is performed by comparing authentication information input by the user to authentication information stored in the internal authentication server that is connected to the image forming apparatus via the intranet.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the interruption or the failure is resolved, the current authentication mode of the image forming apparatus is automatically changed to use the external authentication server.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when it is selected to retry the user authentication using the external authentication server, it is determined whether the interruption or the failure is resolved, and:
when the interruption or the failure is not resolved, the UI to allow the selection of the temporary authentication mode is displayed again, and,
when the interruption or the failure is resolved, a second UI screen image for performing the user authentication using the external authentication server is displayed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the network authentication mode is the current authentication mode and the user authentication succeeds, at least one function of the image forming apparatus becomes available.

8. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for implementing the method of claim 1 .

9. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein when the temporary authentication mode is selected by the user, another UI including an administrator password input box is provided to receive an administrator password from the user, and
wherein the administrator password is transmitted to the internal authentication server using the intranet and the internal authentication server performs the user authentication based on the transmitted administrator password.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a display, on which user interface (UI) is displayed;
a communicator to perform communication with an external authentication server and an internal authentication server;
a memory, in which temporary authentication options are stored;
a controller, which detects an interruption or a failure occurring during authentication using an external authentication server, which is connected to the image forming apparatus using Internet which is an external network, and enters a temporary authentication mode based on the stored temporary authentication options; and
an image forming operation performing unit for performing an image forming operation,
wherein, when an interruption or a failure occurs during the authentication using the external authentication server, the controller displays a UI to receive a selection by a user of a temporary authentication mode as a current authentication mode that does not use the external authentication server, and
when the temporary authentication mode is selected by the user, the controller controls the image forming apparatus to enter a network authentication mode, as the current authentication mode, which connects the communicator and the internal authentication server using intranet on an internal network.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, the controller changes the current authentication mode to a second authentication mode or deactivates user authentication based on an input of the user who is successfully authenticated as an administrator.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the controller maintains the second authentication mode even after the interruption or the failure is resolved.

13. The image forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, when entering the network authentication mode, the controller performs authentication by comparing authentication information input by the user to authentication information stored in an internal authentication server that is connected to the image forming apparatus via the intranet.

14. The image forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, when the interruption or the failure is resolved, the controller automatically changes the current authentication mode of the image forming apparatus to use the external authentication server.

15. The image forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, when it is selected to retry the user authentication using the external authentication server, the controller determines whether interruption or the failure is resolved, and:
when the interruption or the failure is resolved, the UI screen image for selecting to retry the authentication using the external authentication server or to enter a temporary authentication mode is displayed on the display again, and,
when the interruption or the failure is resolved, a UI screen image for performing the authentication using the external authentication server is displayed.

16. The image forming apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, when the network authentication mode is the current authentication mode and user authentication succeeds, at least one function of the image forming apparatus becomes available.

17. A system for performing user authentication, the system comprising:
an image forming apparatus;
an internal authentication server connected to the image forming apparatus using intranet on an internal network; and
an external authentication server connected to the image forming apparatus using Internet which is an external network,
wherein when a failure occurs during the authentication using the external authentication server, the image forming apparatus provides a user interface (UI) to receive a selection of a network authentication mode that does not use the external authorization server, thereby allowing a user to use at least one function of the image forming apparatus via a temporary authorization that is obtained from the internal authentication server using the intranet on the internal network.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cho Tae-Gyun
• Park Hyun-Cheol

Classifications

• G06F3/1238

  Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs · CPC title

• Y10S220/912

  Cookware, i.e. pots and pans · CPC title

• A47J27/002

  Construction of cooking-vessels; Methods or processes of manufacturing specially adapted for cooking-vessels · CPC title

• A47J27/13 Primary

  Tier cooking-vessels · CPC title

• G06F3/1285

  Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server · CPC title