Image forming apparatus

Abstract

Print ebooks onto paper while maintaining high security and protecting copyright. [Solution] The image forming apparatus 100 comprises a network communication unit 107 that communicates with the e-book distribution system 200, a card reader 120 that acquires personal authentication information from an IC chip-equipped identification card that stores personal authentication information, an image forming unit 112 that prints an image on paper, and a control unit 101. The control unit 101 transmits personal authentication information to the e-book distribution system 200 via the network communication unit 107, causing the e-book distribution system 200 to authenticate the user who possesses the IC chip-equipped identification card. If the user is authenticated, the control unit 101 acquires the image data of the e-book purchased by the user from the e-book distribution system 200, prints the e-book on paper using the image forming unit 112, and does not save the image data after printing.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that prints an electronic book acquired from an electronic book distribution system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a form of using electronic book data acquired via a network by displaying it on an information processing apparatus such as a mobile terminal or a personal computer has become widespread. On the other hand, there are also survey results indicating that for academic books and manuals whose content is difficult and requires careful reading, reading them printed on paper leads to a deeper understanding. In addition, there is also a demand to read using a printed medium because there is no concern about eye strain or battery depletion.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that stores document image data in a database and provides a document to a user from the stored document image data according to the access rights managed for each user. Patent Document 2 discloses a system that acquires the authority of a user who uses a document printing apparatus from an authentication server.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, from the viewpoints of security and copyright protection, there is still room for further improvement in the mechanism for printing an electronic book.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises: communication means for communicating with an e-book distribution system; information acquisition means for acquiring personal authentication information from an IC chip-equipped identification card that stores personal authentication information; printing means for printing an image on paper; and control means for transmitting the personal authentication information to the e-book distribution system via the communication means to have the e-book distribution system authenticate the user who possesses the IC chip-equipped identification card, and, if authenticated, acquiring image data of the e-book purchased by the user from the e-book distribution system and printing the e-book using the image data on paper via the printing means, wherein the control means prohibits secondary use of the image data after the e-book has been printed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it will be possible to improve security and copyright protection in the printing of ebooks. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram illustrating the configuration of a system including an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] Hardware configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] Functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] Diagram of the personal authentication card configuration. [Figure 5] An example diagram of app settings information. [Figure 6] Functional block diagram of an e-book distribution system. [Figure 7] (a) and (b) are illustrative diagrams of user information. [Figure 8] A sequence diagram illustrating the user registration process for an e-book distribution system. [Figure 9] An example diagram of the initial screen. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram representing the e-book printing process. [Figure 11] (a) to (c) are example diagrams of the guidance screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. In this system, the image forming apparatus 100, the e-book distribution system 200, and the certification authority 300 are connected to each other via a network 500. A card reader 120 is connected to the image forming apparatus 100. The network 500 consists of communication lines such as the Internet, public telephone lines, LAN (Local Area Network), and WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0011] The image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is a multifunction device having functions such as a printer, scanner, copier, and facsimile. The image forming apparatus 100 is connected to a card reader 120 via an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. The card reader 120 may be integrated with the image forming apparatus 100.

[0012] The card reader 120 is an information acquisition unit that has the function of reading information such as personal authentication information stored in the IC portion of an IC (Integrated Circuit) card such as a personal authentication card. The card reader 120 reads information from the IC card by contact or contactless means. When reading by contact, the card reader 120 is provided with a card slot for inserting and removing the IC card. When reading by contactless means, the card reader 120 and the IC card can communicate using the same wireless communication standard, such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The image forming apparatus 100 transmits the information such as personal authentication information acquired by the card reader 120 to the e-book distribution system 200 and prints the e-book data distributed from the e-book distribution system 200. Thus, the image forming apparatus 100 only needs to have the function of acquiring information such as personal authentication information, the function of communication via the network 500, and the function of printing images on paper.

[0013] The eBook distribution system 200 has the function of distributing eBook data related to eBooks purchased by users via the network 500 to the image forming apparatus 100. The eBook distribution system 200 is operated by, for example, bookstores, publishers, e-commerce marketplaces, etc., and sells eBooks to users. For this purpose, multiple eBook distribution systems 200 are provided on the network 500. The eBook distribution system 200 is an eBook server that has an eBook database for managing eBook data and a user information database for managing users.

[0014] The eBook distribution system 200 has a function to detect tampering with personal authentication information obtained from the image forming apparatus 100, and a function to verify the validity of the electronic certificate obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 by querying the certification authority 300. The eBook data distributed by the eBook distribution system 200 to the image forming apparatus 100 is in a format that is permitted for printing only, and after printing, it is not stored in the image forming apparatus 100, and secondary use such as copying as an electronic data file is prohibited.

[0015] The certification authority 300 is, for example, the Local Public Entity Information System Agency (J-LIS), and is used by the e-book distribution system 200 to inquire about the validity of the electronic certificate for personal authentication. The certification authority 300 performs personal authentication and returns certification information in response to an inquiry from the e-book distribution system 200.

[0016] Generally, printing e-books on paper is not permitted from the perspective of copyright protection. E-books are DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected, and secondary use and copying of the content are restricted. Usually, the file format of e-books adopts the international standard EPUB (Electronic PUBlication) format. E-books do not permit the download of DRM-free electronic data such as PDF (Portable Document Format) file formats that can be easily copied.

[0017] Instead of downloading digital electronic data that is easy to copy and has a high risk of copyright infringement, if the distribution is limited to printing on paper, since copies without deterioration or copies without cost cannot be made, the risk of copyright infringement can be limited. Also, in the case of access via the Internet used by an unspecified number of people, it is necessary to perform managed printing that secures security, identifies the access rights and usage rights of individual users, and protects copyright. The system of this embodiment performs printing of e-books (digital electronic data) on paper and prohibits secondary use, etc., after securing such security.

[0018] Figure 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 is an information processing device having a control unit 101, ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, and storage 113. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a display unit 104 and an operation unit 105 as a user interface. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a USB communication unit 106 and a card reader control unit 119 as interfaces with peripheral devices. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a network communication unit 107 for communication with external devices via the network 500. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an image reading unit 108, an image processing unit 109, an encoding / decoding unit 110, an image generation unit 111, and an image forming unit 112 for forming images on paper.

[0019] The control unit 101 has a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The ROM 102 stores computer programs executed by the control unit 101 and various data. The RAM 103 is the main memory that provides a workspace for the control unit 101 when it is processing. The RAM 103 also provides an image memory area used for the printing function. The storage 113 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores computer programs, image data representing images to be printed, e-book data, etc. Note that the functions of the storage 113 may be provided on the cloud.

[0020] The control unit 101 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 by executing computer programs stored in the ROM 102 and storage 113. The control unit 101 also generates data to be transmitted to the e-book distribution system 200 and processes data acquired from the e-book distribution system 200.

[0021] The display unit 104 is an output interface that displays a screen showing various information related to the image forming apparatus 100. The operation unit 105 is an input interface that includes various key buttons and a touch panel. Users can input instructions and other information to the image forming apparatus 100 by operating the operation unit 105. When using a touch panel, the operation unit 105 and the display unit 104 are configured as a single unit.

[0022] The USB communication unit 106 is an interface that controls communication with USB devices such as personal computers and USB memory connected to the USB terminal of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 acquires image data from USB devices and transfers image data to USB devices via the USB communication unit 106. In this embodiment, a card reader 120 is connected to the USB communication unit 106. The image forming apparatus 100 communicates with the card reader 120 via the USB communication unit 106.

[0023] The network communication unit 107 is an interface that controls communication with external devices connected to the network 500. The image forming apparatus 100 acquires image data from external devices via the network 500 using the network communication unit 107. External devices include the e-book distribution system 200 connected to the network 500, as well as servers for various service systems.

[0024] The image processing unit 109 performs predetermined image processing, such as color conversion, on the image data representing the image to be printed. The encoding / decoding unit 110 decodes the encoded image data acquired by the USB communication unit 106 or the network communication unit 107 to generate image data and stores it in the RAM 103. The image generation unit 111 generates printable raster image data from the image data stored in the RAM 103 and outputs it as RGB data for each pixel. The image forming unit 112 prints the raster image data onto paper using an electrophotographic process or the like. The image reading unit 108 reads an image from the original and generates image data.

[0025] The card reader control unit 119 controls the operation of the card reader 120 via the USB communication unit 106. The card reader control unit 119 communicates with the IC card via the USB communication unit 106 using the card reader 120, retrieves the data stored on the IC card, and stores the data on the IC card.

[0026] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 100. Each function of the image forming apparatus is realized, for example, by the control unit 101 executing a computer program. The image forming apparatus 100 has an OS (Operating System) unit 150 and an application unit 170.

[0027] The OS unit 150 functions as a communication control unit 155, an operation control unit 153, a display control unit 154, a USB communication control unit 152, an application management unit 151, a print control unit 156, the image generation unit 111, the image forming unit 112, and a print box 159. The application unit 170 functions as the card reader control unit 119, an authentication management unit 172, and application setting information 173.

[0028] The communication control unit 155 controls communication via the network communication unit 107. The operation control unit 153 controls the operation of the operation unit 105. The display control unit 154 displays a screen on the display unit 104 for the user to operate the image forming apparatus 100. The USB communication control unit 152 controls communication via the USB communication unit 106. The USB communication control unit 152 performs data communication such as control transfer, interrupt transfer, bulk transfer, and isochronous transfer in accordance with the USB specification.

[0029] The application management unit 151 is for logically connecting the application unit 170 with various functions of the image forming apparatus 100. For example, the application management unit 151 mediates communication between the card reader 120 and the card reader control unit 119, displays the screen instructed by the application unit 170 on the display unit 104, and mediates communication between the e-book distribution system 200 and the authentication management unit 172.

[0030] The print control unit 156 controls the image forming unit 112. The print control unit 156 acquires image data temporarily stored in the print box 159, which is composed of RAM 103. The print control unit 156 converts the acquired image data into raster image data, which is image data, using the image generation unit 111, and the image forming unit 112 prints the image corresponding to the raster image data onto paper to produce a printed product. The image generation unit 111 actually draws drawing objects temporarily stored in a drawing buffer (not shown) to generate raster image data, which is a bitmap image. The print box 159 is provided in the storage 113 and is used for the temporary storage of image data and the logical storage of ebook data downloaded from the ebook distribution system 200.

[0031] The application management unit 151 downloads the e-book data to be printed and manages it by associating the user name of the user who printed the e-book with the e-book data. The user's IC card has personal authentication information read by the card reader 120. The application management unit 151 performs user authentication based on the personal authentication information read by the card reader 120. User authentication allows the user to log in to the image forming apparatus 100. When the user logs in, the image forming apparatus 100 displays a list of print data associated with the user name on the display unit 104. The user selects print data from the list of print data using the operation unit 105, and the image corresponding to the selected print data is printed. The print data is image data printed by the user using the image forming apparatus 100.

[0032] Personal authentication information is transmitted to the e-book distribution system 200 via the network 500, authenticating the user and allowing them to log in to the e-book distribution system 200. The image forming apparatus 100 then displays a list of e-book data purchased by the user from the e-book distribution system 200 on the display unit 104. The user selects an e-book data from the list of purchased e-book data using the operation unit 105, and the selected e-book data is downloaded from the e-book distribution system 200. The downloaded e-book data is converted into raster image data by the image generation unit 111 under the control of the print control unit 156, and then printed onto paper by the image forming unit 112.

[0033] The card reader control unit 119 controls the card reader 120 based on instructions from the application unit 170. When the card reader control unit 119 detects an IC card, it causes the card reader 120 to read information from the IC card. In the case of contactless transactions, the card reader 120 detects an IC card, for example, when the IC card is inserted into the card slot. In the case of contactless transactions, the card reader 120 detects an IC card when the IC card comes within a predetermined distance. When the card reader 120 detects an IC card, it sends an event notification to the card reader control unit 119 indicating that an IC card has been detected.

[0034] The authentication management unit 172 communicates with the e-book distribution system 200 via the network 500 and manages personal authentication information. The authentication management unit 172 transmits personal authentication information read from the IC card to the e-book distribution system 200 and, upon user authentication, manages the authentication of the right to distribute e-book data.

[0035] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a personal authentication card, which is an example of an IC card in this embodiment. The personal authentication card 700 is an identification card with an IC chip, such as a My Number Card. The personal authentication card 700 has a personal authentication AP 710, an e-book issuance system AP 720, and a platform 730 on the IC.

[0036] The personal authentication AP710 stores card information (personal authentication information), including an electronic certificate, private key, public key, and PIN. In this embodiment, two copies each of the electronic certificate, private key, public key, and PIN are stored. The electronic certificates are a signature electronic certificate 711 and a user authentication electronic certificate 712. The private keys are a signature private key 713 and a user authentication private key 716. The public keys are a signature public key 714 and a user authentication public key 717. The PINs are a signature PIN 715 and a user authentication PIN 718. The e-book distribution system AP720 stores one or more e-book user information (MyKey ID) 721. A MyKey ID 721 is generated for each e-book distribution system 200 used by the user. The personal authentication card 700 is an IC card used by the user to log in to the image forming apparatus 100 and to log in to the e-book distribution system 200.

[0037] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, the application settings information 173 is stored in the storage 113 and is information for changing the operation of the application unit 170. The application settings information 173 is mainly set when a user registers with the e-book distribution system 200. Figure 5 is an example diagram of the application settings information 173. The application settings information 173 includes card ID 921, user ID 922, user name 923, email address 924, usage restriction information 925, etc. The application settings information 173 is management data of user information linked to card ID 921. The usage restriction information 925 is information that manages individual usage rights for each user, for example, allowing the use of the print function but not the e-book print function.

[0038] The card reader 120 comprises a USB communication unit 161, a card communication unit 162, and a data processing unit 163. The card communication unit 162 is a communication interface for reading information such as an electronic certificate from the personal authentication card 700. When the card communication unit 162 detects the personal authentication card 700, it reads information such as an electronic certificate from the personal authentication card 700. The USB communication unit 161 transmits the information read by the card communication unit 162 to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0039] The data processing unit 163 performs data calculations necessary when reading information such as electronic certificates from the personal authentication card 700. The data processing unit 163 performs calculations for various processes necessary for communication with the personal authentication card 700, such as calculating the address where the information such as electronic certificates in the personal authentication card 700 is stored, and converting the acquired binary data into a string by encoding. The USB communication unit 161 is for communicating with the connected image forming apparatus 100. The USB communication unit 161 performs data communication such as control transfer, interrupt transfer, bulk transfer, and isochronous transfer in accordance with the USB specification with the USB communication unit 106 of the image forming apparatus 100. The USB communication unit 161 and the USB communication unit 106 of the image forming apparatus 100 have equivalent functions.

[0040] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of the e-book distribution system 200. The e-book distribution system 200 includes an OS unit 250, a user information management unit 270, and an authentication system management unit 260. Each functional block of the e-book distribution system 200 is realized, for example, by a CPU (not shown) executing a computer program.

[0041] The OS unit 250 functions as a network communication unit 255, a user authority control unit 251, a distribution control unit 256, an e-book data generation unit 257, an e-book database management unit 258, and an e-book database 259. The authentication system management unit 260 functions as a tampering verification unit 261, a signature verification unit 262, a linking unit 263, and a user authentication verification unit 264. The user information management unit 270 functions as an interface control unit 271, an authentication management unit 272, and user information 273.

[0042] The user authorization control unit 251 logically connects the OS unit 250, the user information management unit 270, and the authentication system management unit 260. The user authorization control unit 251 mediates communication between the interface control unit 271 and the distribution control unit 256, which control access from the image forming apparatus 100, and also mediates communication between the authentication system management unit 260 and the authentication management unit 272.

[0043] The distribution control unit 256 controls the e-book data generation unit 257 and the network communication unit 255. The distribution control unit 256 reads the e-book data selected by the user from the e-book database 259 and converts the e-book data into digitally rights-managed (DRM) e-book distribution data such as EPUB format by the e-book data generation unit 257. The distribution control unit 256 transmits the e-book distribution data to the image forming apparatus 100 via the network communication unit 255 through the network 500.

[0044] The eBook database 259 is a database that stores a large amount of electronically published eBook data. Physically, the eBook data is stored in the storage of the eBook distribution system 200 or on external servers (not shown) via the network 500. The eBook database management unit 258 manages the eBook database 259. The user permission control unit 251 manages the correspondence between user names, the eBooks that users have the right to purchase, receive, and print, and the history of eBooks that have been distributed and printed by users.

[0045] The interface control unit 271 of the user information management unit 270 communicates with the image forming apparatus 100 via the network 500. The interface control unit 271 obtains user information and other data from the image forming apparatus 100 and transmits information related to ebooks to the image forming apparatus 100. The authentication management unit 272 works in cooperation with the authentication system management unit 260 to manage the authentication information of user information 273. User information 273 stores the user's account information. Account information is generated when the user registers with the ebook distribution system 200 and is updated when the user purchases an ebook.

[0046] Figure 7 is an example of user information 273. As illustrated in Figure 7(a), user information 273 includes information such as card ID 941, user ID 942, user name 943, email address 944, credit card number 945, and purchased book list number 946. Credit card number 945 is used for payment when purchasing ebooks. Figure 7(b) is the list of books purchased by the user. The purchased book list is managed in user information 273 in cooperation with the user authority control unit 251, associating the user ID with the names of ebooks purchased by the user. The purchased book list is managed by the purchased book list number 946.

[0047] The tampering verification unit 261 of the authentication system management unit 260 verifies whether the ciphertext obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 has been tampered with. For example, the tampering verification unit 261 decrypts the ciphertext with a public key to generate a hash value and checks whether the tampering has occurred by comparing the generated hash value with the hash value of the application form. Alternatively, the tampering verification unit 261 may decrypt the ciphertext with a public key to generate a random number and check whether the tampering has occurred by comparing the generated random number with the original random number.

[0048] The signature verification unit 262 verifies the validity of the digital signature certificate 711 in the user's personal authentication card 700, which is obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 via the network 500. The user authentication verification unit 264 verifies the validity of the user authentication digital certificate 712 in the user's personal authentication card 700, which is obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 via the network 500. The linking unit 263 links the user authentication digital certificate 712 verified by the user authentication verification unit 264 with the user information 273.

[0049] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing the user registration process for the e-book distribution system 200. Users need to create an account for the e-book distribution system 200 in order to use it. This registration process is performed to create the user's account. Figure 9 is an example of the initial screen displayed on the display unit 104.

[0050] This process begins when the personal authentication card 700 owned by the user is detected by the card reader 120 (S501). In this embodiment, the initial screen 810 of Figure 9 is displayed on the display unit 104, prompting the user to touch the personal authentication card 700 (IC card) to the card reader 120. When the user touches the card reader 120 with the personal authentication card 700, the card reader 120 detects the personal authentication card 700. Upon detecting the personal authentication card 700, the card reader 120 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 that the card has been detected. Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 obtains the card information of the personal authentication card 700 (S502).

[0051] The control unit 101 obtains the PIN entered by the user from the operation unit 105 (S503). The control unit 101 authenticates the user by comparing the obtained PIN with the signature PIN 715 of the personal authentication card 700. If the user cannot be authenticated, the control unit 101 displays a screen on the display unit 104 prompting the user to re-enter the PIN. The number of times the PIN can be re-entered can be limited, for example, and if the user cannot be authenticated within the limited number of attempts, the PIN will be locked.

[0052] If the user is authenticated, the control unit 101 instructs the card reader 120 to read the information. In response to this instruction, the card reader 120 reads personal authentication information such as the digital signature certificate 711 from the personal authentication card 700 (S504). The card reader 120 transmits the read personal authentication information to the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 uses the personal authentication information obtained from the card reader 120 to create a user account creation application form for the e-book distribution system 200 (S505).

[0053] The control unit 101 generates a hash value for the created user account creation application form (S506). The control unit 101 obtains the electronic signature (ciphertext obtained by encrypting the hash value) of the user account creation application form generated using the signature private key 713 stored in the personal authentication card 700 from the personal authentication card 700 via the card reader 120 (S507, S508). The control unit 101 sends the electronic signature (ciphertext), the signature public key 714, and the signature digital certificate 711 together with the user account creation application form to the e-book distribution system 200 (S509).

[0054] The e-book distribution system 200 obtains user account creation application forms, etc., from the image forming apparatus 100 (S510). The e-book distribution system 200 decrypts the digital signature (ciphertext) using the acquired signature public key 714 and generates a hash value (S511). The e-book distribution system 200 detects whether the user account creation application form has been tampered with by comparing the hash value calculated from the user account creation application form with the hash value obtained by decrypting the digital signature (ciphertext) (S512). If it is confirmed that the user account creation application form has not been tampered with, the e-book distribution system 200 queries the certification authority 300 via the network 500 for the validity of the signature digital certificate 711 (S513).

[0055] The certification authority 300 verifies the validity of the digital signature certificate 711 requested by the e-book distribution system 200 (S514). The certification authority 300 responds to the e-book distribution system 200 via the network 500 regarding the validity of the digital signature certificate 711 (S515).

[0056] The eBook distribution system 200 obtains a response from the certification authority 300 regarding the validity of the digital signature certificate 711 (S516). If the digital signature certificate 711 is valid, the eBook distribution system 200 confirms the existence of the user requesting login, and that their name, address, date of birth, etc., are correct. Once the validity of the digital signature certificate 711 is confirmed, the eBook distribution system 200 creates a user account for the user and registers it in the user information database (user information 273) (S517). The eBook distribution system 200 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 of the created user account (S518). The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 registers the user account notified by the eBook distribution system 200 (S519). The user account is registered as application setting information 173.

[0057] If the digital signature certificate 711 is invalid, the e-book distribution system 200 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 that the digital signature certificate 711 is invalid and does not create a user account. In response to this notification, the control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 notifies the user via the display unit 104 that the digital signature certificate 711 is invalid and that a user account will not be created.

[0058] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram representing the e-book printing process. Figure 11 is an example of a guidance screen displayed on the display unit 104 of the image forming apparatus 100 during e-book printing. The initial screen 810 shown in Figure 9 is displayed on the display unit 104 of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0059] This process begins when the personal authentication card 700 owned by the user is detected by the card reader 120 (S601). When the card reader 120 detects the personal authentication card 700, it notifies the image forming apparatus 100 that the card has been detected. When the control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives this notification, it obtains the card information of the personal authentication card 700 (S602).

[0060] The control unit 101 obtains the PIN entered by the user from the operation unit 105 (S603). The control unit 101 authenticates the user by comparing the obtained PIN with the user authentication PIN 718 of the personal authentication card 700. If the user cannot be authenticated, the control unit 101 displays a screen on the display unit 104 prompting the user to re-enter the PIN. The number of times the PIN can be re-entered can be limited, for example, and if the user cannot be authenticated within the limited number of attempts, the PIN will be locked.

[0061] If the user is authenticated, the control unit 101 displays the home screen 820 shown in Figure 11(a) on the display unit 104. The home screen 820 displays buttons for selecting the following functions: copy 821, scan 822, print 823, fax 824, use of saved files 825, and print ebooks 826. The screen of the display unit 104 transitions to a screen for using the function corresponding to the button pressed by the user using the operation unit 105. Depending on the user's permissions after logging into the image forming apparatus 100, the display / hide of the buttons for selecting each function included in the home screen 820 switches. When the logout button 827 is selected, the user logs out of the user account of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0062] Furthermore, if the user is authenticated, the control unit 101 instructs the card reader 120 to read personal authentication information from the personal authentication card 700. In response to this instruction, the card reader 120 reads personal authentication information such as the user authentication electronic certificate 712 from the personal authentication card 700 (S604). The card reader 120 transmits the read personal authentication information to the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 uses the personal authentication information obtained from the card reader 120 to request login to the user account for the e-book distribution system 200 (S605).

[0063] Logging into a user account for the eBook distribution system 200 is performed when the user selects the eBook Print button 826 on the home screen 820. When the eBook Print button 826 is selected, the control unit 101 displays the login screen 830 for the eBook distribution system 200 user account shown in Figure 11(b) on the display unit 104. The login screen 830 displays input fields for the user name, user ID, and password that have been registered in advance and linked to personal authentication information, as well as a selection field for the name of the eBook distribution system 200 business operator to log in to. When the user enters their password on the login screen 830 and presses the login button, they are prompted to log in to their user account for the eBook distribution system 200.

[0064] The e-book distribution system 200 accepts a login request to a user account (S606). Upon receiving the login request, the e-book distribution system 200 generates a random number and sends it to the image forming apparatus 100 (S607).

[0065] The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 retrieves a ciphertext from the personal authentication card 700, which is an encrypted version of a random number obtained from the electronic book distribution system 200 using the user authentication secret key 716 stored in the personal authentication card 700 (S608, S609). The control unit 101 then transmits the ciphertext, the encrypted random number, the user authentication public key 717, and the user authentication digital certificate 712 to the electronic book distribution system 200 via the network 500 (S610).

[0066] The e-book distribution system 200 decrypts the ciphertext using the user authentication public key 717 sent from the image forming apparatus 100 and generates a random number (S611). The e-book distribution system 200 detects whether the random number has been tampered with by comparing the original random number it issued with the random number obtained by decrypting the ciphertext (S612). If it is confirmed that the random number has not been tampered with, the e-book distribution system 200 queries the certification authority 300 via the network 500 for the validity of the user authentication digital certificate 712 (S613).

[0067] The certification authority 300 verifies the validity of the user authentication digital certificate 712 requested by the e-book distribution system 200 (S614). The certification authority 300 responds to the e-book distribution system 200 via the network 500 regarding the validity of the user authentication digital certificate 712 (S615).

[0068] The eBook distribution system 200 obtains a response from the certification authority 300 regarding the validity of the user authentication electronic certificate 712 (S616). If the user authentication electronic certificate 712 is valid, the eBook distribution system 200 confirms that the user who made the login request is the real person. Once the validity of the user authentication electronic certificate 712 is confirmed, the eBook distribution system 200 grants the user permission to log in (S617). The eBook distribution system 200 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 that the user's login has been permitted.

[0069] The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 notifies the user that the login was successful upon granting login permission (S618). The control unit 101 displays a screen indicating that the login was successful on, for example, the display unit 104.

[0070] The control unit 101 displays a list of ebooks to be printed, obtained from the ebook distribution system 200, on the display unit 104, allowing the user to select an ebook they wish to purchase or a book they have already purchased (S619). The list includes the list of purchased books shown in Figure 7(b). Figure 11(c) illustrates a list screen 851 showing the user's list of purchased books. The user can print the book using the image forming apparatus 100 by selecting the book they wish to print from the list screen 851 and pressing the print button. The user can also purchase ebooks using the display unit 104 and the operation unit 105. In this way, the user selects a book they wish to purchase or a book they have already purchased from the displayed list using the operation unit 105. The control unit 101 transmits the selection to the ebook distribution system 200.

[0071] If the user authentication electronic certificate 712 is invalid, the e-book distribution system 200 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 that the user authentication electronic certificate 712 is invalid and does not permit the user to log in. In response to the notification that login is not permitted, the control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 notifies the user via the display unit 104 that the user authentication electronic certificate 712 is invalid and that login is not possible.

[0072] During processing in S619, the e-book distribution system 200 presents the image forming apparatus 100 with a list of books selected by the user for printing. The e-book distribution system 200 receives notification of the books selected by the user from the list (S620). The e-book distribution system 200 sends the e-book data of the books selected by the user to the image forming apparatus 100 in a data format that is permitted for printing only (S621).

[0073] The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 prints the e-book data sent from the e-book distribution system 200 (S622). Since the e-book data is in a data format that is only permitted for printing, the control unit 101 does not save the printed output to the print box 159, but manages it so that users cannot copy it as an electronic data file. For this reason, secondary use of the e-book data is prohibited.

[0074] When the control unit 101 finishes printing the ebook and receives a logout request from the user, it notifies the ebook distribution system 200 of the user's logout (S623). The ebook distribution system 200 receives the logout notification from the user's account and logs out (S624). The logout can be initiated, for example, from the home screen 820 or the list screen 851.

[0075] In this way, users can print and read purchased ebooks by having the card reader 120 read the information stored on the personal authentication card 700 for authentication. The image forming apparatus 100 uses the information stored on the personal authentication card 700 to display a list of ebooks that the user wishes to purchase and ebooks that have already been purchased on the display unit 104, allowing the user to select the ebook to print. The ebook distribution system 200 distributes the ebook data of the ebook selected by the user to the image forming apparatus 100. The distributed ebook data is only permitted to be printed, and after printing, it is managed within the image forming apparatus 100 to prevent copying or other unauthorized reproduction.

[0076] In this embodiment, as described above, the data usage rights for ebooks are appropriately managed, printing is restricted to the owner (user), printing history can be managed, copyright and personal information can be protected, and unauthorized use can be prevented. Furthermore, by using the official personal authentication card 700 and the official personal authentication service, the business operator can omit its own user registration and user data management, and login authentication using a dedicated user ID and password becomes unnecessary. In addition, users of ebook distribution services are saved the trouble of registering separately for each service and managing multiple passwords, and only the PIN for the electronic certificate needs to be managed.

[0077] By using digital signature certificates from public personal authentication services, electronic signatures become possible, allowing customer ID registration and management tasks that previously required identity verification (such as driver's license verification) to be performed online. Furthermore, by using digital user authentication certificates from public personal authentication services, it becomes possible to prove the user's identity online (electronic user authentication), preventing fraudulent use of e-books such as impersonation or sharing by multiple people.

Claims

1. A means of communication that communicates with an e-book distribution system, Information acquisition means for acquiring personal authentication information from an IC chip-equipped identification card that stores personal authentication information, A printing method for printing an image onto paper, The system includes a control means that transmits the aforementioned personal authentication information to the e-book distribution system via the communication means to authenticate the user who possesses the IC chip-equipped identification card, and, upon authentication, retrieves the image data of the e-book purchased by the user from the e-book distribution system and prints the e-book using the image data onto paper via the printing means. The control means is characterized by prohibiting secondary use of the image data after the printing of the e-book. Image forming apparatus.

2. The control means is characterized by acquiring the image data in a data format that is permitted for printing only from the e-book distribution system, and managing the image data so that it cannot be reproduced after printing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned IC chip-equipped identification card stores the aforementioned personal authentication information, including an electronic certificate, a private key, and a public key. The control means obtains random numbers from the e-book distribution system, The control means is characterized by transmitting the ciphertext obtained by encrypting the random number using the secret key, the random number, the public key, and the digital certificate to the e-book distribution system, thereby causing the e-book distribution system to authenticate the user. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

4. It has an operating means and a display means, The control means is characterized by obtaining a list of ebooks to be printed from the ebook distribution system, displaying the list on the display means, and printing the ebook selected by the user from the list using the operation means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned list is characterized by including ebooks purchased by the user and ebooks that the user wishes to purchase. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. Having an operating means, The control means is characterized by obtaining a PIN using the operation means, and if the user can be authenticated using the PIN, obtaining the personal authentication information via the information acquisition means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The aforementioned IC chip-equipped identification card stores a user authentication PIN. The control means is characterized by authenticating the user by comparing the PIN obtained by the operating means with the user authentication PIN stored on the IC chip-equipped identification card. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The control means is characterized by creating a user account creation application form for the e-book distribution system using the personal authentication information, and creating a user account in the e-book distribution system by transmitting the user account creation application form to the e-book distribution system. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The aforementioned IC chip-equipped identification card stores the aforementioned personal authentication information, including an electronic certificate, a private key, and a public key. The control means is characterized by transmitting the electronic signature obtained by encrypting the user account creation application form using the private key, the user account creation application form, the public key, and the electronic certificate to the e-book distribution system to create a user account in the e-book distribution system. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The information acquisition means is characterized by acquiring the personal authentication information from the My Number Card, which is the IC chip-equipped identification document. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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