Cloud Print ID Conversion for Secure Organization Authentication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cloud print services face difficulties in providing secure printing and management due to the lack of knowledge about user IDs unique to organizations, as they only know user IDs assigned within the cloud service and not those unique to individual organizations.

Innovation Solution

A printing system that includes an image forming apparatus and a management apparatus connected to an information system, which performs authentication and uses user setting information to register association relationships between user IDs in the organization and cloud print service IDs, allowing conversion of cloud IDs to in-house IDs for secure printing and management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If cloud print service uses user IDs assigned within the cloud service, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to provide secure printing and management

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidreliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (association relationship storage device and conversion unit) that bridges cloud print service user IDs and organization-specific user IDs. This mediator enables the cloud service to maintain its simple user ID system while allowing the image forming apparatus to perform secure organization-specific authentication and management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If cloud print service assigns user IDs independently to multiple organizations, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to difficulty in providing secure printing and management

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the user identification system into two independent parts: cloud service user IDs (for ease of operation) and organization user IDs (for secure management). The association relationship storage device maintains the mapping between these segmented identifiers, allowing each system to operate independently while remaining connected through the conversion mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If image forming apparatus uses user ID from cloud print service, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of information occurs regarding organization-specific user identification

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidloss of information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the image forming apparatus receives cloud service user IDs from print data, converts them to organization user IDs using the association relationship storage device, and then uses the organization user IDs for authentication and management. This feedback loop ensures that information is preserved and transformed appropriately throughout the system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS9065939B2Printing management system using correspondence between user identification information of an information system and user identification information of a printing system

Publication Date: 2015.06.23 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

AI summary

A printing system includes at least one image forming apparatus and a management apparatus, each of the image forming apparatus and the management apparatus connected to an information system. The management system includes a receiving unit, an association relationship registration unit, and a user setting unit. The image forming apparatus includes a print data retrieval unit, a converter unit, and a control unit.