Document Server Encryption for Secure Image Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming systems lack secure methods to differentiate and manage document data based on security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Innovation Solution
An image forming system that includes an image forming apparatus, a first document server, and a key server, which determines document data security levels, generates and stores encryption keys, and uses two-dimensional codes to securely manage and access private and public data, ensuring only authorized users can access private documents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all document data is stored without differentiation, then storage and access are simple, but security cannot be ensured for private documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments document data into two categories: private documents and public documents. This segmentation allows the system to apply different storage and access control mechanisms to each type, ensuring security for private documents while maintaining simplicity for public documents. The segmentation is implemented through classification logic that routes documents to appropriate storage locations with corresponding security policies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a document server as an intermediary component between the image forming apparatus and the storage system. This intermediary handles the classification, storage, and access control of documents, centralizing security management functions. The document server mediates all access requests, applying security policies without requiring complex security logic in the image forming apparatus itself.
2Reliability
If encryption is applied to all document data, then security is enhanced, but access efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies encryption selectively rather than uniformly across all documents. Private documents are encrypted with strong security measures, while public documents are stored and accessed without encryption. This local quality approach ensures that security resources are concentrated where needed (private documents) while maintaining high access efficiency for public documents that do not require security measures.
3Reliability
If security measures are implemented for all documents, then unauthorized access is prevented, but usability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments documents into private and public categories, allowing users to interact with public documents through simple, unrestricted access interfaces while private documents receive enhanced security controls. This segmentation enables the system to provide high usability for the majority of public documents while maintaining strong security for sensitive private documents, without imposing security complexities on all user interactions.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes an image forming apparatus, a first document server apparatus, and a key server apparatus, the image forming apparatus being configured to determine whether document data is private or public, when the document data is determined to be private, then determine a level accessible to the document data, and transmit level information indicating the level and the document data to the first document server apparatus, the first document server apparatus being configured to receive the level information and the document data from the image forming apparatus, generate a document ID for identifying the document data, store the document data in association with the document ID, transmit the document ID to the image forming apparatus, determine an accessible user ID that identifies a user accessible to the document data based on the level information, generate a public key and a private key used to encrypt the document data.