Network Storage Access Mediation for Image Processing Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing apparatuses, such as multifunction peripherals, face difficulties in efficiently accessing and managing network storage without requiring software updates or additional applications, especially when network storage specifications change or new storage is added.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus with a communication device, access-right information storage, and controller facilitates data upload and download between network storage and image processing apparatuses by associating access rights with user identification, enabling seamless access management without the need for software updates or additional applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If image processing apparatuses directly access network storage without an information processing apparatus, then data transfer can occur, but the system requires software updates and additional applications when storage specifications change
Solution Approach 1:
An information processing apparatus is introduced as an intermediary between the image processing apparatus and network storage. This mediator handles authentication with the storage system, manages access rights, and coordinates data transfer operations. The image processing apparatus only needs to communicate with the information processing apparatus, which in turn communicates with the storage system, eliminating the need for the image processing apparatus to directly handle storage protocol changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The information processing apparatus serves multiple functions: it acts as an authentication server, a access rights manager, and a data transfer coordinator. By consolidating these functions in a single system, the solution avoids requiring multiple separate applications or software components in the image processing apparatus, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If image processing apparatuses implement direct storage access functionality, then data transfer capability is achieved, but the system becomes complex and requires maintenance updates
Solution Approach 1:
The complex authentication and access management functions are extracted from the image processing apparatus and placed in the information processing apparatus. This extraction allows the image processing apparatus to maintain simple data transfer operations while the information processing apparatus handles the complex authentication, access rights verification, and storage system communication.
3Reliability
If access rights are not managed centrally, then direct access is possible, but access control and security management become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The information processing apparatus serves as a central intermediary that manages all access rights to the network storage. It maintains access right information associated with user identification information and verifies authentication before allowing data transfer operations. This centralized management approach ensures reliable access control without requiring complex distributed authentication systems in each image processing apparatus.
Data Source
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AI summary
An information processing apparatus (3) includes a communication device (32), an access-right information storage device (332), and a controller (310). The communication device (32) performs data communication with an external device, via a network (NW). The access-right information storage device (332) contains access-right information with respect to a storage (21) on the network (NW), in association with user identification information for identifying a user. The controller (310) makes access to the storage (21) according to a processing request from the user, in a case where the access-right information, associated with the user identification information of the user requesting the processing, is stored in the access-right information storage device (332), when the communication device (32) receives, from an external image processing apparatus (1), the processing request to the storage (21) from the user, and causes the storage (21) and the image processing apparatus (1) to upload and download data between each other, via the communication device (32).