Password Certification for Image Forming Apparatus via Bit Train Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses with box functions face the challenge of password leakage when connected via a communication network, compromising the security of stored image data.
Innovation Solution
A method involving inputting a storage section ID and password, transmitting only the password to the image forming apparatus, and certifying it based on bit train data received, ensuring that user information like box number and name are not transmitted, thus preventing password exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the password is transmitted to the image forming apparatus via communication network, then the password certification function can be implemented, but the password may be intercepted and leaked by other computers connected to the network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary password information for certification while removing all user-identifying information (box number, box name, user name) from the transmitted data. This allows password verification to occur without exposing which user account corresponds to which password, preventing password leakage while maintaining authentication functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bit train data as an intermediary element that represents storage section permissions without directly exposing user identity or password correspondence. The bit train acts as a mediator between the password input and the authentication result, allowing verification while protecting the mapping between users and their passwords.
2Ease of operation
If user information including box number and box name is transmitted during password certification, then the certification process is complete, but the correspondence between user and password can be deciphered by intercepting the transmitted data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transmits only the essential password data for authentication while deliberately excluding user-identifying information such as box number, box name, and user name from the transmission. This extraction approach enables the certification process to function while removing the vulnerable elements that would expose password-user correspondence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the certification data into two parts: essential authentication data (password) that can be transmitted, and sensitive identifying data (user information) that remains local. This segmentation allows the certification process to proceed with minimal transmitted data, reducing the attack surface for password interception while maintaining operational completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus applied to a system where an image forming apparatus and a PC are connected to one another via a communication network. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of boxes which store image data, a correspondence table which shows the correspondence between box numbers for specifying the boxes and passwords registered for the boxes, a collate section which receives a password from the PC, collates the received password with the passwords registered in the correspondence table, and detects the box number of the box in which the password coinciding with the received password has been registered and the box numbers of the boxes in which no password has been registered from the plurality of boxes, and a transmitting section which transmits a value indicating the box number detected by the collate section to the PC.