Multifunction Peripheral Command Execution Permission Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multifunction peripherals face issues where access-restriction programs block not only unauthorized control commands but also status information, preventing users from browsing sites and transmitting essential status information from the peripheral to the server.
Innovation Solution
A multifunction peripheral with an execution permission judging section that differentiates between highly-reliable and hardly-reliable software by storing location information of permissible software, allowing execution of control commands from reliable sources while blocking those from unreliable ones without obstructing other information communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an access-restriction program is used to block unauthorized control commands, then security is improved, but communication of status information and browsing functionality are blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication data into two categories: control commands (which require security verification) and other information (which should be freely communicated). The access restriction mechanism selectively applies to control commands only, allowing status information and browsing to proceed unblocked while maintaining security for command execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different types of data traffic. Control commands receive strict security verification (high restriction), while status information and browsing data receive permissive treatment (low restriction). This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing security-critical paths to be restricted while non-critical paths remain open.
2Reliability
If control commands are encrypted using SSL protocol, then security is improved, but applications unable to use encryption protocol cannot be supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security verification mechanism from the SSL encryption protocol and implements it as a separate, protocol-agnostic approach. Instead of requiring all applications to use SSL, the system uses vendor keys and security identifiers that can be embedded in control commands regardless of the communication protocol used, thereby maintaining security while improving application compatibility.
3Reliability
If vendor keys are used to identify reliable applications, then security is improved, but communication data must be transmitted via secure channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by embedding vendor keys and security identifiers into control commands before transmission. This allows the multifunction peripheral to verify application authenticity at the point of command reception without requiring secure channel establishment, thereby simplifying the communication protocol requirements while maintaining security.
Data Source
AI summary
The storage section of the multifunction peripheral stores location information containing a storage location of software which transmits a control command whose execution is permissible. The execution permission judging section of the multifunction peripheral includes (I) a storage location detecting section which detects a storage location of software which has participated in a transmission of a received control command and (II) a command permitting/prohibiting section which (i) prohibits execution of the received control command when a storage location indicated by the location information is not detected by the storage location detecting section but (ii) permits execution of the received control command when the storage location is detected by the storage location detecting section.