Print Control Server Secure SNS Printer Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing print control systems through social networking services (SNS) face security risks due to the potential leakage of printer IDs and settings to unauthorized third parties, as these IDs can be viewed and misregistered by inappropriate users.
Innovation Solution
A print control server that registers user accounts and printer settings, issues a password for sharing print settings between accounts, and authenticates the password posted on the SNS to ensure secure registration and sharing of print settings, reducing the burden of manual input and minimizing sharing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a user posts a printer ID on a chat room to register a printer, then the printer can be registered and printing can be executed, but the printer ID and settings may be viewed and misregistered by unauthorized third parties, compromising security
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the printer identification function from the printer ID itself and separates it into two components: a user-defined nickname (posted publicly on SNS) and a system-generated unique identifier (stored securely on the server). This allows the nickname to be freely shared for registration purposes while the actual printer identification remains protected, resolving the contradiction between ease of registration and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a nickname as an intermediary between the user and the printer. Instead of directly exposing the printer ID, the system uses the nickname as a mediator that can be publicly posted on SNS for registration requests, while the actual printer identification is handled through secure server-mediated authentication, thus maintaining both convenience and security.
2Ease of operation
If printer settings are shared between multiple accounts on SNS, then the burden of manual input is reduced and sharing errors are minimized, but the risk of unauthorized access and leakage of print settings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication by requiring password verification before allowing print setting sharing between accounts. The system pre-establishes secure authentication mechanisms and validates user identities before permitting any sharing operations, thus enabling convenient sharing while preventing unauthorized access from the outset.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the server as an intermediary to manage print setting sharing between multiple SNS accounts. Instead of direct account-to-account sharing that could expose settings, the server acts as a secure mediator that controls authentication, manages sharing permissions, and protects print settings from unauthorized access while still enabling convenient multi-account sharing.
Data Source
AI summary
A print control server that controls printing through an SNS includes a registration section configured to register, in association with each other, a first account that is an account of a user of the SNS and print setting information including designation information of a printer to be used for printing. The registration section issues a first password when accepting a designation of the first account and a designation of a second account that is an account of a user of the SNS and that is to be a share destination of a print setting, notifies the first account of the first password through the SNS, and registers, when a password posted on the SNS by the second account coincides with the first password, the print setting information registered in association with the first account also in association with the second account.