IP Library Granted Patent US 12665767
Granted Patent B2
US 12665767 · App. 18/239,632 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Image processing apparatus, system, and data management method

Inventor: Tsuyoshi Nagao (Sakai City, JP)
Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
H04L9/3236H04L9/3213
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12665767
App. No.
18/239,632
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a storage and a controller. The storage stores acquired data, and the controller verifies authenticity of the data. When the authenticity of the data is confirmed, the controller transmits the data to a service and deletes the data from the storage.

Claims (53)

1 . An image processing apparatus comprising:

a storage; and

a controller, wherein

the storage stores data that is acquired from an external apparatus, and

the controller acquires, from an authentication service, a time stamp token that is added to the data, the time stamp token including a first hash value,

the controller compares whether a second hash value that is generated from the data stored in the storage matches the first hash value that is included in the time stamp token, and

the controller, when the second hash value matches the first hash value, transmits the data to a cloud server, and deletes the data from the storage in a case that the image processing apparatus receives, from the cloud server, a response to the data transmission.

2 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the time stamp token includes time information that is added by the authentication service.

3 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the response indicates that the data is linked to the cloud server.

4 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller causes the cloud server to store the data in a storage area that is associated with a transmitter that has transmitted the data according to information on the transmitter.

5 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the cloud server includes a plurality of cloud servers, and

the controller transmits the data to a cloud server, of the plurality of cloud servers, that is associated with a transmitter that has transmitted the data according to information on the transmitter.

6 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

the controller transmits the data to two or more of the plurality of cloud servers according to the information on the transmitter that has transmitted the data.

7 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the data includes image data.

8 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the data includes FAX data that is received from the external apparatus via a FAX line,

when the second hash value does not match the first hash value, the image processing apparatus:

displays a notification on a display of the image processing apparatus, or

transmits the notification to a device of a user operating the image processing apparatus or an administrator of the image processing apparatus, and

the notification includes a message indicating that an error has occurred with regard to the FAX data or a message indicating a failure of storing the FAX data in the cloud server.

9 . A system including an image processing apparatus that communicates with a cloud server and a time stamping server, wherein

the image processing apparatus calculates a first hash value of data that is acquired from an external apparatus,

the image processing apparatus transmits, to the time stamping server, a request to add a time stamp token to the data,

the image processing apparatus receives, from the time stamping server, data added with the time stamp token, and stores the data added with the time stamp token,

the cloud server receives the data added with the time stamp token from the image processing apparatus, and stores the data added with the time stamp token, and

in a case that the first hash value matches a second hash value included in the time stamp token, the image processing apparatus deletes the data added with the time stamp, that is stored in the image processing apparatus, in a case that the image processing apparatus receives, from the cloud server, a response to the reception of the data added with the time stamp token.

10 . The system according to claim 9 , wherein

the cloud server includes a plurality of cloud servers, and

the image processing apparatus transmits the data added with the time stamp token to the cloud server that is associated with a transmitter that has transmitted the data added with the time stamp token according to information on the transmitter.

11 . A data management method performed by an image processing apparatus, the data management method comprising:

storing data, that is acquired from an external apparatus, in a storage device;

acquiring, from an authentication service, a time stamp token that is added to the data, the time stamp token including a first hash value;

comparing whether a second hash value that is generated from the data stored in the storage matches the first hash value that is included in the time stamp token;

in a case that the second hash value matches the first hash value, transmitting the data to a cloud server; and

deleting the data from the storage device in a case that the image processing apparatus receives, form the cloud server, a response to the data transmission.

12 . The system according to claim 9 , wherein

the data includes FAX data that is received from the external apparatus,

when the first hash value does not match the second hash value, the image processing apparatus:

displays a notification on a display of the image processing apparatus, or

transmits the notification to a device of a user operating the image processing apparatus or an administrator of the image processing apparatus, and

the notification includes a message indicating that an error has occurred with regard to the FAX data or a message indicating a failure of storing the FAX data in the cloud server.

13 . The data management method according to claim 11 , wherein

the data includes FAX data that is received from the external apparatus,

when the second hash value does not match the first hash value, the data management method further comprises:

displaying a notification on a display of the image processing apparatus, or

transmitting the notification to a device of a user operating the image processing apparatus or an administrator of the image processing apparatus, and

the notification includes a message indicating that an error has occurred with regard to the FAX data or a message indicating a failure of storing the FAX data in the cloud server.