Information processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image forming system, information processing method, and image forming method

1. An information processing apparatus which transmits, via a network, image data to be output from an image forming apparatus, comprising:

an authentication information input portion which inputs authentication information of a user inputted by the user;

an identifying unit that identifies an authentication method of the authentication information input by said authentication information input portion;

a first determination portion which determines whether an authentication portion of the image forming apparatus is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user input by said authentication information input portion; and

a transmission controller which,

(i) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user input by said authentication information input portion, controls data transmission so that data obtained by adding the authentication information of the user to the image data and output restriction information indicating whether or not to permit operation in a print mode of a predetermined color are transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and

(ii) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is not adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user input by said authentication information input portion, controls data transmission so that the image data is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing apparatus is notified of the authentication method of the authentication portion of the image forming apparatus, and

said first determination portion comprises an authentication information identification portion which identifies the authentication method of the authentication information on the basis of an information amount of the authentication information, and determines whether the authentication method of the authentication portion of the image forming apparatus matches the identified authentication method of the authentication information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication method includes at least one of a fingerprint, retina, voice, and password of the user.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing apparatus is another image forming apparatus different from the image forming apparatus to which the image data is sent.

5. An information processing apparatus which receives authentication information of a user and image data to be output from an image forming apparatus via a network, comprising:

an identifying unit that identifies an authentication method of the authentication information of the user;

a first determination portion which determines whether an authentication portion of the image forming apparatus is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user received by the information processing apparatus; and

a transmission controller which

(i) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user received by the information processing apparatus, controls data transmission so that data obtained by adding the authentication information of the user to the image data and output restriction information indicating whether or not to permit operation in a print mode of a redetermined color are transmitted to the image forming apparatus,

(ii) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is not adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user received by the information processing apparatus, controls data transmission so that the image data is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the information processing apparatus is notified of the authentication method of the authentication portion of the image forming apparatus, and

said first determination portion comprises an authentication information identification portion which identifies the authentication method of the authentication information received by the information processing apparatus on the basis of an information amount of the authentication information, and determines whether the authentication method of the authentication portion of the image forming apparatus matches the identified authentication method of the authentication information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the authentication method includes at least one of a fingerprint, retina, voice, and password of the user.

8. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus which outputs image data transmitted from an information processing apparatus via a network,

the information processing apparatus comprising:

an authentication information input portion which inputs authentication information of a user inputted by the user;

an identifying unit that identifies an authentication method of the authentication information input by said authentication information input portion;

a first determination portion which determines whether an authentication portion of the image forming apparatus is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user input by said authentication information input portion; and

a transmission controller which

(i) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user input by said authentication information input portion, controls data transmission so that data obtained by adding the authentication information of the user to the image data and output restriction information indicating whether or not to permit operation in a print mode of a predetermined color are transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and

(ii) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is not adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user input by said authentication information input portion, controls data transmission so that the image data is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and

the image forming apparatus comprising:

an authentication portion which inputs the authentication information of the user;

a second determination portion which determines whether the authentication information of the user input by the authentication portion matches the authentication information of the user included in the data transmitted by said transmission controller; and

an image formation controller which outputs the image data when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information of the user input by the authentication portion and the authentication information of the user included in the data transmitted by said transmission controller match each other; and

a restriction portion that restricts outputting of the image data by said image formation controller based on the output restriction information.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the information processing apparatus is notified of the authentication method of the authentication portion of the image forming apparatus, and

said first determination portion comprises an authentication information identification portion which identifies the authentication method of the authentication information input by said authentication information input portion on the basis of an information amount of the authentication information input by said authentication information input portion, and determines whether the authentication method of the authentication portion of the image forming apparatus matches the identified authentication method of the authentication information.

10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the authentication method includes at least one of a fingerprint, retina, voice, and password of the user.

11. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the information processing apparatus adds output restriction information to restrict output of the image data in the image forming apparatus, and

said image formation controller controls the output of the image data on the basis of the output restriction information.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein said image formation controller permits decoding of encrypted image data on the basis of the output restriction information when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information input by said authentication portion and the transmitted authentication information match each other and inhibits decoding when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information input by said authentication portion and the transmitted authentication information do not match each other.

13. The system according to claim 8 , wherein when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information input by said authentication portion and the transmitted authentication information do not match each other, the image forming apparatus inhibits access to the image data stored in the information processing apparatus.

14. An image forming system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus;

a second information processing apparatus which receives image data from the first information processing apparatus via a network; and

an image forming apparatus which outputs the image data from the second information processing apparatus via the network,

the first information processing apparatus comprising:

an authentication information input portion which inputs authentication information of a user inputted by the user; and

a first transmission controller which transmits (i) designation information of the image forming apparatus, (ii) the image data, and (iii) the authentication information of the user to the second information processing apparatus,

the second information processing apparatus comprising:

an identifying unit that identifies an authentication method of authentication information received from the first information processing apparatus;

a first determination portion which determines whether an authentication portion of the designated image forming apparatus is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user received from the first information processing apparatus; and

a second transmission controller which:

(i) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user received from the first information processing apparatus, controls data transmission so that data obtained by adding the authentication information of the user to the image data and output restriction information indicating whether or not to permit operation in a print mode of a predetermination color are transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and

(ii) in a case where said first determination portion determines that the authentication portion is not adapted to authenticate the authentication method of the authentication information of the user received from the first information processing apparatus, controls data transmission so that the image data is not transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and

the image forming apparatus comprising:

an authentication portion which inputs authentication information of a user;

a second determination portion which determines whether authentication information of the user input by said authentication portion matches the authentication information of the user included in the data transmitted by said second transmission controller;

an image formation controller which outputs the image data when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information of the user input by said authentication portion and the authentication information of the user included in the data transmitted by said second transmission controller match each other; and

a restriction portion that restricts outputting of the image data by said image formation controller based on the output restriction information.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the second information processing apparatus is notified of the authentication method of said authentication portion of the image forming apparatus, and

said first determination portion comprises an authentication information identification portion which identifies the authentication method of the authentication information input by said authentication information input portion on the basis of an information amount of the authentication information input by said authentication information input portion, and determines whether the authentication method of said authentication portion of the image forming apparatus matches the identified authentication method of the authentication information.

16. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the authentication method includes at least one of a fingerprint, retina, voice, and password of the user.

17. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the first information processing apparatus adds output restriction information to restrict output of the image data in the image forming apparatus, and transfers the image data to the second image processing apparatus; and

said image formation controller controls the output of the image data on the basis of the output restriction information received from the second image processing apparatus with the image data.

18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein said image formation controller permits decoding of encrypted image data on the basis of the output restriction information when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information input by said authentication portion and the transmitted authentication information match each other and inhibits decoding when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information input by said authentication portion and the transmitted authentication information do not match each other.

19. The system according to claim 14 , wherein when said second determination portion determines that the authentication information input by said authentication portion and the transmitted authentication information do not match each other, the image forming apparatus inhibits access to the image data stored in the second information processing apparatus.