Authentication system, shared terminal, and authentication method

1. An authentication system comprising:

a shared terminal; and

at least one information processing apparatus coupled to the shared terminal via a communication network, wherein

the shared terminal includes:

an authentication controller configured to, upon detecting that the shared terminal is activated, acquire authentication screen data, from the at least one information processing apparatus, for authentication performed for using an internal function of the shared terminal, display an authentication screen based on the acquired authentication screen data, and transmit, to the at least one information processing apparatus, input information that is input to the displayed authentication screen by a user; and

an internal function operator configured to display a screen for using the internal function of the shared terminal, upon acquiring information indicating that an authentication process, which is performed based on the input information at the at least one information processing apparatus, is successful,

wherein the authentication controller acquires information indicating an authentication method that is set from the at least one information processing apparatus, and displays the authentication screen based on the authentication method indicated in the acquired information,

the information indicating the authentication method includes information indicating a default authentication method and an enabled authentication method, and

the authentication controller displays the authentication screen based on the default authentication method, and upon accepting an operation of selecting the enabled authentication method, the authentication controller changes the displayed authentication screen to the authentication screen based on the selected enabled authentication method.

2. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein

the authentication performed for using the internal function is a first authentication, and the authentication screen data for performing the first authentication is first authentication screen data, and

the shared terminal further includes:

an external function operator configured to display second authentication screen data transmitted from the at least one information processing apparatus, for a second authentication performed for using, at the shared terminal, an external function provided to the shared terminal by the authentication system, and wherein

the first authentication screen data and the second authentication screen data are stored as identical authentication screen data in the at least one information processing apparatus, and

the first authentication screen data and the second authentication screen data are called by the authentication controller or the external function operator and are displayed on an operation screen of the shared terminal.

3. The authentication system according to claim 2 , wherein

the external function is implemented by a web application program,

the external function operator is implemented by a web browser application, and

the web browser application displays a screen defined in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) data returned as a result of a process by the web application program.

4. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein

the authentication controller is configured by an application including a web browser function, and

the application displays the authentication screen based on the authentication screen data for the authentication performed for using the internal function, by using the web browser function.

5. The authentication system according to claim 4 , wherein

the authentication controller erases the authentication screen according to information received from the authentication system when the authentication for using the internal function is successful, to display the screen for using the internal function.

6. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein

the shared terminal further includes:

a main body authenticator configured to determine whether to approve of execution of the internal function upon detecting that authentication for using the internal function is successful outside the shared terminal, when the shared terminal is set to execute the authentication for using the internal function, wherein

the authentication controller acquires, from the authentication system, information indicating that the authentication is successful outside the shared terminal when the authentication for using the internal function performed by the authentication system is successful, and transmits the acquired information to the main body authenticator when the shared terminal is set to execute the authentication for using the internal function, and

the main body authenticator determines that the authentication performed for using the internal function is successful and approves of the execution of the internal function, upon receiving the information indicating that the authentication is successful outside the shared terminal.

7. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication controller acquires device registration screen data from the at least one information processing apparatus, displays the acquired device registration screen data, and registers the shared terminal with the authentication system as a terminal for cooperating with the authentication system.

8. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein

the shared terminal further includes:

an activation controller configured to cause the authentication controller to request the authentication for using the internal function, to outside the shared terminal, upon detecting that the shared terminal is activated or the shared terminal has returned to a standard mode from an energy saving mode.

9. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein

the authentication performed for using the internal function is first authentication, and the authentication screen data for performing the first authentication is first authentication screen data,

the internal function operator requests the authentication controller to display the authentication screen when performing third authentication after usage of the internal function has started,

the authentication controller displays third authentication screen data for the third authentication, transmitted from the at least one information processing apparatus,

the first authentication screen data and the third authentication screen data are stored as identical authentication screen data in the at least one information processing apparatus, and

the first authentication screen data and the third authentication screen data are called by the authentication controller and are displayed on an operation screen of the shared terminal.

10. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein when an authentication method performed by cooperating with an external service is set for performing the authentication, the at least one information processing apparatus acquires user information from an apparatus that provides the external service set in advance, and performs the authentication process based on the acquired user information.

11. The authentication system according to claim 1 , wherein

when an authentication method performed by selecting a user is set for performing the authentication, the at least one information processing apparatus transmits the authentication screen data including information indicating a list of users, and

the authentication controller displays the authentication screen data and accepts a selection of a user to be authenticated from the list of users.

12. A shared terminal shared by a plurality of users, the shared terminal comprising:

an authentication controller configured to acquire authentication screen data, upon detecting that the shared terminal is activated, from an information processing apparatus coupled to the shared terminal via a communication network, for authentication performed for using an internal function of the shared terminal, display an authentication screen based on the acquired authentication screen data, and transmit, to the information processing apparatus, input information that is input to the displayed authentication screen by a user; and

an internal function operator configured to display a screen for using the internal function of the shared terminal, upon acquiring a signal indicating that an authentication process, which is performed based on the input information at the information processing apparatus, is successful,

wherein the authentication controller acquires information indicating an authentication method that is set from the information processing apparatus, and displays the authentication screen based on the authentication method indicated in the acquired information,

the information indicating the authentication method includes information indicating a default authentication method and an enabled authentication method, and

the authentication controller displays the authentication screen based on the default authentication method, and upon accepting an operation of selecting the enabled authentication method, the authentication controller changes the displayed authentication screen to the authentication screen based on the selected enabled authentication method.

13. An authentication method performed by a shared terminal, the authentication method comprising:

acquiring authentication screen data, upon detecting that the shared terminal is activated, from an information processing apparatus coupled to the shared terminal via a communication network, for authentication performed for using an internal function of the shared terminal, and displaying an authentication screen based on the acquired authentication screen data;

transmitting, to the information processing apparatus, input information that is input to the displayed authentication screen by a user;

displaying a screen for using the internal function of the shared terminal, upon acquiring a signal indicating that an authentication process, which is performed based on the input information at the information processing apparatus, is successful,

acquiring information indicating an authentication method that is set from the information processing apparatus, and displays the authentication screen based on the authentication method indicated in the acquired information, said information indicating the authentication method including information indicating a default authentication method and an enabled authentication method, and

displaying the authentication screen based on the default authentication method, and upon accepting an operation of selecting the enabled authentication method, changing the displayed authentication screen to the authentication screen based on the selected enabled authentication method.