Access control apparatus and access control method

Abstract

Disclosed is an access control apparatus controls access to a storage device and includes an access password input device that receives an input of an access password; an access control information acquiring unit that acquires access control information indicating an access password to be inputted for access; an access controller that controls access to a file stored in a file storage region, based on the inputted access password and the access control information, wherein the access controller is operable when different region access passwords are set for accessing a first file storage region and a second file storage region, respectively, to control access after a file stored in the first file storage region has been transported to the second file storage region so that at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region is inherited after transportation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing one example of the appearance of an MFP 100.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one example of the hardware construction of the MFP 100.

FIG. 3 is a diagram useful in explaining about boxes.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one example of the content of a table storing access control information for each box.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing one example of the content of a table storing access control information for each file.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram useful in explaining one example of the functional construction of the MFP 100 in which an access control apparatus according to a first embodiment has been installed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart useful in explaining the content of processing.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an example where a list of boxes has been displayed on a display unit 12.

FIG. 9 is a view showing one example of a password input screen.

FIG. 10 is a view showing one example where a list of files has been displayed.

FIG. 11 is a view showing one example of a transportation destination box list display screen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram useful in explaining one example of password inheritance.

FIGS. 13A to 13C are diagrams useful in explaining how access control information is updated when a file is copied.

FIGS. 14A to 14C are diagrams useful in explaining how access control information of boxes is updated.

FIGS. 15A to 15C are diagrams useful in explaining how access control information is updated when a file is moved.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart useful in explaining one example of the content of an access control information updating process.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart useful in explaining one example of the content of an access control information updating process when a file is moved.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart useful in explaining one example of the content of an access control information updating process when a file is copied.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing one example of the content of property information of a file.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart useful in explaining one example of the content of an access control process.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram useful in explaining one example of the construction of an access control apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram useful in explaining one example of the content of user passwords.

FIG. 23 is a diagram useful in explaining password inheritance in the second embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram useful in explaining one example where the inheritance of user passwords up to priority ranking “2” has been designated.

FIG. 25 is a view showing one example of a screen for designating up to which priority ranking user passwords are to be inherited.

FIG. 26 is a diagram useful in explaining one example where only user passwords of the user who instructed an immediately preceding transportation are inherited.

FIG. 27 is a diagram useful in explaining access control according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing one example of the content of property information in a case where access control information is added to the property information of a file.

FIG. 29 is a view showing one example of an access control information modifying screen.

FIG. 30 is a view showing one example of a screen for setting whether passwords are to be inherited.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing one example of a screen for designating which passwords are to be inherited (or added).

Claims

1. An access control apparatus that controls access to a storage device containing a plurality of file storage regions that are respectively capable of storing a plurality of files, the access control apparatus comprising: an access password input device that receives an input of an access password;an access control information acquiring unit that acquires access control information indicating an access password to be inputted for accessing to a file stored in a file storage region in the case where a region access password is set for the file storage region; andan access controller that controls access to a file stored in a file storage region, based on the inputted access password and the access control information,wherein the access controller is operable when different region access passwords are set for accessing a first file storage region and a second file storage region, respectively, to control access after a file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region so that at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region is inherited after the file has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.

2. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an access control information updating unit that updates the access control information so that the file that has been moved or copied to the second file storage region can be accessed using at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region after the file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.

3. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a default password input device that receives an input of a default password set for a file storage region for which a region access password has not been set.

4. The access control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the default password can be updated after being set.

5. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access controller controls access so that after the file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region, the file that has been moved or copied to the second file storage region can be accessed using the region access password set for the first file storage region.

6. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access controller controls access so that every file inside the second file storage region can be accessed using the region password set for the first file storage region after the file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.

7. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inherited password designation input device that receives an input designating a password to be inherited after moving or copying.

8. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inheritance cancellation input device operable to receive an input designating that passwords that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region are not to be inherited after the file has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.

9. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a file modification determining unit operable when a file with the same name as the file is present in the second file storage region, to determine whether the files have different contents,wherein the access controller switches an access control method after the file has been moved or copied to the second file storage region according to a determination result of the file modification determining unit.

10. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a file existence history determining unit that determines whether a file with the same name as the file has ever existed in the second file storage region,wherein the access controller switches an access control method after the file has been moved or copied to the second file storage region according to a determination result of the file existence history determining unit.

11. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an instruction user identification unit that identifies a user who instructed moving or copying of the file,wherein the access control information acquiring unit acquires a user password set for each user as the access control information, andthe access controller controls access so that the file that has been moved or copied to the second file storage region can be accessed using the user password set for the user identified by the instruction user identification unit after the file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.

12. The access control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of the user passwords can be set together with respective priority rankings.

13. The access control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the access controller controls access so that the file after moving or copying to the second file storage region can be accessed using user passwords with priority rankings up to one of the priority rankings.

14. The access control apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an effective user password priority input device that receives an input designating an effective priority ranking, wherein the file after moving or copying to the second file storage region is accessible using user passwords with priority rankings up to the effective priority ranking.

15. The access control apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising an access control information updating unit that updates the access control information, wherein the access control information updating unit updates the access control information for the file after moving or copying in accordance with an input received by the effective user password priority input device.

16. An access control method of controlling access to a storage device containing a plurality of file storage regions that are respectively capable of storing a plurality of files, the access control method comprising the steps of: receiving an input of an access password;acquiring access control information indicating an access password to be inputted for accessing to a file stored in a file storage region in the case where a region access password is set for the file storage region;controlling access to a file stored in a file storage region, based on the inputted access password and the access control information; andcontrolling access to a file that has been moved or copied from a first file storage region to a second file storage region so that at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region is inherited when different region access passwords are set for accessing the first file storage region and the second file storage region, respectively.

17. The access control method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of: updating the access control information so that the file that has been moved or copied to the second file storage region can be accessed using at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region after the file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.

18. A recording medium on which an access control program is stored, the access control program causing a processor to execute the steps of: acquiring an input of an access password;acquiring access control information indicating an access password to be inputted for accessing to a file stored in a file storage region in the case where a region access password is set for the file storage region;controlling access to a file stored in a file storage region, based on the inputted access password and the access control information; andcontrolling access to a file that has been moved or copied from a first file storage region to a second file storage region so that at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region is inherited when different region access passwords are set for accessing the first file storage region and the second file storage region, respectively.

19. An image processing apparatus including a storage device in which a plurality of file storage regions that are respectively capable of storing a plurality of files can be allocated, the image processing apparatus comprising: a scanner unit that reads a document image to obtain image data;an image data processing unit that stores the image data obtained by the scanner unit in one of the file storage regions as an image file;a printer unit that prints an image data file stored in one of the file storage regions;an access password input device that receives an input of an access password;an access control information acquiring unit that acquires access control information indicating an access password to be inputted for accessing to a file stored in a file storage region in the case where a region access password is set for the file storage region;an access controller that controls access to a file stored in a file storage region, based on the inputted access password and the access control information; andan access control information updating unit operable when different region access passwords are set for accessing a first file storage region and a second file storage region, respectively, to update the access control information so that the file that has been moved or copied to the second file storage region can be accessed using at least one password that could be used to access the file in the first file storage region after the file stored in the first file storage region has been moved or copied to the second file storage region.