INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD AND PROGRAM OF CONTROLLING AN INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a scanning unit adapted to scan a document on which a signature is handwritten, a handwritten signature extraction unit adapted to extract the handwritten signature from the scanning unit, a handwritten signature authentication unit adapted to authenticate the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit, based on authentication information, and a permission unit adapted to, if the handwritten signature is successfully authenticated by the handwritten signature authentication unit, grant permission of a process on the scanned document.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a manner in which an information processing apparatus is operated according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a functional block configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an overview of processes associated with respective functions according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation command input screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a general process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a scanning process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a handwritten signature extraction process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a document restricted in terms of processes performed thereon.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a process of granting permission of a process on a document restricted in terms of processes performed thereon.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a document in which handwritten signature identification data is embedded according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a handwritten signature authentication registration database according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing a handwritten signature authentication process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing a process of executing an operation specified by an input command according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing a process of acquiring online handwritten signature authentication data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an online handwritten signature authentication process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 shows an example of an online handwritten signature authentication registration database according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 shows an example of a rule of necessity of second authentication according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing a process of executing an operation specified by an input command according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing a second authentication necessity determination process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 shows an example of a second authentication necessity rule registration screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing a second authentication necessity rule registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart showing an online handwritten signature registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 shows an example of a document in which a handwritten signature written on the document is embedded according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart showing a handwritten signature embedding process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a scanning unit adapted to scan a document on which a signature is handwritten;a handwritten signature extraction unit adapted to extract the handwritten signature from the scanned document scanned by the scanning unit;a handwritten signature authentication unit adapted to authenticate the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit, based on authentication information; anda permission unit adapted to, if the handwritten signature is successfully authenticated by the handwritten signature authentication unit, grant permission of a process on the scanned document.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit adapted to output the scanned document scanned by the scanning unit, wherein the output unit is adapted to output a document obtained by deleting the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit from the scanned document scanned by the scanning unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recognition unit adapted to recognize a restriction on a process on the scanned document, wherein the permission unit is adapted to grant permission of the process, which has been recognized by the recognition unit as being restricted for the scanned document, on the scanned document.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit, wherein the authentication information is information including handwritten signature information and user information stored in advance in the storage unit, in a form in which the handwritten signature information and the user information are related to each other, andthe handwritten signature authentication unit is adapted to check similarity between the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit and the handwritten signature information in the authentication information, and positively authenticates the handwritten signature when it is determined that the similarity is high.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication information extraction unit adapted to extract authentication information necessary for authentication, from the document, wherein the handwritten signature authentication unit performs the authentication using the authentication information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the authentication information is handwritten signature information from which the handwritten signature is reproducible, andthe handwritten signature authentication unit is adapted to check similarity between the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit and the handwritten signature reproduced from the handwritten signature information, and positively authenticates the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit when it is determined that the similarity is high.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the authentication information is identification information that identifies a handwritten signature from a database in which handwritten signatures are stored in advance in one-to-one connection with identification information,wherein the handwritten signature authentication unit is adapted to check similarity between the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit and the handwritten signature identified by the identification information, and positively authenticates the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit when it is determined that the similarity is high.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an online handwritten signature input unit, wherein the handwritten signature authentication unit is adapted to check similarity between the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit and a handwritten signature input via the online handwritten signature input unit, and positively authenticates the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit when it is determined that the similarity is high.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the process permitted by the permission unit varies depending on the similarity level determined by the handwritten signature authentication unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a handwritten signature registration unit adapted to register, as a handwritten signature, an online handwritten signature input via the online handwritten signature input unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an embedding unit adapted to embed information associated with the handwritten signature extracted by the extraction unit into the document scanned by the scanning unit.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process permitted by the permission unit is at least one of printing, transmission, displaying, and original document searching.

13. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: scanning a document on which a signature is handwritten;extracting the handwritten signature from the scanned document scanned;authenticating the handwritten signature extracted, based on authentication information; andif the handwritten signature is successfully authenticated, granting permission of a process on the scanned document.

14. A computer program implementing a method of controlling an information processing apparatus, the computer program being readable and executable by the information processing apparatus, the method implemented by the computer program comprising: scanning a document on which a signature is handwritten;extracting the handwritten signature from the scanned document;authenticating the handwritten signature extracted, based on authentication information; andif the handwritten signature is successfully authenticated, granting permission of a process on the scanned document.

15. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: scanning a document on which a signature is handwritten;extracting the handwritten signature from the scanned document; andgranting permission of a process on the scanned document, in accordance with a result of authentication performed, based on authentication information, for the handwritten signature extracted.