JP2008093903A - Image information processing system and image information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid a deterioration in the processing performance of a file server and the data transfer performance of a network by facilitating the retention of large-sized RIP data, which is a problem when an image processing system is used as a POD printing system. <P>SOLUTION: This image information processing system is equipped with: a portable removable mass storage unit which comprises at least a disk controller means for controlling a mass storage device, a cipher/decode processing means, a user authentication means, and a nonvolatile memory means; and an image information processing apparatus on which the removable mass storage unit can be attached. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image information processing system including a portable storage device, and more particularly to an image information processing method in an image information processing system using the storage device.

  2. Description of the Related Art A so-called multi-function peripheral (MFP) in which a printer function and a scanner function are integrated as device functions is conventionally used for copying documents in an office, for network printing of electronic files, or for scanning paper documents. Has been central. However, with recent technical accumulation of electrophotographic engines, improvements in image quality and printing speed (throughput) have been realized. Along with this, the MFP has been used beyond the conventional purpose of office work, and is considered to be used in the so-called commercial printing (POD: Print on demand) area.

  With the use in the POD field, the capacity of image data handled by the MFP has increased, and the capacity of the necessary storage area has continued to increase. In addition, there is a demand for unique technical requirements in POD printing, for example, the need to eliminate color misregistration during reprinting as much as possible. In order to eliminate color misregistration during reprinting, the print data is not stored as PDL (Printer Description Language) data, but is stored as data after image conversion by RIP (Raster image processing) processing. It has been taken. If RIP data is regenerated from PDF data by changing the printing device, color misregistration may occur. Therefore, the printing device is fixed and the printing data is stored in the RIP data state for the device. The storage location for RIP data requires a larger data storage capacity. When RIP data is stored in the HDD built in the MFP, there is a problem that the HDD capacity of the MFP is immediately reduced.

  On the other hand, the need for ensuring data security is also increasing in MFPs today. From this point of view, there is an increasing need to appropriately hold confidential information not only for print data but also for scan data and user address information.

  It is necessary that only authorized persons can access the print data, and that only the authorized person can read the data scanned and stored in the HDD. In addition, even if the HDD is stolen, it is important that data recorded by directly analyzing the disk is read and confidential information is not leaked.

  In order to satisfy the above requirements, in order to retain large-size image data (RIP data, etc.) while ensuring security, the data storage location is connected to the MFP via a network instead of the MFP's built-in HDD. A method is used in which data is stored in a location having a large storage capacity such as a file server, and when reprinting or the like is necessary, the data is transferred again to the MFP via the network and printed.

  However, in this case, a large-scale authentication server system is required for controlling access to the file server, and problems such as a decrease in data transfer performance depending on the file server and the network bandwidth occur. In addition, since data is transmitted through the network, there is also a problem related to information security such as information leakage and falsification of confidential data due to network snooping.

In recent years, a removable storage device that has a user authentication function and realizes data security by permitting the use of data only to an authenticated user and that can be inserted into and removed from a PC has been proposed. (Patent Document 1)
In this proposal, the storage device is configured to be detachable from the PC so that a large amount of data can be stored at a low cost, and it is possible to cope with security problems such as loss or theft of the storage device when the storage device is disconnected from the PC. Yes. If the removable storage device described in this proposal is used to hold RIP-finished large-size data for POD printing, it is possible to cope with the above-mentioned problems of HDD capacity shortage and security problems. .

  However, the removable storage device according to the present proposal is limited to access by fingerprint authentication, and the data stored in the storage area remains raw. Therefore, if the removable storage device is disassembled and the storage area is directly accessed, the data contents may be leaked.

  According to Document 2, it is disclosed that an encryption device is inserted between an external storage device and a computer system to encrypt data to the external storage device.

  However, in this case, when the external storage device is stolen together with the encryption device, the data stored in the external storage device can be decrypted and read. This is because the encryption key information is included in the storage means of the encryption device. Therefore, it is not sufficient for the leakage of information held in the external storage device.

  On the other hand, Document 3 discloses a configuration in which the flow of image data of a copying machine is appropriately switched according to the connection state of an option board.

However, the purpose of this case is only to appropriately switch the flow of image data in the copying machine, and there is no mention of any function intended for data security of image data held in the large-capacity storage device of the copying machine.
JP 2004-110382 A JP-A-11-85621 JP-A-10-210247

  The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art.

  That is, it is possible to easily hold large-sized RIP data, which is a problem when an image processing system such as an MFP is used as a POD printing system, and to avoid deterioration of file server processing performance and network data transfer performance. The purpose is to provide a configuration.

  In addition, it is an object of the present invention to prevent leakage of image data handled in the processing process and other user data in an image processing system such as an MFP or SFP (Single Function Printer).

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an image information processing system according to the present invention includes at least disk controller means for controlling a mass storage device, encryption / decryption processing means, user authentication means, and nonvolatile memory means. And a general-purpose removable large-capacity storage device, and an image information processing apparatus corresponding to the large-capacity removable large-capacity storage device.

  The image processing device detects attachment of the removable mass storage device, and stores print data, scan data, and user personal information in the removable mass storage device, or reads from the removable mass storage device. Features.

  The function of the image processing device is limited while the installation of the removable mass storage device is not detected.

  The image processing apparatus can be set in advance by an administrator of the image processing apparatus in accordance with a function limitation of the image processing apparatus while the removal of the removable mass storage device is not detected.

  The removable mass storage device stores the encryption key and the user password respectively used by the encryption processing means and the user authentication means in the nonvolatile memory means, and each value is stored in the removable mass storage device in a normal use environment. There is no interface that outputs to the outside.

An image information processing method according to the present invention includes:
In the image information processing apparatus, detecting that the removable mass storage device is attached to the image information processing apparatus;
Performing user password authentication by user authentication means of the removable mass storage device;
In the image information processing apparatus, writing and reading data to and from the removable mass storage device when user authentication is successful;
In the image information processing apparatus, detecting a removal signal of the removable mass storage device, and safely removing the removable mass storage device,
In particular, in the process of writing and reading data to and from the removable mass storage device, the removable mass storage device encrypts the data when it is written by the encryption / decryption processing means, and decrypts the data when it is read. It is characterized by.

(Function)
According to the image information processing system configured as described above, the large-capacity storage device is configured to be detachable from the image processing device, so that the capacity is tight when storing and holding large-sized RIP data such as POD printing. However, it can be replaced with another mass storage device. Since POD printing does not use a network or file server, these performance problems do not occur.

  When the mass storage device is attached to the image processing device, RIP data, scan data, and user data held in the mass storage device cannot be accessed without user authentication. Therefore, it is difficult to read data even if the mass storage device is stolen.

  On the other hand, even if a malicious attacker disassembles the large-capacity storage device and directly reads and analyzes the data on the disk, it is impossible to obtain information because the data is encrypted.

  Again, the encryption key and user password are stored in the non-volatile memory, and there is no interface for retrieving them. For this reason, there is no fear that the encryption key or the user password is read out and impersonated as a legitimate user or the encrypted data is illegally decrypted.

  Identification information for specifying the image information processing apparatus is added to the RIP data, and the image information processing apparatus can determine which RIP data should be read from the removable storage device.

  In addition, the removable storage device can secure an inexpensive and large-capacity storage area by using an HDD as a storage device, so that it can easily hold large-sized RIP data handled by the POD printing system. It is. When the user executes POD printing, the RIP data is carried along with the removable storage device and the network is not used at all. Therefore, problems such as performance degradation of the file server and the network can be avoided.

  In addition, the removable storage device has an encryption processing means, and the encryption key cannot be taken out of the removable storage device. For this reason, even if the user loses the removable storage device and a malicious person analyzes the data in the storage device, the data cannot be decrypted.

  As described above, according to the image information processing system of the present invention, according to the image information processing system configured as described above, the large-capacity storage device can be detached from the image processing device. Even when the capacity of the RIP data of large size such as printing is stored and held, it can be replaced with another large capacity storage device even if the capacity is tight. Furthermore, it is possible to own the mass storage device for each user. Since POD printing does not use a network or file server, these performance problems do not occur.

  When the mass storage device is attached to the image processing device, RIP data, scan data, and user data held in the mass storage device cannot be accessed without user authentication. Therefore, it is difficult to read data even if the mass storage device is stolen.

  On the other hand, even if a malicious attacker disassembles the large-capacity storage device and directly reads and analyzes the data on the disk, it is impossible to obtain information because the data is encrypted.

  Again, the encryption key and user password are stored in the non-volatile memory, and there is no interface for retrieving them. For this reason, there is no fear that the encryption key or the user password is read out and impersonated as a legitimate user or the encrypted data is illegally decrypted.

  In addition, encryption processing means and user authentication means necessary for maintaining security are each implemented on the removable storage device side, and the image information processing system side according to the present invention includes means related to encryption technology. Absent. For this reason, it is possible to facilitate the lineup development of the image information processing apparatus and to reduce the cost of product development.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1-1 denotes an MFP, which is an embodiment of an image information processing system according to the present invention.

  Reference numeral 1-2 denotes a removable storage device attach / detach I / F. The I / F specification is standardized, and includes, for example, a serial ATA specification and an IDE specification. The removable storage device (1-3) of the image processing system according to the present invention is attached / detached through the attach / detach I / F.

  The communication device 1-4 performs communication such as a LAN or a telephone line. The MFP also has functions such as FAX transmission / reception, network printing, and document send function, and data is transmitted / received via the communication device 1-4.

  Reference numeral 1-5 denotes an image processing apparatus that performs various image processing such as smoothing such as image resolution conversion processing and color space conversion processing related to a scanned image and printing processing. A scanner unit 1-6 is used to acquire image data from a paper document. A printer unit 1-7 is used to print image data on paper. A CPU 1-8 controls various processes and functions of the MFP. A memory 1-9 is used as a work area necessary for processing by the CPU.

  Reference numeral 1-10 denotes an internal storage device that is used to store image data in the internal storage device when the removable storage device 1-3 is not attached. In the image processing system according to the present invention, it is possible to limit the function of using the built-in storage device 1-10 by the setting of the administrator.

  The contents of the function restriction can be configured so that the system administrator of the image information processing apparatus can set or change in advance. For example, when the removable storage device 1-3 according to the present invention is not installed, only the FAX reception function is enabled, and the FAX transmission function, BOX function, copy function, and Send function cannot be used. The system administrator can strictly manage office information.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a portable removable storage device according to the present invention. The removable storage device corresponds to the removable storage means shown in FIGS. 1 and 1-3, and is one element constituting the image information processing system according to the present invention.

  2 and 2-1 show the entire removable storage device. Each functional element described below is mounted in the housing of the removable storage device 2-1, and is protected by a structure having tamper resistance.

  Reference numeral 2-2 denotes a large-capacity built-in storage device, which normally corresponds to a hard disk drive (HDD). Information handled in the image information processing system according to the present invention including image information is held in the HDD 2-2. Reference numeral 2-3 denotes a CPU, which is used to control command communication between the removable storage device 2-1 and the image information processing device 1-1 and execute processing.

  The RAM 2-4 is used as a work memory area necessary for the processing of the CPU 2-3. When the removable storage device 2-1 is attached to the image information processing device 1-1, the removable storage device 2-1 operates by receiving power supply from the image information processing device 1-1. When it is removed from the image information processing apparatus 1-1, the power supply is lost, and the data held in the RAM 2-4 is also lost. On the other hand, the removable storage device 2-1 according to the present invention has a built-in nonvolatile memory 2-5. The nonvolatile memory 2-5 stores an encryption key and a user password for encrypting / decrypting data. Further, firmware for executing command processing of the removable storage device 2-1 is also stored in the nonvolatile memory 2-5.

  2 and 2-7 are random number generators. The random number generator 2-7 is used to generate an encryption key seed. The hash engine 2-8 calculates and outputs a hash value. When the removable storage device 2-1 is mounted on the image information processing apparatus 1-1, the random number generator 2-7 and the hash engine 2-8 have a unique image information processing apparatus 1-1. Is used for communication for identifying, for example, challenge-response authentication.

  2 and 2-9 are encryption / decryption engines. This is a dedicated coprocessor for encryption processing and decryption processing, and an encryption key stored in the non-volatile memory 2-5 is applied by the encryption / decryption engine, and encryption processing of data written to and read from the HDD 2-2 And decryption process. The encryption / decryption engine 2-9 is designed so as to obtain sufficiently fast performance so that the processing speed of various image processing in the image information processing apparatus 1-1 in FIG. Has been.

  2 and 2-8 are user authentication engines. In order to check whether the user can access the data stored in the HDD 2-2 of the removable storage device 2-1 when the removable storage device 2-1 is mounted on the image information processing apparatus 1-1, The user authentication engine 2-10 performs user authentication processing. The user-specific password for user authentication is stored in the above-described nonvolatile memory 2-5, and the user authentication engine 2-8 reads the user password from the nonvolatile memory 2-5 to identify it. And confirm.

  When performing access control to data stored in the HDD by user authentication, the above-described challenge / response authentication can be made unnecessary. This is because access to data can be restricted by user authentication, and therefore it is not always necessary to identify the unique image information processing apparatus 1-1. This switching can be performed by register setting at the time of initialization of the removable storage device 2-1.

  By the way, the encryption / decryption engine 2-9 and the user authentication engine 2-8 read the encryption key and the user password from the non-volatile memory 2-5, respectively, and execute the processing. The secret information is stored in the removable storage device 2- 1 can be handled only within the interior. In order to prevent the encryption key and the user password from being explicitly extracted from the removable storage device 2-1, the removable storage device 2-1 according to the present invention has an encryption key and a user password outside the removable storage device 2-1. There is no command interface for retrieving For this reason, in a normal use environment excluding a debug environment at the time of development, the encryption key and the user password are not leaked and the confidential data stored in the HDD is not read out.

  2 and 2-10 are disk controllers. A series of disk processing such as data writing, reading, status control, and error processing to the HDD 2-2 is performed. In order to reduce the product cost, the disk controller 2-10 employs a general-purpose disk control I / F such as the Serial-ATA specification, for example.

  Reference numeral 2-11 denotes a removable storage device I / F. The removable storage device 2-1 is connected to the image information processing device 1-1 through the removable storage device I / F 2-11 to read and write image data. In addition, reading of various statuses and disk control are also performed through the removable storage device I / F.

  Next, the flow of processing from attachment to removal of the removable storage device 2-1 to the image processing device 1-1 in the image information processing system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

A process for managing the state of the removable storage device 2-1 is resident in the image information processing apparatus 1-1 (hereinafter referred to as “removable storage device state management process”). When the removable storage device 2-1 is attached to the image information processing apparatus 1-1, an electrical signal is generated inside the image information processing apparatus 1-1. (S301)
The removable storage device state management process shifts the management state of the removable storage device 1-1 to the initialization state, and starts the initialization process. (S302) FIG. 4 shows the processing steps of the initialization process. 4. In the user password authentication step (S401), the user password input interface is displayed on the user panel of the image information processing apparatus 1-1, and the user password is acquired. The acquired user password is sent to the user authentication engine 2-8 of the removable storage device 2-1. On the other hand, the user authentication engine 2-8 acquires a user password registered in advance from the nonvolatile memory 2-5, and performs user authentication based on whether the password matches or does not match.

  If the user authentication fails and the user cannot be confirmed, error processing is executed (S402), and subsequent operation acceptance to the image information processing apparatus 1-1 is blocked. Note that the processing at the time of user authentication failure can be changed, for example, by limiting the function of the image information processing apparatus 1-1. In addition, the criterion for user authentication by the user authentication engine 2-8 depends on the specification of the user authentication engine 2-8, and a method other than the password match / mismatch described above can be used.

If the user authentication is successful, the removable storage device 2-1 generates an encryption key based on Seed held in the nonvolatile memory 2-5. The generated encryption key is stored in the RAM 2-4. A hash engine 2-6 is also used when generating the encryption key. A series of processing contents from user authentication to encryption key generation is implemented by firmware built in the nonvolatile memory 2-5 of the removable storage device 2-1, and is controlled by the CPU 2-3. (S403)
As described above, when the initialization process described with reference to FIG. 4 ends normally, the above-described removable storage device state management process shifts the management state of the removable storage device 1-1 to the data read / write state shown in FIG. Start the read / write process.

  The data read / write process is the same processing as the normal data read / write with respect to the HDD in the image information processing apparatus 1-1. However, the removable storage device 2-1 performs data decryption processing and encryption processing according to data read / write with respect to the HDD 2-2, using the encryption key previously generated and stored in the RAM 2-4. Data encryption / decryption processing is controlled by the firmware of the removable storage device 1-1 and the CPU 2-3, and the arithmetic processing itself is performed by the encryption / decryption engine 2-9.

  The data read / write state of the image information processing apparatus 1-1 is a so-called normal operation state, and the user executes each function of the image information processing apparatus 1-1, for example, functions such as copy, scan, BOX, and FAX. Is possible.

  FIG. 3 and S305 are the removal process of the removable storage device 2-1. The image information processing apparatus 1-1 is provided with a switch (or button) for taking out the removable storage device 2-1. When the user presses the button, the image information processing apparatus 1-1 detects a logical command detection or an electrical processing request. (S305) Subsequently, the removable storage device state management process of the image information processing apparatus 1-1 shifts the management state of the removable storage device 1-1 to the removal state of the removable storage device, and executes the removal process. (S306) If the removal of the removable storage device 2-1 is not detected, the image processing device 1-1 continues the read / write process (S303) as it is.

  3, the retrieval process (S306) safely ends the access state of the firmware of the image information processing apparatus 1-1 to the data stored in the HDD 2-2 of the removable storage device 2-1. Further, the removable storage device 2-1 receives the notification of the removal state from the image information processing device 1-1, and completely erases the encryption key stored in the RAM 2-4.

  When a series of processes of the above-described extraction process (S306) is completed, a display for permitting the removal of the removable storage device 2-1 is displayed on the user interface of the image information processing apparatus 1-1. At this stage, the user can physically remove the removable storage device 2-1 from the image information processing device 1-1.

  By the way, when using the removable storage device 2-1 for the first time, the user must set a user password for accessing the removable storage device 2-1. In addition, generation of Seed, which is the basis of the encryption key used in the encryption / decryption engine 2-9, must be generated when the removable storage device 2-1 is used for the first time.

These password setting and Seed generation are executed in the initialization process (not shown) of FIG. The determination of the password setting and the execution of the Seed generation process is performed with reference to an initialization flag stored at a predetermined address in the nonvolatile memory 2-5 of the removable storage device 2-1. The removable storage device 2-1 confirms the flag state in the initialization process shown in FIG. 3, and if it is determined that there is no password setting and Seed, the password is different from the normal initialization flow shown in FIG. 4. Perform setting and seed generation processing. (Not shown)
In order to set the user password, the image information processing apparatus 1-1 displays a password input screen on the panel for the user. The password input by the user is transmitted to the removable storage device 2-1, and stored in the nonvolatile memory 2-5. On the other hand, Seed is generated by the random number generator 2-7 of the removable storage device 2-1, and is also stored in the nonvolatile memory 2-5.

  Note that the seed once generated and stored in the nonvolatile memory 2-5 cannot be changed unless a seed change command is issued in order to maintain the availability of data encrypted and stored in the HDD 2-2. . On the other hand, the user password can be changed at any time according to the user's request. The user password can be changed from the panel of the image information processing apparatus 1-1 through the user interface.

It is the figure explaining the structure of the image processing apparatus of the image processing apparatus system concerning this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the removable mass storage apparatus of the image processing apparatus system concerning this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating image information processing apparatus processing steps when a removable mass storage device is attached / detached in the image processing system according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an initialization process of a removable mass storage device in the image processing system according to the present invention.

Claims (6)

  A general removable mass storage device comprising disk controller means for controlling at least a mass storage device, encryption / decryption processing means, user authentication means, and nonvolatile memory means, and the large capacity An image information processing system including an image information processing apparatus to which a removable mass storage device can be attached.   The image processing device detects attachment of the removable mass storage device, and stores print data, scan data, and user personal information in the removable mass storage device, or reads from the removable mass storage device. 2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the image processing system is characterized.   2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the function of the image processing apparatus is limited while the installation of the removable mass storage device is not detected.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an administrator of the image processing apparatus can preset the function limitation of the image processing apparatus while mounting of the removable mass storage device is not detected. The image processing system described.   In the removable mass storage device, the encryption key and the user password respectively used by the encryption processing means and the user authentication means are stored in the nonvolatile memory means, and in the normal use environment, the respective values are stored in the removable mass storage device. 2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein there is no interface for output to the outside. In the image information processing apparatus, detecting that the removable mass storage device is attached to the image information processing apparatus;
Performing user password authentication by user authentication means of the removable mass storage device;
In the image information processing apparatus, writing and reading data to and from the removable mass storage device when user authentication is successful;
In the image information processing apparatus, each of the steps includes detecting a removal signal of the removable mass storage device and safely removing the removable mass storage device,
In the process of writing and reading data to and from the removable mass storage device, the removable mass storage device encrypts the data when it is written by the encryption / decryption processing means, and decrypts the data when it is read. A characteristic image information processing method.

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