A wearable computer includes: a first storage that permanently stores a first characteristic therein, the first characteristic representing a physical characteristic of an owner of the wearable computer; an obtaining portion that obtains a second characteristic, the second characteristic representing a physical characteristic of a user who wears the wearable computer; a determination portion that determines whether the user is the owner based on the first characteristic and the second characteristic; a first request portion that requests, when the user is determined to be the owner, to allow the user to log into another device; a second storage that temporarily stores the second characteristic therein; and a second request portion that requests, when the user is not determined to be the owner, to allow the user to log into that another device by sending the second characteristic stored in the second storage portion to that another device.

An image forming apparatus includes a reading device that reads an image from a document, a storage device, and a central processing unit (CPU). The storage device stores therein an authentication kit, a scan extension kit, and a specific information collection program. The CPU executes the authentication kit to function as an authentication unit, the scan extension kit to function as a character recognition unit, and the specific information collection program to function as a specific information collection unit. The specific information collection unit acquires information of the user for which authentication passes from a user information management system that manages the information of the user. The specific information includes a character that represents a value of a specific item indicated in a specific document as the document and that is recognized by the character recognition unit; and the information of the user acquired from the user information management system.

An information processing apparatus includes an authenticator that authenticates a user, an operation acceptor that, during a period in which an operating user is logged in, accepts an operation by the operating user, a setter that sets a setting value, a log-out detector that detects log-out of the operating user, a setting value maintainer that, in the case where the log-out is detected, associates a setting value, which is set at a time point at which the log-out is detected, with the operating user, and a recoverer that, in the case where the operating user associated with the setting value stored is authenticated, sets a setting value to the setting value stored in the setting value maintainer, wherein the setting value maintainer, in the case where a user different from the operating user associated with the setting value stored is authenticated, does not delete the stored setting value.

A control device includes a wireless communication section, a detection section that detects a user's approach, an acquisition section that acquires authentication information and authority information regarding a user of a terminal when receiving a request from the terminal by the wireless communication section, and a control section that controls a processing section of an information processing apparatus so that a function corresponding to the acquired authority information is realized when the approach of the user of the terminal is detected by the detection section.

A replaceable item for a host device includes a non-volatile memory and logic. The non-volatile memory stores passwords or authentication values, and/or a cryptographic key. The logic satisfactorily responds to requests for passwords a maximum permitted number of times to authenticate the replaceable item within the host device.

An expense management application of an MFP requests a matter management server to perform user authentication when a user accesses a web server via a web browser and acquires matter information about the authenticated user. Further, the expense management application monitors a parameter log of a service provider and acquires information about a job, when executed by the service provider according to a request from the web server, from the parameter log. Then, the expense management application registers expense information based on the acquired information, as expense information about the acquired matter information, to the matter management server.

Provided is an information processing apparatus, including a first near field communication unit that transmits a first wireless signal for performing first near field communication with a first communication object, a second near field communication unit that transmits a second wireless signal for performing second near field communication with a second communication object that is capable of being the first communication object, and a communication controller that controls the first and second near field communication units to perform the first or second near field communication with the first or second communication object when the first wireless signal and the second wireless signal are alternately transmitted, and existence of the first or the second communication object is continuously detected plural times through transmission of one of the first and second wireless signals.

An information processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire registration information which is stored in a master database; a registration information storage configured to store the registration information; a rule storage configured to store rule information representing an update method for synchronizing the registration information which is stored in the registration information storage with the registration information which is stored in the master database; and a synchronous processing unit configured to update the registration information which is stored in the registration information storage based on the acquired registration information and the acquired rule information which are stored in the master database.

An information processing apparatus is provided with a specifying unit, an output control unit, and an event detecting unit. The specifying unit specifies an operator who inputs an output request for outputting an output object. The output control unit controls an output process in accordance with the output request. The event detecting unit detects an event having a possibility that the operator stops immediate output of the output request. Even in a case where the output control unit is instructed from the operator to perform an immediate output process of the output request when the operator is specified and where the operator is specified, the output control unit stops the immediate output process of the output request in a case where the event detecting unit detects the event.

An information terminal transmits information relating to user authentication to an image processing apparatus via short-range wireless communication. The image processing apparatus performs processing for the user authentication using the received information, and transitions to a status where a function of the image processing apparatus is used via an operation unit upon condition that the user authentication has succeeded. The information terminal transmits data to be used in any one of individual functions included in the image processing apparatus to the image processing apparatus based on receipt of information indicating successful user authentication from the image processing apparatus. After receiving the data from the information terminal, the image processing apparatus uses the received data as a setting of the function of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the data.