Systems and methods are described that protect intellectual property rights in connection with 3-dimensional printing processes. In certain embodiments, an object a user would like to render with a 3-dimensional printing device may be compared with one or more managed objects having certain associated intellectual property rights. If the object is found to be similar to a managed object (e.g., similar in shape, function, composition, etc.), policy associated with the managed object may be enforced in connection with rendering the object. In this manner, intellectual property rights associated with the managed objects may be enforced.

In a case of a first function of carrying out a cooperative processing in accordance with an instruction from a user of a multifunction peripheral (10), the user is set as an execution user. In a case of a second function of carrying out a cooperative processing in accordance with an instruction from an application, a user instructed by the application is set as an execution user. Further, in a case where an execution user of a cooperative processing carried out using the first function and an execution user of a cooperative processing carried out using the second function are identical, use history information of the execution user is managed as use history information of a single user. This makes it possible to appropriately manage use history information of a cooperative processing.

A printed document manager manages printed documents and is separate from Document Management Systems (DMSs) that manage electronic soft copy documents. One or more DMSs are registered with a postmark server. A client computing device executes a postmark client, detects a print event for a specified document, and queries a postmark server to determine whether the print event for the specified document should include a graphical postmark. In response, the postmark server queries one or more of the registered DMSs to determine whether the specified document matches a document in any of the repositories of the registered DMS(s). When the specified document to be printed matches a document in a registered DMS, the postmark server authorizes the postmark client to add the graphical postmark in a print stream corresponding to the print event for the specified document.

A printer and method for printing a secure document are disclosed. For example, the printer includes a controller for receiving an indication that a print job contains the secure document, a lock on a printer door, wherein the lock is electrically coupled to the controller, wherein the lock is engaged by the controller after receiving the indication that the print job contains the secure document and the lock is disengaged when the print job is completed successfully and a user interface in communication with the controller for receiving a security code to disengage the lock when print job is interrupted due to an error.

An image management server including a receiver configured to receive an image file. The image file includes image data, copyright information, and tag information including route information for transmitting the image data. The image file is transmitted by an external device in accordance with the route information. The image management server further includes a processor configured to add digital watermark information to the image data to make the image file in a state in which the copyright information is protected or waived, and a transmitter configured to transmit the image file to an image display server in the state in which the copyright information in the image file is protected or waived.

In a printing apparatus, printing requests for first and second target data are received via a network interface from a terminal device. First target data, first password information, and first identification information are stored in association with one another in a memory, and second target data, second password information, and first identification information are stored in association with one another in the memory. When it is determined that the specific password information received via the inputting device matches the first password information, the printing device is controlled to print a first image represented by the first target data, the second target data whose associating identification information is the first identification information associated with the first target data is extracted from the memory, and the printing device is controlled to print a second image represented by the second target data.

A printed document manager manages printed documents and is separate from Document Management Systems (DMSs) that manage electronic soft copy documents. One or more DMSs are registered with a postmark server. A client computing device executes a postmark client, detects a print event for a specified document, and queries a postmark server to determine whether the print event for the specified document should include a graphical postmark. In response, the postmark server queries one or more of the registered DMSs to determine whether the specified document matches a document in any of the repositories of the registered DMS(s). When the specified document to be printed matches a document in a registered DMS, the postmark server authorizes the postmark client to add the graphical postmark in a print stream corresponding to the print event for the specified document.

An information management control apparatus includes a storage unit, a transmission unit, and a permission unit. The storage unit stores a job including one of a pair of keys, with which both encryption and decryption are possible, and address information. The transmission unit encrypts a user ID of a login user by using the one of the keys and transmits the encrypted user ID through a communication unit in accordance with the address information, the user having been logged in in order to issue an instruction for executing the job. The permission unit permits execution of the job, in a case in which a user ID that has been encrypted by using the other of the keys and transmitted in response to the transmission is decrypted by using the one of the keys, if the user ID is the same as the user ID of the login user.

The amount of time for scanning a document that includes plural pages is shortened and information leakage is prevented.

A file-storage apparatus (12) stores image data of a document that is scanned before as an image file for which access authority is set. A document-feeding unit (3) feeds a document one page at a time from the starting page. A document-reading unit (2) reads that document that is fed by the document-feeding unit (3), and converts the document to image data. A file-search unit (111) that, when a specified number of pages from the start of a document is read by the document-reading unit (2) according to an instruction from a user, searches, based on respective image data of the specified number of pages at the start that are read and access authority, for an image file from the file-storage apparatus (12) that is accessible by the user and that corresponds to the document as a corresponding image file. A liquid-crystal-display unit of an operation unit (5) as a notification unit notifies the user of a corresponding image file that is found by the file-search unit (111).

Technologies for dynamically implementing an image protection policy include a camera device with a camera to capture an image of at least one person. The camera device determines a location in the image of at least one person in the image, determines a location of at least one personal computing device, and maps the personal computing devices to the persons captured in the image based on the determined device and image locations. The camera device may broadcast an announcement of the creation of the image to the personal computing devices, negotiate an image protection policy with each of the personal computing devices, and implement the negotiated image protection policy.