Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for transforming entity device to a multi-functional device via a remote communication link. In particular, the system may be configured to receive an interaction request from an associate, via an associate device, wherein the interaction request is associated with a user, authenticate the associate using the associate device, in response to authenticating the associate, establish a remote communication link between the associate device and an entity device, receive an activation request from the associate to activate the entity device, via the associate device and the remote communication link, and in response to receiving the activation request, activate the entity device and transform the entity device to a multi-functional device.

A system for securely producing and using high-entropy security information, such as a password. The system includes a printer, a display device, and a generator computer that is connected to the printer and the display device. The generator computer generates the high-entropy set of characters, (e.g., password), and also generates a machine-readable representation of the high-entropy set of characters, (e.g., a barcode). The generator computer causes the printer to print the high-entropy set of characters and the machine-readable representation on paper, and then deletes the high-entropy set of characters and the machine-readable representation from the system. The high-entropy set of characters, (e.g., password), may be entered into a target computer by scanning the barcode on the paper using a barcode scanner connected to the target computer, which is significantly faster than, and eliminates the human error associated with, typing in a high-entropy set of characters.

An image forming apparatus includes a communication interface and a processor. The communication interface is configured to transmit data to and receive data from a cloud server that provides a cloud service. The processor is configured to receive a token from the cloud server via the communication interface, transmit a request including the token to the cloud server via the communication interface, receive a response including user information from the cloud server via the communication interface, and shift to a login state based on the user information.

An image processing apparatus includes an authenticating unit, a first communication interface, a second communication interface, an image forming unit, and a managing unit. The first communication interface is disposed for communication with an external apparatus, the second communication interface differs from the first communication interface and can connect to an external apparatus if a predetermined requirement for operation is satisfied. The image forming unit forms an image on a medium in accordance with an execution instruction received from an external apparatus via the first communication interface or the second communication interface. The managing unit handles one process performed by the image forming unit separately from the image forming unit.

A terminal device may execute a first attempt process in which the terminal device attempts to communicate with a server on the Internet via a communication interface by using a specific LAN to which the terminal device is currently connected; and in a case where the attempt to communicate with the server is successful in the first attempt process, send connection information to a communication device different from the terminal device, the connection information being for connecting the communication device to the specific LAN, wherein in a case where a specific condition is fulfilled, the connection information is not sent to the communication device, the specific condition including a condition that the attempt to communicate with the server fails in the first attempt process.

Provided is a processing apparatus that authenticates a requestor in response to a request for performing predetermined processing. The processing apparatus executes the predetermined processing upon the authentication succeeding. Whether or not authentication is performed is set individually for each of the processing apparatus and an external apparatus of the processing apparatus that serve as the requestor. The authentication is performed in the case where authentication is set to be performed on the requestor that made the request.

Provided is a consumable chip and a communication method thereof. The method is adopted for a consumable chip including a first consumable MCU unit, a verification cryptographic operation unit and a second consumable MCU unit; the method includes: when the first consumable MCU unit is incompatible with the printer, the first consumable MCU unit activating the second consumable MCU unit to execute a second consumable chip core processing flow, and calling the verification cryptographic algorithm function program of the verification cryptographic operation unit to calculate a new verification password; after the first consumable MCU unit inquires that the second consumable MCU unit has completed the second consumable chip core processing flow, the first consumable MCU unit reading the new verification password and sending to the printer, the new verification password is received by the printer to achieve compatibility between the first consumable MCU unit and the printer.

An image forming apparatus includes a memory that stores identification information of authorized users in association with biometric information thereof, a reading device configured to read identification information from a medium, an input device through which biometric information is input, and a processor configured to, upon receipt of one of identification and biometric information, perform a first authentication by determining whether said one of identification and biometric information is stored, when said one of identification and biometric information is stored, upon receipt of the other of identification and biometric information, perform a second authentication by determining whether the other of identification and biometric information is stored in association with said one of identification and biometric information, and when the other of identification and biometric information is stored, enable a first operation that can be performed for the corresponding authorized user.

A multifunctional peripheral (1) includes a communication part (22), a storage part (21), a free space determination part (25), a confidential document determination part (26), and a storage processing part (27). The free space determination part (25) determines that the storage part (21) contains a free space for storing print data, as a first storage condition. The confidential document determination part (26) determines that the print data is not a confidential document, as a second storage condition. The storage processing part (27) stores the print data in the storage part (21) in association with user information of a user terminal (23) when the first storage condition and the second storage condition are satisfied, and communicates with the user terminal (23) and stores the print data in the user terminal (23) when the first storage condition is not satisfied or when the second storage condition is not satisfied.

An information processing system includes: an authenticator that authenticates one or more image processing apparatuses using authentication information of a user in response to receipt of the authentication information; and a server including a processor configured to permit the user to use an image processing apparatus that has location information related to the authentication information of the user among the authenticated one or more image processing apparatuses.