Patent ID: 7761907
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image-forming device comprising: a plurality of sheet feeding units; an image forming unit configured to perform an image forming process on a sheet fed from any of the plurality of sheet feeding units; a setting-information storing unit configured to store setting information concerning the plurality of sheet feeding units, wherein the setting information includes a plurality of restriction-setting items corresponding to the plurality of sheet feeding units, which indicates whether or not to restrict feeding of a sheet from a sheet feeding unit; a specifying-information storing unit configured to store a plurality of specifying information for specifying each of the plurality of sheet feeding units, wherein specifying information among the plurality of specifying information, which corresponds to the sheet feeding unit in which the feeding of sheet is restricted based on the setting information stored in the setting-information storing unit, is encrypted; a transmitting unit configured to transmit the plurality of specifying information stored in the specifying-information storing unit, to an information processing apparatus which is capable of communicating with the image-forming device; a receiving unit configured to receive the specifying information specifying one of the plurality of sheet feeding units, from the information processing apparatus; a determination unit configured to determine whether use of the sheet feeding unit specified by the specifying information is restricted, based on a restriction-setting item corresponding to the specified sheet feeding unit; a cancel unit configured to cancel the restriction of the use of the sheet feeding unit specified by the specifying information if the specifying information received by the receiving unit is encrypted and the encrypted specifying information is valid, even if the determination unit determines that the use of the sheet feeding unit specified by the specifying information is restricted; an authenticating unit configured to authenticate a user of the image-forming device; and a changing unit configured to change contents of the setting information, wherein in a case where the authenticating unit authenticates the user, the changing unit changes contents of the restriction-setting item included in the setting information based on an instruction from the user.