Patent ID: 8201221
Filing Date: 2012-06-12
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling transmission data transferred between a shared device and a target client which commonly exist within a common network having: at least one client, with one of the at least one client being the target client in the common network; multiple shared devices in the common network, where each shared device is a resource device available to provide a client with a predetermined service; multiple network relay apparatuses provided in the common network separated from the target client and the shared device, that connect the target client with the shared device and determine transmission permission in the common network; and an administration device that contains administration information in a form of one or more entries, each entry relating a specific shared device and specific user in the common network and indicating authorized transmission permission to use the specific shared device by the specific user in the common network, the method comprising the steps of: (a) user identification information that identifies a user of the target client, being acquired, from the target client, by a client connection relay apparatus that handles inputs of the transmission data originating from the target client; (b) the administration device acquiring the user identification information from the client connection relay apparatus; (c) the administration device, referring to the user identification information and the administration information, and detecting a target shared device of the multiple shared devices, that is one of the shared devices of which authorized transmission permission to use has been granted to the user of the target client identified based on the acquired user identification information; (d) the administration device notifying a shared device connection relay apparatus of the at least one network relay apparatus in the common network, of authorized transmission permission to transfer the transmission data between the target client and the target shared device, together with information identifying the target client, where the shared device connection relay apparatus handles the transmission data destined for the target shared device that is detected in the step (c); and (e) the shared device connection relay apparatus, upon receipt of the notification in the step (d), setting the condition so as to change the transmission permission concerning transmission data transfer between the target client and the target shared device from not authorized to authorized, within the shared device connection relay apparatus; wherein the client connection relay apparatus is a network relay apparatus separated from each of the target client and the target shared device by at least one link, and the shared device connection relay apparatus is a network relay apparatus separated from each of the target client and the target shared device by at least one link; and wherein the client connection relay apparatus is one of the multiple network relay apparatuses and the shared device connection relay apparatus is a different one of the multiple network relay apparatuses.