Patent ID: 8037513
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: G06F,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing system comprising a plurality of image processing apparatuses connected to a network, wherein each of said image processing apparatuses comprises: a registered user information storage portion to store registered user information including authentication information for authenticating each user for whom the image processing apparatus in which the registered user information storage portion resides is a home terminal, an obtaining portion to obtain apparatus identification information for identifying an additionally connected apparatus which is additionally connected to the network, a user data storage portion to store user data including the registered user information stored in each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and apparatus identification information for identifying the image processing apparatus in which the registered user information is stored, such that each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses have said user data in common, a determining portion to determine whether user data including the obtained apparatus identification information is stored in the user data storage portion or not, a transmitting portion to transmit the registered user information associated with the obtained apparatus identification information to the additionally connected apparatus, when the determining portion determines that the user data including the obtained apparatus identification information is stored in the user data storage portion, and a registered user information requesting portion to request transmission of the registered user information from the additionally connected apparatus, when the determining portion determines that the user data including the obtained apparatus identification information is not stored in the user data storage portion, an adding portion to, in response to reception of said registered user information transmitted by said additionally connected apparatus upon request from said transmitting portion, add to said user data storing portion for storing user data including said registered user information and apparatus identification information received from said additionally connected apparatus in association with each other, so as to have said user data in common among a group of said plurality of image processing apparatuses with said additionally connected apparatus, a registered user information generating portion to, in a case where said registered user information is received by said additionally connected apparatus from any one of the already connected apparatuses among said plurality of image processing apparatuses, have the additionally connected apparatus store the registered user information received by said additionally connected apparatus in the user data storage portion of the additionally connected apparatus, and a user data generating portion to, when the additionally connected apparatus acquires the registered user information stored in each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses, have the additionally connected apparatus store the registered user information in the user data storage portion of the additionally connected apparatus, together with the associated apparatus identification information for identifying the image processing apparatus associated with the registered user information, so that the additionally connected apparatus has said user data in common among the group of said plurality of image processing apparatuses.