Patent ID: 8922806

Claim:
An administration server, comprising: a storage unit for storing a first correlation between first user information of a first user and first correlation between first identification information of a second image processing apparatus that the first user can use, and for storing a second correlation between second user information of a second user and second apparatus identification information of a first image processing apparatus that the second user can use; a reception unit for receiving a user authentication request from the first user through the first image processing apparatus; a second obtaining unit for obtaining an apparatus state of the second image processing apparatus that the first user can use; a determining unit for determining whether the first user can use the first image processing apparatus according to the first correlation, the second correlation, the user authentication request, and the apparatus state of the second image processing apparatus; and a second transmission unit for transmitting a determination result of the determining unit to the first image processing apparatus, said determining unit is configured to determine whether the first user can use the first image processing apparatus according to the user authentication request from the first image processing apparatus, said determining unit is configured to identify the second image processing apparatus that the first user can use when the determining unit determines that the first user cannot use the first image processing apparatus, and the determining unit so that the determining unit obtains the apparatus state of the second image processing apparatus thus identified as operable, and said determining unit is configured to allow the first user to use the first image processing apparatus when the apparatus state indicate that the second image processing apparatus is not operable.