Patent ID: 7904716

Claim:
A processing device, which carries out an authentication of an operator by authentication information prior to usage of the processing device, the processing device comprising: an operation unit arranged to be operated by the operator; means for authenticating which acquires authentication success or failure information from a remote authentication server with respect to authentication information entered by the operator using the operation unit; means for generating a unique abbreviated code which forms a pair with the successfully authenticated authentication information; a first means for storing the pair of the abbreviated code and the authentication information; and means for requesting from the operator, after the authentication succeeds, an instruction regarding whether or not to store the successfully authenticated authentication information along with the abbreviated code in a second means for storing; wherein when a first operation is performed on the operation unit in response to the request of the means for requesting, the pair of the abbreviated code and the successfully authenticated authentication information is stored in the second means for storing, and in place of the authentication information entered by the operator using the operation unit, the means for authenticating retrieves authentication information that forms a pair with the, abbreviated code, based on the abbreviated code entered by the operator using the operation unit from the second means for storing, and acquires authentication success or failure information from the remote authentication server based on the retrieved authentication information and the abbreviated code from the second means for storing.