Patent ID: 8307002

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: a central processing unit; a storage unit having storage areas and a set of categories, wherein each storage area is for storing user account information and user item information associated with stored user account information, wherein each storage area includes categories from the set of categories, and wherein user item information is stored within categories from the set of categories; a setting unit for setting a category deletion attribute of each category, wherein the category deletion attribute is one of permit deletion and restrict deletion; an authentication unit for authenticating a user of the image processing apparatus as an authenticated user; an image processing unit for performing image processing using user item information of an authenticated user; a deletion-designation reception unit for receiving a deletion designation instruction from an authenticated user, wherein each deletion designation instruction is an instruction to delete user item information, wherein the user item information to be deleted per a deletion designation instruction belongs to a category having a category deletion attribute that is set by the setting unit to permit deletion, and wherein each deletion designation instruction does not designate specific user item information; a deletion unit for deleting user item information in accordance with a deletion designation instruction received by the deletion-designation reception unit; and a control unit for allowing the deletion unit to delete a target user account information from the storage unit after the user item information that is associated with the target user account information is deleted from the storage unit in accordance with a received deletion designation instruction.