Patent ID: 8872939

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a storage unit for storing user information correlating first user identification information and acknowledger information in advance; a control unit for controlling a specific process; a communication unit for receiving an acknowledgement notice containing second user identification information from an acknowledger; a registration processing unit for determining whether the second user identification information matches the first user identification information, and for registering acknowledgement information in the storage unit indicating that a user identified by the first user identification information and the second user identification information is acknowledged when an email address of the acknowledger in the acknowledgement notice matches the acknowledger information; an input unit for receiving third user identification information; and a determining unit for allowing the control unit to perform the specific process when the third user identification information received through the input unit corresponds to the acknowledgement information, wherein said first user identification information, said second user identification information, and said third user identification information are respectively designed to identify the user who uses the image processing apparatus, and said acknowledger information is designed to identify the acknowledger different from the user and who acknowledges the user to use the image processing apparatus.