Patent ID: 8305596

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: one or more units configured to perform a plurality of services, wherein the plurality of services includes at least a service regarding image input and a service regarding image output; a first storage unit configured to store first information which describes relationships between each of the plurality of services provided by the one or more units of said apparatus and each of a plurality of authentication services; a second storage unit configured to store second information which represents whether each of a plurality of document files can be provided with at least one of the plurality of services; a receiving unit configured to receive request information, which includes (a) information representing a request for performing any one of the plurality of services to a document file, and (b) authentication information of a user who issued the request; an instruction unit configured to, in accordance with the receiving unit receiving the request information, (a) select, from among the plurality of authentication services, an authentication service which corresponds to the requested service based on the first information stored in the first storage unit, (b) notify the selected authentication service of authentication information of the user who issued the request, and (c) instruct the selected authentication service to execute authentication processing of the user; and a checking unit configured to check, based on the second information stored in the second storage unit whether or not the document file requested to be processed using the service is a document file which is permitted to be processed by the requested service, wherein in a case where said checking unit determines that the document file is permitted to be processed by the service, and authentication has succeeded as a result of the authentication processing of the user by the selected authentication service, then the service processes the document file, wherein the plurality of authentication services comprises a first authentication service and a second authentication service that is different from the first authentication service, and wherein in accordance with the receiving unit receiving a request to perform a first service of the plurality of services, the instruction unit selects the first authentication service, and in accordance with the receiving unit receiving a request to perform a second service of the plurality of services, the second service being different from the first service, the instruction unit selects the second authentication service which is different from the first authentication service.