Patent ID: 7921978

Claim:
A processing data transfer method in a sheet processing apparatus comprising an equipment main body that is configured to check sheets supplied thereto, classify the sheets based on the checking result, cut sheets which are determined not to be used again by the sheet checking, and count the number of the checked sheets and the cut sheets, and an information processing equipment that is configured to manage the equipment main body, the method comprising: transmitting to the information processing equipment, the count information from the equipment main body and a Message Authentication Code (MAC), that is based on the count information and an externally unreadable first enciphering key stored in the equipment main body; registering, into a database, the count information and MAC transmitted from the equipment main body and transmitting, from the information processing equipment to an IC card, the count information and MAC; calculating, within the IC card, a MAC based on the count information and an externally unreadable second enciphering key which is the same as the first enciphering key and stored in the IC card; comparing, within the IC card, the calculated MAC with the MAC received from the equipment main body to determine whether the calculated and received MACs coincide with each other; forwarding, by the IC card to the information processing equipment, the MACs comparison result that only indicates whether the MACs coincide with each other or not; and permitting the information processing equipment to access the MAC received from the equipment main body only when the comparison result received from the IC card indicates that the MACs coincide with each other, as a checking result.