JP2005267405A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor capable of confirming the validity of a software license easily even when downloading the software via a network to install even in an information processor such as a scanner device of a network correspondence type and a compound machine or an information processor such as a personal computer. <P>SOLUTION: The processor includes a license information acquisition means for acquiring license information on external software from an image inputted with an image input means; and a license decision means for deciding whether or not software acquired from a provider of external software has an authentic license on the basis of the software license information acquired by the license information acquisition means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a scanner device capable of reading an image of a document, a copier or printer equipped with the scanner device, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a network compatible scanner apparatus or multifunction peripheral having a function of communicating with a network.

  In recent years, in information processing apparatuses such as personal computers (PCs), the Internet is accessed via a network, software is purchased on the network, and the software is downloaded and installed via the network. Is becoming possible.

  In addition to personal computers (PCs), information processing devices such as network compatible scanners and multifunction devices have been equipped with functions for connecting to networks such as the Internet, and are similar to personal computers (PCs). In addition, downloading and installing software over a network has become possible, although it may involve technical complexity.

  However, the conventional technique has the following problems. That is, the information processing apparatus such as the network compatible scanner device or the multifunction machine is used by a general user under the management of a specific user, unlike a personal computer (PC) used by a general user. It is necessary to limit software downloads only to those who have authority to manage the information processing apparatus.

  By the way, when software is downloaded and installed on an information processing apparatus such as a network-compatible scanner or multifunction machine, the validity of the license must also be confirmed via the network. In addition, there is a problem that a license management mechanism on the server side for downloading software is necessary, and management of the entire system is complicated, including security measures such as spoofing prevention on a network path.

  To explain further, in the information processing apparatus such as the above-mentioned network compatible scanner device or multifunction device, although it is technically possible to download and install software via the network, the license management mechanism, security support, etc. Unless this problem is solved, there is a problem that it cannot be realized.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and its object is to provide information processing devices such as network compatible scanner devices and multifunction devices, personal computers, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that can easily confirm the validity of a software license even when the software is downloaded and installed via a network.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an information processing apparatus capable of determining whether or not the software acquired from an external software provider has a valid license.
Software input means for inputting software acquired from the external software provider;
An image input means for inputting an image;
License information acquisition means for acquiring license information of the external software from the image input by the image input means;
License determining means for determining whether the software acquired from the external software provider has a valid license based on the license information of the software acquired by the license information acquiring means. Is an information processing apparatus.

Further, the invention described in claim 2 is an information processing apparatus capable of determining whether or not the software acquired from an external software provider has a valid license.
Software input means for inputting software acquired from the external software provider;
An image input means for inputting an image;
License information acquisition means for acquiring license information of the external software from the image input by the image input means;
License information storage means for storing the license information acquired by the license information acquisition means;
License determining means for determining whether or not the software acquired from the external software provider has a valid license based on the license information of the software stored in the license information storage means;
Software control means for performing control that enables at least one of input of the software, installation of the software, storage of the license information, and execution of the software based on a determination result of the license determination means. Is an information processing apparatus characterized by

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2,
The license information acquisition unit is an information processing apparatus that acquires license information embedded in an image so that it cannot be visually recognized such as a digital watermark.

Moreover, the invention described in claim 4 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2,
The license information acquisition unit is an information processing apparatus that acquires license information included in an image in a barcode format.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 5 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2,
The license information acquisition unit is an information processing apparatus that acquires license information included in an image in a text format readable by OCR processing.

Moreover, the invention described in claim 6 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the license determining unit determines that the license is valid, the software control unit controls to install the software.

Further, the invention described in claim 7 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
When the license determining unit determines that the license does not have a valid license, the software control unit performs control so that the license information is not stored in the license information storing unit. is there.

The invention described in claim 8 is an information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
When the license determining unit determines that the license is not valid, the software control unit does not install the software.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 9 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
When the license determining unit determines that the license is not valid, the software control unit installs the software but performs control so that the software cannot be operated. is there.

The invention described in claim 10 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
When the license determining unit determines that the license is not valid, the software control unit performs control so that the software input unit does not input the software. .

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 11 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
The software input means is an information processing apparatus that inputs the software by downloading the software via a network.

The invention described in claim 12 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
The pre-software input unit is an information processing apparatus that inputs the software by reading from a medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 13 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
The license information includes information related to the software such as the name and version of the software, information related to the software license such as the serial number of the software license, the purchase date and the expiration date, or the own device such as the machine number. An information processing apparatus comprising at least one of related information or information related to a user such as user identification information for purchasing the license.

Further, the invention described in claim 14 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
The pre-contract license discriminating means is an information processing apparatus characterized by inquiring the license information to another license server and judging whether or not the license has been purchased based on the inquiry result.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 15 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
An information processing apparatus comprising user interface means for notifying a user of software installation information, software license information, software operation information, and the like.

The invention described in claim 16 is the information processing apparatus described in claim 2,
The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the user interface means notifies the user of a result of determining whether or not the license is purchased from the license information by the license determining means.

  According to the present invention, even when software is downloaded and installed via a network, the validity of the software license can be easily confirmed. Specifically, since the license can be confirmed only by scanning the license sheet, complicated management in the entire system such as security via the network and license management on the download server side is unnecessary. Further, when used together with a technique such as digital watermarking, the license information is embedded, so that leakage of the license information can be prevented. It is also possible to restrict other devices so that they cannot be misused, for example, by using a machine number that is permitted to use software. Furthermore, with regard to license sheets, a license sheet certifying that a license is available is generally sent to a customer regardless of the medium on which the software is sold, such as a network or a CD-ROM. By embedding, there is no need to prepare another license confirmation sheet.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1
1 is a block diagram showing an information processing system to which an information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a multifunction device (multifunction device: MF device) 2 as an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment and a download source of software used in the multifunction device 2. A server device 3 of a certain multifunction device manufacturer or software manufacturer, and a network 4 that connects the multifunction device 2 and the server device 3 are configured. As the server device 3, a dedicated server device for managing licenses may be used. In addition to the multifunction device 2, the information processing device includes a network compatible scanner device that can read an image of a document, a copier or printer equipped with the scanner device, or a personal computer to which the scanner device is connected. A computer (PC) or the like can be used. For convenience, only one multifunction device 2 is illustrated as an information processing apparatus, but the number of multifunction devices 2 is not limited, and any number of multifunction devices 2 may be connected to the network 4. Of course it is good. Further, the present invention is not limited to a mode in which only the multifunction device 2 is connected via the network 4, and even if the multifunction device 2 as an information processing device, a printer, or a personal computer (PC) is connected via the network 4. good.

  Examples of the network 4 include Ethernet (registered trademark), wired and wireless LAN (Local Area Network), general telephone line, ADSL (Asymmetoric Digital Subscriber Line), ISDN (Integrated Switched Digital Network), etc. This includes the Internet constructed via these networks.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction device 2 includes a scanner device 6 as an image input means for inputting an image of a document on the upper portion of the multifunction device body 5. The image data of the document read by the scanner device 6 is subjected to predetermined image processing by an image processing unit described later.

  Further, the multifunction device 2 includes a multifunction module (hereinafter referred to as “MF module”) 7 in the multifunction device main body 5, and the MF module 7 stores images read by the scanner device 6. Based on image data sent via the network 4 or facsimile image data sent via a general telephone line, etc., image data transmission / reception and copy / print processing based on the image data are performed. It is configured as follows. The MF module 7 forms a black and white or color image by, for example, an electrophotographic method, but is not limited to this, and forms an image by an arbitrary method such as an electrostatic recording method or an inkjet recording method. It includes things that perform.

  Further, a display operation unit 8 as user interface means is provided at the upper part of the copying machine main body 5. The display operation unit 8 is for giving instructions such as scanning and printing, for example. In addition to the display operation unit 8, an operation panel for performing basic operations such as a copy instruction may be provided at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the main body.

  If the multifunction device 2 is connected not only to the internal network 4 such as in-house or on the premises, but also to an external network such as the Internet, the multifunction device 2 may be used as necessary for countermeasures against viruses and hackers. It is desirable to install software as a vaccine in advance 2 or add a firewall function to the network interface unit of the multifunction device 2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the server device 3 stores predetermined software, information related to the software, and the like, and uploads requested software by communicating with an external device. Etc. are executed.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram functionally displaying the MF module 7 of the multifunction machine 2 as the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment together with the hardware configuration. Therefore, in FIG. 4, the hardware configuration and functional blocks may partially overlap.

  By the way, in this embodiment, in the information processing apparatus capable of determining whether or not the software acquired from the external software provider has a valid license, the software acquired from the external software provider Software input means for inputting software, image input means for inputting an image, license information acquisition means for acquiring license information of the external software from an image input by the image input means, and the license information acquisition means License information storage means for storing the license information acquired by the above, and a license valid for the software acquired from the external software provider based on the software license information stored in the license information storage means Have And at least one of input of the software, installation of the software, storage of the license information, and execution of the software based on a determination result of the license determination unit And software control means for performing the following control.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the multifunction machine 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 as a license information storage means, and a hard disk ( Hard Disk Driver) 14, control unit 15, software control unit 16, system bus 17, scanner unit 6 comprising a scanner device, operation display panel 8, system clock 18, image processing unit 19, and printing A unit 20, a license management unit 21 as a license information acquisition unit and a license determination unit, and a network interface unit 22.

  The CPU 11 controls the operation of the entire multifunction machine 2 via the system bus 17. The ROM 12 stores a control program for the CPU 11 to control the operation of the entire MF module 7. In this embodiment, as a control program stored in the ROM 12, image data read by the scanner unit 6 is processed, or external data is received via the network interface unit 22 in response to a request to access a Web site. For sending and receiving data. The RAM 13 is configured by an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores program control variables, data for various processes, and the like. The RAM 13 also stores license information acquired by the license information acquisition means. The hard disk 14 is used for storing data for various processes by the control program, software for various applications, image data, and the like. The control unit 15 exchanges control data with the scanner unit 6 and the printing unit 20 and controls input / output of image data. Further, the software control unit 16 controls at least one of software input, software installation, license information storage, and software execution based on the determination result of the license determination means. In this embodiment, all the control operations described above are executed.

  The scanner unit 6 is for reading an image of a document and inputting image data. The operation display panel 8 is used for displaying a screen for setting scanning and printing, and for instructing a scanning operation, and has a function as user interface means. The system clock 18 is constituted by a clock chip and provides time information (year / month / day, hour / minute / second) to the CPU 11. The system clock 18 includes a backup battery so that time information does not disappear when the system power is cut off or when a power failure occurs, and always maintains the current time.

  The image processing unit 19 performs processing on the image read by the scanner unit 6, processing of license information embedded in the image of the license sheet read by the scanner unit 6, and the like.

  The printing unit 20 is for printing an output image and outputting it to the outside. For example, the printing unit 20 is not limited to the printing function of the image read by the scanner unit 6, that is, the copying apparatus function, and is based on document data or an image file acquired from an image input terminal such as a personal computer via a connection cable. In addition, a so-called print function for printing an image and a FAX function for printing out based on FAX reception data received via a general telephone line are also provided.

  When the multifunction device 2 functions as, for example, a printer, the printing unit 20 receives PDL data described in a page description language (PDL) from an external client terminal (not shown), and the control unit 15 prints the PDL data. Image data is expanded before every output unit (each page) before the raster data is sent to the printing unit 20 and printed out by the printing unit 20. When the multifunction device 2 functions as a color facsimile receiver, the printing unit 20 receives FAX reception data instead of PDL data, converts the received data into a Lab signal by the printing unit 20, and then prints out the printing unit 20. To do.

  Based on the software license information stored in the license information storage unit, the license management unit 21 determines whether the software acquired from the external software provider has a valid license, This is for management such as storage.

  The network interface unit 22 is for the MFP 2 to communicate with an external server device 3 and a client terminal.

  In the above configuration, in the MFP as the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, in the information processing apparatus such as a network compatible scanner apparatus or MFP, or in the information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, as follows. However, even when software is downloaded and installed via a network, the validity of the software license can be easily confirmed.

  That is, in the MFP 2, the user purchases a license for the software that the user desires to download in advance, and as shown in FIG. 5, the software license agreement 25 (hereinafter referred to as “license sheet”) in which the software license information is embedded. Is sent to the user by mail or the like. Further, it is assumed that the desired software has already been downloaded from the download source server device 3 via the network 4 to the multifunction device 2. Of course, the desired software may be downloaded after the validity of the license is confirmed by the license sheet 25. Of course, it may be set so that the desired software cannot be downloaded until the validity of the license is confirmed by the license sheet 25.

  In the MFP 2, first, a license sheet 25 as a software license agreement sent from the software license source is set in the scanner device 6 as shown in FIG. The license sheet 25 embedded as information that cannot be immediately read by visual inspection is read by the scanner device 6 and the process proceeds to an input mode for inputting license information (step 101). Here, the license information input mode is an administrator mode for storing license information and installing software, separately from the MF processing mode such as normal copying.

  As for the settings related to the entire apparatus of the multifunction device 2, it is common to input the administrator password from the operation display panel 8 and shift to the administrator mode. The license information input mode here is one of administrator modes. Of course, as long as it is a device that allows a normal user to store license information and install software, a specific license information input mode may not be provided. In this embodiment, an administrator password is input from the operation display panel 8 to shift to a license information input mode.

  Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not it has successfully shifted to the license information input mode (step 102), and when it has not successfully shifted to the input mode, returns to step 101 again. If the user can successfully shift to the license information input mode, the user presses the start button on the operation display panel 8 and inputs an image of the license sheet 25 by the scanner device 6 to generate image data. (Step 103).

  Thereafter, the CPU 11 uses the image processing unit 19 to acquire the license information 26 embedded in the image data of the license sheet 25 (step 104), and then determines whether or not the license information 26 has been normally acquired (step 104). Step 105). If the license information 26 can be acquired normally, registration of the license information 26 and installation of the downloaded software are executed based on the contents of the license information 26 (step 106). Then, the processing related to the license information 26 and the result of installation are displayed on the operation display panel 8 to notify the user (step 107). On the other hand, when the license information 26 cannot be acquired, the processing related to the license information 26 and the result of installation are immediately displayed on the operation display panel 8 (step 107), and the processing is terminated.

  Acquisition of the license information 26 embedded in the image data of the license sheet 25 is performed using a technique called digital watermarking or watermarking. Here, as embedded in the digital watermark shown in FIG. 5, the license information 26 includes “software name: Image Perfect, version: 1.03, serial number: IP10312345, machine number: FX1234567, purchase date: 2003”. / 09/02, expiration date: permanent ”can be acquired. In FIG. 5, for convenience, the license information 26 is shown thinly in the margin. Normally, in the case of using a digital watermark or the like, the license information 26 changes the interval of the character information of the license to such an extent that it cannot be visually determined. Thus, the information is embedded in the interval of the character information, etc., and is not necessarily recorded on the blank portion where nothing is recorded.

  Then, the CPU 11 performs license information registration and software installation by the software control unit 16 based on the contents of the license information 26 (step 106). Processing for registering license information and installing software from the contents of the license information 26 will be described later.

  Next, an example of the flow of processing for determining a fee based on the contents of license information will be described based on FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 11 inputs license information 26 (step 201). Here, “software name: Image Perfect, version: 1.03, serial number: IP10312345, machine number: FX1234567, purchase date: 2003/09/02, expiration date: permanent” is input as the license information 26. Next, after determining the contents of the license information 26 (step 202), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the license has been purchased from the license information 26 (step 203).

  If it is confirmed from the license information 26 that the license has been purchased, the license information 26 is stored in the RAM 13 or the like (step 204). If the purchase of the license cannot be confirmed from the license information 26, a result that the purchase has not been confirmed from the license information 26 is returned (step 205), and the operation is terminated.

  Here, the determination of the contents of the license information shown in step 202 of FIG. 7 will be specifically described.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a license information management table for storing and managing the license information 26.

  In FIG. 5, “ID” indicates an identifier, “software name” indicates a software name, “version” indicates a software version, “serial number” indicates a software license serial number, and “machine number”. Indicates the machine number for which the software is licensed, here, the machine number of the multifunction device 2, “Purchase Date” indicates the purchase date of the software license, and “Registration Date” indicates the license information for the multifunction device 2 as this device. 26 indicates a registration date, and “expiration date” indicates the expiration date of the software license. Software license information can be managed based on these pieces of information.

  In this embodiment, whether or not a license has been purchased is determined based on whether or not the machine number of the MFP 2 for which the use of the software is licensed matches that of the license information 26. Specifically, since the machine number: FX1234567 registered in advance as the machine number of the license information 26 of the license sheet 25 and acquired as the license information 26 is registered as the license information 26, the compound number used at the time of purchasing the software license can be obtained. The machine number of the device that is actually operated is acquired from the system information in the machine 2 and it is determined whether or not the machine numbers in the license information 26 match. As a result of the determination, if they match, step 204 is executed, and if they do not match, step 205 is executed. Whether or not the license expiration date is satisfied by comparing the time information of the device that is actually operated with the date of purchase and the expiration date, in addition to determining whether the machine numbers match. It is also possible to make judgments.

  In step 204, the license information 26 that has been confirmed to be purchased is stored.

  Here, an entry is added to the license information management table shown in FIG. Specifically, an entry is added with ID = 1. The license information excluding the registration date is read from the license sheet 25, and the date when the entry is added to the license information management table is registered as the registration date. When the registration of the license information 26 is normally completed (step 206), as shown in FIG. 7, the software is installed (step 207), and when the registration of the license information 26 is not normally completed, the license information registration is performed. If the result is abnormal end, a result of not installing is returned (step 208), and this processing is ended.

  After installing the software, it is determined whether or not the installation of the software has been completed normally (step 209). If the software installation has been completed normally, both the license information registration and the installation have been completed normally. Is returned and the present process is terminated. On the other hand, if the software installation does not end normally, the license information registration ends normally, but a result that the installation ends abnormally is returned, and this processing ends.

  As described above, the results returned in step 205, step 208, step 210, and step 211 in FIG. 7 are displayed on the operation display panel 8 in step 107 in FIG.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, even when the software is downloaded and installed via the network 4, the contents of the license information 26 embedded in the image of the license sheet 25 are determined. It is possible to easily check whether the license of the software is valid. Specifically, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether the licensed machine number of the license information 26 embedded in the license sheet 25 matches the machine number of the MFP 2 to be installed. Just by making a determination, it is possible to confirm the validity of the software license.

  Further, not only the machine number matches as in the present embodiment, but also the validity including the expiration date of the software license is determined, so that the validity corresponding to the license of the software with the expiration date can be confirmed. is there.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the software is downloaded from the server device 3 that is the download source via the network 4 in advance. However, after the validity of the license is confirmed, the software is downloaded via the network 4. You may be able to do it. Specifically, the content of the license information 26 is determined in step 202 of FIG. 7, and after the purchase is confirmed from the license information 26 until the software is installed in step 207, the software is transmitted via the network 4. It is sufficient to execute the process of downloading. Of course, in this case, if the validity of the license cannot be confirmed, it can be controlled not to download the software.

  In the present embodiment, the license information 26 is embedded in the license sheet 25 with a digital watermark. However, the license information 26 is written in a predetermined location on the license sheet 25 in the form of a barcode. When the information 26 is acquired, the barcode may be read or the license information 26 may be acquired.

  In the present embodiment, the license information 26 is embedded in the license sheet 25 with a digital watermark. However, the license information 26 is written in a predetermined place on the license sheet 25 in a text format that can be read by OCR processing. In addition, when acquiring the license information 26, the license information 26 may be acquired by reading it by OCR processing.

  In the present embodiment, when it is determined that the license is not purchased from the license information 26, neither the registration of the license information 26 nor the software installation is performed, but it is determined that the license is not purchased. In this case, the license information 26 is registered and the software is installed, but the installed software may be disabled. For example, although not shown in the license information management table shown in FIG. 8, a new “software valid flag” indicating whether the software is operable is introduced, and only when the software valid flag is valid. The system program for starting the software may be controlled so that the software can be started. In this case, by setting “invalid”, it is possible to control the installation so that the software cannot be started.

  In the present embodiment, the software share is downloaded via the network 4, but the software may be input to the apparatus by reading from a medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

  In the present embodiment, the license information shown in FIG. 8 may include user identification information for purchasing a software license.

  In this embodiment, the validity of the license is confirmed by matching the machine number and checking the expiration date of the license. However, the acquired license information 26 is transmitted to another license management server via the network 4. Then, it may be configured to confirm the validity of the license.

  In the present embodiment, the license information is added to the license information management table for storage, but the contents of the license information management table may be updated / deleted. Specifically, software license version upgrade, expiration date update, and the like can be given.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the software is purchased in advance and the license sheet 25 is obtained, but the license information 26 can be purchased when the validity of the license information 26 cannot be confirmed. May be. For example, an item “price” is added to the license information 26 and information on the purchase price of the license is entered. When the license information 26 is read and the validity of the license information 26 cannot be confirmed, the purchase price is displayed and prompted to be paid to the user, and the user purchases from the coin kit or the like normally provided in the multifunction device 2. If the cash for the price is inserted, the validity of the license may be confirmed.

1 is a block diagram showing an information processing system to which an information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a multifunction machine as an information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating the server device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the multifunction machine as the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a license sheet. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the multifunction machine as the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the multifunction machine as the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a chart showing license information.

Explanation of symbols

  1: Information processing system, 2: MFP (information processing apparatus), 3: Server apparatus, 4: Network, 25: License sheet.

Claims (16)

In an information processing apparatus capable of determining whether or not the software acquired from an external software provider has a valid license,
Software input means for inputting software acquired from the external software provider;
An image input means for inputting an image;
License information acquisition means for acquiring license information of the external software from the image input by the image input means;
License determining means for determining whether the software acquired from the external software provider has a valid license based on the license information of the software acquired by the license information acquiring means. Information processing apparatus. In an information processing apparatus capable of determining whether or not the software acquired from an external software provider has a valid license,
Software input means for inputting software acquired from the external software provider;
An image input means for inputting an image;
License information acquisition means for acquiring license information of the external software from the image input by the image input means;
License information storage means for storing the license information acquired by the license information acquisition means;
License determining means for determining whether or not the software acquired from the external software provider has a valid license based on the license information of the software stored in the license information storage means;
Software control means for performing control that enables at least one of input of the software, installation of the software, storage of the license information, and execution of the software based on a determination result of the license determination means. An information processing apparatus characterized by the above. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the license information acquisition unit acquires license information embedded in an image so as not to be visually recognized such as a digital watermark. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the license information acquisition unit acquires license information included in an image in a barcode format. In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The license information acquisition unit acquires license information included in an image in a text format readable by OCR processing. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the license determining unit determines that the license is valid, the software control unit controls to install the software. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the license determining unit determines that the license does not have a valid license, the software control unit performs control so that the license information is not stored in the license information storing unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software control unit does not install the software when the license determination unit determines that the license is not valid. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
When the license determining unit determines that the license is not valid, the software control unit controls the software to be installed but not to operate the software. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the license determining unit determines that the license does not have a valid license, the software control unit controls the software input unit not to input the software. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the software input means inputs the software by downloading the software via a network. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The previous software input means inputs the software by reading from a medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The license information includes information related to the software such as the name and version of the software, information related to the software license such as the serial number of the software license, the purchase date and the expiration date, or the own device such as the machine number. An information processing apparatus comprising at least one of related information or information related to a user, such as user identification information for purchasing the license. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The pre-contract license determination means inquires about the license information from another license server, and determines whether or not the license has been purchased based on the inquiry result. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
An information processing apparatus comprising user interface means for notifying a user of software installation information, software license information, software operation information, and the like. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
An information processing apparatus, wherein the user interface means notifies a user of a result of determining whether or not the license is purchased from the license information by the license determining means.

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