JP6667605B2 - Information processing apparatus, control method therefor, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control method thereof, and a program.

  An information processing apparatus such as a PC displays an operation screen of a Web application provided from a Web server connected via a network using a Web browser provided in the information processing apparatus, and a user operates the operation screen. It has been known. See, for example, Patent Document 1. To use the Web application, the user acquires a license to use the Web application from a Web application provider. Then, the operation screen of the Web application is displayed by the Web browser of the information processing device of the user. Therefore, a provider of the Web application needs a mechanism for verifying whether or not the connection is from a user who has correctly purchased the license. For this purpose, for example, the user is requested to input a user name and a password on the operation screen of the Web application, and if the user name and the password input via the screen match the registered information, it is determined that the user has purchased the license. It is being operated.

  On the other hand, there is also a Web application intended for an information processing apparatus shared and used by many people, such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP: Multi Function Peripheral) having a scan function and a print function. When many people share and use one information processing apparatus, a license for a Web application may be contracted not for each user but for each client terminal.

  Such license management is performed not only by individual Web applications but also by a mechanism that collectively sells and manages licenses for Web applications developed by different Web application development vendors. In this case, the server having the Web application makes an inquiry to the license management server that manages the license based on the information from the Web browser to verify whether the license has been purchased correctly. Alternatively, there is a method in which a program such as JavaScript is executed on a Web browser, and the JavaScript verifies a license by communicating with a license management server.

JP 2011-123677 A

  However, the license management server that manages the license must always operate when it is necessary to confirm the license, that is, when the user attempts to operate the Web application. In other words, in the case of a license management server that manages licenses of a plurality of Web applications collectively, it is necessary to operate the service for checking the license of each user without stopping the service, which increases the operation cost of the server. was there.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology.

  A feature of the present invention is to provide a technology that can verify a license of a Web application without constantly inquiring a license management server.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
An information processing apparatus that has a Web browser and calls and executes a Web application from a Web server,
A first application for invoking the web application, including a configuration file group for registering the web application and a URL of the web application, a license file of the first application, and a file executable by the information processing apparatus. First receiving means for receiving, from a license management server, a second application including an executable file group of the program, and a license file of the second application;
Management means for managing the availability of the first application using the license file of the first application, and managing the availability of the second application using a license file of the second application;
Instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction to call the Web application or an instruction to call the second application via the first application;
When the instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to call the Web application via the first application, the Web server sends the instruction to the Web server based on a URL of the Web application included in the first application. Transmission means for transmitting a request for access to a URL included in one application ,
The first application includes a secret key corresponding to a public key used when the Web application verifies a signature .

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the license of the information processing apparatus that has requested the Web application can be verified without inquiring the license management server.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a license management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a software module of the license management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an application management table according to the embodiment, FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a dummy application, and FIG. 3C is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a license management table. FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing an example of a license file issued by a license management server according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an application and software modules of the MFP according to the embodiment. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a software module of a Web application server according to the embodiment; FIG. 2B is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a token management table according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing an example of a GUI displayed on an operation unit of the MFP according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram from when a user instructs a GUI button on the MFP according to the embodiment until the Web browser displays the contents of the Web application. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating processing executed when the application management unit of the MFP according to the embodiment receives an application call. 9 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a process performed by the Web application server according to the embodiment when receiving a request based on HTTP to determine whether the request is from a correctly registered MFP. 5 is a flowchart for describing processing described in JavaScript for MFP license confirmation, which is executed by the Web browser of the MFP according to the embodiment. 14 is a flowchart for describing the signature acquisition processing of S1303 in FIG. 13 by the MFP according to the embodiment. 9 is a flowchart for describing MFP registration processing that is executed when the Web application server 802 according to the embodiment receives an HTTP request from the MFP.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. . In this embodiment, an example of a Web application license management system will be described. In the present embodiment, an MFP equipped with a Web browser application will be described as an example of a client terminal that displays a Web application. The license management of the Web application will be described in the case where license management is performed for each MFP that is a client terminal.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In this information processing system, the MFP 110 and the PC 140 are connected via the LAN 100, and the LAN 100 is connected to the Internet 150. Further, a license management server 120 and a Web application server (Web server) 130 are connected to the Internet 150.

  The MFP 110 is a multifunction device (multifunction processing device) having an operation unit 111, a scanner unit 112, and a printer unit 113. The MFP 110 according to the embodiment also functions as a client terminal that displays and operates an operation screen of a Web application using a built-in Web browser. In addition, the MFP 110 can print an image obtained from the Web application using the printer unit 113 in accordance with an instruction of the Web application, and transmits image data obtained by reading a document using the scanner unit 112 to the Web application. it can. Note that the MFP according to this embodiment is assigned an identifier called a device ID, and this MFP can uniquely identify and recognize each MFP.

  The license management server 120 is a server that manages licenses of a plurality of different Web applications. The Web application server 130 is a server that executes a Web application. PC 140 functions as a terminal device for performing various settings for MFP 110. However, the above-described system configuration is merely an example, and the number of these devices is not limited to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of MFP 110 according to the embodiment.

  The operation unit 111 includes a display unit having a touch panel function, various hard keys, and the like, displays information to a user according to data from the control unit 200, and inputs information according to a user operation to the control unit 200. I do. The scanner unit 112 reads an image on a document, creates image data of the image, and supplies the image data to the control unit 200. The printer unit 113 prints an image on a sheet based on the image data received from the control unit 200.

  The control unit 200 is electrically connected to the operation unit 111, the scanner unit 112, and the printer unit 113, and is also connected to the LAN 100 via a network interface (I / F) 206. This enables communication using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP via the LAN 100. In the control unit 200, a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an HDD 204, an operation unit I / F 205, a network I / F 206, a scanner I / F 207, an image processing unit 208, and a printer I / F 209 are connected via a system bus 211. The CPU 201 executes the boot program of the ROM 202 to load the OS and the control program stored in the HDD 204 into the RAM 203, and controls the MFP 110 based on the program. This control includes execution of a program for realizing a flowchart described later. The ROM 202 stores a boot program of the MFP 110 and various data. The RAM 203 provides a work memory for the operation of the CPU 201, and also provides an image memory for temporarily storing image data. The HDD 204 is a hard disk drive and stores an OS, various programs, and image data. The operation unit I / F 205 is an interface unit for connecting the system bus 211 and the operation unit 111. The network I / F 206 is connected to the LAN 100 and the system bus 211, and inputs and outputs information via a network. The scanner I / F 207 controls an interface between the scanner unit 112 and the control unit 200. The image processing unit 208 performs image processing such as rotation, color conversion, and image compression / decompression processing on image data input from the scanner unit 112 and image data output to the printer unit 113. The printer I / F 209 receives the image data processed by the image processing unit 208 and controls printing by the printer unit 113 according to attribute data attached to the image data. In the embodiment, an example of an MFP capable of displaying a UI using the operation unit 111 will be described. However, instead of the MFP 110, an information processing device such as a general-purpose computer may be employed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the license management server 120 according to the embodiment.

  The license management server 120 has a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a hard disk drive (HDD) 304, and a network I / F 305, which are communicably connected to each other via a system bus 306. The ROM 303 stores a boot program. When the power is turned on, the CPU 301 reads the boot program and expands the OS and control programs installed in the HDD 304 into the RAM 302. The function of the license management server 120 is realized by the CPU 301 executing the program expanded in the RAM 302. The CPU 301 communicates with another device on the network connected via the network I / F 305. Note that the hardware configuration of the Web application server 130 and the PC 140 is also the same as the hardware configuration of the license management server 120 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a software module of the license management server 120 according to the embodiment. Programs for implementing these modules are stored in the HDD 304 of the license management server 120. The functions of these modules are achieved by expanding the programs in the RAM 302 and executing the programs by the CPU 301.

  The license management server 120 according to the present embodiment performs three processes: encryption of an application, issuance of a license for installing an application in each MFP, and issuance of a license access number for managing each license. The applications described here include the following two. One is an MFP application that can be installed on the MFP 110 and includes an executable file group of a program executable on the MFP 110. The other is a dummy application including a setting file group for registering a Web application described later.

  The communication unit 401 communicates with an external device via a network to receive a processing request, and distributes the request to the application management unit 402 and the license management unit 404 according to the processing request. The application management unit 402 receives the application before encryption and encrypts the application. The application management unit 402 receives an application from an application development vendor through a terminal (not shown) connected to the Internet 150. Then, an ID of the application and an encryption common key of the application are generated and registered in the application management table 403. The application ID is identification information for identifying each application. The encryption common key of the application is an encryption key for encrypting the application. Then, the application is encrypted using the encryption common key, and the encrypted application and the ID of the application are transmitted to the request source. The application management table 403 is a database that stores the application ID generated by the application management unit 402 in association with the encryption common key of the application.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of the application management table 403 according to the embodiment.

  A column 501 indicates an application ID, and a column 502 indicates an encryption common key of the application.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a dummy application indicating a group of setting files for registering a Web application.

  The dummy application has a structure in which hierarchical folders and files are combined into one file. The file 510 is a manifest file for describing the description of the Web application. The file 511 is a secret key in the public key encryption system issued by the Web application server 130. The public key corresponding to the secret key is included in software of the Web application server 130 described later. The file 512 is a file in which a URL for using the Web application server 130 is described.

  Note that, unlike the dummy application, the MFP application includes an execution file of a program executable by the MFP 110.

  When the application management unit 402 encrypts an application, all of the files other than the manifest file 510 shown in FIG. 5B are encrypted and combined into one file. The application development vendor can prevent a third party from analyzing the contents of the application by using the encryption function of the application. Further, in the case of a dummy application, it is possible to prevent the secret key contained therein from being taken out.

  The license management unit 404 manages a license access number for issuing a license for installing an application in each MFP and issuing a license. Upon receiving a license access number issuance request corresponding to the application to be sold from the seller who sells the application, the license management unit 404 issues a license access number corresponding to the ID of the application. Then, the license access number is registered in the license management table 406. Here, the license access number is a number for uniquely managing one license of the application, and the seller of the application sells the encrypted application and the license access number together. When receiving the license access number and the device ID from the purchaser of the application, the license management unit 404 issues a license to the purchaser (user). This license issuance is processing for creating a license file corresponding to the license access number with reference to the application management table 403 and the license management table 406.

  Here, first, the application ID is obtained from the license access number, and the encryption common key of the application is obtained from the application ID. Then, a license ID is issued, the device ID and the license ID are recorded in the license management table 406, and a license file is created using the information as one file. The license file created in this way is encrypted by the license key 405 of the license file held internally by the license management unit 404 and transmitted to the request source. The encryption key 405 of the license file is a public key in a public key encryption method. The secret key corresponding to this is included in software of MFP 110 described later. The license management table 406 is a database that stores information related to the license.

  FIG. 5C is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the license management table 406 according to the embodiment.

  A column 521 indicates an application ID, a column 522 indicates a license access number, and a column 523 indicates a license expiration date in days. This number of days indicates how many days are valid from the date and time when the application is installed in the MFP. Column 524 shows a device ID (ID of the MFP in which the application is installed), and column 525 shows a license ID. A line 526 is an example of an application for which a license access number has been issued but a license has not been issued. Here, the device ID and the license ID are empty. A line 527 shows an example of an application for which a license has been issued, in which a device ID (DEV001) and a license ID (LIC001) are registered. A row 528 also shows an example of an application for which a license has been issued, the expiration date is 60 days, and a device ID (DEV002) and a license ID (LIC002) are registered.

  As described above, in the license management table 406, the ID of the Web application and the device ID of the MFP 110 are registered in association with each other. Therefore, by referring to this license management table 406, it is possible to know which application license has been issued to which MFP.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a license file issued by the license management server 120 according to the embodiment.

  Here, an example of the license file corresponding to the row 528 of the license management table 406 in FIG. 5C is shown. Here, the license ID (LIC002), the application ID (APP002), the device ID (DEV002), and the expiration date (60 days) are obtained from FIG. 5C. The encryption common key (WasiIDcQR6dYj...) Of the application (APP002) is obtained from the application management table 403 in FIG. As described above, the license file is created by the license management unit 404 based on the information acquired from the application management table 403 and the license management table 406.

  In this manner, the purchaser of the application can obtain the encrypted license file based on the license access number of the purchased application.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an application and a software module of the MFP 110 according to the embodiment. These applications and software modules are stored in the HDD 204 of the MFP 110 and are loaded into the RAM 203 and executed by the CPU 201 at the time of execution.

  The installation processing unit 701 controls installation of an application. The installation processing unit 701 is connected to the PC 140 via the network I / F 206, and executes installation of an application according to an instruction from the PC 140. The installation processing unit 701 includes a license file decryption key 702 for decrypting the encrypted license file. The license file decryption key 702 corresponds to the license file encryption key 405 described above. Application management section 703 manages applications installed in MFP 110. Menu application 704 displays a GUI for selecting and executing an application installed in MFP 110. The web browser 705 communicates with the web application server 130. The Web browser 705 transmits a request to the Web application server 130 using the HTTP protocol, renders HTML data returned in response to the request, displays the HTML data on the operation unit 111, and interprets the returned JavaScript. Run.

  Next, installation of an application by a purchaser of the application will be described.

  The user transmits the encrypted application and the encrypted license file to the installation processing unit 701 using the PC 140, so that the installation processing unit 701 performs the installation processing of the application. At this time, first, the license file is decrypted using the license file decryption key 702. Then, the encrypted application is decrypted by using the encryption common key of the application included in the decrypted license file. The application decrypted in this way is passed to the application management unit 703 and stored in the HDD 204. At this time, the device ID described in the decrypted license file is compared with a device ID preset in MFP 110 to determine whether the license file is correct. Also, the date and time when the application becomes invalid is calculated from the expiration date described in the license file and the current date and time, and is managed by the application management unit 703 as the expiration date.

  In the embodiment, it is assumed that a dummy application indicating a group of setting files for registering the Web application 130 illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a software module of the Web application server 130 according to the present embodiment. These software modules are stored in the HDD 304 of the Web application server 130, and are loaded into the RAM 302 at the time of execution and executed by the CPU 301, thereby achieving the functions of the software modules.

  In the present embodiment, the Web application server 130 responds to the request from the MFP 110 by the HTTP protocol with the HTML content to be displayed on the Web browser 705 of the MFP 110 or the content for operating the MFP 110. At this time, it is determined whether or not the dummy application is a request from the MFP 110 that has been correctly purchased and installed. The mechanism will be described later.

  The communication unit 801 receives a request by communicating with an external device via a network, and distributes the request to the initial registration processing unit 802 and the application processing unit 804 according to the specified URL. The initial registration processing unit 802 performs initial registration of the accessed MFP. Further, the initial registration processing unit 802 includes a signature verification unit 803 that verifies a signature included in the received request. The signature verification unit 803 includes a public key corresponding to the secret key of the file 511 included in the dummy application illustrated in FIG. 5B, and can verify the digitally signed signature information with the secret key.

  The application processing unit 804 responds with HTML content displayed by the web browser 705 of the MFP 110 or responds with content for operating the MFP 110. The token management table 805 is a database that manages a device ID and a token (authorization information) registered in the Web application server 130 in association with each other. This token is a random character string issued when the initial registration processing unit 802 initially registers the MFP. When the token included in the request from the MFP is registered in the token management table 805, the MFP is regarded as a correctly registered MFP.

  FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the token management table 805 according to the embodiment.

  Column 811 indicates a token, column 812 indicates a device ID, and column 813 indicates the expiration date of the token by date and time. If the current date and time passes this expiration date, the token is determined to be invalid.

  Next, a process in which the Web application server 130 according to the present embodiment determines whether the license has been correctly purchased based on the dummy application from the MFP 110 will be described.

  First, a description will be given of a flow of processing performed when the first Web application is executed after the dummy application is installed. Here, a method of registering an MFP for which a correct license has been purchased in a Web application, and a method of verifying a request from the MFP to the Web application will be described.

  In order for the user to use the Web application, first, the menu application 704 of the MFP 110 is activated. The menu application 704 queries the application management unit 703 to display a menu, and obtains a list of installed applications.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI displayed on the operation unit 111 when the menu application 704 of the MFP 110 is called. At this time, a dummy application for calling the Web application shown in FIG.

  A GUI button 901 is a GUI button for calling the dummy application of FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram from when the user instructs the GUI button 901 on the MFP 110 according to the embodiment until the Web browser 705 displays the contents of the Web application.

  In 1001, when the menu application 704 receives the press of the GUI button 901, the menu application 704 notifies the application management unit 703 of the execution of the application.

  The processing of the application management unit 703 at this time will be described below.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed when the application management unit 703 of the MFP 110 according to the embodiment receives an application call. It should be noted that a program for executing this processing is installed in the HDD 204, and is expanded in the RAM 203 and executed under the control of the CPU 201 at the time of execution. Therefore, the processing will be described here as processing by the CPU 201.

  In step S1101, the CPU 201 determines the type of the application specified on the screen in FIG. Here, for example, it is determined whether the GUI button 901 is instructed and the dummy application is called. Here, when the GUI button 901 is instructed, it is determined that the Web application has been instructed, and the process proceeds to S1102; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1105. In step S1102, the CPU 201 acquires the URL of the Web application from the file of the dummy application. For example, in the example of the dummy application in FIG. 5B, a URL that reads the file 512 and calls the application processing unit 804 of the Web application server 130 is acquired. Next, the processing proceeds to step S1103, and the CPU 201 sets the URL acquired in step S1102 in the Web browser 705. Then, the processing proceeds to step S1104, where the CPU 201 switches the display of the operation unit 111 from the menu application 704 to the GUI window of the web browser 705, and ends the processing.

  On the other hand, in step S <b> 1105, the CPU 201 switches the display of the operation unit 111 to an application executable on the MFP 110 specified by the menu application 704, for example, a GUI window such as copy or SEND, because it is not a Web application. Then, this process ends.

  By the above processing, the screen of the application indicated by the icon on the menu screen in FIG. 9 can be displayed. In particular, when the GUI button 901 of the web application is designated, the user can access the URL of the web application server 130 to call the web application.

  Returning to FIG. 10, in 1002, the Web browser 705 makes a request to the Web application server 130 using the HTTP protocol. This is a result of setting the URL of the file 512 (FIG. 5B) in the Web browser 705 in S1103 of the flowchart in FIG. The communication unit 801 of the Web application server 130 that has received the request passes the request to the application processing unit 804. The processing of the application processing unit 804 at this time will be described below.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed when the application processing unit 804 of the Web application server 130 according to the embodiment receives a request by HTTP to determine whether the request is from a correctly registered MFP 110. It should be noted that a program for executing this processing is installed in the HDD 304, and is loaded into the RAM 302 and executed under the control of the CPU 301 at the time of execution. Therefore, the process will be described here by the CPU 301.

  First, in step S1201, the CPU 301 obtains header information included in an HTTP request from the MFP 110. Next, the processing proceeds to step S1202, where the CPU 301 obtains a token from the header information obtained in step S1201, and inquires the token management table 805. Here, if the token can be acquired and the record corresponding to the token can be acquired from the token management table 805, the process proceeds to S1203; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1205. In S1203, the CPU 301 checks the expiration date of the token from the record acquired in S1202. Here, if it is determined that the current date and time is within the expiration date, the process proceeds to S1204; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1206. In S1204, the CPU 301 determines that the MFP 110 is a correctly registered MFP, returns a content corresponding to the device ID included in the record acquired in S1202, and ends this processing.

  On the other hand, in step S1205, since the CPU 301 has received a request with no or incorrect token, the CPU 301 responds with a content including JavaScript for confirming the license of the MFP, and ends this processing. The contents of the JavaScript for license confirmation will be described later.

  Since S1206 is a case where a request including an expired token is received, the CPU 301 responds with a content for displaying the expired token to the user.

  Through the above processing, the Web application server 130 determines whether the request is for a content from a registered MFP, and if it is determined that the request is for a legitimate content, the Web application server 130 responds to the MFP 110 with the content.

  Returning to FIG. 10 again, at 1003, the application processing unit 804 responds with a content including JavaScript for license confirmation. In this case, since the request in the HTTP protocol in 1002 does not include a token, the process proceeds from S1202 to S1205 in the flowchart of FIG. The Web browser 705 that has received the response executes the JavaScript. The processing of the Web browser 705 at this time will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for describing processing described in JavaScript for MFP license confirmation processing, which is executed by the Web browser 705 of the MFP 110 according to the embodiment.

  First, in step S1301, the web browser 705 requests a token from the application management unit 703. At this time, the application management unit 703 compares the current URL of the Web browser 705 with the URL included in the dummy application file. If the two match, the token stored corresponding to the dummy application is passed to the Web browser 705. In step S1302, the web browser 705 determines whether the token has been acquired in step S1301. If it is determined that the token has been obtained, the process proceeds to S1309; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1303. In step S1303, the web browser 705 requests a signature from the application management unit 703. The processing of the application management unit 703 at this time will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the signature acquisition processing of S1303 in FIG. 13 by the MFP 110 according to the embodiment. It should be noted that a program for executing this processing is installed in the HDD 204, and is expanded in the RAM 203 and executed under the control of the CPU 201 at the time of execution. Therefore, the processing will be described here as processing by the CPU 201.

  First, in step S1401, the CPU 201 compares the current URL of the Web browser 705 with the URL included in the file of the dummy application. If they match, it is determined that the URL is correct, and the process proceeds to S1402. If not, the process proceeds to S1406, an error is returned, and the process ends. In step S1402, the CPU 201 acquires the current date and time from the operation system of the MFP 110. Next, the processing proceeds to step S1403, in which the CPU 201 acquires a device ID set individually for the MFP 110. Then, the processing proceeds to step S1404, where the CPU 201 creates digital signature information using the secret key of the Web application included in the file of the dummy application. The signature information at this time includes the current date and time acquired in S1402, the device ID acquired in S1403, and the expiration date determined at the time of installation. Then, the processing proceeds to step S1405, and the CPU 201 passes the current date and time, the device ID, the expiration date, and the signature information to the Web browser 705, and ends this processing.

  Next, returning to FIG. 13, in S1304, the Web browser 705 determines whether the acquisition of the signature information has been successful in S1303. If it is determined that the process is successful, the process proceeds to S1305; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1311. In step S1305, the web browser 705 sets the current date and time, device ID, expiration date, and signature information acquired in step S1303 in the header of the HTTP request. In step S1306, the web browser 705 transmits the HTTP request set in step S1305 to the initial registration URL. Next, the process advances to step S1307 to determine whether the communication in step S1306 has been successful. If it is determined that the process is successful, the process proceeds to step S1308; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S1311. In step S1308, the web browser 705 passes a token returned when the communication is successful in step S1306 to the application management unit 703. Accordingly, the application management unit 703 stores the passed token in association with the URL. Then, the process proceeds to step S1309, where the Web browser 705 stores the token information in the cookie corresponding to the current URL. As a result, the token is added to the next and subsequent requests as cookie information, and is passed to the Web application. In step S1310, the web browser 705 reloads the current page, and ends this processing. S1311 is a case where the signature has failed, an error is displayed, and the process ends.

  The above is the processing performed by the Web browser 705 using JavaScript.

  Returning to FIG. At 1004, as described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 13 and 14, the initial registration processing URL is called. Here, since the MFP 110 has not yet acquired the token, it is determined in S1302 in FIG. 13 that the token cannot be acquired. Then, by the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14, signature information in which the current date and time, the device ID, and the expiration date are digitally signed with the secret key of the file 511 in FIG. 5B is created. In step 1006, the Web browser 705 of the MFP 110 issues an HTTP request to the initial registration processing URL. The communication unit 801 of the Web application server 130 that has received the request passes the request to the initial registration processing unit 802. The processing of the initial registration processing unit 802 at this time will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating MFP registration processing executed by the initial registration processing unit 802 of the Web application server 130 according to the embodiment when receiving an HTTP request from the MFP 110. It should be noted that a program for executing this processing is installed in the HDD 304, and is loaded into the RAM 302 and executed under the control of the CPU 301 at the time of execution. Therefore, the process will be described here by the CPU 301.

  First, in step S1501, the CPU 301 acquires date and time, device ID, expiration date, and signature information from the header information of the HTTP request. Next, the processing advances to step S1502, and the CPU 301 verifies the date and time, the device ID, the expiration date, and the signature information from the header information acquired in step S1501. Next, the processing advances to step S1502, and the CPU 301 determines whether the verification has succeeded. If the verification has succeeded, the processing advances to step S1503; otherwise, the processing advances to step S1507. In S1503, the CPU 301 determines whether the date and time acquired in S1501 is correct. Here, whether or not the date and time is correct is determined based on whether or not the difference from the current date and time of the Web application server is within a predetermined time. If it is determined that the date and time are correct, the process proceeds to S1504; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1507. In step S1504, the CPU 301 determines that the request is from the MFP in which the correct dummy application is installed. Therefore, the CPU 301 generates a token for the MFP. Next, the processing proceeds to step S1505, and the CPU 301 registers the generated token in the token management table 805. Next, the processing proceeds to step S1506, in which the CPU 301 responds to the requesting MFP 110 with the generated token, and ends this processing. In step S <b> 1507, since the initial registration processing has failed, the CPU 301 responds to the requesting MFP 110 with an error and ends the processing.

  The above is the description of the initial registration processing performed by the initial registration processing unit 802.

  Returning to FIG. 10 again, in 1005, the Web application server 130 performs an initial registration process and generates a token by the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. Then, the token is returned to the requesting Web browser 705. When the token is returned in this way, the Web browser 705 determines that the token has been successfully acquired in S1307 of FIG.

  Next, in step 1006, the Web browser 705 makes a request to the Web application server 130 using the HTTP protocol by the processing in S1310 in FIG. At this time, the cookie included in the HTTP request includes the token. Then, in 1007, if it is determined that the token is correct by the processing of S1202 and S1203 in FIG. 12, the content of the Web application is responded. The above is the description of the sequence up to the first web application displaying the content of the web application.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, the Web application server 130 verifies the license based on whether the information signed with the private key of the dummy application installed in the MFP 110 is correct. Then, it can be determined whether or not MFP 110 is registered in Web application server 130. That is, it is possible to purchase a Web application and not accept a request from an MFP in which a dummy application is not installed. At this time, communication between the MFP 110 and the license management server 120 is not required.

  In the second and subsequent calls of the Web application, the initial registration process is not performed because it is determined that the token is stored in the process of S1202 in FIG. As described above, by issuing a token when registering the Web browser 705 of the MFP, it is not necessary to sign each time a request is made from the Web browser 705, and the license can be verified.

  If the purchased Web application has expired, the token is determined to be invalid in S1203 in FIG. 12, and the expired content is returned. For this reason, it is possible to prompt the user of the MFP 110 to perform processing such as purchasing a license with an additional expiration date.

  In the embodiment, the application management unit 703 of the Web application server 130 performs the signature process. However, the software configuration may include a program for executing the signature acquisition process of FIG. 14 in the dummy application.

  Further, the dummy application may include a program for executing a process of calling the application when it is determined that the application is a Web application, as shown in FIG.

  Further, in the MFP 110 according to the present embodiment, the registration process is performed by the JavaScript passed from the Web application server 130. However, for example, the dummy application may hold JavaScript and the software may be configured to read the JavaScript into the Web browser 705.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program and reads the program. This is the process to be performed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, to make the scope of the present invention public, the following claims are appended.

  110: MFP, 120: License management server, 130: Web application server, 201, 301: CPU, 402: Application management unit, 403: Application management table, 404: License management unit, 405: License management table, 703: Application management Unit, 705: Web browser, 803: initial registration processing unit, 804: application processing unit, 805: token management table.

Claims (13)

An information processing apparatus that has a Web browser and calls and executes a Web application from a Web server,
A first application for invoking the web application, including a configuration file group for registering the web application and a URL of the web application, a license file of the first application, and a file executable by the information processing apparatus. First receiving means for receiving, from a license management server, a second application including an executable file group of the program, and a license file of the second application;
Management means for managing the availability of the first application using the license file of the first application and managing the availability of the second application using a license file of the second application;
Instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction to call the Web application or an instruction to call the second application via the first application;
When the instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to call the Web application via the first application, the Web server sends the instruction to the Web server based on a URL of the Web application included in the first application. Transmission means for transmitting a request for access to a URL included in one application ,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first application includes a secret key corresponding to a public key used when the Web application verifies a signature .   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an installation unit that installs the first application and the second application.   The license file of the first application includes information on an expiration date of the first application and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus. The license file of the second application includes the license file of the second application. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising information about an expiration date of the information processing apparatus, and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus. Wherein an instruction receiving means, wherein the call means for calling the second application when receiving an instruction to call the second application, to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by further comprising Information processing device. When the instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to call the Web application via the first application, a URL included in the first application is set in the Web browser, and the URL is set in the Web browser. switch windows, in the instruction receiving means, when receiving an instruction to call the second application, a switching means for switching the window to the second application, according to claim 1 to 4, further comprising The information processing device according to claim 1. The information processing apparatus, an information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an image forming apparatus. A control method for controlling an information processing apparatus that has a Web browser and calls and executes a Web application from a Web server,
A first application for invoking the web application, including a configuration file group for registering the web application and a URL of the web application, a license file of the first application, and a file executable by the information processing apparatus. A first receiving step of receiving, from a license management server, a second application including a group of executable files of the program, and a license file of the second application;
A management step of managing the availability of the first application using the license file of the first application, and managing the availability of the second application using a license file of the second application;
An instruction receiving step of receiving an instruction to call the Web application or an instruction to call the second application via the first application;
In the instruction receiving step, when an instruction to call the Web application is received via the first application, the Web server sends the Web application to the Web server based on a URL of the Web application included in the first application. Transmitting a request for access to a URL included in one application ,
The control method according to claim 1, wherein the first application includes a secret key corresponding to a public key used when the Web application verifies a signature . The control method according to claim 7 , further comprising an installation step of installing the first application and the second application. The license file of the first application includes information on an expiration date of the first application and identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus. The license file of the second application includes the license file of the second application. expiration date information regarding the control method according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterized in that it comprises identification information for identifying the information processing apparatus. Wherein an instruction receiving step, according to any one of claims 7 to 9 calls step of invoking the second application when receiving an instruction to call the second application, and further comprising Control method. In the instruction receiving step, when an instruction to call the Web application is received via the first application, a URL included in the first application is set in the Web browser, and the URL is set in the Web browser. switch windows, in the instruction receiving step, when receiving an instruction to call the second application, a switching step of switching the window to the second application, the claims 7 to 10, characterized by further comprising The control method according to claim 1. The information processing apparatus control method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the image forming apparatus. Program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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