JP2011164789A - Information processing apparatus, method for controlling deactivation processing, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To guarantee processing operation corresponding to a user request received before expiration of a license validity term and to reject a user request received after the expiration of the license validity term. <P>SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes: a license validity term expiration determination part 132b for determining whether or not a license validity term of an external application 118 has expired on the basis of the license validity term information of the installed external application 118; a user request rejection processing part 142a which, when the determination part 132b determines that the license validity term of the external application 118 has expired during the execution of a main body function of the external application 118, rejects a user request for requesting the execution of the main body function of the external application 118; and a deactivation execution part 145 which, if the main body function of the external application 118 is being executed when the determination part 132b determines that the license validity term has expired, executes deactivation of the external application 118 after rejection processing is performed in the rejection processing part 142a and the execution of the main body function is ended. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to software deactivation processing technology.

  Conventionally, functions are added or installed by installing application software (hereinafter simply referred to as “app”) downloaded from an external device (such as a software management server) via a network such as the Internet. There is known an information processing apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral capable of deleting a function by performing an uninstallation to delete the application (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this type of information processing apparatus, installed applications are managed based on unique license information. The license information includes various information indicating the name, version, provider, license expiration date, etc. of the corresponding application.

  Specifically, in this information processing apparatus, an application that is subject to deactivation (hereinafter, also referred to as “target application”) occurs due to the expiration of the license based on information indicating the license expiration date. In such a case, a deactivation that disables the function of the target application is executed, and the function of the target application thereafter is disabled, that is, a process that does not allow the user to use the function of the target application is executed. Yes.

  In this information processing apparatus, when a target application to be deactivated is generated after the expiration date of the license, if the processing operation by the function of the target application is performed, the target application is In order to reject the deactivation request, the deactivation request is repeatedly executed until the processing operation is completed, and after the processing operation is completed, the target application accepts the deactivation request and performs the deactivation. (For example, see FIG. 16).

  That is, when a target application is generated as described above, if a user request (user request X) for using the function of the target application is received before the license expiration date of the target application expires, The processing operation according to the request is guaranteed.

  However, in the conventional information processing apparatus, during the processing operation by the user request X, that is, while the target application rejects the deactivation request, other user requests (users) that use the function of the target application Request Y) can be received, the processing operation by the user request Y is executed after execution of the processing operation by the user request X, and the target application requests the deactivation after the processing operation of the user request Y is completed. Is received and the deactivation is executed (see, for example, FIG. 16).

  That is, in the conventional information processing apparatus, it is possible to accept a user request any number of times as long as the target application rejects the deactivation request, so the license expiration date is postponed unnecessarily. There was a problem such as.

  Further, in the conventional information processing apparatus, when a deactivation request for the target application is generated during the processing operation by the function of the application other than the target application, the processing operation by the function of the target application is executed. Therefore, the target application receives the deactivation request and executes the deactivation (see, for example, FIG. 17).

  As a result, in the case where the target application provides a function for performing a processing operation according to the result of the processing operation by the function of another application, if the target application is deactivated as described above, A case where the processing operation by the function of the application cannot be completed occurs.

  Specifically, as an example of the above case, when the function of another application is the fax function and the function of the target application is the error report function, an error occurs in facsimile communication (transmission / reception) by the fax function of the other application. When normal facsimile communication (transmission / reception) cannot be performed, there is a case where an error report cannot be output because the target application is deactivated.

  That is, in the case of a user request that uses the function of the target application according to the result of the processing operation by the function of another application even in the conventional information processing apparatus even before the license expiration date of the target application expires. However, there is a problem that processing operation according to the user request may not be guaranteed.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problem, guarantees the processing operation corresponding to the user request accepted before the license expiration date, and rejects the user request after the license expiration date has expired. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus, a deactivation process control method, a program, and a storage medium that can be performed.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a determination unit that determines expiration of the license of the software based on the expiration date information of the license of the installed software, and a main function of the software When the determination means determines that the license of the software has expired during execution, a user request rejection processing means for rejecting a user request for requesting execution of the main body function of the software, and the determination means Execution of deactivation of the target software after the rejection process is performed and execution of the main body function is completed when the target software is executing the main body function when it is determined that the expiration date has expired And means.

  The present invention is also a deactivation processing control method executed by the information processing apparatus, wherein the determination means determines whether the license of the software has expired based on the expiration date information of the license of the installed software A user request for requesting execution of the software main body function when the determination step determines that the license of the software has expired during the execution of the software main body function; And when the execution unit determines that the license has expired in the determination step, if the target software is executing the main body function, the rejection process is performed and the execution unit performs the rejection process. After the execution of the main unit function is completed, Characterized in that it comprises an executing step of executing a deactivation of A, a.

  The present invention is also a program that is interpreted and executed by a computer installed in an information processing apparatus, wherein the determination unit determines whether the license of the software has expired based on the expiration date information of the license of the installed software And a user requesting execution of the software main function when the determination step determines that the license of the software has expired during execution of the software main function. The user request rejection processing step for rejecting the request and the execution means, when the determination step determines that the license has expired, if the target software is executing the main body function, the rejection processing is performed. After the execution of the main body function is finished, An executing step of executing a deactivation of wear, which is a program for causing the computer to perform.

  The present invention is a computer-readable storage medium storing the program.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to guarantee the processing operation corresponding to the user request received before the license expiration date expires, and to reject the user request after the license expiration date has expired. There is an effect that it is possible to prohibit the postponement of uselessness.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a device management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the multifunction machine. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen displayed on the operation display unit. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a functional configuration of the multifunction machine. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram for explaining a detailed configuration of the deactivation processing control unit. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a deactivation processing procedure executed in the MFP according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining a deactivation processing procedure executed in the multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the processing procedure of the deactivation processing control unit in the sequences of FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining specific processing of user request rejection processing in step S103 of the processing procedure of FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining specific processing of user request rejection processing in step S103 of the processing procedure of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining specific processing of user request rejection processing in step S103 of the processing procedure of FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining specific processing of user request rejection processing in step S103 of the processing procedure of FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining specific processing of user request rejection processing in step S103 of the processing procedure of FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen displayed on the operation display unit. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen displayed on the operation display unit. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram for explaining a deactivation processing procedure executed in a conventional multifunction machine. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram for explaining a deactivation processing procedure executed in a conventional multifunction machine.

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

(System configuration)
First, various configurations of the device management system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a device management system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the device management system 1 includes an intermediary device 200, a license management server (license management device) 300, an application management server 400, a central management device 500, a Web server 600, etc. Connected through.

  Further, a firewall 90 is provided between the mediation device 200 and the network 80, and the mediation device 200 includes a plurality of multifunction peripherals (image forming apparatuses) (multifunction peripherals (1) 100-1,... , MFP (N) 100-N) (N: any integer greater than or equal to 2) (hereinafter, an unspecified MFP is simply referred to as MFP 100), which is different from the network 80 (Local Area Network), etc. Connected by a network.

  Here, the firewall 90 monitors data flowing on the boundary with the outside so that a third party who has entered the mediation apparatus 200 through an external network such as the Internet does not perform fraud, and detects and blocks unauthorized access. Is what you do.

  An MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) (MFP) 100 has at least two functions of a printer function, a copy function, a facsimile function, a scanner function, and the like, and is an application downloaded from the application management server 400 It is a device capable of installing software (hereinafter simply referred to as “external application”) (see FIG. 4), and is communicably connected to the mediation device 200 via an internal network such as a LAN. The plurality of multifunction peripherals 100-1,..., 100-n are installed under the management of the same organization such as a company, a school, and a home. The multi-function device 100 corresponds to the information processing device described in the claims.

  In addition, when the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment receives an acquisition request for scheduled information from the intermediary device 200, the MFP 100 includes supply status information, jam information, counter information, version information, error information, device setting information, and the like. The external application setting information including the counter information and parameter information relating to the external application 118 (see FIG. 4) newly added to 100 is transmitted to the intermediary device 200 as the scheduled information.

  The mediation device 200 is a device that mediates processing performed between the license management server 300, the application management server 400, the central management device 500, the Web server 600, and the like and each multifunction device 100.

  In addition, the mediation apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment transmits the above-described scheduled information transmission request to the multifunction device 100 at regular time intervals in units of methods, and is transmitted from the multifunction device 100 in response to the transmission request. Receiving the scheduled information and transmitting it to the central management device 500.

  The license management server 300 is a device that manages license (use rights) data including a license key of an external application that is downloaded from the application management server 400 and installed in the multifunction peripheral 100.

  The application management server 400 is a device that manages external applications installed in the multifunction peripheral 100.

  The central management device 500 is a server device installed at the manufacturer of the multifunction device 100 or a service center of a service provider company, and is a device that remotely manages the multifunction device 100 that is a management target via the mediation device 200.

  The central management apparatus 500 has a Web UI screen display function for displaying a screen (Web UI) serving as a user interface on a Web page. By connecting to an operation terminal, the central management device 500 can be managed from the Web UI. It is possible to search information such as collecting information and checking error status.

  The Web server 600 is a server device having a portal sales site for software such as applications. That is, the user can purchase a desired external application by accessing the portal sales site of the Web server 600 from the user terminal 700 such as a personal computer, the multifunction peripheral 100, or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-function device 100 is configured mainly by a controller 10, an operation display unit 20, and an engine unit (Engine) 60, and the controller 10 and the engine unit 60 are PCI (Peripheral Component Interface). The controller 10 and the operation display unit 20 are connected via a predetermined signal line.

  The controller 10 controls the entire MFP 100, that is, various processes such as a drawing process, a communication process, and an operation input and display process for the operation display unit 20. In the present embodiment, the CPU 11 and the system Memory (MEM-P) 12, North Bridge (NB) 13, South Bridge (SB) 14, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 16, Local Memory (MEM-C) 17, Hard Disk Device (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) 103 Etc.

  The North Bridge (NB) 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15, and the MEM-P 12 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12b. ing.

  The CPU 11 controls the entire multifunction peripheral 100 in an integrated manner, and is connected to other devices via a chip set including the MEM-P 12, the NB 13, and the SB 14.

  The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing and developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like. The ROM 12a is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM 12b is a write / read memory used as a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for printers, and the like. It is memory.

  The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, ASIC 16, and the like, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 12, a PCI master, and an AP target.

  The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to a PCI device, a peripheral device, and the like. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The AGP 15 is a graphics accelerator card bus interface that has been proposed to speed up graphics processing, and makes the graphics accelerator card faster by directly accessing the MEM-P 12 with high throughput.

  The ASIC 16 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 15, the PCI bus, the HDD 103, and the MEM-C 17.

  The ASIC 16 includes a PCI target, an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 17, and a plurality of pieces of image data that are rotated by hardware logic. It consists of a DMA unit that performs data transfer between the DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) and the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus.

  Further, the ASIC 16 is connected with an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical 50 display unit) together with a PCI bus. 20 is connected via a signal line.

  The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer, a code buffer, or the like.

  A hard disk device (HDD) 103 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, forms, and the like.

  The operation display unit 20 is configured with push buttons, a touch panel, and the like. The touch panel displays operation methods and function buttons for using various functions of the multi-function device 100, and operation from the user via the function buttons. It is a user interface for accepting input.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen displayed on the operation display unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in this example of the display screen, an operation for instructing execution of each function of the external application (1) to the external application (M) (see FIG. 4 to be described later) installed in the multifunction peripheral 100. A plurality of function buttons 20-1 to 20-M simulating push buttons that are display areas are displayed. Each function button 20-1 to 20-M displays function information such as characters for enabling the user to recognize the functions of the associated external application (1) to external application (M). ing. For example, if the function of the external application (1) is “error report function”, the characters “error report function” are displayed as function information on the function button 20-1.

  That is, a user who uses the multifunction peripheral 100 visually recognizes the function information displayed on each function button 20-1 to 20-M and touches the function button on which desired function information is displayed, It is possible to request the multifunction device 100 to execute a desired function.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the engine unit 60 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 60 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the multi-function device 100 includes a black and white laser printer (B & W LP) 101, a color laser printer (Color LP) 102, a scanner or fax unit, a hard disk device (HDD) 103, and other memory and network interfaces. It has hardware as the above-described engine unit 60 such as the hardware resource 104 and the communication I / F 105, and also has a software group 110 including a platform 120 and an application 130.

  The platform 120 manages the general-purpose OS 121, one or a plurality of hardware resources, arbitrates acquisition requests from the control service, interprets processing requests from applications, and implements hardware resources. Various control services (122, 124 to 129, 131, etc.) that generate a request for acquisition of The platform 120 has an application program interface (API) that enables a processing request to be received from the application 130 using a predefined function.

  Here, the general-purpose OS 121 is a general-purpose operating system such as UNIX (registered trademark), and executes each software of the platform 120 and the application 130 in parallel as processes.

  In addition, the above-described control services include SCS (system control service) 122, ECS (engine control service) 124, MCS (memory control service) 125, OCS (operation panel control service) 126, FCS (fax control service) 127, An NCS (network control service) 128, an NRS (new remote service) 129, an application installation control service 131, and the like are included.

  The process of the SCS 122 performs application management, operation unit control, system screen display, LED display, resource management, interrupt application control, and the like.

  The process of the SRM 123 performs system control and resource management together with the SCS 122. The process of the SRM 123 includes a scanner unit, a printer unit and other engines, a memory, an HDD file, and a host I / O (centro I / F, network I / F, IEEE 1394 I / F, R232C I / F, etc.) hardware. Arbitration is performed according to requests from higher layers that use resources, and execution control is performed.

  More specifically, the SRM 123 determines whether the requested hardware resource is available, that is, whether the requested hardware resource is not used by another request. A process for notifying the upper layer that it can be used is executed. The SRM 123 performs hardware resource usage scheduling in response to a request from an upper layer, and directly executes requested contents such as paper conveyance and image forming operation, memory allocation, file generation, and the like by the printer engine.

  The process of the ECS 124 controls the engine unit 60 such as a black and white laser printer (B & W LP) 101, a color laser printer (Color LP) 102, and other hardware resources 104.

  The process of the MCS 125 performs acquisition and release of an image memory, use of a hard disk device (HDD) 103, compression and decompression of image data, and the like.

  The process of the OCS 126 controls the operation display unit (operation panel) 20 (see FIG. 2) serving as information transmission means between the operator (user) and the main body control.

  More specifically, the process of the OCS 126 acquires a key press or touch operation from the operation display unit 20 as a key event, transmits a key event function corresponding to the acquired key to the SCS 122, and an application 130, or a drawing function for drawing and outputting various screens to the operation display unit 20 in response to a request from the various control services, and a function for controlling the operation display unit 20 and the like are preliminarily registered. . Note that the OCS library is mounted linked to each module of the application 130 and the control service. The OCS 126 may be configured to operate as a process, or the OCS 126 may be configured as an OCS library.

  The process of FCS127 includes facsimile transmission / reception using PSTN / ISDN network from each application layer of the system controller, registration / quotation of various facsimile data managed by BKM (backup SRAM), facsimile reading, facsimile reception printing, fusion transmission / reception, etc. An API for performing the above is provided.

  The NCS 128 process provides a service that can be commonly used for applications that require network I / O. More specifically, the data received from the network side by each protocol is distributed to each application. It mediates when sending data from the application to the network side.

  The NRS 129 is an application that implements functions related to remote management via the network and a scheduler function, such as data conversion when data is transmitted and received via the network.

  The application installation control service 131 controls processing related to installation of the external application 118 used in the multifunction peripheral 100. Specifically, the application installation control service 131 executes installation processing of the external application 118 and also installs the installed external application. A process of acquiring 118 unique license information is executed. In response to a request for transmission of scheduled information from the intermediary device 200, the scheduled information stored in the storage unit of the multifunction peripheral 100 is acquired and transmitted to the mediation device 200.

  The license management unit 132 manages license information acquired by the application installation control service 131. The license information includes various information indicating the name, version, provider, license expiration date, etc. of the corresponding external application 118.

  In addition, the license management unit 132 performs processing for determining whether the license of each external application 118 has expired based on the license expiration date information, and performs deactivation for the external application 118 that has been determined to have expired. Request processing is performed.

  FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed configuration of the deactivation processing control unit 133 that includes the license management unit 132 and each external application 118-1 to 118 -M and controls the deactivation processing of each external application 118. It is a functional block diagram for

  As shown in FIG. 5, the deactivation processing unit 133 includes a license management unit 132 and external applications 118-1 to 118-M.

  The license management unit 132 includes a license information storage unit 132a, a license expiration date determination unit 132b, a deactivation request unit 132c, and the like.

  Here, the license information storage unit 132a stores the license information acquired by the application installation control service 131.

  The license expiration date determination unit 132b determines whether the license of each external application 118 has expired based on the license expiration date information included in the license information stored in the license information storage unit 132a.

  The deactivation request unit 132c is determined to be an expired license by the license expiration date determination unit 132b and may be a deactivation target (hereinafter, simply referred to as “target external app”) 118-1. 118-M is requested to execute deactivation.

  Each external application 118-1 to 118-M includes an application function management unit 141, a user request reception unit 142, a use reservation processing unit 143, a deactivation availability determination unit 144, a deactivation execution unit 145, and the like. Have.

  Here, the application function management unit 141 is a main body part of the external application 118 and is a program executed by the CPU, and is a program (hereinafter referred to as “main body function”) for the MFP 100 to realize a predetermined function. .).

  The application function management unit 141 executes the main body function when a user request for executing the main body function is received by a user request receiving unit 142 described later. When the external application 118 is software for realizing the “error report function in the MFP 100”, the main body function of the external application 118 is a program for the MFP 100 to realize the error report function. Become.

  The user request reception unit 142 manages reception of a user request for requesting execution of the main body function of the external application 118. In the present embodiment, a process for rejecting a user request when a predetermined condition is satisfied. A user request rejection processing unit 142a to be executed is included.

  Specifically, the user request rejection processing unit 142a is executing the main body function managed by the application function management unit 141 when the external application 118 receives the deactivation request from the deactivation request unit 132c. Then, predetermined user request rejection processing (see FIGS. 8 to 13) for rejecting a user request for requesting execution of the main body function of the external application 118 is performed.

When the usage reservation processing unit 143 receives a usage reservation request for requesting the usage of the main body function of the external application 118 from another external application 118 or other applications 111 to 117, the usage reservation processing unit 143 sends the usage reservation processing unit 143 to the application function management unit 141. Outputs a standby signal for performing a reservation standby process in which the deactivation of the main body function is prohibited.

  In addition, the use reservation processing unit 143 determines whether or not it is necessary to reserve the use of the function of the other external application 118 from the user request received by the user request receiving unit 142, and is determined to be necessary. In this case, a use reservation request signal is output to the corresponding external application 118.

  Further, the use reservation processing unit 143 outputs an operation end notification signal for notifying the license management unit 132 of the end of the operation when the execution of the main body function by the use reservation is ended.

  The deactivation availability determination unit 144 determines whether or not deactivation can be performed. Specifically, when a deactivation request is input from the deactivation request unit 132c, the external application 118 When the main body function is being executed (that is, when the MFP 100 is in the processing operation by the main body function of the external application 118) or is waiting for a reservation, it is determined that the deactivation cannot be executed, When a deactivation request is input, it is determined that deactivation can be performed if the main body function of the external application 118 is being executed or if the reservation is not waiting.

  The deactivation execution unit 145 executes a deactivation process for invalidating the main body function of the external application when the deactivation permission determination unit 144 determines that the deactivation can be performed. It is.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the application 130 includes a printer application 111 that is a printer application having a page description language (PDL), PCL, and postscript (PS), a copy application 112 that is a copy application, and a facsimile application. A fax application 113, a scanner application 114 as a scanner application, a network file application 115 as a network file application, a process inspection application 116 as a process inspection application, and a client such as a PC connected to the Internet. WEB application 117 that operates as a WEB server (http server) for the terminal and displays various screens on the WEB browser that operates on the client terminal, and is acquired from the outside Re has installed an external application 118.

  Each process of the application 130 and each process of the control service realize user services related to image forming processing such as copying, printers, scanners, and facsimiles while performing inter-process communication by calling functions, sending return values thereof, and sending and receiving messages. is doing.

  As described above, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of applications 130 and a plurality of control services, all of which operate as processes. In each of these processes, one or a plurality of threads are generated and parallel execution is performed in units of threads. The control service provides a common service to the application 130. For this reason, a large number of these processes perform a parallel operation and a parallel operation of threads to perform inter-process communication with each other. User services related to image forming processing such as copying, printers, scanners, and facsimiles are provided.

  Further, the multifunction device 100 can be equipped with an external application 118 developed by a third party such as a customer of the multifunction device 100 or a third vendor in an application layer above the control service layer. In the example of FIG. 4, as the external application 118, a plurality of external applications (1) 118-1,..., External application (M) 118-M (M: any integer greater than or equal to 2) (hereinafter, specified) The external application that is not called is simply referred to as the external application 118). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to mount only one external application.

  In the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of application 130 processes and a plurality of control service processes are operating. However, each of the application 130 and the control service process may have a single configuration. It is. Each application 130 can be added or deleted for each application. That is, as described above, the external application 118 can be installed and can be uninstalled.

(Processing operation)
Next, a deactivation process operation in the above-described multifunction peripheral 100 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining a deactivation processing procedure executed in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment. This sequence shows a case where the external application (1) 118-1 needs to be deactivated while the main body function of the external application (1) 118-1 is being executed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in this sequence, first, when the user selects and touches the function button 20-1 for instructing the execution of the main body function of the external application (1) 118-1, the operation display unit 20 is A signal of user request A requesting the use of the main function of the application (1) 118-1 is output (step S1).

  Then, in the external application (1) 118-1 that has input the user request A, the use reservation processing unit 143 performs use reservation processing (step S2). Specifically, in the process of step S2, whether or not it is necessary to use the main body function of another external application 118 based on the input user request A is determined, and the determination result In response, a function usage summary request is output to another external application 118.

  In this case, since it is determined that it is not necessary, the use reservation processing unit 143 of the external application (1) 118-1 does not make a use request to the other external application 118, and then the external application (1) 118-1 (1) In 118-1, the application function management unit 141 executes the main body function according to the user request A (step S3).

  Subsequently, in this sequence, the external application (1) 118-1 is in the process of step S3, that is, the MFP 100 is in the processing operation by the main body function of the external application (1) 118-1, and the license management unit 132. The license expiration date determination unit 132b determines that the license of the external application (1) 118-1 has expired, and the deactivation request unit 132c requests the external application (1) 118-1 to deactivate it. A signal is output (step S4).

  Then, the external application (1) 118-1 that has input the deactivation request signal outputs a permission / response response signal to the license management unit 132 because the main body function is being executed (step S5), and A predetermined user request rejection process for rejecting a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the external application (1) 118-1 is executed (step S6).

  The license management unit 132 that has input the permission / rejection response signal thereafter waits for the deactivation request unit 132c to stop outputting the deactivation request signal until an operation end notification signal in step S8 described later is input. Transition to a state (step S7).

  Further, in the external application (1) 118-1, when the execution of the main body function according to the user request A in step S3 is completed, that is, the multifunction peripheral 100 ends the processing operation by the main body function of the external application (1) 118-1. In such a case, an operation end notification signal for notifying that the operation has ended is output to the license management unit 132 (step S8).

  Then, in the license management unit 132 that has input the operation end notification, the deactivation request unit 132c cancels the standby state and resumes outputting the deactivation request signal to the external application (1) 118-1. Step S9).

  Then, in the external application (1) 118-1 that has input the deactivation request signal, since the main body function is not being executed, the deactivation availability determination unit 144 determines that the deactivation can be performed, An OK response signal is output to the license management unit 132 (step S10), and the deactivation execution unit 145 executes a deactivation process for invalidating the main body function managed by the application function management unit 141. (Step S11).

  That is, by executing the process of step S11, the main body function of the external application (1) 118-1 is disabled, and thereafter, the user cannot use the function of the external application (1) 118-1. .

  In the example of the sequence of FIG. 6, the external application (1) 118-1 does not accept the reception of the user request (B, C) generated during the user request rejection process in step S6. It shows how to refuse. That is, in this sequence, the processing operation of the user request A received before the license expiration date is guaranteed, while the user requests B and C received after the license expiration date (see steps S12 and S13). The processing operation is not guaranteed.

  FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining a deactivation processing procedure executed in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment. In this sequence, when the external application (M) 118-M is reserved for use of the main body function from another external application (2) 118-2, the external application (M) 118-M is deactivated. This shows the case where the activation is necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in this sequence, first, when the user selects and touches the function button 20-2 that instructs execution of the main body function of the external application (2) 118-2, the operation display unit 20 is A signal of the user request D requesting the use of the main function of the application (2) 118-2 is output (step S21).

  Then, in the external application (2) 118-2 that has input the user request D, the use reservation processing unit 143 performs use reservation processing (step S22). Specifically, in the process of step S22, whether or not it is necessary to use the main body function of another external application 118 is determined based on the input user request D, and the determination result is displayed. In response, a usage summary request signal is output to another external application 118.

  In this case, since it is determined that it is necessary, the use reservation processing unit 143 of the external application (2) 118-2 sends a use reservation request signal to the other external application 118 (M) 118-M. Output.

  Then, in the external application (M) 118-M that receives the use reservation request signal, the use reservation processing unit 143 outputs an OK response signal to the external application 118 (1) 118-1, and the external application ( M) As a use reservation process for the main body function 118-M, the deactivation process for the main body function managed by the application function management unit 141 is performed even when a deactivation request signal is input from the license management unit 132 thereafter. A standby process is performed so as not to be executed (step S23).

  Subsequently, in this sequence, the external application (M) 118-M performs the validity of the license of the external application (M) 118-M by the license expiration determining unit 132b in the license management unit 132 during the standby process in step S23. It is determined that the time limit has expired, and the deactivation request unit 132c outputs a deactivation request signal to the external application (M) 118-M (step S25).

  Then, since the external application (M) 118-M that has input the deactivation request signal is in the process of waiting for use reservation, it outputs a permission / rejection response signal to the license management unit 132 (step S26). A predetermined user request rejection process for rejecting a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the external application (M) 118-M is executed (step S27).

  After that, in the license management unit 132 that has input the permission / rejection response signal, the deactivation request unit 132c waits for the output of the deactivation request signal to be stopped until an operation end notification signal in step S31 described later is input. Transition to a state (step S28).

  If the external application (2) 118-2 determines that a reservation operation is required during the execution of the main body function according to the user request D in step S22, the external application (M) 118-M is requested to use the reservation application. In response to this, a reservation operation request signal is output (step S29).

  Then, in the external application (M) 118-M to which the reservation operation request signal is input, the application function management unit 141 executes the main body function. That is, in the multi-function device 100, the main body function of the external application (M) 118-M. The processing operation is executed (step S30).

  Thereafter, in the external application (M) 118-M, when the execution of the main body function in step S30 is finished, that is, when the processing operation by the main body function of the external application (M) 118-M of the multifunction peripheral 100 is finished, An operation end notification signal for notifying that the processing operation has ended is output to the license management unit 132 (step S31).

  Then, in the license management unit 132 that has received the operation end notification, the deactivation request unit 132c cancels the standby state and resumes outputting the deactivation request signal to the external application (M) 118-M ( Step S32).

  Then, in the external application (M) 118-M that has input the deactivation request signal, since the main body function is not being executed, the deactivation availability determination unit 144 determines that the deactivation can be performed, An OK response signal is output to the license management unit 132 (step S33), and the deactivation execution unit 145 executes a deactivation process for invalidating the main body function managed by the application function management unit 141. (Step S34).

  That is, by executing the processing of step S34, the main body function of the external application (M) 118-M is disabled, and thereafter, the user cannot use the function of the external application (M) 118-M. .

  In the example of the sequence of FIG. 7, the external application (M) 118-M does not accept the reception of the user request (E, F) that occurs during the user request rejection process in step S27. It shows how to refuse. That is, this sequence shows that the processing operation of the user request D received before the license expiration date is guaranteed, while the processing operation of the user requests E and F received after the license expiration date is not guaranteed. ing.

  6 and 7, when the license management unit 132 outputs a deactivation request signal to the external application 118, a rejection response signal as a response signal is output from the external application 118. In the case of the input, after that, the deactivation request signal is not output, and when the operation end notification signal is input from the external application 118, the output of the deactivation request signal is resumed. In the same way as in the prior art, the license management unit 132 outputs the deactivation request signal until the external application 118 to be deactivated accepts the deactivation request, that is, until the OK response signal is input from the external application 118. It is also possible to repeat the output.

  In this case, the process of the external application 118 outputting the operation end notification signal to the license management unit 132 is omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the processing procedure of the deactivation processing control unit (license management unit 132 and each external application 118-1 to 118-M) 133 in the sequences of FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the deactivation processing control unit 133, in step S101, the license expiration date determination unit 132b of the license management unit 132 performs license validity included in the license information stored in the license information storage unit 132a. Based on the term information, the expiration date of the license of each external application 118-1 to 118-M is determined. As a result of the determination, if there is a deactivation target external application (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “target external application”) 118 whose license expiration date has expired, the deactivation request unit 132c determines that the target application A deactivation request signal for requesting execution of deactivation is output to 118.

  Subsequently, in step S102, when the deactivation request signal is input to the target external application 118, the main body function managed by the application function management unit 141 is being executed (that is, the MFP 100 performs processing operations based on the main body function). Middle), or if it is not in the waiting process for rejecting the deactivation request by the use reservation request from another external application 118 (step S102: NO), the process proceeds to step S107, and the application function management unit 141 The deactivation process for invalidating the main body function managed in step S107 is executed (step S107).

  On the other hand, if a deactivation request signal is input in step S102, it is either during execution of the main body function or during standby processing (step S102: YES), then in steps S103 and S104, The user request rejection processing unit 142a rejects a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 until the execution of the function ends, that is, until the multifunction peripheral 100 ends the processing operation by the main body function. The user request rejection process is executed.

  Specifically, in the process of step S103, the user request rejection processing unit 142a rejects the user request for requesting the use of the main function of the target external application 118 received by the user request reception unit 142 without accepting the request. Execute.

  Thereafter, when the execution of the main body function managed by the application function management unit 141 ends, that is, when the multifunction peripheral 100 ends the processing operation by the main body function (step S104: YES), the user request rejection processing unit 142a An operation end notification signal for notifying the license management unit 132 that the processing operation has ended is output (step S105).

  Then, in the license management unit 132 that has input the operation end notification, the deactivation request unit 132c resumes outputting the deactivation request signal to the target external application 118, and the deactivation request signal that has been resumed is output. Is input (step S106: YES), the deactivation availability determination unit 144 determines that the deactivation can be executed, and the deactivation execution unit 145 manages the application function management unit 141. A deactivation process for invalidating the main body function to be performed is executed (step S107).

  FIG. 9 to FIG. 13 are flowcharts for explaining details of specific processing of the user request rejection processing in step S103 of the processing procedure of FIG. 8 described above, and the user request rejection processing unit 142a described above is shown in FIG. It is possible to set to execute any one of the predetermined user request rejection processes shown in FIG.

  The processing procedure in FIG. 9 is the same as the processing procedure in FIG. 8 except that step S103 is changed to step S203. Therefore, the description other than step S203 is omitted here. And

  That is, as a user request rejection process for rejecting a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 without accepting it, in the process of step S203 of FIG. In the non-display state (for example, the function button 20 (for example, the function button 20-M) for instructing the execution of the function of the target external application (for example, the external application (M) 118-M) on the 20 touch panels) The process shown in FIG.

  According to such an embodiment, when a target external application 118 that needs to be deactivated is generated, the target external application 118 is in a state where the function is being executed and the deactivation process cannot be executed. Since the function button for instructing the execution of the function 118 is not displayed, the user operation for instructing the execution of the function of the target external application 118 can be rejected in the above situation, and the license expiration date is expired. It is possible to prevent the user from using the functions of the target external application 118.

  The processing procedure of FIG. 10 is the same as the processing procedure of FIG. 8 except that step S103 is changed to step S303 and step S304, and the steps of the processing procedure of FIG. Since the processing in S203 and step S303 is the same, the description other than step S304 is omitted here.

  That is, as a user request rejection process for rejecting a user request requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 without accepting it, the process of step S303, which is the same process as step S203 of FIG. 9, is performed. In step S304, a notification process for notifying the user that the license of the target external application 118 has expired is performed.

  Specifically, in the processing of step S304, the license expiration date of the external application (M) indicating that the license of the target external application 118 has expired is displayed on the touch panel of the operation display unit 20. ”Or the like (see FIG. 14B) is displayed.

  According to such an embodiment, when a target external application 118 that needs to be deactivated is generated, the target external application 118 is in a state where the function is being executed and the deactivation process cannot be executed. Since the function button for instructing the execution of the function 118 is not displayed and the license of the target external application 118 is notified, the function of the target external application 118 in the above situation is notified. The user operation for instructing execution can be rejected, so that the function of the target external application 118 whose license has expired can be prevented from being used by the user, and the target external application cannot be used for the user. The reason can be presented.

  In the processing procedure of FIG. 11, step S103 in the processing procedure of FIG. 8 described above is the same except that it is changed from step S403 to step S405. Therefore, descriptions other than steps S403 to S405 are omitted here. Shall.

  That is, as a user request rejection process for rejecting a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 without accepting it, the user request reception unit is executing during the function execution of the target external application 118 (step S402: YES). When 142 receives a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 (step S403: YES), in step S404, the user request rejection processing unit 142a rejects the user request without accepting the request. In step S405, a notification process for notifying the user that the reception has been rejected is performed.

  Specifically, in the process of step S405, it is indicated on the touch panel of the operation display unit 20 that the user request for using the target external application 118 has been rejected because the license of the target external application 118 has expired. A process of displaying character information (see FIG. 15A) such as “The function cannot be used because the license has expired.” Is performed.

  According to such an embodiment, when a target external application 118 that needs to be deactivated is generated, the target external application 118 is in a state where the function is being executed and the deactivation process cannot be executed. In the above situation, when the user request for executing the function 118 is accepted, the user request is rejected without being accepted and the user request is rejected. All user requests that occur can be rejected, and the user can be notified that the user request has been rejected.

  The processing procedure of FIG. 12 is the same as the processing procedure of FIG. 8 except that step S103 is changed to steps S503 to S506, and the steps of the processing procedure of FIG. Since the processing of S403, step S404, and step S405 is the same as the processing of step S503, step S504, and step S505, explanations other than step S506 are omitted here.

  That is, as a user request rejection process for rejecting a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 without accepting the request, a user request reception unit is executing during the function execution of the target external application 118 (step S502: YES). When the user request for requesting the use of the main body function of the target external application 118 is received (step S503: YES), the process of steps S504 and S505, which are the same processes as steps S404 and S405 of FIG. In addition to performing the process, in step S506, a notification process for notifying the user that the license of the target external application 118 is to be updated is performed.

  Specifically, the license of the target external application 118 has expired on the touch panel of the operation display unit 20, indicating that the license of the target external application 118 is to be updated. ”Or the like (see FIG. 15B) is displayed.

  According to such an embodiment, when a target external application 118 that needs to be deactivated is generated, the target external application 118 is in a state where the function is being executed and the deactivation process cannot be executed. When the user request for executing the function 118 is accepted, the user request is rejected without being accepted, and the user request is rejected and a notification for prompting the license update is performed. It is possible to reject all the user requests generated in step 1, and notify the user that the user request has been rejected and that the license is urged to be updated.

  In the processing procedure of FIG. 13, step S103 in the processing procedure of FIG. 8 described above is the same except that step S603 to step S609 are changed, and steps S403, S404, and the processing procedure of FIG. Since the process of step S405 is the same as the process of step S603, step S606, and step S607, the description other than step S604, step S605, step S608, and step S609 is omitted here.

  That is, as a user request rejection process for rejecting a user request for requesting use of the main body function of the target external application 118 without accepting the user request, a user request reception unit is executing during the function execution of the target external application 118 (step S602: YES) When 142 receives a user request for requesting the use of the main body function of the target external application 118 (step S603: YES), in step S604, a notification process for selecting whether or not to perform a license update is performed.

  Specifically, in the process of step S604, since the expiration date of the license of the target external application 118 has expired on the touch panel of the operation display unit 20, YES for inquiring whether or not to update the license of the target external application 118 is required. Processing for displaying selection function buttons (see FIG. 15C) such as function buttons and NO function buttons is performed.

  After that, if license update is not selected by the user in step S605, that is, if the NO function button is selected and touched, step S606, which is the same processing as step S404 and step S405 shown in FIG. And step S607 is performed and the process is shifted to step S610.

  On the other hand, if license update is selected by the user in step S605, that is, if the YES function button is selected and touched, subsequently, in step S608, license update processing for the target external application 118 is executed. After the license update is completed, in step S609, the user function accepted in step S603 is accepted, the application function management unit 141 executes the main body function, and the process here is terminated.

  According to such an embodiment, when a target external application 118 that needs to be deactivated is generated, the target external application 118 is in a state where the function is being executed and the deactivation process cannot be executed. When a user request for executing the function 118 is received, a notification is first made as to whether or not the license update needs to be executed, and the user request is accepted only when the user does not execute the license update. Therefore, when a user request occurs in the above situation, the user request when the license update is not performed can be rejected.

  Note that in step S304 in FIG. 10, step S405 in FIG. 11, step S505 and step S506 in FIG. 12, and step S604 and step S607 in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various states may be notified by sound using an audio device such as a speaker and a sound reproduction device.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 13, the processing procedure in the form in which each external application 118 of the deactivation processing control unit 133 has the use reservation processing unit 143 has been described. The use reservation processing unit 143 may be omitted. In this case, the processing related to the use reservation processing unit 143 is omitted. Specifically, for example, in the processing procedure of FIG. 8, in the determination in step S102, it is not determined whether or not a function reservation is being made, but only whether or not the function of the target external application is being executed. .

  The present invention has been described based on the exemplary embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea expressed by the claims. It is possible to make changes and modifications.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where an external application is taken as an example of the deactivation target software has been described. However, in addition to this, the printer application 111, the copy application 112, the fax application 113, the scanner illustrated in FIG. Software such as the application 114, the net file application 115, the process inspection application 116, and the WEB application 117 may be processed as software to be deactivated.

  In the above-described embodiment, each external application 118 has an application function management unit 141, a user request rejection processing unit 142, a use reservation processing unit 143, and a deactivation enable / disable determination that is a part of the deactivation processing control unit 133. However, in addition to this, for example, each external application 118 includes only the application function management unit 141 that stores and manages the main body functions. The platform 120 may have the other constituent element units 142 to 145 like the license management unit 132.

  In the above-described embodiment, as the user request rejection process, one of the processes illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 13 has been described. However, other than this, for example, the process illustrated in FIGS. It is good also as a form which performs the user request refusal process which combined any of refusal processes arbitrarily. In addition, other processing may be executed as long as it is a refusal process that can reject a user request for using the main body function of the target external application 118 without accepting it.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus that is maintained and managed by the central management apparatus 500 has at least two functions among the functions such as a printer function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and a scanner function. Although the multi-function peripheral capable of installing the external application 118 downloaded from the application management server 400 has been described, for example, the external application 118 downloaded from the application management server 400 can be installed, for example. Other image forming apparatuses such as a printer apparatus, a copying apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, and a scanner apparatus may be used.

  In addition, various programs executed by the multifunction peripheral (image forming apparatus) 100, the intermediary apparatus (device management apparatus) 200, and the central management apparatus 500 according to the above-described embodiment are files in an installable format or an executable format and are CDs. -It may be configured to be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc. You may comprise so that it may provide or distribute via networks, such as the internet.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the multifunction peripheral 100 that is an image forming apparatus is taken as an example of the apparatus having the deactivation processing control unit 133 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be an information processing apparatus such as a general personal computer (PC). In this case, the software to be deactivated includes software installed by downloading from an external device via a network such as the Internet, and software installed via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM. .

  In addition, the device configuration and functional configuration of the multi-function device, the external application, and the like in the above-described embodiment are described merely as examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device management system 100, 100-1, 100-2, ..., 100-N compound machine (image forming apparatus)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 200 Mediation apparatus 300 License management server 400 Application management server 500 Central management apparatus 80 Network 90 Firewall 10 Controller 20 Operation display part 60 Engine part 118, 118-1-118-M External application (software)
131 Application Installation Control Service 132 License Management Unit 132a License Information Storage Unit 132b License Expiration Determination Unit (Determination Unit)
132c Deactivation Request Unit 133 Deactivation Processing Control Unit 141 Application Function Management Unit 142 User Request Accepting Unit 142a User Request Rejecting Processing Unit (User Request Rejecting Processing Unit)
143 Use reservation processing unit (use reservation processing means)
144 Deactivation availability determination unit 145 Deactivation execution unit (execution means)

JP 2006-040262 A

Claims (11)

Determining means for determining expiration of the license of the software based on the expiration date information of the license of the installed software;
User request rejection processing means for rejecting a user request for requesting execution of the software main body function when the software license is determined to have expired by the determination means during execution of the software main body function;
When the determination means determines that the license has expired, if the target software is executing the main body function, after the rejection of the user request rejection processing means is performed and the execution of the main body function is completed Execution means for performing deactivation of the target software;
An information processing apparatus comprising: Further comprising a use reservation processing means for making a use reservation of the main function of the software before the license expires;
The user request refusal processing means is configured to determine whether the waiting software license reserved for use by the use reservation processing means and for which deactivation is prohibited is expired by the determination means. Rejects user requests that require the execution of
2. The information processing according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit executes deactivation of the waiting software after the waiting software has finished executing the main function reserved for use. 3. apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user request rejection processing unit rejects acceptance of the user request.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the user request rejection processing unit further hides an operation display area instructing execution of the main body function.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the user request rejection processing unit further notifies the expiration of the license.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the user request rejection processing unit further notifies the user that reception of the user request has been rejected.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the user request rejection processing unit further notifies the user that the license is to be updated.   The user request rejection processing means allows the user to select whether or not to execute the license update, and rejects acceptance of the user request when the license update execution is not selected. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the license is updated when selected, and acceptance of the user request is accepted after completion of the update. A deactivation process control method executed by an information processing apparatus,
A determining step for determining whether the license of the software has expired based on the expiration date information of the license of the installed software;
A user who rejects a user request for requesting execution of the main body function of the software when the determination step determines that the license of the software has expired during execution of the main body function of the software. A request rejection processing step;
When the execution means determines that the license has expired in the determination step, if the target software is executing the main body function, the user request rejection processing means is rejected and the main body function is executed. An execution step of performing deactivation of the target software after ending
A deactivation process control method comprising: A program that is interpreted and executed by a computer installed in an information processing apparatus,
A determining step for determining whether the license of the software has expired based on the expiration date information of the license of the installed software;
A user who rejects a user request for requesting execution of the main body function of the software when the determination step determines that the license of the software has expired during execution of the main body function of the software. A request rejection processing step;
When the execution means determines that the license has expired in the determination step, if the target software is executing the main body function, the user request rejection processing means is rejected and the main body function is executed. An execution step of performing deactivation of the target software after ending
For causing the computer to execute.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 10.

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