JP2011180905A - Device, system, and method for managing license, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To collect and assign a license more effectively. <P>SOLUTION: A device for managing license includes: a past record storage section 221 which stores past record information showing a past record that a license of an application is collected from an image forming device; a communication section 201 which receives an acquisition request of the license from the image forming device; a determination section 203 which determines whether the licenses to be assigned are lacking or not; a selection section 204 which selects the image forming device for the license to be collected from the image forming devices to which the license is assigned based on past record information when the licenses are lacking; a collection section 205 which collects the license from the selected image forming device; and an assigning section 206 which assigns the license to the image forming device which has sent the acquisition request of the license. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a license management apparatus, a license management system, a license management method, and a program.

  The floating license method, which is one of software (application) license management methods, is a method for managing the right to use software separately from the software body. A license management system based on the floating license system includes a server that manages a license and a client that executes software. The client requests a license from the server when executing the software. The server permits execution of software on the client if the license is granted to the client. For example, a technique is known in which when a license is exhausted, the license is collected from a client that holds the license but does not use the software, and the license is automatically reassigned.

  In Patent Document 1, the presence / absence status of a user at a terminal used by a user who is assigned a software license is managed, and the continuation or disconnection of the license for the user is determined based on the presence / absence status of the user. Technologies that eliminate waste are proposed.

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to predict the possibility of continuing use of the license in the future, such as how long the current user's presence / absence situation will continue, and the license collection and allocation process is efficient. There was a problem that could not be done. For example, in the method of Patent Document 1, since the license is collected despite the absence in a short period of time, there is a possibility that a problem arises that the license needs to be reassigned immediately.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a license management apparatus, a license management system, a license management method, and a program capable of more efficiently collecting and assigning licenses. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a license management apparatus connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network, and represents a record of collecting application licenses from the image forming apparatus. A record storage unit that stores record information, a reception unit that receives the license acquisition request from the image forming apparatus, a determination unit that determines whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient, and the license is insufficient A selection unit that selects, based on the record information, the image forming apparatus that collects the license from the image forming apparatus to which the license is assigned, and collects the license from the selected image forming apparatus. A collecting unit that assigns the license to the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the acquisition request; Characterized in that it comprises.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a license management method executed by a license management apparatus connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network, wherein the license management apparatus represents a record of collecting application licenses from the image forming apparatus. A receiving step for receiving a license acquisition request from the image forming apparatus; and a determining step for determining whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient. And a selection step for selecting, based on the record information, the image forming apparatus for collecting the license from the image forming apparatus to which the license is assigned when the license is insufficient. A recovery unit for recovering the license from the selected image forming apparatus; When, the allocation unit comprises a allocation step of allocating the license to the image forming apparatus which has transmitted the acquisition request.

  The present invention also relates to a license management apparatus connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network, a result storage unit for storing result information indicating a result of collecting an application license from the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus. A receiving unit that receives the license acquisition request from a determination unit, a determination unit that determines whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient, and the image forming apparatus to which the license is allocated when the license is insufficient A selection unit that selects the image forming apparatus that collects the license based on the record information, a collection unit that collects the license from the selected image forming apparatus, and the image formation that has transmitted the acquisition request. A program for causing an apparatus to function as an assigning unit that assigns the license to an apparatus.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a license management system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a license management apparatus that manages a license of an application of the image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus issues the license acquisition request A transmission unit configured to transmit to the license management apparatus, the license management apparatus storing a record storage unit that stores record information indicating a record of collecting the application license from the image forming apparatus; and acquiring the license from the image forming apparatus A receiving unit that receives the request; a determination unit that determines whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient; and the license is allocated from the image forming apparatus to which the license is allocated when the license is insufficient. A selection unit that selects the image forming apparatus to be collected based on the record information , Characterized in that it comprises a recovery unit for recovering the license from the selected said image forming apparatus, and a allocation unit for allocating the license to the image forming apparatus which has transmitted the acquisition request.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to collect and assign licenses more efficiently.

FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram of the license management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the license management apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of the record information stored in the record storage unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of determination information stored in the determination information storage unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a usage state stored in the state storage unit. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the license collection / allocation process in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the result determination process in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the status notification process in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the license collection destination selection process. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the license collection destination selection process when statistical information is used. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the aggregation processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the license management apparatus. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the multifunction machine.

  Exemplary embodiments of a license management apparatus, a license management system, a license management method, and a program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, an example in which a device to which a license is assigned is applied to a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having at least two functions of a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function is shown. The device to which the license is assigned is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to any image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile apparatus, and a scanner apparatus.

(First embodiment)
The license management apparatus according to the present embodiment collects a license by predicting a retrievable state based on past license use results. Thereby, frequent collection and allocation of licenses can be reduced, and wasteful license control processing can be eliminated.

  FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram of the license management system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the license management system includes a license management apparatus 200, a license issuance server 300, a software distribution server 400, a statistical information server 500, and a Web server 600 connected via a network 80 such as the Internet. Has been. A firewall 90 is provided between the license management apparatus 200 and the network 80. The license management apparatus 200 is connected to a plurality of multifunction peripherals 100a, 100b, and 100c (hereinafter, unspecified multifunction peripherals are simply referred to as multifunction peripherals 100).

  The firewall 90, the license management apparatus 200, and the multifunction peripheral 100 are provided for each specific user site, for example. When there are a plurality of user sites, the firewall 90, the license management device 200, and the multifunction device 100 may be provided for each user site (not shown in FIG. 1).

  The firewall 90 detects and blocks unauthorized access by monitoring data flowing on the boundary with the outside so that a third party who has entered the license management apparatus 200 through an external network such as a public line or the Internet does not perform fraud. To do.

  The software distribution server 400 is a server device that stores software components that are packages of various software executed by the multifunction device 100 and distributes the software components to the multifunction device 100 via the license management device 200.

  The license issuance server 300 receives a license (usage right) of a software component provided from the software distribution server 400 and installed in the multifunction peripheral 100 and a license (usage right) of a function executed by the multifunction peripheral 100. 200 is a device managed via the network.

  The Web server 600 is a server device having a portal sales site for software such as applications. A user accesses the portal sales site of the Web server 600 from a PC (Personal Computer) (not shown), the multifunction peripheral 100, or the like, and purchases desired software.

  The license management apparatus 200 is an apparatus that mediates processing performed between the software distribution server 400, the license issuance server 300, and the multifunction peripheral 100. The license management apparatus 200 requests and receives the software component to be installed from the software distribution server 400, and requests and receives the license of the software to be installed from the license issuance server 300. In addition, the license management apparatus 200 transmits a software installation request to the multi-function peripheral 100 together with these software components and licenses, and causes the multi-function peripheral 100 to install the software.

  The statistical information server 500 stores statistical information calculated from performance information representing the performance of collecting licenses from the multifunction peripheral 100. The statistical information server 500 obtains performance information from, for example, a plurality of user sites, and calculates statistical information by taking statistics of the obtained performance information.

  The multifunction device 100 is a device having a plurality of functions such as copy, fax, and printer, and is connected to the license management device 200 via a local network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). In FIG. 1, three multifunction devices 100a, 100b, and 100c are connected to the network. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which one, two, or four or more multifunction devices are connected is also possible. Good. When receiving an installation request from the license management apparatus 200 together with a software component and a license, the multi-function device 100 includes an application installation control unit that executes installation of software specified by the installation request.

  Next, details of the license management apparatus 200 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the license management apparatus 200. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the license management apparatus 200 includes an actual result storage unit 221, a determination information storage unit 222, a state storage unit 223, a communication unit 201, an update unit 202, a determination unit 203, and a selection unit 204. A collection unit 205, an allocation unit 206, and a distribution unit 207.

  The record storage unit 221 stores record information indicating the record of collecting the software license from the multifunction peripheral 100. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the record information stored in the record storage unit 221. As shown in FIG. A device ID, a user ID, a device state at the time of collection, a use time zone, and a collection result.

  Collection No. Is identification information for identifying performance information. The device ID is identification information for identifying a device (multifunction device) that is a target of license allocation and collection. The user ID is identification information for identifying the user of the multifunction device 100. The device state at the time of collection represents the operation state of the multifunction peripheral 100 when the license is collected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the operation state includes, for example, energy saving, power OFF, paper jam, SC error, and cover open. The operation state is not limited to this, and any operation state can be applied as long as it represents a state that can be detected by the multifunction peripheral 100 and notified to the license management apparatus 200. For example, the state of a designated job (such as “job in progress”) may be set as the operation state.

  The multifunction device 100 also has a function of detecting such a change in the operation state and notifying the license management apparatus 200 of the changed operation state. As a result, the license management apparatus 200 can grasp the device status of all the devices managed by the license management device 200 in real time.

  The use time zone represents a time zone during which the MFP 100 that collected the license was used. The usage time zone designation method is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, 24 hours is divided into four equal parts: “1 am (0: 00 to 6:00)”, “2 am (6: 00 to 12:00)”, “1 pm (12: 00 to 18:00)” , And “Afternoon 2 (18: 00 to 24:00)” may be designated.

  The collection result is information indicating whether or not a license acquisition request is received again within a predetermined period from the MFP 100 that collected the license after collecting the license. FIG. 3 shows an example in which “NG” is set as the collection result when the acquisition request is received again, and “OK” is set as the collection result when the acquisition request is not received again.

  In the example of FIG. = 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 indicate that there was no problem in the collection results. In addition, recovery No. = 3,8 records indicate that a license acquisition request has occurred again after collecting the license (in reality, it is in use, etc.). By accumulating a large number of these records, a more optimal collection destination can be selected. That is, a learning effect is obtained.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the determination information storage unit 222 stores determination information to be referred to when the selection unit 204 selects the MFP 100 from which the license is to be collected. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of determination information stored in the determination information storage unit 222. As shown in FIG. 4, the determination information includes a collection priority, a device ID, a user ID, a device state at the time of collection, and a collection success rate.

  The device ID, user ID, and device state at the time of collection are the same as those in FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, the usage time zone is not included in the determination information. This means that the usage time period is not used as a criterion for selecting the MFP 100 from which the license is to be collected. Below, the information used as a criterion is referred to as a criterion item. As the determination criterion item, a predetermined item may be used, or an item designated by a user or the like may be set from a plurality of items.

  It should be noted that any information that represents the usage status of the image forming apparatus can be included in the criterion item. For example, the usage time zone may be included in the criterion item. Judgment criteria items can be set in advance, for example, by a user or the like, and the set judgment criteria items are stored in a storage unit or the like. The update unit 202 refers to the information stored in this way, creates determination information from the performance information, and stores it in the determination information storage unit 222. Hereinafter, a case will be described as an example in which the device ID, the user ID, and the device state at the time of collection are used as determination criteria items when selecting the MFP 100 that collects the license.

  The collection success rate includes the same criterion item as the corresponding criterion item with respect to the total number of performance information including the same criterion item as the corresponding criterion item (device ID, user ID, and device status at the time of collection). This represents the ratio of the number of pieces of achievement information whose collection result is “OK” in the achievement information.

  The collection priority is a value representing the degree of priority when selecting the MFP 100 for collecting licenses. The collection priority is assigned a higher priority in descending order of collection success rate. When the collection success rate is the same, a record with a large total number of collection results is given priority.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the multifunction peripherals 100a and 100b are currently running software (for example, a copy application), and based on the record information as shown in FIG. Thus, it is shown that the multifunction peripheral 100a has a higher possibility of successful collection.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the status storage unit 223 stores the current usage status of the MFP 100 that is using the license. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the usage state stored in the state storage unit 223. As shown in FIG. 5, the usage state is identification information that identifies the usage state. A device ID, a user ID, a current device state representing the current operation state of the multi-function device 100, and a use time zone.

  3 to 5 show examples of performance information, determination information, and usage status for a specific software (for example, copy application). When a plurality of software is used, information as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is stored for each software.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the communication unit 201 transmits and receives various data to and from external devices such as the software distribution server 400, the license issuance server 300, and the multifunction peripheral 100. For example, the communication unit 201 functions as a reception unit that receives a license acquisition request from the multifunction peripheral 100.

  The update unit 202 creates and updates information in each storage unit. For example, after the license is collected, the update unit 202 creates corresponding record information and stores it in the record storage unit 221. In addition, the update unit 202 calculates a collection success rate or the like using the record information, creates determination information including the collection success rate, and stores the determination information in the determination information storage unit 222.

  The determination unit 203 determines whether there is a shortage of licenses assigned to the multifunction peripheral 100 that has transmitted the acquisition request. The determination unit 203 refers to, for example, a storage unit (not shown) that stores the total number of licenses managed (assignable) by the license management apparatus 200 and the number of licenses currently allocated to the multifunction peripheral 100. To determine whether the license is insufficient.

  When it is determined that the license is insufficient, the selection unit 204 selects the multifunction device 100 from which the license is to be collected among the multifunction devices 100 to which the license is currently assigned. For example, the selection unit 204 collates the usage state of the MFP 100 that is currently using the license stored in the state storage unit 223 with the corresponding item in the determination information stored in the determination information storage unit 222, and matches The MFP 100 having the highest collection priority of the determination information to be selected is selected. Note that the items (judgment criteria items) do not need to match completely, and for example, items having a similarity between items of a predetermined threshold or more may be used.

  The collection unit 205 collects a license from the selected multifunction device 100. The assigning unit 206 assigns a license to the multifunction peripheral 100 that has transmitted the license acquisition request. If the license is insufficient, the assigning unit 206 assigns the license collected by the collecting unit 205.

  When the distribution unit 207 receives a software distribution request from the multifunction device 100, the distribution unit 207 distributes the requested software to the multifunction device 100. The distribution unit 207 distributes the software stored in the license management apparatus 200 or the software downloaded from the software distribution server 400 to the multifunction peripheral 100 that is the distribution request source.

  Next, an example of license collection / allocation processing by the license management system according to the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the license collection / allocation process in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a license collection / allocation process in the following situation.
(1) All licenses managed by the license management apparatus 200 have been allocated to the multifunction peripheral 100, and the licenses are exhausted.
(2) A license acquisition request is received from the MFP 100a to which no license is assigned, the license is collected from the MFP 100b to which the license has been assigned, and reassigned to the MFP 100a.

  First, the multifunction peripheral 100a notifies the license management apparatus 200 of a license acquisition request (step S101). Although not shown in FIG. 6, the determination unit 203 determines whether there are insufficient licenses to be allocated. In this example, since it is determined that there is a shortage, the following processing is executed in order to select the multifunction peripheral 100 from which the license is to be collected. If it is determined that the license is not insufficient, the assigning unit 206 assigns a license to the multi-function peripheral 100 that has transmitted the license acquisition request (not shown in FIG. 6).

  First, the update unit 202 of the license management apparatus 200 reads information on a criterion item set in advance from a storage unit or the like (not shown) (step S102). The update unit 202 creates determination information to be stored in the determination information storage unit 222 with reference to the result storage unit 221 and the state storage unit 223 (step S103). Details of the determination information creation process will be described later.

  Next, the selection unit 204 refers to the determination information storage unit 222 and determines the multifunction peripheral 100 having the highest collection priority as a license collection destination device (step S104). The selection unit 204 determines whether or not there is a license collection destination MFP 100 (step S105). If the license does not exist (step S105: No), the license cannot be collected, and the communication unit 201 notifies the MFP 100a that the license acquisition has failed (step S106). Upon receiving the notification, the multifunction peripheral 100a displays, for example, on the display device or the like that the license acquisition has failed (step S107).

  If the license collection destination multifunction peripheral 100 exists (step S105: Yes), the collection unit 205 collects a license from the collection destination multifunction peripheral 100 (the multifunction peripheral 100b in this example). The multi-function device 100b executes a license invalidation process for invalidating the collected license (step S108).

  Thereafter, the update unit 202 starts a process of monitoring the collection destination multifunction peripheral 100b for a predetermined measurement period in order to determine a collection result from the collection destination multifunction peripheral 100b (step S109). Also, the assigning unit 206 assigns the license collected from the multifunction device 100b to the multifunction device 100a (step S110).

  The multi-function device 100a determines whether or not the assigned license plug-in (software) has been installed (step S111). If the plug-in has not been installed (step S111: No), the multifunction peripheral 100a requests the plug-in from the license management apparatus 200 (step S112).

  The distribution unit 207 of the license management apparatus 200 determines whether or not the requested plug-in has been downloaded (step S113). If it has not been downloaded (step S113: No), the distribution unit 207 requests the software distribution server 400 to transmit the plug-in. The software distribution server 400 transmits the requested plug-in to the license management apparatus 200 (step S114).

  If the requested plug-in has been downloaded (step S113: Yes), the distribution unit 207 distributes the downloaded plug-in to the multifunction peripheral 100a (step S115). If it has not been downloaded, the plug-in transmitted in step S114 is distributed to the multifunction peripheral 100a.

  The multi-function device 100a installs the distributed plug-in (step S116). When it is determined in step S111 that the plug-in has been installed (step S111: Yes), or after installing the plug-in in step S116, a license activation process for activating the license of the installed plug-in is performed. Execute (Step S117). The multi-function device 100a displays on the display device or the like that the license has been validated (step S118).

  Next, an example of a result determination process for determining the license collection result will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the result determination process in the first embodiment.

  When the update unit 202 of the license management apparatus 200 detects the end of the measurement period (step S201), the update unit 202 stops measuring the measurement period (step S202). In this case, the update unit 202 adds a record of the collection result “OK” to the record storage unit 221 (step S203).

  When the collection destination multifunction peripheral 100b transmits a license acquisition request to the collected license again (step S204), the license management apparatus 200 determines whether it is within the measurement period for determining the collection result. (Step S205). If it is within the measurement period (step S205: Yes), the update unit 202 of the license management apparatus 200 stops measuring the measurement period (step S202). In this case, the update unit 202 adds a record of the collection result “NG” to the record storage unit 221 (step S203). If it is outside the measurement period (step S205: No), the license management apparatus 200 determines that it is a new license request, and executes the processing from step S102 onward in FIG.

  Next, an example of a status notification process for notifying the device status of the multifunction peripheral 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the status notification process in the first embodiment.

  When the multifunction device 100a detects a change in the device state (step S301), the multifunction device 100a notifies the license management apparatus 200 of the device state after the change (step S302). In response to the notification, the license management apparatus 200 updates the device status of the multifunction peripheral 100a in the status storage unit 223 (step S303).

  Similarly, when the multifunction device 100b detects a change in the device state (step S304), the multifunction device 100b notifies the license management device 200 of the device state after the change (step S305). In response to the notification, the license management apparatus 200 updates the device status of the multifunction peripheral 100b in the status storage unit 223 (step S306).

  Next, a specific example of the license collection destination selection process will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, a license has already been assigned to the multifunction peripherals 100 a and 100 b, and a usage state 903 is created from the device states 901 and 902 notified from these multifunction peripherals 100 and stored in the state storage unit 223. And Further, it is assumed that the record information 904 as illustrated in FIG. 9 is stored in the record storage unit 221.

  In this state, assume that the multifunction peripheral 100c transmits a license acquisition request to the license management apparatus 200 (1). When the acquisition request is received, the update unit 202 of the license management apparatus 200 creates determination information 905 from the usage state 903 and the record information 904 and stores it in the determination information storage unit 222 (2).

  Specifically, the update unit 202 only uses the multifunction device 100 that is using the license, that is, the multifunction device 100 in which the usage state 903 is stored in the state storage unit 223 (the multifunction devices 100a and 100b in the example of FIG. 9). The result information 904 is tabulated for the target. In addition, the update unit 202 aggregates information by focusing only on the specified determination criterion item in the record information 904 and creates determination information 905. In the example of FIG. 9, three items of the device ID, the user ID, and the device state at the time of collection are selected as the determination reference items. Since the use time zone is excluded, the update unit 202 calculates the collection success rate by collecting the collection results using only these three items.

  Thereafter, the selection unit 204 compares the determination information 905 and the usage state 903, and selects a device (multifunction device 100) for collecting the license (3). In the example of FIG. 9, it can be seen from the usage state 903 that the multifunction peripherals 100a and 100b exist as license collection target candidates. The selection unit 204 scans the determination information 905 in order from the record with the highest collection priority, and searches for a record whose determination criterion item matches the record in the usage state 903. In the example of FIG. 9, the record with the collection priority 2 matches the user ID of the multifunction peripheral 100a and the current device status. Therefore, the multifunction peripheral 100a is selected as the license collection destination device.

  The collection unit 205 collects the license from the selected multifunction device 100a (4) and assigns it to the multifunction device 100c that requested the license (5).

  So far, the example in which the collection destination is determined using the record information accumulated in the record storage unit 221 of the license management apparatus 200 has been described. However, when there are few learning samples (records in the result storage unit 221), it may be difficult to select an optimal license collection destination. For this reason, it is conceivable to use general statistical data instead of the learning sample. Although such statistical data (statistical information) is not information specific to a specific user environment, it is considered to contribute to the determination of the collection destination as information representing a general tendency in an environment where similar devices are used. It is done.

  The statistical information server 500 has a function of periodically collecting performance information from each license management apparatus 200 installed at each user site, for example, and calculating statistical information of the collected performance information. Further, the statistical information server 500 has a function of transmitting the calculated statistical information in response to a request from the license management apparatus 200. The statistical information is calculated, for example, by collecting records having the same usage state from the collected performance information and obtaining a recovery success rate, in the same manner as the method of creating the judgment information from the performance information.

  Next, an example of a license collection destination selection process when the statistical information stored in the statistical information server 500 is used will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the license collection destination selection process when statistical information is used. The process in FIG. 10 is executed, for example, at the determination information update timing (step S102 in FIG. 6).

  When the update unit 202 of the license management apparatus 200 detects the update timing of the determination information (step S401), the update unit 202 determines whether to use statistical information (step S402). For example, the update unit 202 determines to use the statistical information when the number of records in the record storage unit 221 is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

  When it is determined that the statistical information is used (step S402: Yes), the update unit 202 transmits a statistical information acquisition request to the statistical information server 500 (step S403). The statistical information server 500 transmits the held statistical information to the license management apparatus 200 (step S404). Based on the received statistical information, the update unit 202 of the license management apparatus 200 creates determination information in accordance with the user environment by excluding information other than the determination criterion items (step S405). If it is determined that no statistical information is used (step S402: No), the updating unit 202 creates determination information by the method described with reference to FIG.

  The selection unit 204 refers to the determination information created in this way, and selects a license collection destination by the method described with reference to FIG. 6 (step S406).

  Next, an example of a totaling process for totaling the performance information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the aggregation processing in the first embodiment.

  When the license management apparatus 200 detects the timing (step S501) at which the performance information is notified (for example, every time a certain period elapses), the license management device 200 transmits the stored performance information to the statistical information server 500 (step S502). In FIG. 11, only one license management apparatus 200 is shown, but for example, a plurality of license management apparatuses 200 for each user site transmit statistical information to the statistical information server 500 in this way.

  The statistical information server 500 accumulates the record information received from each license management apparatus 200 in an internal storage unit or the like (step S503). When the statistical information calculation timing (for example, every time a certain period elapses) is detected (step S504), the statistical information server 500 reads the accumulated performance information from the storage unit or the like (step S505). Then, the statistical information server 500 calculates the statistical information by collecting the actual information (step S506) and stores it in the storage unit or the like.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the license management apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of the license management apparatus 200.

  The license management device 200 communicates with a control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 and a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 by connecting to a network. / F14 and a bus 15 for connecting each part.

  A program executed by the license management apparatus 200 is provided by being incorporated in advance in the ROM 12 or the like.

  The program executed in the license management apparatus 200 is an installable or executable file, which is a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Compact Disk Recordable), a DVD. It may be configured to be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as (Digital Versatile Disk) and provided as a computer program product.

  Furthermore, the program executed by the license management apparatus 200 may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The program executed by the license management apparatus 200 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The program executed by the license management apparatus 200 can cause the computer to function as each unit (communication unit, update unit, determination unit, selection unit, collection unit, allocation unit, distribution unit) of the above-described license management device. In this computer, the CPU 51 can read a program from a computer-readable storage medium onto a main storage device and execute the program.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the multifunction machine 100. As shown in FIG. 13, the multi-function device 100 has a configuration in which a controller 110 and an engine unit 160 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The controller 110 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 100 and controls drawing, communication, and input from the operation unit 119. The engine unit 160 includes a printer engine and a scanner engine that can be connected to the PCI bus. The printer engine is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, a 4-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 160 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine unit such as a plotter.

  The controller 110 includes a CPU 111, a north bridge (NB) 113, a system memory (MEM-P) 112, a south bridge (SB) 114, a local memory (MEM-C) 117, and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 116 and an HDD 118, and the NB 113 and the ASIC 116 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 115. The MEM-P 112 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112a and a RAM 112b.

  The CPU 111 performs overall control of the multifunction peripheral 100, has a chip set including the NB 113, the MEM-P 112, and the SB 114, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  The NB 113 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 111 to the MEM-P 112, SB 114, and AGP bus 115, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 112, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 112 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a printer drawing memory, and the like, and includes a ROM 112a and a RAM 112b. The ROM 112a is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM 112b is a writable and readable memory used as a program and data development memory, a printer drawing memory, and the like.

  The SB 114 is a bridge for connecting the NB 113 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 114 is connected to the NB 113 via a PCI bus, and a network I / F or the like is also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 116 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 bus 115, the PCI bus, the HDD 118, and the MEM-C 117. The ASIC 116 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 116, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 117, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic. Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 160 via the PCI bus. An FCU (Fax Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 140, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 150 are connected to the ASIC 116 via a PCI bus.

  The MEM-C 117 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 118 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP bus 115 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP bus 115 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 112 with high throughput. It is.

80 network 90 firewall 100a, 100b, 100c MFP 200 license management apparatus 201 communication unit 202 update unit 203 determination unit 204 selection unit 205 collection unit 206 allocation unit 207 distribution unit 221 result storage unit 222 determination information storage unit 223 state storage unit 300 License issuing server 400 Software distribution server 500 Statistics information server 600 Web server

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-258962

Claims (8)

A license management apparatus connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network,
A record storage unit that stores record information indicating the record of collecting the license of the application from the image forming apparatus;
A receiving unit that receives the license acquisition request from the image forming apparatus;
A determination unit for determining whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient;
A selection unit that selects, based on the record information, the image forming apparatus that collects the license from the image forming apparatus to which the license is assigned when the license is insufficient;
A collection unit for collecting the license from the selected image forming apparatus;
An assigning unit that assigns the license to the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the acquisition request;
A license management apparatus comprising: The result storage unit indicates a recovery state that indicates a usage state of the image forming apparatus when the license is recovered, and whether the acquisition request is received again from the image forming apparatus that has recovered the license. Memorize performance information in association with it,
The selection unit, as the image forming apparatus that collects the license when the license is insufficient, provides a current value for the total number of the performance information associated with the collection status that matches the current use status. Preferentially selecting an image forming apparatus having a small proportion of the number of the performance information indicating that the acquisition request has been received again among the performance information associated with the state at the time of collection corresponding to the usage state of
The license management apparatus according to claim 1. The usage state is at least one of identification information of the image forming apparatus, identification information of a user of the image forming apparatus, and an operating state of the image forming apparatus;
The license management apparatus according to claim 2. A judgment information storage unit for storing judgment information in which the state at the time of collection and the ratio are associated with each other;
The selection unit, as the image forming apparatus that collects the license when the license is insufficient, out of the collection state included in the determination information, the collection state that matches the current use state Preferentially selecting an image forming apparatus with a small proportion associated with
The license management apparatus according to claim 2. The receiving unit further receives the determination information from an external device that stores the determination information,
The determination information storage unit stores the received determination information;
The license management apparatus according to claim 4. A license management method executed by a license management apparatus connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network,
The license management device includes a record storage unit that stores record information indicating a record of collecting the license of the application from the image forming apparatus,
A receiving step for receiving a license acquisition request from the image forming apparatus;
A determination step of determining whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient;
A selection step of selecting, based on the record information, the image forming apparatus that collects the license from the image forming apparatus to which the license is assigned when the license is insufficient;
A collecting step for collecting the license from the selected image forming apparatus;
An allocation step in which an allocation unit allocates the license to the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the acquisition request;
A license management method comprising: A license management device connected to a plurality of image forming devices via a network.
A record storage unit that stores record information indicating the record of collecting the license of the application from the image forming apparatus;
A receiving unit that receives the license acquisition request from the image forming apparatus;
A determination unit for determining whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient;
A selection unit that selects, based on the record information, the image forming apparatus that collects the license from the image forming apparatus to which the license is assigned when the license is insufficient;
A collection unit for collecting the license from the selected image forming apparatus;
An assigning unit that assigns the license to the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the acquisition request;
Program to function as. A license management system including a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a license management apparatus that manages a license of an application of the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A transmission unit that transmits the license acquisition request to the license management device;
The license management device includes:
A record storage unit that stores record information indicating the record of collecting the license of the application from the image forming apparatus;
A receiving unit that receives the license acquisition request from the image forming apparatus;
A determination unit for determining whether or not the license to be allocated is insufficient;
A selection unit that selects, based on the record information, the image forming apparatus that collects the license from the image forming apparatus to which the license is assigned when the license is insufficient;
A collection unit for collecting the license from the selected image forming apparatus;
An assigning unit that assigns the license to the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the acquisition request;
A license management system comprising:

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