JP2013084201A - License management system and license management method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve efficiency in introduction work of a license for an electronic apparatus in an environment with no connection to an external network.SOLUTION: A license management system comprises: a mediation device which receives input of a license identifier for a program installed to an electronic apparatus and an apparatus identifier of the electronic apparatus, transmits the license identifier and the apparatus identifier to a license management device, and stores a license file including an identifier of the program and the apparatus identifier returned from the license management device in an external storage medium; the license management device which returns the license file to the mediation device when an apparatus identifier matching the apparatus identifier is stored in the storage section which stores a list of apparatus identifiers, in response to reception of the license identifier and the apparatus identifier from the mediation device; and an apparatus management device which transmits the license file stored in the external storage medium to the electronic apparatus through a network.

Description

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

  A system for remotely executing license management of software for an image forming apparatus using a network is already known. In such a system, a license server that is a license issuer and an image forming apparatus that is permitted to execute software based on the license need to be connected to a network. However, in an office or the like where an image forming apparatus is installed, there is an environment in which communication with the outside is blocked in order to prevent entry of a virus or the like or information leakage. In such an environment, the license cannot be managed by a license server installed in an external network environment.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for introducing a license to an image forming apparatus installed in an environment where communication with the outside is blocked.

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that an operator who introduces a license needs to visit the environment where the image forming apparatus is installed a plurality of times.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a license management system and a license management method capable of improving the efficiency of license introduction work related to electronic devices in an environment where connection to an external network is impossible. To do.

  In order to solve the above problem, the license management system receives an input of a license identifier for identifying a license for a program installed in the electronic device and a device identifier for identifying the individual electronic device, and the license identifier and the device An intermediary device that records the license file including the identifier of the program and the device identifier, which is transmitted to the license management device via a network and is returned from the license management device, on an external storage medium; and the mediation device In response to receiving the license identifier and the device identifier from the device, when a device identifier that matches the device identifier is stored in a storage unit that stores a list of the device identifiers, the license file is stored in the intermediary device. The license management device to reply; The license file stored in Kigaibu storage medium via a network and a device management apparatus to be transmitted to the electronic device.

  It is possible to improve the efficiency of license installation work for electronic devices in an environment that cannot be connected to an external network.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration example of the license management system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the license management server in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of each apparatus in the user environment of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of each apparatus in the maker environment of embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating an example of the processing procedure of application program installation and license introduction. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a license object designation | designated screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a customer information storage part. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a product key information storage part. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a license file. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a license information storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an installation screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a license introduction screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an apparatus information acquisition screen.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration example of a license management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the license management system 1 shown in FIG. 1, a user environment E1 is a system environment of a user (customer) of the image forming apparatus 50. For example, the user environment E1 corresponds to a company or office of the user of the image forming apparatus 50. In the user environment E1, one or more image forming apparatuses 50, the device management apparatus 40, and the like are connected via a network 60 (regardless of wired or wireless) such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The image forming apparatus 50 is a multifunction peripheral that realizes a plurality of functions such as printing, scanning, copying, and fax transmission / reception in a single casing, and is an example of an electronic device. The image forming apparatus 50 can expand functions as needed by adding or updating application programs. Note that the image forming apparatus 50 is not necessarily a multifunction peripheral. It may be a device that realizes a single function, such as a printer or a scanner.

  The device management apparatus 40 is a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer) that collectively introduces an application program that operates in the image forming apparatus 50 in the user environment E1 and a license (usage authority) of the application program. Note that there may be a plurality of user environments E1 depending on the number of users (the number of users per company or office).

  On the other hand, the manufacturer environment E <b> 2 is a system environment on the seller side of an application program added to the image forming apparatus 50. For example, the manufacturer environment E <b> 2 is operated by the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 50. In the manufacturer environment E2, the mediating apparatus 20 and the license management server 10 are connected via a network 30 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

  The license management server 10 is a computer that manages the license of an application program purchased by a user, the substance of the application program, and the like. The mediation device 20 is a computer that mediates information exchange between the device management device 40 and the license management server 10. That is, in the present embodiment, communication between the user environment E1 and the manufacturer environment E2 is not possible via a network. Specifically, it may be assumed that the user environment E1 is an offline environment that is not connected to an external network such as the Internet. Therefore, the device management apparatus 40 cannot directly exchange information with the license management server 10. Therefore, the mediation device 20 indirectly implements the information exchange using the external storage medium 90. Specifically, information to be transmitted from the device management apparatus 40 to the license management server 10 is recorded in the external storage medium 90 by the device management apparatus 40. The mediation device 20 reads the information from the external storage medium 90 and transfers it to the license management server 10 via the network 30. Information to be transmitted from the license management server 10 to the device management apparatus 40 is transferred to the mediation apparatus 20 via the network. The intermediary device 20 records the transferred information in the external storage medium 90. The device management apparatus 40 receives information from the license management server 10 in a pseudo manner by reading the information recorded in the external storage medium 90. In this way, information exchange between the device management server 50 and the license management server 10 is performed.

  The external storage medium 90 is a readable / writable and portable storage medium such as a USB memory, an SD card, or a CD-RW, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the license management server according to the embodiment of the present invention. The license management server 10 in FIG. 2 includes a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, a CPU 104, an interface device 105, and the like that are mutually connected by a bus B.

  A program for realizing the processing in the license management server 10 is provided by a recording medium 101 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 101 storing the program is set in the drive device 100, the program is installed from the recording medium 101 to the auxiliary storage device 102 via the drive device 100. However, the program need not be installed from the recording medium 101 and may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 102 stores the installed program and also stores necessary files and data.

  The memory device 103 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 102 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 104 executes functions related to the license management server 10 in accordance with a program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 is used as an interface for connecting to a network.

  Note that the mediation device 20, the device management device 40, the image forming device 50, and the like may also have the hardware shown in FIG. However, it is desirable that the mediating device 20 and the device management device 40 are connected to an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse that receives input from the user, a display device that displays information, and the like.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of each device in the user environment according to the embodiment of this invention. In the figure, the image forming apparatus 50 includes an installation unit 51, a license introduction unit 52, an application activation unit 53, a device information providing unit 54, and the like. Each of these units is realized by processing that a program installed in the image forming apparatus 50 causes the CPU of the image forming apparatus 50 to execute.

  In response to an instruction from the device management apparatus 40, the installation unit 51 installs an application program. The license introduction unit 52 executes license file introduction processing in response to an instruction from the device management apparatus 40.

  The license file is a file in which data certifying a license for the application program (data for permitting use of the application program) is recorded. That is, the application program in the present embodiment cannot be used in the image forming apparatus 50 simply by obtaining the entity. The application program can be used when the license file is introduced or registered in the image forming apparatus 50.

  The application activation unit 53 executes application program activation processing. The application activation unit 53 determines whether or not activation of the application program to be activated is permitted (permitted or not) based on the license file.

  The device information providing unit 54 returns attribute information (device information) of the image forming apparatus 50 in response to a request from the device management apparatus 40. The device information includes, for example, an IP address and a model name.

  The device management apparatus 40 includes an installation control unit 41, a license introduction control unit 42, a device information acquisition unit 43, and the like. Each of these units is realized by processing that a program installed in the device management apparatus 40 causes the CPU of the device management apparatus 40 to execute.

  The installation control unit 41 transmits the application program stored in the external storage medium 90 to the image forming apparatus 50, thereby causing the image forming apparatus 50 to execute application program installation processing. The license introduction control unit 42 causes the image forming apparatus 50 to execute a license introduction process by transmitting the license file stored in the external storage medium 90 to the image forming apparatus 50. The device information acquisition unit 43 acquires device information from the image forming apparatus 50 and records the acquired device information in the external storage medium 90.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of each device in the manufacturer environment according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a license management server 10 includes a license management unit 11 and a device information registration unit 12. Each of these units is realized by processing that the program installed in the license management server 10 causes the CPU 104 of the license management server 10 to execute. The license management server 10 also includes a product key information storage unit 13, a license information storage unit 14, a program storage unit 15, a customer information storage unit 16, and the like. Each of these storage units can be realized using, for example, the auxiliary storage device 102 of the license management server 10 or a storage device connected to the license management server 10 via a network.

  The license management unit 11 generates a license file related to the application program. The device information registration unit 12 registers the device information transmitted from the mediation device 20 in the license information storage unit 14.

  The product key information storage unit 13 stores information related to the product key. The product key is an identifier that is uniquely issued (or assigned) every time a product as an application program is purchased, and is used as information for identifying a license (usage authority) for the application program that is a product. It is used as information to prove that it is a valid purchaser.

  The license information storage unit 14 stores the usage status (license file distribution status) of the application program. The program storage unit 15 stores an application program entity. The customer information storage unit 16 stores identification information of the image forming apparatus 50 installed in the user environment E1 for each customer (for each user environment E1).

  The intermediary device 20 includes a license acquisition unit 21, a device information transmission unit 22, and the like. Each of these units is realized by processing that a program installed in the mediation device 20 causes the CPU of the mediation device 20 to execute.

  The license acquisition unit 21 acquires a license file related to the application program corresponding to the product key from the license management server 10. The license acquisition unit 21 records the acquired license file on the external storage medium 90.

  The device information transmission unit 22 transmits the device information recorded in the external storage medium 90 to the license management server 10.

  Hereinafter, a processing procedure executed in the license management system 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a processing procedure of application program installation and license introduction.

  First, work is performed using the intermediary device 20 in the manufacturer environment E1. The worker is, for example, a service person at the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 50. As a premise of the processing in FIG. 5, it is assumed that in the user environment E1, a license is purchased for at least one application program and a product key corresponding to the license is obtained. The purchase of the license is performed, for example, via a website operated in the manufacturer environment E2. The entity of the application program may be downloaded to the user environment E1 simultaneously with the purchase of the license. However, in the present embodiment, only the product key is downloaded to the user environment E1. A user (for example, a system administrator) of the user environment E1 notifies the manufacturer environment E2 of the customer ID, the product key, and the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 where the application program related to the product key is installed. . The notification method of the customer ID, product key, and machine number may be any method such as e-mail, FAX, or mail. The customer ID is identification information for identifying each customer or each user (in this embodiment, each user environment E1) of the image forming apparatus 50. The machine number is identification information that can identify each individual (each machine) of the image forming apparatus 50. An example of the machine body number is a manufacturing number of the image forming apparatus 50.

  In step S <b> 101, the license acquisition unit 21 transmits a license file acquisition request including the customer ID, the machine number, and the product key input by the worker to the license management server 10. The customer ID, the machine number, and the product key are input via, for example, a license target designation screen that the license acquisition unit 21 displays on the display device of the mediation device 20.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the license target designation screen. In the drawing, the license target designation screen 210 has a customer ID input area 211, a machine number input area 212, a product key input area 213, an acquisition button 214, and the like.

  The customer ID, machine number, and product key notified from the user environment E1 are input to the customer ID input area 211, machine number input area 212, or product key input area 213 by the operator, and the acquisition button 214 is pressed. Then, step S101 is executed. A plurality of product keys may be input to the product key input area 213 at a time.

  In response to receiving the license file acquisition request, the license management unit 11 of the license management server 10 refers to the customer information storage unit 16 and confirms the validity of the machine number included in the request (S102).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the customer information storage unit. As shown in the figure, the customer information storage unit 16 stores, for each customer ID, a list of machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 installed in the user environment E1 related to the customer ID. The stored contents of the customer information storage unit 16 are updated according to the sale of the image forming apparatus 50, for example.

  In step S102, the license management unit 11 stores in the customer information storage unit 16 a machine number that matches the machine number included in the acquisition request in the record relating to the customer ID included in the license file acquisition request. If it is included, it is determined that the aircraft number is valid. On the other hand, if the machine number that matches the machine number included in the acquisition request is not included, the license management unit 11 determines that the machine number is incorrect.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the user confirms the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 and notifies the manufacturer environment E2 of the machine number. Further, in the manufacturer environment E2, the machine number is input via the license target designation screen 210 by the operator. Therefore, when the machine number is confirmed by the user and when the machine number is entered by the operator, there is a possibility that the machine number is erroneously confirmed or entered. In this case, a license introduction operation or the like in the user environment E1, which will be described later, cannot be performed normally, and a visit to the user environment E1 by the worker is wasted. Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of such a situation, in step S102, the validity of the machine number is confirmed.

  When it is determined that the machine number is valid, the license management unit 11 executes a license issuance process (S103). In the license issuance process, the license management unit 11 refers to the product key information storage unit 13 and confirms the remaining number of licenses.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the product key information storage unit. The product key information storage unit 13 stores one record for each product key. One record stores values of each item such as a product key, a product ID, an application name, a customer ID, a license number, and a remaining license number. Including.

  The product ID is identification information that distinguishes the difference between the products of the application program. In the present embodiment, the product ID and the product key are clearly distinguished. Similar to the name of the application program, the product ID is assigned the same value for a plurality of products (copies) if they are the same application program. On the other hand, the product key is for distinguishing the act of purchasing a product. Therefore, a different product key is issued each time a product is purchased for an application program related to the same product ID.

  The application name is the name of the application program related to the product key. The customer ID is the customer ID of the customer who purchased the license related to the product key. The number of licenses is the number of licenses assigned to the product key. The remaining license number is the remaining number of licenses.

  The record in the product key information storage unit 13 is registered at the time of license purchase, for example.

  If the number of remaining licenses for the product key included in the license file acquisition request is equal to or greater than the number of machine numbers included in the acquisition request (that is, the number of licenses to be used in the future), the license management unit 11 Then, generate license files for the number.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a license file. In the figure, the license file includes a product ID, a machine number, and the like. The product ID is a product ID of an application program to which a license is granted (use is permitted) by the license file. The machine number is a machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 that is permitted to use the application program related to the product ID by the license file.

  As the license file is generated, the license management unit 11 reduces the number of remaining licenses for the product key related to the license file acquisition request in the product key information storage unit 13 by the number of generated license files. Let In addition, the license management unit 11 records information on the license file in the license information storage unit 14 as the license file is generated.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the license information storage unit. In the figure, the license information storage unit stores values of items such as a machine number, a product key, a status, an IP address, and a model name.

  The machine number and product key are the machine number and product key related to the generated license file. The status is the license usage status (license file distribution status) related to the product key. In the figure, an example in which distributed is registered as a status value is shown. “Distributed” indicates that a license file related to the product key has been generated and distributed. That is, it shows a state where the license relating to the product key is being used. The IP address and model name are the IP address and model name of the image forming apparatus 50 relating to the machine number. However, the IP address and model name are not registered in the step S103. This is because the IP address and the model name are unknown to the license management unit 11 at this stage.

  Subsequently, the license management unit 11 returns a response including the generated license file and the substance of the application program related to the product ID included in the license file to the license acquisition unit 21 (S104). The entity of the application program is acquired from the program storage unit 15 based on the product ID. That is, the program storage unit 15 stores the entity of the application program in association with the product ID.

  If an error in the machine number is detected in step S102, at least a license file relating to the machine number is not generated. In this case, a list of machine numbers stored in the customer information storage unit 16 in association with the customer ID included in the license file acquisition request may be returned to the license acquisition unit 21. At this time, a machine number similar to a machine number in which an error is detected (that is, a machine number for which a matching value is not stored in the customer information storage unit 16) is extracted from the list, and is sent to the license acquisition unit 21. You may reply. The similarity of the machine number may be determined based on, for example, whether or not the number of matching characters is greater than or equal to a threshold. The license acquisition unit 21 displays the returned list of machine numbers on the display device of the mediation device 20. The operator again selects a correct machine number from the list of the machine numbers. The license acquisition unit 21 transmits again a license file acquisition request including the selected machine number.

  If the number of remaining licenses for the product key included in the license file acquisition request is less than the number of machine numbers included in the acquisition request in step S103, the license management unit 11 determines in step S104. Reply with an error. Therefore, no license file is generated in this case.

  In order to prevent an input error such as the machine number, for example, when the reference button 215 is pressed on the license target designation screen 210, a list of customer IDs stored in the customer information storage unit 16 is displayed. The customer ID selected from the list may be transferred to the customer ID input area 211. When the reference button 216 is pressed, a list of machine numbers stored in the customer information storage unit 16 in association with the customer ID input in the customer ID input area 211 is displayed and selected from the list. The machine number thus entered may be transferred to the machine number input area 212. Further, when the reference button 217 is pressed, a list of product keys stored in the product key information storage unit 13 in association with the customer ID input in the customer ID input area 211 is displayed. The selected product key may be transferred to the product key input area 213.

  Subsequently, the license acquisition unit 21 of the mediation device 20 records the license file and the application program entity returned from the license management unit 11 in the external storage medium 90 (S105).

  This completes the work in the manufacturer environment E2. Subsequently, the worker moves to the user environment E1. As the worker moves, the external storage medium 90 is also moved to the user environment E1. For example, the external storage medium 90 is carried by an operator. Accordingly, in step S111 and subsequent steps, the work place is the device management apparatus 40. In the device management apparatus 40, an external storage medium 90 is set to be readable and writable.

  In step S111, the installation control unit 41 of the device management apparatus 40 transmits an installation instruction for the application program designated as the installation target to the image forming apparatus 50 designated as the installation destination. The installation target application program and the installation destination image forming apparatus 50 are designated by an operator via an installation screen, for example.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the installation screen. In the drawing, an installation screen 410 has a target device designation area 411, an application designation area 412, a reference button 413, a reference button 414, an installation button 415, and the like.

  When the operator inputs the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 that is the installation destination into the target device designation area 411, the product ID of the application program to be installed is entered into the application designation area 412, and the install button 415 is pressed. Step S111 is executed. In step S111, the entity of the application program related to the product ID input to the application designation area 412 is read from the external storage medium 90 and transmitted to the installation destination image forming apparatus 50 together with an installation instruction.

  When the reference button 413 is pressed, a list of machine numbers recorded in the license file stored in the external storage medium 90 is displayed. Therefore, the machine number may be input to the target device designation area 411 by selecting the machine number from the list. Similarly, when the reference button 414 is pressed, a list of product IDs recorded in the license file stored in the external storage medium 90 is displayed. Accordingly, the product ID may be input to the application fixed area 412 by selecting the product ID from the list. A plurality of machine numbers and product IDs may be designated.

  For example, correspondence information between the machine number and the IP address is stored in the device management apparatus 40 in advance, and the IP address of the designated machine number is specified based on the correspondence information, and based on the IP address. Thus, an installation instruction or the like may be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 50. Alternatively, the IP address of the image forming apparatus 50 may be input to the target device designation area 411 instead of the machine number.

  Upon receiving the installation instruction, the installation unit 51 of the image forming apparatus 50 installs the application program received together with the installation instruction in the image forming apparatus 50 (S112). At this stage, the installed application program cannot be used in the image forming apparatus 50. This is because no license file has been introduced to the image forming apparatus 50.

  Subsequently, the license introduction control unit 42 of the device management apparatus 40 transmits a license file introduction instruction to the image forming apparatus 50 designated as the license file introduction destination (S113). The image forming apparatus 50 to which the license file is to be introduced is designated by an operator via a license introduction screen, for example.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the license introduction screen. In the drawing, the license introduction screen 420 includes a target device designation area 421, a reference button 422, an introduction button 423, and the like.

  When the operator inputs the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 to which the license file is introduced into the target device designation area 421 and presses the introduction button 423, step S113 is executed. In step S113, the license file including the machine number input in the target device designation area 421 is read from the external storage medium 90 and transmitted to the introduction destination image forming apparatus 50 together with the introduction instruction.

  Note that steps S111 and S113 are not necessarily executed in response to an input to the installation screen 410 or the license introduction screen 420. For example, the installation control unit 41 and the license introduction control unit 42 are based on the machine number and product ID stored in the license file stored in the external storage medium 90, and the installation destination and the license introduction destination image forming apparatus. 50, an application program to be installed, or the like may be automatically determined.

  Upon receiving the license file introduction instruction, the license introduction unit 52 of the image forming apparatus 50 stores the license file received together with the introduction instruction in the storage device of the image forming apparatus 50 (S114).

  Subsequently, the device information acquisition unit 43 of the device management apparatus 40 transmits a device information acquisition request to the image forming apparatus 50 designated as the device information acquisition destination (S115). The image forming apparatus 50 from which the device information is acquired is specified by an operator via a device information acquisition screen, for example.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the device information acquisition screen. In the figure, the device information acquisition screen 430 includes a target device designation area 431, a reference button 432, an acquisition button 433, and the like.

  When the operator inputs the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 from which the device information is acquired into the target device designation area 431 and presses the acquisition button 433, step S115 is executed. Note that step S115 does not necessarily have to be executed in response to an input to the device information acquisition screen 430. For example, the device information acquisition unit 43 may automatically determine the image forming apparatus 50 from which the device information is acquired based on the machine number stored in the license file stored in the external storage medium 90. .

  Upon receiving the device information acquisition request, the device information providing unit 54 of the image forming apparatus 50 collects the IP address and model name of the image forming apparatus 50 from the storage device of the image forming apparatus 50 (S116). Subsequently, the device information providing unit 54 returns the collected IP address, model name, and the like to the device information acquiring unit 43 (S117).

  The device information acquisition unit 43 records the returned IP address, model name, and the like in the external storage medium 90 in association with the machine number (S118).

  This completes the work in the user environment E1. After execution of step S114, the application program installed in the image forming apparatus 50 can be used in the image forming apparatus 50. That is, in response to an application program activation instruction, the application activation unit 53 of the image forming apparatus 50 stores a license file including the product ID of the application program and the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 in the image forming apparatus 50. If so, the application program is started. On the other hand, when the license file is not stored in the image forming apparatus 50, the application activation unit 53 does not activate the application program related to the activation instruction.

  Subsequently, the worker moves to the manufacturer environment E2. With the movement of the worker, the external storage medium 90 is also moved to the manufacturer environment E2. For example, the external storage medium 90 is carried by an operator. Therefore, in step S121 and subsequent steps, the work place is the mediation device 20. An external storage medium 90 is set in the mediating device 20 so as to be readable.

  In step S121, the device information transmitting unit 22 of the intermediary device 20 stores the device information (IP address, model name, etc.) stored in the external storage medium 90 in association with the device number, together with the device number, the license management server 10. Send to.

  The device information registration unit 12 of the license management server 10 records the received device information in the license information storage unit 14 (FIG. 10) in association with the received machine number (S122). That is, the license information storage unit 14 records the device information (IP address, model name, etc.) for the record associated with the machine number. Note that device information other than the IP address and model name may be acquired from the image forming apparatus 50 and recorded in the license information storage unit 14 of the license management server 10.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the product key for the license purchased in the user environment E1 and the machine number of the image forming apparatus 50 to which the license is introduced are changed from the user environment E1 to the manufacturer environment E2 in advance. This is notified and input when the license file is acquired in the maker environment E2. Therefore, the worker does not need to visit the user environment E1 for collecting the machine number and the like. As a result, the number of visits of the user environment E1 by the operator can be reduced, and the work of introducing a license into the image forming apparatus 50 can be made efficient.

  In the present embodiment, the validity of the machine number input by the operator is confirmed (for example, step S102). Therefore, it is possible to prevent generation of a license file for an incorrect machine number due to a mistake in checking the machine number by the user, an input error in the machine number by an operator, or the like.

  In the present embodiment, device information is recorded in the external storage medium 90 when a license is introduced, and the device information is registered in the license management server 10. As a result, it is possible to manage not only the machine number but also detailed information regarding the image forming apparatus 50 to which the application program is licensed.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 50 has been described as an example of an electronic device. However, the present embodiment is applied to other electronic devices as long as the electronic device can be installed with a program. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the machine number is an example of a device identifier. The product key is an example of a license identifier. The product ID is an example of a program identifier. The customer ID is an example of a user identifier.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to such specific embodiment, In the range of the summary of this invention described in the claim, various deformation | transformation・ Change is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 License management system 10 License management server 11 License management part 12 Equipment information registration part 13 Product key information storage part 14 License information storage part 15 Program storage part 16 Customer information storage part 20 Mediation apparatus 21 License acquisition part 22 Equipment information transmission part 40 Device management device 41 Installation control unit 42 License introduction control unit 43 Device information acquisition unit 50 Image forming device 51 Installation unit 52 License introduction unit 53 Application activation unit 54 Device information provision unit 100 Drive device 101 Recording medium 102 Auxiliary storage device 103 Memory device 104 CPU
105 Interface device B bus

JP 2011-060241 A

Claims (4)

An input of a license identifier for identifying a license for a program installed in an electronic device and a device identifier for identifying an individual electronic device is received, and the license identifier and the device identifier are transmitted to a license management apparatus via a network. An intermediary device that records in the external storage medium a license file including the identifier of the program and the device identifier returned from the license management device;
In response to receiving the license identifier and the device identifier from the intermediary device, when a device identifier that matches the device identifier is stored in a storage unit that stores a list of the device identifiers, the license file is The license management device returning to the mediation device;
A license management system comprising: a device management apparatus that transmits a license file stored in the external storage medium to the electronic device via a network. The intermediary device receives a user identifier for identifying a user of the electronic device, and transmits the license identifier, the device identifier, and the user identifier to the license management device via a network,
The license management device returns the license file to the mediation device when a device identifier that matches the device identifier received from the mediation device is stored in the storage unit in association with the user identifier. The license management system according to claim 1.   If the device identifier that matches the device identifier received from the mediation device is not stored in the storage unit in association with the user identifier, the license management device associates the user identifier with the storage unit. A list of the device identifiers stored in the device is returned to the mediation device, and the license file including the device identifier selected from the list in the mediation device and the identifier of the program is returned to the mediation device. The license management system according to claim 2. The intermediary device receives an input of a license identifier for identifying a license for a program installed in the electronic device and a device identifier for identifying the individual electronic device, and manages the license identifier and the device identifier via a network. A first transmission procedure for transmitting to the device;
When the license management device receives a license identifier and the device identifier from the mediation device, a device identifier that matches the device identifier is stored in a storage unit that stores a list of the device identifiers. A reply procedure for returning the license file to the mediating device;
A recording procedure for recording in the external storage medium a license file including the identifier of the program and the device identifier returned by the mediation device from the license management device;
A license management method in which a device management apparatus executes a second transmission procedure for transmitting a license file stored in the external storage medium to the electronic device via a network.

Images