JP2023021767A - Electronic apparatus, information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To safely perform new registration, to an information processing device, of an electronic apparatus connected to a network with a simple procedure.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes: a communication unit which receives an authentication token used by a newly registering electronic apparatus, having requested registration to an information processing device, for registration; and an output unit for outputting connection information to the information processing device and the authentication token. The newly registering electronic apparatus includes: a reading unit for reading the connection information and the authentication token output by the output unit; and a requesting unit for transmitting an apparatus registering request containing the authentication token to the information processing device by using the connection information. The information processing device includes an information processing system having: a generation unit for generating the authentication token to be transmitted to a registered electronic apparatus; a determination unit for determining whether an apparatus registration request received from a newly registering electronic apparatus is authentic; and a registration unit for executing apparatus registration of a newly registering electronic apparatus when the apparatus registration request is authentic.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

When registering an electronic device such as an image forming apparatus used in an in-house network with a device management server, for example, an electronic device that newly registers connection information (IP address, etc.) to the device management server from registered electronic devices. is used. Here, from the viewpoint of security, in order to safely transmit connection information via a network, it is necessary to set a password in advance for encrypting communication. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 discloses a technique for causing another electronic device to read a sheet on which a barcode containing the setting information of the electronic device is printed, as a method of transmitting the setting information of the electronic device to another electronic device.

However, in the conventional technology, new registration of an electronic device connected to a network to an information processing apparatus cannot be safely performed in a simple procedure.

The technique of Patent Document 1 aims to transmit the setting information of the electronic device, and since it is necessary to register the connection information for each electronic device of the transmission destination, the electronic device can be registered in a simple procedure. It's not something you can do.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the embodiments of the present invention is to safely perform new registration of an electronic device connected to a network to an information processing apparatus in a simple procedure.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an information processing system having a plurality of electronic devices connected to a network, and an information processing apparatus for registering and managing the plurality of electronic devices via the network. A registered electronic device receives an authentication token requested from the information processing device and used for registration by the electronic device to be newly registered, and provides connection information to the information processing device and the authentication token. an output unit for outputting, the electronic device to be newly registered includes a reading unit for reading the connection information and the authentication token output by the output unit; and a requesting unit that transmits a device registration request including an authentication token, wherein the information processing device includes a generation unit that generates the authentication token to be transmitted to the registered electronic device, and a generation unit that receives the authentication token from the electronic device to be newly registered. an information processing system comprising: a determining unit that determines whether the device registration request received is valid; and a registration unit that executes device registration of the electronic device to be newly registered if the device registration request is valid. characterized by having

According to the embodiment of the present invention, new registration of an electronic device connected to a network to an information processing apparatus can be safely performed by a simple procedure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows an example of the schematic diagram of the information processing system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 illustrates an example hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the equipment management server which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing an example of the lineblock diagram of the functional block of the information processing system concerning the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a device registration code issuing process according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus registration menu screen which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an option designation screen when generating a device registration code according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the authentication information input screen which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information saved with an authentication token according to the embodiment of the invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a print execution screen for device registration codes according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the printing result of the barcode for device registration which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart relating to determination of validity of a device registration request according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of device registration processing according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a device registration code scan execution screen according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the notification screen of the completion of apparatus registration which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of an electronic device, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First embodiment]
<System Overview>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 3 includes a registered image forming apparatus 9A, a newly registered image forming apparatus 9B, and a device management server 5, each of which is connected to the communication network 2. FIG.

In order to register the image forming apparatus 9B in the device management server 5, the user first operates the image forming apparatus 9A to request a device registration code. The image forming apparatus 9A requests the device management server 5 for an authentication token necessary for generating the device registration code, and generates the device registration code. The device registration code includes the received authentication token and connection information to the device management server 5 . The image forming apparatus 9A encodes the device registration code into a two-dimensional bar code, and outputs it on paper using the printing function of the image forming apparatus 9A.

Next, the user operates the image forming apparatus 9B to scan the paper on which the two-dimensional barcode is printed. The image forming apparatus 9B decodes the two-dimensional barcode, reads the device registration code, and acquires the authentication token and the connection information to the device management server 5 included in the device registration code. The image forming apparatus 9B uses the acquired information to access the device management server 5 and request registration of the image forming apparatus 9B.

The equipment management server 5 executes registration of the image forming apparatus 9B based on the received request. Here, the device management server 5 is implemented by one or more information processing devices, and is a series of processing that combines one or more of a plurality of processing for realizing various functions via the communication network 2. We provide various services realized by

The configuration of the information processing system 3 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and other configurations may be used. The information processing system 3 according to this embodiment includes various devices that perform at least one of input and output of electronic data, and these devices use various services or functions provided by the device management server 5 .

<Hardware configuration example (image forming apparatus 9)>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 9 (MFP, Multifunction Peripheral/Product/Printer) includes a controller 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I/F 950. ing.

Among them, the controller 910 includes a CPU 901, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, and a local memory. (MEM-C) 907 , HDD controller 908 and HD 909 , and NB 903 and ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921 .

Among these, the CPU 901 is a control unit that performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 9 . The NB 903 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 901, the MEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing with respect to the MEM-P 902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target. have

The MEM-P 902 is composed of a ROM 902a, which is a memory for storing programs and data for realizing each function of the controller 910, and a RAM 902b, which is used as a drawing memory for expansion of programs and data, memory printing, and the like. The program stored in the RAM 902b is configured to be provided by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, etc. as a file in an installable format or an executable format. You may

SB 904 is a bridge for connecting NB 903 with PCI devices and peripheral devices. The ASIC 906 is an image processing IC (Integrated Circuit) having hardware elements for image processing, and serves as a bridge connecting the AGP bus 921, PCI bus 922, HDD 908 and MEM-C 907, respectively. This ASIC 906 includes a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 906, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 907, and multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic. , and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via the PCI bus 922 . Note that the ASIC 906 may be connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface.

The near field communication circuit 920 has a card reader 920a for reading user authentication information stored in an IC card or the like.

The operation panel 940 has a touch panel 940a and a numeric keypad 940b for receiving input from the user. Further, the touch panel 940a displays application screens executed by the image forming apparatus 9 and the like.

<Hardware Configuration Example (Equipment Management Server 5)>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device management server 5 according to the embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the device management server 5 is constructed by a computer, and includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, a HD (Hard Disk) 504, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 505, a display 506, and an external device connection I/O. It has an F (Interface) 508, a network I/F 509, a bus line 510, a keyboard 511, a pointing device 512, a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 514, and a media I/F 516.

Among these, the CPU 501 controls the overall operation of the device management server 5 . The ROM 502 stores programs used to drive the CPU 501 such as IPL. A RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501 . The HD 504 stores various data such as programs. The HDD controller 505 controls reading or writing of various data to/from the HD 504 under the control of the CPU 501 . A display 506 displays various information such as cursors, menus, windows, characters, or images. The external device connection I/F 508 is an interface for connecting various external devices. The external device in this case is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a printer, or the like. A network I/F 509 is an interface for data communication using the network N2. A bus line 510 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 501 shown in FIG.

Also, the keyboard 511 is a type of input means having a plurality of keys used for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, and the like. A pointing device 512 is a kind of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, and the like. A DVD-RW drive 514 controls reading or writing of various data to a DVD-RW 513 as an example of a removable recording medium. The DVD-RW drive 514 is not limited to DVD-RW, and may be DVD-R or the like. A media I/F 516 controls reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 515 such as a flash memory.

<About functions>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration diagram of functional blocks of the information processing system 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Each functional block is, for example, a function or means implemented by the CPUs 901 and 501 executing commands included in one or more programs installed in the image forming apparatus 9 and the device management server 5 .

The image forming apparatus 9 has a display control section 90 , an operation reception section 91 , a first communication section 92 , a code generation section 93 , an output section 94 , a reading section 95 and a request section 96 .

The display control unit 90 displays screen information such as a login screen on the touch panel 940 a that is the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9 .

The operation reception unit 91 receives operations such as character input and button depression by the user.

The first communication section 92 transmits and receives information to and from the second communication section 50 of the device management server 5 via the communication network 2 .

The code generator 93 generates a device registration code including connection information and authentication token information required to access the device management server 5 . Here, the connection information is the IP address and port number of the device management server 5, and if the connection is via a proxy server, the IP address and port number of the proxy server are also included. Also, the code to be generated is assumed to be a one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code capable of encoding character information into image information. The generated barcode may be referred to as a coded image.

The output unit 94 uses the print function of the image forming apparatus 9 to print the device registration code on paper. Alternatively, the output unit 94 displays the device registration code on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9 .

The reading unit 95 uses the scanning function of the image forming apparatus 9 to read the image of the device registration code printed on the paper, decodes the device registration code encoded with a two-dimensional code or the like, and outputs the device registration code to the device management server 5 . to read connection information and authentication tokens. Alternatively, when the information printed on the paper is a character string, the reading unit 95 obtains the character information of the printed content by OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Alternatively, the reading unit 95 uses a camera photographing function of the electronic device to photograph the device registration code or character string printed on paper or displayed on the display screen of the device, and extracts the authentication token from the photographed image. and connection information to the device management server 5 .

The request unit 96 transmits a message requesting registration of a new device to the device management server 5 . The message contains an authentication token.

The device management server 5 has a second communication section 50 , an authentication section 51 , a token generation section 52 , a storage section 53 , a determination section 54 and a registration section 55 .

The second communication unit 50 transmits and receives information to and from the first communication unit 92 of the image forming apparatus 9 via the communication network 2 .

The authentication unit 51 performs user authentication by confirming whether or not the received authentication information matches the registered authentication information. Here, the authentication information is, for example, a user ID and password.

The token generation unit 52 generates an authentication token used in the device registration request. The generation method is, for example, a randomly generated integer represented by 32 bits, and the generated value cannot be easily guessed. The device management server 5 can confirm the legitimacy of the user by checking whether the authentication token included in the device registration request message matches the authentication token saved at the time of issuance. That is, it is possible to confirm that the user who issued the authentication token and the user who requested device registration are the same.

Storage unit 53 stores the authentication token generated by token generation unit 52 . In addition, the storage unit 53 stores the expiration date of the authentication token, information of the user who executed the device registration request (user ID), device information of the device that sent the device registration request (device ID, device serial number, device IP address, etc.) may be stored with the authentication token.

In order to determine the validity of the received device registration request, the determination unit 54 determines the validity of the authentication token included in the device registration request, the user who executed the device registration request, and the device that transmitted the device registration request. do. Details of the determination method will be described later.

If the determination unit 54 determines that the device registration request is valid, the registration unit 55 executes device registration. The information saved at the time of registration includes device information (device ID or information that can identify the device such as the serial number of the device) and the IP address assigned to the device to be registered. Furthermore, the registered user information (user ID) and the date and time of registration may be stored together.

<Device registration code issuing process>
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for issuing a device registration code according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this sequence diagram, in order to newly register the image forming apparatus 9B in the device management server 5 in the information processing system 3, the user operates the image forming apparatus 9A, which is already registered, and performs device registration. Request your code. The image forming apparatus 9A requests the device management server 5 for an authentication token necessary for generating a device registration code, and uses the received authentication token to generate the device registration code. Processing of each step will be described below.

Step S10: The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9A displays a login screen on the touch panel 940a, which is the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9A. The operation reception unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9A receives, for example, input of authentication information as a login operation by the user. The authentication information is, for example, a preset user ID and password, and the user inputs the authentication information from touch panel 940a or numeric keypad 940b. Alternatively, the user may input the authentication information by holding an IC card in which the authentication information is recorded over the card reader 920a. Further, the authentication information may be that of the user who performs the operation, or authentication information of an account prepared for device registration may be used.

Step S<b>11 : The first communication section 92 of the image forming apparatus 9</b>A transmits a login request message including the input authentication information to the second communication section 50 of the device management server 5 .

Step S12: The authentication unit 51 of the device management server 5 authenticates the user by confirming whether or not the received authentication information matches the registered authentication information. Assume here that the authentication succeeds.

Step S13: The second communication unit 50 of the equipment management server 5 transmits a login success notification to the image forming apparatus 9A.

Step S14: The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9A displays the menu screen on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9A. An operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9A accepts an operation by the user to display the device registration menu. The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9A displays the device registration menu screen on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9A. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the device registration menu screen 45 according to the embodiment of the invention. A device registration code issue button 46 , a device registration code read button 47 , and a cancel button 48 are displayed on the device registration menu screen 45 . In this sequence, the user presses the device registration code issue button 46 . Returning to FIG. 5, description will be made.

Step S15: The operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9A accepts pressing of the device registration code issue button 46 by the user. The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9A displays an option designation screen when generating the device registration code on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9A. An operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9A accepts an option designation operation by the user when generating the device registration code. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an option designation screen 60 when generating a device registration code according to the embodiment of the present invention. On the option specifying screen 60, it is possible to specify the expiration date of the authentication token and specify whether or not to request authentication information at the time of device registration. When specifying the expiration date of the authentication token, the user presses the button 61 and enters the number of days of the expiration date in the input field 62 . If the expiration date of the authentication token is not specified, the user presses button 63 . Further, the user presses the button 64 when requesting authentication at the time of device registration, and presses the button 65 when not requesting. Returning to FIG. 5, description will be made.

Step S<b>16 : The first communication section 92 of the image forming apparatus 9</b>A transmits a message requesting generation of an authentication token to the device management server 5 .

Step S17: The second communication section 50 of the equipment management server 5 transmits a message requesting authentication information to the image forming apparatus 9A.

Step S18: The display control section 90 of the image forming apparatus 9A displays on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9 a screen for the user to input the authentication information used for device registration. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the authentication information input screen 67 according to the embodiment of the invention. The authentication information input screen 67 displays input fields 68 and 69 for inputting a user ID and a password, which are authentication information, and a button 70 for confirming the entered information. An operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9A accepts input of a user ID and password and pressing of a button 70 by a user.

Returning to FIG. 5, description will be made.

Step S<b>19 : The first communication section 92 of the image forming apparatus 9</b>A transmits the authentication information input by the user to the device management server 5 .

Step S20: The authentication unit 51 of the equipment management server 5 authenticates the user by confirming whether or not the received authentication information matches the registered authentication information. Assume here that the authentication succeeds.

Step S21: The token generator 52 of the device management server 5 generates an authentication token. The generation method is, for example, a randomly generated integer represented by 32 bits, and the generated value cannot be easily guessed.

Step S22: The storage unit 53 of the device management server 5 stores the generated authentication token. Here, when the user specifies an expiration date at the time of device registration in step S15 when specifying an option when generating the device registration code, the expiration date information is stored together with the authentication token. This makes it possible to check whether or not the expiration date is set for the authentication token.

In addition, when the user designates a request for authentication information at the time of device registration in the option designation at the time of device registration code generation in step S15, the user's information (user ID) is stored together with the authentication token. As a result, when the user information is stored together with the authentication token, the determination unit 54 can confirm whether user authentication is necessary at the time of device registration.

In addition, the storage unit 53 may store information that can identify the image forming apparatus 9A (device ID, serial number of the device, IP address of the device, etc.) together with the authentication token as the device information of the device that requested the authentication token. .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of information saved with an authentication token according to an embodiment of the invention. As described above, the expiration date, the device information (the IP address of the device that requested the authentication token), and the user ID are stored in association with the authentication token according to the selection result of the user. Here, "No." is a number assigned in the order in which it is saved, and "-" indicates a location where information is not saved (not set).

Returning to FIG. 5, description will be made.

Step S23: The second communication section 50 of the equipment management server 5 transmits the generated authentication token to the image forming apparatus 9A. However, if the authentication fails in step S20, the second communication unit 50 of the device management server 5 transmits an authentication failure notification to the image forming apparatus 9A.

Step S24: The code generation unit 93 of the image forming apparatus 9A generates a device registration code including connection information and authentication token information necessary for accessing the device management server 5. FIG. Here, the connection information is the IP address and port number of the device management server 5, and if the connection is via a proxy server, the IP address and port number of the proxy server are also included. Also, the code to be generated is assumed to be a one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code capable of encoding character information into image information.

Step S25: The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9A displays the print execution screen of the device registration code on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9A. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the device registration code print execution screen 72 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The print execution screen 72 displays a button 73 for printing the device registration code and a button 74 for canceling the printing. When the operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9A accepts pressing of the button 73 by the user, the output unit 94 prints the device registration code. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the printing result 85 of the device registration bar code according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the printed result 85 , a two-dimensional barcode 86 encoded with the device registration code, a barcode generation date and time 87 and a barcode expiration date 88 are printed.

<Determination of validity of device registration request>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart relating to determination of validity of a device registration request according to the embodiment of the present invention. In order to determine the validity of the received device registration request, the determination unit 54 of the device management server 5 uses the authentication token included in the device registration request, the user who executed the device registration request, and the device that transmitted the device registration request. (image forming apparatus 9B) is determined. Processing of each step will be described below.

Step S100: The determination unit 54 determines whether an authentication token that matches the authentication token included in the received device registration request exists in the authentication token shown in FIG. 9 stored in the storage unit 53 in step S22 of FIG. confirm. If there is a matching authentication token, the determination unit 54 shifts the process to step S101, and otherwise shifts the process to step S111.

Step S101: The determination unit 54 checks whether an expiration date is set for the authentication token that matches the received authentication token. When the user sets the expiration date, in step S22 of FIG. 5, the storage unit 53 stores the expiration date of the authentication token set by the user together with the authentication token. If the expiration date is set, the determination unit 54 causes the process to proceed to step S102, and otherwise causes the process to proceed to step S103.

Step S102: The determination unit 54 checks whether or not the authentication token is within its expiration date by comparing the expiration date and time set in the authentication token with the current date and time. If it is within the expiration date, the determination unit 54 shifts the process to step S103, and otherwise shifts the process to step S111.

Step S103: The determination unit 54 checks whether the information of the device that requested the authentication token is set in the authentication token that matches the received authentication token. If the device information is set, the determination unit 54 shifts the process to step S104, and otherwise shifts the process to step S105.

Step S104: Using the IP address information, the determination unit 54 determines whether the device (image forming device 9B) requesting registration exists in the same network as the device (image forming device 9A) requesting the authentication token. to confirm. Being in the same network may be the same network segment or the same network domain. If they are in the same network, the determination unit 54 causes the process to proceed to step S105, and otherwise causes the process to proceed to step S111.

Step S105: The determination unit 54 checks whether or not the authentication token that matches the received authentication token has a user ID set. When the user makes a setting to request authentication information at the time of device registration, in step S22 of FIG. 5, the storage unit 53 stores the user ID of the user who requested the authentication token together with the authentication token. If the user ID has been set, the determination unit 54 shifts the process to step S106, and otherwise shifts the process to step S110.

Step S106: The second communication unit 50 of the device management server 5 transmits a message requesting authentication information to the image forming apparatus 9B, and acquires the authentication information (user ID and password) of the user who executes the device registration request. .

Step S107: The determination unit 54 confirms whether or not the user ID of the user requesting device registration matches the user ID of the user requesting the authentication token. If the user IDs match, the determination unit 54 causes the process to proceed to step S108, and otherwise causes the process to proceed to step S111.

Step S108: The authentication unit 51 of the device management server 5 authenticates the user by confirming whether or not the authentication information acquired in step S106 matches the registered authentication information.

Step S109: The determination unit 54 shifts the process to step S110 if the user authentication is successful, and otherwise shifts the process to step S111.

Step S110: The determination unit 54 determines that the device registration request is valid.

Step S111: The determination unit 54 determines that the device registration request is invalid.

<Device registration processing>
FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for issuing a device registration code according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this sequence diagram, in order to register the image forming apparatus 9B in the device management server 5, the user causes the image forming apparatus 9B to scan a sheet on which a two-dimensional bar code including device registration code information is printed, thereby forming an image. The device management server 5 is requested to register the forming apparatus 9B. The equipment management server 5 executes registration of the image forming apparatus 9B based on the request. Here, as options selected by the user in step S15 of FIG. shall not be stored. Processing of each step will be described below.

The user logs in to the image forming apparatus 9B in the same procedure as steps S10 to S14 in FIG.

Step S30: After the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 9B, the device registration menu screen 45 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9B. An operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9B accepts pressing of the device registration code read button 47 by the user. The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9B displays the scan execution screen of the device registration code. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the device registration code scan execution screen 75 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A scan execution screen 75 displays a button 76 for starting scanning and a button 77 for canceling the execution of scanning. The operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9B accepts the pressing of the button 76 for starting scanning by the user.

Returning to FIG. 13, description will be made.

Step S31: The reading unit 95 of the image forming apparatus 9B uses the scanning function of the image forming apparatus 9B to read the two-dimensional barcode including the device registration code printed in step S25 of FIG. The connection information to the device management server 5 and the authentication token included in the decrypted and obtained device registration code are obtained. The first communication unit 92 of the image forming apparatus 9B can transmit and receive information to and from the device management server 5 by using the connection information to the device management server 5 .

Step S32: The request unit 96 of the image forming apparatus 9B transmits to the device management server 5 a device registration request message for registering the image forming device 9B as a new device. The device registration request message includes the authentication token read in step S31.

Step S33: The determination unit 54 of the device management server 5 determines the validity of the received device registration request based on the determination method shown in the flowchart of FIG. Here, in this sequence diagram, it is assumed that the authentication request of the user is executed at the time of device registration, but the expiration date is not set for the authentication token, and the settings of the device that registered the authentication token are not stored. .

Step S34: The second communication section 50 of the equipment management server 5 transmits a message requesting authentication information to the image forming apparatus 9B. The display control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus 9B displays the authentication information input screen 67 shown in FIG. 8 on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9B.

Step S35: The operation accepting unit 91 of the image forming apparatus 9B accepts the input of the user ID and password by the user and the pressing of the button 70 for determining the entered information.

Step S<b>36 : The first communication section 92 of the image forming apparatus 9</b>B transmits the authentication information input by the user to the device management server 5 .

Step S37: The authentication unit 51 of the equipment management server 5 authenticates the user by confirming whether or not the received authentication information matches the registered authentication information. Assume here that the authentication succeeds. Therefore, in step S33, the determination unit 54 determines that the device registration request is valid.

Step S38: The registration unit 55 of the device management server 5 executes device registration of the image forming apparatus 9B. The information saved at the time of registration includes device information (device ID or information that can identify the device such as the serial number of the device) and the IP address assigned to the device to be registered. Furthermore, the registered user information (user ID) and the date and time of registration may be stored together.

Step S39: The second communication section 50 of the equipment management server 5 transmits a registration completion notification to the image forming apparatus 9B. Here, if the determination result of step S33 is not valid, the second communication unit 50 transmits a registration failure notification to the image forming apparatus 9B.

Step S40: The display control section 90 of the image forming apparatus 9B displays a registration completion notice on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9B. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the device registration completion notification screen 83 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A device registration completion notification screen 83 displays a message 84 that reads, "Device registration has been completed." Here, if the determination result of step S33 is not valid, the display control unit 90 displays a message notifying that device registration has failed.

<About effect>
In the first embodiment of the present invention, a user operates an electronic device (image forming apparatus 9A) that has already been registered in the device management server 5, thereby obtaining necessary information for new registration of the electronic device in a two-dimensional bar. An image encoded with the code can be printed on paper. The image (two-dimensional barcode including the device registration code) printed on the output paper includes access information to the device management server 5 and temporary authentication token information used for device registration. The user can read the image (two-dimensional bar code including the device registration code) printed on this paper with the electronic device (image forming apparatus 9B) to be newly registered. , the electronic device can obtain the information necessary for registration. Also, when registering an electronic device, it is possible to prevent unauthorized operations by a third party by checking whether the issued authentication token matches the authentication token included in the registration request message. . In addition, set an expiration date for the authentication token, authenticate the user at the time of device registration, and allow registration only when the electronic device requesting the authentication token and the newly registered electronic device are on the same network. It is possible to further improve safety.

Therefore, the user can safely register the electronic device in the device management server 5 by a simple procedure only by having the newly introduced electronic device read the paper output by the registered electronic device.

<First modification>
Regarding the first modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, differences from the above-described processing will be described. In step S24 in the sequence diagram of the device registration code issuing process in FIG. 5, the code generation unit 93 of the image forming apparatus 9A generates a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode capable of encoding character information into image information. However, in the modified example, the character information is output as it is. In step S25, the output unit 94 prints the connection information to the device management server 5 and the authentication token as character information on paper as they are, not as an image encoded in a two-dimensional bar code.

Further, in step S31 in the sequence diagram of the device registration process in FIG. 13, the reading unit 95 of the image forming apparatus 9B scans the image of the paper on which the character information is printed, and performs OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the scanned image. The connection information and authentication token information required to access the device management server 5 are read as character strings. Further, in this modification, the user can easily confirm the content of the connection information to the device management server 5 by confirming the printed paper.

<Second modification>
Regarding the second modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, differences from the above-described processing will be described. At step S25 in the sequence diagram of the device registration code issuing process in FIG. 5, the output unit 94 of the image forming apparatus 9A prints and outputs the image of the two-dimensional barcode encoded with the device registration code on paper. In this modified example, instead, the display control unit 90 displays a two-dimensional barcode obtained by encoding the device registration code on the display screen of the image forming apparatus 9A. Alternatively, as in the first modification, the character string may be displayed as it is without being encoded into a two-dimensional barcode.

Next, in the sequence diagram of the device registration process in FIG. 11, the electronic device to be newly registered is not the image forming apparatus 9B, but an electronic device having a camera such as a smart phone, and the scanned image in steps S31 to S32 in FIG. The image is captured by shooting with the camera instead of capturing. Other processing is the same as described above. The image captured by the camera may be a two-dimensional bar code or character information printed on paper instead of the device registration code displayed on the screen. The device to be newly registered is not limited to the image forming apparatus 9, and is an electronic device that has a camera and a scanning function and can execute processing equivalent to the processing executed by the image forming device 9B in the first embodiment. I wish I had.

Although several modes for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is by no means limited to such embodiments, and various modifications and replacements can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. be able to.

For example, the configuration diagram of the functional blocks in FIG. 4 is divided according to main functions in order to facilitate understanding of the processing by the information processing system 3 . The present invention is not limited by the division method or name of the unit of processing. The processing of the information processing system 3 can also be divided into more processing units according to the content of the processing. Also, one processing unit can be divided to include more processing.

Also, each function of the embodiments described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the "processing circuit" in this specification means a processor programmed by software to perform each function, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, or a processor designed to perform each function described above. ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), conventional circuit modules, and other devices.

Moreover, the described devices are only representative of one of several computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein. In some embodiments, information handling system 3 includes multiple computing devices, such as a server cluster. Multiple computing devices are configured to communicate with each other over any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, etc., to perform the processes disclosed herein.

Also, the first communication unit and the second communication unit may simply be called communication units.

2 communication network 3 information processing system 5 device management servers 9, 9A, 9B image forming apparatus 50 second communication section 51 authentication section 51
52 Token generation unit 53 Storage unit 54 Judgment unit 55 Registration unit 90 Display control unit 91 Operation reception unit 92 First communication unit 93 Code generation unit 94 Output unit 95 Reading unit 96 Request unit

JP 2010-68344 A

Claims (13)

An information processing system comprising: a plurality of electronic devices connected to a network; and an information processing device that registers and manages the plurality of electronic devices via the network,
Registered electronic devices are
a communication unit that receives an authentication token that is requested from the information processing device and that is used for registration by the electronic device to be newly registered;
an output unit that outputs connection information to the information processing device and the authentication token;
has
The electronic device to be newly registered is
a reading unit that reads the connection information and the authentication token output by the output unit;
a request unit that uses the connection information to transmit a device registration request including the authentication token to the information processing device;
has
The information processing device is
a generation unit that generates the authentication token to be transmitted to the registered electronic device;
a determination unit that determines whether the device registration request received from the electronic device to be newly registered is valid;
a registration unit that executes device registration of the electronic device to be newly registered if the device registration request is valid;
An information processing system having The registered electronic device is
2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a code generator for encoding connection information to said information processing device and said authentication token into a coded image. The output unit prints the coded image on paper using a print function of the registered electronic device,
3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the reading unit decodes the coded image read by a scanning function of the newly registered electronic device, and acquires the connection information and the authentication token. The output unit displays the coded image on a screen of the registered electronic device,
3. The information according to claim 2, wherein the reading unit decodes the coded image read by photographing the screen with a camera of the electronic device to be newly registered and acquires the connection information and the authentication token. processing system. The information processing device is
further comprising a storage unit that stores the authentication token together with information on an expiration date;
2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the device registration request is valid based on the expiration date of the authentication token included in the device registration request. The storage unit stores information of a user who operated the registered electronic device that requested the authentication token together with the authentication token;
The determination unit confirms whether or not the information of the user who operated the registered electronic device who requested the authentication token matches the information of the user who operated the electronic device to be newly registered and who sent the device registration request. 6. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein whether the device registration request is valid is determined by doing so. the storage unit stores information about the registered electronic device that requested the authentication token together with the authentication token;
The determination unit confirms whether the registered electronic device that requested the authentication token and the newly registered electronic device that transmitted the device registration request exist within the same network, thereby confirming whether the device registration request is received. 7. The information processing system according to claim 6, which determines whether the information is legitimate. An electronic device to be newly registered in an information processing apparatus that registers and manages a plurality of electronic devices via a network,
a reading unit that reads connection information to the information processing device output from a registered electronic device and an authentication token used for registration with the information processing device;
a request unit that uses the connection information to transmit a device registration request including the authentication token to the information processing device;
electronic equipment. 9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the reading unit reads a coded image obtained by coding the connection information and the authentication token. 10. The reading unit according to claim 9, wherein the reading unit reads a sheet on which the coded image is printed by using a scanning function of an electronic device, decodes the read coded image, and acquires the connection information and the authentication token. Electronics. 10. The reading unit reads a screen displaying the coded image by photographing it with a camera of an electronic device, decodes the read coded image, and acquires the connection information and the authentication token. The electronic device described in . An information processing method executed by an electronic device newly registered in an information processing apparatus that registers and manages a plurality of electronic devices via a network,
a step of reading connection information to the information processing device output from a registered electronic device and an authentication token used for registration with the information processing device;
a step of transmitting a device registration request including the authentication token to the information processing device using the connection information;
An information processing method comprising: For an electronic device to be newly registered in an information processing device that registers and manages multiple electronic devices via a network,
a step of reading connection information to the information processing device output from a registered electronic device and an authentication token used for registration with the information processing device;
a step of transmitting a device registration request including the authentication token to the information processing device using the connection information;
program to run the

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