JP5957400B2 - Information terminal, terminal management system, terminal management method, and installation support program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information terminal for installing an application, a terminal management system, a terminal management method, and an installation support program.

  Nowadays, each information terminal is sold with an application corresponding to each use installed. For example, even if the hardware is the same, the software provided may differ depending on the user's environment and the area where it is provided.

  Therefore, when selling an information terminal, a kitting process may be provided after the information terminal is manufactured in a factory. Kitting is an initial setting of the terminal, and specifically, installation of an OS or software.

  In general, there is a method of allowing a user to select a purpose of use and installing software having a function suitable for the user's purpose of use (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-350652 A

  However, conventional kitting is performed manually by an operator. In addition, since the setting contents differ depending on the type of information terminal and the providing destination, there may be a production management cost related to training of kitting workers and maintenance of manuals.

  In addition, in order not to miss sales opportunities and to reduce productivity, kitting is performed in a certain amount by prospective production, so temporary or continuous inventory may occur and inventory management costs may occur. is there.

  Further, in the method described in Patent Document 1, software corresponding to the purpose of use of the user is installed. Therefore, since the software program for realizing or supporting the function that the information terminal should have is realized by conventional general kitting, the cost burden associated with kitting does not change.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information terminal, a terminal management system, a terminal management method, and an installation support program for easily installing an application.

  In order to solve the above problem, a first feature of the present invention relates to an information terminal connected to a terminal management server so as to be able to communicate with each other. That is, the information terminal according to the first feature of the present invention transmits setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal to the terminal management server, and includes the identifier of the application to be installed in the information terminal from the terminal management server. An application control unit that receives the setting information data and activates an installation control unit to be described later based on the setting information data, and an installation control unit that installs an application corresponding to the identifier included in the setting information data.

  Here, the installation control means may install the application without inquiring the user of the information terminal after authenticating the application control means.

  The setting condition data may further include a hardware type included in the information terminal.

  Furthermore, when installing the application based on the setting information data, if the capacity of the information terminal is insufficient, a deletion control means for deleting the data of the application already installed based on a predetermined condition may be provided.

  A second feature of the present invention relates to a terminal management system including an information terminal and a terminal management server connected to the information terminal so as to communicate with each other. That is, in the terminal management system according to the second feature of the present invention, the information terminal transmits the setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal to the terminal management server, and is installed on the information terminal from the terminal management server. Receiving the setting information data including the identifier, and based on the setting information data, an application control unit that activates the installation control unit, and an installation control unit that installs an application corresponding to the identifier included in the setting information data. When receiving the setting condition data from the information terminal, the terminal management server stores the setting information master data in which the identifier of the information terminal is associated with the identifier of the application installed in the information terminal. A setting information providing unit that extracts an identifier of an application that matches the setting condition data and transmits setting information data including the extracted application identifier to the information terminal.

  The 3rd characteristic of this invention is related with the terminal management method used for a terminal management system provided with an information terminal and the terminal management server connected to the said information terminal so that communication is mutually possible. In the terminal management method according to the third aspect of the present invention, the information terminal transmits the setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal to the terminal management server, and the terminal management server receives the setting condition data. The setting information data including the extracted application identifier extracted from the setting information master data in which the identifier of the information terminal is associated with the identifier of the application to be installed in the information terminal. To the information terminal, and when the information terminal receives the setting information data from the terminal management server, downloading and installing an application corresponding to the identifier included in the setting information data based on the setting information data Is provided.

  A fourth feature of the present invention relates to an installation support program for causing a computer to function as the means described in the first feature of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information terminal which installs an application easily, a terminal management system, a terminal management method, and an installation assistance program can be provided.

It is a figure explaining the system configuration of the terminal management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention, the hardware configuration and functional block of an information terminal, and the functional block of a terminal management server. It is a figure explaining an example of a data structure and data of setting information master data concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure explaining an example of data structure and data of setting condition data concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure explaining an example of data structure and data of setting information data concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a sequence diagram explaining the process of the terminal management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

(Terminal management system)
As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal management system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an information terminal 1, a terminal management server 2, a distribution management server 3, and a management terminal 4. The information terminal 1, the terminal management server 2, and the distribution management server 3 are connected via a communication network 5 so that they can communicate with each other. Here, the management terminal 4 may be connected to at least the terminal management server 2 so as to be able to communicate with each other, and may not be connected to the communication network 5.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the information terminal 1 is a terminal for installing an application, and is a general information processing terminal including the central processing control device 10, the storage device 20, the communication control device 30, and the like. Specifically, the information terminal 1 is a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a set top box, or the like. The information terminal 1 is shipped from the factory with the installation support program installed in advance and provided to each user.

  The terminal management server 2 is a server that manages application information provided to the information terminal 1. The terminal management server 2 is a general computer including a storage device, a central processing control device, and the like.

  The storage device stores setting information master data 201. The setting information master data 201 is data in which an identifier of an information terminal is associated with an identifier of an application installed on the information terminal. Here, the identifier of the application identifies the application, and an application name or the like can be considered.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the setting information master data 201 associates setting conditions with setting information. As the setting conditions, conditions for specifying an application to be installed by the information terminal, such as a terminal identifier and a terminal type, as well as an external interface type, are set. As this setting condition, information on measured values of sensors held by the information terminal 1 such as latitude and longitude information indicated by GPS may be included. Based on the setting conditions, the setting information associates the identifier of the application to be installed by this information terminal, the address of the server when this application is downloaded, and the like. The setting information is determined according to the setting conditions of the information terminal. The setting information may be determined according to a contract with the user of the information terminal, and may be set by the management terminal 4 as appropriate. In addition, the setting information may be changed as appropriate as new applications are developed or upgraded.

  The terminal management server 2 includes setting information providing means 202. When receiving the setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal 1 from the information terminal 1, the setting information providing unit 202 extracts the identifier of the application that matches the setting condition data. Further, the setting information providing means 202 transmits setting information data including the extracted application identifier to the information terminal 1.

  The management terminal 4 sets information of an application to be installed in the information terminal 1 in the setting information master data 201. If there is a function to be provided individually based on a contract with the user of the information terminal 1, the setting is made by associating the application information for realizing the function with the identifier of the information terminal 1 provided to the user. The information is stored in the information master data 201. Thereby, the terminal management server 2 can make the information terminal 1 acquire the information of the application for implement | achieving the function provided separately, when setting condition data are input from this information terminal 1. FIG.

  The distribution management server 3 is a server that manages applications installed by the information terminal 1. The distribution management server 3 causes the information terminal 1 to download the application designated by the information terminal 1 in response to a request from the information terminal 1.

(Information terminal)
With reference to FIG. 1, the information terminal 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. As described above, the information terminal 1 is shipped from the factory and provided to the user with the installation support program installed. After that, when the user turns on the information terminal 1, the installation support program runs and downloads and installs necessary applications in the information terminal 1. Thereafter, an installation support program is operated as appropriate to control download, installation or deletion of the application.

  The storage device 20 stores setting condition data 21, setting information data 22, download data 23, application data 24, and log data 25.

  The setting condition data 21 is data on conditions for determining an application to be installed by the information terminal 1. The setting condition data 21 includes the identifier of the information terminal 1 as shown in FIG. In addition, it includes information such as the type of the information terminal 1, the sensor held by the information terminal 1, the GPS, and the type of the external interface.

  The setting information data 22 is data received from the terminal management server 2 and includes an identifier of an application to be installed on the information terminal. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the setting information data 22 includes necessity and distribution management server address. Here, “necessity” is set to “necessary” indicating that this application is to be installed, or “unnecessary” indicating that this application is to be deleted. When “necessary” is set, the address of the distribution management server 3 to which this application can be downloaded is set in the distribution management server address field. The setting information data 22 may further hold information such as an application version in association with each other. Further, the “status” column of the setting information data 22 shown in FIG. 4 holds a processing result such as installation. In the “status” column, installed / failed, downloaded / failed, etc. are set.

  The download data 23 is application data received from the distribution management server 3. The download data 23 is stored in correspondence with the application identifier. The application data 24 is application data installed based on the download data 23. The application data 24 is stored in a folder corresponding to the application identifier.

  The log data 25 is log data of applications used in the information terminal 1. The log data 25 is data in which, for example, the identifier of the application used in the information terminal 1 is associated with the use date / time. The log data 25 is rewritten by the system or the like every time an application is used in the information terminal 1. The log data 25 is referred to when determining an application to be uninstalled in the deletion control means 18 described later.

  The central processing control apparatus 10 includes application control means 11, installation control means 15, and deletion control means 18. When the information terminal 1 is turned on for the first time by the user after shipment from the factory, the application control means 11 and the installation control means 15 install necessary applications on the information terminal 1. After that, necessary applications are installed in the information terminal 1 and unnecessary applications are uninstalled by the application control unit 11 and the installation control unit 15 as appropriate. When the information terminal 1 installs a new application, if a capacity shortage occurs, at least one of the download data 23 and the application data 24 is deleted by the deletion control means 18.

  The application control unit 11 is activated when the information terminal 1 is powered on or at an arbitrary timing during operation. The application control unit 11 includes a setting condition collection unit 12, a setting information acquisition unit 13, and an installer activation unit 14.

  The setting condition collection unit 12 collects setting conditions including the identifier of the information terminal 1, generates setting condition data 21, and stores it in the storage device 20. Here, the setting condition data 21 may be temporarily stored in the storage device 20. The setting condition collection unit 12 may include a hardware type included in the information terminal 1 in addition to the identification number of the information terminal 1. Specifically, the hardware type includes a type of sensor such as GPS, a type of external device interface such as USB, and the like. The setting condition collection unit 12 may collect the type of the information terminal 1 as the setting condition.

  The setting information acquisition unit 13 transmits the setting condition data 21 to the terminal management server 2 and receives the setting information data 22 from the terminal management server 2. The setting information data 22 includes an identifier of an application to be installed in the information terminal 1.

  When the setting information data 22 is stored, the installer activation unit 14 activates the installation control unit 15. The installer activation unit 14 may activate the installation control unit 15 according to the number of applications included in the setting information data 22 to be installed by the information terminal 1. The installer activation unit 14 may activate one installation control unit 15 to sequentially install applications.

  The installer activation means 14 takes over information such as a distribution management server address associated with the identifier of the application to be installed, and activates the installation control means 15. Here, the identifier of the application to be installed is the identifier of the application in the record in which the necessity column is set to “necessary”. Furthermore, the installer activation unit 14 also inherits authentication information necessary for the installation control unit 15 to install. Further, the deletion control means 18 is activated for the record in which the necessity column is set to “unnecessary”.

  Further, the installer activation unit 14 acquires the result of installation or deletion from the installation control unit 15 or the deletion control unit 18 and stores the result in the status column of the setting information data 22.

  The installation control unit 15 installs an application corresponding to the identifier included in the setting information data. Based on the inherited authentication information, the installation control unit 15 determines whether to authenticate the installer activation unit 14 (application control unit 11) that has requested activation of the installation control unit 15. When authenticating, the installation control means 15 installs the application without inquiring the user of the information terminal 1.

  Here, the installation control means 15 may calculate the free capacity of the storage device for installing the application, and if it is determined that the capacity is insufficient, the installation control means 15 may cause the deletion control means 18 (to be described later) to delete the data and then install it.

  The installation control unit 15 includes a download unit 16 and an installation unit 17. The download unit 16 accesses the distribution management server address specified by the setting information data 22 and downloads the application.

  The download unit 16 is connected to the distribution management server address taken over by the installation control unit 15 and stores the download data 23 obtained by downloading the application file in the storage device 20 based on the identifier of the application. In addition, the installation unit 17 performs installation based on the downloaded data that has been normally downloaded, and stores the application data 24 in the storage device 20.

  When the download and installation processes are completed, the installation control means 15 returns the result to the caller installer activation means 14 (application control means 11). Here, the result is a status such as installed / failed, downloaded / failed. Upon receiving the result, the installer activation unit 14 updates the “status” column in association with the application identifier.

  The download unit 16 and the installation unit 17 may be different from those included in the OS of the information terminal 1. Specifically, the download unit 16 may implement a function of downloading or installing without presenting an inquiry screen to the user when the installation control unit 15 authenticates the caller.

  Generally, when installing, a screen for confirming to the user such as “Can I install?” Is displayed, and installation is performed when the user selects “Yes”. On the other hand, since the information terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention installs the application specified by the terminal management server 2, these inquiries make the user feel bothersome and confuse a user who does not have knowledge. I will invite you. Therefore, when the information terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is activated from the application control unit 11 whose request source is clear in advance, the information terminal 1 proceeds with processing such as download and installation without displaying such an inquiry.

  The deletion control unit 18 deletes the application in accordance with a request from the application control unit 11 or the installation control unit 15.

  For example, it is assumed that there is a record set as “unnecessary” in the “necessity” column in the setting information data 22. In that case, the installer activation means 14 takes over the identifier of the application of the record and activates the deletion control means 18. The deletion control means 18 deletes and uninstalls at least one of the download data 23 and the application data 24 corresponding to the identifier of the inherited application.

  When installing the application based on the setting information data 22, if the capacity of the information terminal 1 is insufficient, the deletion control means 18 deletes the data of the already installed application based on a predetermined condition. For example, when the application is installed, the deletion control unit 18 calculates the download data of each application data and the capacity of the application data. When this capacity is larger than the predetermined threshold, the deletion control means 18 refers to the log data 25 and deletes at least one of the download data and application data of the application having an old usage history from the storage device. Further, the confirmation of the capacity and the deletion of data are not limited to when other applications are installed, and may be executed as appropriate.

  Here, the deletion control means 18 may appropriately control which data is deleted. For example, the deletion control means 18 may control to delete both the download data and the application data for the application whose record is set to “unnecessary” in the “necessity” column. Further, when deleting an application due to lack of capacity, the deletion control means 18 may delete only the download data, may delete only the application data, or may delete either of them.

(Device management method)
With reference to FIG. 5, the terminal management method which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  First, in step S <b> 1, the application control unit 11 of the information terminal 1 acquires setting conditions from the information terminal 1 and generates setting condition data 21. In step S <b> 2, the application control unit 11 transmits a setting information acquisition request together with the setting condition data 21 to the terminal management server 2.

  In step S3, the terminal management server 2 acquires setting information that matches the setting condition data based on the setting condition data, and generates setting information data. In step S4, the terminal management server 2 transmits a setting information acquisition response together with setting information data as a response in step S2.

  When the application control unit 11 receives the setting information data 22, the installation request is transmitted to the installation control unit 15 together with the setting information data 22 and the authentication information in step S5. In step S6, the installation control means 15 determines whether or not to authenticate the transmission source application control means 11 based on the authentication information. If it is not authenticated, the process ends. When authenticating, it progresses to step S7. Here, although the case where the setting information data 22 is transmitted together with the authentication information in the installation request has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, first, only the authentication information may be transmitted to the installation control means 15, and if authenticated, the setting information data 22 may be further transmitted.

  In step S7, the installation control means 15 determines whether or not it is necessary to delete. For example, if the capacity is tight, a deletion request is transmitted to the deletion control means 18 in step S8. The deletion control means 18 deletes download data, application data, etc. with a predetermined logic, and transmits a deletion response in step S9.

  If there is a sufficient capacity in step S7, or the deletion by the deletion control unit 18 ends, the installation control unit 15 proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the installation control means 15 makes a download request based on the distribution management server address of the condition setting data 21 taken over in step S5, and downloads the data in step S11. In step S12, the installation control means 15 installs an application based on the downloaded data.

  In step S13, the installation control unit 15 transmits an installation response to the installation request in step S5 to the application control unit 11. This installation response includes the results of download and installation.

  When the installation response is received in step S13, in step S14, the application control unit 11 updates the status of the setting information data 22 based on the result included in the installation response, and ends the process.

  The information terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention generates setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal, transmits the setting condition data to the terminal management server 2, and receives the setting condition data from the terminal management server 2. Since the information terminal 1 installs an application whose identifier is included in the received design condition data after the user turns on the information terminal 1, the application corresponding to each setting environment is installed in a large number of information terminals 1. Can be easily installed. In addition, since the installation operation is performed without displaying a confirmation screen to the user, compared to the case where the installation is performed by kitting as in the prior art, there is no sense of incongruity to the user.

  Furthermore, since the application is appropriately installed not only at the first power-on but also in the middle, it is possible to provide an environment corresponding to version upgrades or function changes without the user being aware of it. Even when the storage area is tight, applications with low priority, such as low-use applications, are installed after being deleted, so that the user himself / herself does not have to create a free area.

  The information terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can greatly reduce the cost associated with kitting by standardizing terminal settings in the factory and standardizing work. Specifically, since differences in kitting contents between terminals at the time of shipment can be minimized, it is possible to realize leveled production and improve productivity in the entire manufacturing process. Furthermore, inventory costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since application software to be installed can be changed afterwards according to requirements such as user contracts, a terminal suitable for the user can be provided quickly and at low cost.

  Thus, the information terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily install an application.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, it should not be understood that the descriptions and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  It goes without saying that the present invention includes various embodiments not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information terminal 2 Terminal management server 3 Distribution management server 4 Management terminal 5 Communication network 10 Central processing control apparatus 11 Application control means 12 Setting condition collection means 13 Setting information acquisition means 14 Installer starting means 15 Installation control means 16 Download means 17 Installation means DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Deletion control means 20 Storage device 21 Setting condition data 22 Setting information data 23 Download data 24 Application data 25 Log data 30 Communication control device 201 Setting information master data 202 Setting information providing means

Claims (4)

An information terminal connected to a terminal management server so as to be able to communicate with each other,
The setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal is transmitted to the terminal management server, the setting information data including the identifier of the application to be installed in the information terminal is received from the terminal management server, and based on the setting information data Application control means for activating post-installation control means, and
Installation control means for installing an application corresponding to the identifier included in the setting information data;
The information terminal characterized in that the installation control means installs the application without authenticating the user of the information terminal after authenticating the application control means. A terminal management system comprising an information terminal and a terminal management server connected to the information terminal so as to communicate with each other,
The information terminal
The setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal is transmitted to the terminal management server, the setting information data including the identifier of the application to be installed in the information terminal is received from the terminal management server, and based on the setting information data Application control means for activating post-installation control means, and
Installation control means for installing an application corresponding to an identifier included in the setting information data;
The terminal management server
A storage device for storing setting information master data in which an identifier of an information terminal is associated with an identifier of an application to be installed in the information terminal;
When the setting condition data is received from the information terminal, an application identifier matching the setting condition data is extracted from the setting information master data, and the setting information data including the extracted application identifier is transmitted to the information terminal. A setting information providing means,
The terminal management system, wherein the installation control unit of the information terminal installs the application without inquiring a user of the information terminal after authenticating the application control unit. In a terminal management method used in a terminal management system comprising an information terminal and a terminal management server connected to the information terminal so as to communicate with each other,
The application control means of the information terminal transmits setting condition data including the identifier of the information terminal to the terminal management server;
When the terminal management server receives the setting condition data, the identifier of the application that matches the setting condition data from the setting information master data in which the identifier of the information terminal is associated with the identifier of the application installed in the information terminal Extracting the setting information data including the extracted application identifier to the information terminal;
When the application control means of the information terminal receives the setting information data from the terminal management server, starting the post-installation control means based on the setting information data;
The installation control unit of the information terminal comprises a step of installing an application corresponding to the identifier included in the setting information data without inquiring of the user of the information terminal after authenticating the application control unit. Device management method. An installation support program for causing a computer to function as the means according to claim 1 .

Images