JP7125011B2 - Information processing system and license protection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system and a license protection method.

Conventionally, electronic cash registers (ECRs) and POS (Point Of Sales) terminal devices have been used as sales data processing devices installed in stores that sell products (including services) to receive designations for product sales registration. and other electronic devices are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In such a sales data processing device, fonts that can be used for a fee are provided as fonts to be printed on receipts in addition to fonts that can be used free of charge. Fonts that can be used for a fee are provided in the form of an external memory, etc. Normally, from the viewpoint of license protection, one external memory storing font data for a fee is provided for one sales data processing device. be done. Hereinafter, a system composed of the electronic device and the external memory will be referred to as an information processing system.

Conventionally, there are license protection methods for preventing unauthorized use of software and content. For example, when installing and using software on a computer, enter the license code included in the package into the computer, communicate with the license authentication server etc. via the Internet, and confirm that the license code is genuine. is authenticated, it can be used only by the first authenticated computer (see Patent Document 2, for example).

Therefore, in the case of the sales data processing device described above, for example, if the license code is authenticated by the license authentication server via the Internet by the communication unit, the license code is stored in the attached external memory. It is conceivable to read paid font data.

JP 2017-157089 A JP 2010-231385 A

However, the conventional license protection method has the problem that it takes time and effort to prepare and manage a license authentication server.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to protect licenses reliably and with a simple configuration.

An information processing system according to a first aspect of the present invention is an information processing system comprising an external memory storing data subject to license protection and an electronic device capable of reading data from the external memory. , the external memory stores read information indicating whether or not the data has been read outside after shipment, and a license code of the data, in association with the data; and the electronic device stores the external memory. When reading the data from the external memory, if it is determined that the data has not been read based on the read information, the data and the license code are read from the external memory and held, and the read information is read from the external memory. When the information is updated to indicate that the data has already been read, and it is determined that the data has already been read based on the read information, the license code in the external memory and the electronic device hold the license code. The data is reloaded from the external memory on condition that the license code matches the license code stored in the external memory.

A license protection method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a license protection method for data stored in an external memory, wherein the external memory is associated with the data so that the data can be read externally after shipment. and a license code of the data are stored, and when the data is read from the external memory by an electronic device to which the external memory is attached, the read information is read by the electronic device. the data and the license code are read from the external memory into the electronic device and held therein, and the read information is already read by the electronic device. is updated to information indicating that the data has been read, and if the electronic device determines that the data has already been read based on the read information, the license code in the external memory and the electronic device The data is reloaded from the external memory by the electronic device on the condition that the license code held matches the data.

According to the present invention, the license can be reliably protected with a simple configuration.

1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a sales data processing device 1 of this embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing internal configurations of the sales data processing device 1 and the external memory 21 of the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the sales data processing device 1 of this embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, although various technically preferable limitations are attached to the embodiments described below in order to carry out the present invention, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

1(a) and 1(b) are perspective views showing the external configuration of a sales data processing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(a) shows the configuration of the sales data processing device 1 seen from the oblique front side, and FIG. 1(b) shows the configuration of the sales data processing device 1 seen from the oblique rear side. The sales data processing device 1 according to the present embodiment is an electronic device that is installed in a store or the like that sells products (including services), and receives designation of product sales registration. In this embodiment, the sales data processing device 1 is described as a compact electronic cash register (ECR). Many of the compact type electronic cash registers are structured without a barcode scanner in order to keep costs down.

However, the sales data processing device 1 may be configured as an electronic device such as a high-performance POS (Point Of Sales) terminal device or a tablet terminal device other than the compact type electronic cash register. A high-performance POS terminal device is equipped with an image reading means such as a bar code scanner, and can perform advanced merchandise management based on image data read by the image reading means. The tablet terminal device is connected to a bar code, a printer, etc., and functions as an accounting processing device that accepts designation of product sales registration and executes accounting processing.

The sales data processing apparatus 1 has a display unit 14 for displaying data to be viewed by the operator, a display unit 15 for customers to display data for the customer to view, and a printing unit 16 for printing out receipts. , a drawer 17 for storing cash, and an input unit 18 for receiving input of various data.

Note that the drawer 17 may be separated from the housing of the sales data processing device 1 . Further, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the sales data processing device 1 does not have a barcode scanner, but it may have a barcode scanner.

The input unit 18 includes numeric keys "0" to "9", a PLU key for inputting product numbers, function keys related to tax rates and the like, accounting keys for executing accounting processing, and the like. In the example shown in FIG. 1, these keys are shown as physical keys. However, these keys can also be configured as keys drawn on the display, for example, by configuring the input unit 18 with a display and a touch panel attached to the display.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configurations of the sales data processing device 1 and the external memory 21 of this embodiment. The sales data processing device 1 comprises a CPU 10, a ROM 11, a RAM 12, a timer 13, a display 14, a customer display 15, a printer 16, a drawer 17, an input unit 18, a communication unit 19, and an external memory I/F 20. It is The ROM 11 stores in advance a program for operating the CPU 10 as an electronic cash register. The RAM 12 is composed of a flash memory or the like, and is used as a working area for program execution and a storage area for storing a license code 21b, which will be described later. The clock unit 13 incorporates a clock circuit such as an RTC (Real Time Clock), and outputs date and time information indicating the current date and time to the CPU 10 .

The display unit 14 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like. , tax data, and more. Like the display unit 14, the customer display unit 15 is composed of an LCD, an organic EL display, or the like, and displays the subtotal amount (account amount) and the like to be viewed by the customer.

The printing unit 16 is, for example, a thermal printer (thermal printer), and has roll paper (thermal paper) for receipts and journals. Also, the amount, sales data, etc. are printed out. At this time, the printing unit 16 uses the font data 21c stored in the RAM 12 to print the data. A free font is used for printing, but if a paid font (license-protected font) is installed, the paid font may be used. Even if there are a plurality of sales data processing devices 1, the paid font can be used only in the first sales data processing device 1 installed. This license protection method will be described later.

The drawer 17 is a drawer for storing cash such as coins and bills. The drawer 17 is opened according to an instruction from the CPU 10 . The input unit 18 includes ten keys, a department key, a flat PLU key, a deposit key, a withdrawal key, a credit key, a ticket key, a cash deposit key, a subtotal key, a registration confirmation key, an amount key, a multiplication key, a connection key, and the like. It is configured. The communication unit 19 includes a modem, router, network card, etc., and performs data transmission/reception with an external device connected via a communication network.

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The external memory I/F 20 is composed of hardware and software architecture unique to the sales data processing device 1 and transmits and receives data to and from the external memory 21 . That is, since the external memory I/F 20 does not conform to the USB (registered trademark) standard or the like used in general computers or the like, data can be read from and written to the external memory 21 only by the sales data processing device 1. It can be done, and it is designed so that it can not be done with a general computer.

The CPU 10 reads a system program stored in the ROM 11, develops it in the work area of the RAM 12, and controls each part according to the system program. Further, the CPU 10 reads a processing program stored in the ROM 11, develops it in a work area, and executes various processes.

The external memory 21 is a portable recording medium having a non-volatile memory that can store and retain the contents of data even when the supply of power is interrupted, and that can be freely read and written. The external memory 21 stores an initial read determination flag (read information) 21a, a license code 21b, and font data 21c. The first read determination flag 21a is set to "TRUE" as an initial value (at the time of shipment), and when the (paid) font data 21c subject to license protection is read for the first time, the CPU 10 of the sales data processing device 1 sets " FLASE".

When the external memory 21 is attached, the CPU 10 of the sales data processing device 1 checks the state of the first read discrimination flag 21a, and if the first read discrimination flag 21a is "TRUE", it is subject to license protection (paid). The font data 21c is read, but if it is "FLASE", the font data 21c subject to license protection is not read.

The license code 21b is read by the CPU 10 of the sales data processing device 1 and written in the RAM 12 when the font data 21c is read for the first time. After the first time, the CPU 10 becomes subject to license protection on the condition that the license code 21b written in the RAM 12 matches the license code 21b in the external memory 21 if the first read determination flag 21a is "FLASE" ( The (paid) font data 21c is read, but if the license code 21b does not match, the (paid) font data 21c subject to license protection is not read.

As described above, in this embodiment, the hardware in the external memory I/F 20, the software architecture related to data transmission and reception, the data structure in the external memory 21, etc. are not disclosed, so the font data from the external memory 21 21c can be read and written only by the sales data processing device 1. FIG. The (paid) font data 21c subject to license protection may be stored encrypted or may be stored unencrypted.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the sales data processing device 1 of this embodiment. When the external memory 21 is attached to the external memory I/F 20, the CPU 10 of the sales data processing device 1 reads the first read determination flag 21a of the external memory 21 and determines whether it is "TRUE" (step S10). ). Then, when the first read determination flag 21a is "TRUE", that is, when the external memory 21 is attached to the sales data processing device 1 for the first time (YES in step S10), the CPU 10 extracts the font data 21c from the external memory 21. is read (step S12).

Next, the CPU 10 reads the license code 21b from the external memory 21 and writes it to the RAM (flash) 12 (step S14). After that, the CPU 10 rewrites the initial read determination flag 21a of the external memory 21 to "FLASE" (step S16), and terminates the process.

On the other hand, in step S10, if the first read determination flag 21a is not "TRUE", that is, if the font data 21c has already been read at least once and rewritten to "FALSE" (NO in step S10), the CPU 10 It is determined whether or not the license code 21b in the external memory 21 and the license code 21b in the RAM 12 match (step S18).

At this time, if the sales data processing device 1 has read the font data 21c from the external memory 21 in the past, the license code 21b of the external memory 21 is written to the RAM 12 at the time of the first reading. Both license codes 21b match. If both license codes 21b match (YES in step S18), the CPU 10 reads the font data 21c from the external memory 21 (step S20) and terminates the process. That is, in the case of the sales data processing device 1 that has read the font data 21c from the external memory 21 when it is first installed, the font data 21c can be read (reread) from the external memory 21 any number of times.

On the other hand, if the sales data processing device 1 has never read the font data 21c from the external memory 21, the license code 21b has not been written to the RAM 12, so they do not match. Further, even when the sales data processing device 1 reads the font data 21c of the other external memory 21, the license code 21b is written in the RAM 12, so that they do not match. In this way, if the license codes 21b on both sides do not match (NO in step S18), the process ends without reading the font data 21c. That is, if the font data 21c has already been read by another sales data processing device 1, the font data 21c of the external memory 21 is not read. Thus, the font data 21c of the external memory 21 can be used only by one sales data processing device 1, and the license is reliably protected.

In a situation where a plurality of sales data processing devices 1 exist, a countermeasure method may be provided for changing the sales data processing device 1 that uses the font data 21c of the external memory 21. FIG. In this case, in the sales data processing device 1 that has read the font data 21c for the first time, with the external memory 21 installed, if a predetermined key operation of the input unit 18 or simultaneous operation of a plurality of predetermined keys is performed, , the CPU 10 checks whether the license code 21b in the external memory 21 and the license code 21b held in the RAM 12 match. , the first read determination flag 21a of the external memory 21 is rewritten to "TRUE". As a result, the first read determination flag 21a of the external memory 21 becomes "TRUE", that is, the initial state at the time of shipment. You can wear it. In this way, it is possible to easily change the sales data processing device 1 that can use the font data 21c while securing the license protection of the font data 21c.

According to the above-described embodiment, when the sales data processing device 1 reads the font data 21c from the external memory 21, the first read determination flag 21a is set to "TRUE" indicating that the font data 21c has not been read. In this case, the font data 21c and the license code 21b are read from the external memory 21 and held, and the first read determination flag 21a is updated to "FALSE" indicating that the font data 21c has already been read, and the first read determination is performed. If the flag 21a is "FALSE" indicating that the font data 21c has already been read, the license code 21b of the external memory 21 and the license code 21b held by the sales data processing device 1 match. On the condition that the font data 21c is reloaded from the external memory 21, the font data 21c in the external memory 21 can be used only by one sales data processing device 1, and the license is ensured. and can be protected with a simple configuration. In the sales data processing device 1, even if the license code 21b is stored in a non-volatile flash memory and the font data 21c with a large data capacity is stored in a volatile and inexpensive dynamic memory, the external By reloading the font data 21c from the memory 21, the font data 21c can be reconstructed when the sales data processing device 1 is powered on.

According to the above-described embodiment, when there is a predetermined user operation in the sales data processing device 1, the condition is that the license code 21b in the external memory 21 and the license code 21b held in the sales data processing device 1 match. Then, the font data 21c and the license code 21b held by the sales data processing device 1 are erased, and the first read determination flag 21a of the external memory 21 is set to "TRUE" indicating that the font data 21c has not been read. Since the font data 21c is rewritten, the license protection of the font data 21c is ensured, and the sales data processing device 1 that can use the font data 21c can be easily changed.

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device is assumed to be a sales data processing device 1 such as an electronic cash register (ECR) or a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal device. A computer, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like may be used as long as it can install some data (content), a program (application program), or the like from 21 . Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, the license protection of the font data 21c stored in the external memory 21 has been described, but it is not limited to this, and can be applied to still images, moving images, documents, programs (application programs), and the like. good.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and includes the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.
The invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be additionally described below.

(Appendix 1)
The invention described in Supplementary Note 1 is an information processing system comprising an external memory storing data subject to license protection and an electronic device capable of reading the data in the external memory, wherein the external memory comprises: Read information indicating whether or not the data has been read outside after shipment and a license code of the data are stored in association with the data, and the electronic device reads the data from the external memory. and when it is determined that the data has not been read based on the read information, the data and the license code are read from the external memory and held, and the read information has already been read. When it is determined that the data has already been read based on the read information, the license code in the external memory and the license code held by the electronic device are different. The information processing system is characterized in that the data is reloaded from the external memory on condition that the data match.

(Appendix 2)
In the invention described in Supplementary Note 2, when the electronic device receives a predetermined user operation, the license code stored in the external memory matches the license code held by the electronic device. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data and the license code held by the device are erased, and the read information of the external memory is rewritten to information indicating that the data has not been read. It is an information processing system.

(Appendix 3)
The invention according to appendix 3 is the information processing system according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the data is font data used in the electronic device.

(Appendix 4)
The invention according to Supplementary Note 4 is characterized in that the electronic device is a sales data processing device, and the font data is font data to be printed on a receipt output from the sales data processing device. The information processing system described in .

(Appendix 5)
The invention described in Supplementary Note 5 is a license protection method for data stored in an external memory, wherein the external memory associates with the data whether or not the data has been read outside after shipment. and a license code of the data, and when the data is read from the external memory by an electronic device to which the external memory is attached, the data is read by the electronic device based on the read information. If it is determined that the license code has not been issued, the data and the license code are read from the external memory into the electronic device and held therein, and the electronic device detects that the read information has already been read. and if the electronic device determines that the data has already been read based on the read information, the license code stored in the external memory and the license code held by the electronic device and re-reading the data from the external memory by the electronic device on the condition that the data matches the license protection method.

(Appendix 6)
In the invention described in Appendix 6, when a predetermined user operation is performed on the electronic device, the license code stored in the external memory matches the license code held by the electronic device. erases the data and the license code held by the electronic device, and rewrites the read information of the external memory to information indicating that the data has not been read. 5. The license protection method according to 5.

(Appendix 7)
The invention according to Supplementary Note 7 is the license protection method according to Supplementary Note 5 or 6, wherein the data is font data used in the electronic device.

(Appendix 8)
The invention according to Supplementary Note 8 is characterized in that the electronic device is a sales data processing device, and the font data is font data to be printed on a receipt output from the sales data processing device. is the license protection method described in .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Sales data processing apparatus 10... CPU, 11... ROM, 12... RAM, 13... Time-measurement part, 14... Display part, 15... Display part for customers, 16... Printing part, 17... Drawer, 18... Input part, 19...Communication unit, 20...External memory I/F, 21...External memory, 21a...Initial reading determination flag, 21b...License code, 21c...Font data

Claims (8)

An information processing system comprising an external memory storing data subject to license protection and an electronic device capable of reading data from the external memory,
the external memory stores readout information indicating whether or not the data has been read out after shipment and a license code of the data in association with the data;
When the electronic device reads the data from the external memory,
When it is determined that the data has not been read based on the read information, the data and the license code are read from the external memory and held, and the read information is determined to indicate that the data has already been read. updated with information indicating that
If it is determined that the data has already been read based on the read information, the license code stored in the external memory and the license code held by the electronic device are matched. reloading said data from
An information processing system characterized by: When there is a predetermined user operation, the electronic device
On the condition that the license code in the external memory matches the license code held in the electronic device, the data held in the electronic device and the license code are erased, and the data stored in the external memory is erased. rewriting the read information to information indicating that the data has not been read;
The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized by: 3. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said data is font data used in said electronic device. The electronic device is a sales data processing device,
4. An information processing system according to claim 3, wherein said font data is font data printed on a receipt output from said sales data processing device. A method of licensing data stored in an external memory, comprising:
the external memory stores readout information indicating whether or not the data has been read out after shipment and a license code of the data in association with the data;
When reading the data from the external memory by an electronic device to which the external memory is attached, if the electronic device determines that the data has not been read based on the read information, the external memory read and hold the data and the license code from the electronic device, and update the read information by the electronic device to information indicating that the data has already been read;
When it is determined that the data has already been read by the electronic device based on the read information, the license code in the external memory and the license code held by the electronic device must match. reloading the data from the external memory by the electronic device;
A license protection method characterized by: When there is a predetermined user operation on the electronic device,
On the condition that the license code in the external memory and the license code held by the electronic device match, the electronic device erases the data and the license code held by the electronic device. , rewriting the read information of the external memory to information indicating that the data has not been read;
6. The license protection method according to claim 5, wherein: 7. The license protection method according to claim 5, wherein said data is font data used in said electronic device. The electronic device is a sales data processing device,
8. The license protection method according to claim 7, wherein said font data is font data printed on a receipt output from said sales data processing device.

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