JP7512703B2 - Information processing device, information processing system, and program - Google Patents

Description

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

Patent Document 1 discloses a license management system that uses a license server to invalidate the license of the old MFP and enable the functions of the new MFP when replacing an MFP.

Patent document 2 discloses a system that issues time-limited license information to the old device when license information is transferred from the old device to the new device, allowing device functions to be used simultaneously on both the old and new devices during the period when the license information is being transferred from the old device to the new device.

JP 2009-271680 A JP 2010-146302 A

When replacing an old model of information processing device with a new model, it is sometimes necessary to test use the new model of information processing device to be replaced before deciding whether or not to adopt the new model. However, such information processing devices may be configured so that their functions can be expanded by installing an application program (hereafter referred to as an app) corresponding to the functions selected by the user. In this case, an authentication process is performed in which permission information such as a license key is registered in the information processing device to enable the functions of the installed app.

In such a case, if you want to activate a function that was used on the old model during the trial period of a new model of information processing device, you need to register a license key on the new model as well to activate that function. However, if you move the license key that was registered on the old model to the new model, you will no longer be able to use that function on the old model. Also, if you copy the license key that was registered on the old model and register it on the new model, the license key will remain on the old model after the new model is adopted, which could result in duplicate licenses.

It is also possible to issue a new license key with an expiration date and register it on the new model, enabling the function on both the old and new models for a trial period. However, if such a method is used, when adopting a new model, it becomes necessary to carry out cumbersome processes such as deleting the license key with an expiration date and transferring the license key registered on the old model to the new model.

The object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, information processing system, and program that, when replacing an old model in which a certain function is enabled using permission information with a new model, allows the functions of both models before and after the replacement to be used together during the trial period of the new model without issuing new permission information different from the permission information registered in the old model, and prevents the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends.

[Information processing device]
The present invention according to claim 1 comprises a memory and a processor,
The processor,
When replacing an old model of information processing apparatus with a new model of the own apparatus and using the new model of the own apparatus on a trial basis, information for identifying the old model of the information processing apparatus before replacement and a setting of a trial period for the own apparatus are received;
acquiring permission information from the information processing device of the old model before replacement based on the received information , and enabling an extended function among functions of the device, the extended function requiring an authentication process using the permission information in order to be used ;
When a set trial period for the device expires, if a selection is made to continue using the device, the information processing device disables the extended functions of the older model information processing device, and if a selection is made to not use the device, the information processing device disables the extended functions of the device.

The present invention of claim 2 is an information processing device as described in claim 1, in which the processor disables the extended functions of the device when the trial period ends without selecting either to continue using the device or to not use the device.

The present invention of claim 3 is an information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor disables the extended function of the older model information processing device by requesting the older model information processing device to disable the extended function when the set trial period of the device expires and the user selects to continue using the device.

The present invention related to claim 4 is an information processing device as described in claim 3, in which the processor disables the extended functions of the older model information processing device by requesting deletion of permission information stored in the older model information processing device.

The present invention of claim 5 is an information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, in which, when the processor selects to continue using the device when the set trial period of the device expires, it disables the extended function of the older model information processing device by requesting a management device that manages whether the extended function can be used to disable the extended function of the older model information processing device.

The present invention of claim 6 is an information processing device as described in claim 5, in which when the processor obtains permission information from the old model information processing device before replacement and enables the extended function of the device, it transmits information on the set trial period, permission information, and identification information for identifying the device to the management device.

The present invention of claim 7 is an information processing device as described in claim 5, in which, when the use of the extended function is selected, the processor sends permission information held by the processor to the management device, and when a reply is received indicating that use is permitted, the processor makes the extended function available.

[Information Processing System]
The present invention of claim 8 relates to a first information processing device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the processor, when replacing a second information processing device of an older model different from a first information processing device of a new model with the first information processing device, receives information for identifying the second information processing device before replacement and a setting of a trial period for the first information processing device, obtains permission information from the second information processing device before replacement based on the received information , and enables extended functions of the first information processing device that require authentication processing using the permission information in order to be used, and when the set trial period of the first information processing device expires, disables the extended functions of the second information processing device if it is selected to continue using the first information processing device, and disables the extended functions of the first information processing device if it is selected not to use the first information processing device;
a second information processing device including a memory and a processor, the processor transmitting permission information registered in the first information processing device to the first information processing device in response to a request from the first information processing device, and deleting the permission information used to enable the extended function when a request to disable the extended function that has been enabled is received from the first information processing device;
It is an information processing system equipped with the above.

The present invention of claim 9 is an information processing system as described in claim 8, further comprising a management device that includes a memory and a processor, wherein the processor manages whether the extended functions can be used in the first and second information processing devices, and when permission information is transmitted from the first information processing device together with trial period information, registers the transmitted permission information even if it is identical to permission information already registered until the end of the trial period, and when the trial period ends, requests the first information processing device to select whether to continue using the first information processing device or the second information processing device.

[program]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for using a new information processing device as a trial device when replacing an old information processing device with a new device, the method comprising: receiving information for identifying the old information processing device before replacement and a setting of a trial period for the new device;
acquiring permission information from the information processing device of the old model before replacement based on the received information , and enabling an extended function among functions of the device, which requires authentication processing using the permission information in order to be used ;
This is a program for causing a computer to execute a step of disabling the extended functions of the old model information processing device when a selection is made to continue using the device at the end of a set trial period for the device, and disabling the extended functions of the device when a selection is made to not use the device.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, when an old model in which a certain function is enabled using permission information is to be replaced with a new model, it is possible to provide an information processing device that, during the trial period of the new model, allows the functions of both models before and after the replacement to be used together during the set trial period without issuing new permission information different from the permission information registered in the old model, and prevents the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 2, it is possible to provide an information processing device that can prevent the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends without selecting either the old model or the new model.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 3, it is possible to disable the functions of other information processing devices without requiring a management device that manages whether or not the functions of the information processing devices can be used.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 4, it is possible to delete permission information stored in another information processing device and disable the function without requiring a management device that manages whether or not the function of the information processing device can be used.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 5, when the availability of functions of an information processing device is managed by a management device, it becomes possible to disable functions of other information processing devices.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 6, when the availability of functions of an information processing device is managed by a management device, it is possible to enable functions of the information processing device for which a trial period is set only during the trial period.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 7, when the availability of functions of an information processing device is managed by a management device, it is possible to enable functions of the information processing device for which a trial period is set only during the trial period.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 8, it is possible to provide an information processing system that, when replacing an old model in which a certain function is enabled using permission information with a new model, allows the functions of both models before and after the replacement to be used together during the trial period of the new model without issuing new permission information different from the permission information registered in the old model, and prevents the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends.

According to the present invention as claimed in claim 9, when the availability of functions of an information processing device is managed by a management device, it is possible to provide an information processing system that, when an old model in which a certain function is enabled using permission information is to be replaced with a new model, during the trial period of the new model, allows the functions of both models before and after the replacement to be used together during the set trial period without issuing new permission information different from the permission information registered in the old model, and prevents the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 10, when an old model in which a certain function is enabled using permission information is to be replaced with a new model, it is possible to provide a program that, during the trial period of the new model, allows the functions of both models before and after the replacement to be used together during the set trial period without issuing new permission information different from the permission information registered in the old model, and prevents the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends.

1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of pixel 0 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus 30 in the case of a single authentication method. 5 is a sequence chart showing data transmission and reception between image forming apparatuses 20 and 30 in the processing procedure described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how a trial period is entered on an operation panel 61. 6 is a diagram for explaining how the IP address of the transfer source multifunction device 0 is input from the operation panel 61. FIG. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of license list information displayed on an operation panel 61. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image forming device 30 when the trial period ends. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when inquiring of a user as to whether to select replacement with a new model or to continue the trial use of an old model. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation when an image forming apparatus 30 for which a trial period is set requests an image forming apparatus 20 to copy a license key and validates the license of its own apparatus. FIG. 12(A) shows an outline of the operation of image forming devices 20, 30 when a user selects to use a new model after the trial period has elapsed, and FIG. 12(B) shows an outline of the operation of image forming devices 20, 30 when a user selects to use an old model after the trial period has elapsed. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention when a server authentication method is adopted. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus 30 in the case of a server authentication method. 4 is a diagram showing an example of management information registered in the license management server 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation performed when an instruction to start an application is given in the image forming apparatus 30. 17 is a flowchart for explaining details of the selection process between the new model and the old model described in step S504 of the flowchart in FIG. 16. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operation performed when an image forming apparatus 30 for which a trial period is set requests an image forming apparatus 20 to copy a license key and validates the license of the image forming apparatus 30 itself. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of image forming apparatuses 20 and 30 when a user selects to use a new model after a trial period has elapsed in a system configuration using a server authentication method. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of image forming apparatuses 20 and 30 when a user selects to use an old model after a trial period has elapsed in the case of a system configuration of a server authentication method.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the system configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing system that is configured with image forming devices 20, 30 and a terminal device 50 that are interconnected by a network 40. The terminal device 20 generates print data and transmits the generated print data to the image forming devices 20, 30 via the network 40. The image forming devices 20, 30 accept the print data transmitted from the terminal device 50 and output an image on paper according to the print data. The image forming devices 20, 30 are devices known as multifunction devices that have multiple functions such as a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function.

Here, image forming device 20 is an old model device that was originally installed in the user's workplace or office. And image forming device 30 is a new model device that was installed in the user's workplace or office for a trial period by a sales company that is recommending that the user replace the old model with a new model.

During this trial period, both the old model image forming device 20 and the new model image forming device 30 can be used together. During this trial period, the user tries out both the old model image forming device 20 and the new model image forming device 30, and if the user decides to switch to the new model, the old model image forming device 20 is removed, and if the user decides to continue using the old model, the new model image forming device 30 is removed.

When such new and old models are used together, various functions must be enabled on both the new and old models during the trial period of the new model image forming device 30.

However, the image forming devices 20 and 30 of this embodiment are configured to expand functions by installing application programs (hereafter abbreviated as apps) corresponding to functions selected by the user. However, the functions cannot be used simply by installing an app; the functions of the installed app are enabled by registering permission information such as a license key in the image forming devices 20 and 30 and performing authentication processing.

In this situation, if you want to activate a function that was used in the old model during the trial period of the new model image forming device 30, you need to register a license key in the new model as well to activate that function. However, if the license key registered in the old model image forming device 20 is moved to the new model image forming device 30, that function will no longer be usable in the old model image forming device 20. Also, if you copy the license key registered in the old model image forming device 20 and register it in the new model image forming device 30, the license key will remain in the old model after the new model is adopted, which could result in duplicate licenses.

It is also possible to issue a new license key with an expiration date and register it in the new model of image forming device 30, enabling the functions in both the old and new models for a trial period. However, if such a method is used, when adopting a new model, it becomes necessary to carry out cumbersome processing such as deleting the license key with an expiration date and transferring the license key registered in the old model of image forming device 20 to the new model of image forming device 30.

Therefore, in the image forming system of this embodiment, the following method is used to enable the use of both models' functions during the set trial period without issuing a new license key different from the license key registered to the old model, while preventing the functions of both models from being used when the trial period ends.

Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming device 30 in the image forming system of this embodiment is shown in Figure 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming device 30 has a CPU 11, a memory 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 14 that transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network 30, a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 15 that includes a touch panel or liquid crystal display and a keyboard, a scanner 16, and a print engine 17. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 18.

The print engine 17 prints an image on a recording medium such as printing paper through processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing.

The CPU 11 is a processor that executes predetermined processing based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, and controls the operation of the image forming device 30. Note that in this embodiment, the CPU 11 is described as reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, but it is also possible to store the program on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and provide it to the CPU 11.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming device 30 that is realized by executing the above control program.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming device 30 of this embodiment includes a license management control unit 31, an operation input unit 32, a display unit 33, a data transmission/reception unit 34, a control unit 35, an image reading unit 36, a data storage unit 37, an image output unit 38, and an application management unit 39.

The data transmission/reception unit 34 transmits and receives data via the network 40 between external devices such as the terminal device 50 and the image forming device 20.

The control unit 35 generates print data based on a print job received from the terminal device 50 via the data transmission/reception unit 34, and controls the output of the generated print data from the image output unit 38. The data storage unit 37 stores various data such as the print data generated by the control unit 35.

The display unit 33 is controlled by the control unit 35 and displays various information to the user. The operation input unit 32 inputs various operation information performed by the user.

The image output unit 38 outputs an image onto a recording medium such as printing paper based on the control of the control unit 35. The image reading unit 36 reads an original image from a set original based on the control of the control unit 35.

The application management unit 39 manages the applications installed on the device and controls various processes such as application startup, application installation/uninstallation, and export to another image forming device.

The license management control unit 31 manages the licenses of the installed applications. Specifically, the license management unit 31 determines the authenticity of the input license key, and if it determines that the input license key is authentic, it registers the license key and activates the function of the application corresponding to the license key, that is, it activates the license of the application.

When launching an app, the app management unit 39 queries the license management control unit 31 as to whether the license for the app to be launched is valid. If the app management unit 39 receives a reply from the license management control unit 31 indicating that the license for the app is valid, the app that has been instructed to be launched is launched.

When managing a license key with an expiration date, the license management control unit 31 checks whether the expiration date of the license key has passed.

The methods by which the license management control unit 31 determines whether an application license is valid include a standalone authentication method in which the device itself makes the determination, and a server authentication method in which an inquiry is made to an external license management server and the determination result is received. In this embodiment, first, a case in which the license management control unit 31 determines whether a license is valid using the standalone authentication method will be described. The server authentication method will be described later.

To determine the validity of a license using the single authentication method, the license management control unit 31 first checks whether the input license key was generated by a genuine issuer. When the license management control unit 31 inputs a license key represented by a barcode, a character string, or a numeric string, it uses a preset hash function to calculate the result and determines whether the license key was generated by a genuine issuer.

However, while this stand-alone authentication method has the advantage that the authenticity of the license key can be determined by the device alone, it also has the disadvantage that if a license key is duplicated, the duplicated license key will be determined to be valid.

When replacing the model of the image forming device, the license management control unit 31 receives, via the operation input unit 32, the IP (short for Internet Protocol) address, which is information for identifying the image forming device 20 before replacement, and the setting of the trial period of the device itself.

The license management control unit 31 also obtains a license key, which is permission information, from the other image forming device 20 before the replacement, i.e., the old model image forming device, based on the received information such as the IP address, and enables the functions of its own device.

Then, when the trial period set for the own device expires, if the user selects to continue using the own device, the license management control unit 31 disables the functions of the other image forming devices 20, and if the user selects not to use the own device, the license management control unit 31 disables the functions of the own device.

If the trial period ends without either continuing to use the device or not using the device being selected, the license management control unit 31 disables the functions of the device to prevent the functions of both devices from becoming available.

Here, when the trial period set for the own device ends and the user selects to continue using the own device, the license management control unit 31 disables the functions of the other image forming devices 20 by requesting the other image forming devices 20 to disable their functions.

Note that disabling the functions of the image forming device 20 specifically means deleting the license key stored in the image forming device 20. Therefore, the license management control unit 31 disables the functions of the other image forming devices 20 by requesting the other image forming devices 20 to delete the license key stored therein.

In addition, in response to a request from the new model image forming device 30, the old model image forming device 20 transmits the license key registered in its own device to the image forming device 30. Then, when the image forming device 20 receives a request from the new model image forming device 30 to disable an enabled function, it deletes the license key used to enable that function.

Next, the operation of the image forming system of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Here, when a new model image forming device 30 is installed and operated during a trial period, when transferring the license key registered in the old model image forming device 20 to the image forming device 30, license transfer software installed in the image forming device 30 is used. Therefore, the old model image forming device 20 is referred to as the multifunction device from which the license is transferred, and the new model image forming device 30 is referred to as the multifunction device to which the license is transferred.

First, a processing procedure of the image forming apparatus 30 when license transfer is performed between the image forming apparatuses 20 and 30 in the case of the single authentication method will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S101, the license transfer software is started in the image forming device 30. Then, in step S102, the license management control unit 31 inputs the trial period via the operation input unit 32. Furthermore, in step S103, the license management control unit 31 inputs the IP address of the transfer source multifunction device, i.e., the image forming device 20, via the operation input unit 32.

Then, in step S104, the license management control unit 31 accesses the image forming device 20 using the input IP address and requests a list of licenses from the image forming device 20, which is the source multifunction device.

Then, when the license management control unit 31 receives the license list from the image forming device 20, in step S105, it displays the received license list on the display unit 33 and accepts the selection of the license to be transferred.

Next, in step S106, the license management control unit 31 requests the image forming device 20 to make a copy of the license key for the license selected to be transferred.

Then, in step S107, the license management control unit 31 receives the license key from the image forming device 20, which is the source multifunction device, and activates the license.

When transmitting and receiving license information such as a license key between the image forming devices 20 and 30, if the image forming devices 20 and 30 are located at the same base as in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the license information is transmitted and received via communication over a LAN (short for Local Area Network).

In addition, when the image forming devices 20 and 30 are located at different locations, the license information is sent and received via communication via a WAN (short for Wide Area Network) or a cloud server.

Furthermore, the license information may be copied from image forming device 20 to image forming device 30 using a removable recording medium such as a USB memory or an SD card.

It is also possible to copy the license information from image forming device 20 to image forming device 30 by outputting license information expressed by barcodes, numbers, symbols, letters, etc. onto paper from image forming device 20 (an older model) and then scanning and reading the paper with image forming device 30 (a newer model).

Furthermore, it is also possible to display license information consisting of numbers, symbols, letters, etc. on a UI device such as an operation panel of the old model image forming device 20, and input the information from the operation input unit 32 of the new model image forming device 30, thereby copying the license information from the image forming device 20 to the image forming device 30.

Furthermore, when the image forming device 30 obtains the list information of licenses held by the image forming device 20, it transmits a license list request and receives the license list information by a communication protocol such as SOAP (short for Simple Object Access Protocol) or REST (short for Representational State Transfer). If the image forming devices 20 and 30 are not connected via a network, the image forming device 30 may write the license list request to a removable recording medium such as a USB memory or an SD card, and when the recording medium is connected to the image forming device 20, the image forming device 20 may interpret the license list request and write the license list information to the recording medium. Then, by connecting the recording medium to the image forming device 30, the image forming device 30 obtains the license list information of the image forming device 20.

It is also possible to transfer license list information between image forming devices 20 and 30 via paper. Specifically, command information represented by characters, barcodes, etc., that indicates a license list request is output onto paper in image forming device 30, and the paper on which the command information is output is scanned and read by image forming device 20. Then, image forming device 20 interprets the license list request contained in the read image data, and outputs the license list information onto paper. Then, image forming device 30 scans and reads the paper on which the license list information is output, thereby obtaining the license list information of image forming device 20.

Next, the data transmission and reception performed between the image forming devices 20 and 30 in the process described above will be explained with reference to the sequence chart in FIG. 5.

First, when the license transfer software is started in the image forming device 30, the license management control unit 31 accepts the trial period via the operation input unit 32 in step S201. For example, in the image forming device 30, information on the start date and time and the end date and time of the trial period are input from the operation panel 61 as shown in FIG. 6.

Furthermore, in step S202, the license management control unit 31 inputs the IP address of the transfer source multifunction device, i.e., the image forming device 20, via the operation input unit 32. For example, in the image forming device 30, as shown in FIG. 7, the IP address of the transfer source multifunction device, i.e., the image forming device 20, is input from the operation panel 61.

In this embodiment, an IP address is used as information to identify the source multifunction device, but it is also possible to configure the device to use other information to identify the source multifunction device.

Then, in step S203, the license management control unit 31 accesses the image forming device 20 using the input IP address and requests a list of licenses from the image forming device 20 (the old model, which is the source multifunction device of the transfer).

The image forming device 20 then receives the license list request and responds to the image forming device 30 in step S204 with a list of licenses stored in the device.

When the license management control unit 31 receives the license list information from the image forming device 20, in step S205, it displays the received license list on the display unit 33 and accepts the selection of the license to be transferred. An example of the license list information displayed in this way is shown in FIG. 8.

In the display example shown in FIG. 8, a list of licenses held by the image forming device 20 is displayed on the operation panel 61 of the image forming device 30. The user refers to this list information and selects the licenses to be transferred to the image forming device 30. In FIG. 8, it can be seen that the licenses for four applications, "SuperPrint," "HyperFax," "UltraScan," and "EasyPrint," have been selected as the transfer targets.

Next, in step S206, the license management control unit 31 requests the image forming apparatus 20 to make a copy of the license key of the license selected to be transferred.
Then, in step S207, the image forming apparatus 20 responds to the image forming apparatus 30 with information on the license key requested to be copied.

Then, in step S208, the license management control unit 31 receives the license key from the image forming device 20, which is the source multifunction device, and activates the license.

In this way, the image forming device 30 can use the various functions enabled by the license key from the image forming device 20 until the end of the set trial period. The license key also remains in the image forming device 20, and various functions provided by various apps can be used as before.

However, when the set trial period ends, the user must select whether to continue using the old model image forming device 20 or to switch to the new model image forming device 30. Here, "when the trial period ends" refers to a pre-set timing before the trial period actually ends, such as one day before the trial period ends.

Next, the operation of the image forming device 30 when the trial period ends will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 9.

If the license management control unit 31 determines in step S301 that the set trial period is about to expire, in step S302, it displays a screen on the display unit 33 requesting the user to select either the old model or the new model.

For example, one day before the trial period ends, the license management control unit 31 displays a message on the operation panel 61 as shown in FIG. 10 to inquire of the user whether to switch to a new model or to continue the trial of the old model. Note that FIG. 10 shows an example of the operation when the user selects to switch to a new model.

After the user makes a selection, the license management control unit 31 determines in step S303 whether a new model has been adopted. If a new model has been adopted in step S303, the license management control unit 31 requests the image forming device 20, which is the old model, to invalidate the license, i.e., to delete the stored license key, in step S304.

Also, if the new model is not adopted in step S303, that is, if the user selects to continue using the old model, the license management control unit 31 invalidates the license of its own device in step S305, that is, deletes the license key stored in its own device.

Next, the operation of the image forming devices 20 and 30 described above will be outlined with reference to Figures 11 and 12.

First, FIG. 11 shows the operation when an image forming device 30 for which a trial period has been set requests a copy of the license key from an image forming device 20 and activates the license of the device itself.

Figure 11 (A) shows the state where image forming device 30 requests image forming device 20 to copy a license key. Figure 11 (B) shows the state where image forming device 20 generates a copy of the license key and transmits it to image forming device 30 in response to the license key copy request from image forming device 30. As a result, the same license key is registered in each of image forming devices 20 and 30.

In this state, if the user chooses to use a new model after the trial period has elapsed, as shown in FIG. 12(A), the image forming device 30 requests the image forming device 20 to delete the license key. The image forming device 20 then deletes the recorded license key and invalidates the valid license. As a result, the license key remains only in the image forming device 30.

In addition, in this state, if the user selects to use the old model after the trial period has elapsed, as shown in FIG. 12(B), the image forming device 30 deletes the license key recorded in the device itself and invalidates the valid license. As a result, the license key remains only in the image forming device 20.

In this way, after the trial period has elapsed, the license key remains on only one of the image forming devices 20 and 30, preventing duplicate licenses from occurring.

Next, we will explain a system configuration that employs a server authentication method in which an external server manages whether a license is valid or invalid.

The image forming system of this embodiment has a system configuration as shown in FIG. 13, and is configured by adding a license management server 10 to the system configuration for the single authentication method shown in FIG. 1.

In the server authentication method, the license management server 10 registers whether the license for each application in the image forming devices 20 and 30 is valid or invalid, and manages whether the functions of each application can be used.

Even in the server authentication method, the image forming devices 20 and 30 record a license key for validating the license of the app, but when the app is launched, they inquire of the license management server 10 as to whether the license key is valid, and only launch the app if it is confirmed to be valid. Specifically, when an instruction to launch an app is given and the use of a certain function is selected, the image forming devices 20 and 30 send the license key they hold to the license management server 10, and if a reply is received indicating that use is permitted, they launch the app and make the function available.

The advantage of this server authentication method is that it is possible to detect unauthorized duplication of a license key, but it requires that each image forming device be able to communicate with the license management server 10 via the network.

In this type of server authentication method, the license management control unit 31 of the image forming device 30 communicates with the license management server 10 to determine whether the license key is authentic and whether the license for the device itself is valid.

Next, the operation of the image forming device 30 in this server authentication method will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 14.

Note that in the flowchart of FIG. 14, the processing of steps S401 to S406 is similar to the processing of steps S101 to S106 described in the flowchart of FIG. 4, so the description thereof will be omitted.

In the case of the server authentication method, when the license management control unit 31 of the image forming device 30 receives the license key from the image forming device 20, which is the source multifunction device, in step S407, it obtains the license key from the image forming device 20, the old model before replacement, and activates the functions of its own device. In this case, it activates the license by sending and registering information about the set trial period, the license key, and an individual number, which is identification information for identifying its own device, to the license management server 10.

An example of management information registered in the license management server 10 in this manner is shown in FIG. 15. As shown in FIG. 15, the license management server 10 stores license key information and the individual number of the device to which the license key is registered in association with each other. Furthermore, if trial period information is transmitted, this trial period information is also stored in association with each other.

For example, if the license key is originally valid for only one device, the license management server 10 will not allow the same license key to be registered in association with the individual numbers of multiple different devices.

However, if a license key is sent from a new model image forming device 30 together with trial period information, the transmitted license key is registered until the end of the trial period, even if it is the same as a license key that has already been registered. However, when the trial period ends, the license management server 10 requests the new model image forming device 30 to select whether to continue using the new model or the old model device.

If it is permitted to activate licenses for multiple devices for one license key in advance, for example, if it is permitted to activate licenses for five devices for one license key, the license management server 10 will treat the licenses as valid for up to five devices for that license key and will not permit registration of a sixth device.

In the case of such a server authentication method, when the user selects to continue using the device when the trial period set for the device ends, the license management control unit 31 disables the function of the image forming device 20 by requesting the license management server 10, which manages whether or not the function can be used, to disable the function of the old model image forming device 20.

Next, the operation when an instruction to start an app is given on the image forming device 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 16.

First, in step S501, when the application management unit 39 issues an instruction to start an application, the application management unit 39 inquires of the license management control unit 31 whether or not the license of the application for which the instruction to start has been issued is valid. Then, in step S502, the license management control unit 31 inquires of the license management server 10 whether or not the license key registered for that application is valid.

Here, if the license management control unit 31 receives a notification in step S503 that the trial period has ended or that the time remaining until the end of the trial period is shorter than a preset time, it executes a selection process in step S504 to inquire of the user whether to select the use of the new model or the old model.

If there is still some time left until the trial period ends, in step S505, the license management control unit 31 determines whether the response from the license management server 10 indicates that the license for the device is valid.

If the license management server 10 responds that the license is valid, the license management control unit 31 transfers the response to the application management unit 39. As a result, in step S506, the application management unit 39 starts the application for which the start instruction was given.

If the license management server 10 returns a response indicating that the license is invalid, the license management control unit 31 transfers the response to the application management unit 39. As a result, in step S507, the application management unit 39 does not start the application for which the start instruction was given, and notifies the user that the application cannot be started.

Next, the details of the selection process between the new model and the old model described in step S504 of the flowchart in FIG. 16 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 17.

First, in step S601, the license management control unit 31 displays a screen on the display unit 33 requesting the user to select either the old model or the new model. At this time, a display screen similar to the display content shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the operation panel 61.

After the user makes a selection, the license management control unit 31 determines in step S602 whether or not a new model has been adopted. If a new model has been adopted in step S602, the license management control unit 31 requests the license management server 10 to invalidate the license for the old model in step S603, and requests the image forming device 20, which is the old model, to invalidate its license.

Also, if the new model is not adopted in step S602, that is, if the user selects to continue using the old model, the license management control unit 31 requests the license management server 10 to invalidate the license of the device in step S604, and deletes the license key stored in the device.

Next, the operation of the image forming devices 20 and 30 described above will be outlined with reference to Figures 18 to 20.

First, FIG. 18 shows the operation when an image forming device 30 for which a trial period has been set requests a copy of the license key from an image forming device 20 and activates the license of its own device.

Figure 18 shows how image forming device 30 requests image forming device 20 to copy the license key, and how image forming device 20 generates a copy of the license key and transmits it to image forming device 30 in response to the license key copy request from image forming device 30. As a result, the same license key is registered in each of image forming devices 20 and 30. Furthermore, image forming device 30 transmits the license key received from image forming device 20, its own device's individual number, and trial period information to license management server 10.

In this state, if the user chooses to use a new model after the trial period has elapsed, as shown in FIG. 19, the image forming device 30 requests the license management server 10 to invalidate the license for the old model image forming device 20. Furthermore, the image forming device 30 requests the image forming device 20 to delete the license key. The image forming device 20 then deletes the recorded license key and invalidates the valid license. As a result, the license key remains only in the image forming device 30.

In addition, in this state, if the user selects to use the old model after the trial period has elapsed, as shown in FIG. 20, the image forming device 30 deletes the license key recorded in the device itself and requests the license management server 10 to invalidate the license of the device itself. As a result, the license key remains only in the image forming device 20.

Even in the case of the server authentication method, after the trial period has elapsed, the license key remains only in one of the image forming devices 20 and 30, preventing duplicate licenses from occurring.

In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

In addition, the processor operations in each of the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of each processor operation is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[Variations]
In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which an older model of image forming apparatus is replaced with a newer model of image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied to cases in which various information processing apparatuses such as personal computers, mobile terminals such as smartphones, etc. are replaced from older models to new models.

10 License management server 11 CPU
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 Memory 13 Storage device 14 Communication interface 15 User interface device 16 Scanner 17 Print engine 18 Control bus 20, 30 Image forming device 31 License management control unit 32 Operation input unit 33 Display unit 34 Data transmission/reception unit 35 Control unit 36 Image reading unit 37 Data storage unit 38 Image output unit 39 Application management unit 40 Network 50 Terminal device 61 Operation panel

Claims (10)

It has memory and a processor.
The processor,
When replacing an old model of information processing apparatus with a new model of the own apparatus and using the new model of the own apparatus on a trial basis, information for identifying the old model of the information processing apparatus before replacement and a setting of a trial period for the own apparatus are received;
acquiring permission information from the information processing device of the old model before replacement based on the received information , and enabling an extended function among functions of the device, the extended function requiring an authentication process using the permission information in order to be used ;
When a set trial period for the information processing device expires, if a selection is made to continue using the information processing device, the information processing device disables the extended function of the older model information processing device, and if a selection is made to not use the information processing device, the information processing device disables the extended function of the information processing device. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor disables the extended function of the device when the trial period ends without either continuing to use the device or not using the device being selected. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor disables the extended function of the older model information processing device by requesting the older model information processing device to disable the extended function when the user selects to continue using the device when the trial period set for the device expires. 4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor disables the extended function of the old model information processing apparatus by requesting deletion of permission information stored in the old model information processing apparatus. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the processor selects to continue using the device when the trial period set for the device ends, the processor disables the extended function of the older model information processing device by requesting a management device that manages whether the extended function can be used to disable the extended function of the older model information processing device. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein when the processor obtains permission information from the old model information processing device before replacement and enables the extended function of the device, the processor transmits information on the set trial period, the permission information, and identification information for identifying the device to the management device. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein when the use of the extended function is selected, the processor transmits permission information held by the processor to the management device and enables the extended function if a reply is received indicating that use is permitted. a first information processing device comprising a memory and a processor, the processor, when a second information processing device of an older model different from a first information processing device of a new model is replaced with the first information processing device, receives information for identifying the second information processing device before replacement and a setting of a trial period of the first information processing device, obtains permission information from the second information processing device before replacement based on the received information , and enables an extended function among the functions of the first information processing device, which requires authentication processing using the permission information in order to be used, and when a selection is made to continue using the first information processing device at the end of the set trial period of the first information processing device, disables the extended function of the second information processing device, and disables the extended function of the first information processing device when a selection is made to not use the first information processing device;
a second information processing device including a memory and a processor, the processor transmitting permission information registered in the first information processing device to the first information processing device in response to a request from the first information processing device, and deleting the permission information used to enable the extended function when a request to disable the extended function that has been enabled is received from the first information processing device;
An information processing system comprising: 9. An information processing system as described in claim 8, further comprising a management device which comprises a memory and a processor, the processor managing whether the extended functions can be used in the first and second information processing devices, and when permission information is transmitted from the first information processing device together with trial period information, registers the transmitted permission information even if it is identical to permission information already registered until the end of the trial period, and when the trial period ends, requests the first information processing device to select whether to continue using the first information processing device or the second information processing device. receiving information for identifying the information processing device of the old model before replacement and a setting of a trial period for the device when the device to be replaced is used on a trial basis when replacing an information processing device of an old model with a device of a new model;
acquiring permission information from the information processing device of the old model before replacement based on the received information , and enabling an extended function among functions of the device, which requires authentication processing using the permission information in order to be used ;
when a set trial period of the own device expires, if a selection is made to continue using the own device, disabling the extended function of the old model information processing device, and if a selection is made to not use the own device, disabling the extended function of the own device;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

Images