Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11222097-B2
Application number	US-201815891172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2018
Priority date	Feb 14, 2017
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

An image forming apparatus installs a license instructed to be installed when a reliable date has been successfully acquired from a server. When the reliable date fails to be acquired and the license instructed to be installed is a valid-days-designated license, the information forming apparatus installs the valid-days-designated license based on the image forming apparatus' built-in clock. When the reliable date fails to be acquired and the license instructed to be installed is an expiration-date-designated license, the information forming apparatus does not install the expiration-date-designated license.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing device comprising:
a built-in clock that counts date and time;
one or more communication interfaces;
one or more processors; and
at least one memory storing executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the information processing device to:
acquire a license related to usage of an application, the license including information designating a valid period of the application;
identify whether information indicating a current time managed by an external apparatus is obtainable via one or more communication interfaces;
identify whether a method for designating the valid period included in the acquired license is a first method or a second method, wherein the first method is a method for designating valid days during which the application is usable after the license is installed in the information processing device, and wherein the second method is a method for designating at least a usage end time of the application;
not install the license in a case where the identified method is the second method and in addition where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is not currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces; and
install the license based on the date and time counted by the built-in clock in a case where the identified method is the first method and in addition where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is not currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces; and
install the license based on the obtained information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus in a case where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the information indicating the current time is acquired from the external apparatus, the built-in clock is set to match the current time acquired from the external apparatus.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the information processing device to:
when the information indicating the current time is acquired from the external apparatus, store, in a storage, information indicating that the information indicating the current time has previously been acquired;
perform control not to acquire the information indicating the current time from the external apparatus when the information indicating that the information indicating the current time has previously been acquired is stored in the storage; and
when the information indicating that the information indicating the current time has previously been acquired is stored in the storage, install the acquired license based on the time information specified by the information indicating the current time that has previously been acquired.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the information processing device to:
obtain a difference between the date and time counted by the built-in clock and the current time acquired from the external apparatus; and
change the valid period of the installed license based on the obtained difference.

5. An information processing method comprising:
acquiring a license related to usage of an application, the license including information designating a valid period of the application;
identifying whether information indicating a current time managed by an external apparatus is obtainable via one or more communication interfaces;
identifying whether a method for designating the valid period included in the acquired license is a first method or a second method, wherein the first method is a method for designating valid days during which the application is usable after the license is installed in the information processing device, and wherein the second method is a method for designating at least a usage end time of the application;
not installing the license in a case where the identified method is the second method and in addition where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is not currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces; and
installing the license the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is not currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces; and
install the license based on the obtained information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus in a case where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an information processing device, cause the information processing device to perform operations comprising:
acquiring a license related to usage of an application, the license including information designating a valid period of the application;
identifying whether information indicating a current time managed by an external apparatus is obtainable via one or more communication interfaces;
identifying whether a method for designating the valid period included in the acquired license is a first method or a second method, wherein the first method is a method for designating valid days during which the application is usable after the license is installed in the information processing device, and wherein the second method is a method for designating at least a usage end time of the application;
not installing the license in a case where the identified method is the second method and in addition where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is not currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces; and
installing the license the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is not currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces; and
install the license based on the obtained information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus in a case where the information indicating the current time managed by the external apparatus is currently obtainable via the one or more communication interfaces.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6 , wherein when the information indicating the current time is acquired from the external apparatus, the built-in clock is set to match the current time acquired from the external apparatus.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7 , further comprising:
storing, when the information indicating the current time is acquired from the external apparatus, information indicating that the information indicating the current time has previously been acquired;
performing control not to acquire the information indicating the current time from the external apparatus when the information indicating that the information indicating the current time has previously been acquired is stored; and
installing, when the information indicating that the information indicating the current time has previously been acquired is stored, the acquired license based on the time information specified by the information indicating the current time that has previously been acquired.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6 , further comprising:
obtaining a difference between the date and time co

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tsuboi Masanori

Classifications

• G06F21/121 Primary

  Restricting unauthorised execution of programs · CPC title

• G06F21/105

  Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level · CPC title