Information processing system, server, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and method for controlling assignment of license

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11790053-B2
Application number	US-202016811319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2020
Priority date	Mar 13, 2019
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

An information processing system includes at least one server and one or more devices communicable with the server through a network. The information processing system includes circuitry configured to: manage a service in association with a device type that can use the service; manage the devices in association with the device type, the devices each being a target device to which a license is to be allocated; and compare a device type associated with the target device to which the license is to be allocated with the device type associated with the service, to determine whether an allocation of the license of the service to the target device is permitted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing system including at least one server, one or more devices communicable with the server through a network, and circuitry configured to:
manage a service in association with a device type, the device type indicating a type of device capable of using the service;
manage the one or more devices in association with the device type, the one or more devices each being a target device to which a license is to be allocated;
transmit, to an information processing device different from the one or more devices, service information indicating the service managed in the server and device information indicating the one or more devices managed in the server;
receive a request from the information processing device to allocate a license of the managed service to the target device, the managed service being selected based on the service information, and the target device being based on the device information; and
determine, based on the request, whether an allocation of the license of the managed service to the target device is permitted by comparing a device type associated with the target device to which the license is to be allocated with the device type associated with the managed service.

2. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to, after selection of the target device, determine whether the allocation of the license of the service to the target device is permitted.

3. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to, based on a determination result indicating that the allocation of the license of the service is not permitted, notify a reason why the allocation of the license of the service is not permitted.

4. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to enable selection of the target device from one or more devices to which the license of the service can be allocated.

5. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to display a license allocation screen in which a combination of the service and the device to which the allocation of the license of the service is not permitted is grayed out.

6. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to enable a number of devices to which the license of the service is to be allocated to be specified for each device type or specified collectively regardless of the device type.

7. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to:
display, based on a tenant that requests allocation of the license, a license allocation screen;
receive the allocation of the license of the service from a list of a plurality of types of devices associated with the tenant, the tenant being a unit in which a tenant administrator manages various devices; and
manage, for each tenant, the service and the device type that can use the service in association with each other, based on the received allocation of the license.

8. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein the device type corresponds with at least one of a multifunction peripheral, an information processing apparatus, a projector, a videoconference system, a camera, or an interactive whiteboard.

9. The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein the service is included in a package, and the circuitry is further configured to:
manage a service definition of the package, the service definition including a name, a uniform resource locator (URL), an available language, and the device type.

10. A server communicable with one or more devices through a network, the server comprising circuitry configured to:
manage a service in association with a device type, the device type indicating a type of device capable of using the service;
manage the devices in association with the device type, the devices each being a target device to which a license is to be allocated;
transmit, to an information processing device different from the devices, service information indicating the service managed in the server and device information indicating the devices managed in the server;
receive a request from the information processing device to allocate a license of the managed service to the target device, the managed service being selected based on the service information, and the target device being based on the device information; and
determine whether an allocation of the license of the managed service to the target device is permitted by comparing a device type associated with the target device to which a license is to be allocated with the device type associated with the managed service.

11. The server of claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to, after selection of the target device, determine whether the allocation of the license of the service to the target device is permitted.

12. The server of claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to, based on a determination result indicating that the allocation of the license of the service is not permitted, transmit a notification indicating a reason why the allocation of the license of the service is not permitted.

13. The server of claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to enable selection of the target device from one or more devices to which the license of the service can be allocated.

14. The server of claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to display a license allocation screen in which a combination of the service and the device to which the allocation of the license of the service is not permitted is grayed out.

15. The server of claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to enable a number of devices to which the license of the service is to be allocated to be specified for each device type or specified collectively regardless of the device type.

16. The server of claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to manage the service in association with the device type that can use the service for each tenant, the tenant being a unit in which a tenant administrator manages various devices.

17. The server of claim 10 , wherein the device type corresponds with at least one of a multifunction peripheral, an information processing apparatus, a projector, a videoconference system, a camera, or an interactive whiteboard.

18. A method of controlling license assignment performed by at least one server communicable with one or more devices through a network, the method comprising:
managing a service in association with a device type, the device type indicating a type of device capable of using the service;
managing the devices in association with the device type, the devices each being a target device to which a license is to be allocated;
transmitting, to an information processing device different from the one or more devices, service information indicating the service managed in the server and device information indicating the one or more devices managed in the server;
receiving a request from an information processing device to allocate a license of the managed service to the target device, the managed service being selected based on the service information, and the target device being based on the device information; and
determining whether an allocation of the license of the managed service to the target device is permitted by comparing a device type associated with the target device to which a license

Assignees

• Uchibori Hiroki
• Ohhashi Hideki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uchibori Hiroki
• Ohhashi Hideki

Classifications

• G06F21/126

  Interacting with the operating system · CPC title

• G06F21/105 Primary

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

• G06F21/33

  using certificates · CPC title