Information processing system, information processing apparatus, method of administrating license, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9659154-B2
Application number	US-201414565587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2014
Priority date	Dec 12, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An information processing system that includes a service providing unit providing a service to an apparatus associated with a license; and a license administration unit administrating a provisionally registered license or a registered license, wherein the service providing unit includes a second memory storing a copy of license information, and an activation unit that receives a request to activate the license from the apparatus, activates the provisionally registered license or associates the registered license with the identification information of the apparatus, and requests a change of the license information stored in the second memory unit to be reflected on the license information stored in the first memory unit, wherein the activation unit adjusts a quantity of the identification information of the apparatus associated with the registered license based on the quantity of the apparatus by which a service included in the license information is made usable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing system including at least one information processing apparatus, the information processing system comprising:
a first data center system; and
a second data center system different from the first data center system;
wherein the first data center system includes
a license administration server that administrates a provisionally registered license or a registered license, and
a first memory unit storing license information of a license,

wherein the second data center system includes
a service providing server that provides a service to an apparatus associated with the license, and
a second memory unit that stores a copy of the license information of the license stored by the first memory unit and is administered by the license administration server, and
wherein the license providing server
receives a request to activate the license from the apparatus,
activates the provisionally registered license in association with identification information of the apparatus or associates the registered license with the identification information of the apparatus by adding the identification information of the apparatus to the registered license,
requests a change of the license information of the license stored in the second memory unit to be reflected on the license information of the license stored in the first memory unit, and
adjusts a quantity of the identification information of the apparatus associated with the registered license based on the quantity of the apparatus by which the service included in the license information is made usable;

wherein the license administered by the license administration server includes
a first license enabling the apparatus to use the service providing server, and
a second license enabling to use the service provided by the service providing server,

wherein the first and second licenses are associated and stored in the first memory unit; and
wherein the service providing server deletes information associated with the first license when the first license as a parent license is inactivated.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when it is not possible to add so as to associate the apparatus with the registered license based on the quantity of the apparatus by which the service included in the license information is made usable, the service providing server reports that it is not possible to add to the apparatus.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the license administration server receives a request to delete the apparatus associated with the license administered and stored by the first memory unit and requests a change of the license information of the license stored by the first memory unit to be reflected on the license information of the license stored by the second memory unit after deleting the apparatus associated with the license administered and stored by the first memory unit.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the service providing server provides the apparatus with the service when the first and second licenses are activated.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the service providing server receives a request to renew the license from the apparatus, and changes the license information stored in the first and second memory units so that the provisionally registered license stored in the second memory unit becomes a license to be activated next to the activated license.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the service providing server changes the license information stored in the first and second memory units so that the provisionally registered license stored in the second memory unit becomes the license to be activated next to the activated license when the quantity of the at least one apparatus by which the service included in the license information is made usable is greater than a quantity of the at least one apparatus associated with the activated license.

7. The information processing system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the service providing server changes the license information stored in the first and second memory units so that the provisionally registered license stored in the second memory unit becomes the license to be activated next to the activated license when the service providing server receives a request to delete the license from the apparatus and deletes the apparatus associated with the license stored and administered by the first memory unit.

8. An information processing system including at least one information processing apparatus, the information processing system comprising:
a first data center system; and
a second data center system different from the first data center system;
wherein the first data center system includes
a license administration server that administrates a provisionally registered license or a registered license, and
a first memory unit storing license information of a license,

wherein the second data center system includes
a service providing server that provides a service to an apparatus associated with the license, and
a second memory unit that stores a copy of the license information of the license stored by the first memory unit and is administered by the license administration server, and

wherein the license providing server
receives a request to activate the license from the apparatus,
activates the provisionally registered license in association with identification information of the apparatus or associates the registered license with the identification information of the apparatus by adding the identification information of the apparatus to the registered license,
requests a change of the license information of the license stored in the second memory unit to be reflected on the license information of the license stored in the first memory unit and
adjusts a quantity of the identification information of the apparatus associated with the registered license based on the quantity of the apparatus by which the service included in the license information is made usable;

wherein the license administered by the license administration server includes
a first license enabling the apparatus to use the service providing server, and
a second license enabling to use the service provided by the service providing server

wherein the first and second licenses are associated and stored in the first memory unit; and
wherein the license administration server receives a request to provisionally register, change, or cancel the license designating a region, and reports license information of the license which is provisionally registered, changed, or canceled.

9. The information processing system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the service providing server deletes information associated with the first license when the first license as a parent license is inactivated.

10. A method of administrating a license performed in an information processing system including
a first data center system, and
a second data center system different from the first data center system,
wherein the first data center system includes
a license administration server that administrates a provisionally registered license or a registered license, and
a first memory unit storing license information of a license,

wherein the second data center system includes
a service providing server that provides a service to an apparatus associated with the license, and
a second memory unit that is administered by the license administration server, the method comprising:

storing a copy of the license informatio

Assignees

• Takemoto Ryo
• Matsushima Hiroyuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takemoto Ryo
• Matsushima Hiroyuki

Classifications

• G06F21/105 Primary

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