Data synchronizing system, control method thereof, authorization server, and storage medium thereof

• US 10,237,255 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamauzu, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savenkov, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US14/794,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 726 5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

wherein the server system is configured to cause said other device to synchronize with the updated data in response to confirmation of identification information about said other device included in the identification information about the terminal transmitted by the transmission unit.

Claims

1. A data synchronizing system including a device that can update data, a server system that causes another device to synchronize with the updated data in response to the update of the data by the device, and an authorization server, the data synchronizing system comprising:

at least a processor; and

at least a memory coupled to the at least processor and having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the at least processor, cause the at least processor to act as;

an authentication unit configured to determine whether a user is an authorized user based on authentication information input by the user via an authentication screen displayed by the device;

an issuance unit configured to issue authority information indicating that authority of the user has been transferred to the server system in a case where the user determined by the authentication unit as the authorized user inputs an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system via an authorization confirmation screen displayed by the device;

a transmission unit configured to transmit identification information about the device associated with the user to the server system based on the authority information transmitted when the server system requests the authorization server to provide identification information about a data synchronization target device,

wherein the server system is configured to cause said other device to synchronize with the updated data in response to confirmation of identification information about said other device included in the identification information about the device transmitted by the transmission unit;

a providing unit configured to provide the authorization confirmation screen, including a name of the server system that is an access source and further including a name of the data synchronization target device of the updated data and selection items for enabling the user to select the data synchronization target device from among a plurality of target devices, to the device based on the identification information about the device associated with the user; and

a storage unit,

wherein the issuance unit is configured to issue the authority information indicating that the authority of the user has been transferred to the server system and associate the authority information with identification information about the data synchronization target device selected by the user, if the user selects the data synchronization target device and inputs an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system via the authorization confirmation screen provided by the providing unit,

wherein the storage unit stores the identification information corresponding to the device selected by the user via the authorization confirmation screen into a terminal management table and stores, as a snapshot, the identification information corresponding to the device selected by the user via the authorization confirmation screen into a synchronization terminal table, and

wherein the providing unit compares the identification information of the device that is a current data synchronization target with the snapshot to check whether there is a change in the device that is to be data synchronized or not, and does not provide the authorization confirmation screen if there is no change.

2. The data synchronizing system according to claim 1, wherein the issuance unit issues the authority information without receiving the instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system, if the identification information about the device associated with the user is identical to the identification information about the device stored by the storage unit when the issuance unit issues the authority information.

3. The data synchronizing system according to claim 1, wherein

the providing unit does not provide the authorization confirmation screen to the device if the identification information about the device associated with the user is identical to the identification information about the device stored by the storage unit when the authority information is issued, and

the issuance unit issues the authority information without receiving an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system.

4. A method for controlling a data synchronizing system that includes a device that can update data, a server system that causes another device to synchronize with the updated data in response to the update of the data by the device, and an authorization server, the control method comprising:

determining whether a user is an authorized user based on authentication information input by the user via an authentication screen displayed by the device;

issuing authority information indicating that authority of the user has been transferred to the server system in a case where the user determined as the authorized user inputs an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system via an authorization confirmation screen displayed by the device;

transmitting identification information about the device associated with the user to the server system based on the authority information transmitted when the server system requests the authorization server to provide identification information about a data synchronization target device,

wherein the server system is configured to cause said other device to synchronize with the updated data in response to confirmation of identification information about said other device included in the identification information about the device;

providing the authorization confirmation screen, including a name of the server system that is an access source and further including a name of the data synchronization target device of the updated data and selection items for enabling the user to select the data synchronization target device from among a plurality of target devices, to the device based on the identification information about the device associated with the user; and

storing the identification information,

wherein issuing comprises issuing the authority information indicating that the authority of the user has been transferred to the server system and associate the authority information with identification information about the data synchronization target device selected by the user, if the user selects the data synchronization target device and inputs an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system via the authorization confirmation screen,

wherein storing comprises storing the identification information corresponding to the device selected by the user via the authorization confirmation screen into a terminal management table and storing, as a snapshot, the identification information corresponding to the device selected by the user via the authorization confirmation screen into a synchronization terminal table, and

wherein providing the authorization confirmation screen comprises comparing the identification information of the device that is a current data synchronization target with the snapshot to check whether there is a change in the device that is to be data synchronized or not, and does not provide the authorization confirmation screen if there is no change.

5. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that can be executed by a data synchronizing system including a device that can update data, a server system that causes another device to synchronize with the updated data in response to the update of the data by the device, and a communicatable authorization server, the program comprising:

determining whether a user is an authorized user based on authentication information input by the user via an authentication screen displayed by the device;

issuing authority information indicating that authority of the user has been transferred to the server system in a case where the user determined by the authentication as the authorized user inputs an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system via an authorization confirmation screen displayed by the device;

transmitting identification information about the device associated with the user to the server system based on the authority information transmitted when the server system requests the authorization server to provide identification information about a data synchronization target device,

wherein the server system causes another device to synchronize with the updated data in response to confirmation of identification information about said other device included in the transmitted identification information about the device;

providing the authorization confirmation screen, including a name of the server system that is an access source and further including a name of the data synchronization target device of the updated data and selection items for enabling the user to select the data synchronization target device from among a plurality of target devices, to the device based on the identification information about the device associated with the user; and

storing the identification information,

wherein issuing comprises issuing the authority information indicating that the authority of the user has been transferred to the server system and associate the authority information with identification information about the data synchronization target device selected by the user, if the user selects the data synchronization target device and inputs an instruction permitting the authorization server to transfer the authority of the user to the server system via the authorization confirmation screen,

wherein storing the identification information comprises storing the identification information corresponding to the device selected by the user via the authorization confirmation screen into a terminal management table and storing, as a snapshot, the identification information corresponding to the device selected by the user via the authorization confirmation screen into a synchronization terminal table, and

wherein providing the authorization confirmation screen comprises comparing the identification information of the device that is a current data synchronization target with the snapshot to check whether there is a change in the device that is to be data synchronized or not, and does not provide the authorization confirmation screen if there is no change.