Information-processing apparatus, information-processing method, and computer program

• US 20050198293A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Takehiko, Takabayashi, Kazuhiko, Minoya, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An information-processing apparatus, functioning as a content-utilization management server, includes a storage unit for storing a list of member clients, which are each a client having a right to utilize a content, and a data-processing unit for carrying out a process to register a client on the list of member clients to serve as a member client. The data-processing unit carries out a process to register a client on the member-client list to serve as a member client on condition that results of confirmation indicate that a client making a request for registration of the client to serve as a member client is a client in the same local network as the content-utilization management server and indicate that a user of the content-utilization management server has given an approval of the requested registration of the client to serve as a member client.

Claims

1. An information-processing apparatus functioning as a content-utilization management server, said information-processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit for storing a list of member clients, which are each a client having a right to utilize a content; and

a data-processing unit for carrying out a process to register a client on said list of member clients to serve as a member client;

wherein said data-processing unit carries out a process to register a client on said member-client list to serve as a member client on condition that results of confirmation indicate that a client making a request for registration of said client to serve as a member client is a client in the same local network as said content-utilization management server and indicate that a user of said content-utilization management server has given an approval of said requested registration of said client to serve as a member client.

2. An information-processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said data-processing unit has a locality check unit for confirming locality of a client making a request for registration of said client to serve as a member client by verification of existence of said client in the same local network as said content-utilization management server on the basis of a MAC address included in a packet received from said client as a MAC address of a transmission source.

3. An information-processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said data-processing unit determines whether or not said user of said content-utilization management server has given an approval of said requested registration of said client to serve as a member client on the basis of existence or non-existence of a user input entered via a user interface.

4. An information-processing apparatus functioning as a content-utilization management server, said information-processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit for storing a list of member clients, which are each a client having a right to utilize a content; and

a data-processing unit for carrying out a process to delete a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients;

wherein said data-processing unit carries out a process to delete a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients on condition that two results of confirmation indicate that a client making a request for deletion of said client already serving as a member client is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period and indicate that a user of said content-utilization management server has given an approval of said requested deletion of said client already serving as a member client.

5. An information-processing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein:

said list of member clients is a list including an allowed member deletion time of each member client as a time indicating a time limit of a validity time period of a license granted to said member client; and

said data-processing unit includes a license management unit for determining whether or not a client making a request for deletion of said client already serving as a member client is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period on the basis of an allowed member deletion time included in said list of member clients as said allowed member deletion time of said client.

6. An information-processing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said data-processing unit determines whether or not said user of said content-utilization management server has given an approval of said requested deletion of said client already serving as a member client on the basis of existence or non-existence of a user input entered via a user interface.

7. An information-processing method for carrying out a process of registering a client to serve as a member client on a list of member clients each having a right to use a content, said information-processing method comprising:

a step of receiving a request for registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients from said client;

a locality confirmation step of confirming that said client making said request for registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients is a client in the same local network as a server;

a user-approval confirmation step of confirming an approval given by a user of said server as an approval of said registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients; and

a registration step of registering said client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients on condition that a confirmation result obtained at said locality confirmation step indicates that said client making a request for registration of said client to serve as a member client is a client in the same local network as said server and a confirmation result obtained at said user-approval confirmation step indicates that said user has given an approval of said requested registration of said client to serve as a member client.

8. An information-processing method according to claim 7 wherein, at said locality confirmation step, locality of a client making a request for registration of said client to serve as a member client is confirmed by verification of existence of said client in the same local network as said server on the basis of a MAC address included in a packet received from said client as a MAC address of a transmission source.

9. An information-processing method according to claim 7 wherein said user-approval confirmation step is executed to carry out a process of confirming an approval given by said user as an approval of said registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients on the basis of existence or non-existence of a user input entered via a user interface.

10. An information-processing method for carrying out a process of deleting a client already serving as a member client from a list of member clients each having a right to use a content, said information-processing method comprising:

a step of receiving a request for deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients from said client;

a license confirmation step of confirming that said client making said request for deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period;

a user-approval confirmation step of confirming an approval given by a user of said server as an approval of said deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients; and

a deletion step of deleting said client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients on condition that a confirmation result obtained at said license confirmation step indicates that said client making a request for deletion of said client already serving as a member client is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period and a confirmation result obtained at said user-approval confirmation step indicates that said user has given an approval of said requested deletion of said client already serving as a member client.

11. An information-processing method according to claim 10 wherein:

said list of member clients is a list including an allowed member deletion time of each member client as a time indicating a time limit of a validity time period of a license granted to said member client; and

said license confirmation step is executed to carry out a process of confirming that said client making said request for deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period on the basis of an allowed member deletion time included in said list of member clients as said allowed member deletion time for said client.

12. An information-processing method according to claim 10 wherein said user-approval confirmation step is executed to carry out a process of confirming an approval given by said user as an approval of said deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients on the basis of existence or non-existence of a user input entered via a user interface.

13. A computer program to be executed for carrying out a process of registering a client to serve as a member client on a list of member clients each having a right to use a content, said computer program comprising:

a step of receiving a request for registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients from said client;

a locality confirmation step of confirming that said client making said request for registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients is a client in the same local network as a server;

a user-approval confirmation step of confirming an approval given by a user of said server as an approval of said registration of a client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients; and

a registration step of registering said client to serve as a member client on said list of member clients on condition that a confirmation result obtained at said locality confirmation step indicates that said client making a request for registration of said client to serve as a member client is a client in the same local network as said server and a confirmation result obtained at said user-approval confirmation step indicates that said user has given an approval of said requested registration of said client to serve as a member client.

14. A computer program to be executed for carrying out a process of deleting a client already serving as a member client from a list of member clients each having a right to use a content, said computer program comprising:

a step of receiving a request for deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients from said client;

a license confirmation step of confirming that said client making said request for deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period;

a user-approval confirmation step of confirming an approval given by a user as an approval of said deletion of a client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients; and

a deletion step of deleting said client already serving as a member client from said list of member clients on condition that a confirmation result obtained at said license confirmation step indicates that said client making a request for deletion of said client already serving as a member client is a client having no license with a remaining validity time period and a confirmation result obtained at said user-approval confirmation step indicates that said user has given an approval of said requested deletion of said client already serving as a member client.