LICENSE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD AND LICENSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090274304A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1079 Return
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]

Abstract

When a function inactivation process is instructed on an MFP A, all the functions are inactivated and a function inactivation certification key is issued, and then resources related to the functions are transmitted to an MFP-B. When reception of the resources is completed on the MFP-B, a function duplication completion certification key is issued. When these keys are input to a licensing server, a database is updated, and a function activation key is issued. When the function activation key is input to the MFP B, the functions related to the transmitted resources are carried out.

Claims

1. A license management apparatus comprising:

a database in which a device is registered in association with licenses for functions licensed to the device;

an accepting unit adapted to accept an inactivation certification key containing a device ID of a source device of transferred licenses, the inactivation certification key being issued by the source device, and a duplication certification key containing a device ID of a destination device of the transferred licenses, the duplication certification key being issued by the destination device;

a registration changing unit adapted to, upon acceptance of input of the inactivation certification key and the duplication certification key by the accepting unit, inactivate, in the database, licenses for functions registered in association with the source device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the inactivation certification key and register, in the database, the licenses for the functions that have been inactivated for the source device of the transferred licenses in association with the destination device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the duplication certification key; and

an activation key issuance unit adapted to issue an activation key to be inputted to the destination device of the transferred licenses to permit an activation process of the functions the licenses for which have been registered in association with the destination device.

2. The license management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the accepting unit is adapted to accept offline input of the inactivation certification key and the duplication certification key, and the issuance unit is adapted to issue the activation key offline.

3. A licensed function providing device comprising:

an accepting unit adapted to accept a license transfer instruction;

an inactivating unit adapted to inactivate licenses for all of licensed functions upon acceptance of the license transfer instruction;

a certification issuance unit adapted to issue an inactivation certification key that indicates completion of inactivation of the functions by the inactivating unit and a device ID for specifying the device on which the functions have been inactivated; and

a duplicating unit adapted to send programs and/or data for realizing the functions inactivated by the inactivating unit to a destination device of transferred licenses, the destination device being not able to execute the transferred functions until an activation process of the functions is performed.

4. A license management system comprising:

a license management apparatus;

a licensed function providing device as a source device of transferred licenses; and

a destination device of the transferred licenses adapted to issue a duplication certification key when receiving programs and/or data for realizing functions from the source device of the transferred licenses and activate the functions realized by the programs and/or data received from the source device of the transferred licenses when instructed to perform an activation process of the functions upon acceptance of activation key information,

wherein the license management apparatus comprises;

a database in which a device is registered in association with licenses for functions licensed to the device;

an accepting unit adapted to accept input of an inactivation certification key containing a device ID of the source device of the transferred licenses, the inactivation certification key being issued by the source device, and the duplication certification key containing a device ID of the destination device of the transferred licenses, the duplication certification key being issued by the destination device;

a registration changing unit adapted to, upon acceptance of input of the inactivation certification key and the duplication certification key by the accepting unit, inactivate, in the database, licenses for functions registered in association with the source device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the inactivation certification key and register, in the database, the licenses for the functions that have been inactivated for the source device of the transferred licenses in association with the destination device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the duplication certification key; and

an activation key issuance unit adapted to issue an activation key to be inputted to the destination device of the transferred licenses to permit an activation process of the functions the licenses for which have been registered in association with the destination device, and

the licensed function providing device comprises;

an accepting unit adapted to accept a license transfer instruction;

an inactivating unit adapted to inactivate licenses for all of licensed functions upon acceptance of the license transfer instruction;

a certification issuance unit adapted to issue the inactivation certification key that indicates completion of inactivation of the functions by the inactivating unit and a device ID for specifying the device on which the functions have been inactivated; and

a duplicating unit adapted to send programs and/or data for realizing the functions inactivated by the inactivating unit to the destination device of the transferred licenses, the destination device being not able to execute the transferred functions until the activation process of the functions is performed.

5. A license management method of a license management apparatus having a database in which a device is registered in association with licenses for functions licensed to the device, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting input of an inactivation certification key containing a device ID of a source device of transferred licenses, the inactivation certification key being issued by the source device, and a duplication certification key containing a device ID of a destination device of the transferred licenses, the duplication certification key being issued by the destination device;

inactivating, upon acceptance of input of the inactivation certification key and the duplication certification key by the accepting step, in the database, licenses for functions registered in association with the source device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the inactivation certification key and registering, in the database, the licenses for the functions that have been inactivated for the source device of the transferred licenses in association with the destination device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the duplication certification key; and

issuing an activation key to be inputted to the destination device of the transferred licenses to permit an activation process of the functions the licenses for which have been registered in association with the destination device.

6. A license management method comprising:

an accepting step in which a source device of transferred licenses accepts a license transfer instruction to a destination device of the transferred licenses;

an inactivating step in which the source device of the transferred licenses inactivates licenses for all of licensed functions upon acceptance of the license transfer instruction;

a certification issuing step in which the source device of the transferred licenses issues an inactivation certification key that indicates completion of inactivation of the functions by the inactivating step and a device ID of the source device;

a duplicating step in which the source device of the transferred licenses sends programs and/or data for realizing the functions inactivated by the inactivating step to the destination device of the transferred licenses, the destination device being not able to execute the transferred functions until an activation process of the functions is performed;

a completion key issuing step in which the destination device of the transferred licenses issues a duplication certification key containing a device ID for specifying the destination device of the transferred licenses when receiving the programs and/or data for realizing the functions from the source device of the transferred licenses;

a registration changing step in which a license management apparatus, upon acceptance of input of the inactivation certification key issued by the source device of the transferred licenses and the duplication certification key issued by the destination device of the transferred licenses, inactivates, in a database in which a device is registered in association with licenses for functions licensed to the device, licenses for functions registered in association with the source device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the inactivation certification key and registers, in the database, the licenses for the functions that have been inactivated for the source device of the transferred licenses in association with the destination device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the duplication certification key;

an activation key issuing step in which the license management apparatus issues an activation key to be inputted to the destination device of the transferred licenses to permit the activation process of the functions the licenses for which have been registered in association with the destination device; and

an activating step in which the destination device of the transferred licenses activates the functions realized by the programs and/or data received from the source device of the transferred licenses when instructed to perform the activation process upon acceptance of input of the activation key information.

7. A storage medium storing a program for realizing, by computer, a license management method of a license management apparatus having a database in which a device is registered in association with licenses for functions licensed to the device,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

accepting input of an inactivation certification key containing a device ID of a source device of transferred licenses, the inactivation certification key being issued by the source device, and a duplication certification key containing a device ID of a destination device of the transferred licenses, the duplication certification key being issued by the destination device;

inactivating, upon acceptance of input of the inactivation certification key and the duplication certification key by the accepting step, in the database, licenses for functions registered in association with the source device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the inactivation certification key and registering, in the database, the licenses for the functions that have been inactivated for the source device of the transferred licenses in association with the destination device of the transferred licenses that is specified based on the duplication certification key; and

issuing an activation key to be inputted to the destination device of the transferred licenses to permit an activation process of the functions the licenses for which have been registered in association with the destination device.

8. A storage medium storing a program for realizing

a license management method by computer,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

accepting a license transfer instruction;

inactivating licenses for all of licensed functions upon acceptance of the license transfer instruction;

issuing an inactivation certification key that indicates completion of inactivation of the functions by the inactivating step and a device ID for specifying a device on which the functions have been inactivated;

and sending programs and/or data for realizing the functions inactivated by the inactivating step to a destination device of transferred licenses, the destination device being not able to execute the transferred functions until an activation process of the functions is performed.