MEDIATION APPARATUS, INSTALLATION SYSTEM, INSTALLATION METHOD, AND INSTALLATION PROGRAM

• US 20110202912A1
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: ITOH, Akinori
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A receiving section receives an installation request including a validation date and time when a license of a plug-in is validated from a management apparatus. A license key acquiring section acquires a license key of the plug-in by requesting temporary issue thereof from a license server prior to the activation date and time. A plug-in acquiring section acquires the plug-in by requesting distribution thereof from a plug-in server prior to the validation date and time. A license key acquisition determining section determines whether the license key of the plug-in can be acquired from the license server at the time when the validation date and time has passed. An installing unit causes a multifunction peripheral to install therein the plug-in by using the temporarily issued license key and the plug-in when it is determined that the license key cannot be acquired.

Claims

1. A mediation apparatus connected, via a network, to an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus that manages installation of software in the image forming apparatus, a license server that issues a license key of the software, and a software sever that distributes the software, the mediation apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit that receives, from the management apparatus, an installation request including a validation date and time when a license of the software is validated, and stores the installation request in an installation information storage unit;

a license key acquiring unit that acquires the license key by requesting temporary issue thereof from the license server prior to the validation date and time, and stores the license key in a license key storage unit;

a software acquiring unit that acquires the software by requesting distribution thereof from the software server prior to the validation date and time, and stores the software in a software storage unit;

a license key acquisition determining unit that determines whether the license key is acquirable from the license server at the time when the validation date and time has passed; and

an installing unit that causes the image forming apparatus to install therein the software by using the license key stored in the license key storage unit and the software stored in the software storage unit when it is determined that the license key is not acquirable.

2. The mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the license key acquiring unit acquires the license key by requesting formal issue thereof from the license server when the license key acquisition determining unit determines that the license key is acquirable, and

the installing unit causes the image forming apparatus to install therein the software by using the license key thus acquired and the software stored in the software storage unit.

3. The mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the installation request further comprises an apparatus ID used for identifying the image forming apparatus and a software ID used for identifying the software,

the license key acquiring unit sends the apparatus ID and the software ID to the license server prior to the validation date and time to request temporary issue from the license server, and acquires the license key corresponding to the apparatus ID and the software ID thus sent, and

the software acquiring unit sends the software ID to the software server prior to the validation date and time to request distribution from the software server, and acquires the software corresponding to the software ID thus sent.

4. The mediation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the installation request further comprises an apparatus ID used for identifying the image forming apparatus and a software ID used for identifying the software, and

the license key acquiring unit sends the apparatus ID and the software ID to the license server to request formal issue from the license server, and acquires the license key corresponding to the apparatus ID and the software ID thus sent when the license key acquisition determining unit determines that the license key is acquirable.

5. The mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the license key acquisition determining unit determines whether the license key is acquirable based on availability of communications with the license server at the time when the validation date and time has passed.

6. The mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the installation request further comprises a priority of the software, and

the mediation apparatus further comprising a deleting unit that deletes software having a low priority from the software storage unit when a storage area in the software storage unit is running out.

7. The mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software is a plug-in.

8. An installation system comprising:

the mediation apparatus according to claim 1;

the management apparatus that sends the installation request to the mediation apparatus;

the license server that issues the license key temporarily to the mediation apparatus;

the software server that distributes the software to the mediation apparatus; and

the image forming apparatus that receives the license key and the software from the mediation apparatus, and installs therein the software.

9. An installation method executed by a mediation apparatus connected, via a network, to an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus that manages installation of software in the image forming apparatus, a license server that issues a license key of the software, and a software sever that distributes the software, the installation method comprising:

receiving, by a receiving unit, an installation request including an validation date and time when a license of the software is validated from the management apparatus to store the installation request in an installation information storage unit;

acquiring, by a license key acquiring unit, the license key by requesting temporary issue thereof from the license server prior to the validation date and time to store the license key in a license key storage unit;

acquiring, by a software acquiring unit, the software by requesting distribution thereof from the software server prior to the validation date and time to store the software in a software storage unit;

determining, by a license key acquisition determining unit, whether the license key is acquirable from the license server at the time when the validation date and time has passed; and

installing, by an installing unit, the software in the image forming apparatus by using the license key stored in the license key storage unit and the software stored in the software storage unit when it is determined that the license key is not acquirable.

10. A computer program product having a program including instructions for causing a computer to execute an installation by a mediation apparatus connected, via a network, to an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus that manages installation of software in the image forming apparatus, a license server that issues a license key of the software, and a software sever that distributes the software, the instructions comprising:

receiving, by a receiving unit, an installation request including an validation date and time when a license of the software is validated from the management apparatus to store the installation request in an installation information storage unit;

acquiring, by a license key acquiring unit, the license key by requesting temporary issue thereof from the license server prior to the validation date and time to store the license key in a license key storage unit;

acquiring, by a software acquiring unit, the software by requesting distribution thereof from the software server prior to the validation date and time to store the software in a software storage unit;

determining, by a license key acquisition determining unit, whether the license key is acquirable from the license server at the time when the validation date and time has passed; and

installing, by an installing unit, the software in the image forming apparatus by using the license key stored in the license key storage unit and the software stored in the software storage unit when it is determined that the license key is not acquirable.