Software registering/managing system and method thereof

• US 6,144,960 A
• Filed: 10/01/1996
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hara, Takashi, Okada, Toshiro, Yamazaki, Toshiya, Oki, Hiroshi, Kamata, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US08/724,675
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 381/2-27, 379/91.01, 379/221, 705/14, 395/50-62, 707/1-206, 707/100, 709/1-400
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A club with a conference room function and a remote installation system (RIS) function is displayed on a terminal of a user through a network. A plurality of clubs are hierarchically structured. A user uploads a software program that he has created to one of the clubs so as to publish the software program for which a fee may be or may not be charged. A supervisor of a club links to a software program being uploaded to another club or moves the authority of the club to another club. Another user can download a desired software program from any club. A supervisor of each club can flexibly manage software programs registered in the club.

Claims

1. A software registering/managing system, comprising:

a managing unit that manages registered software programs as one or more program groups and includes one or more management modules as clubs for interacting with said system from any of a plurality of terminals through a communication network, a first club having a conference function for managing registered software programs of a first program group corresponding to the first club and for electronically exchanging information between users of the terminals;

a storing unit that stores software information uploaded to the first club; and

an installing unit that automatically installs to a storage region of a requesting terminal a software program of the first program group and corresponding to the software information stored in said storing unit.

2. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said managing unit includes respective management modules for a plurality of clubs, including the first club, in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of hierarchical levels including a lowest hierarchical level;

each club included in the lowest hierarchical level is permitted to receive respective software information uploaded thereto; and

wherein the software information uploaded to the first club is linked to a second club included in a higher hierarchical level.

3. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said managing unit includes respective management modules for a plurality of clubs including the first club, manages the first program group using the first club as an original club, and links the uploaded software information from the original club to a designated club, whereby users interacting with said system through the designated club can see the software information.

4. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said managing unit includes respective management modules for a plurality of clubs including the first club, manages the first program group using the first club as an original club, and moves an authority for the uploaded software information from the original club to a predetermined club, whereby users interacting with said system through the predetermined club can see the software information.

5. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said managing unit receives a command and performs a process corresponding thereto, the received command comprising one of a first command for uploading the software information, a second command for permitting publishing of a software program corresponding to the software information, and a third command for causing said installing unit to distribute the software program to a user.

6. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said managing unit includes respective management modules for a plurality of clubs including the first club; and

said managing unit receives a command from a club supervisor and performs a process corresponding thereto, the received command comprising one of a fourth command for publishing a software program corresponding to the software information, a fifth command for permitting linking of the software information to a first predetermined club, a sixth command for linking the software information to the first predetermined club, and a seventh command for moving an authority for the software information from the first club to a second predetermined club.

7. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said managing unit supplements the software information with identifier information and stores the supplemented software information to the storing unit, the identifier information comprising:

a software information identifier for identifying the software information;

an upload user identifier for identifying a user who uploaded the software information; and

an original club identifier for identifying the first club when the software information was registered to the first club.

8. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 7,

wherein said managing unit includes respective management modules for a plurality of clubs and the identifier information further comprises at least one of:

a linked club identifier for identifying a linked club having the software information linked thereto;

a keyword used in the linked club for searching for a software program corresponding to the software information; and

a last access date/time of the software information.

9. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

said managing unit separately manages a first software publication identifier for identifying that an unpublished software program corresponding to the software information and a second software publication identifier for identifying a published software program corresponding to the software information; and

said installing unit

installs the unpublished software program when said managing unit receives a test delivery request from the upload user, and

controls said managing unit to receive a corrected portion from the upload user and corrects the software program in accordance with the corrected portion when an error is detected.

10. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said managing unit permits said installing unit to install a specified software program without a fee when:

said managing unit receives a delivery request for the specified software program, the delivery request including a test flag;

the requester is the upload user or a club supervisor; and

the test flag is ON.

11. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 9,

wherein said managing unit searches for temporary software information corresponding to the first software publication identifier stored in said storing unit and automatically deletes the temporary software information when the temporary software information has not been accessed for a predetermined time period.

12. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 7, wherein

said storing unit has a database that stores information representing a relationship among the software information identifier, the original club identifier, and a linked club identifier identifying a club to which the software information was linked;

and

said managing unit references the database and displays a representation of a support club that supports a software program corresponding to the software information identifier on a screen of the terminal, whereby the user can move to the support club displayed on the terminal.

13. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 12,

wherein said managing unit displays representations of a plurality of support clubs including the original club, with the original club being displayed in a first position and followed by the other support clubs.

14. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said managing unit receives a delivery request from a user through a club; and

said installing unit installs a software program through the club receiving the delivery request.

15. A software registering/managing system, comprising:

a managing unit that manages software information received from a terminal coupled to a communication network, the software information having a standardized format and including fundamental information necessary for a database registering process, descriptive information containing a summary of a software program corresponding to the software information, and main information including a main body of the software program in a compressed format; and

a storing unit that stores the software information.

16. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 15, further comprising an installing unit that installs the software program to a storage region of the terminal through the communication network, and wherein:

the software information further includes check information for checking an operating environment of the software program and install related information containing information relating to an install process; and

said managing unit stores resultant software information to said storing unit when the software program is installed.

17. The software registering/managing system as set forth in claim 15, further comprising an automatic testing unit that determines validity of the software information in accordance with a check result of at least one of a syntax check, a virus check, a copyright check, a registered trademark check, and a software name redundancy check.

18. A terminal for use with a software registering system, comprising:

a storing unit that stores software information having a standardized format and including fundamental information necessary for a database registering process, descriptive information containing a summary of a software program corresponding to the software information, and main information including a main body of the software program in a compressed format; and

an uploading unit that uploads the software information to a software registering center through a communication network.

19. A software registering/managing system, comprising:

a storing unit that stores a plurality of software programs in a database;

a communicating unit that communicates with respective terminals of a plurality of users through a communication network;

a managing unit that manages registered software programs as one or more program groups and includes a management module as a club for interacting with said system from the terminals, users connecting to the club to download software programs stored on the storing unit, the club providing a conference function for registering and managing the software programs; and

an installing unit that installs a requested software program to a requesting terminal through the club; and

wherein;

the club has a keyword with which the requested software program is searched from said storing unit, and

at least one of a process for updating the requested software program, a process for publishing the requested software program, and a process for remotely installing the requested software program to the requesting terminal is performed through the club.

20. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with a program for delivering software programs to terminals of users through a communication network, said program comprising the functions of:

managing registered software programs as one or more program groups through a management module as a club for interacting with said system from the terminals, the club having a conference function for managing registered software programs and for electronically exchanging information between the users; and

automatically installing to a storage region of a requesting terminal a software program corresponding to software information uploaded to the club.

21. The storage medium as set forth in claim 20, wherein said program further comprises the functions of:

managing the software programs through plurality of management modules as respective clubs in a hierarchy having a plurality of hierarchical levels including a lowest hierarchical level;

permitting a club in the lowest hierarchical level to upload the software information; and

linking the uploaded software information to a club in a higher hierarchical level.

22. The storage medium as set forth in claim 20, wherein said program further comprises the functions of:

managing the software programs through a plurality of management modules as respective clubs;

managing the software information in accordance with the club to which the software information is uploaded, whereby the club serves as an original club for the software information; and

linking the software information from the original club to a predetermined club, whereby users interacting with said system through the predetermined club can see the software information.

23. The storage medium as set forth in claim 20, wherein said program further comprises the functions of:

managing the software programs through a plurality of management modules as respective clubs;

managing the software information in accordance with the club to which the software information is uploaded, whereby the club serves as an original club for the software information; and

moving an authority of the original club to a predetermined club, whereby users interacting with said system through the predetermined club can see the software information.

24. A method of registering and managing software programs, comprising the steps of:

managing registered software programs as one or more program groups through a management module as a first club for interacting with said system from a plurality of terminals, the first club having a conference function for managing registered software programs and for electronically exchanging information between respective users of the terminals;

registering software information to a database, the software information having been uploaded to the first club; and

automatically installing to a storage region of a requesting terminal a software program corresponding to the software information when a user of the requesting terminal requests the software program.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

managing the software programs through a plurality of management modules as a respective plurality of clubs including the first club, the plurality of clubs having a hierarchical structure including a plurality of hierarchical levels including a lowest hierarchical level;

permitting a club in the lowest hierarchical level to upload the software information; and

linking the uploaded software information to a club in the higher hierarchical level.

26. The method as set forth in claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

managing the software programs through a plurality of management modules as a respective plurality of clubs including the first club;

managing the software information in accordance with the first club to which the software information is uploaded, whereby the first club serves as an original club for the software information; and

linking the software information from the original club to a predetermined club, whereby users interacting with said system through the predetermined club can see the software information.

27. The method as set forth in claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

managing the software programs through a plurality of management modules as a respective plurality of clubs including the first club;

managing the software information in accordance with the first club to which the software information is uploaded, whereby the first club serves as an original club for the software information; and

moving an authority of the original club to a predetermined club, whereby users interacting with said system through the predetermined club can see the software information.

28. A method for managing software programs received through a communication network from terminals of users, comprising the steps of:

dividing software information to be registered into fundamental information necessary for a database registering process, descriptive information containing a summary of a software program corresponding to the software information, and main information including a main body of the software program in a compressed format; and

formatting the fundamental information, the descriptive information, and the main information into a standard format and registering the formatted software information.