Maintenance mediation apparatus, maintenance target apparatus maintenance method, and maintenance system

• US 7,561,985 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kanai, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano; Edward R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Washburn; Douglas N
• Application Number:
  US11/691,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 702/184, 702/177, 702/182, 702/188, 701/30
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0733 in a data processing system embedded in an image processing device, e.g. printer, facsimile, scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A maintenance mediation apparatus mediating maintenance information includes a maintenance center giving an instruction for a maintenance operation to maintenance target apparatuses connected thereto through a network. The maintenance mediation apparatus includes a reception part receiving the maintenance operation instruction information from the maintenance center; a maintenance policy database storing a maintenance policy defining at least one of whether to authorize the maintenance operation on the corresponding maintenance target apparatus by the maintenance center and whether to authorize transmission of each item of usage condition information of the corresponding maintenance target apparatus to the maintenance center; a determination part determining whether to execute the maintenance operation referring to the maintenance policy database; and a transmission part transmitting the received maintenance operation instruction information to the corresponding maintenance target apparatus based on the result of the determination by the determination part.

Claims

1. A maintenance mediation apparatus mediating maintenance operation instruction information from a maintenance center to a maintenance target apparatus on which the maintenance center causes a maintenance operation to be performed, the maintenance center being connected to the maintenance target apparatus through a network, the maintenance mediation apparatus comprising:

an operation part configured to register the maintenance target apparatus;

a maintenance target apparatus management part configured to manage the maintenance target apparatus registered by the operations part;

a policy management part configured to store a maintenance policy, the maintenance policy including information on what maintenance information to transmit and the frequency of transmission of the maintenance information;

a maintenance part configured to transmit information on the maintenance target apparatus managed by the maintenance target apparatus management part to the maintenance center; and

a policy determination part configured to, in response to reception of the maintenance operation instruction information from the maintenance center, determine whether the maintenance operation on the maintenance target apparatus is authorized or prohibited referring to the policy management part, and to transmit a result of the determination to the maintenance part.

2. The maintenance mediation apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the policy management part is configured to store the maintenance policy on a maintenance-target-apparatus basis.

3. The maintenance mediation apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maintenance part is configured to perform the maintenance operation based on the result of the determination of the policy determination part.

4. The maintenance mediation apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a remote maintenance condition setting part configured to receive the maintenance policy, and to receive processing for authentication at a time of one of registering the maintenance target apparatus and inputting the maintenance policy.

5. The maintenance mediation apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the remote maintenance condition setting part is configured to register the maintenance target apparatus with the maintenance target apparatus management part and to display a registered maintenance target apparatus list on the operations part only upon verification of the authentication.