File creation method, server, computer terminal, recording medium, information processing apparatus, and program addition system

• US 7,634,481 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Harada, Tohru, Kimbara, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tim T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morrison; Jay A
• Application Number:
  US10/802,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20040187008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities

Abstract

A file creation method creates a program-addition file for adding a program to a program-initiation recording medium of an information processing apparatus. The file creation method comprises the steps of acquiring identification information of the program-initiation recording medium, and creating a program-addition file in response to the identification information so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

Claims

1. A file creation method which creates a program-addition file at a server for adding a program to a program-initiation recording medium of an information processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

acquiring, through a network communication port of the server, identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and model identification of the information processing apparatus in response to a program adding request received from a computer terminal connected to the information processing apparatus via a network; and

creating, at the server, a program-addition file in response to the identification information and the model identification so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

2. The file creation method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the program-addition file to the information processing apparatus via a network.

3. The file creation method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the program-addition file in a program-addition recording medium which is used for the addition of the program to the program-initiation recording medium.

4. The file creation method according to claim 1, wherein, in the acquiring step, the identification information is acquired from a predetermined information provider device.

5. The file creation method according to claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises:

acquiring the program file, the electronic signature of the program file, and the configuration file; and

creating a second electronic signature of the configuration file based on the identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and the acquired configuration file.

6. The file creation method according to claim 5, wherein the program file, the electronic signature of the program file, and the configuration file are acquired from a predetermined information provider device.

7. A server which creates a program-addition file for adding a program to a program-initiation recording medium of an information processing apparatus, comprising:

an identification-information acquisition unit configured to acquire identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and model identification of the information processing apparatus in response to a program adding request received from a computer terminal connected to the information processing apparatus via a network, the server including a port through which the identification information is received from the network; and

a file creation unit configured to create a program-addition file in response to the identification information and model identification, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium, the file creation unit including a processor; and

a memory device configured to store the program addition file,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

8. The server according to claim 7, further comprising a file transmitting unit transmitting the program-addition file to the information processing apparatus via a network.

9. The server according to claim 7, further comprising a file transmitting unit transmitting the program-addition file to a computer terminal in which the program-addition file is stored in a program-addition recording medium.

10. A computer terminal which stores a program-addition file in a program-addition recording medium, the program-addition file being used to add a program to a program-initiation recording medium of an information processing apparatus, the computer terminal comprising:

an information transmitting unit configured to transmit, to a server, a program adding request, which causes the server to acquire identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and model identification of the information processing apparatus in response to the program adding request;

a file receiving unit configured to receive, from the server, a program-addition file which is created by the server in response to the identification information and the model identification so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium; and

a file storing unit configured to store the received program-addition file into the program-addition recording medium,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

16. The computer terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a processor, wherein

the processor, an interface device, and a memory device are interconnected by a bus.

11. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a file creation method which creates a program-addition file for adding a program to a program-initiation recording medium of an information processing apparatus, the file creation method comprising:

acquiring, through a network communication port of the computer, identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and model identification of the information processing apparatus in response to a program adding request received from a computer terminal connected to the information processing apparatus via a network; and

creating, at the computer, a program-addition file in response to the identification information and the model identification so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

12. An information processing apparatus which adds a program to a program-initiation recording medium by using a program-addition recording medium in which a program-addition file for adding the program to the program-initiation recording medium is stored, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a recording-medium detection unit, including a processor, configured to detect the program-addition recording medium in which the program-addition file is recorded; and

a program addition unit, including the processor, configured to perform an authentication check of the program-addition file read from the program-addition recording medium based on model identification of the information processing apparatus, and to add the program to the program-initiation recording medium according to a result of the authentication check,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, when there are two or more program-initiation recording mediums, the program addition unit displays a screen to select one of the program-initiation recording mediums, and adds the program to the selected program-initiation recording medium.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory device;

an application specific integrated circuit; and

a network interface,

wherein the processor, the memory device, the network interface, and the application specific integrated circuit being interconnected by a bus.

14. A program addition system comprising:

a server which creates a program-addition file for being stored in a program-addition recording medium; and

an information processing apparatus which adds a program to a program-initiation recording medium by using the program-addition recording medium,

wherein the server is configured to acquire identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and model identification of the information processing apparatus in response to a program adding request received from a computer terminal connected to the information processing apparatus via a network, and to create a program-addition file in response to the identification information and the model identification, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium,

wherein the information processing apparatus is configured to detect the program-addition recording medium in which the program-addition file is recorded, to perform an authentication check of the program-addition file read from the program-addition recording medium, and to add the program to the program-initiation recording medium according to a result of the authentication check,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

18. The program addition system of claim 14, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises:

a processor;

a memory device;

an application specific integrated circuit; and

a network interface,

wherein the processor, the memory device, the network interface, and the application specific integrated circuit being interconnected by a bus.

15. A program addition system comprising:

a server which creates a program-addition file for being stored in a program-addition recording medium; and

an information processing apparatus which adds a program to a program-initiation recording medium by using the program-addition recording medium,

wherein the server is configured to acquire identification information of the program-initiation recording medium and model identification of the information processing apparatus in response to a program adding request received from a computer terminal connected to the information processing apparatus via a network, and to create a program-addition file in response to the identification information and the model identification, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by the program-addition file with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium,

wherein the information processing apparatus is configured to receive the program-addition file from the server, to perform an authentication check of the received program-addition file, and to add the program to the program-initiation recording medium according to a result of the authentication check,

wherein the program-addition file comprises a program file, an electronic signature of the program file, a configuration file, and an electronic signature of the configuration file, so that starting of the program on the information processing apparatus is allowed by execution of the program-addition file by the information processing apparatus with the program stored in the program-initiation recording medium.

19. The program addition system of claim 15, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises:

a processor;

a memory device;

an application specific integrated circuit; and

a network interface,

wherein the processor, the memory device, the network interface, and the application specific integrated circuit being interconnected by a bus.