Device administration apparatus, device administration method and recording medium

• US 9,705,860 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Doui, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Schmidt, Kari
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOHAMMADI, FAHIMEH M
• Application Number:
  US12/247,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,198 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2, 726 27, 380247-250, 713155-159, 713168-186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• 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 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A device administration apparatus includes an apparatus information obtainer that obtains via a network, apparatus information stored in a device, a judger that judges whether or not the device is an administration object based on the obtained apparatus information, and an administrator that administers use of the device, if the judger judges that the device is an administration object.

Claims

1. A device administration apparatus comprising:

a storage that stores conditions set for specific users, the conditions being related to usage logs; and

a hardware processor configured to;

obtain information from a device via a network, the device being an image forming apparatus, the information being related to a usage log of at least one of the specific users, the information satisfying conditions of a number of job instructions associated with the at least one of the specific users;

judge whether or not the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, the condition being stored in the storage; and

;

determine the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus and start administration of the usage of the device when the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, the condition being stored in the storage,

wherein the hardware processor is configured to block access to the device from another device administration apparatus by transmitting to the device (i) an instruction to change a password of the device for permitting access to the device, from a shared password to a unique password being unique to the device administration apparatus, and (ii) the unique password, after determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus, the shared password being common among device administration apparatuses connected to the network, the device administration apparatuses including the device administration apparatus and the other device administration apparatus.

2. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein when the hardware processor is unable to determine whether the information related to the usage log and obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, then the hardware processor repeatedly performs the judging of whether or not the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users until the hardware processor is able to determine whether the information related to the usage log and obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users.

3. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to give to the device an instruction to change a current, first password to a second password allowing access to the device, when the hardware processor determines the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus.

4. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 3, wherein when a function of the device administration apparatus to administer the device is disabled by a user or the hardware processor determines the device to no longer be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus, while the hardware processor administers the device, then the hardware processor gives to the device an instruction to turn the second password back to the first password.

5. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to transmit to a different device administration apparatus a password allowing access to the device determined to be an object to be administered, when the different device administration apparatus is going to take over all or some of roles to administer the device.

6. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the information obtained from the device indicates a number of times each of the at least one of the specific users has used the device.

7. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware processor automatically administers the device when the hardware processor determines the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus.

8. The device administration apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein:

the conditions set for the specific users are that the specific users have executed more jobs than a specified number; and

the hardware processor is configured to determine the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus when the at least one specific user has executed more jobs than the specified number.

9. A device administration method for a device administration apparatus, the method comprising:

storing conditions set for specific users in a storage, the conditions being related to usage logs;

obtaining information from a device via a network, the device being an image forming apparatus, the information being related to a usage log of at least one of the specific users, the information satisfying conditions of a number of job instructions associated with the at least one of the specific users;

judging whether or not the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, the condition being stored in the storage;

determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus and starting administration of the usage of the device when the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, the condition being stored in the storage,

wherein the device administration method comprises blocking access to the device from another device administration apparatus by transmitting to the device (i) an instruction to change a password of the device for permitting access to the device, from a shared password to a unique password being unique to the device administration apparatus, and (ii) the unique password, after determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus, the shared password being common among device administration apparatuses connected to the network, the device administration apparatuses including the device administration apparatus and the other device administration apparatus.

10. The device administration method of claim 9, further comprising determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus based on a result of comparing the information obtained from the device to the conditions stored in the storage wherein when the device administration apparatus is unable to determine whether the information related to the usage log and obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, then the device administration apparatus repeatedly performs the judging of whether or not the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users until the device administration apparatus is able to determine whether the information related to the usage log and obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users.

11. The device administration method of claim 9, wherein the information obtained from the device indicates a number of times each of the at least one of the specific users has used the device.

12. The device administration method of claim 9, wherein the administration of the device is automatically started when the device is determined to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus.

13. The device administration method of claim 9, further comprising instructing the device to change the current, first password to a second password allowing access to the device, when determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus.

14. The device administration method of claim 13, further comprising, when administering the device by the device administration apparatus is disabled by a user or when the device as no longer being an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus, while administering the device by the device administration apparatus, instructing the device to turn the second password back to the first password.

15. The device administration method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting to a different device administration apparatus a password allowing access to the device determined to be an object to be administered, when the different device administration apparatus is going to take over all or some of roles to administer the device.

16. The device administration method of claim 9, wherein:

the conditions set for the specific users are that the specific users have executed more jobs than a specified number; and

the device administration method comprises determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus when the at least one specific user has executed more jobs than the specified number.

17. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing in itself a device administration program to make a device administration apparatus execute steps comprising:

storing conditions set for specific users in a storage, the conditions being related to usage logs;

obtaining information from a device via a network, the device being an image forming apparatus, the information being related to a usage log of at least one of the specific users, the information satisfying conditions of a number of job instructions associated with the at least one of the specific users;

judging whether or not the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, the condition being stored in the storage;

determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus and starting administration of the usage of the device when the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, the condition being stored in the storage,

wherein the steps further comprise blocking access to the device from another device administration apparatus by transmitting to the device (i) an instruction to change a password of the device for permitting access to the device, from a shared password to a unique password being unique to the device administration apparatus, and (ii) the unique password, after determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus, the shared password being common among device administration apparatuses connected to the network, the device administration apparatuses including the device administration apparatus and the other device administration apparatus.

18. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 17, the steps further comprising determining the device an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus based on a result of comparing the information obtained from the device to the conditions stored in the storage, wherein when the device administration apparatus is unable to determine whether the information related to the usage log and obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users, then the device administration apparatus repeatedly performs the judging of whether or not the information obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users until the device administration apparatus is able to determine whether the information related to the usage log and obtained from the device meets the condition set for the at least one of the specific users.

19. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 17, wherein the information obtained from the device indicates a number of times each of the at least one of the specific users has used the device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 17, wherein the administration of the device is automatically started the device is determined to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus.

21. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 17, the steps further comprising instructing the device to change the current, first password to a second password allowing access to the device, when determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus.

22. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 21, the steps further comprising, when administering the device by the device administration apparatus is disabled by a user or when determining the device to no longer be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus, while administering the device by the device administration apparatus, instructing the device to turn the second password back to the first password.

23. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 17, the steps further comprising transmitting to a different device administration apparatus a password allowing access to the device determined to be an object to be administered, when the different device administration apparatus is going to take over all or some of roles to administer the device.

24. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 17, wherein:

the conditions set for the specific users are that the specific users have executed more jobs than a specified number; and

the steps further comprising determining the device to be an object to be administered by the device administration apparatus when the at least one specific user has executed more jobs than the specified number.