Relay apparatus, system, relay method, and computer readable medium

• US 9,614,830 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakai, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Poltorak, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/620,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213

Abstract

A relay apparatus includes a storage unit, a first reception unit, a first request unit, a second reception unit, a second request unit, a third reception unit, and an access unit. The storage unit stores, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus. The first reception unit receives from a client apparatus an access request including a request for access to the service providing apparatus and identification information for identifying the user. The first request unit issues an acquisition request for the authorization information to a different relay apparatus. The second reception unit receives authorization information transmitted from the different relay apparatus. The second request unit requests the different relay apparatus to update the received authorization information. The third reception unit receives updated authorization information transmitted from the different relay apparatus. The access unit accesses the service providing apparatus by using the received updated authorization information.

Claims

1. A relay apparatus comprising:

at least one hardware processor configured to execute modules comprising;

a storage configured to store, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus;

a first receiver configured to receive from a client apparatus an access request including a request for access to the service providing apparatus and identification information for identifying the user;

a first requestor configured to issue, when authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and corresponding to the identification information included in the received access request is not stored in the storage, an acquisition request for the authorization information to a different relay apparatus;

a second receiver configured to receive authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the different relay apparatus as a response to the acquisition request;

a second requestor configured to request, when at least any one of the received authorization information and the received access request satisfies a predetermined condition, the different relay apparatus to update the received authorization information;

a third receiver configured to receive updated authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the different relay apparatus as a response to the update request; and

an accessor configured to access the service providing apparatus by using the received updated authorization information.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a term of validity of the authorization information received by the second receive satisfies a predetermined condition, the second requestor is further configured to request the different relay apparatus to update the received authorization information.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a processing time required for a service corresponding to the received access request is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold, the second requestor is further configured to request the different relay apparatus to update the received authorization information.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authorization information for accessing the service providing apparatus comprises a token.

5. A relay apparatus comprising:

at least one hardware processor configured to execute modules comprising;

a storage configured to store, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus;

a receiver configured to receive an acquisition request for authorization information from a different relay apparatus;

a first transmitter configured to read from the storage unit authorization information corresponding to the received acquisition request and transmit the read authorization information to the different relay apparatus; and

a second transmitter configured to transmit, when receiving an update request for the authorization information from the different relay apparatus, to the service providing apparatus an update request for the authorization information corresponding to the received update request, and transmit to the different relay apparatus updated authorization information transmitted from the service providing apparatus.

6. The relay apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when receiving update requests for a piece of authorization information from a plurality of different relay apparatuses, the second transmitter is further configured to transmit the updated authorization information to any one of the plurality of different relay apparatuses.

7. The relay apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second transmitter is further configured to change the authorization information so that authorization indicated by the authorization information transmitted from the service providing apparatus is restricted.

8. The relay apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second transmitter is further configured to determine, in accordance with a type of a different relay apparatus from which an update request for the authorization information has been transmitted, whether or not to permit updating of the authorization information.

9. The relay apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first transmitter is further configured to transmit to the service providing apparatus an update request for the read authorization information, and transmits to the different relay apparatus the updated authorization information transmitted from the service providing apparatus.

10. A system comprising:

a first relay apparatus; and

a second relay apparatus,

wherein the first relay apparatus includes;

a first hardware processor configured to execute modules comprising;

a first storage configured to store, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus,

a first receiver configured to receive from a client apparatus an access request including a request for access to the service providing apparatus and identification information for identifying the user,

a first requestor configured to issue, when authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and corresponding to the identification information included in the received access request is not stored in the first storage, an acquisition request for the authorization information to the second relay apparatus,

a second receiver configured to receive authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the second relay apparatus as a response to the acquisition request,

a second requestor configured to request, when at least any one of the received authorization information and the received access request satisfies a predetermined condition, the second relay apparatus to update the received authorization information,

a third receiver configured to receive updated authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the second relay apparatus as a response to the update request, and

an accessor configured to access the service providing apparatus by using the received updated authorization information, and

wherein the second relay apparatus includes

a second hardware processor configured to execute modules comprising;

a second storage configured to store, for each user, authorization information for accessing the service providing apparatus,

a fourth receiver configured to receive an acquisition request for the authorization information from the first relay apparatus,

a first transmitter configured to read from the second storage authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and corresponding to the received acquisition request and transmits the read authorization information to the first relay apparatus, and

a second transmitter configured to transmit, when receiving an update request for the authorization information from the first relay apparatus, to the service providing apparatus an update request for the authorization information corresponding to the received update request, and transmit to the first relay apparatus updated authorization information transmitted from the service providing apparatus.

11. A relay method comprising:

storing, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus;

receiving from a client apparatus an access request including a request for access to the service providing apparatus and identification information for identifying the user;

issuing, when authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and corresponding to the identification information included in the received access request is not stored, an acquisition request for the authorization information to a different relay apparatus;

receiving authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the different relay apparatus as a response to the acquisition request;

requesting, when at least any one of the received authorization information and the received access request satisfies a predetermined condition, the different relay apparatus to update the received authorization information;

receiving updated authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the different relay apparatus as a response to the update request; and

accessing the service providing apparatus by using the received updated authorization information.

12. A relay method comprising:

storing, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus;

receiving an acquisition request for authorization information from a different relay apparatus;

reading authorization information corresponding to the received acquisition request and transmitting the read authorization information to the different relay apparatus; and

transmitting, when receiving an update request for the authorization information from the different relay apparatus, to the service providing apparatus an update request for the authorization information corresponding to the received update request, and transmitting to the different relay apparatus updated authorization information transmitted from the service providing apparatus.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a relay process, the process comprising:

storing, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus;

receiving from a client apparatus an access request including a request for access to the service providing apparatus and identification information for identifying the user;

issuing, when authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and corresponding to the identification information included in the received access request is not stored, an acquisition request for the authorization information to a different relay apparatus;

receiving authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the different relay apparatus as a response to the acquisition request;

requesting, when at least any one of the received authorization information and the received access request satisfies a predetermined condition, the different relay apparatus to update the received authorization information;

receiving updated authorization information generated by the service providing apparatus and transmitted from the different relay apparatus as a response to the update request; and

accessing the service providing apparatus by using the received updated authorization information.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a relay process, the process comprising:

storing, for each user, authorization information for accessing a service providing apparatus;

receiving an acquisition request for authorization information from a different relay apparatus;

reading authorization information corresponding to the received acquisition request and transmitting the read authorization information to the different relay apparatus; and

transmitting, when receiving an update request for the authorization information from the different relay apparatus, to the service providing apparatus an update request for the authorization information corresponding to the received update request, and transmitting to the different relay apparatus updated authorization information transmitted from the service providing apparatus.