JP5288158B2 - Program authentication system and information processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a program authentication system and an information processing system, and in particular, a program authentication system for authenticating an application program executed in an information processing apparatus, and an information processing system including an information processing apparatus that executes the application program About.

  Conventionally, in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, there has been a case where input of a password is required in order for only a specific user to execute a program. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-209615 discloses a technique in which a password can be input by operating a jog dial in order to facilitate an operation for inputting a password by a user.

In addition, conventionally, when selling software, a technique in which a dongle is included in a recording medium on which the software is recorded and the program related to the software is executed only when the dongle is connected to an information processing apparatus. Was also widely used.
JP 2001-209615 A

  However, in the conventional technique, the user who can execute the program can be limited to the user who owns the dongle, but the place where the program is executed cannot be limited.

  In other words, when a company wishes to limit the scope of an employee's ability to execute a program to the company's office, that is, the employee wants to prevent the program used at the office from being executed at home, etc. In some cases, the prior art has not been able to cope with such a demand.

  The present invention has been conceived in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a program authentication system and an information processing system capable of limiting a place where a program can be executed in an information processing apparatus.

A program authentication system according to the present invention includes an information processing apparatus installed with a program and a server capable of communicating with the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus communicates with the server according to a wireless communication method. And a device-side storage unit that stores predetermined information, and the server stores first information that is information necessary for starting the program, and second information stored in association with the first information. A server-side storage unit that stores information, and a communication unit that communicates with the communication device according to a wireless communication method. The information processing device includes an input unit that receives input of information, and the input unit A control unit that causes the communication device to transmit the predetermined information to the server in response to input of information instructing activation of the program; Receiving the predetermined information transmitted from the communication device, wherein the server determines whether the predetermined information received by the communication unit matches the second information; and The information processing apparatus further includes: an instruction unit that causes the communication unit to transmit the first information to the communication device when the determination unit determines that the predetermined information matches the second information. uses the first information which the communication device receives, see further including a program processing section that executes processing for starting the program, the control unit, to the communication device, the information processing The predetermined information is transmitted so that the content received by the communication unit differs according to the distance between the device and the server, and the instruction unit causes the communication unit to transmit the predetermined information received by the communication unit. 2 or more depending on the content At least one type of the first information among the first information of the class, and the two or more types of the first information are information having different contents that can be used in an application, It is information that causes the program processing unit to start the program so that the contents that can be used in the application differ according to the distance between the processing device and the server .

  In the program authentication system of the present invention, the information processing apparatus includes an information processing terminal and a dongle detachably connected to the information processing terminal. The information processing terminal includes the input unit, the control unit, and the control unit. The program processing unit is configured, and the dongle preferably configures the communication device and includes the device-side storage unit.

  In the program authentication system of the present invention, the program processing unit causes the communication device to transmit the predetermined information to the server at predetermined time intervals during the period in which the program is activated, and the determination The unit determines whether the predetermined information received at that time matches the second information each time the communication unit receives the predetermined information from the communication device, and the instruction unit Each time the determination unit determines that the predetermined information matches the second information, the communication unit transmits the first information to the communication device, and the program processing unit It is preferable to continue the activation of the program on the condition that the communication apparatus has received the first information every predetermined time during the period in which the program is activated.

  Moreover, in the program authentication system of this invention, it is preferable that the said instruction | indication part memorize | stores the time which made the said communication part transmit the said 1st information to the said communication apparatus in the said server side memory | storage part.

  In the program authentication system of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes a third storage unit that stores characteristic information that is information indicating the characteristic of the program, and the control unit includes It is preferable that the characteristic information is transmitted to the server together with predetermined information.

In the program authentication system of the present invention, the two or more types of the first information are pieces of information having different contents that can be used in the application, and the longer the distance between the information processing apparatus and the server, the more the application It is preferable that the information is two or more types of information that causes the program processing unit to activate the program so that the content that can be used in the program is reduced . Further, the contents that can be used in the application are different, for example, that the number of functions of the application is different.

An information processing system according to the present invention includes a control program for controlling an information processing apparatus in which an execution program is installed, and first information that is information necessary for starting the execution program for the information processing apparatus. And a communication device that communicates with a server including a server-side storage unit that stores second information stored in association with the first information by a wireless communication method, and the information processing device includes the communication device. A control unit that controls the program and a program processing unit that activates the execution program, the communication device includes a device-side storage unit that stores predetermined information, and the control program is stored in the information processing device. It said controller, in response to the information indicating the start of the execution program is input, to the communication device, to said server, sending of the predetermined information Using the first information that is transmitted to the program processing unit when the server determines that the predetermined information and the second information match, and is received by the communication device. Executing the process for starting the execution program and transmitting the predetermined information to the communication device according to a distance between the information processing device and the server. The first information is transmitted by the server in accordance with the content of the predetermined information, and the first information is transmitted in accordance with the content of the predetermined information. Information of at least one type of the first information, and the two or more types of the first information have different contents that can be used in the application. An information, as the distance between the information processing apparatus and the server, so that the contents available to differ in application, be information for activating the execution program to the program processing unit.

  In the information processing system of the present invention, the information processing apparatus includes an information processing terminal and a dongle detachably connected to the information processing terminal. The information processing terminal includes the control unit and the program processing unit. The dongle preferably constitutes the communication device.

In the information processing system of the present invention, the control program is stored in the information processing apparatus, the program processing unit, the communication apparatus at the predetermined time during the period in which the execution program is activated. Transmitting the predetermined information to a server; and when the server receives the predetermined information every predetermined time, the predetermined information received at that time is transmitted to the program processing unit as the second information. It is preferable to further execute a step of continuing the execution of the execution program on the condition that the first information to be transmitted after determining that it matches is received by the communication device.

In the information processing system of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes a third storage unit that stores characteristic information that is information indicating characteristics of the execution program, and the control program includes the information processing apparatus. Preferably, the control unit further causes the communication device to transmit the characteristic information together with the predetermined information to the server.

In the information processing system of the present invention, the two or more types of the first information are pieces of information having different contents that can be used in the execution program, and a distance between the information processing apparatus and the server is different. It is preferable that the information is two or more types of information that causes the program processing unit to start the execution program so that the longer the length is, the less content can be used in the execution program . Further, the contents that can be used in the application are different, for example, that the number of functions of the application is different.

  According to the present invention, the information processing apparatus associates the first information, which is information necessary for starting the program (execution program) installed in the information processing apparatus, with the first information in the server. By transmitting predetermined information that matches the second information to the server, it is acquired from the server by communication using a wireless communication method.

  Thereby, the information processing apparatus cannot acquire the first information when the communication apparatus that communicates with the server is in a position where it cannot communicate with the server by the wireless communication method, and the program ( (Execution program) cannot be started.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the location where the program is executed in the information processing apparatus can be limited.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a program authentication system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the program authentication system. The program authentication system is a system for authenticating a program installed in a PC (Personal Computer).

  In the present embodiment, authentication of the above program is performed by server 300. When the server 300 authenticates the program, the PC 100 can execute the program. When the user of the PC 100 requests the server 300 to authenticate the program, the PC 100 connects to the server 300 via the LAN 500 using the communication function of the dongle 200 inserted into the PC 100. LAN 500 is an example of a network in the present embodiment. Dongle 200 is connected by a wireless communication system, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN) compliant with IEEE (American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standards. Information stored in the dongle 200 (a billing ID described later) is used for program authentication in the server 300.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described program authentication requires that the PC 100 be connected to the LAN 500 by a wireless communication method using the dongle 200. For this reason, when the dongle 200 inserted into the PC 100 is located at a place where the dongle 200 cannot be connected to the LAN 500, the above-mentioned program cannot be authenticated. In FIG. 2, an area D is an area where the dongle 200 can communicate with the LAN 500. From the above, in the present embodiment, the user can start and continuously use the program installed in the PC 100 when the dongle 200 inserted into the PC 100 is located in the area D. .

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of each device constituting the program authentication system of the present embodiment.

  The PC 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the operation of the PC 100 as a whole. The PC 100 also includes an HD (hard disk) 102 that stores programs executed in the PC 100 and data related to various settings, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 that functions as a work area for the CPU 101, a display 104 that displays various information, An interface (I / F) 105 for connecting to other devices, an input unit 106 that includes one or a plurality of keys and / or pointing devices, etc., and accepts an operation from a user, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) device USB I / F 110 is included.

  The dongle 200 mainly includes a host system 290 and a communication circuit 200. The host system 290 includes a CPU 291 that controls the operation of the host system 290 as a whole. In addition, the host system 290 includes a USB connector 292. The dongle 200 is connected to the PC 100 by connecting the USB connector 292 to the USB I / F 110.

  The host system 290 also includes a RAM 293 that functions as a work area of the CPU 291, an interface 294 that functions as an interface with the communication circuit 280, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 295 that stores data such as the above-described billing ID, and a power source described later. An input unit 296 that receives information input operations such as switching on / off of power supply from the circuit 201 to the host system 290 is included.

  The communication circuit 280 includes a baseband / MAC (Media Access Control) circuit 250, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit 205, a balun 204, an antenna 203, EEPROMs (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) 206 and 207, a power supply circuit 201, and , Including a clock circuit 202.

  The clock circuit 202 supplies a clock signal to the baseband / MAC circuit 250 and the RF circuit 205. The power supply circuit 201 controls power supply to the baseband / MAC circuit 250, the RF circuit 205, and the host system 290.

  The RF circuit 205 transmits and receives data via the antenna 203. A balun 204 is provided between the antenna 203 and the RF circuit 205.

  The baseband / MAC circuit 250 includes a CPU 251, an interface 252, an external bus controller 253, a program memory 254, a shared memory 255, a timer 256, a control MAC unit 257, an ADC (analog-digital converter) 258, and a DAC (digital-analog). converter) 259.

  The interface 252 is an interface to the host system 290. When the CPU 251 receives an instruction to transmit data to the LAN 500 from the host system 290, the CPU 251 causes the interface 252 to retrieve the data stored in a memory (for example, the RAM 103) in the host system 290. The host system 290 generates data instructing transmission, stores the data in the memory, and then transmits the data transmission instruction to the communication circuit 280. The data extracted by the interface 252 is temporarily stored in the program memory 254 as data constituting the “user data body part” of the frame transmitted to the LAN 500. When a frame transmission destination is designated, the communication circuit 280 sets the destination to the frame.

  Then, the CPU 251 generates a frame to be transmitted to the LAN 500 by adding various data including a MAC header and an FCS (Frame Check Sequence) to the data stored in the program memory 254, and the program memory 254 And the shared memory 255 sets a flag indicating that the frame has been generated.

  The transmission frame stored in the program memory 254 is sent to the DAC 259 by the control MAC unit 257, then converted to analog data, and sent to the LAN 500 via the RF circuit 205, the balun 204, and the antenna 203. Is done.

  The operation when the communication circuit 280 receives data transmitted via the LAN 500 will be described. The frame sent to the RF circuit 205 via the antenna 203 and the balun 204 is converted into digital data by the ADC 258 and then sent to the control MAC unit 257. The control MAC unit 257 performs error correction decoding after performing frame head detection and time and frequency synchronization processing on the frame converted into the digital signal. Then, the control MAC unit 257 further determines whether or not the DA 311 of the frame matches the MAC address of the communication circuit 280 stored in the EEPROM 206, and if it matches, the MAC header unit and the FCS unit are determined from the frame. Then, the remaining data (frame / body part) is transferred to the program memory 254. If it is determined that they do not match, the control MAC unit 257 discards the received frame.

  In addition, when the received frame / body part is stored in the program memory 254, the control MAC part 257 sets a flag indicating that in the shared memory 255. In response to the flag being set, the CPU 251 sends the frame / body portion stored in the program memory 254 to the host system 290 via the interface 252.

  Server 300 includes a communication processing unit 310 that receives a frame transmitted from dongle 200 via LAN 500 and transmits a frame to dongle 200 via LAN 500. The server 300 includes a CPU 301 that controls the operation of the server 300 as a whole. Further, the server 300 includes a program executed by the CPU 301 and various setting information, an HD 302 that stores an ID reference table and a management table described later, a RAM 303 that functions as a work area of the CPU 301, a display 304 that displays information, an external display It includes an I / F 305 that functions as an interface when connecting to a device, and an input unit 306 that receives an operation from the outside.

  In the program authentication system of the present embodiment, it is assumed that an activation ID is required for activation and continuous execution of an application program installed in the PC 100.

  In the server 300, the billing ID stored in the flash memory 295 of the dongle 200 and the above-described activation ID are stored in the HD 302 as an ID related table. Table 1 schematically shows an example of the ID-related table.

  As can be understood from Table 1, in the ID-related table, the activation illustrated as “B1”, “B2”, and “B3” in association with each billing ID illustrated as “A1”, “A2”, and “A3” A business ID is stored. In addition, each ID shown in Table 1 is an illustration, Comprising: The character type and character number which each ID comprises are not limited to what was shown in Table 1.

  In principle, the CPU 101 of the PC 100 activates the application program when a condition for activation such as an operation for activation being performed on the input unit 106 is established. Then, the execution of the application program is continued until a termination condition such as an operation for terminating the application program is satisfied. In addition, in order to start and continuously execute the application program, it is necessary to obtain a startup ID stored in the server 300. Here, processing executed by the CPU 101 for executing the application program including acquisition of the activation ID will be described with reference to FIG. 4 which is a flowchart of the processing.

  When the conditions for starting the application program are satisfied as described above, the CPU 101 executes the startup ID acquisition process, which is the process for acquiring the startup ID, in step S10, and the process proceeds to step S20. To proceed.

  Here, the contents of the startup ID acquisition process will be described with reference to FIG. 5 showing a flowchart of a subroutine of the process.

  FIG. 5 shows the contents of operations in the PC 100, dongle 200, and server 300 when the CPU 101 of the PC 100 executes the startup ID acquisition process.

  Referring to FIG. 5, in the startup ID acquisition process, CPU 101 first generates a startup ID acquisition request frame in step S110 and advances the process to step S120.

  The activation ID acquisition request frame is a frame including information for requesting the server 300 to acquire an activation ID, a code including a request for acquiring the ID, and a request memory stored in the flash memory 295. It includes an ID and information specifying the server 300 that is the destination. The CPU 101 instructs the dongle 200 to include the above code in the frame. In addition, the CPU 101 instructs the dongle 200 to include the billing ID in the frame. As a result, the CPU 291 sends the billing ID stored in the flash memory 295 and information specifying the server 300 to the communication circuit 280. In response to this, the communication circuit 280 generates a frame including the code, the billing ID, and the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the server 300 specified from the information specifying the server 300. This frame corresponds to an activation ID acquisition request frame.

  In step S <b> 120, the CPU 101 instructs the dongle 200 to transmit an activation ID acquisition request frame to the server 300. As a result, the dongle 200 transmits the startup ID acquisition request frame generated as described above to the server 300 via the LAN 500.

  In server 300, CPU 301 determines in step SA10 whether or not an activation ID acquisition request frame has been received, and proceeds to step SA20 when determining that it has been received.

  In step SA20, the CPU 301 determines whether or not there is a billing ID that matches the received billing ID in the ID association table. If it is determined that it exists, the CPU 301 associates the billing ID with the billing ID. The activation ID stored in the memory is searched.

  Next, in step SA <b> 30, the CPU 301 transmits a frame including the activation ID obtained as a search result to the dongle 200 via the LAN 500.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step SA20 that the received billing ID does not exist in the ID-related table, or when the activation ID associated with the billing ID received in step S10 cannot be obtained in the table. The CPU 301 transmits a frame including a code (ID acquisition failure code) indicating that the activation ID cannot be acquired to the dongle 200.

  In the PC 100, the dongle 200 acquires the information (the activation ID or the ID acquisition failure code) included in the frame received from the server 300, and returns the process to FIG.

  In server 300, CPU 301 transmits a frame to dongle 200 in step SA30, and then updates a table (management table) for managing the billing ID transmitted from dongle 200 in step SA40. The process corresponding to the request for obtaining the activation ID is terminated.

  The server 300 can respond to requests for acquisition of activation IDs from a plurality of information processing apparatuses via the LAN 500. In the management table described above, the CPU 301 stores the billing ID that has requested acquisition of the activation ID and the time (request time) at which the request is received, for example, as shown in Table 2.

  Returning to FIG. 4, after executing the activation ID acquisition process in step S <b> 10, the CPU 101 determines in step S <b> 20 whether the activation ID has been acquired in the activation ID acquisition process in step S <b> 10. If CPU 101 determines that it has been acquired, it proceeds to step S30. If CPU 101 determines that it has not been acquired, CPU 101 terminates the execution of the application program.

  In step S20, if the CPU 101 receives the activation ID from the server 300 in step S130, the CPU 101 determines that the activation ID has been acquired. On the other hand, in step S20, the CPU 101 determines that the activation ID cannot be acquired when the frame including the ID acquisition failure code is received from the server 300 in step S130. Note that the CPU 101 cannot acquire the activation ID when the activation ID acquisition request frame is transmitted to the dongle 200 in step S120 and the activation ID cannot be transmitted from the server 300 within a certain period of time. It may be configured to determine that

  In step S30, the CPU 101 executes processing for starting an application program using the startup ID acquired in step S10, and advances the processing to step S40.

  Here, using the activation ID for starting the application program means that, for example, when the application program is configured to require the input of a password for the activation, the activation ID acquired in step S10 is used in step S30. Can be entered as a password.

  In step S40, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) has elapsed since execution of the previous activation ID acquisition process (step S10 or step S50 described later), and if it is determined that it has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S50. If it is determined that it has not yet elapsed, the process proceeds to step S80.

  In step S50, the CPU 101 executes an activation ID acquisition process and advances the process to step S60. Note that the contents of the startup ID acquisition process in step S50 are the same as the process contents in step S10 described with reference to FIG. 5, and therefore description thereof will not be repeated here.

  In step S60, as in step S20, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the startup ID has been acquired in the startup ID acquisition process of step S50 executed immediately before. If it is determined, the process proceeds to step S70. If it is determined that it was not possible, the process proceeds to step S80.

  In step S <b> 70, the CPU 101 determines whether a condition for ending the application program is satisfied, such as an operation for ending the application program on the input unit 106. The process proceeds to S80, and if it is determined that it is not established, the process returns to Step S40.

  In step S80, the CPU 101 executes a process for ending the application program being executed, and ends the process for executing the application program. Note that the processing in step S80 includes, for example, saving of settings changed during execution of the application program and saving of created files.

  In the present embodiment described above, in the application execution process described with reference to FIG. 4, the execution program is configured by an application program that requires a startup ID for startup or the like. An information processing apparatus is configured by the PC 100 in which the program is installed. Note that the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment means the PC 100 in a state in which the dongle 200 is inserted. Here, the PC 100 constitutes an information processing terminal in the present embodiment, and the dongle 200 constitutes a communication device.

  A control program is configured by a program that causes the CPU 101 of the PC 100 to execute the processing described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The control program may be configured to be incorporated in the execution program, or may be installed in the HD 102 separately from the execution program as a program for managing the execution (activation) of the application program in the PC 100. May be.

  As a general trend, various program modules are prepared as part of the computer operation system, and the execution program and control program in this embodiment are called when necessary in a predetermined arrangement. A method of proceeding with processing is common. In such a case, the software itself for realizing the program authentication system of the present embodiment does not include such a module, and the program authentication system is realized only in cooperation with the operating system at the information processing terminal (PC 100). . However, as long as a general platform is used, it is not necessary to distribute software including such modules, and the software itself not including these modules and the recording medium storing the software (and the software distributes on the network). Data signal) can be considered to constitute the embodiment.

  The control program is read from the recording medium via the I / F 105 and executed by the CPU 101 in a state where the control program is recorded on a recording medium removable from the PC 100 such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory). May be. Further, the control program may be downloaded via the LAN 500 by using the dongle 200 or the like and installed in the HD 102, or from the state recorded on the recording medium described above via the I / F 105 (network May be installed on the HD 102 directly (without going through).

  In the application execution process of the present embodiment, after the application program is activated in step S30, if it is determined in step S60 that the activation ID has been acquired in the activation ID acquisition process in step S50, this is a condition. As described above, the execution of the application program is continued. In addition, after it is determined that the activation ID has been acquired in step S60, the application program that has been input with the acquired activation ID (acquired from the frame received by the dongle 200) is used as the application program. However, the application may be configured to continue execution on the condition that the input is performed.

  In the present embodiment described above, the management table exemplified in Table 2 can be updated in step SA40 in the processing in the server 300 described with reference to FIG. As a result, the server 300 can manage the time when the application program is started and the time period during which the application program is continuously executed for each billing ID. Thereby, the administrator of the server 300 can calculate which user used the application program in which time zone.

  In the processing described with reference to FIG. 5, the activation ID acquisition request frame transmitted from the PC 100 to the server 300 by the PC 100 is stored in the dongle 200 with a code for requesting acquisition of the activation ID. A billing ID is included. This frame preferably further includes version information (information indicating the characteristics of the program) of the application program to be started from now on. As a result, the server 300 that has received the frame determines whether or not the version of the application program installed in the PC 100 that has instructed transmission of the frame is the latest version. A program for upgrading to the latest version can be transmitted to the PC 100. That is, in the program authentication system, the version of the application program installed in each PC 100 can be updated without requiring a user operation.

  In the present embodiment described above, the information processing system includes the above-described control program that requires an activation ID for activation (and continuous execution) and the dongle 200 that includes the flash memory 295 that stores the charging ID. Is configured.

  In the present embodiment, the PC 100 communicates with the server 300 using the communication function of the dongle 200 that is detachably attached to the PC 100. In the present invention, it is sufficient that the PC 100 can communicate with the server 300 by at least the wireless communication method, and the communication function (communication device) is not necessarily provided in the dongle 200 that can be attached to and detached from the PC 100. However, as in the present embodiment, the dongle 200 that stores the billing ID and has the communication function is configured to be detachable from the PC 100, so that only the dongle 200 is owned by a plurality of people while the PC 100 is privately owned. Can be shared and used. Thereby, the dongle 200 does not need to prepare the dongle 200 by the number of users of the upper limit that executes the application program, and the cost for constructing the system can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the activation ID is required for both the activation and continuous execution of the application program. However, in the present invention, it is sufficient that the activation ID is required at least at the time of activation. Since the activation ID is also required for continuous execution, it is possible to reliably limit the continuous execution of the application program to an area where the dongle 200 can communicate with the server 300. The dongle 200 is located in an area where the application program can be activated when the application program is activated. However, if the dongle 200 moves outside the area after that, the PC 100 cannot acquire the activation ID, thereby executing the application program. This is because it can be canceled.

  Further, in the present embodiment described above, the server 300 determines whether or not the billing ID transmitted by the dongle 200 according to the instruction of the PC 100 installed with the application program is valid (is present in the ID reference table). And whether the application program is associated with the activation ID). Then, the server 300 notifies the PC 100 of the authentication result by transmitting the activation ID or the ID acquisition failure code. In the program authentication system of the present embodiment, at least server 300 authenticates the application program based on information transmitted by the wireless communication method in accordance with an instruction from PC 100 in which the application program is installed, and the result is obtained. What is necessary is just to transmit to PC100 by a wireless communication system.

  Further, in the present embodiment described above, the PC 100 acquires the application activation ID by communicating with the server 300 via the dongle 200 by the wireless communication method. As a result, the area where the application can be activated on the PC 100 can be limited to an area where the PC 100 can communicate with the server 300 via the dongle 200 by the wireless communication method. In the present invention, the functions of applications that can be used in the PC 100 can be varied depending on the area where the PC 100 (dongle 200) exists. Such a modification will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 6, a region A indicated by a broken line A and a region B indicated by a broken line B are shown. Region B is included within region A. In the area A, the distance between the outer edge and the LAN 500 is longer than in the area B.

  Dongle 200 performs wireless communication at two different frequencies. In FIG. 6, two types of radio waves are indicated by lines RX and RY. Dongle 200 transmits code X at a frequency corresponding to line RX, and transmits code Y at a frequency corresponding to line RY. In addition, if the frequency is different, the communication distance is different. That is, the dongle 200 transmits a plurality of types of codes having different communication distances. Table 3 summarizes the relative communication characteristics of each code.

  As understood from Table 3, the dongle 200 transmits the code X at a frequency lower than that of the code Y, that is, a radio wave having a long communication distance.

  The server 300 transmits different types of activation IDs to the dongle 200 depending on the type of code received from the dongle 200. Table 4 shows an example of the received code and the type of activation ID transmitted to the dongle 200.

  As understood from Table 4, when receiving the code X and the code Y, the server 300 transmits the activation ID for enabling the function A and the function B to the dongle 200, and uses only the code X. If it is received, an activation ID that enables only function A is transmitted. As an example of the function A, browsing of a document stored in the PC 100 or the server 300 can be cited. As an example of the function B, such a document can be overwritten. The function B is not limited to these.

  Referring to FIG. 6 again, the dongle 200 can communicate with the LAN 500 in the area B at the frequencies of both the line RX and the line RY, and is outside the area B and within the area A to the LAN 500. Thus, wireless communication is possible at the frequency of the line RX but wireless communication is not possible at the frequency of the line RY, and outside the area A, wireless communication at both the frequency of the line RX and the line RY is performed with respect to the LAN 500. Suppose it is impossible. It is assumed that the dongle 200 has a longer communication distance with the LAN 500 within the region B, outside the region B, within the region A, and outside the region A.

  If the dongle 200 is located in the area B, both the code A and the code B can be transmitted to the server 300. If the dongle 200 is located outside the area B and within the area A, only the code A can be transmitted to the server 300. Thereby, in the PC 100, when the dongle 200 is located in the area B, the user can use both the function A and the function B as the function of the application activated by the activation ID transmitted from the server 300. If the dongle 200 is located outside the area B and within the area A, only the function A can be used as the function of the application activated with the activation ID transmitted from the server 300 (see Table 4).

  In such a modified example, the server 300 stores a plurality of types of activation IDs, i.e., an activation ID that can use the function A and the function B and an activation ID that can use only the function A. In accordance with the type of code received from the dongle 200, which of the plurality of types of activation IDs is to be transmitted to the dongle 200 is determined based on, for example, Table 4.

  As described above, in the modification described with reference to FIG. 6 and Tables 3 and 4, the functions that can be used by the PC 100 decrease as the dongle 200 moves away from the LAN 500. Conversely, the PC 100 increases as the dongle 200 moves away from the LAN 500. The system may be configured so that more functions can be used in the system.

  Each embodiment disclosed this time must be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims. In addition, it is intended that the techniques disclosed in the embodiments are combined and realized as much as possible.

It is a figure which shows typically the whole structure of the program authentication system of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the program authentication system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the hardware constitutions of PC, the dongle, and the server which were shown by FIG. It is a flowchart of the application execution process which CPU of PC of FIG. 3 performs. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a subroutine executed in the startup ID acquisition process of FIG. 4 and the program authentication system shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the program authentication system shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  100 server, 101, 251, 291, 301 CPU, 102, 302 HD, 103, 303 RAM, 104, 304 display, 105, 305 I / F, 106, 296, 306 input unit, 110 USB I / F, 200 dongle , 201 power supply circuit, 202 clock circuit, 203 antenna, 204 balun, 205 RF circuit, 206, 207 EEPROM, 250 baseband / MAC circuit, 252, 294 interface, 253 external bus controller, 254 program memory, 255 shared memory, 256 Timer, 257 control MAC unit, 258 ADC, 259 DAC, 280 communication circuit, 290 host system, 292 USB connector, 295 flash memory, 300 server, 50 LAN.

Claims (11)

An information processing apparatus installed with a program, and a server capable of communicating with the information processing apparatus;
The information processing device includes a communication device that communicates with the server according to a wireless communication method, and a device-side storage unit that stores predetermined information.
The server
A server-side storage unit that stores first information, which is information necessary for starting the program, and second information stored in association with the first information;
A communication unit that communicates with the communication device according to a wireless communication method,
The information processing apparatus includes:
An input unit that accepts input of information;
A control unit that causes the communication device to transmit the predetermined information to the server in response to input of information instructing activation of the program to the input unit;
The communication unit receives the predetermined information transmitted from the communication device,
The server
A determination unit that determines whether or not the predetermined information received by the communication unit matches the second information;
An instruction unit that causes the communication unit to transmit the first information to the communication device when the determination unit determines that the predetermined information matches the second information;
The information processing apparatus includes:
Using said first information the communication device has received further seen including a program processing section that executes processing for starting the program,
The control unit causes the communication device to transmit the predetermined information so that the content received by the communication unit differs according to the distance between the information processing device and the server,
The instruction unit causes the communication unit to transmit at least one type of the first information among two or more types of the first information according to the content of the predetermined information received by the communication unit,
The two or more types of the first information are pieces of information that can be used in an application, and the contents that can be used in the application differ according to the distance between the information processing apparatus and the server. A program authentication system, which is information for causing a processing unit to activate the program. The information processing apparatus includes an information processing terminal and a dongle detachably connected to the information processing terminal,
The information processing terminal constitutes the input unit, the control unit, and the program processing unit,
The program authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the dongle constitutes the communication device and includes the device-side storage unit. The program processing unit causes the communication device to transmit the predetermined information to the server every predetermined time during a period in which the program is activated,
The determination unit determines whether the predetermined information received at that time matches the second information every time the communication unit receives the predetermined information from the communication device,
The instruction unit causes the communication unit to transmit the first information to the communication device each time the determination unit determines that the predetermined information matches the second information.
The program processing unit continues the activation of the program on a condition that the communication apparatus receives the first information at the predetermined time during a period in which the program is activated. Or the program authentication system of Claim 2.   4. The program authentication according to claim 1, wherein the instruction unit causes the server side storage unit to store a time at which the communication unit transmits the first information to the communication device. 5. system. The information processing apparatus further includes a third storage unit that stores characteristic information that is information indicating characteristics of the program,
The program authentication system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit the characteristic information together with the predetermined information to the server. The two or more types of the first information are information having different contents that can be used in the application, and the contents that can be used in the application decrease as the distance between the information processing apparatus and the server increases. The program authentication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , which is two or more types of information that causes a program processing unit to activate the program. A control program for controlling the information processing apparatus in which the execution program is installed, the information processing apparatus associated with the first information and the first information that are information necessary for starting the execution program A communication device configured to communicate with a server including a server-side storage unit that stores the stored second information by a wireless communication method;
The information processing device includes a control unit that controls the communication device, and a program processing unit that starts the execution program,
The communication device includes a device-side storage unit that stores predetermined information,
The control program is stored in the information processing apparatus.
Causing the communication unit to transmit the predetermined information to the server in response to input of information that instructs the control unit to start the execution program;
Using the first information transmitted to the program processing unit when the server determines that the predetermined information and the second information match, and received by the communication device, the execution information Executing a process for starting the program ,
The step of transmitting the predetermined information includes causing the communication device to transmit the predetermined information so that contents received by the server differ according to a distance between the information processing device and the server,
The first information is at least one type of the first information of two or more types of the first information transmitted by the server according to the content of the predetermined information,
The two or more types of the first information are pieces of information that can be used in an application, and the contents that can be used in the application differ according to the distance between the information processing apparatus and the server. An information processing system, which is information that causes a processing unit to activate the execution program . The information processing apparatus includes an information processing terminal and a dongle detachably connected to the information processing terminal,
The information processing terminal constitutes the control unit and the program processing unit,
The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the dongle constitutes the communication device. The control program is stored in the information processing apparatus.
Causing the program processing unit to cause the communication device to transmit the predetermined information to the server at predetermined intervals during a period in which the execution program is activated;
Each time the server receives the predetermined information at the predetermined time, the first information is transmitted to the program processing unit upon determining that the predetermined information received at that time matches the second information. The information processing system according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising the step of continuing the activation of the execution program on condition that the communication device has received the message. The information processing apparatus further includes a third storage unit that stores characteristic information that is information indicating characteristics of the execution program,
The control program is stored in the information processing apparatus.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the control unit further causes the communication device to transmit the characteristic information together with the predetermined information to the server. The two or more types of the first information are pieces of information that can be used in the execution program, and the contents that can be used in the execution program as the distance between the information processing apparatus and the server increases. 11. The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the information processing system is two or more types of information that causes the program processing unit to start the execution program so as to reduce the amount of information.

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