Information management system, information management method and program

Abstract

To manage a device by connecting it to a system in an appropriate region.SOLUTION: An information management system 101 belongs to a first region. The information management system 101 is connected to another information management system 102 that belongs to a second region different from the first region. Each of the information management systems 101, 102 is assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs. When the information management system 101 in the first region receives a registration request for a target device from a user terminal 104 via a service, the information management system sets such that data from the target device is transferred to the information management system 102 in the second region if a connection destination of the target device represents the second region information and the service is a specific service.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information management system for managing devices. [Background technology]

[0002] There is an IoT system that connects a cloud service to a device such as a printer and manages the state of the device. Generally, cloud services are constructed and operated in the same configuration for multiple regions for various reasons such as compliance with local personal information protection laws, communication performance, and maintaining services during disasters. This is called a multi-region configuration. In a multi-region configuration, each device needs to connect to a cloud service in an appropriate region. Patent Document 1 describes a method in which authorization servers are installed in multiple regions, and when a client terminal receives an authorization token from the authorization server, the client terminal determines the region to connect to based on the information and makes the connection. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-139520 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, some cloud services manage two or more regions as one region. With such cloud services, even if a device is connected to the correct region, the device's connection destination may change in conjunction with the device's registered region on the cloud service side.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to connect a device to a system in an appropriate region and manage it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information management system of the present invention is an information management system that manages devices registered by a user terminal and devices connected to itself, belonging to a first region and connected to other information management systems that belong to a second region different from the first region, each of the information management systems is assigned region information representing the region to which it belongs, and has a setting means that, when a registration request for a target device is received from the user terminal via a service, if the connection destination of the target device represents the second region information and the service is a specific service, sets the information management system having the second region information to transfer data from the target device. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a device can be connected to and managed by a system in the appropriate region. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration including a device management system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of each device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of each device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates the flow of data from a device. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flow chart showing processing executed in each device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the device management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the processing of a device management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the processing of a device management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of device registration for each service according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the processing of a device management system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [Embodiment 1] <Overall system configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an entire system including a device management system according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, device management systems 101 and 102, a user terminal 104, a device 105, a shared database 106, and a service 107 are connected via a network 100.

[0011] The network 100 is a so-called communications network realized by, for example, a LAN such as the Internet, a WAN, a telephone line, a dedicated digital line, an ATM or frame relay line, a cable television line, a wireless line for data broadcasting, etc. The network 100 may be any network as long as it is capable of transmitting and receiving data.

[0012] The device management systems 101 and 102 are configured on a server computer as a real resource. The device management systems 101 and 102 have a function of accepting a registration request for a device 105 from a user terminal 104 and a function of displaying data received from the device 105 on the user terminal 104. The device management systems 101 and 102 can communicate with each other via a network 100 and have a function of transmitting and receiving information. In this embodiment, the device management systems 101 and 102 have a multi-region configuration and are constructed in data centers installed in each of multiple regions. The device management systems 101 and 102 belong to different regions. For example, the region of the device management system 101 is JP (Japan region), and the region of the device management system 102 is EU (Europe region). The device management systems 101 and 102 each hold information on users in charge and information on registered devices. The device management systems 101 and 102 each have region information indicating the region to which they belong. The device management systems 101 and 102 are examples of information management systems.

[0013] The user terminal 104 is an information processing device operated by a user, and is configured as a PC (personal computer). The user terminal 104 requests the device management systems 101 and 102 to register the device 105 and browses information on the registered device 105 via a web browser. Although not explained here, the user terminal 104 determines which region's device management system to access based on the user's login information, and connects to the device management system of the determined region.

[0014] The device 105 connects to any one of the device management systems on the network 100, and transmits configuration information of the device itself and, if the device 105 has a printing function, printed information to the connected device management system. In this embodiment, the method by which the device 105 connects to the device management systems 101 and 102 differs depending on the model of the device 105. Some models of the device 105 do not have a function for switching the connection destination, and a fixed connection destination is set in advance within the device. Other models switch the connection destination according to the sales destination set for each device. Even the former model can be updated to the latter model by upgrading the version of the device. Sales destination information is information determined by the region in which the device is sold.

[0015] The shared database 106 is accessible from the device management systems of each region and is a storage device that stores data shared between the device management systems. When the device management systems 101 and 102 receive a device registration request from the user terminal 104 or a connection request from the device 105, they store information in the shared database 106.

[0016] The service 107 accepts user registration from the user terminal 104 and requests the device management systems 101 and 102 to register the device 105. In this way, a request to register the device 105 can also be made from the user terminal 104 via the service 107. The services 107 exist in each region, and each region has multiple types of services 107. The user terminal 104 receives information from the device management systems 101 and 102 via the registered service 107.

[0017] The device management systems 101 and 102 according to the present embodiment are realized by one or more servers, or one or more virtual servers realized by one or more physical devices. When realized by one or more virtual servers, the systems are realized by applying cloud computing technology. Furthermore, each software module of the device management systems 101 and 102 described in FIG. 3 may be realized by one or more physical servers or virtual servers.

[0018] <Hardware configuration of each device> Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device constituting the overall system shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a server computer constituting the device management systems 101 and 102 according to this embodiment. Note that the device management systems 101 and 102 can be realized with the same configuration. Also, the user terminal 104, the shared database 106, and the service 107 can be realized with the same hardware configuration as the device management system 101.

[0019] The device management system 101 includes a CPU 202 , a ROM 203 , a RAM 204 , a HDD 205 , a NIC 206 , an input unit 207 , a display unit 208 , and an interface 209 , and these units are connected via a system bus 201 . The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 202 cooperates with each unit to control the overall operation of the device management system 101. The ROM (Read Only Memory) 204 stores various data and various programs. The CPU 202 executes a program stored in the ROM 203 or the HDD 205 to realize the operation of each functional unit of the device management system 101 shown in FIG. 3 and to realize the processing of each flowchart described later. The RAM (Random Access Memory) 204 is the main memory of the CPU 202 and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various programs. The HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 205 is one of the external storage means and functions as a large-capacity memory to store application programs such as a Web browser, programs of a group of service servers, an OS, related programs, and various data described later.

[0020] The input unit 207 is an instruction input unit such as a keyboard or a mouse. The display unit 208 is a display unit that displays processing results according to the input from the input unit 207 under the control of the CPU 202. The interface 209 is an external device I / F that connects USB devices and peripheral devices. The NIC (Network Interface Card) 206 exchanges data with external devices via the network 100 under the control of the CPU 202.

[0021] The above computer configuration is an example, and is not limited to the configuration example shown in Fig. 2(a). For example, the storage destination of data and programs can be changed to ROM 203, RAM 204, HDD 205, etc. depending on the characteristics. Furthermore, the operation of each functional unit of the device management systems 101 and 102, user terminal 104, shared database 106, and service 107 shown in Fig. 3 is realized by the CPU 202 executing the program stored in the HDD 205.

[0022] 2B is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the device 105 according to this embodiment. The device 105 can be applied to various devices such as a digital multifunction peripheral, a facsimile machine, a laser beam printer, an inkjet printer, and a scanner device.

[0023] The device 105 includes a CPU 212 , a ROM 213 , a RAM 214 , a HDD 215 , a NIC 216 , an input unit 217 , and a display unit 218 , and these units are connected via a system bus 211 . The CPU 212 cooperates with each unit to control the overall operation of the device 105. The CPU 212 executes a program stored in the ROM 213 or the HDD 215, thereby realizing the operation of each functional unit of the device 105 shown in FIG. 3. The ROM 213 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 214 is a main memory of the CPU 212, and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various programs. The HDD 215 is one of the external storage means, functions as a large-capacity memory, and stores various programs, configuration information of the device itself, information according to the model for connecting to the device management systems 101 and 102 (connection destination information, sales destination information), as well as printed information. The NIC 216 exchanges data with the device management system of the connection destination via the network 100 under the control of the CPU 212. The input unit 217 is an instruction input unit such as a keyboard or a mouse. The display unit 218 is a display unit, and displays a processing result according to an input from the input unit 217 under the control of the CPU 212.

[0024] The above computer configuration is an example, and is not limited to the configuration example shown in Fig. 2(b). For example, the storage destination of data and programs can be changed to ROM 213, RAM 214, HDD 215, etc. depending on the characteristics of the data and programs.

[0025] <Overall system functional configuration> Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of each device constituting the overall system shown in Fig. 1. Here, the processing of each functional unit will be described with respect to the connection processing from the device 105 and the device registration processing executed in response to a device registration request from the user terminal 104.

[0026] <Connection process from device 105> First, the functional configuration of the device 105 will be described. The device 105 includes a request unit 321 that transmits a connection request to the device management systems 101 and 102 , and a connection control unit 322 that controls the connection to the device management systems 101 and 102 . After the device 105 is installed, the request unit 321 transmits a connection request provided by the connection control unit 322 to the device management systems 101 and 102 . The connection control unit 322 provides a connection request to the request unit 321. This connection request includes a model number (serial number) that uniquely identifies the device 105 itself, and a flag (region compatibility flag) that indicates whether the device 105 itself supports multiple regions. As described above, the device 105 includes a model in which the connection destination is set in advance within the device, and a model in which the connection destination is switched according to the sales specification of the device 105. In the case of a model in which the connection destination is set in advance within the device, the connection request does not include a region compatibility flag. The connection control unit 322 receives a response to the connection request from the device management systems 101 and 102. This completes the connection process of the device 105. In the case of a model in which the connection destination is switched according to the sales specification of the device 105, the connection control unit 322 stores region information included in the response to the connection request from the device management systems 101 and 102 as connection destination information in the HDD 215. This makes it possible to change the connection destination to a region other than the sales specification.

[0027] <Device management system device connection process> Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the device management systems 101 and 102 in the device connection process. The device connection process is executed in response to receiving a connection request from the device 105. The device management systems 101 and 102 each include a request receiving unit 311, a device management unit 312, a data storage unit 313, an external receiving unit 314, an external communication unit 315, and a common data access unit 316. First, the device connection process of the device management system will be described. The request receiving unit 311 receives a connection request from the device 105. The request receiving unit 311 notifies the device management unit 312 of the serial number and the region support flag contained in the connection request. Furthermore, the request receiving unit 311 stores the information indicating that the device has been connected in association with the serial number in the data storage unit 313. Table 1 below shows an example of data stored in the data storage unit 313.

[0028] [Table 1]

[0029] The serial number in Table 1 is information included in a connection request from the device 105, and is identification information that uniquely identifies the device 105. The device connection information is information indicating that a connection request has been made from the device 105. In the device connection information in Table 1, the value is TRUE if the device 105 with that serial number is already connected to the device 105, and FALSE if it is not connected. The device registration information is information that indicates that a device has been registered from the user terminal 104, which will be described later. In the device registration information in Table 1, the value is TRUE if the device 105 with that serial number has already been registered to the user, and FALSE if it has not been registered. In the following, a list such as that shown in Table 1 is referred to as a device management list.

[0030] The device management unit 312 controls the operation of each functional unit according to data received from an external device. In the device connection process, the device management unit 312 notifies the common data access unit 316 of the serial number and region flag received from the request reception unit 311, and the region information of the region to which the device management unit 312 belongs. The common data access unit 316 exchanges data with the input / output unit 341 of the shared database 106. In the device connection process, the common data access unit 316 stores the data received from the device management unit 312 in the shared database 106. Table 2 below shows an example of data stored in the shared database 106. Hereinafter, a list such as that shown in Table 2 will be referred to as a device region management list. Also, information corresponding to each device will be referred to as device region management information. The device region management information is an example of device information.

[0031] [Table 2]

[0032] The serial number in Table 2 is information that uniquely identifies the device 105. The information stored in the shared database 106 is read and written by each of the device management systems 101 and 102. Therefore, the serial number is used as identification information that uniquely identifies the device 105. The region compatibility flag in Table 2 is information indicating whether the connection destination is a model that is preset within the device, or a model that switches the connection destination according to the sales specification of the device 105. If the connection destination is a model that is preset within the device, the region compatibility flag is not included in the connection request of the device, and therefore the device management unit 312 sets the region compatibility flag to FALSE. Also, if the connection destination is a model that switches the connection destination according to the sales specification of the device 105, the region compatibility flag is set to TRUE. The connection region in Table 2 is region information of the device management system to which the device 105 is connected. The device registration destination region in Table 2 is region information designated as the destination of device data when the device is registered from the user terminal 104 described later. The device registration region in Table 2 is region information of the device management system in which the device is registered from the user terminal 104, which will be described later.

[0033] <Device registration process in device management system> Next, a device registration process of the device management system will be described. In this embodiment, the device registration process is executed in response to receiving a device registration request from the user terminal 104. The external receiving unit 314 receives a device registration request from the instruction transmitting unit 331 of the user terminal 104. The device registration request includes the serial number of the device 105 to be registered. As described above, which device management system the instruction transmitting unit 331 of the user terminal 104 accesses is determined based on the user's login information. The external receiving unit 314 notifies the device management unit 312 of the information of the received device registration request. The device management unit 312 registers its own region information in the device registration region of the serial number of the device 105 to be registered in the device region management list in the shared database 106 via the common data access unit 316. If the corresponding serial number is not found in the shared database 106, the device management unit 312 newly registers the serial number and device registration region. The data storage unit 313 stores the device registration information of the serial number of the registration target device 105. If the corresponding serial number is not found in the device management list, the data storage unit 313 newly stores the corresponding serial number in the device management list. The external communication unit 315 transmits and receives data to and from device management systems that belong to other regions.

[0034] The device registration request may also be transmitted from the instruction transmission unit 351 of the service 107 in response to the request reception unit 352 of the service 107 receiving a user registration request from the instruction transmission unit 331 of the user terminal 104. The device management system to which the instruction transmission unit 351 of the service 107 sends the device registration request is determined according to the region management method of the service 107. The case where a device is registered via the service 107 in this way will be described later in the third embodiment.

[0035] When both device connection information and device registration information exist in the data storage unit 313 of the device management system in the same region (when both device connection information and device registration information in the device management list are TRUE), data from the device 105 can be received. Here, the device management unit 312 sets a flag for the serial number in the device management list only when it indicates that both device connection information and device registration information exist. The request reception unit 311 receives only data from the device 105 with that flag. In other words, the device management systems 101, 102 can receive data from the device 105 only when both device connection information and device registration information in the data storage unit 313 exist in the same region.

[0036] In this embodiment, in the case of a model in which the connection destination is preset within the device, it is assumed that the connection region corresponding to the connection from the device 105 is different from the device registration region corresponding to the device registration from the user terminal 104. In that case, the device connection information and device registration information in the data storage unit 313 are present in different regions, and the device management systems 101 and 102 cannot receive data from the device 105.

[0037] 4, a data flow will be described in a case where the connection region of a model whose connection destination is preset in the device is different from the device registration region corresponding to the device registration from the user terminal 104. In this case, the device management system 101 matches the device connection information and device registration information in the data storage unit 313 to the same region. Then, the device management system 101 in the region where both the device connection information and device registration information in the data storage unit 313 exist refers to the device registration region in the device region management list in the shared database 106, and transfers data to that region.

[0038] For the sake of explanation, hereinafter, a device management system belonging to region A is referred to as device management system 101, and a device management system belonging to region B is referred to as device management system 102. As a premise, for models whose connection destination is preset within the device, region A is set as the connection region. Hereinafter, the connection region of a model whose connection destination is preset within the device may be referred to as the default region.

[0039] The following Tables 3, 4, and 5 show various pieces of information regarding the device 105 having the serial number AAA99999 after the device connection process and device registration process have been completed. This device 105 is a model in which the connection destination is preset within the device. Table 3 below shows the device region management list of the shared database 106. [Table 3]

[0040] Table 4 shows the device management list of the data storage unit 313 in region A. [Table 4]

[0041] Table 5 shows the device management list of the data storage unit 313 of region B. [Table 5]

[0042] 4. First, when the device management system 102 of region B receives a device registration request from the user terminal 104, it is assumed that the region correspondence flag of the corresponding serial number in the device region management list in the shared database 106 is FALSE. At this time, the device management system 102 makes a device registration request to the device management system 101 of region A, which is the default region. At this time, the device management unit 312 saves the region (region A in this case) of the device registration request destination as the device registration destination region in the device region management list via the common data access unit 316. This request is made via the external communication unit 315, and includes the serial number. The device management system 101 of region A that receives the device registration request saves the serial number and device registration information in the data storage unit 313. Also, if the device that corresponds to the connected region is itself (region B in this case), the device management unit 312 saves the serial number and device registration information in its own data storage unit 313 via the request receiving unit 311. Furthermore, the device management system 102 of region B stores its own region (region B in this case) as a device registration region in the device registration region of the corresponding serial number in the device region management list in the shared database 106 .

[0043] As described above, in the case of a model whose connection destination is preset in the device, a connection request from the device 105 is sent to the device management system 101 of the default region. Therefore, both device connection information and device registration information exist in the data storage unit 313 of the device management system 101 of region A, which is the default region, and data from the device 105 of the corresponding serial number can be received. When the device management system 101 receives data from the device 105, it reads the device registration region of the corresponding serial number from the shared database 106 and transfers the data to the device management system 102 of the read device registration region. In other words, the process in which the device management system 102 makes a device registration request to the device management system 101 can be said to be a process of requesting data transfer settings to the device management system 101. By setting data transfer settings in the device management system 101, data from the device 105 can be correctly transmitted to the region in which the device is registered (region B in this case) even in the case of a model whose connection destination is preset in the device.

[0044] In this embodiment, both device registration from the user terminal 104 and connection from the device 105 to the device management system are performed, and the device is available to the user (a state in which the data reception status of the device 105 can be confirmed on the screen of the user terminal 104). Note that a case in which device registration is performed from the user terminal 104 first is called "first-registration-then-installation," and a case in which connection is performed from the device 105 first is called "first-installation-then-registration."

[0045] Hereinafter, a description will be given of the processing performed by the device management systems 101 and 102 and the processing of the device 105 so that the device can be correctly used in both the above-mentioned cases of first-registration-then-installation and first-installation-then-registration. In this embodiment, a description will be given of a case where the device 105 is managed by being connected to either the device management system 101 belonging to region A or the device management system 102 belonging to region B.

[0046] First, a description will be given of connection processing for a model of the device 105 whose connection destination is preset within the device, and a model whose connection destination is switched according to the sales specification of the device 105. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the connection processing of the device 105 and the processing of the device management systems 101, 102 when a connection request is received.

[0047] <Connection process for models with connection destinations set within the device> 5A shows the connection process for a model in which the connection destination is set in the device. In the device 105, the connection process is started when the user makes a connection request via the input unit 217 after the installation of the device 105 is completed. In S501, the connection control unit 322 of the device 105 reads the connection destination information stored in the HDD 215. In this embodiment, the connection destination information is in the form of a URL, and it is assumed that a fixed URL is set at the time of shipment from the factory. This connection destination information is information on the default region. In S502, the connection control unit 322 sends a connection request to the device management system using the URL read in S501 together with its own serial number information via the request unit 321. Note that since the device does not have a function for switching the connection destination based on sales destination, the region compatibility flag is not sent. This is the end of the processing of this flowchart.

[0048] <Connection process for models that switch connection destinations according to sales specifications> 5B shows a connection process in the case where the device 105 has a function for switching the connection destination according to the sales specification. Note that the same process is performed when the model in which the connection destination is set in the device is upgraded to the version where the connection destination can be switched according to the sales specification. In S503, the connection control unit 322 of the device 105 acquires sales information from the HDD 215. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sales information does not correspond one-to-one to the region of the connection destination. Therefore, it is assumed that the device 105 holds the sales information and mapping information of the region of the connection destination in advance. Note that this mapping information may be acquired from an external device. In S504, the connection control unit 322 uses the sales destination information and mapping information acquired in S503 to identify the region to connect to and generate a URL. In S505, the connection control unit 322 sends a connection request to the device management system using the URL generated in S504 together with its own serial number information and the region support flag via the request unit 321. This ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0049] <Processing when receiving a connection request from the device management system> FIG. 5C is a flowchart showing the process performed when a connection request is made from the device 105 to the device management systems 101 and 102. In S506, the request receiving unit 311 of the device management system receives the connection request from the device 105 and notifies the device management unit 312 of the connection request. In S507, the device management unit 312 acquires the device registration region corresponding to the serial number included in the connection request received in S506 from the shared database 106. The device management unit 312 then determines whether the device registration region is its own region. If the device registration region is empty or if the device registration region is its own region, the process proceeds to S508. If the device registration region is different from its own region, the process proceeds to S509. In this embodiment, the device registration region is different from its own region in the case of pre-registration followed by installation, and a default region is stored as the device registration region in S605 of FIG. 6, as shown in Table 6, which will be described later. Also, since the default region is stored as the device registration region, it can be determined that a setting is made in S605 to transfer data to the device management system 101 of the default region.

[0050] In S509, the device management unit 312 requests the device management system 101 of the default region to delete the device registration information via the external communication unit 315. The subject of the operation here is the device management unit 312 of the device management system 102 of region B. That is, when the device management system 102 of a region (region B) different from the default region executes the device registration process first, it sets data transfer settings in the default region to accommodate the device 105 not having a function to switch the connection destination. After that, when the device management system 102 of region B accepts a connection request for the device 105, it deletes the data transfer settings. This allows it to accommodate a model that has a function to switch the connection destination. The request to delete the data transfer settings includes the serial number included in the connection request received in S506. The device management unit 312 of the device management system 101 that received the request to delete the transfer settings deletes the device registration information of the received serial number from the device management list of the data storage unit 313. In S510, the device management unit 312 stores the device registration information in the data storage unit 313 of the own region.

[0051] In S508, the device management unit 312 stores information in the shared database 106 based on the serial number included in the connection request received in S506. As described above, in the case of a model in which the connection destination is set in the device, the serial number, the region support flag is FALSE, and the device's own region are stored as the connection region. In the case of a model in which the connection destination is switched according to the sales specification, the serial number, the region support flag is TRUE, and the device's own region are stored as the connection region. Note that, in S509, when a request to delete the data transfer setting is made to the device management system 101 in the default region, the device management unit 312 updates the device registration destination region to the device's own region. This makes it possible to match the connection region, the device registration destination region, and the device registration region, as shown in Table 7 described later. In addition, the device management unit 312 stores the device connection information corresponding to the connection request of S506 in the data storage unit 313 in the own region, and updates the device management list. The above is the process performed by the device management systems 101 and 102 when a connection request is made from the device 105.

[0052] <Processing when receiving a device registration request> 6 is a flowchart showing the process when a device registration request is made from the user terminal 104 to the device management system 102 of region B. As in the above, the connection region for a model whose connection destination is set in the device is region A, which is the default region.

[0053] In S601, the external receiving unit 314 of the device management system 102 receives a device registration request from the instruction transmitting unit 331 of the user terminal 104, and notifies the device management unit 312. At this time, the serial number of the registration target is provided. In S602, the device management unit 312 acquires, via the common data access unit 316, device region management information having the serial number provided in S601 from the common database 106. In S603, the device management unit 312 determines whether or not the device region management information was acquired in S602.

[0054] In S603, if the device management unit 312 determines that the device region management information could not be acquired in S602, the process proceeds to S604. If there is no information associated with the serial number in the shared database 106 at the time of the device registration request, the device 105 is not connected, and is in the previously described "first-registration-then-installed" state. The process of S604 to S605 is performed by the device management system 102 in the case of "first-registration-then-installed." In S603, if the device management unit 312 determines that the device region management information has been acquired in S602, the process proceeds to S606. Here, if the shared database 106 has information associated with the serial number at the time of the device registration request, this means that the device 105 is already connected, which is the state of the first-installation-after-registration described above. The process of the device management system 102 in the case of first-installation-after-registration is the process of S606 to S608.

[0055] First, the process of the device management system 102 in the case of first-registration-then-installation will be described. In S604, the device management unit 312 saves device region management information including the serial number, device registration destination region, and device registration region in the shared database 106. Here, since it is unknown whether the device 105 has a function for switching the connection destination, the default region (region A) is registered as the device registration destination region. This is because it is necessary to consider the possibility that the device 105 that will make a connection request later is a model that does not have a function for switching the connection destination. As an example, for the serial number AAA12345, the device region management list in the shared database 106 in S604 is shown in Table 6.

[0056] [Table 6] In S605, the device management unit 312 makes a device registration request to the device management system 101 of region A via the external communication unit 315, thereby making data transfer settings.

[0057] Next, the process of the device management system 102 in the case of first-installation-then-registration will be described. In S606, the device management unit 312 judges whether the region correspondence flag of the device region management information acquired in S602 is TRUE or FALSE. If it is TRUE, the device management unit 312 performs the process of S607. If it is FALSE, the device management unit 312 performs the process of S604. If the region support flag is FALSE, the connection destination cannot be switched. Therefore, since the connection region cannot be made to match the device registration region on the device side, data is transferred from region A to region B as described in FIG. 4, thereby making it possible to receive data from the device 105. This process is the same as S604 to S605. In other words, when the device management system 102 in region B receives a device registration request, if it is unclear whether the device 105 has a function for switching the connection destination, or if the device management system 102 does not have the function, it performs data transfer settings for the device management system 101 in region A.

[0058] In S607, the device management unit 312 updates the device registration region with its own region information. Table 7 below shows an example of device region management information after the device registration region is updated.

[0059] [Table 7]

[0060] In S608, the device management unit 312 stores the device registration information corresponding to the device registration request in S601 in the data storage unit 313 of its own region, and updates the device management list. The above is the process performed by the device management system 102 in region B when a device registration request is received from the user terminal 104.

[0061] In the above embodiment, when a device does not have the function to switch the connection destination, or when a device is registered to a cloud service from a user terminal before connecting the device, the device can be connected to an appropriate region and managed.

[0062] [Embodiment 2] In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the connection region according to the sales specifications matches the device registration region. On the other hand, if a corresponding region is added to the cloud service side and the device registration region is changed, causing a mismatch with the connection region, data from the device 105 cannot be transmitted to the device management system side unless the connection region is changed. In this embodiment, a process of changing the connection region of the device 105 when region C is added to the device registration region and the connection region does not match with the device registration region will be described. Note that the numbers and names in the figure are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the device management system 103 belonging to region C, which is different from regions A and B, is connected to the network 100.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the device management system 103 of region C when the connected region and the device registration region do not match for a model of the device 105 to be registered that switches the connection destination according to the sales specification. S601 to S608 in the figure are the same as those in the description of the first embodiment. The subject of the operation in FIG. 6 is the device management system 102 of region B, whereas the subject of the operation in FIG. 7 is the device management system 103 of region C. FIG. 7 is also different from FIG. 6 in that S701 to S704 are executed between S607 and S608. The processing of S701 to S704 will be described below. Here, it is assumed that the device 105 to be registered was connected to the device management system 102 of region B until immediately before receiving a registration request from the user terminal 104. Therefore, in S607, it is assumed that the device registration region is updated from region B to region C, resulting in the state shown in Table 8 below.

[0064] [Table 8]

[0065] In S701, the device management unit 312 of the device management system 103 refers to the device region management list updated in S607 and determines whether the connection region and the device registration region match. If the device management unit 312 determines that they match, the process proceeds to S608, and if they do not match, the process proceeds to S702.

[0066] In S702, the device management unit 312 requests the device management system corresponding to the connected region to transmit a connection destination change instruction to the target device 105 via the external communication unit 315. Details of the process executed by the device management system (here, the device management system 102 of region B) that has been requested to transmit the connection destination change instruction in S702 will be described later.

[0067] In S703, the device management unit 312 waits until it receives a connection destination change completion notification from the device management system corresponding to the previous connected region (here, the device management system 102 in region B). In S704, the device management unit 312 transmits, via the external communication unit 315, an instruction to delete the device management list to the device management system corresponding to the previously connected region (here, the device management system 102 of region B).

[0068] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the process of the device management system (here, the device management system 102 in region B) that receives the connection destination change instruction in S702. In S706, the device management unit 312 of the device management system 102 receives a connection destination change instruction. This instruction includes the serial number of the target device 105 and region information of the destination (region C in this example). In S707, the device management unit 312 waits until a connection is made with the device 105. The device 105 connects to the device management system when an event occurs or periodically.

[0069] In S708, the device management unit 312 transmits to the connected device 105 an instruction to change the connection destination and region information of the new destination. In S709, the device management unit 312 waits until the connection region in the device region management information of the shared database 106 is updated to region C. In S710, when the device management unit 312 confirms that the connection region has been updated, it transmits a connection destination change completion notification to the device management system 103 of region C.

[0070] In the above embodiment, when a corresponding region is added to the cloud service side and the device registration region is changed, the region to which the device is connected can be changed. Therefore, the device can be connected to the appropriate region and managed.

[0071] [Embodiment 3] In the second embodiment, a corresponding region is added to the cloud service side, and when the device registration region is changed, it is possible to change the connection destination of the device. Some cloud services manage regions in units of several regions managed by the device management system. For example, the device management system manages the United States and Canada separately, but a certain service manages the United States and Canada collectively as the United States. In this case, when a device registration request is made from a user terminal in Canada via the service, the registration destination region is rounded to the United States in the service, and the device registration region and the connection region according to the sales specification are different. In a similar mechanism to the second embodiment, if the device connection destination is changed to the region for which the device registration request was made, the device will send data to a region different from the region according to the sales specification to which it should be originally connected. In this way, when a device registration request is made via a service (hereinafter referred to as a specific service) that manages regions in units larger than the management unit of the regions of the device management system, there is a possibility that data cannot be sent to the correct connection destination. In this embodiment, when a device registration request is made to the device management system via a specific service, even if the connection region and the device registration region are different, no instruction to change the connection destination is given to the device, and data is sent to the same region as the sales destination. This allows the device to send data to the correct destination region even if the device registration request is made via a service that manages regions in units larger than the device management system's region management unit.

[0072] First, a device registration request made from the user terminal 104 via the service 107 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. When the request receiving unit 352 of the service 107 receives the user registration from the instruction transmitting unit 331 of the user terminal 104, it notifies the instruction transmitting unit 351 of the service 107. The instruction transmitting unit 351 receives the user registration and makes a device registration request to the external receiving unit 314 of the device management systems 101 and 102 of the target region. The service 107 transmits the device registration request including the name of the registered service (registered service name) and the serial number of the device 105 to be registered. The external receiving unit 314 of the device management systems 101 and 102 notifies the device management unit 312 of the received device registration request. The device management unit 312 identifies the corresponding information from the device region management list in the shared database 106 based on the serial number received from the external receiving unit 314, and registers its own region and registered service name in the device registration region. If the corresponding serial number is not found in the shared database 106, the serial number, device registration region, and registered service name are newly registered. Table 9 shows an example of a device region management list in the shared database 106 when the device management system receives a device registration request via the service 107.

[0073] [Table 9]

[0074] In this way, a device registration request can be made via the service 107. However, when a device registration request is made from the user terminal 104 to the device management system via a specific service, the region may be rounded in the specific service, and the device registration request may be made to a device management system of an incorrect region. This case will be described with reference to FIG.

[0075] 9 shows a case where regions A and B exist, and a device is registered from a user terminal 104 via a service 107 to a device management system 101 belonging to region A and a device management system 102 belonging to region B. The registered service names of the services are assumed to be Y and Z. Regions A and B in the device management system are managed collectively as region B under the registered service name Z. Table 10 shows an example of a device region management list when a device registration request is made via the service 107 with the registered service names Y and Z.

[0076] [Table 10]

[0077] First, a case will be described where a device registration request is made to the device management system 101 via a service 107 with a registered service name Y. Assume that the connection destination according to the sales specifications of the device 105 is region A. User registration is made to the service 107 in region A from the user terminal 104. The service 107 where the user registration has been made makes a device registration request to the device management system 101 in the region in which the service 107 exists (region A in this case). A service that manages regions in the same units as the device management system in this way is called a normal service. A normal service is a service other than a specific service.

[0078] Next, a case where a device registration request is made to the device management system 101 via the service 107 of the registered service name Z will be described. The connection destination according to the sales specifications of the device 105 is assumed to be region A. User registration is made from the user terminal 104 to the service 107 of region A. In the registered service name Z, the regions A and B in the device management system are rounded up and processed as region B in the management unit of the registered service name Z, so that the user registration is notified to the service 107 of region B. The service 107 of region B that receives the notification makes a device registration request to the device management system 102 of region B. A service that manages a region in a unit larger than that of the device management system in this way is called a specific service. In this case, the connection region is A, and the device registration region is B, and a difference occurs between the connection region and the device registration region. Therefore, as shown in the second embodiment, the connection destination is changed, and the connection destination of the device 105 is moved from region A to region B. In other words, the device 105 is connected to a region different from the region used by the user.

[0079] <When the connection region and device registration region are different and via a specific service> Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the device management system 102 in region B when the connection region and the device registration region are different. S601 to S608 in the figure are the same as those explained in the first embodiment. S701 to S704 in the figure are the same as those explained in the second embodiment. Fig. 10 also differs from Fig. 7 in that when it is determined in S701 that the connection region and the device registration region do not match, S801 is executed before proceeding to S702.

[0080] As described above, if an instruction to change the connection destination is given by the device management system as in the second embodiment, the device 105 will not be able to connect to the region specified in the sales specification. Therefore, the device management system does not switch the connection destination region, but instead sets up data transfer from region A to region B as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, in order to determine whether the service that has requested the device registration request is a specific service, the shared database 106 holds a specific service management list in which a region allocation flag is associated with a registered service name. Table 11 shows an example of the specific service management list. This list is held in advance in the shared database 106.

[0081] [Table 11]

[0082] If the region allocation flag is TRUE, it indicates that the service is a normal service that manages regions in the same units as the device management system. If it is FALSE, it indicates that the service is a specific service that manages regions in larger units than the device management system.

[0083] In the following, it is assumed that the device region management list of the device 105 to be registered has been updated to the state of AAA56789 in Table 10 in the process of S607. As shown in the second row of Table 10, the device 105 to be registered has a region compatibility flag of TURE, and has a function of switching the connection destination according to the sales destination. When the device registration request is accepted, the device 105 to be registered is connected to the device management system 101 in region A, and the device registration destination region is set to region A, which is the same as the connected region. By accepting the device registration request via the service 107 with the registration service name Z, B is registered in the device registration region.

[0084] In S801, the device management unit 312 reads out the region allocation flag of the corresponding registered service name from the specific service management list of the shared database 106, using the registered service name included in the device registration request. The device management unit 312 judges whether the region allocation flag of the corresponding registered service name is TRUE or not. If the region allocation flag is TRUE (normal service) (YES in S801), the device management unit 312 performs the process from S702 onwards, as in the second embodiment, to change the connection destination of the target device 105 from region A to region B. That is, the device management unit 312 requests the device management system corresponding to the connected region (the device management system 102 of region A in this case) to transmit a connection destination change instruction to the target device 105. In addition, the device management system (the device management system 102 of region A in this case) that has been requested to transmit the connection destination change instruction executes the same process as the flowchart shown in FIG. 8.

[0085] On the other hand, if the region allocation flag is FALSE (specific service) (NO in S801), the device management unit 312 does not change the connection destination of the target device 105 even if the region support flag is TRUE, and the process proceeds to S605. In S605, the device management unit 312 performs data transfer settings by sending a device registration request to the device management system 101 in the same region (region A) as the connected region via the external communication unit 315. In this way, even if the connection destination region and the device registration region do not match due to the device registration region being updated, settings can be made to transfer data from the connection destination region to the device registration region in the case of via a specific service. The service 107 may include a region allocation flag in the device registration request. In this case, the device management unit 312 may determine whether the device registration request is via a specific service from the information included in the device registration request. Also, a registered device name that can identify whether it is a specific service or a normal service may be used.

[0086] In this manner, even if the regional management unit of the cloud service differs from that of the device management system, device data can be sent to the correct connected region.

[0087] <If you register via a specific service and then register via the regular service in a new region> As mentioned above, in the case of a device registration request via a specific service, data transfer allows data to be sent to the correct connection region. Furthermore, here, we consider the case where a device registration request is made via multiple services. For example, after a device is registered via a specific service, a device registration request is made via a normal service in a new region. Since it is assumed that a device is registered in multiple regions, it is unclear which device registration region should be used to determine the device connection destination. Here, the device registration region for the normal service is given priority over the device registration region for the specific service and is compared with the connection region.

[0088] Table 12 shows a state in which the device registration region has been changed by adding a corresponding new region on the cloud service side to the state of Table 10. The serial number AAA56789 in Table 10 represents the device region management information at the time when the device is registered in the device management system 102 of region B from the user terminal 104 via service Z, which is a specific service. After that, a new region C is added, and a device registration request is sent from the user terminal 104 to the device management system 103 of region C via service Y, which is a normal service, and the state is updated to that of Table 12.

[0089] [Table 12]

[0090] The device management system 103 of region C receives the device registration request at the external receiving unit 314 via service Y and notifies the device management unit 312. The device management unit 312 refers to the device region management list in the shared database 106 via the common data access unit 316. The device management unit 312 extracts the corresponding serial number data and stores it in the device registration region in a form that links the registered service name Y to region C. Information in this way that links the device registration region to the registered service name is an example of region registration information.

[0091] In S701, the device management unit 312 refers to the specific service management table in the shared database 106 and judges whether or not all registered service names include those whose region allocation flag is TRUE. In other words, it judges whether or not those registered via normal services are included in the device registration region. If it is judged that those registered via normal regions are included, the device management unit 312 judges whether or not the connected region matches the region information linked to the registered service name of the normal region. In this example, the device management unit 312 compares the connected region A with the device registration region C linked to the service name Y whose region allocation flag is TRUE. If it is judged that they do not match, the device management unit 312 executes the process from S702 onwards, and if it is judged that they match, it executes the process from S608 as it is. In this example, the connected region A does not match the device registration region C, so the process from S702 onwards is executed.

[0092] On the other hand, if it is determined that all were registered via the specific region, the device management unit 312 determines whether or not they match the connected region based on the region information linked to the registered service name of the specific region. If the device management unit 312 determines that they do not match, it is via the specific service, so it executes the process of S605, and if it determines that they match, it executes the process of S608 as it is. In this way, by prioritizing via the normal service over via the specific service and determining whether the connected region and the device registration region match, when a device registration request is made via a new service in a new region, it can be moved to the correct region.

[0093] In the above embodiment, even if a device registration request is made to the device management system via a specific service, data can be transferred correctly without changing the device connection destination. Furthermore, if a device registration request is made via a new service in a new region after a device registration request is made via a specific service, the region connection destination can be changed to the new region based on the device region management information.

[0094] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0095] The device management systems 101, 102, and 103 according to the present embodiment described above may be configured by a cloud service that performs device management, a cloud service that performs user management, and a cloud service that links these cloud services together.

[0096] The disclosure of each of the above-described embodiments includes the following configurations, methods, and programs. (Configuration 1) An information management system that manages devices registered by a user terminal and devices connected to the user terminal, the information management system belonging to a first region and connected to another information management system belonging to a second region different from the first region, each of the information management systems being assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs; a setting means for setting, when a registration request for a target device is received from the user terminal via a service, to transfer data from the target device to an information management system having the second region information if the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a specific service; An information management system comprising: (Configuration 2) a requesting means for requesting an information management system having the second region information to transmit an instruction to the target device to change the connection destination to the first region information when a registration request for the target device is received from the user terminal via a service and the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a service other than the specific service; 2. The information management system according to configuration 1, further comprising: (Configuration 3) Each of the information management systems is connected to a storage device that stores device information; The device information includes, for each device, region registration information linking region information of an information management system in which the device is registered with a service through which the device was registered; The information management system described in configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that when the device information includes multiple pieces of region registration information, the setting means determines whether the connection destination of the target device is different from the first region information based on region information linked to a service other than the specific service. (Configuration 4) 4. The information management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the target device is a model capable of switching destination region information in accordance with settings of destination information. (Configuration 5) 5. The information management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the specific service is a service that manages a region in a unit different from the region of the information management system. (method) An information management system that manages devices registered by a user terminal and devices connected to the user terminal, the information management system belonging to a first region and connected to another information management system belonging to a second region different from the first region, each of the information management systems being assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs; a step of setting, when receiving a registration request for a target device from the user terminal via a service, to transfer data from the target device to an information management system having the second region information, if the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a specific service; 13. An information management method comprising: (program) A computer program for an information management system that manages devices registered by a user terminal and devices connected to the information management system, comprising: The information management system belongs to a first region and is connected to another information management system that belongs to a second region different from the first region, and each of the information management systems is assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs; a setting means for setting, when a registration request for a target device is received from the user terminal via a service, to transfer data from the target device to an information management system having the second region information if the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a specific service; A program characterized by causing the program to operate as follows. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 100: network, 101, 102: device management system, 104: user terminal, 105: device, 106: shared database, 107: service

Claims

1. An information management system that manages a device registered by a user terminal and a device connected to the information management system, the information management system belonging to a first region and connected to another information management system belonging to a second region different from the first region, each of the information management systems being assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs; a setting means for setting, when a registration request for a target device is received from the user terminal via a service, to transfer data from the target device to an information management system having the second region information if the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a specific service; An information management system comprising:

2. a requesting means for requesting an information management system having the second region information to transmit an instruction to the target device to change the connection destination to the first region information when a registration request for the target device is received from the user terminal via a service and the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a service other than the specific service; 2. The information management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. Each of the information management systems is connected to a storage device that stores device information; The device information includes, for each device, region registration information linking region information of an information management system in which the device is registered with a service through which the device was registered; The information management system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the device information includes multiple pieces of region registration information, the setting means determines whether the connection destination of the target device is different from the first region information based on region information linked to a service other than the specific service.

4. 2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the target device is a model capable of switching destination region information in accordance with settings of destination information.

5. 2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the specific service is a service that manages a region in a unit different from the region of the information management system.

6. An information management system that manages a device registered by a user terminal and a device connected to the information management system, the information management system belonging to a first region and connected to another information management system belonging to a second region different from the first region, each of the information management systems being assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs; a step of setting, when a registration request for a target device is received from the user terminal via a service, to transfer data from the target device to an information management system having the second region information, if the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a specific service; 13. An information management method comprising:

7. A computer program for an information management system that manages devices registered by a user terminal and devices connected to the information management system, comprising: The information management system belongs to a first region and is connected to another information management system that belongs to a second region different from the first region, and each of the information management systems is assigned with regional information indicating the region to which it belongs; a setting means for setting, when a registration request for a target device is received from the user terminal via a service, to transfer data from the target device to an information management system having the second region information if the connection destination of the target device indicates the second region information and the service is a specific service; A program characterized by causing the program to operate as follows.

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