Electronic certificate renewal system, electronic certificate renewal method

Abstract

This prevents digital certificates from being renewed unintentionally. [Solution] An additional information generator generates additional information and transmits the generated additional information to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server. The managed device receives the additional information transmitted from the additional information generator and transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server along with a request to update the electronic certificate. The electronic certificate distribution server determines whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generator and the additional information transmitted from the managed device are in a corresponding relationship. If it is determined that the additional information is in a corresponding relationship, the electronic certificate of the managed device is updated, and the updated electronic certificate is distributed to the managed device, which then receives the updated electronic certificate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic certificate update system and an electronic certificate update method.

Background Art

[0002] In order to ensure security when a server and a terminal device communicate with each other, there is a technique of performing encrypted communication using an electronic certificate. In addition, an expiration date may be set for an electronic certificate. Until the expiration date of the electronic certificate arrives, the terminal device can be used. There is also a system that makes the terminal device unavailable when the expiration date of the electronic certificate has passed. There is a technique for updating an electronic certificate before the expiration date of such an electronic certificate passes. For example, before the expiration date of the electronic certificate passes, a mechanism is provided to connect to a server that updates the electronic certificate via the Internet and automatically update the electronic certificate, thereby enabling the terminal device to be continuously used. Also, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for updating firmware when the version of the firmware is not the latest.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the electronic certificate is automatically updated, the device can continue to be used. However, if there is no intention to update, the electronic certificate may be updated unintentionally.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an electronic certificate renewal system and an electronic certificate renewal method that can prevent electronic certificates from being renewed unintentionally. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is an electronic certificate renewal system including an additional information generating device, a managed device, and an electronic certificate distribution server, wherein the additional information generating device has an additional information generating unit that generates additional information and a transmitting unit that transmits the generated additional information to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server, the managed device has an additional information management unit that acquires the additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device and transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server along with an electronic certificate renewal request, and the electronic certificate distribution server has a determination unit that determines whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device and the additional information transmitted from the managed device are in a corresponding relationship and an update unit that updates the electronic certificate of the managed device when it is determined that the additional information is in a corresponding relationship.

[0007] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is an electronic certificate renewal system that includes an additional information generating device and a managed device, and is capable of communicating with an electronic certificate distribution server, wherein the additional information generating device has an additional information generating unit that generates additional information and a transmitting unit that transmits the generated additional information to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server, the managed device has an additional information management unit that acquires the additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device and transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server along with an electronic certificate renewal request, the electronic certificate distribution server determines whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device and the additional information transmitted from the managed device are in a corresponding relationship, and if it is determined that the additional information are in a corresponding relationship, the managed device receives the updated electronic certificate when the updated electronic certificate is distributed to the managed device, which is an electronic certificate renewal system.

[0008] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a method for updating an electronic certificate in an electronic certificate update system including an additional information generator, a managed device, and an electronic certificate distribution server, wherein the additional information generator generates additional information, transmits the generated additional information to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server, the managed device obtains the additional information transmitted from the additional information generator, transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server along with an electronic certificate update request, the electronic certificate distribution server determines whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generator and the additional information transmitted from the managed device are in a corresponding relationship, updates the electronic certificate of the managed device, distributes the updated electronic certificate to the managed device if it is determined that the additional information is in a corresponding relationship, and the managed device receives the updated electronic certificate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As explained above, this invention makes it possible to avoid the unintentional renewal of electronic certificates. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic certificate renewal system S according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of management data stored in the managed device information storage unit 36. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of certificate management information stored in the certificate management information storage unit 33. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data flow of the electronic certificate renewal system S. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic certificate renewal system S. [Figure 6] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic certificate renewal system S. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, an electronic certificate renewal system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic certificate renewal system S according to one embodiment of the present invention. The electronic certificate renewal system S includes an additional information generating device 1, managed devices 2, an electronic certificate distribution server 3, and an external server 4.

[0012] The additional information generator 1 is used by the administrator who manages the managed equipment 2. More specifically, the additional information generator 1 is used by the person in charge of maintaining the managed equipment 2. The additional information generating device 1 is, for example, a handheld electronic device, and more specifically, it may be a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet. The additional information generator 1 is connected to the managed device 2 and the electronic certificate distribution server in a communication-enabled manner.

[0013] The additional information generating device 1 includes an input unit 11, an additional information generation unit 12, and an additional information transmission unit 13. The input unit 11 receives various operation inputs from users utilizing the additional information generator 1. For example, the input unit 11 may be a touch panel.

[0014] The additional information generation unit 12 generates additional information. The additional information only needs to be information that allows the administrator managing the managed device 2 (e.g., the maintenance person) to understand that permission has been granted to renew the electronic certificate. For example, during maintenance of the managed device 2, the additional information generation unit 12 may generate the additional information after the person in charge has confirmed that the managed device 2 is still available for use, and in response to a generation instruction being entered by the person in charge. In this case, the input of an instruction to generate additional information can be considered as permission to renew the electronic certificate. The additional information transmission unit 13 transmits the generated additional information to the managed device 2 and the electronic certificate distribution server 3, respectively. Here, the communication between the additional information generation device 1 and the managed device 2 may use any communication method of short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or may be connected by wire. Here, since the communication between the additional information generation device 1 and the managed device 2 is performed by short-range wireless communication, the maintenance staff can approach near the location where the managed device 2 is installed and then transmit the additional information from the additional information generation device 1 to the managed device 2.

[0015] The managed device 2 is communicably connected to the additional information generation device 1, the electronic certificate distribution server 3, and the external server 4 respectively. The managed device 2 stores an electronic certificate, encrypts the target data using the electronic certificate, and transmits various encrypted data to the external server 4. The managed device 2 may be, for example, an IoT (Internet of Things) terminal, and may encrypt the measurement results of various measurements using an electronic certificate and transmit them to the external server 4. Also, the managed device 2 may be any of various measuring devices, digital signage, electronic payment terminals, amusement machines, small mobility, etc. Such a managed device 2 is a device that is subject to maintenance such as inspection, maintenance, adjustment, and function confirmation at regular or arbitrary timings after use is started.

[0016] The managed device 2 has a position information acquisition unit 21, a system management unit 22, a certificate information storage unit 23, and an additional information management unit 24. The position information acquisition unit 21 acquires position information indicating the position of the managed device 2. The position information acquisition unit 21 may be a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), or may acquire the position information measured by a position information measuring device connected externally. The system management unit 22 controls each part of the managed device 2.

[0017] The certificate information storage unit 23 stores an electronic certificate. An expiration date is set for the electronic certificate. The certificate information storage unit 23 may be a secure IC (integrated circuit) chip.

[0018] The additional information management unit 24 acquires the additional information transmitted from the additional information generation device 1 and transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 together with the update request for the electronic certificate. The additional information management unit 24 may transmit the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 21 to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 as additional information together with the update request. The additional information management unit 24 may transmit the IP address assigned to the management target device 2 to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 as additional information together with the update request.

[0019] The electronic certificate distribution server 3 is communicably connected to the additional information generation device 1 and the management target device 2. The electronic certificate distribution server 3 issues an electronic certificate to the management target device 2. The electronic certificate distribution server 3 has a function of distributing an electronic certificate and provides an activation service for updating by not requiring a new expiration date when the expiration date of the electronic certificate has passed or has passed.

[0020] Here, an electronic device (for example, an IC chip) including the functions of the location information acquisition unit 21, the system management unit 22, the certificate information storage unit 23, and the additional information management unit 24 may be communicably connected to the device to be managed, so that the electronic device manages the electronic certificate of the management target device 2 (for example, a measuring device or the like).

[0021] The electronic certificate distribution server 3 includes a certificate generation unit 31, a certificate distribution unit 32, a certificate management information storage unit 33, a determination unit 34, an activation control unit 35, and a management target device information storage unit 36. The certificate generation unit 31 generates an electronic certificate. The certificate distribution unit 32 distributes the generated electronic certificate to the target managed device 2. The certificate management information storage unit 33 stores the generated electronic certificates along with their expiration dates.

[0022] The determination unit 34 determines whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generator 1 corresponds to the additional information transmitted from the managed device 2. The determination unit 34 determines whether there is a correspondence between the usage location indicated by the additional information acquired from the additional information generator 1 and the location indicated by the location information included in the additional information acquired from the managed device 2. Furthermore, the determination unit 34 determines whether there is a correspondence between the IP address indicated by the additional information obtained from the additional information generator 1 and the IP address included in the additional information obtained from the managed device 2.

[0023] The activation control unit 35 assigns an expiration date to the generated electronic certificate and makes the electronic certificate usable (activated) within that expiration date. For example, the activation control unit 35 has the function of an update unit that updates the electronic certificate of the managed device 2 when it is determined that the additional information is in a corresponding relationship. The managed device information storage unit 36 ​​stores information related to the managed device 2.

[0024] External server 4 is connected to managed device 2 via communication, receives various data transmitted from managed device 2, and provides various services according to the received data.

[0025] The certificate information storage unit 23, certificate management information storage unit 33, and managed device information storage unit 36 ​​described above are composed of storage media, such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access read / write Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or any combination of these storage media. These certificate information storage unit 23, certificate management information storage unit 33, and managed device information storage unit 36 ​​can, for example, use non-volatile memory.

[0026] Furthermore, the input unit 11, additional information generation unit 12, additional information transmission unit 13, location information acquisition unit 21, system management unit 22, additional information management unit 24, certificate generation unit 31, certificate distribution unit 32, determination unit 34, and activation control unit 35 described above may be composed of a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated electronic circuit.

[0027] Figure 2 shows an example of management data stored in the managed device information storage unit 36. The management data includes the managed device ID and additional information. The managed device ID is identification information that identifies the managed device 2. The additional information is additional information obtained from the additional information generator 1 along with the managed device ID, and is stored in association with the managed device ID.

[0028] Figure 3 shows an example of certificate management information stored in the certificate management information storage unit 33. The certificate management information includes the managed device ID, the digital certificate, and the expiration date. The digital certificate is a digital certificate generated by the certificate generation unit 31. The expiration date is the expiration date assigned to the digital certificate based on the activation control unit 35. If the digital certificate has been renewed in the past, the expiration date assigned to the digital certificate before renewal may be stored as a history.

[0029] Next, we will explain the operation of the electronic certificate renewal system S described above. Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the data flow of the electronic certificate renewal system S, and Figures 5 and 6 are sequence diagrams illustrating the operation of the electronic certificate renewal system S.

[0030] <Additional Information Registration Process> The person responsible for maintaining managed device 2 will go to the location where managed device 2 is installed, carrying the additional information generator 1, at a certain point before the expiration date of the electronic certificate for managed device 2. The maintenance personnel inspect and adjust the managed equipment 2, confirm that it is in a state where it can continue to be used, and then input a command to generate additional information via the input unit 11 of the additional information generator 1. The additional information generation unit 12 of the additional information generation device 1 generates additional information when an instruction to generate additional information is input via the input unit 11 (Figure 5: step S101). The additional information generation unit 12 may generate either location information or an IP address as additional information. The additional information transmission unit 13 transmits the generated additional information and registration request to the managed device 2 (Figure 4: S1, Figure 5: step S102). In this case, the location information may be information indicating the intended use location of the managed device 2, and more specifically, it may be the intended address or the latitude and longitude indicating the intended location. In this case, the IP address may be the IP address assigned to the managed device 2 at the intended use location. For example, the IP address assigned when connecting to a router installed in the store where the managed device 2 is installed may be used.

[0031] When the additional information management unit 24 of the managed device 2 receives additional information and a registration request from the additional information generator 1, it stores the received additional information in the storage area of ​​the managed device 2, and then transmits to the additional information generator 1 that the registration of the additional information is complete (Figure 4: Step S2, Figure 5: Step S103).

[0032] When the additional information transmission unit 13 of the additional information generator 1 receives from the managed device 2 that the registration of additional information is complete, it sends the additional information and the managed device ID assigned to managed device 2 to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 along with the registration request (Figure 4: Steps S3, S104). Here, since the additional information generator 1 has already stored the managed device ID of managed device 2, the additional information transmission unit 13 reads the managed device ID assigned to managed device 2 when it receives notification from managed device 2 that the registration of additional information is complete, and sends it to the electronic certificate distribution server 3.

[0033] When the electronic certificate distribution server 3 receives the additional information, the managed device ID, and the registration request from the additional information generator 1, it associates the additional information with the managed device ID, stores it in the managed device information storage unit 36, and transmits to the additional information generator 1 that the registration of the additional information has been completed (Figure 4: Step S4, Figure 5: Step S105). As a result, the relationship between the additional information and the managed device ID is registered in the electronic certificate distribution server 3.

[0034] ≪Electronic Certificate Renewal Process≫ Next, the additional information management unit 24 of the managed device 2 sends the additional information transmitted and registered from the additional information generator 1, the electronic certificate renewal request, and the managed device ID assigned to the managed device 2 to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 (Figure 4: Step S5, Figure 6: Step S201). This transmission is performed after receiving the registration request for additional information from the additional information generator 1 and completing the registration of the additional information. In other words, it is performed when the maintenance personnel are near the managed device 2 for maintenance.

[0035] When the determination unit 34 of the electronic certificate distribution server 3 receives additional information, an electronic certificate renewal request, and a managed device ID from the managed device 2, it determines whether the combination of the additional information and the managed device ID corresponds to (matches) the combination of additional information and the managed device ID stored in the managed device information storage unit 36 ​​(Figure 6: Step S202). If the determination result of the determination unit 34 determines that there is a corresponding relationship (match), the activation control unit 35 causes the certificate generation unit 31 to generate a new digital certificate, assigns an updated expiration date to the new digital certificate, and stores the new digital certificate, the updated expiration date, and the managed device ID to which the certificate is assigned in association in the certificate management information storage unit 33.

[0036] The certificate distribution unit 32 distributes the new electronic certificate and its updated expiration date to the managed device 2 to which the managed device ID has been assigned (Figure 4: step S6, Figure 6: step S203), and also transmits a notification to the additional information generator 1 that the certificate can be renewed (Figure 6: step S204). When the additional information generator 1 receives the notification that the certificate can be renewed, it displays a message indicating that the certificate can be renewed on its display screen. This allows the maintenance personnel to understand that the renewal of the electronic certificate has been approved.

[0037] Meanwhile, when the system management unit 22 of the managed device 2 receives a new digital certificate and its updated expiration date from the digital certificate distribution server 3, it stores the new digital certificate and its updated expiration date in the certificate information storage unit 23 (Figure 6: Step S205). The managed device 2 can then use the new digital certificate within the period until its updated expiration date, and the system management unit 22 can use the new digital certificate to send measurement data, etc., to the external server 4 (Figure 4: Step S7).

[0038] On the other hand, if the activation control unit 35 of the electronic certificate distribution server 3 determines in the determination result of the determination unit 34 that there is no corresponding relationship (does not match), it sends a message to the additional information generator 1, along with the managed device ID, stating that the additional information is NG and cannot be updated (Figure 6: Step S205). Here, even if the managed device ID of managed device 2 is stored in the managed device information storage unit 36, if there is no corresponding relationship with the additional information, it is determined that there is no corresponding relationship. Similarly, if neither the managed device ID nor the additional information of managed device 2 is stored in the managed device information storage unit 36, it is also determined that there is no corresponding relationship. Therefore, even if the managed device 2 sends an electronic certificate update request to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 despite the additional information not being registered for managed device 2 from the additional information generator 1, the electronic certificate will not be updated.

[0039] When the additional information generator 1 receives a notification indicating that the update is not possible, it displays a message on its display screen indicating that the additional information is incorrect and therefore the update is not possible. This allows the maintenance personnel to understand that the renewal of the electronic certificate was not permitted because the additional information was incorrect.

[0040] According to the embodiment described above, when updating the digital certificate of the managed device 2, location information, IP address, or other information is used as additional information, and the digital certificate is updated after confirming whether the additional information is one of the additional information that has been registered in advance by the additional information generator 1. This allows the digital certificate to be updated depending on whether or not there is additional information that has been generated and registered in advance by the additional information generator 1. Therefore, the administrator, such as a maintenance person, can update the digital certificate after confirming whether or not it is OK to continue using the managed device 2. As a result, the digital certificate is not automatically updated, but is updated after confirmation by the maintenance person. Thus, it is possible to avoid the digital certificate being updated unintentionally.

[0041] In the embodiments described above, in step S5 of Figure 4 or step S201 of Figure 6, the managed device 2 transmits additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server 3. If the transmitted additional information is location information, the additional information (location information) received from the additional information generator 1 may be transmitted as is. Alternatively, if it is predetermined that location information will be used as additional information, or if the additional information generator 1 specifies in step S1 of Figure 4 or step S102 of Figure 5 that location information will be used as additional information, the managed device 2 may acquire its own location using the location information acquisition unit 21 and transmit the acquired location information to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 as additional information along with an update request. In this case, the electronic certificate distribution server 3 may determine that there is a correspondence when the location information indicated by the additional information received from the additional information generator 1 matches the location information indicated by the additional information received from the managed device 2, or when they are within a predetermined range that can be considered to be the same location.

[0042] This allows the system to verify that managed device 2 is installed in the expected location, and then renew the electronic certificate. Therefore, even if a request for renewal of the electronic certificate is made while the device is installed in an unexpected location, the electronic certificate can be prevented from being renewed. In this way, by using location information as additional information, it is possible to prevent the managed device from being used in a location other than the intended one. This prevents the electronic certificate from being renewed unintentionally even if the managed device is stolen or unintentionally resold or otherwise put into secondary circulation. In other words, it is possible to prevent the managed device 2 from being used unintentionally after its expiration date.

[0043] In the embodiments described above, in step S5 of Figure 4 or step S201 of Figure 6, the managed device 2 transmits additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server 3. If the transmitted additional information is an IP address, the additional information (IP address) received from the additional information generator 1 may be transmitted as is. For example, the additional information generator 1 can register the additional information by transmitting an IP address obtained by connecting to a router in the vicinity of the managed device 2 to the managed device 2 and the electronic certificate distribution server 3 as additional information.

[0044] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the additional information described was the use of location information or an IP address. However, other data that can be generated by the additional information generator 1 may be used as additional information. Other data that can be used as additional information may include a string arbitrarily determined by the maintenance person operating the additional information generator 1, or the renewal history of the expiration date of an electronic certificate.

[0045] Furthermore, other data may include the maintenance history of the managed device 2. For example, when a maintenance person performs maintenance on managed device 2, they input maintenance information, including the date of maintenance, the identification information of the person who performed the maintenance, and the company identification information of the maintenance company to which the person who performed the maintenance belongs, into the additional information generator 1 as maintenance history. When renewing the electronic certificate of managed device 2, this maintenance information may be registered as additional information with managed device 2 and the electronic certificate distribution server 3. The electronic certificate distribution server 3 may then determine whether or not to renew the electronic certificate based on the maintenance information used as additional information. At this time, the electronic certificate distribution server 3 may store the additional information registered from the additional information generator 1 as history. As a result, the history of maintenance information is stored as additional information in the electronic certificate distribution server 3, making it possible to manage information indicating the maintenance history of managed device 2. The additional information generator 1 can also refer to the maintenance history by reading the history of additional information (maintenance information) stored in the electronic certificate distribution server 3 as needed.

[0046] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described a case where there is only one additional information generator 1 and one managed device 2, there may be multiple units of each.

[0047] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the validity period of the electronic certificate may be a predetermined period. For example, the validity period of the electronic certificate may be determined according to the maintenance cycle of the managed device to which the electronic certificate is granted. For example, if the managed device needs to be maintained every year, the validity period of the electronic certificate may be one year or a predetermined period shorter than one year. Also, if the managed device needs to be maintained every week, the validity period of the electronic certificate may be seven days or a predetermined period shorter than seven days.

[0048] Such maintenance may involve adjusting the measurement accuracy to meet predetermined standards if the managed equipment is a weight measuring instrument. Alternatively, if the managed equipment is an amusement machine, maintenance may involve checking whether the controls are functioning correctly, whether a program update is needed, or whether there are any malfunctions in the electronic components. In this way, by performing maintenance to confirm and adjust whether or not the equipment is functioning properly, the managed equipment is maintained in a state where it can perform according to certain standards.

[0049] Furthermore, during maintenance, it is possible to verify whether the managed equipment is installed in the intended location. If it is installed in the intended location, the additional information generator can provide additional information to the managed equipment. This allows the maintenance personnel to confirm that the managed equipment is being used in the intended location and then renew the electronic certificate. On the other hand, if maintenance cannot be performed and the electronic certificate expires, the managed device will transition to a deactivated state so that it cannot be used. This prevents the electronic certificate from being unintentionally renewed and the managed device from becoming operational even though maintenance cannot be performed.

[0050] In the embodiment described above, the electronic certificate distribution server 3 is described as a single server device such as a computer. However, at least one of the functions of the electronic certificate distribution server 3 may be provided on another server device connected via a communication network. The electronic certificate distribution server 3 may be a physical server or a cloud server provided by a cloud computing service.

[0051] Furthermore, the electronic certificate renewal system S may include an additional information generating device 1 and a managed device 2, and may be connected to the electronic certificate distribution server 3 in a communicative manner.

[0052] The functions of the additional information generator 1 and managed device 2 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a computer. In that case, the functions may be implemented by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into a computer system, and executing it. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as the OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Moreover, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that acts as a server or client in such cases. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may be for implementing a part of the functions described above, or it may be a program that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0053] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Additional Information Generator 2. Managed devices 3. Electronic Certificate Distribution Server 4. External Servers 11 Input section 12 Additional Information Generation Unit 13 Additional Information Transmission Unit 21 Location information acquisition section 22 System Management Department 23 Certificate Information Storage Unit 24 Additional Information Management Department 31 Certificate Generation Section 32 Certificate Distribution Department 33 Certificate Management Information Storage Unit 34 Judgment section 35 Activate Control Unit 36. Managed Device Information Storage Unit S Electronic Certificate Renewal System

Claims

1. This is an electronic certificate renewal system that includes an additional information generating device, managed devices, and an electronic certificate distribution server. The aforementioned additional information generating device is An additional information generation unit that generates additional information, A transmission unit that transmits the generated additional information to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server. It has, The aforementioned managed equipment is Additional Information Management Unit: Acquires additional information transmitted from the additional information generator and transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server along with the electronic certificate renewal request. It has, The aforementioned electronic certificate distribution server is A determination unit that determines whether or not there is a correspondence between the additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device and the additional information transmitted from the managed device, If the aforementioned additional information is determined to be in a corresponding relationship, the update unit updates the electronic certificate of the managed device. An electronic certificate renewal system that has the following features.

2. The additional information generation unit of the additional information generating device generates additional information indicating the usage location where the managed device is expected to be used, The aforementioned managed equipment is It has a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the managed device, The additional information management unit transmits the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit as additional information along with the update request to the electronic certificate distribution server. The determination unit of the electronic certificate distribution server determines whether there is a correspondence between the usage location indicated by the additional information obtained from the additional information generator and the location indicated by the location information included in the additional information obtained from the managed device. The electronic certificate renewal system according to claim 1.

3. The additional information generation unit of the additional information generation device generates an IP address to be assigned to the managed device at a location where the managed device is expected to be used, and the additional information management unit of the managed device, The IP address assigned to the managed device is sent to the electronic certificate distribution server as additional information along with the update request. The determination unit of the electronic certificate distribution server determines whether there is a correspondence between the IP address indicated by the additional information obtained from the additional information generator and the IP address included in the additional information obtained from the managed device. The electronic certificate renewal system according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned additional information generating device is used by the person in charge of maintaining the managed equipment, The additional information generation unit of the additional information generation device generates the additional information in response to a generation instruction being input by the person in charge after it has been confirmed that the managed equipment can continue to be used by the person in charge during maintenance of the managed equipment. An electronic certificate renewal system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. An electronic certificate renewal system that includes an additional information generating device and managed devices, and is capable of communicating with an electronic certificate distribution server. The aforementioned additional information generating device is An additional information generation unit that generates additional information, A transmission unit that transmits the generated additional information to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server. It has, The aforementioned managed equipment is Additional Information Management Unit: Acquires additional information transmitted from the additional information generator and transmits the additional information to the electronic certificate distribution server along with the electronic certificate renewal request. It has, The aforementioned electronic certificate distribution server, The system determines whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generator corresponds to the additional information transmitted from the managed device, and if it is determined that the additional information corresponds, the updated electronic certificate is delivered to the managed device. The aforementioned managed equipment is Receiving the updated electronic certificate Electronic certificate renewal system.

6. A method for updating an electronic certificate in an electronic certificate update system that includes an additional information generating device, a managed device, and an electronic certificate distribution server, The aforementioned additional information generating device Generate additional information, The generated additional information is transmitted to the managed device and the electronic certificate distribution server. The aforementioned managed device is The additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device is acquired, and the additional information is sent to the electronic certificate distribution server along with the electronic certificate renewal request. The aforementioned electronic certificate distribution server It is determined whether the additional information transmitted from the additional information generating device corresponds to the additional information transmitted from the managed device. If it is determined that the aforementioned additional information is in a corresponding relationship, the electronic certificate of the managed device is updated, and the updated electronic certificate is distributed to the managed device. The aforementioned managed device is Receiving the updated electronic certificate A method for renewing electronic certificates, including the following.

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