JP2005107567A - Method for implementing program, and method for updating program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program update system capable of preventing using a simple arrangement the illegal acquisition of programs and of significantly reducing the amount of effort needed for operation and maintenance. <P>SOLUTION: When the program implemented by a terminal device is to be updated, a program-providing server, based on version request information that the terminal device sends along with device identification information, authenticates the terminal device according to the device identification information and encrypts the version information for transmission. Based on the version information decrypted, the terminal device determines whether the program needs to be updated; if it needs to be updated, program request information is transmitted along with the device identification information; after the program providing server authenticates the terminal device, based on the device identification information, an update program is encrypted and transmitted; and using the update program decrypted, the terminal device updates the program implemented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a program mounting method and a program updating method, and is suitable for application when, for example, a terminal device for using a service updates a mounting program mounted on the terminal device via a network.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a program update system, a terminal device in which an implementation program is installed can update the implementation program to add a function of the terminal device, correct a defect, or the like.

  Especially when the terminal device has a function of connecting to a network, a program providing server that stores the updated update program is connected to the network, and the program providing server provides the update program in response to a request from the terminal device. By doing so, the terminal device can easily acquire the update program.

  By the way, it is desirable that such an update of the implementation program is executed only when there is an update program of a newer version than the implementation program of the terminal device due to problems such as processing load of the program providing server and the terminal device and communication traffic. .

  Therefore, in the program update system, it is necessary to determine whether or not the version of the implementation program matches the version of the update program before starting the update of the implementation program of the terminal device.

Therefore, in some program update systems, the program providing server acquires version information of the implementation program of the terminal device and determines whether or not the implementation program needs to be updated (hereinafter referred to as version confirmation). (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-140902 (page 8, FIG. 1)

  However, in the program update system having such a configuration, since the program providing server performs all the version checking of the programs of the terminal devices that exist in large numbers, the processing load of the program providing server increases and high processing capability is required. As a result, there has been a problem that the scale of the entire program update system becomes large and the configuration becomes complicated.

  The program providing server needs to transmit an update program in response to a request from a legitimate terminal device and not to transmit the update program in response to an unauthorized request from a general computer other than the terminal device. is there.

  Therefore, in the conventional program update system, the program providing server requests and acquires the individual information such as the model and serial number of the terminal device stored in advance in the terminal device from the terminal device requesting the update program. There is one that authenticates a terminal device by determining the individual information and transmits an update program only in response to a request from a legitimate terminal device.

  However, in the program update system with such a configuration, it is necessary to store different individual manufacturing numbers in each terminal device during the manufacturing process of the terminal device, and the program providing server manages the manufacturing numbers of all the terminal devices. In addition, since it is necessary to always have the latest individual information, the configuration of the program providing server is complicated, and it takes a lot of time to maintain the operation of the entire system.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose a program update system that can prevent unauthorized acquisition of a program with a simple configuration and can greatly reduce the effort required for operation and maintenance. .

  In order to solve this problem, in the program mounting method of the present invention, version request information transmission for transmitting version request information for requesting version information of an update program for updating an already mounted program to the program providing apparatus. The step, the version information receiving step for receiving the version information transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the version request information, the version of the installed program and the version in the received version information are compared, and the comparison result An update determination step for determining whether or not the program needs to be updated, and a program request for automatically transmitting program request information for requesting the update program to the program providing apparatus in accordance with the determination result of whether or not the update for the installed program An information transmission step; A program receiving step of receiving an update program transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the new program request information, and to provide a program updating step of updating the mounting program executes the update received.

  As a result, in this program mounting method, it is possible to determine whether or not to update the mounting program, and to request the updating of the mounting program only when necessary, so that the processing load of the program providing apparatus can be reduced.

  In the program mounting apparatus of the present invention, a version request for transmitting, to the program providing apparatus, program storage means for storing the mounting program, and version request information for requesting version information of the update program for updating the stored mounting program. The information transmitting means, the version information receiving means for receiving the version information transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the version request information, the version of the implemented program and the version in the received version information are compared, and the comparison Update determination means for determining whether or not the program needs to be updated based on the result, and program request information for requesting the update program is automatically transmitted to the program providing apparatus according to the determination result regarding whether or not the installed program needs to be updated Program request information transmission means A program receiving means for receiving an update program transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the update request information, and to provide a program updating means for updating the mounting program executes the update received.

  As a result, in this program mounting apparatus, it is possible to determine whether the mounting program needs to be updated and to request the updating of the mounting program only when necessary, so that the processing load on the program providing apparatus can be reduced.

  Further, in the program implementation program of the present invention, a version request information transmission step for transmitting version request information for requesting version information of an update program for updating an already installed implementation program to the program providing apparatus, and a version request The version information receiving step for receiving the version information transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the information transmission, the version of the implemented program and the version in the received version information are compared, and the program is updated based on the comparison result An update determination step for determining whether the update program is necessary, and a program request information transmission step for automatically transmitting program request information for requesting the update program to the program providing apparatus according to the determination result of whether the update is necessary for the implementation program, Update program A program receiving step of receiving an update program transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to transmission of the request information, and to provide a program updating step of updating the mounting program executes the update received.

  As a result, in this program implementation program, it is possible to determine whether the implementation program needs to be updated, and to request an update of the implementation program only when necessary, so that the processing load on the program providing apparatus can be reduced.

  Further, in the program providing method of the present invention, requesting version information of an update program transmitted from the program mounting apparatus as transmission data of a predetermined communication protocol for updating the mounting program already mounted by the program mounting apparatus. The version request information is transmitted based on the device identification information for identifying the program mounting device stored in correspondence with the transmission data in accordance with the communication protocol. A first authentication processing step for authenticating the program mounting apparatus, a version information transmitting step for transmitting the version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus transmitting the version request information is authenticated, and a predetermined number from the program mounting apparatus Communication A program request information reception step for receiving program request information for requesting an update program transmitted by a protocol, and transmission data transmitted as program request information based on device identification information stored in accordance with the communication protocol regulations A second authentication processing step for authenticating the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information, and a program transmitting step for transmitting the update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information is authenticated. And so on.

  As a result, in this program providing method, since the program mounting apparatus can be identified based on the apparatus identification information stored in the communication protocol, the program mounting apparatus can be easily authenticated.

  Further, in the program providing apparatus of the present invention, requesting version information of an update program transmitted from the program mounting apparatus as transmission data of a predetermined communication protocol for updating the mounting program already mounted by the program mounting apparatus. The version request information is received based on the device identification information for identifying the program mounting device stored in correspondence with the transmission data in accordance with the communication protocol. The first authentication processing means for authenticating the program mounting apparatus, the version information transmitting means for transmitting the version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the version request information is authenticated, and the program mounting apparatus With the communication protocol The received program request information receiving means for receiving the program request information for requesting the update program, and the transmission data transmitted as the program request information, based on the device identification information stored in accordance with the communication protocol regulations, Second authentication processing means for authenticating the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the program request information, and program transmitting means for transmitting the update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the program request information is authenticated. I made it.

  As a result, the program providing apparatus can identify the program mounting apparatus based on the apparatus identification information stored in the communication protocol, so that the program mounting apparatus can be easily authenticated.

  Further, in the program providing program of the present invention, requesting version information of an update program for updating a mounting program already mounted by the program mounting apparatus, transmitted as transmission data of a predetermined communication protocol from the program mounting apparatus. The version request information is transmitted based on the device identification information for identifying the program mounting device stored in correspondence with the transmission data in accordance with the communication protocol. A first authentication processing step for authenticating the program mounting apparatus, a version information transmitting step for transmitting the version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus transmitting the version request information is authenticated, and a predetermined number from the program mounting apparatus A program request information receiving step for receiving program request information for requesting an update program transmitted by a communication protocol, and device identification information stored in accordance with the protocol specification for transmission data transmitted as program request information. Based on the second authentication processing step for authenticating the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information, and when the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information is authenticated, the program transmission for transmitting the update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus. Steps.

  As a result, in this program providing program, the program mounting apparatus can be identified based on the apparatus identification information stored in the communication protocol, so that the program mounting apparatus can be easily authenticated.

  According to the present invention, the program mounting apparatus can determine whether the mounting program needs to be updated, and the program providing apparatus can easily authenticate the program mounting apparatus based on the apparatus identification information. The processing load of the program providing apparatus can be reduced, and authentication of the program mounting apparatus can be easily performed. Thus, only a legitimate program mounting apparatus can acquire an update program with a simple configuration, and the effort required for maintaining the operation of the program providing apparatus. Can be realized.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Overall Configuration of Information Providing System As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a program updating system that constitutes the present invention as a whole, and a program providing server 3 and a terminal device 4 are connected to the Internet 2.

  The program providing server 3 provides content data such as music in response to a request from the terminal device 4 or the like, and also provides an update program for updating the implementation program installed in the terminal device 4. .

  In addition to receiving radio broadcasts and playing CDs (Compact Discs), the terminal device 4 can acquire content data from the program providing server 3 and play it back.

(1-1) Configuration of Program Providing Server As shown in FIG. 2, in the program providing server 3, a control unit 60 composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 61 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 62. Based on a basic program such as an OS (Operating System) and various application programs started through the system, overall control, predetermined arithmetic processing, and the like are performed.

  This program providing server 3 stores information related to the terminal device 4 and the user of the terminal device 4 in a hard disk drive (HDD) 63 in addition to content data such as music, and the registration request from the terminal device 4 In response to a deletion request, registration or deletion of information regarding the user or the terminal device 4 is performed.

  The program providing server 3 stores the program of the terminal device 4 in the hard disk drive 63, reads the program in response to a request from the terminal device 4, and transmits the program to the terminal device 4.

(1-2) Circuit Configuration of Terminal Device As shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 11 of the terminal device 4 reads a basic program such as an OS read from the ROM 13 and the hard disk drive 21 connected via the bus 12 and expanded in the RAM 20 and various types. Based on the application program, overall control, predetermined calculation processing, and the like are performed. For example, communication operation via the network 2, input / output operation from the user, content playback from the media, and content server (not shown) The content downloaded from is written into the hard disk drive 21 and managed.

  The operation input unit 15 sends input information corresponding to the user's operation to various operation elements of the housing surface of the main body unit or a remote controller (not shown) to the input processing unit 14, and the input processing unit 14 performs predetermined processing. After the processing, the operation command is sent to the CPU 11, and the CPU 11 executes the processing according to the operation command.

  The display 17 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display that is directly attached to the surface of the casing of the main body, or may be an external display device, and displays the processing results and various information by the CPU 11. Has been made.

  The media drive 19 is a drive for reproducing a memory stick (registered trademark) made up of, for example, a CD player and a flash memory. The media drive 19 performs a digital / analog conversion process on the reproduction result via the audio data processing unit 24, and then from a 2ch speaker 25. It is designed to output.

  When the data reproduced via the media drive 19 is the audio content of the music, the CPU 11 can also store the data in the hard disk drive 21 as an audio data file.

  Further, the CPU 11 can read a plurality of still images stored in the memory stick (trademark registration) by the media drive 19 and display them as a slide show on the display 17 via the display processing unit 16.

  The CPU 11 can also read out a plurality of music stored in the hard disk drive 21 by random access, and reproduce and output the music in the order desired by the user as if it were a jukebox.

  The tuner unit 27 is an AM or FM radio tuner, for example, which demodulates a broadcast signal received by the antenna 26 based on the control of the CPU 11 and outputs the result as broadcast sound from the speaker 25 via the audio data processing unit 24. To do.

  The communication processing unit 22 performs transmission data encoding processing based on the control of the CPU 11, and transmits the data to an external network compatible device via the network 2 via the network interface 23, or transmits an external network via the network interface 23. The received data received from the corresponding device is decoded and transferred to the CPU 11.

(1-3) Content Directory Management When storing the content in the hard disk drive 21, the CPU 11 of the terminal device 4 manages the directory structure shown in FIG. First, an arbitrary number of “folder” directories within a specified range are created below the “root” directory. This “folder” directory is created corresponding to, for example, the genre to which the content belongs or the owning user.

  An arbitrary number of “album” directories within a specified range are created below the “folder” directory, and the “album” directory corresponds to each album title, for example. In the lower layer of the “album” directory, one or more “track” files that belong to the “album” directory are stored, and the “track” file becomes one piece of music, that is, content.

  Directory management for such contents is performed by a database file stored in the hard disk drive 21.

(1-4) Program Module Configuration of Terminal Device As shown in FIG. 5, the program module of the terminal device 4 operates on the OS, and as a server constituting the program providing server 3, a CD product sales Exchanges are performed with the CD dealer server 31, the Internet radio server 32, the music distribution management server 33, the general service server 34, the related information providing server KS, and other various servers.

  An HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) message program 36 is transmitted to and from various servers such as a CD merchant server 31, an Internet radio server 32, a music distribution management server 33, a general service server 34 that performs various comprehensive services, and a related information providing server KS. The communicator program 37 is a program module for exchanging data with the HTTP message program 36.

  Above the communicator program 37 is located a content playback module 38 that interprets and plays back the content codec, and a copyright protection information management module 39 that handles information related to copyright protection. The content playback module 38 and copyright protection An Internet radio channel selection / playback module 43 that selects and plays back Internet radio with respect to the information management module 39, and a music purchase / playback module 44 that manages music purchase and playback of test songs are located.

  An XML (eXtensible Markup Language) browser 50 is located above the Internet radio channel selection / playback module 43 and the music purchase / playback module 44, interprets XML files from various servers, and displays the screen on the display 17.

  For example, the music selected by the user via the XML browser 50 is purchased by the music purchase / playback module 44 and written to the hard disk drive 21 via the hard disk content controller 42.

  The communicator program 37 is connected to the authentication library 47A of the library 47, and the authentication service 47A and other various servers are authenticated by the authentication library 47A.

  Furthermore, a database access module 40, a content data access module 41, and a hard disk content controller 42 are located above the communicator program 37.

  The database access module 40 accesses various databases constructed in the hard disk drive 21, the content data access module 41 accesses the content stored in the hard disk drive 21, and the hard disk content controller 42 is stored in the hard disk drive 21. It is designed to manage content.

  Above the hard disk content controller 42, the related information display module 45 for displaying the title and artist name of the music broadcast by the radio station and the radio station are selected, or the music content received from the radio station is stored on the hard disk. A tuner selection reproduction / recording module 46 for recording in the drive 21 is located.

  For example, music received from a radio station selected via the audio user interface 51 is written to the hard disk drive 21 via the content data access module 41.

  The related information display module 45 receives the title and artist name of the music currently broadcast by the radio station from the tuner selection playback / recording module 46 as related information from the related information providing server KS via the HTTP message 36. It is displayed on the display 17 via an audio user interface (UI) 51.

  The related information displayed on the display 17 via the audio user interface 51 can also be temporarily stored in the clip library 47B of the library 47, and finally the hard disk via the database access module 40 in accordance with instructions from the user. The information is stored in the drive 21.

  Further, the program modules of the terminal device 4 include a CD playback module 48 for playing back a CD and an HDD playback module 49 for playing back the hard disk drive 21. The playback results are displayed in the audio data processing unit 24 and Output through the speaker 25.

(2) Authentication of terminal device By the way, in the program update system 1, when the terminal device 4 updates the implementation program, the program providing server 3 performs an authentication process according to the model of the terminal device 4. .

  Here, in HTTP used by the program update system 1 for the communication protocol between the program providing server 3 and the terminal device 4, a user agent (User-Agent) header field is defined in the message header of the HTTP message.

  This user agent header field is a standard header field defined in HTTP, and is generally used for the purpose of transmitting the type of the Web browser from the Web browser to the Web server. It is defined so that the user can arbitrarily use it for other purposes.

  Therefore, the terminal device 4 stores device identification information for identifying the model of the terminal device 4 in the user agent header field when transmitting predetermined transmission information to the program providing server 3, and stores the device identification information in the message body. The transmission information is stored and transmitted.

  Here, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminal device 4 uses “User-Agent” in addition to “POST” and “Host” as the message header of the HTTP message, and this “User-Agent” ( In the user agent header field), the manufacturer name “SOMY” and the model number “ABC-123” that manufactured the terminal device 4 are stored as device identification information.

  On the other hand, when the program providing server 3 receives device identification information including the manufacturer name and model name stored in the user agent header field in addition to “POST” and “Host” from the terminal device 4, the manufacturer name and model name are received. Based on the above, when the authentication process is performed on the terminal device 4 and further authentication is performed, information and programs corresponding to the acquired manufacturer name and model name are selected and transmitted.

  Thereby, the program providing server 3 can transmit the requested information, program, and the like to the terminal device 4 to be authenticated, and the terminal device that has transmitted the device identification information that the program providing server 3 does not authenticate, It is possible to prevent unnecessary transmission of the information, the program, and the like to the terminal device and the computer that have not transmitted the device identification information.

  In the program update system 1, the individual terminal device 4 is not identified, and the authentication process is performed only by the model name. Therefore, at the stage of manufacturing the terminal device 4, the terminal device 4 is individually There is no need to store a manufacturing number for identification, an ID, or the like, and it is not necessary to make the program providing server 3 have all the manufacturing numbers of the terminal devices.

  As described above, in the program update system 1, when updating the implementation program of the terminal device 4, the terminal device 4 stores the device identification information in the user agent header field and transmits the device identification information to the program providing server 3. The server 3 authenticates the terminal device 4 based on the device identification information.

(3) Encryption and Decryption of Information and Program to be Transmitted In addition, in the program update system 1, when updating the program, the program providing server 3 encrypts information, program, etc. and transmits it to the terminal device 4. ing.

  On the other hand, the terminal device 4 is configured to hold in advance a password for decrypting the encryption, but other devices do not have the secret password.

  For this reason, the terminal device 4 can decrypt the encryption applied to the information or program to be transmitted to the terminal device 4 by using this password, but other devices are temporarily encrypted. Even if information, a program, or the like is received, the encryption cannot be decrypted because the password is not held, and the information, the program, or the like cannot be acquired.

  Thus, in the program update system 1, the terminal device 4 can reliably acquire information, a program, and the like from the program providing server 3, and another device that does not want to acquire the information, the program, etc. acquires the information, the program, and the like. Can be prevented.

  Incidentally, since the program providing server 3 stores information, programs, and the like that have been encrypted in advance in the hard disk drive 63, it is not necessary to perform encryption processing each time the information, programs, etc. are transmitted. The processing load can be reduced.

  As described above, in the program update system 1, information, a program, and the like are encrypted from the program providing server 3 and transmitted to the terminal device 4.

(4) Determination of Necessity of Program Update In the program update system 1, the terminal device 4 determines whether or not the installed program installed in the terminal device 4 needs to be updated.

  That is, the terminal device 4 acquires version information indicating the version of the update program from the program providing server 3, compares the version information with the version of the implementation program installed in the terminal device 4, and the version of the implementation program is If not up-to-date, update the implementation program.

  For this reason, the program providing server 3 does not need to determine whether or not the version of the mounted program is the latest for each terminal device 4, and thus the processing load can be reduced.

  Thus, in the program update system 1, the terminal device 4 determines whether or not it is necessary to update the mounting program installed in the terminal device 4.

(5) Program update process Next, the program update process in the case of updating the program mounted in the terminal device 4 in the program update system 1 having such a configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the user performs a predetermined operation for updating the program, the CPU 11 of the terminal device 4 proceeds to step SP1. In step SP1, the CPU 11 stores the device identification information in the HTTP user agent header field, sends version request information for requesting version information as shown in FIG. 6 to the program providing server 3 via the Internet 2, and The process proceeds to next step SP2.

  On the other hand, the control unit 60 of the program providing server 3 waits for a request from the terminal device 4 in step SP21. When the version request information is received from the terminal device 4, the control unit 60 proceeds to the next step SP22.

  In step SP22, the control unit 60 uses the device identification information stored in the user agent header field of the received version request information, and the terminal device 4 that has transmitted the version request information is a model to which the program providing server 3 should correspond. It is determined whether or not there is. If a positive result is obtained here, the controller 60 proceeds to the next step SP23.

  On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP22, the control unit 60 moves to step SP27 and ends the program update process.

  In step SP23, the control unit 60 of the program providing server 3 transmits the encrypted version information to the terminal device 4, and proceeds to the next step SP24.

  On the other hand, the CPU 11 of the terminal device 4 receives the encrypted version information transmitted from the program providing server 3 in step SP2, and proceeds to the next step SP3.

  In step SP3, the CPU 11 decrypts the encrypted version information using a previously held password, and proceeds to the next step SP4.

  In step SP4, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the mounting program installed in the current terminal device 4 is the latest based on the acquired version information. If a negative result is obtained here, this means that it is not necessary to update the mounting program. At this time, the CPU 11 moves to step SP5 and displays on the display 17 that the updating of the mounting program is not required. After that, the program update process is terminated by moving to step SP11.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative result is obtained in step SP4, this indicates that the implementation program of the terminal device 4 is not the latest, so that the update is necessary. At this time, the CPU 11 proceeds to the next step SP6.

  In step SP6, the CPU 11 stores the device identification information in the HTTP user agent header field, transmits program request information for requesting an update program to the program providing server 3, and proceeds to the next step SP7.

  In response to this, the control unit 60 of the program providing server 3 receives the program request information transmitted from the terminal device 4 in step SP24, and proceeds to the next step SP25.

  In step SP25, the control unit 60 uses the device identification information stored in the user agent header field of the received program request information, and the terminal device 4 that has transmitted the program request information is a model to which the program providing server 3 should correspond. It is determined whether or not there is. If a positive result is obtained here, the controller 60 proceeds to the next step SP26.

  On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP25, the control unit 60 moves to step SP27 and ends the program update process.

  In step SP26, the control unit 60 reads the encrypted update program from the hard disk drive 63 and transmits it to the terminal device 4, and then proceeds to the next step SP27 to end the program update process in the program providing server.

  Then, in step SP7, the CPU 11 of the terminal device 4 receives the update program transmitted in an encrypted state from the program providing server 3, and proceeds to the next step SP8.

  In step SP8, the CPU 11 determines whether or not all necessary update programs have been acquired. If a negative result is obtained here, the CPU 11 returns to step SP6 to receive another update program and repeats reception of the update program until all necessary update programs are acquired.

  On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP8, the CPU 11 proceeds to the next step SP9 to decode the received update program, and proceeds to the next step SP10.

  In step SP10, the CPU 11 updates the implementation program of the terminal device 4 using the decrypted update program, and then moves to step SP11 to end the program update process.

(6) Operation and effect In the program update system 1 in the above configuration, the terminal device 4 stores the device identification information in the user agent header field and transmits the version request information to the program providing server 3, and the program providing server 3 After performing authentication based on the device identification information, the encrypted version information is transmitted to the terminal device 4, and the terminal device 4 decrypts the encryption to obtain the version information.

  Then, the terminal device 4 determines whether or not the installation program needs to be updated based on the acquired version information. If the update is necessary, the terminal device 4 stores the device identification information in the user agent header field and stores the program request information in the program. An update program transmitted to the providing server 3 and encrypted after the program providing server 3 performs authentication based on the device identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 4, and the terminal device 4 decrypts the encryption. To obtain the update program and update the program.

  Therefore, the program update system 1 can handle a large number of terminal devices 4 by determining whether to update the implementation program of the terminal device 4 in the terminal device 4 instead of the program providing server 3. The processing load of the necessary program providing server 3 can be reduced.

  In addition, the program update system 1 stores the device identification information in the user agent header field standardly defined in HTTP, and requests the version information and the update program from the terminal device 4 to the program providing server 3. The program providing server 3 does not require another program for acquiring the device identification information, and does not require the user to input the device identification information again. The device identification information of the terminal device 4 can be easily acquired.

  At this time, in the program update system 1, it is not necessary to store the production number individually when the terminal device 4 is manufactured, and it is not necessary to manage and update the individual production number etc. in the program providing server 3. System operation and maintenance can be performed.

  Furthermore, the program update system 1 is configured such that the program providing server 3 encrypts the version information and the update program and transmits them to the terminal device 4 so that only the terminal device 4 holds the password so that other devices can It is possible to prevent the version information and the update program from being illegally acquired, and the terminal device 4 can acquire the version information and the update program.

  According to the above configuration, the program update system 1 determines whether or not the terminal device 4 acquires the version information and updates the implementation program of the terminal device 4, and the program providing server 3 further determines whether the program providing server 3 is HTTP. The device identification information is acquired and authenticated using the user agent header field, and only the terminal device 4 having the password can acquire the version information and the update program. Therefore, it is possible to realize the program update system 1 that can prevent unnecessary acquisition and can significantly reduce the time and effort required for maintaining and operating the system.

(7) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the case where device identification information is stored in an HTTP user agent header field has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and communication to be used is used. The device identification information may be stored in an area that can be arbitrarily used by the user, which is standardly defined in the protocol.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the manufacturer name and the model name are stored as the device identification information in the user agent header field has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the mounted mounting program Other information such as version information may be stored in the user agent header field and transmitted.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the program providing server 3 transmits the encrypted version information and the update program and the terminal device 4 decrypts it using the password has been described. Not limited to this, the program providing server 3 may transmit version information and an update program that are not encrypted.

  In this case, the program update system 1 can omit the encryption processing by the program providing server 3 and the decryption processing by the terminal device 4 for information that may be acquired by a third party, for example. The overall processing load can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the software providing server 3 has the version information and the update program encrypted in advance has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a request from the terminal device 4 is provided. Encryption may be performed every time a message is received.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the software providing server 3 holds the version information and the update program has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other software connected to the software providing server 3 may be used. The server and the like may have the version information and the update program. In this case, the processing load on the software providing server 3 can be further reduced.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the terminal device 4 obtains all the encrypted update programs and then decrypts them. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the encrypted update programs You may make it decode whenever it acquires.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the terminal device 4 acquires all necessary update programs and then executes the program update has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a module unit or the like Each time an update program divided in step (b) is acquired, the program may be updated in units of modules.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the terminal device 4 and the program providing server 3 are connected via the Internet 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a dedicated network that is not connected to the other is used. In this case, since security is maintained by limiting the terminal devices to be connected, encryption may be further omitted.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the terminal device 4, the CPU 11 expands the program update program stored in advance in the ROM 13 and the hard disk drive 21 on the RAM 20, and executes the above-described program update process according to the service use program. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the program update process may be executed by installing a program storage medium in which the program update program is stored in the terminal device 4.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the hard disk drive 21 as the program storage means, the version request information transmitting means, the version information receiving means, the program request information transmitting means, the communication processing section 22 as the program receiving means, and the update determining means. In addition, the case where the program mounting apparatus is configured by the CPU 11 as the updating means has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the program storage means by various other circuit configurations, the version request information transmitting means, The program mounting apparatus may be configured by the version information receiving means, the update determining means, the program request information transmitting means, the program receiving means, and the updating means.

  The present invention can be applied to various systems that require program updates.

It is a basic diagram which shows the whole structure of the program update system of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a program provision server. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a terminal device. It is a basic diagram which shows a directory structure. It is a basic diagram which shows the program module of a terminal device. It is a basic diagram which shows the example of a message header. It is a sequence chart which shows the program update sequence of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Program update system, 3 ... Program provision server, 4 ... Terminal device, 11 ... CPU, 21, 63 ... Hard disk drive, 22 ... Communication processing part, 60 ... Control part, 64 ... Data Communication processing unit.

Claims (16)

A version request information transmission step of transmitting version request information for requesting version information of an update program for updating an already installed mounting program to the program providing device;
A version information receiving step for receiving the version information transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the version request information;
An update determination step of comparing the version of the implementation program with the version in the received version information, and determining whether the program needs to be updated based on the comparison result;
A program request information transmission step for automatically transmitting program request information for requesting the update program to the program providing apparatus according to a determination result of whether or not the implementation program needs to be updated,
A program receiving step for receiving the update program transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the update program request information;
A program update method comprising: a program update step of executing the received update program and updating the implementation program. A version information decryption step for decrypting the encrypted version information received by the version information reception step;
The program update method according to claim 1, further comprising: a program decryption step of decrypting the encryption of the encrypted update program received by the program reception step. In the version request information transmission step, when transmitting the version request information, it transmits to the program providing device together with device identification information for identifying the program mounting device on which the mounting program is mounted,
The program update method according to claim 1, wherein, in the program request information transmission step, when the program request information is transmitted, the apparatus identification information is also transmitted to the program providing apparatus. The device identification information is
4. The program update method according to claim 3, wherein the program update method is stored in a user agent header field of a header portion of transmission data defined by HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). Program storage means for storing the mounting program;
Version request information transmitting means for transmitting version request information for requesting version information of an update program for updating the stored implementation program to the program providing device;
Version information receiving means for receiving the version information transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to transmission of the version request information;
An update determination means for comparing the version of the implementation program with the version in the received version information, and determining whether the program needs to be updated based on the comparison result;
Program request information transmitting means for automatically transmitting program request information for requesting the update program to the program providing apparatus in accordance with a determination result of whether or not the implementation program needs to be updated;
Program receiving means for receiving the update program transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to transmission of the update program request information;
And a program updating unit that executes the received update program and updates the implementation program. Version information decrypting means for decrypting the encrypted version information received by the version information receiving means;
The program mounting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the program mounting apparatus decrypts the encryption of the encrypted update program received by the program receiving means. In the version request information transmitting means, when transmitting the version request information, the apparatus transmits the apparatus identification information for identifying the program mounting apparatus on which the mounting program is mounted to the program providing apparatus,
The program mounting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the program request information transmitting means transmits the apparatus identification information together with the program providing apparatus when transmitting the program request information. The device identification information is
The program mounting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the program mounting apparatus is stored in a user agent header field of a header portion of transmission data defined by HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). For information processing equipment
A version request information transmission step of transmitting version request information for requesting version information of an update program for updating an already installed mounting program to the program providing device;
A version information receiving step for receiving the version information transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the version request information;
An update determination step of comparing the version of the implementation program with the version in the received version information, and determining whether the program needs to be updated based on the comparison result;
A program request information transmission step for automatically transmitting program request information for requesting the update program to the program providing apparatus according to a determination result of whether or not the implementation program needs to be updated,
A program receiving step for receiving the update program transmitted from the program providing apparatus in response to the transmission of the update program request information;
A program implementation program for executing the received update program and executing a program update step for updating the implementation program. Version request information for receiving version request information for requesting version information of an update program transmitted from the program mounting apparatus as transmission data of a predetermined communication protocol for updating the mounting program already mounted by the program mounting apparatus. Receiving step;
A first authentication process is performed on the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the version request information based on apparatus identification information for identifying the program mounting apparatus stored in correspondence with the transmission data in accordance with the communication protocol. Authentication process steps,
When authenticating the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the version request information, a version information transmitting step of transmitting the version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus;
A program request information receiving step for receiving program request information for requesting the update program, transmitted from the program mounting apparatus using a predetermined communication protocol;
Second authentication for authenticating the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information based on the apparatus identification information stored in accordance with the communication protocol for transmission data transmitted as the program request information Processing steps;
A program providing method comprising: a program transmission step of transmitting the update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus transmitting the program request information is authenticated. In the version information transmission step, the encrypted version information is transmitted to the authenticated program mounting apparatus,
The program providing method according to claim 10, wherein, in the program transmission step, the encrypted update program is transmitted to the authenticated program mounting apparatus. The communication protocol is
It consists of HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol),
The device identification information is
The program providing method according to claim 10, wherein the program is stored in a user agent header field of a header portion of transmission data defined by HTTP. Version request information for receiving version request information for requesting version information of an update program transmitted from the program mounting apparatus as transmission data of a predetermined communication protocol for updating the mounting program already mounted by the program mounting apparatus. Receiving means;
A first authentication process is performed on the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the version request information, based on apparatus identification information for identifying the program mounting apparatus stored in correspondence with the transmission data in accordance with the communication protocol. Authentication processing means,
When authenticating the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the version request information, version information transmitting means for transmitting the version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus;
Program request information receiving means for receiving program request information for requesting the update program, transmitted from the program mounting apparatus using a predetermined communication protocol;
Second authentication for authenticating the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information based on the apparatus identification information stored in accordance with the communication protocol for transmission data transmitted as the program request information Processing means;
A program providing apparatus comprising: a program transmission unit that authenticates the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the program request information, and transmits the update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus. The version information transmitting means transmits the encrypted version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus,
The program providing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the program transmitting means transmits the encrypted update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus. The communication protocol is
It consists of HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol),
The device identification information is
14. The program providing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the program providing apparatus is stored in a user agent header field of a header portion of transmission data defined by HTTP. For information processing equipment
Version request information for receiving version request information for requesting version information of an update program transmitted from the program mounting apparatus as transmission data of a predetermined communication protocol for updating the mounting program already mounted by the program mounting apparatus. Receiving step;
A first authentication process is performed on the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the version request information, based on apparatus identification information for identifying the program mounting apparatus stored in correspondence with the transmission data in accordance with the communication protocol. Authentication process steps,
When authenticating the program mounting apparatus that has transmitted the version request information, a version information transmitting step of transmitting the version information to the authenticated program mounting apparatus;
A program request information receiving step for receiving program request information for requesting the update program, transmitted from the program mounting apparatus using a predetermined communication protocol;
Second authentication for authenticating the program mounting apparatus that transmitted the program request information based on the apparatus identification information stored in accordance with the communication protocol for transmission data transmitted as the program request information Processing steps;
A program providing program for executing a program transmission step of transmitting the update program to the authenticated program mounting apparatus when the program mounting apparatus transmitting the program request information is authenticated.

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