# US 11,451,446 B2 · Device management system, network device, device management method, and computer-readable medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,446 B2 - Document ID: US11451446B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/750,003 - Filed: 2020-01-23 - Published: 2020-07-30 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-30 - Assignees: Buffalo Inc. - Applicants: Buffalo Inc. - Inventors: Atsuo Nakahata; Junji Inoue; Osamu Yamada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451446B2 ## CPC - H04L 41/28: Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration - H04L 41/0233: Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA] - H04L 41/0893: Assignment of logical groups to network elements - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A system includes a device management apparatus. The device management apparatus includes: one or more memories; and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to: store user group information that defines at least one user group, each user group being a group of one or more users; store device group definition information that defines at least one device group in association with at least one user group, each device group being a group of one or more network devices; store authority information of each device group associated with at least one user group; store association information that associates each of the network devices to be objects of management with at least one of the device groups; and determine whether to permit a user operation related to a network device belonging to a device group based on the authority information of each of the device groups. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device management system comprising a device management apparatus, wherein the device management apparatus comprises: one or more memories; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: store in the one or more memories user group information that defines at least one user group, each user group being a group of one or more users; store in the one or more memories device group definition information that defines at least one device group in association with at least one user group, each device group being a group of one or more network devices; store in the one or more memories authority information of each device group associated with at least one user group; store in the one or more memories association information that associates each of the network devices with at least one of the device groups; determine whether to permit a user operation related to a network device belonging to a particular device group based on the authority information of each of the device groups stored in the one or more memories; issue a registration key that includes information specifying a particular device group of the at least one device group defined by the device group definition information stored in the one or more memories; and register the registration key in association with the particular device group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the authority information includes information identifying authority to perform operations on one or more network devices within each device group for one or more users within the one or more user groups associated with each device group. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein a first user group includes one or more sub user groups that include one or more users belonging to the first user group. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein a first device group includes one or more of the plurality of sub device groups that include one or more network devices belonging to the first device group. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: transmit the issued registration key; receive, from a particular network device to be registered, the issued registration key; and register the particular network device in association with the particular device group specified by the information included in the received registration key. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device management system according to claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: issue the registration key in response to a request from a user belonging to the particular device group, the request being transmitted from a terminal device; and transmit the issued registration key to the terminal device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: perform user authentication; receive from an authenticated user a request for a predetermined operation related to a network device belonging to any one of the device groups; and perform processing based on the user's operation request. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, further comprising a device control apparatus, wherein the device control apparatus is configured to: receive, from a user, a request for a predetermined operation related to a network device belonging to any one of the device groups; request the device management apparatus to determine whether to permit an operation of the user; and perform processing based on the user's operation request when the operation of the user is permitted. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: check whether a particular user of the one or more users has authority to browse the accumulated device state information based on the authority information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one device group comprises a plurality of sub device groups managed as a hierarchical structure. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive device state information at a set timing from each of the one or more network devices and storing the device state information in the one or more memories, such that the device state information is accumulated as device management information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: issue the registration key in response to a request from a user transmitted from a terminal device. ### Claim 13 A device management method which is executed by a computer system including at least one computer, the device management method comprising: storing, by the computer system, user group information that defines at least one user group, each user group being a group of one or more users; storing, by the computer system, device group definition information that defines at least one device group in association with at least one user group; each device group being a group of one or more network devices; storing, by the computer system, authority information of each device group associated with at least one user group; storing, by the computer system, association information that associates each of the network devices with at least one of the device groups; determining, by the computer system, whether to permit a user's operation related to a network device belonging to a particular device group based on the authority information of each of the device groups stored by the computer system; determining, by the computer system, whether to permit a predetermined operation when receiving from the user a request for the predetermined operation related to a network device belonging to any one of the device groups; performing processing based on the request for the predetermined operation when the predetermined operation of the user is permitted; issuing a registration key that includes information specifying a particular device group of the at least one device group defined by the device group definition information stored in the one or more memories; and registering the registration key in association with the particular device group. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device management method of claim 13, wherein the authority information includes information identifying authority to perform operations on one or more network devices within each device group for one or more users within the one or more user groups associated with each device group. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The device management method according to claim 13, wherein a first user group includes one or more sub user groups that include at least one or more users belonging to the first user group. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The device management method according to claim 13, wherein a first device group includes one or more of the plurality of sub device groups that include at least one or more network devices belonging to the first device group. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The device management method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting the issued registration key; receiving, by the computer system and from a particular network device to be registered, the issued registration key; and performing, by the computer system, registration of the particular network device in association with the particular device group specified by the information included in the received registration key. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The device management method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: performing, by the computer system, user authentication; receiving, by the computer system, from an authenticated user a request for a predetermined operation related to a network device belonging to any one of the device groups; and performing, by the computer system, processing based on the user's operation request. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The device management method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the computer system, from a user, a request for a predetermined operation related to a network device belonging to any one of the device groups; requesting, by the computer system, the device management apparatus to determine whether to permit an operation of the user; and performing, by the computer system, processing based on the user's operation request when the operation of the user is permitted. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that; when executed by a computer system comprising a display screen and circuitry, control the computer system to implement a device management method comprising: storing, by the computer system, user group information that defines at least one user group, each user group being a group of one or more users; storing, by the computer system, device group definition information that defines at least one device group in association with at least one user group, each device group being a group of one or more network devices; storing, by the computer system, authority information of each device group associated with at least one user group; storing, by the computer system, association information that associates each of the network devices with at least one of the device groups; determining, by the computer system, whether to permit a user's operation related to a network device belonging to a particular device group based on the authority information of each of the device groups stored by the computer system; determining, by the computer system, whether to permit a predetermined operation of a user when receiving from the user a request for the predetermined operation related to a network device belonging to any one of the device groups; performing processing based on the request for the predetermined operation when the predetermined operation of the user is permitted; issuing a registration key that includes information specifying a particular device group of the at least one device group defined by the device group definition information stored in the one or more memories; and registering the registration key in association with the particular device group. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the authority information includes information identifying authority to perform operations on one or more network devices within each device group for one or more users within the one or more user groups associated with each device group.