CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-155110 filed Sep. 24, 2021.

BACKGROUND

(i) Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a service system, and a non-transitory computer readable medium.

(ii) Related Art

Service providers which install an apparatus in the facility of a customer to provide services related to the apparatus intend to give an instruction to the apparatus on occasions. In this case, if each service provider is able to start communications with the apparatus, the service provider may access the apparatus to directly give an instruction without any trouble. However, a service provider is possibly not allowed to start communications with the apparatus, depending on the specification such as a hardware environment. In this case, it is not possible for the service provider to directly take an action on the apparatus. A conceivable method for addressing such a case is using polling.

Specifically, if the service provider intends to give an instruction to the apparatus, the service provider registers information indicating the instruction in a predetermined storage area. The apparatus performs polling and thus refers to the predetermined storage area provided in the service provider. If some information is registered, the apparatus reads out the information and executes a process in accordance with the read out information. The service provider may give an instruction to the apparatus in this manner.

If a customer has multiple apparatuses, there is a case where the customer intends to start using a new service of services provided by the service provider. As described above, if communications with the apparatuses are not allowed to be started from the service provider, an administrator for the apparatuses in the user company applies to the service provider for new use of the service and operates each apparatus to newly use the service.

In more detailed description, if each apparatus is a multifunction printer (MFP), the administrator moves to the place where the MFP is installed and operates the MFP to display a predetermined service screen on the operation panel. This operation causes a button for declaring the start of using the service to be displayed on the operation panel, and thus the administrator selects the button. The MFP notifies the service provider of the start of using the service selected in accordance with the selection operation. The service provider receives the notification from the MFP and registers, in a database for managing the MFPs, information in which the MFP as the notification source is related to the selected service. An intended service may thereby be used from the MFPs held by the user. (For example, Japanese Patent No. 6617808.

SUMMARY

Suppose a case where communications with apparatuses held by a user are not allowed to be started from an information processing apparatus and where information required to use a new service is registered in the information processing apparatus to enable the apparatuses to use the service. To date, this case requires such work that the administrator or the like in the user moves to the installation place of each apparatus and performs a predetermined operation of the apparatus, as described above. The more apparatuses the user holds, the greater burden the work carries.

Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate to reducing burden on a user in performing registration work for registering information required to cause multiple apparatuses held by the user to use a new service if communications with apparatuses held by the user are not allowed to be started from the information processing apparatus, as compared with a case where the user performs the registration work on each of the multiple apparatuses.

Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure overcome the above disadvantages and/or other disadvantages not described above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments are not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and aspects of the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may not overcome any of the disadvantages described above.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing apparatus from which communication with one or multiple apparatuses held by a user is not allowed to be started, the information processing apparatus including: a processor configured to: in response to application for use of a service from the user, extract the multiple apparatuses held by the user, by referring to held-apparatus information in which the user is associated with the multiple apparatuses held by the user; register use start information in a storage area provided for each of the multiple extracted apparatuses, the use start information including at least apparatus registration information; and after recognizing that one of the apparatuses refers to the apparatus registration information, register an identification of the apparatus that refers to the apparatus registration information, the identification being registered in a memory storing an apparatus permitted the use of the service, the identification being registered in relation to an identification of the service.

