Content distribution method, system and computer-readable medium

• US 10,498,816 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Guo, Zhaogong, Itasaki, Akira, Matsumoto, Tatsuro, Sugano, Hiroyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Atta
• Application Number:
  US14/830,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 709219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

A system includes: a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of content and a plurality of distribution conditions corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of content; and circuitry configured to acquire, from a mobile terminal, condition information indicating a condition of the mobile terminal; compare the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal to each of the plurality of distribution conditions stored in the storage unit; identify one or more pieces of content of the plurality of pieces of content having a distribution condition matching the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal based on the comparing; and distribute the identified one or more pieces of content to the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of pieces of content and a plurality of distribution conditions corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of content; and

circuitry configured to

acquire condition information from a mobile terminal, the condition information including first path information and identification information, the first path information identifying a movement path of the mobile terminal, the identification information identifying each piece of the plurality of pieces of content stored by the mobile terminal;

compare the first path information of the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal to each of the plurality of distribution conditions stored in the memory;

identify, based on the comparing and the identification information of the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal, one or more pieces of content of the plurality of pieces of content that is not stored by the mobile terminal and having a distribution condition matching the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal; and

distribute, to the mobile terminal, the identified one or more pieces of content and distribution conditions, of the plurality of distribution conditions, that correspond to the identified one or more pieces of content, wherein

a distribution condition indicates at least one of a validity period of a piece of content, a distribution target of at least one of the piece of content among the plurality of pieces of content and a distribution range to which the piece of content is to be distributed, and

the circuitry is configured to identify the one or more pieces of content to be distributed to the mobile terminal based on the distribution condition.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of distribution conditions include second path information identifying a movement path of a mobile terminal to which each of the one or more pieces of content are to be distributed, and

the circuitry is configured to identify the one or more pieces of content to be distributed to the mobile terminal based on a comparison between the first path information and the second path information.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to identify, based on the condition information, at least one piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content stored in the memory that is not stored at the mobile terminal as the one or more pieces of content to be distributed to the mobile terminal.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the memory stores attribute information corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of content stored in the memory, and

the circuitry is configured to identify the one or more pieces of content to be distributed to the mobile terminal based on the plurality of distribution conditions and the attribute information.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to

change a degree of the attribute information of at least one of the plurality of pieces of content based on a distance between the system and a location of the mobile terminal based on the movement path stored in the memory, and

distribute the at least one of the pieces of content having the changed degree of the attribute information.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first content distribution apparatus including the circuitry;

a second content distribution apparatus; and

the mobile terminal, wherein

the first content distribution apparatus is configured to distribute, to the mobile terminal, the identified one or more pieces of content and the distribution conditions,

the mobile terminal is configured to

determine whether communication with the second content distribution apparatus is established; and

upload at least the identification information corresponding to the pieces of content stored by the mobile terminal and the plurality of distribution conditions to the second content distribution apparatus in a case that communication with the second content distribution apparatus is established, and

the second content distribution apparatus is configured to distribute the pieces of content stored by the mobile terminal to another mobile terminal in accordance with the distribution conditions corresponding to the one or more pieces of content.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the second content distribution apparatus is configured to

determine whether the pieces of content are stored in the second content distribution apparatus based on the second identification information received from the mobile terminal;

and

transmit an instruction to the mobile terminal to upload the pieces of content to the second content distribution apparatus.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to upload the pieces of content to the second content distribution apparatus when the mobile terminal receives the instruction from the second content distribution apparatus.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the second content distribution apparatus is configured to

store another piece of content;

determine whether the another piece of content is stored in the mobile terminal based on the identification information received from the mobile terminal; and

distribute the another piece of content to the mobile terminal when the another piece of content is not stored in the mobile terminal.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer program, which when executed by a mobile terminal, cause the mobile terminal to:

receive a piece of content and a distribution condition associated with the piece of content from a first content distribution apparatus, the first content distribution apparatus having identified the piece of content according to the distribution condition;

transmit, to the first content distribution apparatus, condition information including first path information and identification information, the first path information identifying a movement path of the mobile terminal, the identification information identifying the piece of content stored by the mobile terminal;

determine whether communication with a second content distribution apparatus is established; and

upload the piece of content, the identification information and the associated distribution condition to the second content distribution apparatus in a case that communication with the second content distribution apparatus is established, wherein

the second content distribution apparatus identifies, based on the identification information of the condition information, whether the piece of content is stored by another mobile terminal, and distributes the piece of content to the another mobile terminal in accordance with the associated distribution condition when the another mobile terminal does not store the piece of content,

the distribution condition indicates at least one of a validity period of a piece of content, a distribution target of at least one of the piece of content among the plurality of pieces of content and a distribution range to which the piece of content is to be distributed, and

the first content distribution apparatus identifies the one or more pieces of content to be distributed to the mobile terminal based on the distribution condition.

11. A content distribution method, comprising:

storing, by a first content distribution apparatus, a plurality of pieces of content and a plurality of distribution conditions corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of content;

acquiring, by the first content distribution apparatus, condition information from a mobile terminal, the condition information including first path information and identification information, the first path information identifying a movement path of the mobile terminal, the identification information identifying each piece of the plurality of pieces of content stored by the mobile terminal;

comparing, by the first content distribution apparatus, the first path information of the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal to each of the plurality of distribution conditions stored in the memory;

identifying, by the first content distribution apparatus and based on the comparing and the identification information of the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal, one or more pieces of content of the plurality of pieces of content that is not stored by the mobile terminal and having a distribution condition matching the condition information acquired from the mobile terminal; and

distributing, by the first content distribution apparatus to the mobile terminal, the identified one or more pieces of content and distribution conditions, of the plurality of distribution conditions, that correspond to the identified one or more pieces of content, wherein

a distribution condition indicates at least one of a validity period of a piece of content, a distribution target of at least one of the piece of content among the plurality of pieces of content and a distribution range to which the piece of content is to be distributed, and

the identifying the one or more pieces of content to be distributed to the mobile terminal is based on the distribution condition.

12. The content distribution method according to the claim 11, further comprising:

distributing, from the first content distribution apparatus, a distribution condition associated with a first piece of content of the plurality of pieces of content to the mobile terminal;

determining, by the mobile terminal, whether communication with a second content distribution apparatus is established;

uploading, by the mobile terminal, the identification information for specifying the first piece of content to the second content distribution apparatus when the communication with the second content distribution apparatus is established; and

enabling, by the second content distribution apparatus, distribution of the first piece of content specified by the identification information based on the associated distribution condition.

13. The content distribution method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the second content distribution apparatus, whether the first piece of content is stored in the second content distribution apparatus based on the at least identification information received from the mobile terminal; and

transmitting, by the second content distribution apparatus, an instruction to the mobile terminal to upload the first piece of content to the second content distribution apparatus.

14. The content distribution method according to claim 13, further comprising:

uploading, by the mobile terminal, the first piece of content to the second content distribution apparatus when the mobile terminal receives the instruction from the second content distribution apparatus.

15. The content distribution method according to claim 12, further comprising:

storing, by the second content distribution apparatus, a second piece of content;

determining, by the second content distribution apparatus, whether the second piece of content is stored in the mobile terminal based on at least the identification information received from the mobile terminal; and

distributing, by the second content distribution apparatus, the second piece of content to the mobile terminal when the second piece of content is not stored in the mobile terminal.