DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS USED FOR COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20020007391A1
• Filed: 09/02/1998
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: SUZUKI, HIDEO
• Granted Patent: US 6,493,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/144 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

In the network terminal device (200), the computer main body (202) transmits a download request containing user identification data to the host device (300) via a network (100) at the time of starting the terminal device (200). In the host device (300), of various types of files corresponding to the user identification data, a designated file which is set by the user table in advance, is selected from the user management file which stores various types of files corresponding to each and individual user, in reply to the download request, and the designated file is transferred to the network terminal device (200) which made the request. The designated file is a recently used data file.

Claims

1. A network terminal device adapted to be connected to a host device, comprising:

memory means for storing files;

means for displaying indication items for specifying the files, on a display screen;

means for selecting a desired indication item from the indication items displayed on the display screen;

means for determining whether or not a file corresponding to the indication item selected by said selecting means is stored in said memory means;

means for downloading the file corresponding to the indication item selected by said selecting means from the host device to the memory means, when it is determined by said determining means that the file is not stored; and

processing means for executing a process based on the file downloaded by said downloading means.

2. A network terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising means for starting, when the file downloaded by said downloading means is an application program file, an application in connection with the application program file.

3. A network terminal device according to claim 2, in which said downloading means downloads, when said selecting means selects an indication item corresponding to an application program file, the application program file and a data file corresponding to the application program file, from the host device.

4. A network terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising means for opening, when the file downloaded by said downloading means is a data file, the data file based on an application corresponding to the data file downloaded.

5. A network terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

second determining means for determining, when said selecting means selects an indication item corresponding to a data file, whether or not an application program file corresponding to the data file is stored in the memory means; and

second downloading means for downloading the application program file corresponding to the selected indication item from the host device to the terminal device when it is determining by said second determining means that the application program file corresponding to the data file is not stored.

6. A network terminal device according to claim 1, in which said displaying means comprises means for displaying an item to indicate that there is a file downloaded by said downloading means.

7. A network terminal device adapted to be connected to a host device, comprising:

means for requesting transmission of data in connection with files stored in the host device, to the host device;

means for acquiring file indication data transmitted from the host device, in response to the data request;

means for displaying indication items based on the file indication data acquired by said acquiring means, on a display screen;

means for selecting a desired indication item from the indication items displayed on the display screen; and

means for downloading the file corresponding to the indication item selected by said selecting means, from the host device.

8. A network terminal device according to claim 7, in which said downloading means downloads a particular file of the files stored in the host device irrespective of a selection made by said selecting means.

9. A network terminal device according to claim 7, in which said data acquiring means comprises means for receiving and acquiring display screen image setting data or icon setting data, and

said displaying means comprises means for reproducing a display state substantially the same as that of the host device based on the display screen image setting data or the icon setting data acquired by said acquiring means.

10. A computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for displaying indication items for specifying the files, on a display screen;

computer readable program code means for selecting a desired indication data from the indication items displayed on the display screen;

computer readable program code means for determining whether or not a file corresponding to the selected indication item is stored in memory means;

computer readable program code means for downloading the file corresponding to the selected indication item from the host device, when it is determined that the corresponding file is not stored; and

computer readable program code means for executing a process based on the downloaded file.

11. A computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for requesting transmission of data in connection with files stored in a host device;

computer readable program code means for acquiring file indication data transmitted from the host device, in response to the data request;

computer readable program code means for displaying indication items based on the acquired file indication data, on a display screen;

computer readable program code means for selecting a desired indication item from the displayed indication items; and

computer readable program code means for downloading the file corresponding to the selected indication item, from the host device.

12. A network terminal device adapted to be connected to a host device which stores files corresponding to user identification data, comprising:

means for notifying user identification data, to the host device;

means for receiving a file extracted and transmitted by the host device based on the notified user identification data; and

means for storing the file transmitted from the host device.

13. A network terminal device according to claim 12, in which said notifying means comprises means for notifying the user identification data to the host device at the time of starting the network terminal device.

14. A network terminal device according to claim 12, in which said receiving means comprises means for receiving the file extracted from the files specified by the user identification data.

15. A network terminal device adapted to be connected to a host device comprising:

means for operating the network terminal device based on a start command from timer start means equipped in the network terminal device or the host device;

means for receiving a file which is transferred from the host device;

means for storing the file received by said receiving means; and

means for stopping the operation of the network terminal device when a storing process of the file by said storing means is finished.

16. A network terminal device according to claim 15, in which said receiving means comprises means for receiving the file extracted from files corresponding to a user identification data of a user of the network terminal device.

17. A network terminal device adapted to be connected to a host device comprising:

timer means for timing a present time;

means for requesting transmission of a new file to the host device;

means for receiving a file extracted and transmitted from the host device in correspondence to the present time; and

means for storing the file received by said receiving means.

18. A network terminal device according to claim 17, further comprising time zone memory means for storing file designation data for specifying a file to be stored in the network terminal device for each of a plurality of time zones, and means for notifying the file designation data corresponding to the time zone for the present time to the host device.

19. A network terminal device according to claim 18, in which said time zone memory means comprises means for storing file designation data for specifying a file unnecessary for each of the time zones, and means for deleting the unnecessary file from said storing means.

20. A computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for notifying user identification data to the host device;

computer readable program code means for receiving a file extracted and transmitted from the host device based on the user identification data in reply to the notification; and

computer readable program code means for storing the received file in memory means in a data processing device.

21. A computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for timing a present time;

computer readable program code means for requesting transmission of a new file to the host device;

computer readable program code means for receiving a file extracted and transmitted from the host device side in correspondence to the present time; and

computer readable program code means for storing the received file in memory means in a data processing device.