DATA PROCESSING UNIT, DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND DATA DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20020109720A1
• Filed: 11/15/1999
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: KAMBA, TOMONARI
• Granted Patent: US 6,657,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

The present invention provides a data processing unit which allows schedule data, address data, and so on, to be synchronized between a plurality of terminals each with its own screen display capability such as a screen size and available display colors and user attributes. The data processing unit comprises a communication control unit for communicating with other terminals, a synchronous data storing unit for storing data synchronized by the communication control unit, a data conversion rule storing unit for storing a data conversion rule provided in accordance with the screen display capability or the user attributes, a data conversion unit for converting the data received from the synchronous data storing unit based on the data conversion rule, a converted data storing unit for storing the converted data, and a display unit for displaying the converted data.

Claims

1. A data display control method for use in a plurality of interconnected data processing units, comprising the steps of:

(a) each of which storing therein data synchronized and transferred between the plurality of data processing units and

producing converted data by converting data based on a conversion rule for displaying data in a format suitable for a specification of a display unit of the data processing unit or a conversion rule for displaying said data in a format suitable for an attribute of the data processing unit and/or a user, and

displaying the converted data on the display unit of the data processing unit.

2. A data processing system composed of a plurality of interconnected data processing units, wherein each of said plurality of data processing units comprises:

a first storing unit storing therein synchronous data synchronized and transferred between the plurality of data processing units via communication control means;

a second storing unit pre-storing therein a conversion rule for displaying said synchronous data in a display format suitable for display unit specifications of the data processing unit and/or for a user attribute;

conversion means for converting said synchronous data stored in said first storing unit to data corresponding to the display format suitable for displaying on the data processing unit based on said conversion rule stored in said second storing unit; and

a third storing unit storing therein said converted data,

and wherein said converted data is displayed on the display unit of the data processing unit.

4. The data processing system as defined by claim 2 wherein said conversion rule includes display/non-display setting information for each of predetermined items constituting said synchronous data and

wherein said conversion means extracts data of the items for which the display setting information is specified to create conversion data.

3. A data processing system composed of a plurality of interconnected data processing units, wherein each of said plurality of data processing units comprises:

a first storing unit storing therein synchronous data synchronized and transferred between the plurality of data processing units via communication control means, said synchronous data including a conversion rule for displaying said synchronous data in a display format suitable for display unit specifications of the data processing unit and/or for a user attribute;

a second storing unit pre-storing therein attribute of the data processing unit and a user;

conversion means for converting said synchronous data stored in said first storing unit to data suitable for displaying on the data processing unit based on said conversion rule included in said synchronous data and on the attribute data stored in said second storing unit; and

a third storing unit storing therein said converted data,

and wherein said converted data is displayed on a display unit of the data processing unit.

5. The data processing system as defined by claim 3 wherein said conversion rule includes display/non-display setting information for each of predetermined items constituting said synchronous data and

wherein said conversion means extracts data of the items for which the display setting information is specified to create conversion data.

6. A data processing unit comprising:

means for converting data according to screen display function information on a display unit of the data processing unit and/or user attribute information of said data processing unit; and

storing unit storing unconverted data and converted data,

wherein the unconverted data is used when synchronizing data with other terminals, and said converted data is used when displaying data on the display unit of the data processing unit.

7. A data processing unit comprising:

communication control means for transferring synchronous data to or from other data processing units;

storing means for storing the synchronous data;

data conversion rule storing means for storing a rule for converting said synchronous data according to screen display function information on a display of the data processing unit and/or user attribute information on said data processing unit;

data conversion means for reading the synchronous data from said synchronous data storing means and for converting the synchronous data based on said data conversion rule;

converted data storing means for storing said converted data; and

display means for displaying said converted data on a screen.

8. A data processing unit comprising:

communication control means for transferring synchronous data to or from other data processing units;

synchronized data storing means for storing said synchronous data;

terminal/user attribute storing means for storing an attribute of the data processing unit and a user of the data processing unit, referred to as “

terminal/user attribute”

hereinafter;

data conversion means for converting the synchronous data read from said synchronous data storing means based on said terminal/user attribute;

converted data storing means for storing data converted by said data conversion means; and

display means for displaying said converted data.

9. A data processing unit wherein data transferred between a plurality of the data processing units as defined by claim 8 includes instruction information for converting data based on said terminal/user attribute.

10. A medium carrying a program which causes a data processing unit to:

operate the program comprising;

(a) (a1) reading synchronous data from a storage unit in which the synchronous data to be transferred to or from other data processing units via a communication control unit is stored,

(a2) converting said synchronous data based on a conversion rule stored in a data conversion rule storing unit in which the conversion rule for converting said synchronous data according to screen display function information on a display of the data processing unit and/or a user attribute of said data processing unit is stored, and

(a3) outputting the converted data to a converted data storing unit; and

(b) controlling a display operation on a screen of said display unit based on said converted data stored in said converted data storing unit.

12. The medium as defined in claim 10, wherein said medium is a recording medium.

11. A medium carrying a program which causes a data processing unit operate, the program comprising:

(a) (a1) reading synchronous data from a storage unit in which the synchronous data to be transferred to or from other data processing units via a communication control unit is stored,

(a2) converting said synchronous data based on a conversion rule for instructing that data be displayed in a format according to screen display function information on a display of the data processing unit and/or user attribute information and on the attribute information stored in a storage unit in which the user attribute information said data processing unit is stored, said conversion rule being included in said synchronous data, and

(a3) outputting the converted data to converted data storing means; and

(b) controlling a display operation on a screen of said display unit based on said converted data stored in said converted data storing unit.

13. The medium as defined in claim 11, wherein said medium is a recording medium.