Proxy server apparatus and method for providing service using the same

• US 20030236883A1
• Filed: 09/04/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeshima, Yoshiteru, Nishikado, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web

Abstract

It is possible to control the data transfer between a proxy server apprataus and an application server that is connected to the proxy server apparatus.

An value added service control command is added to an request message and/or the response data. In accordance with the value added service control command included in the request message, a first proxy server 1a controls whether it relays this request message directly to a destination and it relays this request message to the destination after transferring this request message to an application server 7 and applying the value added service. Further, based on the value added service control command which is included in the response data, the first proxy server 1a controls whether it relays this response data directly to a destination or it relays this response data to the destination after transferring this response data to the application server 7 and applying the value added service.

Claims

1. A proxy server apparatus that relays the communication between a client and an server, comprising:

a control command interpreting unit that separates a control command from a request message from said client and manages it, when the request message has the control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of applying the value added service and a content of a value added service,

an value added service control unit that decides the control command to be applied to the request message and/or the response data among the control commands which are managed by said control command interpreting unit, transfers the request message and/or its response data to an application server which carries out the value added service in accordance with the decided control command and obtains the processed request message and/or the processed response data to which the value added service has been applied from said application server; and

an request message proxy unit that receives the request message of said client to relay it to said server of the destination and receives the response data of this request message from said server to relay this to said client as the request message transmission source;

wherein said request message proxy unit makes said control command interpreting unit process the request message from said client to obtain the request message which does not include the control command, makes said value added service control unit process this request message to obtain the processed request message to be relayed to said server, and makes said value added service control unit process the response data from said server to obtain the processed response data for relaying this response data to be relayed to said client.

2. A proxy server apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said control command interpreting unit separates the control command from the response data from said server and manages it as the same as the control command included in the request message when the response data has the control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of the value added service and a content of the value added service;

and

said request message proxy unit makes said control command interpreting unit process the response data from said server to obtain the response data which does not include the control command, makes said value added service control unit process this response data to obtain the processed response data to be displayed to said client.

3. A proxy server apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a data cache unit that caches the response data which has been processed by said value added service control unit, and which is associated with the content of the value added service which is applied to said response data;

wherein said request message proxy unit selects the control command to be applied to the response data and/or the request message which have been processed by said value added service control unit among the control commands which are managed by said control command interpreting unit, and further, checks whether or not the response data is cached in said data cache unit, and the caches area associated with the value added service included in said selected control command, and said request message proxy unit transmits this cached response data to said client in stead of relaying the request message, when the response data of the processed request message is cached.

4. A proxy server apparatus that relays the communication between the client and the proxy server apparatus according to claim 1 (referred to as a first proxy server apparatus), comprising:

a control command adding unit that adds a control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of applying the value added service and a content of the value added service to the request message from said client to be relayed to said first proxy server apparatus.

5. A proxy server apparatus that relays the communication between the proxy server apparatus according to claim 1 (referred to as a first proxy server apparatus) and the server, comprising:

a control command adding unit that adds a control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of applying the value added service and a content of the value added service to the response data from said server to be relayed to said first proxy server apparatus.

6. A network system comprising the proxy server apparatus according to claim 1 (referred to as a first proxy server apparatus), the proxy server apparatus according to claim 4 (referred to as a second proxy server apparatus) and the proxy server apparatus according to claim 5 (referred to as a third proxy server apparatus).

7. A client that transmits the request message to the proxy server apparatus according to claim 1 and receives the response data from said proxy server apparatus comprising:

a control command adding unit that adds a control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of applying the value added service and a content of the value added service to said request message.

9. A program product readable by a computer comprising:

a program which constructs the proxy server apparatus according to claim 1 on said computer by said computer executing said program; and

a medium which stores said program.

10. A program product readable by a computer comprising:

a program which constructs the client according to claim 7 on said computer by said computer executing said program; and

a medium which stores said program.

8. An server that receives the request message from the proxy server apparatus according to claim land transmits the response data including the object data of said request message to said proxy server apparatus, comprising:

a control command adding unit that adds a control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of applying the value added service and a content of the value added service to said response data.

11. A program product readable by a computer comprising:

a program which constructs the server according to claim 8 on said computer by said computer executing said program; and

a medium which stores said program.

12. A method for providing a service by the use of a proxy server apparatus that relays the communication between a client and an server, comprising the steps of:

separating a control command from a request message from said client and/or a response data from said server and managing it, when the request message has the control command which at least indicates an object of an value added service, a condition of applying the value added service and a content of the value added service;

selecting the control command to be applied to this request message among the control commands, transferring this request message to an application server for carrying out the value added service based on the selected control command and obtaining the processed request message to which the value added service has been applied from said application server;

relaying said processed request message to said server;

selecting the control command to be applied to the response data from said server among the control commands which are managed, transferring this response data to an application server for carrying out the value added service based on the selected value added service control command and obtaining the processed response data to which the value added service has been applied from said application server; and

relaying said processed response data to said client.