Work space formation apparatus

• US 20040167881A1
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Masuda, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,360,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

When a user or a portable device enters work space, the user or the portable device entering the work space is detected by reading of an ID tag, and a connection interface public server for managing connection interfaces of computational resources which these user and portable device have and a coordination server for performing coupling processing are notified. The coordination server acquires the connection interfaces corresponding to the computational resources of the entering user or the portable device from the public server and couples these and thereby, it is constructed so that linkage between the computational resources shareable in the work space can be performed to make use.

Claims

1. A work space formation apparatus capable of coupling and using plural computational resources in work space by connecting the computational resources available in the work space, the apparatus comprising:

public means for holding and managing connection interfaces of the computational resources;

detection means for detecting presence of the computational resources available in the work space;

acquisition means for acquiring the connection interfaces of the detected available calculation resources from the public means; and

linkage relation derivation means for setting a linkage relation between the plural computational resources based on the acquired connection interfaces, wherein the corresponding calculation resources are coupled based on the set linkage relation.

2. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the public means holds condition setting as to whether to be able to publish or not every connection interface and offers the connection interface capable of publication to the acquisition means.

3. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the computational resource is owned by a user or a portable device moving in and out the work space;

the detection means detects presence of the computing resources available in the work space based on the fact that the user or the portable device is present in the work space, and issues a credential for identifying the detected user or portable device to the public means and the acquisition means;

the acquisition means requests a connection interface with the credential; and

the public means offers the requested connection interface to the acquisition means on condition of authentication based on the credential.

4. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the public means, the detection means, the acquisition means and the linkage relation derivation means are provided in each of plural work spaces;

the acquisition means of the work space in which linkage processing is performed acquires a connection interface acquired by the acquisition means of another work space; and

the coordinating relation derivation means links the corresponding computational resources based on the connection interface acquired from another work space in addition to a connection interface acquired from the work space by the acquisition means.

5. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a change in computational resources available in work space is detected by the detection means, the acquisition means performs acquisition processing according to the change and the linkage relation derivation means performs processing for coupling the corresponding computational resources based on a connection interface and updates a linkage relation.

6. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

computational resources of coordinating objects comprises contents documents;

information indicating features of the contents of the corresponding contents documents is attached to a connection interface held by the public means; and

the coordinating relation derivation means mutually links the contents documents with strong relevance based on the feature information of the contents documents.

7. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

computational resources of coordinating objects are a contents document and an application component;

applicable operation information about the contents document and offerable operation information about the application component are attached to a connection interface held by the public means; and

the coordinating relation derivation means links the application component to the contents document in which an applicable operation matches with an offerable operation.

8. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

cooperative work space interface public means for publishing a connection interface of a computational resource owned by a device installed in work space;

wherein

the acquisition means acquires a connection interface from the cooperative work space interface public means and offers the connection interface to processing by the coordinating relation derivation means.

9. The work space formation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

association access means for accessibly holding a history of a coordinating relation obtained by the coordinating relation derivation means is included.

10. A work space formation method capable of coupling and using plural calculation resources available in work space, the method comprising:

detecting presence of the computing resources available in the work space;

acquiring connection interfaces of the computational resources registered previously in response to the detection; and

setting a coordinating relation between the plural computational resources based on the acquired connection interfaces.

11. A work space formation method capable of coupling and using plural contents documents available in work space, the method comprising:

detecting presence of the contents documents available in the work space;

linking connection interfaces of the contents documents registered previously in response to the detection; and

setting a coordinating relation between the contents documents based on the relevance of contents documents.

12. A work space formation method capable of coupling and using a contents document and an application component available in work space, the method comprising:

detecting presence of the contents document and the application component available in the work space;

linking connection interfaces of the contents document and the application component registered previously in response to the detection; and

setting a linkage relation between the contents document and the application component on condition that the application component is applicable to the contents document.

13. A connection interface public apparatus constructing a work space formation system capable of coupling and using plural computational resources in work space by connecting the computational resources available in the work space, the apparatus comprising:

means for holding and managing connection interfaces of the computational resources; and

means for offering the corresponding connection interfaces by confirming that the computational resources are available in the work space in order to set a coordinating relation based on the connection interfaces between the plural calculation resources.

14. A coordination apparatus constructing a work space formation system capable of coupling and using plural computational resources in work space by connecting the computational resources available in the work space, the apparatus comprising:

means for acquiring connection interfaces of the plural computational resources detected in response to detection of presence of the computational resources available in the work space; and

means for setting a linkage relation between the plural computational resources based on the acquired connection interfaces.

15. A program executable by a computer constructing a work space formation system capable of coupling and using plural computational resources in work space by connecting the computational resources available in the work space, the program comprising:

holding and managing connection interfaces of the calculation resources; and

offering the corresponding connection interfaces by confirming that the computational resources are available in the work space in order to set a coordinating relation based on the connection interfaces between the plural calculation resources.

16. A program executable by a computer constructing a work space formation system capable of coupling and using plural computational resources in work space by connecting the computational resources available in the workspace, the program comprising:

acquiring connection interfaces of the plural computational resources detected in response to detection of presence of the computational resources available in the work space; and

setting a linkage relation between the plural computational resources based on the acquired connection interfaces.