Information image utilization system, information image management server, information image management method, device information image, program, and recording medium

• US 20050034054A1
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuyama, Fumio, Murata, Noriyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,562,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30

Abstract

An information image utilization system and so forth by which it is possible to particularly set the access right and so forth relating to utilization of an apparatus information image and utilization of an apparatus through the apparatus information image to perform authentication. A client (108) issues a request for provision of ownership information of an apparatus information image (indicating an apparatus possessed by a user of the client (108)) to an information image management server (104). The information image management server (104) extracts user IDs of owners of the apparatus information image and attribute information of copy information image data corresponding to the owners from an apparatus information image management table, and transmits the user IDs and the attribute information to the client (108). On the other hand, if an instruction to change the attribute information or to delete the copy information image or the like is transmitted from the client (108), then the information image management server (104) updates contents of the apparatus information image management table and updates contents of a folder management table.

Claims

1. An information image utilization system which includes one or a plurality of information image management servers, one or a plurality of folder management servers, a user management server and one or a plurality of clients connected to one another through a network and wherein any of said clients accesses an apparatus which includes one of said information image management servers through an information image which is handled in a handling unit including image information and related information which causes a predetermined action to be performed based on the image information, characterized in

(a) that said one information image management server or each of said plurality of information image management servers includes

an apparatus information image management section for producing and storing a first apparatus information image such that specific information including an identifier of said apparatus is contained in the information image, producing and storing a second apparatus information image such that attribute information representative of access right for each of identifiers of said clients which are owners and for each of the predetermined actions is contained in the first apparatus information image, and storing an apparatus information image management table for coordinating identifies of the first apparatus information images, identifiers of the second apparatus information images and identifiers of said clients with one another, and

a contents information image management section for acquiring contents in accordance with an instruction of any of said clients which accesses through the apparatus information image and producing and storing a contents information image which contains specific information which includes an identifier of the contents,

(b) that said one folder management server or each of said plurality of folder management server

stores a folder management table which coordinates the identifiers of said clients and the identifiers of the apparatus information images owned by said clients with each other,

(c) that said user management server

authenticates of said clients and stores a user management table which coordinates the identifiers of said clients and said folder management servers with each other, and

(d) that said one client or each of said plurality of clients

communicates with any of said folder management servers, displays the apparatus information image owned by the client and performs the predetermined action based on the related information and the attribute information contained in the apparatus information image.

2. An information image utilization system according to claim 1, characterized in that said predetermined action includes at least one action from among an operation of said apparatus, acquisition of contents possessed by said apparatus, reproduction of the contents and deletion of the contents.

3. An information image utilization system according to claim 1, characterized in that the information image is formed from XML data.

4. One or a plurality of information image management servers connected to one or a plurality of clients through a network for managing information images wherein image information and related information which causes a predetermined action to be performed based on the image information are handled as a handling unit to mediate accessing from any of said clients to an apparatus which has one of said information image management servers, characterized in that

said one information image management server or each of said plurality of information image management servers comprises an apparatus information image management section for producing and storing a first apparatus information image such that specific information including an identifier of said apparatus is contained in the information image, producing and storing a second apparatus information image such that attribute information representative of access right for each of identifiers of said clients which are owners and for each of the predetermined actions is contained in the first apparatus information image, and storing an apparatus information image management table for coordinating identifies of the first apparatus information images, identifiers of the second apparatus information images and identifiers of said clients with one another.

5. One or a plurality of information management servers according to claim 4, characterized in that said one information image management server or each of said plurality of information image management servers further comprises a contents information image management section for acquiring contents in accordance with an instruction of any of said clients which accesses through the apparatus information image and producing and storing a contents information image which contains specific information which includes an identifier of the contents.

6. One or a plurality of information management servers according to claim 4, characterized in that said one information management server or each of said information management servers further comprises:

owner management means for causing, when an owner of the second apparatus information image changes, the change to be reflected on said apparatus information image management table; and

owner extraction means for extracting an identifier of the client which owns the second apparatus information image based on said apparatus information image management table.

7. One or a plurality of information management servers according to claim 4, characterized in that, when an instruction to change the attribute information contained in the second apparatus information image or delete the second apparatus information image is received, said apparatus information image management table is updated based on the instruction.

8. One or a plurality of information management servers according to claim 4, characterized in that the predetermined action includes at least one action from among an operation of said apparatus, acquisition of contents possessed by said apparatus, reproduction of the contents and deletion of the contents.

9. One or a plurality of information management servers according to claim 4, characterized in that said information image is formed from XML data.

19. A program which causes a computer to function as an information image management server according to claim 4.

20. A recording medium on which a program which causes a computer to function as an information image management server according to claim 4 is recorded.

10. An information image management method for an information image management server connected to one or a plurality of clients through a network for managing information images wherein image information and related information which causes a predetermined action to be performed based on the image information are handled as a handling unit to mediate accessing from any of said clients to an apparatus which has one of said information image management servers, characterized in that

a first apparatus information image is produced and stored such that specific information including an identifier of said apparatus is contained in the information image, and a second apparatus information image is produced and stored such that attribute information representative of access right for each of identifiers of said clients which are owners and for each of the predetermined actions is contained in the first apparatus information image, and then an apparatus information image management table for coordinating identifies of the first apparatus information images, identifiers of the second apparatus information images and identifiers of said clients with one another is stored.

11. An information image management method according to claim 10, characterized in that contents are acquired in accordance with an instruction of any of said clients which accesses through the apparatus information image, and a contents information image which contains specific information which includes an identifier of the contents is produced and stored.

12. An information image management method according to claim 10, characterized in that the information image management method further comprises:

an owner management step of causing, when an owner of the second apparatus information image changes, the change to be reflected on said apparatus information image management table; and

an owner extraction step of extracting an identifier of the client which owns the second apparatus information image based on said apparatus information image management table.

13. An information image management method according to claim 10, characterized in that, when an instruction to change the attribute information contained in the second apparatus information image or delete the second apparatus information image is received, said apparatus information image management table is updated based on the instruction.

14. An information image management method according to claim 10, characterized in that said predetermined action includes at least one action from among an operation of said apparatus, acquisition of contents possessed by said apparatus, reproduction of the contents and deletion of the contents.

15. An information image management method according to claim 10, characterized in that said information image is formed from XML data.

16. An apparatus information image, characterized in that image information, related information which causes a predetermined action to be performed based on the image information, specific information including an identifier of a client connected through a network, and attribute information including access right for each predetermined action and for each owner are handled as a handling unit to mediate accessing from said client to an apparatus which has an information image management server.

17. An apparatus information image according to claim 16, characterized in that said predetermined action includes at least one action from among an operation of said apparatus, acquisition of contents possessed by said apparatus, reproduction of the contents and deletion of the contents.

18. An apparatus information image according to claim 16, characterized in that said apparatus information image is formed from XML data.