Method of accessing and sharing a digital document in P2P communication network

• US 20050044483A1
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Viger, Pascal, Nassor, Eric, Maze, Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The access method comprises the following steps: i) receiving a notification indicating the presence of at least one digital document available on the network, said notification comprising at least one executable command adapted to detect whether the recipient client device comprises a local application capable of processing the digital document, ii) executing the command or commands in order to detect the local application, and iii) in case of positive detection, accessing the digital document from a local server whereas in case of negative detection, accessing the document from the address of a remote server.

Claims

1. A method of accessing at least one digital document available on a communication network linking client devices together, said accessing method being implemented on a recipient client device said method comprising the following steps.

i) receiving a notification indicating the presence of at least one digital document available on the network, said notification comprising at least one executable command adapted to detect whether the recipient client device comprises a local application capable of processing the digital document,

ii) executing the command or commands in order to detect the local application, and

iii) in case of positive detection, accessing the digital document from a local server whereas in case of negative detection, accessing the document from the address of a remote server.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the notification further comprises at least one page in markup language containing at least one identifier designating the digital document, and a remote address designating a remote server.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, at the issue of step ii) and prior to step iii), the step iib) in which, in case a local application is present and inactive, provision is made to proceed with the activation of the local application according to a chosen executable command.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, after step iii), the step iv) in which provision is made to verify the presence of the document on a local server, and in case of negative verification to search for said document on the network, to download it in case of positive search, and to save it locally before serving it.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the adaptation of the page comprises the setting of a linking variable in markup language to the address of a local server, and provision is made to locally adapt the page in markup language so as to access the document from the address of a local server.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein the adaptation of the page comprises the setting of a linking variable in markup language to the address of a remote server, and provision is made to locally adapt the page in markup language so as to access the document from the address of a remote server.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein the executable command or commands are embedded in the page so notified, and said page being interpreted at step ii).

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the local address designating a local server may be determined by the command or commands adapted to retrieve the configuration parameters of said local server.

9. A method according to claim 2, wherein the command or commands included in the page in markup language call on a local program, adapted to detect the local server, as well as to retrieve the configuration parameters of said local server.

10. A method according to claim 2, wherein the page is notified as an attachment with an email.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein the page is downloaded onto a chosen remote server, and in that a reference to that page is sent to any recipient to be notified.

22. An information carrier readable by a computer system, possibly wholly or partly removable, in particular a CD-ROM or magnetic medium, such as a hard disk or a diskette, or a transmissible medium, such as an electrical or optical signal, characterized in that it comprises instructions of a computer program enabling the implementation of the method according to claim 1, when that program is loaded into and run by a computer system.

23. A computer program stored on an information carrier, said program comprising instructions enabling the implementation of a processing method according to claim 1, when that program is loaded and run by a computer system.

12. A method of sharing a digital document available on a communication network linking client devices together, said method being implemented on a sending client device, said method comprising the following step:

sending to at least one recipient client device a notification indicating the presence of at least one digital document available on the network, said notification comprising at least one executable command adapted to detect whether the recipient client device comprises a local application capable of processing the digital document, and in case in case of positive detection, to access the document from the address of a local server otherwise to access the document from the address of a remote server.

13. A sharing method according to claim 12, wherein the notification further comprises a page in markup language containing at least one identifier designating the digital document, and a remote address designating a remote server.

14. A device for accessing at least one digital document available on a communication network linking client devices together, said accessing device being integrated into a recipient client device, said accessing device comprises:

receiving means adapted to receive a notification indicating the presence of at least one digital document available on the network, said notification comprising at least one executable command adapted to detect whether the recipient client device comprises a local application capable of processing the digital document,

executing means adapted to execute the command in order to detect the local application, and

processing means adapted, in case of positive detection, to access the digital document from a local server whereas in case of negative detection, to access the document from a remote server.

15. A device according to claim 14, wherein the notification further comprises at least one page in markup language containing at least one identifier designating the digital document, and a remote address designating a remote server.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the processing means are adapted to set a linking variable in markup language to the address of the local server, and the processing means are adapted to locally adapt the page in markup language so as to access the document from the address of the local server.

17. A device according to claim 15, wherein the processing means are adapted to set a linking variable in markup language to the address of the remote server, and the processing means are adapted to locally adapt the page in markup language so as to access the document from the address of the remote server.

18. A device according to claim 15, wherein the executable command or commands are embedded in the page so notified and said page being interpreted.

19. A device according to claim 15, wherein the page is notified as an attachment with an email, the device being further equipped with an email processing application.

20. A digital document sharing device in a communication network linking client devices together, said sharing device being integrated into a sending client device, the digital document sharing device comprises sending means adapted to send to at least one recipient client device a notification indicating the presence of at least one digital document available on the network, said notification comprising at least one executable command adapted to detect whether the recipient client device comprises a local application capable of processing the digital document, and in case of positive detection, of accessing the document from the address of a local server and otherwise of accessing the document from the address of a remote server.

21. A sharing device according to claim 20, wherein the notification further comprises a page in markup language containing at least one identifier designating the digital document and a remote address designating a remote server.