Integrated application management system, apparatus and program, and integrated session management server, system, program, and apparatus

• US 20050198197A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Communication Technologies, Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshiuchi, Hideya, Setoyama, Tohru
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment

Abstract

Disclosed here is an integrated application system for enabling a new application to be added and a user to select an optional application easily. The integrated application system includes a plurality of clients for receiving services from a plurality of application servers for supplying a plurality of services and a management apparatus for controlling services supplied by the application servers to the clients according to an integrated service starting request from any of clients. Each of the clients includes a client management unit for controlling participation of a plurality of application clients corresponding to a plurality of services in an integrated service. The client management unit selects each application used in the integrated service and a client that participates in the integrated service respectively and sends an integrated service starting request to the management apparatus while the management apparatus instructs each of the selected application servers to start a service according to the integrated service starting request from the client management unit.

Claims

1. An integrated application management system for enabling an integrated service of information exchange to be supplied in real time to a plurality of clients using a plurality of applications that cooperate with each another,

wherein said system comprises:

an application server for supplying a plurality of services;

a plurality of clients for receiving said plurality of services from said application server respectively; and

a management apparatus for controlling said plurality of services supplied from said application server and said plurality of clients that participate in said integrated service according to a request for starting said integrated service from any of said plurality of clients;

wherein each of said plurality of clients includes;

a plurality of application clients corresponding to said plurality of services; and

a client management unit for controlling participation of said plurality of application clients in said integrated service; and

wherein said client management unit selects an application used for said integrated service and a client to participate in said integrated service, then sends a request for starting said integrated service to said management apparatus;

wherein said management apparatus includes;

an integrated service control unit for instructing said application server for supplying a service corresponding to said selected application to start said service for said selected participant client according to a request for starting said integrated service received from said client management unit; and

wherein said application server notifies said client management unit of said selected participating client of the start of said service according to an instruction received from said integrated service control unit.

2. The integrated application management system according to claim 1;

wherein said application server includes;

an indispensable application for supplying an indispensable service to said integrated service; and

an optional application for supplying an optional service, said optional application being available selectively in said integrated service; and

wherein said client includes;

an application client corresponding to said indispensable service in said integrated service; and

an optional application client corresponding to said optional service.

3. The integrated application management system according to claim 2;

wherein said integrated service control unit, if none of said participating clients can receive a service by said indispensable or optional application selected by said client from among said applications, notify each client of error occurrence, and process said error in a predetermined process.

4. The integrated application management system according to claim 3;

wherein said integrated service control unit, if any participating client cannot receive any service from said optional application selected by said client from among a plurality of applications, excludes said participating client and supplies said service of that optional application and notifies each client of the error occurrence.

5. The integrated application management system according to claim 3;

wherein said integrated service control unit, if any participating client cannot receive any service from said indispensable application selected from among a plurality of applications selected by said client, stops the start of said integrated service and notifies each client of the error occurrence.

6. The integrated application management system according to claim 3;

wherein said integrated service control unit, if any optional application in an application server among a plurality of applications selected by said client cannot supply any service, excludes said optional application and starts said integrated service and notifies each client of the error occurrence.

7. The integrated application management system according to claim 3;

wherein said integrated service control unit, if any indispensable application in an application server among a plurality of applications selected by said client cannot supply any service, stops the start of said integrated service and notifies each client of the error occurrence in said integrated service.

8. The integrated application management system according to claim 1;

wherein said integrated service control unit includes;

a session information management apparatus for recording information related to a client user participating in an integrated service, information related to an application used in said integrated service, and information related a service receiving time when said integrated service is started; and

an accounting information management apparatus for calculating accounting information corresponding to said user related information.

9. The integrated application management system according to claim 8;

wherein said accounting information management apparatus is disposed in the same network as that of said session information management apparatus and said management apparatus.

10. The integrated application management system according to claim 8;

wherein said accounting information management apparatus is connected to said session information management apparatus and said management apparatus through an external network respectively.

11. A server for supplying an integrated service that enables information exchanges in real time to a plurality of clients using a plurality of applications that work cooperatively with each another;

wherein said server includes;

an integrated service starting unit for instructing an application server for supplying said plurality of applications to start a service for a client with respect to each application to be used when receiving an integrated service starting request that includes participating clients and applications to be used from said client; and

an integrated service control unit for supplying an integrated service according to a response from an application server corresponding to said service starting request.

12. The server according to claim 11;

wherein said application consists of an indispensable application that supplies a service indispensable for an integrated service and an optional application that supplies an optional service available optionally in said integrated service; and

wherein said integrated service control unit, when receiving information denoting an error from an application server that supplies an indispensable application corresponding to a service indispensable in said integrated service, stops the supply of said integrated service.

13. The server apparatus according to claim 12;

wherein said integrated service control unit, when receiving error information from an application server that supplies an optional service among a plurality of applications received from said client, excludes the service of that optional application from said integrated service.

14. A program for enabling a client to exchange information with another client cooperatively in real time with respect to each of services received from a plurality of applications;

wherein said program enables a computer to execute;

means for selecting an application to be used for said information exchanges and a client with which said information exchanges are to be made respectively;

means for sending a request for starting said information exchanges with both of said selected application and client;

a procedure of receiving a response from said selected application;

a procedure of determining whether or not a response is received from said selected application;

a procedure of determining whether or not a response is received from all of said selected applications; and

a procedure of determining whether to start an information exchange according to the result of said determination.

15. The program according to claim 14;

wherein said procedure of determining whether to start said information exchange is executed to determine the start of said information exchange when receiving a response from all of said selected applications.

16. The program according to claim 14;

wherein said procedure of determining whether to start said information exchange determines stop of said information exchange if receiving no response from any of said plurality of selected applications.

17. An integrated session management server including a packet operating unit connected to a plurality of application servers and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of application servers through a network;

wherein said integrated session management server further includes;

a memory; and

a CPU;

wherein said packet operation unit receives one integrated session ID, a plurality of terminal IDs corresponding to said integrated session ID, and a plurality of application IDs corresponding to said integrated session ID from said plurality of terminals;

wherein said packet operating unit can send said integrated session ID and said plurality of terminal IDs to said plurality of application servers corresponding to said plurality of application IDs; and

wherein said memory can retain information denoting the start or end of communication between said plurality of application servers and said plurality of terminals.

18. An integrated session management system, including:

a plurality of application servers, each having a memory, a CPU, and a packet operating unit connected to a plurality of terminals respectively; and

an integrated session management server connected to those application servers;

wherein said packet operation unit of said integrated session management server can receive one session integrated session ID, a plurality of terminal IDs corresponding to said integrated session ID, and a plurality of application IDs corresponding to said integrated session ID from said terminals and send said integrated session ID and said plurality of terminal IDs to said plurality of application servers corresponding to said plurality of application IDs; and

wherein said memory of said integrated session management server can retain information denoting the start or end of communication between said plurality of application servers and said plurality of terminals;

wherein said packet operating unit of each of said plurality of application servers corresponding to said plurality of application IDs can receive said integrated session ID and said plurality of terminal IDs from said integrated session management server and send a communication start request to said plurality of terminals corresponding to said plurality of terminal IDs.

19. A software program enabling a CPU to execute an integrated session starting method in a terminal that includes a packet operating unit and a CPU connected to a plurality of application servers and an integrated session management server, respectively;

wherein said software enables said CPU to execute said integrated session starting method comprising the steps of;

sending one integrated session ID, a plurality of application server IDs corresponding to said integrated session ID, and a plurality of terminal IDs corresponding to said integrated session ID through said packet operation unit; and

enabling said packet operating unit to receive a communication starting request from each of said plurality of application servers corresponding to said plurality of application IDs.

20. A software program enabling a CPU to execute an integrated session starting method in a terminal that includes a packet operation unit, a display unit, an input interface, and a CPU connected to a plurality of application servers and an integrated session management server respectively;

wherein said software enables said CPU to execute said integrated session starting method comprising the steps of;

displaying information denoting a plurality of applications that can be supplied from said plurality of application servers on said display unit;

displaying at least one of a plurality of applications that can be supplied from said plurality of application servers selected according to an input from said input interface; and

sending at least one of a plurality of application server IDs, which supplies said selected application to said integrated session management server together with said terminal ID through said packet operating unit.

21. An integrated session management server that includes a packet operating unit connected to a plurality of application servers and a plurality of terminals connected to those application servers through a network;

wherein said packet operating unit can be connected to another new application server in addition to said plurality of application servers;

wherein said memory can retain network addresses of said plurality of application servers and information denoting the start or end of communication between said plurality of application servers and said plurality of servers; and

wherein said memory can retain an address of said new application server used on said network and information denoting the start or end of communication between said new application server and each of said plurality of terminals.

22. A server cabinet that includes a plurality of server boards, each having a CPU, a storage, and an input/output interface, and a connection unit capable of connecting said plurality of server boards to each another through its input/output interface, as well as a plurality of terminals through a network;

wherein each of said plurality of server boards includes;

a plurality of application server boards, each having a memory for storing an application program executable in its CPU;

an integrated application management board having a memory for storing information of said plurality of application server boards; and

a terminal management board having a memory for storing information of said plurality of terminals.

23. The server cabinet according to claim 22;

wherein said connection unit of said server cabinet is capable of connecting still another new server board.