DATA-SHARING SYSTEM AND DATA-SHARING METHOD

• US 20060264239A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TOMINAGA, Hirohisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems

Abstract

A method for sharing a data file among devices is provided, wherein the data file corresponding to a first data file stored in any of information-processing devices is transmitted to a file server, when a mobile terminal controlling a data-file-sharing operation requests registration of the first data file, as an object to be used by the other device. The data file is stored in a management region. The file server transmits file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the data file. The file-sharing information is transmitted from the information-processing device to the mobile terminal which selects a second data file for reception on the basis of the attribute information, accesses the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the second data file, and requests transmission of the second data file so that the second data file is transmitted.

Claims

1. A data-sharing system configured to share a data file among a plurality of devices, the data-sharing system comprising:

a plurality of information-processing devices which can store at least one data file;

a file server which manages at least one of the data files, the at least one data file being shared; and

a mobile terminal which controls an operation performed, so as to share the at least one data file stored in each of the information-processing devices,

wherein the file server includes file-management means configured to receive and store at least one of the at least one data file stored in any of the information-processing devices, when it is requested that the data file for the reception and storing be registered, as an object to be used by the other information-processing device;

shared-information transmission means configured to transmit file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the at least one data file stored in the file-management means; and

first file-transmission means configured to return the data file corresponding to the data file stored in the file-management means upon receiving an instruction to select the data file stored in the file-management means,

wherein each of the information-processing devices includes second file-transmission means which transmits the at least one data file stored in the information-processing device to the file server upon receiving request information transmitted from the mobile terminal, the request information indicates that it is requested that the at least one data file stored in the information-processing device be registered, as the object to be used by the other information-processing device; and

shared-information transfer means which transfers the file-sharing information to the mobile terminal, the file-sharing information being transmitted from the file server, after the second file-transmission means transmits the data file to the file server, and

wherein the mobile terminal includes registration-request means which makes a request of any of the information-processing devices to register a predetermined data file of the at least one data file stored in the information-processing device, as the object to be used by the other information-processing device; and

transmission-request means configured to select the data file to be received on the basis of the attribute information included in the file-sharing information transmitted from the information-processing device, access the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the selected data file, and make a request of the file server to transmit the selected data file.

2. The data-sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the file server further includes reduced-image-data generation means, the reduced-image-data generation being operated when the object data file includes image data that is transmitted from the information-processing device and that is stored in the file-management means, so as to generate a plurality of reduced-image-data items of different resolutions on the basis of the image data and store the plurality of reduced-image-data items in the file-management means,

wherein the mobile terminal further includes image-reproduction means configured to reproduce and show the reduced-image-data items,

wherein the shared-information transmission means transmits the location information of the registered object data file, and the location information and attribute information of each of the reduced-image-data items corresponding to the registered object data file, as the file-sharing information,

wherein the transmission-request means of the mobile terminal selects at least one of the reduced-image-data items, so as to receive the at least one selected reduced-image-data item, on the basis of the attribute information of the reduced-image-data items included in the file-sharing information transmitted to the transmission-request means, accesses the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the selected reduced-image-data item, and makes a request of the file server to return the selected reduced-image-data item.

3. The data-sharing system according to claim 2, wherein the shared-information transmission means adds at least one of information about resolution and information about size of each of the reduced-image data items to the file-sharing information, as the attribute information of each of the reduced-image data items.

4. The data-sharing system according to claim 2, wherein the transmission-request means selects the reduced-image-data item according to at least one of information about a production capacity of the image-reproduction means and information about a data-storage capacity of the mobile terminal on the basis of the attribute information of the reduced-image data items included in the file-sharing information transmitted to the transmission-request means.

5. The data-sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further includes first request means configured to transmit the file-sharing information to any of the information-processing devices, so as to make a request of the information-processing device to receive the data file transmitted from the file server, the data file corresponding to the file-sharing information, and

wherein the information-processing device further includes second request means which accesses the file server, so as to make a request of the file server to transmit the data file corresponding to the file-sharing information on the basis of the location information included in the file-sharing information transmitted from the mobile terminal.

6. The data-sharing system according to claim 5, wherein the file-management means stores a plurality of data files corresponding to one another, the data files being different from one another in the operating systems and versions thereof, and

wherein the shared-information transmission means adds identification information to the file-sharing information, as the attribute information of each of the data files, the identification information being used for identifying at least one of the operating system and the version that correspond to each of the data files stored in the file-management means.

7. The data-sharing system according to claim 1, wherein each of the information-processing devices further includes:

detection means configured to detect the mobile terminal according to a short-range communication scheme; and

authentication means configured to perform authentication for the mobile terminal detected by the detection means, and allows for communicating with the mobile terminal, when the mobile terminal is authenticated.

8. A file server which manages a data file shared among a plurality of devices, the filer server comprising:

file-management means configured to receive at least one data file of at least one data file stored in any of the devices, when it is requested that the data file for the reception be registered, as an object to be used by the other device, and store the received data file in a management region;

shared-information transmission means configured to transmit file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the at least one data file stored in the file-management means; and

file-transmission means configured to return the data file corresponding to the data file stored in the file-management means upon receiving an instruction to select the data file stored in the file-management means.

9. A mobile terminal which controls an operation performed, so as to share at least one data file among a plurality of devices, the mobile terminal comprising:

registration-request means which makes a request of any of a plurality of information-processing devices to transmit at least one predetermined data file stored in the information-processing device to a file server so that the at least one predetermined data file is registered with the file server, as an object to be used by the other information-processing device; and

transmission-request means configured to receive file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the at least one registered object data file, the file-sharing information being transmitted from the file server via the information-processing device, select a data file to be received on the basis of the attribute information included in the transmitted file-sharing information, access the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the selected data file, and make a request of the file server to transmit the selected data file.

10. A data-sharing method adapted to share a data file among a plurality of devices, the data-sharing method comprising the steps of:

transmitting the data file corresponding to a first data file stored in any of a plurality of information-processing devices to a file server by using the information-processing device, when a mobile terminal configured to control a data-file-sharing operation makes a request of the information-processing device to register the first data file, as an object to be used by the other information-processing device;

storing the corresponding data file transmitted to the file server in a management region, the storing being performed by the file server;

transmitting file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of at least one data file stored in the management region, the at least one data file including the corresponding data file, where the transmission is performed by the file server;

transferring the file-sharing information from the information-processing device to the mobile terminal after the information-processing device receives the file-sharing information, the information-processing device functioning as a transmission source of the data file stored in the management region;

receiving the file-sharing information, selecting a second data file for reception on the basis of the attribute information included in the file-sharing information, accessing the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the second data file, and making a request of the file server to transmit the second data file by using the mobile terminal; and

transmitting the second data file for which the mobile terminal makes the transmission request from the file server to the mobile terminal, after the file server reads the second data file from the management region, where the transmission is performed by the file server.

11. A data-sharing system configured to share a data file among a plurality of devices, the data-sharing system comprising:

a plurality of information-processing devices which can store at least one data file;

a file server which manages at least one of the data files, the at least one data file being shared; and

a mobile terminal which controls an operation performed, so as to share the at least one data file stored in each of the information-processing devices,

wherein the file server includes a file-management unit configured to receive and store at least one of the at least one data file stored in any of the information-processing devices, when it is requested that the data file for the reception and storing be registered, as an object to be used by the other information-processing device;

a shared-information transmission unit configured to transmit file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the at least one data file stored in the file-management unit; and

a first file-transmission unit configured to return the data file corresponding to the data file stored in the file-management unit upon receiving an instruction to select the data file stored in the file-management unit,

wherein each of the information-processing devices includes a second file-transmission unit which transmits the at least one data file stored in the information-processing device to the file server upon receiving request information transmitted from the mobile terminal, the request information indicates that it is requested that the at least one data file stored in the information-processing device be registered, as the object to be used by the other information-processing device; and

a shared-information transfer unit which transfers the file-sharing information to the mobile terminal, the file-sharing information being transmitted from the file server after the second file-transmission unit transmits the data file to the file server, and

wherein the mobile terminal includes a registration-request unit which makes a request of any of the information-processing devices to register a predetermined data file of the at least one data file stored in the information-processing device, as the object to be used by the other information-processing device; and

a transmission-request unit configured to select the data file to be received on the basis of the attribute information included in the file-sharing information transmitted from the information-processing device, access the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the selected data file, and make a request of the file server to transmit the selected data file.

12. A file server which manages a data file shared among a plurality of devices, the filer server comprising:

a file-management unit configured to receive at least one data file of at least one data file stored in any of the devices, when it is requested that the data file for the reception be registered, as an object to be used by the other device, and store the received data file in a management region;

a shared-information transmission unit configured to transmit file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the at least one data file stored in the file-management unit; and

a file-transmission unit configured to return the data file corresponding to the data file stored in the file-management unit upon receiving an instruction to select the data file stored in the file-management unit.

13. A mobile terminal which controls an operation performed, so as to share at least one data file among a plurality of devices, the mobile terminal comprising:

a registration-request unit which makes a request of any of a plurality of information-processing devices to transmit at least one predetermined data file stored in the information-processing device to a file server so that the at least one predetermined data file is registered with the file server, as an object to be used by the other information-processing device; and

a transmission-request unit configured to receive file-sharing information including location information and attribute information of the at least one registered object data file, the file-sharing information being transmitted from the file server via the information-processing device, select a data file to be received on the basis of the attribute information included in the transmitted file-sharing information, access the file server on the basis of the location information corresponding to the selected data file, and make a request of the file server to transmit the selected data file.