Service providing system, and client, server, and computer program used for such system

• US 20060294111A1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsuda, Makoto, Ohara, Kiyotaka, Aoki, Kazuma
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

In a service providing system, a client includes a transmitting unit configured to transmit specification information associated with specifications of the client to the management server, a receiving unit configured to receive registration completion information from a management server, a transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for service information to a service providing server, and a service prohibition unit configured to prevent receipt of the service information from the service providing server until the registration completion information is received after transmission of the specification information. The management server includes a receiving unit configured to receive the specification information, an information registration unit configured to register the received specification information while associating the specification information with the client, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the registration completion information indicating completion of registration of the specification information to the client. The service providing server includes a receiving unit configured to receive the request for service information from the client, and an information generation unit configured to generate the service information based on the specification information, in response to receipt of the request for service information.

Claims

1. A service providing system having a client, a management server and a service providing server,

wherein the client comprises:

a first client side transmitting unit configured to transmit specification information associated with specifications of the client to the management server;

a first client side receiving unit configured to receive registration completion information from the management server;

a second client side transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for service information to the service providing server; and

a service prohibition unit configured to prevent receipt of the service information from the service providing server until the registration completion information is received by the first client side receiving unit after transmission of the specification information by the first client side transmitting unit,

wherein the management server comprises;

a first management side receiving unit configured to receive the specification information from the client;

an information registration unit configured to register the specification information received by the first management side receiving unit while associating the specification information with the client; and

a first management side transmitting unit configured to transmit the registration completion information indicating completion of registration of the specification information by the information registration unit to the client, and

wherein the service providing server comprises;

a first service side receiving unit configured to receive the request for service information from the client; and

an information generation unit configured to generate the service information based on the specification information registered in the management sever while being associated with the client, wherein the information generation unit generates the service information in response to receipt of the request for service information from the client by the first service side receiving unit.

2. The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the client further comprises:

a second client side receiving unit configured to receive the service information transmitted from the service providing server; and

a function execution unit configured to execute a function based on the service information received by the second client side receiving unit,

wherein the service proving server comprises a first service side transmitting unit configured to transmit the service information generated by the information generation unit to the client.

3. The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the service prohibition unit of the client controls the second client side transmitting unit to stop to transmit the request for service information, such that receipt of the service information from the service providing server is prevented.

4. The service providing system according to claim 1,

wherein the client further comprises:

a third client side transmitting unit configured to transmit to the management server an inquiry associated with whether service information to be provided for the client exists; and

a third client side receiving unit configured to receive a response associated with the inquiry from the management server,

wherein the second client side transmitting unit transmits the request for service information to the information providing server in response to receipt of the response indicating the presence of service information to be provided for the client,

wherein the service prohibition unit prevents at least one of transmission of the request for service information by the second client side transmitting unit and transmission of the inquiry by the third client side transmitting unit, such that receipt of the service information from the service providing server is prevented,

wherein the management server further comprises;

a second management side receiving unit configured to receive provision information associated with service information to be provided for a particular client from the service providing server;

an information management unit configured to register information associated with service information to be provided for the particular client based on the provision information received by the second management side receiving unit;

a third management side receiving unit configured to receive the inquiry from the client;

a service extraction unit configured to extract information representing service information to be provided for the client from information registered by the information management unit in response to the inquiry from the client; and

a second management side transmitting unit configured to transmit the information extracted by the service extraction unit to the client as the response to the inquiry,

wherein the service providing server further comprises a second service side transmitting unit configured to transmit the provision information associated with service information to be provided for the particular client to the management server.

5. The service providing system according to claim 1,

wherein the client further comprises:

a fourth client side transmitting unit configured to transmit an advance notice indicating that the client is ready for transmission of the specification information; and

a fourth client side receiving unit configured to receive an acknowledgment of transmission transmitted from the management server which received the advance notice;

wherein the first client side transmitting unit transmits the specification information to the management server in response to receipt of the acknowledgment of transmission from the management sever,

wherein the management server further comprises;

a fourth management side receiving unit configured to receive the advance notice from the client; and

a third management side transmitting unit configured to transmit the acknowledgment of transmission to the client after the advance notice is received by the fourth management side receiving unit, wherein the acknowledgement of transmission indicates that the management server accepts the specification information.

6. A client device configured to communicate with a management server and a service providing server, comprising:

a first client side transmitting unit configured to transmit specification information associated with specifications of the client device to the management server;

a first client side receiving unit configured to receive registration completion information from the management server;

a second client side transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for service information to the service providing server; and

a service prohibition unit configured to prevent receipt of the service information from the service providing server until the registration completion information is received by the first client side receiving unit after transmission of the specification information by the first client side transmitting unit.

12. The client device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a second client side receiving unit configured to receive the service information transmitted from the service providing server; and

a function execution unit configured to execute a function based on the service information received by the second client side receiving unit.

13. The client device according to claim 12, wherein the service prohibition unit of the client controls the second client side transmitting unit to stop to transmit the request for service information, such that receipt of the service information from the service providing server is prevented.

14. The client device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a third client side transmitting unit configured to transmit to the management server an inquiry associated with whether service information to be provided for the client exists; and

a third client side receiving unit configured to receive a response associated with the inquiry from the management server,

wherein the second client side transmitting unit transmits the request for service information to the information providing server in response to receipt of the response indicating the presence of service information to be provided for the client, and

wherein the service prohibition unit prevents at least one of transmission of the request for service information by the second client side transmitting unit and transmission of the inquiry by the third client side transmitting unit, such that receipt of the service information from the service providing server is prevented.

15. The client device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a fourth client side transmitting unit configured to transmit an advance notice indicating that the client is ready for transmission of the specification information; and

a fourth client side receiving unit configured to receive an acknowledgment of transmission transmitted from the management server which received the advance notice;

wherein the first client side transmitting unit transmits the specification information to the management server in response to receipt of the acknowledgment of transmission from the management sever.

7. A server configured to communicate with a client and a service providing server, comprising:

a first management side receiving unit configured to receive specification information associated with specifications of the client from the client;

an information registration unit configured to register the specification information received by the first management side receiving unit while associating the specification information with the client; and

a first management side transmitting unit configured to transmit registration completion information to the client, wherein the registration completion information indicates completion of registration of the specification information by the information registration unit.

16. The server of claim 7, further comprising:

a second management side receiving unit configured to receive provision information associated with service information to be provided for a particular client;

an information management unit configured to register information associated with service information to be provided for the particular client based on the provision information received by the second management side receiving unit;

a third management side receiving unit configured to receive the inquiry from the client;

a service extraction unit configured to extract information representing service information to be provided for the client from information registered by the information management unit in response to the inquiry from the client; and

a second management side transmitting unit configured to transmit the information extracted by the service extraction unit to the client as the response to the inquiry.

17. The server of claim 16, further comprising:

a fourth management side receiving unit configured to receive the advance notice from the client; and

a third management side transmitting unit configured to transmit the acknowledgment of transmission to the client after the advance notice is received by the fourth management side receiving unit, wherein the acknowledgement of transmission indicates that the management server accepts the specification information.

8. A server configured to communicate with a client and a management server, comprising:

a first service side receiving unit configured to receive a request for service information from the client;

an information generation unit configured to generate service information based on specification information registered in the management sever while being associated with the client, wherein the information generation unit generates the service information in response to receipt of the request for service information from the client by the first service side receiving unit; and

a first service side transmitting unit configured to transmit the service information generated by the information generation unit to the client.

18. The server of claim 8, further comprising:

a second service side transmitting unit configured to transmit provision information associated with service information to be provided for a particular client to the management server.

9. A computer usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, are configured to:

transmit specification information associated with specifications of a client device to the management server;

receive registration completion information from the management server;

transmit a request for service information to the service providing server;

receive service information transmitted from the service providing server;

execute a function based on the received service information received; and

prevent receipt of the service information from the service providing server until the registration completion information is received after transmission of the specification information to the management server.

10. A computer usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, are configured to:

receive specification information associated with specifications of a client from the client;

register the specification information while associating the specification information with the client; and

transmit registration completion information to the client, wherein the registration completion information indicates completion of registration of the specification information.

19. The computer usable medium of claim 10, wherein when the computer readable instructions are executed by the computer, the computer readable instructions are further configured to:

receive provision information associated with service information to be provided for a particular client;

register information associated with service information to be provided for the particular client based on the provision information received by the second management side receiving unit;

receive an inquiry from the client;

extract information representing service information to be provided for the client from information registered by the information management unit in response to the inquiry from the client; and

transmit the information extracted by the service extraction unit to the client as the response to the inquiry.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein when the computer readable instructions are executed by the computer, the computer readable instructions are further configured to:

receive the advance notice from the client; and

transmit the acknowledgement of transmission to the client after the advance notice is received by the fourth management side receiving unit, wherein the acknowledgement of the transmission indicates that the management server accepts the specification information.

11. A computer usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, are configured to:

receive a request for service information from a client;

generate service information based on specification information registered in a management sever while being associated with the client, wherein the service information is generated in response to receipt of the request for service information from the client; and

transmit the service information to the client.

21. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein when the computer readable instructions are executed by the computer, the computer readable instructions are further configured to:

transmit provision information associated with service information to be provided for a particular client to the management server.