Communication System, Information-Processing Device, And Program

• US 20070005748A1
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsuda, Makoto, Ohara, Kiyotaka, Aoki, Kazumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communication system is configured to include at least one information-processing device, at least one information-providing server and a management server. The management server manages whether contents to be transmitted to the information-processing device, which has been registered with the information-providing server, are available in the information-providing server. The information-processing device requests the management server to check availability of specified contents at intervals of a transmission period predetermined for each of the specified contents and receives a check result therefrom. If a plurality of transmission services is to be started, the information-processing device requests the management server to check availability of the contents corresponding to the plurality of transmission services at intervals of a single transmission period which is determined based on the transmission periods predetermined for the contents corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of transmission services.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

at least one information-processing device configured to receive contents;

at least one information-providing server configured to send the contents to the at least one information-processing device; and

a management server configured to check whether the contents to be received by the at least one information-processing device exist in the at least one information-providing server,

the communication system being configured with the at least one information-processing device, the at least one information-providing server, and the management server being interconnected via a network,

wherein the information-processing device comprises;

a registration request sending system configured to send a registration request for requesting to register one of a start and a stop of a transmission service of sending specified contents to the information-providing server;

a registration-completed information receiving system configured to receive registration-completed information for informing that the registration of one of the start and stop of the transmission service has been completed that is to be sent from the information-providing server in response to the registration request;

an existence checking request sending system configured to send an existence checking request for checking whether the specified contents exist in the information-providing server in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information to the management server at intervals of a transmission period predetermined for each of the specified contents;

an existence judging system configured to receive a check result to be sent from the management server in response to the existence checking request and to judge whether the received check result represents that the specified contents exist in the information-providing server;

a transmission requesting system configured to send a transmission request for requesting to send the specified contents to the information-providing server, in response to the existence judging system judging that the specified contents exist;

a specified contents receiving system configured to receive the specified contents to be sent from the information-providing server in response to the transmission request; and

a transmission period updating system configured to update each of the transmission periods with a representative period determined based upon the transmission period of each of the specified contents to be sent by two or more transmission services, in response to starting to employ the two or more transmission services with the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information,

wherein the information-providing server comprises;

a transmission service registering system configured to receive the registration request to be sent from the information-processing device to register one of the start and stop of the transmission service in accordance with the received registration request;

a registration-completed information sending system configured to send the registration-completed information to the information-processing device in response to the transmission service registering system completing one of the start and stop of the transmission service;

an existence information sending system configured to send existence information representing that the specified contents for which the transmission service registering system has registered the start of the transmission service exist in the information-providing server, in response to the specified contents existing in the information-providing server;

an transmission request receiving system configured to receive the transmission request to be sent from the information-processing device; and

a specified contents sending system configured to send the specified contents to the information-processing device, in response to the transmission request receiving system receiving the transmission request, and

wherein the management server comprises;

an existence information receiving system configured to receive the existence information to be sent from the information-providing server;

an existence checking request receiving system configured to receive the existence checking request from the information-processing device; and

a check result sending system configured to judge whether the existence information receiving system has received the existence information and to send the judgment result to the information-processing device as the check result, in response to the existence checking request receiving system receiving the existence checking request.

2. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the information-processing device comprises a transmission period information request sending system configured to send a transmission period information request for requesting to inform of the transmission period of the specified contents for which the start of the transmission service has been registered by the registration request, in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information according to the registration request for requesting to register the start of the transmission service, and

wherein the transmission period updating system is configured to update each of the transmission periods with the representative period that is determined based upon the two or more transmission periods included in transmission period information to be sent from the management server in response to the transmission period information request, and

wherein the information-providing server comprises a transmission period data sending system configured to send transmission period data representing the transmission period of the specified contents, in response to the transmission service registering system completing the registration of the start of the transmission service, and

wherein the management server comprises:

a transmission period data receiving system configured to receive the transmission period data to be sent from the information-providing server; and

a transmission period data sending system configured to send the transmission period data to be received by the transmission period data receiving system to the information-processing device as the transmission period information, in response to the transmission period information request to be sent from the information-processing device.

3. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the information-processing device comprises a transmission period information requesting system configured to send a representative period information request for requesting to inform of the representative period, in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information according to the registration request for requesting to register the start of the transmission service,

wherein the transmission period updating system is configured to update each of the transmission periods with the representative period included in representative period information to be sent from the management server in response to the representative period information request,

wherein the information-providing server comprises a transmission period data sending system configured to send transmission period data representing the transmission period of the specified contents, in response to the transmission service registering system completing the registration of the start of the transmission service,

wherein the management server comprises:

a transmission period determining system configured to determine the representative period based upon the two or more transmission period data to be sent from the information-providing server; and

a transmission period informing system configured to send the representative period information representing the representative period determined by the transmission period determining system, in response to the representative period information request to be sent from the information-processing device.

4. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the minimum one of the transmission periods for which the start of the transmission service has been registered is determined as the representative period.

5. An information-processing device connected with an information-providing server configured to send contents via a network to receive the contents, the information-processing device being connected with a management server configured to check whether the contents to be received exist in the information-providing server via the network, the information-processing device comprising:

a registration request sending system configured to send a registration request for requesting to register one of a start and a stop of a transmission service of sending specified contents to the information-providing server;

a registration-completed information receiving system configured to receive registration-completed information for informing that the registration of one of the start and stop of the transmission service has been completed that is to be sent from the information-providing server in response to the registration request;

an existence checking request sending system configured to send an existence checking request for checking whether the specified contents exist in the information-providing server in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information to the management server at intervals of a transmission period predetermined for each of the specified contents;

an existence judging system configured to receive a check result to be sent from the management server in response to the existence checking request and to judge whether the received check result represents that the specified contents exist in the information-providing server;

a transmission requesting system configured to send a transmission request for requesting to send the specified contents to the information-providing server, in response to the existence judging system judging that the specified contents exist;

a specified contents receiving system configured to receive the specified contents to be sent from the information-providing server in response to the transmission request; and

a transmission period updating system configured to update each of the transmission periods with a representative period determined based upon the transmission period of each of the specified contents to be sent by two or more transmission services, in response to starting to employ the two or more transmission services with the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information.

6. The information-processing device according to claim 5, further comprising a transmission period information request sending system configured to send a transmission period information request for requesting to inform of the transmission period of the specified contents for which the start of the transmission service has been registered by the registration request, in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information according to the registration request for requesting to register the start of the transmission service,

wherein the transmission period updating system is configured to update each of the transmission periods with the representative period that is determined based upon the two or more transmission periods included in transmission period information to be sent from the management server in response to the transmission period information request.

7. The information-processing device according to claim 5, comprising a transmission period information requesting system configured to send a representative period information request for requesting to inform of the representative period, in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information according to the registration request for requesting to register the start of the transmission service,

wherein the transmission period updating system is configured to update each of the transmission periods with the representative period included in representative period information to be sent from the management server in response to the representative period information request.

8. The information-processing device according to claim 5,

wherein the minimum one of the transmission periods for which the start of the transmission service has been registered is determined as the representative period.

9. A computer usable medium having instructions stored thereon that are configured readable by a computer, the computer being connected with an information-providing server configured to send contents via a network to receive the contents, the computer being connected with a management server configured to check whether the contents to be received exist in the information-providing server via the network, the instructions causing the computer to serve as:

a registration request sending system configured to send a registration request for requesting to register one of a start and a stop of a transmission service of sending specified contents to the information-providing server;

a registration-completed information receiving system configured to receive registration-completed information for informing that the registration of one of the start and stop of the transmission service has been completed that is to be sent from the information-providing server in response to the registration request;

an existence checking request sending system configured to send an existence checking request for checking whether the specified contents exist in the information-providing server in response to the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information to the management server at intervals of a transmission period predetermined for each of the specified contents;

an existence judging system configured to receive a check result to be sent from the management server in response to the existence checking request and to judge whether the received check result represents that the specified contents exist in the information-providing server;

a transmission requesting system configured to send a transmission request for requesting to send the specified contents to the information-providing server, in response to the existence judging system judging that the specified contents exist;

a specified contents receiving system configured to receive the specified contents to be sent from the information-providing server in response to the transmission request; and

a transmission period updating system configured to update each of the transmission periods with a representative period determined based upon the transmission period of each of the specified contents to be sent by two or more transmission services, in response to starting to employ the two or more transmission services with the registration-completed information receiving system receiving the registration-completed information.