METHOD FOR DATA COMMUNICATION,DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

• US 20070078951A1
• Filed: 11/13/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone KK (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Murai, Yusuke, Doi, Masayuki, Aoyagi, Tatsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A cellular phone 10 transmits management information including size information of object data desirably downloaded, and determines whether a size of the object data exceeds the second predetermined value or not, based on the size information. If the result is negative, the cellular phone 10 stores the object data, sent back responding to download request, in a temporary storage area. If the result is affirmative, the cellular phone 10 determines whether a free area for storing the object data in a permanent storage area exists or not. If the result is affirmative, the object data sent back responding to the downloading request is stored in the permanent storage area. As a result, the temporary storage area to be used for storing history is not used any more for storing a large amount of content data, and number of histories held in the temporary storage area can be guaranteed.

Claims

1. A method for data communication of downloading data to a communication terminal which is in a process of executing a browser application, comprising steps of:

making a request for object-data management information, at which the communication terminal transmits a request for object-data management information which includes size information of object data desired to be downloaded;

receiving the object-data management information by the communication terminal;

judging a data size at which the communication terminal makes a judgment of whether or not a size of the object data exceeds a predetermined size, based on the size information of the object data;

making a request for a first downloading, at which when a judgment result at the step of judging the data size is negative, the communication terminal transmits a request for downloading the object data;

storing a first object data, at which the communication terminal receives the object data and stores the object data in a temporary storage area which stores a history of the browser application;

judging a free area, at which, when the judgment result at the step of judging the data size is affirmative, a judgment of whether or not there exists a free area for storing the object data in a permanent storage area in which stored data is not deleted when there is no explicit command from a user is made;

making a request for a second downloading, at which, when a judgment result at the step of judging the free area is affirmative, the communication terminal transmits a request for downloading the object data; and

storing a second object data, at which the communication terminal receives the object data and stores the object data in the permanent storage area.

2. The method for data communication according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

suggesting securing of a free area size, at which, when the judgment result at the step of judging the free area is negative, the communication terminal suggests the user to secure a size of the free area not smaller than a size of the object data.

3. The method for data communication according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

determining a data communication method which is to be used for downloading the object data, based on the size information, by the communication terminal which has received the object-data management information, wherein

at the step of making the request for downloading, a request for downloading of the object data is transmitted upon specifying the communication method which is determined.

4. The method for data communication according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

confirming a request for downloading, at which, the communication terminal which has received the object-data management information entrusts to a judgment of the user of the communication terminal as to whether or not to execute the step of making the request for downloading upon displaying the size of the object data.

5. The method for data communication according to claim 1, further comprising steps of:

making a request for downloading of a remaining portion, at which, when the downloading of the object data is not completed at the step of storing the object data, the communication terminal makes a request for downloading a remaining portion which is a request for downloading related to the remaining portion which is a portion other than a portion which is already downloaded; and

storing the remaining portion, at which, the communication terminal receives the remaining portion and stores the remaining portion in the permanent storage area.

6. A data communication system which downloads data to a communication terminal which is in a process of executing a browser application, wherein the communication terminal comprises

a means for making a request for object-data management information which transmits a request for object-data management information which comprises size information of object data desired to be downloaded;

a data-size judging means which makes a judgment of whether or not a size of the object data exceeds a predetermined size, based on the size information of the object data;

a first-downloading means which, when a judgment result of the judgment made by the data-size judging means is negative, transmits a request for downloading the object data, and stores the object data which is sent back, in a temporary storage area which stores a history of the application;

a free area judging means which, when the judgment result of the judgment made by the data-size judging means is affirmative, makes a judgment of whether or not there exists a free area for storing the object data in a permanent storage area in which stored data is not deleted when there is no explicit command from a user; and

a second-downloading means which, when the judgment result of the judgment made by the free area judging means is affirmative, transmits a request for downloading the object data, and stores the object data which is sent back in response to the request for downloading, in the permanent storage area.

7. The data communication system according to claim 6, comprising:

a management information server unit which transmits the object-data management information to the communication terminal, in response to a request for the object-data management information; and

an object-data server unit which transmits the object data by the communication method determined, to the communication terminal, in response to a request for downloading.

8. The data communication system according to claim 7, wherein the management-information server unit and the object-data server unit are one and the same unit.

9. The data communication system according to claim 7, wherein

the management-information server unit and the object-data server unit are mutually different units, and

the object data management information comprises information of a position at which the object-data server unit is located.

10. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile communication terminal.

11. A mobile communication terminal which is capable of executing a browser application, comprising:

a means for making a request for object-data management information which transmits a request for object-data management information which comprises size information of object data desired to be downloaded while executing the browser application;

a data-size judging means which makes a judgment of whether or not a size of the object data exceeds a predetermined side, based on the size information of the object data;

a first-downloading means which, when a judgment result of the judgment made by the data-size judging means is negative, transmits a request for downloading the object data, and stores the object data which is sent back, in a temporary storage area which stores a history of the application;

a free area judging means which, when the judgment result of the judgment made by the data-size judging means is affirmative, makes a judgment of whether or not there exists a free area for storing the object data in a permanent storage area in which stored data is not deleted when there is no explicit command from a user; and

a second-downloading means which, when a judgment result of the judgment made by the free area judging means is affirmative, transmits a request for downloading the object data, and stores the object data which is sent back in response to the request for downloading, in the permanent storage area.

13. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising:

a data-communication method determining means which determines a data-communication method to be used for downloading the object data, based on the size information, wherein

the first downloading means and the second downloading means transmit a request for downloading of the object data upon specifying the communication method which is determined.

14. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the first downloading means and the second downloading means entrust to a judgment of the user as to whether or not to transmit the request for downloading upon displaying the size of the object data.

15. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein, the permanent storage area is divided according to a type of data, and the object-data management information further comprises information of a type of object data.

12. The mobile communication terminal, wherein when the judgment result is negative, the free area judging means suggests a user to secure a size of the free area not smaller than a size of the object data.