FILE TRANSFER SERVER

• US 20080091768A1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: TANIMOTO, Yoshifumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,443,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/147 Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation

Abstract

A technique allows shared use of a file between different networks via the Internet. File transfer servers on different LANs access file servers on the respective LANs to prepare a list of shared files, respectively. The file transfer servers are registered in a SIP server, and then send a SUBSCRIBE method to each other to issue a request to transfer the file list, respectively. In response to the request, the file lists are exchanged. A communication terminal on each LAN makes a request to acquire a specific file on the basis of information about the shared files stored in the file transfer server. Through a media session, one of the file transfer servers issues a request to acquire the file to the other file transfer server. As a result, the file is transferred to the communication terminal.

Claims

1. A file transfer server provided on a local area network to carry out communications with an external server on a wide area network, the file transfer server comprising:

a list preparation section arranged to collect file information in the local area network to prepare a file list;

a registering section arranged to register account information of the file transfer server in the external server;

a list exchange section arranged to designate another file transfer server registered in the external server to exchange file lists with the another file transfer server via the external server;

a request receiving section arranged to receive a request to acquire a file contained in the exchanged file list, from a communication terminal on the local area network;

an another file transfer server specifying section arranged to specify the another file transfer server in which the file is registered to establish a relaying communication session with the another file transfer server; and

an acquisition request section arranged to issue a request to acquire the file to the another file transfer server.

2. The file transfer server according to claim 1, wherein the list exchange section includes a section arranged to allow the another transfer server to transfer an updated file list when contents of the file list is changed.

3. The file transfer server according to claim 1, wherein the list preparation section includes a section arranged to regularly refer to a folder registered in the local area network and to automatically update the file list when a file configuration of the folder is changed.

4. The file transfer server according to claim 1, wherein the external server is a SIP server, and the relaying communication session is a media session.

5. A file transfer server provided on a local area network to carry out communications with an external server on a wide area network, the file transfer server comprising:

a list preparation section arranged to collect file information in the local area network to prepare a file list;

a registering section arranged to register account information of the file transfer server in the external server;

an acquisition section arranged to acquire a file list, via the external server, from another file transfer server designated by a communication terminal on the local area network and registered in the external server;

a storage section arranged to store the acquired file list while bringing the file list into correspondence with the communication terminal;

a request receiving section arranged to receive a request to refer to the file list from the communication terminal on the local area network to provide the file list brought into correspondence with the communication terminal.

6. The file transfer server according to claim 5, wherein the file transfer server is arranged to receive from the communication terminal on the local area network a request to acquire a file contained in the file list brought into correspondence with the communication terminal, establish a relaying communication session with the another file transfer server in which the file is registered, and issue a request to acquire the file to the another file transfer server.

7. The file transfer server according to claim 6, wherein the external server is a SIP server, and the relaying communication session is a media session.

8. A file transfer server provided on a local area network to carry out communications with an external server on a wide area network, the file transfer server comprising:

a list preparation section arranged to collect file information in the local area network to prepare a file list;

a registering section arranged to register account information of the file transfer server in the external server;

a receiving section arranged to receive a command to retrieve a file from a communication terminal on the local area network to acquire a file list, via the external server, from another file transfer server registered in the external server and designated by the communication terminal; and

a file list providing section arranged to provide, when the file to be retrieved is contained in the acquired file list, the file list to the communication terminal.

9. The file transfer server according to claim 8, wherein the file transfer server is arranged to receive a request to acquire the retrieved file from the communication terminal on the local area network, establish a relaying communication session with the another file transfer server in which the designated file is registered, and issue a request to acquire the file to the another file transfer server.

10. The file transfer server according to claim 9, wherein the external server is a SIP server, and the relaying communication session is a media session.

11. A file transfer server provided on a local area network to carry out communications with an external server on a wide area network, the file transfer server comprising:

a list preparation section arranged to collect file information in the local area network to prepare a file list;

a registering section arranged to register account information of the file transfer server in the external server;

a receiving section arranged to receive a command to retrieve a file from a communication terminal on the local area network to acquire a file list, via the external server, from another file transfer server registered in the external server and set previously; and

a file list providing section arranged to provide, when the file to be retrieved is contained in the acquired file list, the file list to the communication terminal.

12. The file transfer server according to claim 11, wherein the file transfer sever is arranged to receive a request to acquire the retrieved file from the communication terminal on the local area network, establish a relaying communication session with the another file transfer server in which the designated file is registered, and issue a request to acquire the file to the another file transfer server.

13. The file transfer server according to claim 12, wherein the external server is a SIP server, and the relaying communication session is a media session.