Method and Device for Transferring Digital Data with a Progressive Format

• US 20080109532A1
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Guillou, Jeanne, Denoual, Franck
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Method of transferring digital data between a client device and a server device on a communication network, said method being implemented within said server device and comprising: i) coming from the client device, receiving a request in markup format for the delivery of a digital object or part of a chosen digital object, ii) obtaining in the communication network a representation of the object requested, iii) checking whether the representation of the object thus obtained corresponds to a data compression format of the progressive type, iv) in the event of a positive check, dividing the digital object into a plurality of sub-parts, to each sub-part there being allocated a high priority rank defined according to at least one chosen criterion, and v) sending to the client device a response in markup format comprising the sub-parts of the digital object in binary format and associated priority ranks in markup format.

Claims

1. Method of transferring digital data between a client device and a server device on a communication network, said method being implemented within said server device, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

i) coming from the client device, receiving a request, in markup format, for the delivery of a digital object or part of a chosen digital object,

ii) obtaining in the communication network a representation of the object requested,

iii) checking whether the representation of the object thus obtained corresponds to a data compression format of the progressive type,

iv) in the event of a positive check, dividing the digital object into a plurality of sub-parts, to each sub-part there being allocated a priority rank defined according to at least one chosen criterion, and

v) sending to the client device a response in markup format comprising said sub-parts of the digital object in binary format and the associated priority ranks in markup format.

2. Method according to claim 1, in which the parameters of the request coming from the client device are defined by mark-up structures of the XML type or the like exchanged between the client device and the server device by a transport protocol of the SOAP type or the like.

3. Method according to claim 1, in which the sending of the response to the client device is carried out by the sending of a message comprising mark-up structures of the XML type or the like and binary data, the corresponding message being formatted in a specific mark-up format of the XOP type or the like.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the sending of the message is carried out by the transport protocol of the SOAP type or the like, the message being serialized according to the MTOM protocol or the like.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the binary data of each sub-part of the object are included in a MIME part or the like.

6. Method according to claim 1, in which said priority criterion is defined according to at least one item of information relating to the digital object or to the transfer thereof and belonging to the group formed by the transfer rate, the resolution of the object and the quality of the object.

7. Method according to claim 1, in which the priority rank is expressed in the form of a chain of digital or alphanumeric characters or Boolean operators.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the priority rank is inserted in the response from the server device in the form of an attribute in the mark-up language.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that, in the case of a high priority rank, the insertion in the form of an attribute in the response from the server device is optional.

10. Method according to claim 1, in which the client request comprises the URI of the object requested.

11. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the data compression format of the progressive type is the JPEG2000 type or the like.

17. Information medium which can be read by a computer system, characterized in that it contains instructions of a computer program for implementing a transfer method according to claim 1.

18. Partially or totally removable information medium which can be read by a computer system, characterized in that it contains instructions on a computer program for implementing a transfer method according to claim 1, when this program is loaded into and executed by a computer system.

19. Computer program stored on an information medium, said program containing instructions for implementing a transfer method according to claim 1, when this program is loaded into and executed by a computer system.

20. Method according to claim 2, in which the sending of the response to the client device is carried out by the sending of a message comprising mark-up structures of the XML type or the like and binary data, the corresponding message being formatted in a specific mark-up format of the XOP type or the like.

12. Method of transferring digital data between a client device and a server device over a communication network, said method being implemented within said client device, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

1) coming from the server device and, in response to a request to supply a digital object or part of a chosen digital object addressed to said server device, receiving a response in markup format comprising priority ranks in markup format allocated to sub-parts of the object and said sub-parts of the object in binary format;

2) processing the sub-parts received in decreasing order of their priority rank;

3) at each sub-part thus processed, verifying a processing capacity condition;

4) in the case of positive verification, processing the binary data of the sub-part of the object with the lower priority rank; and

5) in the case of negative verification, not taking account of the current sub-part, as well as the sub-parts with the lower priority rank.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the processing capacity condition is a function of a binary quantity previously received by the client device or the processing time of said client device.

16. Device for transferring digital data between a client device and a server device on a communication network, characterized in that it comprises (a) a server device adapted for implementing a method of transferring digital data between a client device and a server device on a communication network, said method being implemented within said server device, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

i) coming from the client device, receiving a request, in markup format, for the delivery of a digital object or part of a chosen digital object, ii) obtaining in the communication network a representation of the object requested, iii) checking whether the representation of the object thus obtained corresponds to a data compression format of the progressive type, iv) in the event of a positive check, dividing the digital object into a plurality of sub-parts, to each sub-part there being allocated a priority rank defined according to at least one chosen criterion, and v) sending to the client device a response in markup format comprising said sub-parts of the digital object in binary format and the associated priority ranks in markup format and/or (b) a client device adapted for implementing the method according to claim 12.

21. Device for transferring digital data between a client device and a server device on a communication network, characterized in that it comprises (a) a server device adapted for implementing a method of transferring digital data between a client device and a server device on a communication network, said method being implemented within said server device, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

i) coming from the client device, receiving a request, in markup format, for the delivery of a digital object or part of a chosen digital object, ii) obtaining in the communication network a representation of the object requested, iii) checking whether the representation of the object thus obtained corresponds to a data compression format of the progressive type, iv) in the event of a positive check, dividing the digital object into a plurality of sub-parts, to each sub-part there being allocated a priority rank defined according to at least one chosen criterion, and v) sending to the client device a response in markup format comprising said sub-parts of the digital object in binary format and the associated priority ranks in markup format and/or (b) a client device adapted for implementing the method according to claim 13.

14. Server device for the transfer of digital data with a client device on a communication network, characterized in that it comprises, within said server device;

reception means able, coming from the client device, to receive a request in mark-up format to deliver a digital object or part of a chosen digital object,

means for obtaining in the communication network a representation of the object requested,

verification means in order to verify whether the representation of the object thus obtained corresponds to a data compression format of the progressive type,

processing means for, in the case of positive verification, dividing the object Into a plurality of sub-parts, to each sub-part there being allocated a priority rank defined according to at least one chosen criterion, and

communication means for sending, to the client device, a response in mark-up format comprising the sub-parts of the object in binary format and the associated priority ranks in mark-up format.

15. Client device for the transfer of digital data with a server device (1) on a communication network, said client device comprising:

reception means able to receive, coming from the server device and, in response to a request to deliver a digital object or part of a chosen digital object addressed to said server device, a response in mark-up format comprising priority ranks in mark-up format allocated to sub-parts of the object and said sub-parts of the object in binary format; and

processing means able to process the sub-parts received in decreasing order of their priority rank, to verify a processing capacity condition at each sub-part thus processed, to process the binary data of the sub-part of the object of lower priority rank in the case of positive verification, and not take account of the current sub-part as well as the sub-parts with lower priority rank in the case of negative verification.