Backup System, Relay Device, Information Terminal, and Backup Device

• US 20080155215A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokota, Kaoru, Matsuzaki, Natsume, Nonaka, Masao, Hisatomi, Kenji, Hamasaki, Shogo
• Application Number:
  US11/793,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155215A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals

Abstract

To allow a user to easily back up data without anxiety, the present invention provides a backup system that transfers data transmitted by an information terminal device to a backup device via at least one relay device that relays the data, the information terminal device comprising: a storing unit operable to store the data to be backed up; and a communication unit operable to transmit, to the relay device, the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data, the relay device comprising: a device information storing unit operable to store device information relating to transfer destination devices; a receiving unit operable to receive the data and the transfer condition information; and a transfer control unit operable to select, from the transfer destination devices, a transfer destination device that satisfies the condition indicated by the received transfer condition information, and to control transfer of the received data in accordance with the selection, and the backup device comprising: a backup data receiving unit operable to receive the data transferred by the relay device; and a backup data storing unit operable to store the received data.

Claims

1. A backup system that transfers data transmitted by an information terminal device to a backup device via at least one relay device that relays the data,

the information terminal device comprising:

a storing unit operable to store the data to be backed up; and

a communication unit operable to transmit, to the relay device, the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data,

the relay device comprising;

a device information storing unit operable to store device information relating to transfer destination devices;

a receiving unit operable to receive the data and the transfer condition information; and

a transfer control unit operable to select, from the transfer destination devices, a transfer destination device that satisfies the condition indicated by the received transfer condition information, and to control transfer of the received data in accordance with the selection, and

the backup device comprising;

a backup data receiving unit operable to receive the data transferred by the relay device; and

a backup data storing unit operable to store the received data.

2. A relay device that relays data transmitted by an information terminal device to a backup device, comprising:

a device information storing unit that stores device information relating to devices as candidates for a transfer destination of the data;

a receiving unit operable to receive the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data; and

a transfer control unit operable to select, from the candidates, a device that satisfies the condition indicated by the received transfer condition information, and to control transfer of the received data in accordance with the selection.

3. The relay device of claim 2, wherein

the condition indicated by the transfer condition information is that a device is not in a blacklist showing devices not permitted to be the transfer destination, and

the transfer control unit selects, from the candidates, a device that is not in the blacklist.

4. The relay device of claim 2, wherein

the device information includes a reliability level for each of the candidates,

the transfer condition information indicates a threshold value of the reliability level to be satisfied by the transfer destination, and

the transfer control unit selects, from the candidates, a device that satisfies the threshold value.

5. The relay device of claim 2, wherein

the transfer control unit further includes

a conversion processing subunit operable to perform predetermined conversion processing on the data,

and transfers the data after performing the predetermined conversion processing on the data.

6. The relay device of claim 5, wherein

the transfer control unit controls the transfer such that the data converted by the conversion processing subunit is transferred to a device not satisfying the condition indicated by the transfer condition information.

7. The relay device of claim 5, wherein

the predetermined conversion processing performed by the conversion processing subunit is insertion of an identifier of the relay device, as a digital watermark, into the data.

8. The relay device of claim 2, wherein

the receiving unit further receives at least one of a transfer deadline, a data keep deadline and a deletion deadline,

if the receiving unit receives the transfer deadline, the relay device controls the transfer, using the transfer control unit, such that the data is received by the backup device before the transfer deadline,

if the receiving unit receives the data keeping deadline, the relay device keeps the data until the keeping deadline, and

if the receiving unit receives the deletion deadline, the transfer control unit deletes the data at the deletion deadline.

9. The relay device of claim 2 further comprising:

an exchange information transmitting unit operable to create and transmit exchange information indicating that the data received by the receiving unit is kept in the relay device; and

a transfer request receiving unit operable to receive, from another device that has received the exchange information, a request for transfer of the data corresponding to the exchange information, wherein

if the transfer request receiving unit receives the transfer request, the transfer control unit controls the transfer such that the data relating to the transfer request is transmitted to said another device.

16. A backup device that receives data transmitted from an information terminal device via the relay device of claim 9, the backup device comprising:

an exchange information receiving unit operable to receive the exchange information from another device;

a transfer request transmitting unit operable to transmit a request for transferring the data to the relay device that keeps the data;

a backup data receiving unit operable to receive the data relating to the request; and

a backup data storing unit operable to store the received data.

10. An information terminal device that transmits data to a backup device via at least one relay device that relays the data, the information terminal device comprising:

a storing unit operable to store the data to be backed up; and

a communication unit operable to transmit, to the relay device, the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data.

11. The information terminal device of claim 10, wherein

the storing unit further stores relay device information relating to relay devices as candidates for a transfer destination of the data, and

the communication unit selects, from the candidates, a device that satisfies the condition indicated by the condition information, and transmits the data and the transfer condition information in accordance with the selection.

12. The information terminal device of claim 10, wherein

before transmitting the data, the communication unit transmits first transmission/reception condition information to a relay device, and receives second transmission/reception condition information from the relay device, and

the information terminal device further comprises

a judging unit operable to judge whether the first transmission/reception condition information and the second transmission/reception condition information are substantially the same, and

if the judging unit judges affirmatively, the communication unit transmits the data to the relay device.

13. The information terminal device of claim 12, wherein

the first transmission/reception condition information is associated with transmission data that the information terminal device transmits,

the second transmission/reception condition information is associated with reception data that the information terminal device receives from the relay device,

if the judging unit judges affirmatively, the communication unit transmits the transmission data to the relay device and receives the reception data from the relay device, and

the storing unit stores the received reception data.

14. The information terminal device of claim 12, wherein

each of the first transmission/reception condition information and the second transmission/reception condition information includes at least one of a size of the data, a keeping deadline until which the relay device or the information terminal device keeps the data, a recording method for recording the data in a recording medium and an incentive for keeping the data.

15. The information terminal device of claim 14, wherein

the incentive includes at least one of value information having a cash value, relay device control information indicating a right to have the relay device perform predetermined processing, and viewing right information indicating a right to view a predetermined content.

17. An integrated circuit used for an information terminal device that transmits data to a backup device via at least one relay device that relays the data, the integrated circuit comprising:

a storing unit operable to store the data to be backed up; and

a communication unit operable to transmit the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data.

18. A computer program for instructing an information terminal device that stores data to be backed up to transmit the data to a backup device via at least one relay device that relays the data, the computer program comprising the step of

transmitting the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data.

19. A backup method for transferring data transmitted by an information terminal device to a backup device via at least one relay device that relays the data, the backup method comprising:

the steps performed by the information terminal device of

storing the data to be backed up, and

transmitting, to the relay device, the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data;

the steps performed by the relay device of

storing device information relating to devices as candidates for a transfer destination of the data,

receiving the data and transfer the condition information, and

selecting, from the candidates, a device that satisfies the condition indicated by the received transfer condition information, and controlling the transfer of the received data in accordance with the selection; and

the steps performed by the backup device of

receiving the data transferred by the relay device; and

storing the received data.

20. A backup method for backing up data with use of a first information terminal device and a second information terminal device, the backup method comprising:

a storing step of storing the data to be backed up; and

a communication step of transmitting the data and transfer condition information that indicates a condition to be satisfied by the relay device and relates to protection of the data, wherein

when performed by the first information terminal device, the communication step further transmits first transmission/reception condition information to the second information terminal device and receives second transmission/reception condition information from the second information terminal device, before transmitting first data to the second information terminal device, and

when performed by the second information terminal device, the communication step further transmits the second transmission/reception condition information to the first information terminal device and receives the first transmission/reception condition information from the first information terminal device, before transmitting the second data to the first information terminal device, wherein

the backup method further comprises

a judging step of judging whether the first transmission/reception condition information and the second transmission/reception condition information are substantially the same, wherein

when performed by the first information terminal device, the communication step further transmits the first data to the second information terminal device if the judging step judges affirmatively, and

when performed by the second information terminal device, the communication step further transmits the second data to the first information terminal device.