INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, CLIENT APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND SERVICE CONNECTION METHOD

• US 20080294718A1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Okano, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a server function configured to provide one or more services to a client apparatus via a communication network. The information processing apparatus includes a service ID generation unit configured to generate service IDs for each of the services and to associate the service IDs with the services for identifying the services, a service ID transmission unit configured to transmit the service ID to at least one of the client apparatus and a discovery proxy server connected to the communication network via the communication network, and a service connection unit configured to connect a service to be specified by the service ID included a service connection inquiry with one of the client apparatus and the discovery proxy server that is an inquiry origin when the service connection inquiry has been made from the one of the client apparatus and the discovery proxy server.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which includes a server function configured to provide one or more services to a client apparatus via a communication network, comprising:

a service ID generation unit configured to generate service IDs for each of the services and to associate the service IDs with the services for identifying the services;

a service ID transmission unit configured to transmit the service ID to at least one of the client apparatus and a discovery proxy server connected to the communication network via the communication network; and

a service connection unit configured to connect a service to be specified by the service ID included a service connection inquiry with one of the client apparatus and the discovery proxy server that is an inquiry origin when the service connection inquiry has been made from the one of the client apparatus and the discovery proxy server.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the service IDs includes a unique UUID.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the service IDs is generated on the basis of one of set time information, a manufacturing number of the apparatus, an ID recorded in an inner CPU, an ID recorded in a memory card and user information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the service connection unit start to provide the service after an address solution processing and an attribute information exchange to and from the one of the client apparatus and the discovery proxy server.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

an event information transmission unit configured to transmit event information to the client apparatus when an event occurs.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image; and

an image transmission unit configured to transmit the image acquired by the image acquisition unit to the client apparatus, wherein

the event information transmission unit transmits the event information to the client apparatus when the image is acquired by the image acquisition unit, and

the image transmission unit transmits the image in response to an image transmission request to be transmitted from the client apparatus after transmitting the event information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information processing apparatus may be portable.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information processing apparatus is a camera.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a service state display unit configured to display a start of a service in response to the one of the attribute information exchange and the address solution processing.

10. A client apparatus which is connected with a predetermined service in an information processing apparatus via a communication network, comprising:

a service ID transmission unit configured to transmit service ID of the predetermined service to a discovery proxy server connected to the communication network;

an information processing apparatus address acquisition unit configured o acquire an address of the information processing apparatus to be transmitted from the discovery proxy server in response to the transmission of the service ID; and

a service connection unit configured to transmit the service ID of the predetermined service to the information processing apparatus by using the address of the information processing apparatus to connect the predetermined service.

11. The client apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the service ID includes a unique UUID.

12. The client apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the service ID is generated on the basis of one of set time information, a manufacturing number of the client apparatus, an ID recorded in an inner CPU, an ID recorded in a memory card and user information.

13. The client apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the service connection unit makes the information processing apparatus use the service after an address solution processing and an exchange attribute information to and from one of the information processing apparatus and the discovery proxy server.

14. The client apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

an event information reception unit configured to receive event information to be transmitted from the information processing apparatus.

15. The client apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image from the information processing apparatus when the event information received by the event information reception unit shows that the information processing apparatus has acquired the image.

16. The client apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a service state display unit configured to display a start of a service in response to one of the attribute information exchange and the address solution processing.

17. The client apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

an icon information acquisition unit configured to acquire an icon to be associated with the service when the attribute information exchange is performed; and

a service display unit configured to display at least one of that the client apparatus is in use and a selectable service, by using the icon.

18. An information processing system, comprising a client apparatus, a discovery proxy server and an information processing apparatus configured to be communication with one another via a communication network, wherein

the information processing apparatus includes:

services which are usable by the client apparatus via the communication network; and

a service ID generation unit configured to generate service IDs to identify the services for each of the services,

the discovery proxy server includes a storage unit configured to store the service IDs and address information of the information processing apparatus, and

the client apparatus includes;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire service ID of the service from the information processing apparatus; and

a service connection unit configured to acquire address information of the information processing apparatus from the discovery proxy server to connect to the service by using the acquired service ID.

19. A service connection method, in an information processing system including a client apparatus, a discovery proxy server and an information processing apparatus configured to communicate with one another, which connects the client apparatus with predetermined service from the information processing apparatus, comprising:

generating service IDs for each service from the information processing apparatus;

storing the service ID and address information of the information processing apparatus by the discovery proxy server; and

acquiring the address information of the information processing apparatus from the discovery proxy server by using the service ID of the predetermined service to be connected and connecting the client apparatus with the predetermined service when the client apparatus is connected with the predetermined service of the information processing apparatus.