Information service system

• US 20090243812A1
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.410
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

A single unified server transmits/receives information in a common interface format with respect to a plurality of service servers and a portable terminal and has a common database in a data format corresponding to the common interface format, and the plurality of service servers connects to clients in a specific interface format to provide services by individual applications, respectively, and coverts a data format between higher-lank data transmitted/received in the common interface format and lower-lank data transmitted/received in the specific interface format. The portable terminal transmits/receives information in the common interface format using the application.

Claims

1. An information service system comprising:

a plurality of service servers configured to carry out services, each of said service servers carrying out an individual service by the corresponding individual application;

a single unified server provided in common to said plurality of service servers via network connection; and

a terminal device using data held in said unified server,

said unified server including;

a first transmission/reception portion capable of practicing information transmission/reception with respect to each of said plurality of service servers and said terminal device by means of using a common interface format; and

a common database in a data format corresponding to said common interface format;

each of said plurality of service servers including;

a second transmission/reception portion capable of practicing information transmission/reception by means of using said common interface format with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server;

a third transmission/reception portion capable of practice information transmission/reception with respect to a plurality of service terminals by means of using an interface format specific to said individual application, said plurality of service terminals using the individual application in common; and

a data format conversion processing portion configured to carry out data format conversion processing between higher-lank data transmitted/received with respect to said unified server by means of using said common interface format through said second transmission/reception portion and lower-lank data transmitted/received with respect to said plurality of service terminals by means of using said specific interface format through said third transmission/reception portion; and

said terminal device including;

a fourth transmission/reception portion capable of practicing information transmission/reception with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server by means of using said common interface format.

2. The information service system according to claim 1, wherein:

said common database is an XML database using an XML format as said data format corresponding to said common interface.

3. The information service system according to claim 2, wherein:

said second transmission/reception portion of said service server carries out information transmission/reception with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server by means of using said common interface format corresponding to the XML format;

said data format conversion processing portion of said service server carries out said data format conversion processing between said higher-lank data in the XML format and said lower-lank data in the data format specific to said individual application; and

said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device carries out information transmission/reception with respect to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server by means of using aid common interface format corresponding to the XML format.

4. The information service system according to claim 3, wherein:

said data format conversion processing portion of said service server carries out said data format conversion processing so that said higher-lank data in said XML format has a data item specific to each of said plurality of service servers and a data item common to said plurality of service servers.

5. The information service system according to claim 4, wherein:

said common data items of said higher-lank data include security response elements; and

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, only when receiving an inquiry signal corresponding to said security response elements from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a corresponding response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion.

6. The information service system according to claim 4, wherein:

said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server transmits an inquiry signal including user information to said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server; and

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, when receiving said inquiry signal including user information from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion, said response signal being processed into a form corresponding to said user information.

7. The information service system according to claim 3, further comprising an apparatus for producing RFID tags connected to said service server, said apparatus for producing RFID tags being configured to produce a RFID tag in which tag identification information corresponding to said lower-lank data is written via radio communication, wherein:

said data format conversion processing portion coverts said lower-lank data in said specific data format corresponding to said tag identification information into said higher-lank data in said XML format in a form corresponding to the tag identification information;

said common database stores and holds said higher-lank data in said XML format corresponding to said tag identification information; and

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, when receiving an inquiry signal including said tag identification information from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion, said response signal including said higher-lank data corresponding to said tag identification information.

8. The information service system according to claim 7, wherein:

said terminal device includes an information acquisition portion configured to get said tag identification information stored in said RFID tag via radio communication; and

said fourth transmission/reception portion transmits said inquiry signal including said tag identification information gotten by said information acquisition portion.

9. The information service system according to claim 8, wherein:

said first transmission/reception portion of said unified server transmits, when receiving said inquiry signal including a plurality of said tag identification information from said fourth transmission/reception portion of said terminal device or said second transmission/reception portion of said service server, a response signal to said fourth transmission/reception portion or said second transmission/reception portion, said response signal collectively including a plurality of said higher-lank data, each of the plurality of higher-lank data corresponding to one of the plurality of tag identification information.