FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MOBILE TERMINAL, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM RECORDING MOBILE TERMINAL PROGRAM

• US 20090249204A1
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Masatoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/405,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249204A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1865 Transactional file systems

Abstract

A file management system includes a file server with a file storage device storing a file associated with an update date and time of the file and a mobile terminal with a file information output device to output information of the file, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a file obtaining device that obtains the file and the update date and time, and an obtained list information creation device that creates obtained list information associating the file identification information with the update date and time of the file, and an update information output device in the file server outputs update information indicating the file has been updated, if the update date and time about the file is less recent than the update date and time stored in the file storage device, and an update display control device in the mobile terminal displays a message informing the file has been updated if the update information is received.

Claims

1. A file management system comprising:

a file server equipped with a file storage device that stores a file associated with an update date and time of the file; and

a mobile terminal that has a file information output device to output information described in the file and that is connected to the file server, wherein

the file server comprises;

a server-side connection device that is connected to the mobile terminal; and

a file output device that outputs the file stored in the file storage device to the mobile terminal through the server-side connection device together with the update date and time,

the mobile terminal comprises;

a display device that displays information;

a mobile terminal-side connection device that is connected to the file server;

a file obtaining device that is connected to the file server through the mobile terminal-side connection device, to obtain the file and the update date and time which have been output from the file output device;

an obtained file storage device that stores the file and the update date and time which have been obtained by the file obtaining device;

an obtained list information creation device that creates obtained list information in which file identification information to identify the file stored in the file storage device and the update date and time of the file are associated with each other; and

an obtained list information output device that outputs the obtained list information created by the obtained list information creation device to the file server,

the file server further comprises;

an obtained list information obtaining device that, if the mobile terminal is connected thereto via the server-side connection device, obtains the obtained list information from the mobile terminal; and

an update information output device that, if the update date and time of the obtained list information about the file identified by the file identification information in the obtained list information obtained by the obtained list information obtaining device is less recent than the update date and time stored in the file storage device, outputs update information which indicates that the file has been updated, to the mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal further comprises;

an update display control device that, if having received the update information output from the update information output device in the file server, causes the display device to display a message to the effect that the file indicated by the update information has been updated.

2. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein

the file server further comprises a post-update file output device that, when the update information output device outputs the update information, outputs to the mobile terminal the file which is stored in the file storage device and which is indicated by the update information, and

the mobile terminal further comprises a file update device that, if having received the update information output from the update information output device in the file server, replaces the file indicated by the update information with a post-update file output from the post-update file output device.

3. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises an output cancel device that, if the file indicated by the update information is being output by the file information output device, cancels outputting by the file information output device.

4. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a nonvolatile display device that can maintain a display state even after power supply is interrupted,

the file information output device includes at least the nonvolatile display device, and

the mobile terminal further comprises a first display clearing device that, if having received the update information from the file server, clears display on the nonvolatile display device.

5. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein

the file server further comprises a deletion information output device that, if the file identified by file identification information in the obtained list information obtained by the obtained list information obtaining device is not stored in the file storage device, outputs deletion information to the effect that the file has been deleted, to the mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal further comprises a deletion display control device that, if having received the deletion information output from the deletion information output device in the file server, causes the display device to display a message to the effect that the file indicated by the deletion information has been deleted.

6. The file management system according to claim 5, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a file deletion device that, if having received the deletion information output from the deletion information output device in the file server, deletes the file indicated by the deletion information, from the obtained file storage device.

7. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal further comprises a terminal identification information storage device that stores terminal identification information to identify own mobile terminal, and

the file server further comprises:

a last connected date and time storage device that stores a date and time when the mobile terminal was last connected via the server-side connection device as a last connected date and time associated with the terminal identification information of the mobile terminal;

an operation date and time storage device that stores an operation date and time when an operation of deleting or updating the file stored in the file storage device was performed; and

a notification device that compares a most recent one of the operation date and times stored in the operation date and time storage device and the last connected date and time stored in the last connected date and time storage device to each other and, if there is the terminal identification information in which the last connected date and time is less recent than the operation date and time, notifies of the terminal identification information.

8. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a warning output device that, if a predetermined period of time elapses since connection of the mobile terminal-side connection device to the file server is disconnected, outputs a warning to the effect that it is disconnected from the file server for the predetermined period of time.

9. The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises an output prohibition device that, if a predetermined period of time elapses since connection of the mobile terminal-side connection device to the file server is disconnected, prohibits output of the file stored in the obtained file storage device from the file information output device.

10. The file management system according to claim 4, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a second display clearing device that, if a predetermined period of time elapses since connection of the mobile terminal-side connection device to the file server is disconnected, clears display on the nonvolatile display device.

11. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display device that displays information;

a mobile terminal-side connection device that is connected to a file server equipped with a file storage device that stores a file associated with an update date and time of the file;

a file obtaining device that is connected to the file server through the mobile terminal-side connection device, to obtain the file and the update date and time which have been output from the file output device;

an obtained file storage device that stores the file and the update date and time which have been obtained by the file obtaining device;

an obtained list information creation device that creates obtained list information in which file identification information to identify the file stored in the file storage device and the update date and time of the file are associated with each other;

an obtained list information output device that outputs the obtained list information created by the obtained list information creation device to the file server;

an update display control device that, if having received the update information which has been created by the file server based on the obtained list information output from the obtained list information output device and which indicates that the file output has been updated, causes the display device to display a message to the effect that the file indicated by the update information has been updated; and

a file information output device that outputs the information described in the file to the display device.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a file update device that, if having received the update information output from the file server, replaces the file indicated by the update information with a post-update file transmitted from the file server together with the update information.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, further comprising an output stop device that, if the file indicated in the update information is being output by the file information output device, stops outputting by the file information output device.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, wherein

the display device is a nonvolatile display device that can maintain a display state even after power supply is interrupted,

the file information output device includes at least the nonvolatile display device, and

further comprising a first display clearing device that, if having received the update information from the file server, clears display on the nonvolatile display device.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a deletion display control device that, if having received the deletion information which has been created by the file server based on the obtained list information output from the obtained list information output device and which indicates that the file output has been deleted, causes the display device to display a message to the effect that the file indicated by the deletion information has been deleted.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, further comprising a file deletion device that, if having received the deletion information output from the file server, deletes the file indicated by the deletion information from the obtained file storage device.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a warning output device that, if a predetermined period of time elapses since connection of the mobile terminal-side connection device to the file server is disconnected, outputs a warning to the effect that connection to the file server has not been performed for the predetermined period of time.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, further comprising an output prohibition device that, if a predetermined period of time elapses since connection of the mobile terminal-side connection device to the file server is disconnected, prohibits output of the file stored in the obtained file storage device from the file information output device.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, further comprising a second display clearing device that, if a predetermined period of time elapses since connection of the mobile terminal-side connection device to the file server is disconnected, clears display on the nonvolatile display device.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium recording computer readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer readable instructions causes a controller of a mobile terminal having a display device to perform the step of:

connecting the mobile terminal to a file server equipped with a file storage device that stores a file associated with an update date and time of the file;

obtaining the file and the update date and time from the file server;

storing the file and the update date and time which have been obtained;

creating obtained list information in which file identification information to identify the file stored in the file storage device and the update date and time of the file are associated with each other;

outputting the obtained list information to the file server;

if having received the update information which has been created by the file server based on the obtained list information and which indicates that the file output has been updated, causing the display device to display a message to the effect that the file indicated by the update information has been updated; and

outputting the information described in the file to the display device.