DATA SUPPLY APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20120158939A1
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sakae, Yoshiaki, Sugimoto, Kinichi, Okabe, Toshiya, Itabashi, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,903,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units

Abstract

Provided is a data supply apparatus including a transmission device that sends data to another data supply apparatus; a reception device that receives data from another data supply apparatus; a data storing device that stores data in a storage device; and a data storage determination device that determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on a predetermined supply probability. In a typical example, the reception device receives the data to which supply probability information which indicates the supply probability has been appended; and the data storage determination device determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on the supply probability indicated by the supply probability information.

Claims

1. A data supply apparatus comprising:

a transmission device that sends data to another data supply apparatus;

a reception device that receives data from another data supply apparatus;

a data storing device that stores data in a storage device; and

a data storage determination device that determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on a predetermined supply probability.

2. The data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the reception device receives the data to which supply probability information which indicates the supply probability has been appended; and

the data storage determination device determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on the supply probability indicated by the supply probability information.

3. The data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 2, further comprising:

an identification information storage device that stores group identification information which indicates a group to which the present apparatus belongs,

wherein the data storage determination device obtains the group identification information from the identification information storage device and determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on the supply probability which is included in the supply probability information and is associated with the group indicated by the group identification information.

4. The data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a supply probability storage device that stores a data supply probability assigned to the present apparatus,

wherein the data storage determination device determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on the supply probability stored in the supply probability storage device.

5. The data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

the reception device receives the data to which probability control information which indicates a probability control parameter used in weighting of the supply probability has been appended; and

the data storage determination device determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on the probability control parameter and the supply probability for the relevant data, which is stored in the supply probability storage device.

6. The data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

the supply probability storage device is provided outside the present apparatus.

7. The data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the data storing device is provided as a form of an external apparatus or an external system.

8. A data supply system including a data supply apparatus in accordance with claim 1.

9. A data supply method comprising:

a transmission step that sends data to an apparatus;

a reception step that receives data from an apparatus;

a data storing step that stores data in a storage device; and

a data storage determination step that determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on a supply probability appended to a body of the received data.

10. A computer program for controlling a data supply apparatus, the program comprising:

a transmission step that sends data to another data supply apparatus;

a reception step that receives data from another data supply apparatus;

a data storing step that stores data in a storage device; and

a data storage determination step that determines whether or not the received data should be stored in the storage device, based on a supply probability appended to a body of the received data.