WEB SERVICE SYSTEM, SERVER MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, AND WEB SERVICE PROVIDING METHOD

• US 20120215910A1
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wada, Katsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,146,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A virtual device management server manages location information and resource information about a virtual device server as server information. The virtual device management server receives a processing request and printer location information from a printer. Then, the virtual device management server selects a virtual device server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request on the basis of server information, the processing request, and location information about the printer to thereby assign the selected virtual device server to the printer.

Claims

1. A Web service system comprising:

an image forming apparatus; and

a server management apparatus that manages a plurality of servers for providing a Web service corresponding to processing requested by the image forming apparatus,

wherein the server management apparatus comprises;

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire location information about a server and resource information about a resource of the server from the servers and to manage the acquired information as server information;

a request reception unit configured to receive a processing request from the image forming apparatus;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire location information about the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and

a selection unit configured to select a server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request from the plurality of servers on the basis of server information managed by the first acquisition unit, a processing request received by the request reception unit, and location information about the image forming apparatus acquired by the second acquisition unit to thereby assign the selected server to the image forming apparatus.

2. The Web service system according to claim 1, wherein the second acquisition unit acquires physical location information about the physical location of the image forming apparatus or relative location information about the relative location between the image forming apparatus and a server as location information about the image forming apparatus, and

wherein the selection unit selects a server arranged at a location closest to the physical location of the image forming apparatus as a server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request on. the basis of the results of comparison between the physical location information and the server location information, or selects a server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request on the basis of the relative location information when the server is not selectable on the basis of the results of comparison between the physical location information and the server location information.

3. The Web service system according to claim 2, wherein the physical location information is any one of region information, locale information, a local time, GPS information, user setting location information, virtual PC location information, physical PC location information, an IP address, or network domain information about the image forming apparatus, and

wherein the relative location information is any one of a network configuration map, a network node-to-node distance, a communication delay time RTT, or a time difference between two local times.

4. The Web service system according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit refers to the resource information, and determines whether or not a resource provided in a server to be selected satisfies the processing request on the basis of the results of comparison between the physical location information and the server location information or the relative location information, and, when the resource provided in the server to be selected does not satisfy the processing request, selects a server having the resource satisfying the processing request as the server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request.

5. The Web service system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a monitoring unit configured to monitor a change in the state of resources of the plurality of servers,

wherein the selection unit specifies a server having a resource satisfying the conditions for providing a Web service that is currently being provided depending on a monitoring result for a change in the state of the resource by the monitoring unit, and selects a server for providing the Web service that is currently been provided on the basis of the results of comparison between the physical location information and the specified server location information or the relative location information, and switches a server tor providing the Web service from the server that is currently providing the Web service to the selected server.

6. A server management apparatus that manages a plurality of servers for providing a Web service corresponding to processing requested by the image forming apparatus, the server management apparatus comprising:

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire location information about a server and resource information about the resource of the server from the servers and to manage the acquired information as server information;

a request reception unit configured to receive a processing request from the image forming apparatus;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire location information about the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and

a selection unit configured to select a server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request from the plurality of servers on the basis of server information managed by the first acquisition unit, a processing request received by the request reception unit, and location information about the image forming apparatus acquired by the second acquisition unit to thereby assign the selected server to the image forming apparatus.

7. A method for providing a Web service in a system comprising an image forming apparatus and a server management apparatus that manages as plurality of servers for providing a Web service corresponding to processing requested by the image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

acquiring, in the server management apparatus, location information about a server and resource information about the resource of the server from the servers and managing the acquired information as server information;

receiving, in the server management apparatus, a processing request from the image forming apparatus;

acquiring, in the server management apparatus, location information about the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and

selecting, in the server management apparatus, a server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request on the basis of the server information, the processing request, and the location information about the image forming apparatus to thereby assign the selected server to the image forming apparatus.

8. A computer readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for making a computer execute a method for providing a Web service in a system comprising an image forming apparatus and a server management apparatus that manages a plurality of servers for providing a Web service corresponding to processing requested by the image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

acquiring, in the server management apparatus, location information about a server and resource information about the resource of the server from the servers and managing the acquired information as server information;

receiving, in the server management apparatus, a processing request from the image forming apparatus;

acquiring, in the server management apparatus, location information about the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and

selecting, in the server management apparatus, a server for providing a Web service corresponding to the processing request on the basis of the server information, the processing request, and the location information about the image forming apparatus to thereby assign the selected server to the image forming apparatus.