MASTER DEVICE, INTEGRATED SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND INTEGRATED SERVICE MANAGEMENT METHOD

• US 20140115025A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Taoka, Yuki, Tanaka, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A device information acquisition unit acquires device information from a peripheral device via an ad hoc network. An integrated service determination unit determines an integrated service to be executed from among the integrated services defined by integrated service information based on an instruction from a user. A distribution script determination unit cross checks device information related to a client device and a specification requirement of the integrated service to be executed, and determines a client UI of the client device. A script distribution unit distributes, to each client device, the client UI that has been determined by the distribution script determination unit.

Claims

1. A master device which manages, on an autonomous distributed network, an integrated service that is executed by causing a plurality of devices to coordinate with each other,

the master device comprising:

an integrated service information management unit which manages, in relation to a plurality of integrated services, integrated service information that defines information pertaining to an application required by the devices for executing the respective integrated services and a specification requirement of the devices required for executing the application;

a device information acquisition unit which acquires device information that defines a specification for a peripheral device from one or more peripheral devices detected via the autonomous distributed network;

a connection management unit which determines, among the peripheral devices, one or more client devices to be used in the integrated service, and establishes a network connection with the determined client device;

an integrated service determination unit which determines, among the integrated services defined by the integrated service information, an integrated service to be executed based on an instruction from a user;

an application determination unit which determines an application of the client device based on the device information related to the client device and the specification requirement of the integrated service to be executed;

an application distribution unit which distributes, to the client device, the application determined by the application determination unit; and

an integrated service life cycle management unit which issues, to the client device, an start command of the application distributed by the application distribution unit.

2. The master device according to claim 1, wherein

the integrated service determination unit extracts an executable integrated service based on the device information related to the one or more peripheral devices and the specification requirement defined by the integrated service information, presents the extracted integrated services to the user, and determines the integrated service to be executed based on an instruction from the user, and

the connection management unit determines the one or more client devices to be used in the integrated service to be executed based on the specification requirement of the integrated service to be executed and the device information related to the peripheral device.

3. The master device according to claim 1, wherein

the connection management unit determines the one or more client devices from among the peripheral devices based on an instruction from the user, and

the integrated service determination unit extracts an executable integrated service based on the device information related to the one or more client devices and the specification requirement defined by the integrated service information, presents the extracted integrated services to the user, and determines the integrated service to be executed based on an instruction from the user.

4. The master device according to claim 1, wherein, when a certain client device has a plurality of applications that satisfy the specification requirement of the integrated service to be executed, the application determination unit presents these applications to the user, and determines an application selected by the user as the application to be distributed to the client device.

5. The master device according to claim 1, wherein

the application includes a master application to be executed by the master device and a client application to be executed by the client device, and

the integrated service life cycle management unit synchronously starts the master application and the client application.

6. The master device according to claim 1, wherein the application distribution unit distributes the application to the one or more client devices by distributing script data of the application to the client devices.

7. The master device according to claim 1, wherein the application distribution unit distributes a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of the application to the one or more client devices.

8. The master device according to claim 7, wherein

the application distribution unit sends an ID of the integrated service to be executed and an ID of the application upon sending the URI of the application, and

the integrated service life cycle management unit issues a start command of the application to the client device by designating the ID of the integrated service to be executed or the ID of the application upon starting the application.

9. The master device according to claim 1, wherein

the client device retains the received application even after execution of the integrated service, and

the application distribution unit acquires, from the client device, an ID and a version of the application stored in the client device upon distributing the script data of the application, and distributes the script data of the application when the acquired ID and the version of the application do not coincide with the ID and the version of the application determined by the application determination unit.

10. The master device according to claim 1, wherein the integrated service information management unit deletes an integrated service, which fails to match the user'"'"'s preference, from the integrated service information based on information that has been input by the user in advance.

11. The master device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a network communication unit which accepts data to be sent from the device information acquisition unit, the connection management unit, the application distribution unit, and the integrated service life cycle management unit, and sends the data to the client device, and receives the data that is sent from the client device.

12. An integrated service management system which manages, on an autonomous distributed network, an integrated service that is executed by causing a plurality of devices to coordinate with each other,

the system comprising:

the master device according to claim 1; and

one or more client devices connected to the master device via the autonomous distributed network, wherein

the client device comprises;

a client-side connection management unit which receives a connection request from the master device and determines whether to establish a network connection with the master device, and notifies the master device of a determination result; and

a client-side life cycle management unit which starts the application distributed from the master device upon receiving a start request from the master device.

13. The integrated service management system according to claim 12, wherein

the application distribution unit of the master device distributes to the one or more client devices script data of the application determined by the application determination unit and causes the one or more client devices to store the same, and

the client-side life cycle management unit starts the application distributed from the master device by reading the recorded script data upon receiving the start request.

14. The integrated service management system according to claim 12, wherein

the application distribution unit of the master device distributes a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) of the application determined by the application determination unit to the one or more client devices, and

the client-side life cycle management unit starts the application by designating the URI distributed from the master device upon receiving the start request.

15. The integrated service management system according to claim 12, wherein

the devices comprise functions of both the master device and the client device, and

upon executing the integrated service, one device executes the function of the master device, and the remaining devices execute the function of the client device.

16. An integrated service management method performed by a master device which manages, on an autonomous distributed network, an integrated service that is executed by causing a plurality of devices to coordinate with each other, wherein

the master device has an integrated service information management unit which manages, in relation to a plurality of integrated services, integrated service information that defines information pertaining to an application required by the devices upon executing the respective integrated services and a specification requirement of the devices required for executing the application,

the integrated service management method comprising:

a device information acquisition step of the master device acquiring device information that defines a specification of a peripheral device from one or more peripheral devices detected via the autonomous distributed network;

a connection management step of the master device determining, from among the peripheral devices, one or more client devices to be used in the integrated service, and establishing a network connection with the determined client device;

an integrated service determination step of the master device determining, from among the integrated services defined by the integrated service information, an integrated service to be executed based on an instruction from a user;

an application determination step of the master device determining an application of the client device based on the device information related to the client device and the specification requirement of the integrated service to be executed;

an application distribution step of the master device distributing, to the client device, the application determined in the application determination step; and

an integrated service life cycle management step of the master device issuing, to the client device, an start command of the application distributed in the application distribution step.