Network system with a plurality of nodes for administrating communications terminals

• US 5,450,582 A
• Filed: 01/19/1995
• Issued: 09/12/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Mitsuo, Nakajima, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/375,139
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/725, 395/400, 395/425, 370/60, 370/85.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network system capable of easily correcting communication terminal administration data identically in a plurality of nodes (i.e. store and forward machines) without specially requiring installation of any additional hardware. The network system comprises at least two nodes each administrating a plurality of communication terminals. Each of the nodes has a memory device memorizing not only data of its own administrating communication terminals but data of other communication terminals administrated by other nodes. And further, each node is effected to notify any change occurring in its own administrating communication terminals to other nodes in the network system.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a respective administrating means for administrating at least one communication terminal located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein said administrating means operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each node in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each administrating means including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration table of the administrating means of each of said plurality of nodes, said respective communication terminal administration table memorizing network addresses of all communication terminals existing in the network system administrated by said administrating means of said plurality of nodes; and

said administrating means of each node notifying changes of communication addresses relating to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals administrated thereby to the administrating means of all remaining nodes in the network system, for renewing the respective communication terminal administration table of each of said plurality of nodes in the same manner so as to maintain correspondence of communication terminal administration tables among all the nodes.

2. A network system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said communication terminal administration table memorizes telephone numbers as said network addresses.

3. A network system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said communication terminal administration table includes a node address for memorizing, as a unit, network addresses of communication terminals administrated by an administration table of a node corresponding to said node address.

4. A network system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said changes of communication addresses include adding and deleting telephone numbers to and from each said communication terminal administration table in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals.

16. A network system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each administrating means respectively includes a memory means respectively comprising the communication terminal administration table thereof.

5. A network system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a respective administrating means for administrating at least one communication terminal located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein said administrating means operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each node in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each administrating means including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration table of the administrating means of each of said plurality of nodes, said respective communication terminal administration table memorizing higher priority information including telephone numbers used for communication in the network system and lower priority information other than telephone numbers of all the communication terminals existing in the network system administrated by said administrating means of said plurality of nodes; and

said administrating means of each node responding to change relating to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals by renewing the higher priority information in the respective communication terminal administration table thereof prior to changing the lower priority information therein.

6. A network system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said administrating means of each node changes the content of the respective communication terminal administration table thereof when any change occurs in a communication terminal administrated by said each node and when any change is instructed from administrating means of remaining nodes connected in the system.

7. A network system in accordance with claim 5, wherein, when said lower priority information is abnormally changed, a notification of abnormality is provided to administrating means of all the nodes in the network system, and said administrating means cancel changes of higher priority information in response to the abnormal change of said lower priority information and return the higher priority information to previously memorized data.

8. A network system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a respective administrating means for administrating at least one communication terminal located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein said administrating means operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each node in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each administrating means including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration table of the administrating means of each of said plurality of nodes, said respective communication terminal administration table memorizing names and telephone numbers of all communication terminals existing in the network system administrated by said administrating means of said plurality of nodes; and

said administrating means of each node notifying changes of said communication terminal administration table relating to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals administrated thereby to the administrating means of all remaining nodes in the network system and changing the telephone numbers prior to changing the names of communication terminals.

9. A network system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a respective administrating means for administrating at least one communication terminal located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein said administrating means operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each node in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each administrating means including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration table of the administrating means of each of said plurality of nodes, said respective communication terminal administration table memorizing network addresses of all communication terminals existing in the network system administrated by said administrating means of said plurality of nodes; and

said administrating means of each node prohibiting a correction of a particular network address relating to a communication terminal designated as an unchangeable communication terminal even if a changing request is received from administrating means of remaining nodes in the network system.

10. A network system in accordance with claim 9 wherein, if an administrating means of one of the remaining nodes has mistakenly changed the respective communication terminal administration table thereof in response to a changing request for said particular network address designated as unchangeable, a changed content of said communication terminal administration table is cancelled and returned to previous memorized data.

11. A network system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a respective administrating means for administrating at least one communication terminal located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein said administrating means operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each node in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each administrating means including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration table of the administrating means of each of said plurality of nodes, said respective communication terminal administration table memorizing telephone numbers of all the communication terminals existing in the network system administrated by said administrating means of said plurality of nodes; and

said administrating means of each node renewing contents of the respective communication terminal administration table thereof after confirming that a telephone number identical with a telephone number requested to register does not exist in said respective communication terminal administration table thereof, and further notifying existence of double registration to an operator when a telephone number identical with the telephone number requested to register exists in said respective communication terminal administration table thereof.

12. A network system comprising at least two nodes each administrating a plurality of communication terminals, and each of said nodes having a memory means for memorizing not only data of its own administrating communication terminals but data of other communication terminals administrated by other nodes, and any one of nodes transmitting all the content of the memory means to a newly installed node, and to the contrary, said newly installed node transmitting all the information relating to its own administrating communication terminals to other nodes.

13. A network system in accordance with claim 12, in which said one data transmission from said any one of nodes for transmitting all the content of the memory means to a newly installed node is carried out prior to said the other data transmission from said newly installed node for transmitting all the information relating to its own administrating communication terminals to said other nodes.

14. A network system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a respective administrating means for administrating at least one communication terminal located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein said administrating means operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each node in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each administrating means including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration table of the administrating means of each of said plurality of nodes, said respective communication terminal administration table memorizing data of all the communication terminals existing in the network system administrated by said administrating means of said plurality of nodes; and

said administrating means of each node changing the content of the respective communication terminal administration table thereof when a data change occurs in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals administrated thereby and notifying said data change to the respective administrating means of remaining nodes connected in said network system,

said administrating means of each node further changing the content of the respective communication terminal administration table thereof when a changing request is received from an administrating means of any of the remaining nodes in the network system,

thereby renewing the communication terminal administration table of the respective administrating means of each node in the same manner so as to maintain correspondence of the contents of communication terminal administration tables among all the nodes.

15. A network system comprising:

a plurality of store and forward apparatuses each administrating at least one of a plurality of communication terminals located in a predetermined region in the network system, wherein each said store and forward apparatus operates for flexibly changing grouping of communication terminals to be associated with each store and forward apparatus in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals;

each store and forward apparatus including a respective communication terminal administration table, each communication terminal administration table including a content common with the communication terminal administration tables of each other of said plurality of store and forward apparatuses; and

said each store and forward apparatus renewing the content of the respective communication terminal administration table thereof when a data change occurs in response to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals administrated thereby,

said each store and forward apparatus further renewing the content of the respective communication terminal administration table thereof when a changing request is received from any other store and forward apparatus in the network system with respect to change of content of the respective communication terminal administration table of said other store and forward apparatus,

thereby renewing the communication terminal administration table of each store and forward apparatus in the same manner so as to maintain correspondence of the contents of communication terminal administration tables among all the store and forward apparatuses.

17. A network system in accordance with claim 15, wherein each individual store and forward apparatus respectively includes a respective memory means comprising the respective communication terminal administration table thereof,

said individual store and forward apparatus further comprising renewing means for renewing contents of said respective memory means thereof forming the respective communication terminal administration table thereof responsive to establishment, abolishment and replacement of communication terminals administrated by said individual store and forward apparatus,

said individual store and forward apparatus further comprising additional renewing means for further renewing the contents of said respective memory means thereof forming the respective communication terminal administration table thereof responsive to receiving a changing request from another store and forward apparatus in the network system with respect to a change of content of the memory means forming the communication terminal administration table of said another store and forward apparatus,

thereby commonly renewing the respective memory means forming the communication terminal administration table of each store and forward apparatus so as to maintain correspondence of the contents thereof for all the store and forward apparatuses.