Data transfer device with computed start times for data blocks

• US 5,944,792 A
• Filed: 01/08/1997
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Hisayuki, Yamato, Jun-ichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US08/780,219
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1 MS File, 364/DIG. 2 MS File, 395/200.49, 395/200.56, 395/200.59, 395/200.61, 395/200.79, 370/401, 370/431, 348/7, 348/552, 455/4.2, 709/219, 709/226, 709/231, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware

Abstract

A data reading device for accepting an external data transfer request, reading desired data from a storage device which stores various data and transferring the data to a sender of the data transfer request, which includes a client for issuing a reading request which designates data corresponding to a data transfer request and a time of a reading deadline of the data, a reading request sorting unit for accepting and storing an issued reading request and fetching them in descending order of reading deadlines, and a file reading unit for reading data corresponding to a reading request fetched by the reading request sorting unit from the data storage device.

Claims

1. A data reading device for accepting an external data transfer request, reading desired data from data storing means which stores various data and transferring the data to a sender of said data transfer request, the data reading device comprising:

reading request issuing means for issuing a reading request which designates a data file corresponding to said data transfer request;

reading request managing means for accepting said reading request to divide an object data file into data blocks of predetermined size and designating a time of a reading deadline for each data block to generate a reading request of each data block;

transmission time computing means for computing a transfer starting time for each said data block which is used as a time of the reading deadline for each said data block;

reading request sorting means for accepting and storing a reading request of each said data block generated by said reading request managing means to fetch the requests in descending order of the reading deadlines;

data reading means for reading data, corresponding to a reading request at each said data block to be fetched according to said reading request sorting means from said data storing means;

data holding means for temporarily holding data read by said data reading means; and

data transferring means for detecting said data block whose transfer is to be started based on a transfer starting time of each said data block computed by said transmission time computing means and fetching said detected data block from said data holding means to transfer said data block to a sender of said data transfer request.

2. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said reading request issuing means and said reading request managing means are provided in plural corresponding to the number of senders of said data transfer request, and

said reading request sorting means accepts said reading request of each said block issued from said plurality of reading request managing means and fetches said reading request only according to the order of said reading deadlines whichever said reading request managing means issues the reading request.

3. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reading request sorting means comprising:

reading request storing means for storing a reading request of each said data block, and

reading request inserting means for accepting a reading request of each said data block and comparing a reading deadline attached to the accepted reading request and a reading deadline attached to a reading request stored in said reading request storing means to insert said accepted reading request such that all the reading requests line in descending order of reading deadlines from the output side of said reading request storing means.

4. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reading request sorting means comprising:

reading request storing means for storing a reading request of each said data block, and

reading request determining means for comparing reading deadlines attached to all the reading requests stored in said reading request storing means to determine a reading request with the earliest reading deadline as a first reading request to be fetched.

5. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said reading request issuing means designates a read starting time for starting reading of a data file as an object of said reading request and attaches the designated time to said reading request, and

said transmission time computing means computes a transfer starting time of data corresponding to a reading request of each said data block based on a read starting time attached to said reading request.

6. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising transfer rate registering means for registering a transfer rate of a data file stored in said data storing means, wherein

said transmission time computing means computes a transfer starting time of data corresponding to the reading request of each said data block based on a transfer rate of a data file including data corresponding to said reading request of each said data block registered in said transfer rate registering means, and

said data transferring means transfers data fetched from said data holding means at a transfer rate of the data registered in said transfer rate registering means.

7. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

data transfer rate registering means for registering a transfer rate of a data file stored in said data storing means on a basis of a data block of predetermined size formed by dividing a data file as an object of said reading request by said reading request managing means, wherein

said transmission time computing means computes a transfer starting time of data corresponding to said reading request of each said data block based on a transfer rate of data corresponding to said reading request of each said data block registered in said data transfer rate registering means, and

said data transferring means transfers data fetched from said data holding means at a transfer rate of the data registered in said transfer rate registering means.

8. The data reading device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said reading request issuing means designates a transfer rate of a data file as an object of said reading request and attaches the transfer rate to said reading request,

said transmission time computing means computes a transfer starting time of data corresponding to a reading request of each said data block based on a transfer rate attached to said reading request, and

said data transferring means transfers data fetched from said data holding means at a transfer rate attached to said reading request.

9. A data reading device for accepting an external data transfer request, reading desired data from a data storage device and transferring the data to a sender of said data transfer request, the data reading device comprising:

a reading request issuing unit that issues a reading request which designates a data file corresponding to said data transfer request;

a reading request management unit that accepts said reading request to divide an object data file into data blocks of predetermined size and designates a time of a reading deadline for each data block to generate a reading request of each data block;

a transmission time computing unit that computes a transfer starting time for each said data block which is used as a time of the reading deadline for each said data block;

a reading request sorting unit that accepts and stores a reading request of each said data block generated by said reading request management unit to fetch the requests in descending order of the reading deadlines;

a data reading unit that reads data, corresponding to a reading request at each said data block to be fetched according to said reading request sorting unit, from said data storage device;

a transmission buffer that temporarily holds data read by said data reading unit; and

a data transfer unit that detects said data block whose transfer is to be started based on a transfer starting time of each said data block computed by said transmission time computing unit and fetches said detected data block from said transmission buffer to transfer said data block to a sender of said data transfer request.

10. The data reading device as set forth in claim 9, wherein

said reading request issuing unit designates a read starting time for starting reading of a data file as an object of said reading request and attaches the designated time to said reading request, and

said transmission time computing unit computes a transfer starting time of data corresponding to a reading request of each said data block based on a read starting time attached to said reading request.

11. The data reading device as set forth in claim 9, further comprising

a transfer rate registering unit for registering a transfer rate of a data file stored in said data storage device,

wherein said transmission time computing unit computes a transfer starting time of data corresponding to the reading request of each said data block based on a transfer rate of a data file including data corresponding to said reading request of each said data block registered in said transfer rate registering unit, and

wherein said data transferring unit transfers data fetched from said transmission buffer at a transfer rate of the data registered in said transfer rate registering unit.