Database system, data management system and communication terminal

• US 6,029,068 A
• Filed: 08/26/1997
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Oh, Nagatomo, Shouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Application Number:
  US08/921,653
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/3, 707/103, 707/104, 707/200, 707/203, 455/433, 455/422, 455/517, 455/403, 455/412, 455/413, 455/426, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

In addition to a central paging controller, a database system includes a service center, connected to a public switched telephone network, for supplying voice information. A pager/pagers, which are to be paged from the central paging controller, have a data transmission function. The service center stores ID information containing code data, in association with the voice information. The stored ID information is transmitted to the pager(s) through the central paging controller and a transmitting base station. Using the transmission function, the pager(s) transmits the received ID information to the service center through the public switched telephone network. Thus, the voice information stored in the service center can be output through the public switched telephone network.

Claims

1. A database system comprising:

a database for storing data items;

management means, connected to said database and to a communication line network, for managing said database; and

at least one communication terminal to be connected to said communication line network;

said management means comprising;

means for causing said database to store pieces of ID information identifying the data items in association with the data items, and

transmission means for transmitting one of said pieces of ID information stored in said database to said at least one communication terminal through a radio communication line without a request from said at least one communication terminal; and

said communication terminal comprising;

reception means for receiving said one piece of ID information transmitted from said transmission means, and

control means, which links up with said management means in accordance with said one piece of ID information received by said reception means, for controlling said database so as to output, of the data items stored therein, one data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information.

2. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said management means further comprises:

detection means for detecting storage times at which said data items have been stored in said database,

means for causing said database to store the storage times detected by said detection means, in association with said pieces of ID information, and

first transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit, of the storage times stored in said database, one storage time corresponding to said one piece of ID information to said at least one communication terminal, together with said one piece of ID information.

3. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said management system further comprises:

size detection means for detecting sizes of the data items stored in said database, and

second transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit of the sizes detected by said size detection means, one size corresponding to said one piece of ID information to said at least one communication terminal, together with said one piece of ID information.

4. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one communication terminal further comprises first storage means for storing said one data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information and output from said database.

5. The database system according to claim 4, wherein:

said management means further comprises;

size detection means for detecting sizes of the data items stored in said database, and

second transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit, of the sizes detected by said size detection means, one size corresponding to said one piece of ID information to said at least one communication terminal, together with said one piece of ID information; and

said at least one communication terminal further comprises;

measurement means for measuring a remaining capacity of said first storage means,

comparison means for comparing the size received together with said one piece of ID information by said reception means, and the remaining capacity measured by said measurement means, and

first inhibition means for inhibiting said control means from causing said database to output said one data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information.

6. The database system according to claim 4, wherein:

said management means further comprises;

means for causing said database to store pieces of attribute information specifying the attributes of the data items, in association with said pieces of ID information, and

third transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit, of said pieces of attribute information, one piece of attribute information corresponding to said one piece of ID information; and

said at least one communication terminal further comprises;

second storage means for storing a data processing program together with attributes of data which can be processed using said data processing program,

third storage means for storing said one piece of attribute information corresponding to said one piece of ID information and received together with said one piece of ID information by said reception means,

determination means for reading out, from said third storage means, said one piece of attribute information received by said reception means, and for determining whether the data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information can be processed using the data processing program stored in said second storage means, based on said read-out one piece of attribute information, and

second inhibition means for inhibiting said control means from causing said database to output the data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information when said determination means determines that the data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information cannot be processed using the data processing program.

7. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said management system further comprises fourth transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit said one piece of ID information simultaneously to a group which includes said at least one communication terminal.

8. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one communication terminal further comprises fourth storage means for storing, in association with said pieces of ID information, pieces of reception control information for controlling said reception means.

9. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one communication terminal further comprises:

display means for displaying information,

fifth storage means for storing pieces of display control information in association with pieces of ID information which are substantially same as said pieces of information stored in said database, and

display control means for reading out, of said pieces of display control information stored in said fifth storage means, one piece of display control information corresponding to said one piece of ID information received by said reception means, and for controlling said display means.

10. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one communication terminal further comprises:

alert means for alerting the user of said communication terminal when said reception means receives said one piece of ID information,

sixth storage means for storing pieces of alert control information in association with pieces of ID information which are substantially same as said pieces of information stored in said database, and

alert control means for reading out, of said pieces of alert control information stored in said sixth storage means, one piece of alert control information corresponding to said one piece of ID information received by said reception means, and for controlling said alert means.

11. The database system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission means transmits the one piece of ID information at predetermined intervals.

12. A data management system for managing a database storing data items and connected to a communication line network to which at least one terminal is connected, said data management system comprising:

means for causing said database to store pieces of ID information identifying said data items, in association with the data items,

transmission means for transmitting one of said pieces of ID information stored in said database to said at least one terminal through said communication line network without a request from said at least one terminal,

reception means for receiving said one piece of ID information transmitted from said at least one terminal through said communication line network, and

transmission means for transmitting, of said data items stored in said database, one data item corresponding to said one piece of ID information received by said reception means to said at least one terminal from which said one piece of ID information is transmitted.

13. The data management system according to claim 12, further comprising:

detection means for detecting storage times at which said data items have been stored in said database;

means for causing said database to store the storage times detected by said detection means, in association with said pieces of ID information; and

first transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit, of the storage times stored in said database, one storage time corresponding to said one piece of ID information to said at least one terminal, together with said one piece of ID information.

14. The data management system according to claim 12, further comprising:

size detection means for detecting sizes of the data items stored in said database; and

second transmission control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit, of the sizes detected by said size detection means, one size corresponding to said one piece of ID information to said at least one terminal, together with said one piece of ID information.

15. The data management system according to claim 12, further comprising:

third control means for controlling said transmission means so as to transmit said one piece of ID information simultaneously to a group which consists of said at least one terminal.

16. The data management system according to claim 12, wherein said transmission means for transmitting one of said pieces of ID information transmits the one piece of ID information at predetermined intervals.

17. A communication terminal, connected to a database through a communication line, for extracting a desired one of data items from said database, said communication terminal comprising:

reception means for receiving pieces of ID information transmitted by radio, each of said pieces of ID information identifying one of the data items stored in said database, and

extraction means, which links up with said database in accordance with desired one of said pieces of ID information received by said reception means, for extracting a data item identified by said desired one of pieces of ID information from said database.

18. The communication terminal according to claim 17, further comprising:

first storage means for storing the data item extracted from said database by said extraction means.

19. The communication terminal according to claim 18, further comprising:

measurement means for measuring a remaining capacity of said first storage means;

detection means for detecting a size of a desired data item identified by one of said pieces of ID information received by said reception means;

comparison means for comparing the size detected by said detection means with the remaining capacity measured by said measurement means; and

first inhibition means for inhibiting said extraction means from extracting the data item when the size is greater than the remaining capacity as a result of the comparison performed by said comparison means.

20. The communication terminal according to claim 18, further comprising:

second storage means for storing a data processing program together with attributes of data which can be processed using said data processing program;

third storage means for storing pieces of attribute information in association with said pieces of ID information, each of said pieces of attribute information specifying an attribute of one of said data items identified by said pieces of ID information;

determination means for reading out, from said third storage means, one of said pieces of attribute information received by said reception means, and for determining whether the data item corresponding to said one piece of attribute information can be processed using the program stored in said second storage means; and

second inhibition means for inhibiting said extraction means from extracting the data item when said determination means determines that the data item corresponding to said one piece of attribute information cannot be processed using the data processing program stored in said second storage means.

21. The communication terminal according to claim 17, further comprising:

fourth storage means for storing, in association with said pieces of ID information, pieces of reception control information for controlling said reception means.

22. The communication terminal according to claim 17, further comprising:

display means for displaying information;

fifth storage means for storing pieces of display control information in association with pieces of ID information which are substantially same as said pieces of information received by said reception means; and

display control means for reading out said pieces of display control information from said fifth storage means in accordance with said pieces of ID information received by said reception means, and for controlling said display means.

23. The communication terminal according to claim 17, further comprising:

alert means for alerting the user of said at least one communication terminal when said reception means receives said pieces of ID information;

sixth storage means for storing pieces of alert control information in association with pieces of ID information which are substantially same as said pieces of information received by said reception means; and

alert control means for reading out said pieces of alert control information from said sixth storage means in accordance with said pieces of ID information received by said reception means, and for controlling said alert means.

24. The communication terminal according to claim 17, further comprising:

seventh storage means for storing, in association with each other, said pieces of ID information and pieces of link information to establish links with said database.

25. A method for obtaining desired information from a system including a database and connected to a communication line network to which at least one terminal is to be connected, said method comprising:

a transmitting step of transmitting pieces of ID information, identifying data items stored in said database, to said at least one terminal through said communication line network without a request from said at least one terminal;

a receiving step of receiving said pieces of ID information transmitted in said transmitting step;

a selecting step of selecting one of said pieces of ID information received in said receiving step;

an accessing step of accessing said database in accordance with said selected piece of ID information selected in said selecting step; and

a data obtaining step of obtaining the data item identified by said selected piece of ID information from said database;

wherein said receiving step, said accessing step and said obtaining step are performed on the part of said at least one terminal.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said transmitting step of transmitting pieces of ID information is executed at predetermined intervals.