Client-optimized data transmission system and method

• US 6,243,392 B1
• Filed: 05/30/1997
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakakura, Takashi, Uemura, Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US08/866,240
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/468, 370/477, 370/521, 345/428, 709/231, 709/232, 709/233, 709/237
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Data transmission system and methods in which data is automatically selected based upon the processing ability of a client and the condition of a data transmission line connecting a server and the client. A terminal attribute unit that collects ability characteristics of the client and a line controller that collects the transmission rate of the data transmission line are provided in the server. A data attribute provider provides a proper data type and data amount of transmitting data in a profile based upon the collected information about the client. A data transmission agent refers to a correspondence table and selects data having a proper data amount. Then, the data transmission agent transmits the selected data to the client.

Claims

1. A data transmission system, wherein data is transmitted from a server, which contains the data, via a transmission medium, comprising:

the server including a first information collector which collects information about at least one client; and

a selective transmitter which determines a total amount of data and at least one type of data of a dynamic image, a still image, a sound and a character that can be transmitted to the at least one client based upon the information collected by said first information collector, reduces an amount of data of at least one type of the at least one type of data determined in case that a total of each amount of the at least one type of data is bigger than the total amount determined, and selectively transmits the data contained in the server to the at least one client based upon the amount of the data and the at least one type of data the at least one client is able to receive.

2. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector includes a line controller which collects information about the transmission medium connecting the server and the at least one client as the information about the at least one client.

3. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector includes a terminal attribute unit which collects information about ability characteristics of the at least one client as the information about the at least one client.

4. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector includes a load controller which collects information about a loading condition of the at least one client as the information about the at least one client.

5. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector includes a time limit controller which collects a time limit to transmit the data, which is assigned by the at least one client, as the information about the at least one client.

6. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector includes a user instruction controller which collects user instructions which are inputted by a user of the at least one client as the information about the at least one client.

7. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector collects the information about the at least one client during transmission of the data, wherein said selective transmitter determines the amount of data which can be transmitted to the at least one client dynamically during transmission of the data and selects the transmitting data dynamically.

8. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein said first information collector includes,

a data attribute provider which calculates the amount of data for transmitting based on the information about the at least one client which is collected by said first information collector, and

a data transmission agent which selects data with a matched data amount with the amount of data calculated by said data attribute provider.

9. The data transmission system of claim 8, wherein said selective transmitter includes a correspondence table which shows a correspondence between a data type and a data amount of the transmitting data, wherein said data attribute provider creates a profile which defines a data type and a data amount of the transmitting data based upon the information about the at least one client which is collected by said first information collector,

wherein said data transmission agent inputs the profile which is created by said data attribute provider and determine data which should be selected based upon the data type which is defined in the profile with reference to said correspondence table.

10. The data transmission system of claim 9, wherein said selective transmitter further comprises a data generator which generates the data which is transmitted to the at least one client by reducing a data amount of the transmitting data to reach the data amount which is defined in the profile, when the data amount which is defined in the profile is less than the data amount in the correspondence table.

17. The data transmission system of claim 9, wherein said data transmission agent selects one of a plurality of prestored tables of said correspondence table to determine the data type and data amount of data which should be selected and transmitted to the at least one client.

18. The data transmission system of claim 9, wherein said data transmission agent creates a table with the data type and data amount which is appropriate for the at least one client and stores the table in the correspondence table.

21. The data transmission system of claim 1, wherein the at least one client includes a second information collector that collects information about the at least one client and transmits the collected information to the server.

22. The data transmission system of claim 21, wherein the at least one client further includes a display user-interface that displays data, allows a user to input time limits for receiving data from the server and accepts data transmission instructions from the user for use by the server.

11. A data transmission method, wherein data is transmitted from a server, which contains the data, via a transmission medium, comprising the steps of:

collecting information about at least one client by the server; and

determining a total amount of data and at least one type of data of a dynamic image, a still image, a sound and a character that can be transmitted to the at least one client based upon the information collected in said information collecting step,

reducing an amount of data of at least one type of the at least one type of data determined in case that a total of each amount of the at least one type of data is bigger than the total amount determined, and

selectively transmitting the data contained in the server based upon the amount of data and the at least one type of data that the at least one client is able to receive.

12. The data transmission method of claim 11, wherein said information collecting step includes at least one of

a sub-step of collecting information on the transmission medium connecting the server and the at least one client as the information about the at least one client,

a sub-step of collecting information on ability characteristics of the at least one client as the information about the at least one client,

a sub-step of collecting information of loading condition of the at least one client as the information about the at least one client,

a sub-step of collecting a time limit to transmit the data, which is assigned by the at least one client, as the information about the at least one client, and

a sub-step of collecting a user information which is inputted by a user of the at least one client as the information about the at least one client.

13. The data transmission method of claim 11, wherein said information collecting step collects the information about the at least one client during transmission of the data, wherein said data amount determining step determines the amount of data which can be transmitted to the at least one client dynamically during transmission of the data and said transmitting data selecting step selects the transmitting data dynamically.

14. The data transmission method of claim 11, wherein said information collecting step includes the sub-steps of calculating the amount of data for transmitting based on the information about the at least one client, and selecting data with a matched data amount with the amount of data calculated.

15. The data transmission method of claim 14, wherein the data amount determining step includes a sub-step of referring to a correspondence table which shows a correspondence between a data type and a data amount of the transmitting data, wherein said calculating step creates a profile which defines a data type and a data amount of the transmitting data based on the information about the at least one client which is collected in said information collecting step, wherein said selecting step inputs the profile which is created and determines data which should be selected based on the data type which is defined in the profile with reference to the correspondence table.

16. The data transmission method of claim 15, wherein the data amount determining step includes a sub-step of generating data which is transmitted to the at least one client by reducing a data amount of the transmitting data to reach the data amount which is defined in the profile, when the data amount which is defined in the profile is less than the data amount in the correspondence table.

19. The data transmission method of claim 15, wherein said selecting step selects one of a plurality of prestored tables of the correspondence table to determine the data type and data amount which should be selected and transmitted to the at least one client.

20. The data transmission method of claim 15, wherein said selecting step creates a table with the data type and data amount which is appropriate for the at least one client and stores the table in the correspondence table.

23. A data transmission method for reducing the transmission of superfluous data from a server to at least one client in response to the at least one client request for data, comprising:

creating an attribute table for the at least one client, said attribute table including a plurality of first data types and a first data amount, wherein the attribute table represents a total amount of data and at least one type of data of a dynamic image, a still image, a sound and a character, the at least one client is able to receive at one time;

creating a correspondence table that includes a plurality of sub-tables, each sub-table including a different combination of a plurality of second data types and a second data transmitting amount, wherein each combination represents a server data transmission rate for each type of the at least one client having a specific second data type configuration;

selecting a sub-table from the correspondence table, in response to the at least one client requesting data from the server, based upon the correspondence between the at least one client attribute table and the sub-table of the correspondence table such that an amount of data of at least one type of the at least one type of data is less than the total amount determined; and

transmitting from the server to the at least one client data represented by the second data types contained in the selected correspondence table sub-table.

24. The data transmission method of claim 23, wherein the transmitting step further comprises reducing a data amount of the data to be transmitted to the at least one client to equal the first data amount in the client attribute table when the first data amount in the at least one client attribute table is less than the at least one second data amount in the selected correspondence table sub-table.