Cooperative work support system

• US 6,343,316 B1
• Filed: 02/10/1999
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sakata, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HIEU C
• Application Number:
  US09/247,596
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/213, 709/214, 709/215, 709/216, 709/105, 707/4, 707/102, 707/204-205
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

The cooperative work support system of the present invention has at least a first terminal and a second terminal in a communication network, wherein each terminal comprises: a file system for storing a shared file; a file transmitter for transmitting the shared file between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a sharable file list manager for registering shared file information into a sharable file list. The sharable file list manager in the second terminal determines whether the shared file exists within the second terminal based on the shared file information, and sends a transmission request to request the first terminal to transmit the shared file to the second terminal when the shared file does not exist within the second terminal. The file transmitter in the first terminal sends the shared file from the first terminal to the second terminal through the communication network in response to the transmission request. The sharable file list manager in the second terminal updates the shared file information in the sharable file list in the second terminal after the transmission of the shared file.

Claims

1. A cooperative work support system having a plurality of terminals in a communication network,

wherein each terminal comprises:

a cooperative work execution means for providing cooperative work by said terminals by sending and receiving data between said terminals through said communication network;

a specification means for specifying a file in said terminal as a shared file to be used in the cooperative work between said terminals;

a shared file storage means for storing said shared file specified by said specification means;

a shared file information transmission means for transmitting information of said shared file to said other terminal through said communication network;

a shared file information storage means for storing the information of the shared file;

a determination means for determining whether the shared file specified by said cooperative work execution means exists within said terminal, based on the information of the shared file stored in said shared file information storage means;

a transmission request means for creating and sending a transmission request to request transmission of the shared file when it is determined by said determination means that the shared file does not exist within said terminal;

a transmission means for transmitting the shared file to said shared file storage means in said terminal which is the sender of the transmission request in response to the transmission request;

an update means for updating the information of the shared file in said shared file information storage means when the shared file is transmitted from said terminal; and

wherein the information stored in said shared file information storage means includes a sharing time of the shared file,

each terminal comprising;

a time determination means for determining the sharing time of the each shared file stored in said shared file information storage means after said cooperative work execution means terminates a process;

an information determination means for determining the other information of the shared file when it is determined that the sharing time of the shared file is temporary;

a first deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from said shared file information storage means when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined first value; and

a second deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from said shared file information storage means and for deleting the shared file from the shared file storage means when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined second value.

2. A cooperative work support system according to claim 1, wherein

when it is determined that the shared file exists within said terminal, said cooperative work execution means uses the shared file stored in said shared file storage means,

when it is determined that the shared file does not exist within said terminal, the shared file is transmitted by said transmission means from said other terminal to said shared file storage means, the information of the shared file is updated by said update means, and said cooperative work execution means uses the shared file stored in said shared file storage means.

3. A cooperative work support system according to claim 1, wherein

said transmission means obtains the storage position of the shared file in said shared file storage means from the information stored in said shared file information means, said transmission means transmitting the shared file according to the obtained storage position.

4. A cooperative work support system according to claim 1, wherein

said shared file information transmission means transmits the position in said shared file storage means as the information of the shared file specified by said specification means,

said shared file information storage means stores the storage position in said other terminal transmitted from said shared file information transmission means of said other terminal,

said transmission request means transmits the storage position in said other terminal with the transmission request, and

said transmission means transmits the shared file according to the storage position transmitted from said transmission request means.

5. A cooperative work support system according to claim 1, wherein

said shared file storage means stores the storage position of the shared file specified by said specification means, and

said transmission means transmits the requested shared file according to the storage position of the shared file in said shared file storage means.

6. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for managing a groupware application for specifying a file to be used in a plurality of terminals in a communication network as a shared file, the program instructions including instructions for performing the steps comprising:

storing the shared file specified by said groupware application;

registering predetermined information of the shared file specified by said groupware application into a list;

transmitting the information of the shared file specified by said groupware application through said communication network;

adding the transmitted information of the shared file transmitted in the list;

determining whether the shared file specified in execution of said groupware application exists within said terminal, based on the information of the shared file stored in the list;

transmitting a transmission request to request transmission of the shared file to said terminal which is indicated by the information of the shared file in the list when the shared file specified in execution of said groupware application does not exist within said terminal;

transmitting the shared file specified by the transmission request to the terminal which is the sender of the transmission request; and

updating the information of the shared file in the list when receiving the shared file, wherein

the information stored in said list includes a sharing time of the shared file,

each terminal comprising;

a time determination means for determining the sharing time of the each shared file stored in said list after said groupware application terminates a process;

an information determination means for determining the other information of the shared file when it is determined that the sharing time of the shared file is temporary;

a first deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from said list when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined first value; and

a second deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from said list and for deleting the shared file from the shared file storage means when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined second value.

7. A cooperative work support system having at least a first terminal and a second terminal in a communication network,

wherein each terminal comprises:

a file system for storing a shared file;

a file transmitter for transmitting the shared file between said first terminal and said second terminal; and

a sharable file list manager for registering shared file information into a sharable file list, wherein

the sharable file list registered in said sharable file list manager includes a sharing time of the shared file,

each terminal comprising;

a time determination means for determining the sharing time of the each shared file registered in said sharable file list manager after said file transmitter terminates a process;

an information determination means for determining the other information of the shared file when it is determined that the sharing time of the shared file is temporary;

a first deleting means for deleting the shared file information of the shared file from said sharable file list when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined first value; and

a second deleting means for deleting the shared file information of the shared file from said sharable file list and for deleting the shared file from the file system when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined second value.

8. A cooperative work support system according to claim 7, wherein

said sharable file list manager in said second terminal determines whether the shared file exists within said second terminal based on the shared file information, and sends a transmission request to request said first terminal to transmit the shared file to said second terminal when the shared file does not exist within said second terminal,

said file transmitter in said first terminal sends the shared file from said first terminal to said second terminal through said communication network in response to the transmission request, and

said sharable file list manager in said second terminal updates the shared file information in the sharable file list in said second terminal after the transmission of the shared file.

9. A cooperative work support system according to claim 7, wherein said sharable file list manager deletes the shared file information according the shared file information after use of the shared file.

10. A cooperative work support system according to claim 7, wherein said sharable file list manager deletes the shared file according the shared file information after use of the shared file.

11. A cooperative work support system according to claim 7, wherein said sharable file list manager in said first terminal sends an addition request to request said second terminal to add the shared file information to the sharable file list with position information which indicates the position of the shared file in said first terminal,

said sharable file list manager in said second terminal sends the transmission request to said first terminal with the position information, and

said sharable file list manager in said first terminal sends the shared file from said first terminal according to the position information from said second terminal.

12. A cooperative work support system according to claim 7, wherein said first terminal reads the shared file in response to the transmission request using a link in said file system in said first terminal.

13. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for handling a shared file in a cooperative work support system which includes at least a first terminal and a second terminal in a communication network, the program instructions including instructions for performing the steps comprising:

registering shared file information to sharable file lists in said first terminal and said second terminal;

determining whether the shared file exists within said second terminal based on the shared file information;

sending a transmission request to request said first terminal to transmit the shared file to said second terminal when the shared file does not exist within said second terminal;

sending the shared file from said first terminal to said second terminal through said communication network in response to the transmission request; and

updating the shared file information in the sharable file list in said second terminal after the transmission of the shared file, wherein

the information stored in said sharable file lists includes a sharing time of the shared file,

each terminal comprising;

a time determination means for determining the sharing time of the each shared file stored in said sharable file lists after said cooperative work support system terminates a process;

an information determination means for determining the other information of the shared file when it is determined that the sharing time of the shared file is temporary;

a first deleting means for deleting the shared file information of the shared file from said sharable file lists when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined first value; and

a second deleting means for deleting the shared file information of the shared file from said sharable file lists and for deleting the shared file when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined second value.

14. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said program instructions include instructions for:

after updating the shared file information, deleting the shared file information according to the shared file information.

15. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said program instructions include instructions for:

after updating the shared file information, deleting the shared file according to the shared file information.

16. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said program instructions include instructions for:

sending an addition request to request said second terminal to add the shared file information to the sharable file list, with position information which indicates the position of the shared file in said first terminal;

sending the transmission request to said first terminal with the position information; and

sending the shared file from said first terminal according to the position information from said second terminal.

17. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said first terminal reads the shared file from a file system in response to the transmission request using a link stored in said file system.

18. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the information includes a transmission flag which indicates whether the shared file is transmitted to said second terminal.

19. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the information includes a provider terminal which indicates a provider of the shared file.

20. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the information includes the position of the shared file in said terminal.

21. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the information includes a sharing time of the shared file.

22. A computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the information includes a shared file name.