Information management system, local computer, server computer, and recording medium
First Claim
1. An information management system for management of information delivered through a network, comprising:
- a server computer including delivery information storing means for storing delivery information to be delivered through the network and a server-side control file in which attribute information of the delivery information is registered, and a server for delivering, in response to a request, information stored in the delivery information storing means; and
a local computer including duplicate information storing means for storing duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information in the delivery information storing means and a local-side control file in which are registered location information indicative of a location within the delivery information storing means where the duplicate information existed and attribute information of the duplicate information, and request relaying means, responsive to a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the delivery information storing means, for acquiring the server-side control file and the local-side control file, comparing the attribute information of the requested delivery information with the attribute information of the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information, and determining information to be acquired in accordance with a result of comparison.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Contents on a server that need not be updated for a fixed period of time are recorded directly in a medium, and desired contents in a local device can be accessed by the same operation procedure as that for accessing the server storing the contents. When a request to acquire delivery information is made from information browsing unit with respect to a local proxy server, the local proxy server analyzes the request, and acquires a server-side control file managed by a server with respect to which the request has been made, and a local-side control file in duplicate information storing unit. If corresponding information exists in the duplicate information storing means and also if the information has the latest version number, the information is fetched from the duplicate information storing unit; otherwise the delivery information is fetched from a server computer.
78 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. An information management system for management of information delivered through a network, comprising:
-
a server computer including delivery information storing means for storing delivery information to be delivered through the network and a server-side control file in which attribute information of the delivery information is registered, and a server for delivering, in response to a request, information stored in the delivery information storing means; and
a local computer including duplicate information storing means for storing duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information in the delivery information storing means and a local-side control file in which are registered location information indicative of a location within the delivery information storing means where the duplicate information existed and attribute information of the duplicate information, and request relaying means, responsive to a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the delivery information storing means, for acquiring the server-side control file and the local-side control file, comparing the attribute information of the requested delivery information with the attribute information of the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information, and determining information to be acquired in accordance with a result of comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15)
the duplicate information storing means of the local computer registers therein a version number of the duplicate information as the attribute information, and the request relaying means decides to acquire the delivery information if the delivery information is of a later version, and decides to acquire the duplicate information in other situations. -
3. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery information storing means of the server computer is capable of setting therein, as a version number of the delivery information, a super version number indicating that the version number is always a maximum,
the duplicate information storing means of the local computer is capable of setting therein, as a version number of the duplicate information, a super version number indicating that the version number is always a maximum, and the request relaying means decides, on detecting a super version number, to always preferentially acquire corresponding information. -
4. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the request relaying means of the local computer decides to acquire the duplicate information if the server-side control file cannot be fetched from the server computer.
-
5. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the request relaying means of the local computer decides to acquire the delivery information if the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information does not exist in the duplicate information storing means.
-
6. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the local computer further includes a writable recording device, and when the delivery information is acquired, the request relaying means stores the acquired delivery information in the recording device.
-
7. The information management system according to claim 6, wherein, on receiving a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the delivery information storing means, the request relaying means of the local computer determines information to be acquired from among the delivery information, the duplicate information, and the delivery information stored in the recording device.
-
8. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the local computer further includes a writable recording device, and when the server-side control file and the local-side control file are acquired, the request relaying means compares version numbers of all associated information in the server-side and local-side control files with each other, decides to acquire all of the delivery information in the delivery information storing means that is judged to be of a later version, and stores all of the acquired delivery information in the recording device.
-
9. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when it is decided to acquire the duplicate information and if the duplicate information is a metafile specifying other information, the request relaying means of the local computer modifies content of the metafile such that the specification of the other information indicates an inside of the duplicate information storing means.
-
10. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when sequence of access to the delivery information storing means and the duplicate information storing means is specified in the local-side control file, the request relaying means of the local computer decides to acquire information which is given preference by the access sequence, without comparing the attribute information.
-
11. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the duplicate information storing means of the local computer stores the duplicate information in an arrangement identical with that in the server computer and, if a location where the duplicate information is to be stored overlaps that where other information is to be stored, stores the duplicate information at a different location and sets, in the local-side control file, translation information indicating correspondence between the location where the duplicate information should originally be stored and that where the duplicate information is actually stored, and the request relaying means specifies, based on the translation information, the location where the duplicate information is stored.
-
12. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when a location where the delivery information is stored is changed from a previous location, the delivery information storing means of the server computer registers, in the server-side control file, storage location change information indicating correspondence between the storage locations before and after the change, and
the request relaying means of the local computer specifies, based on the storage location change information, the duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information. -
14. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when a request to acquire a streaming content whose content varies with time is received, the server of the server computer transmits, along with the streaming content, a synchronization file defining information to be synchronized with the streaming content, and a synchronization reference time serving as a basis for displaying the information defined in the synchronization file, and
the local computer further includes streaming content reproducing means for outputting a request for acquisition of the streaming content, reproducing the streaming content transmitted thereto in response to the request, and outputting, in synchronism with the streaming content, a request for acquisition of information defined in the synchronization file by using as a basis the synchronization reference time transmitted thereto from the server. -
15. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when a streaming content whose content varies with time is to be provided, the server of the server computer transmits unit information obtained by dividing the streaming content, the unit information being affixed with a specification of relevant information to be synchronized with the streaming content, and
the local computer further includes streaming content reproducing means for outputting a request for acquisition of the streaming content, reproducing the unit information of the streaming content transmitted thereto in response to the request, and, if the unit information is affixed with the specification of the relevant information, outputting a request for acquisition of the specified relevant information.
-
-
13. An information management system for management of information delivered through a network, comprising:
-
a server computer including delivery information storing means for storing delivery information to be delivered through the network and a server-side control file in which attribute information of the delivery information is registered, and a server for delivering, in response to a request, information stored in the delivery information storing means; and
a local computer including a readout device and request relaying means, the readout device being capable of reading out contents of a recording medium storing duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information in the delivery information storing means, location information indicative of a location within the delivery information storing means where the duplicate information existed, and a local-side control file in which attribute information of the duplicate information is registered, the request relaying means being responsive to reception of a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the server computer, to acquire the server-side control file and the local-side control file in the recording medium inserted in the readout device, compare the attribute information of the requested delivery information with the attribute information of the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information, and determine information to be acquired in accordance with a result of comparison.
-
-
16. A local computer connected through a network to a server computer storing delivery information and a server-side control file in which attribute information of the delivery information is registered, comprising:
-
duplicate information storing means for storing duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information in the server computer, and a local-side control file in which are registered location information indicative of a location within the server computer where the duplicate information existed and attribute information of the duplicate information; and
request relaying means, responsive to a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the server computer, for acquiring the server-side control file and the local-side control file, comparing the attribute information of the requested delivery information with the attribute information of the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information, and determining information to be acquired in accordance with a result of comparison.
-
-
17. A local computer connected through a network to a server computer storing delivery information and a server-side control file in which attribute information of the delivery information is registered, comprising:
-
a readout device capable of reading out contents of a recording medium storing duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information in server computer, location information indicative of a location within the server computer where the duplicate information existed, and a local-side control file in which attribute information of the duplicate information is registered; and
request relaying means, responsive to a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the server computer, for acquiring the server-side control file and the local-side control file in the recording medium inserted in the readout device, comparing the attribute information of the requested delivery information with the attribute information of the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information, and determining information to be acquired in accordance with a result of comparison.
-
-
18. A computer-readable recording medium recording an information acquisition program for managing acquisition of information from a server computer storing delivery information and a server-side control file in which attribute information of the delivery information is registered, wherein the information acquisition program causes a computer to function as
duplicate information storing means for storing duplicate information corresponding to the delivery information in the server computer and a local-side control file in which are registered location information indicative of a location within the server computer where the duplicate information existed and attribute information of the duplicate information, and request relaying means, responsive to reception of a request to acquire the delivery information stored in the server computer, for acquiring the server-side control file and the local-side control file, comparing the attribute information of the requested delivery information with the attribute information of the duplicate information corresponding to the requested delivery information, and determining information to be acquired in accordance with a result of comparison.
Specification