Communication system capable of reducing communication load

• US 6,882,840 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Ryuhei
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/892,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20020002047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/413, 455/414.1, 455/417, 455/403, 455/424, 455/425, 455/426.1, 455/432.3, 455/457, 455/456.6, 455/514, 455/517, 455/550.1, 379/88.04, 379/88.22
• US Class Current: 455/432.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A portable information terminal is connected through a radio base station and the like to the Internet. Furthermore, a music server, a mail server and a distribution center are connected to the Internet. The distribution center distributes data stored in the music server and mail server. The distribution center includes a distribution server, a distribution data store memory in which data for the distribution is transiently stored and a radio unit which wirelessly distributes data to the portable information terminal. When accesses are concentrated on the music server from the distribution information terminals, the music server transfers a file including music data to the distribution center. The distribution center wirelessly transfers the file to each of the portable information terminals with temporal dispersion. Thus, even if the accesses for the communications are temporarily concentrated on the particular apparatuses such as the server, employing the above structure allows the communication system to avoid the occurrence of an overload condition.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of content servers, each connected to the network;

a distribution center connected to said network and connected to said plurality of content servers by dedicated communication channels; and

a client terminal connected to said network;

wherein said distribution center comprises;

a first folder which stores a file read from one of said plurality content servers connected to said network and connected to said distribution center by dedicated communication channels;

an actuation timing setting section which sets an actuation timing to process the file stored in said first folder;

a radio transmitter which, when the actuation timing set by said actuation timing setting section has occurred, reads out the file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the read file to said client terminal; and

said client terminal comprises;

a radio receiver which wirelessly receives the file transmitted from said radio transmitter; and

a second folder which is correlated with said first folder and stores the file received by the radio receiver.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said actuation timing setting section sets a periodic interval as the actuation timing.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said actuation timing setting section further sets a time as the actuation timing.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said actuation timing setting section further sets a real time as the actuation timing;

and

said radio transmitter, when a new file is stored in said first folder, reads out the new file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the read new file to said client terminal; and

wherein the new file stored in said first folder is removed after the new file is transferred to said second folder through said radio transmitter and said radio receiver and is stored therein.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said actuation timing setting section sets a time as the actuation timing.

6. A communication system comprising:

a network;

a distribution server connected to said network; and

a client terminal connected to said network;

wherein said distribution server comprises;

a first folder which stores a file read from a content server connected to said network;

an actuation timing setting section which sets an actuation timing to process the file stored in said first folder;

a radio transmitter which, when the actuation timing set by said actuation timing setting section is arrived, reads out the file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the lead file to said client terminal; and

said client terminal comprises;

a radio receiver which wirelessly receives the file transmitted from said radio transmitter; and

a second folder which is correlated with said first folder and stores the file received by the radio receiver;

wherein said actuation timing setting section further sets a real time as the actuation timing; and

when a new file is stored in said first folder, said radio transmitter reads out the new file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the read new file to said client terminal; and

wherein the new file stored in said first folder is removed after the new file is transferred to said second folder through said radio transmitter and said radio receiver and is stored therein.

7. A communication system comprising:

a network;

a distribution center which is connected to said network and has a first folder;

a mobile terminal which is connected to said network and has a second folder correlated with said first folder; and

a position detector which detects a current position of said mobile terminal and is connected to said network;

wherein when said position detector detects when the current position of said mobile terminal is in a predetermined position and sends the position information together with an ID of said mobile terminal to the information distribution center; and

wherein said distribution center includes a file transmitting section which wirelessly transmits a file stored in advance in said first folder to said second folder after it receives the information from said position detector.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein the file transmitted by said file transmitting section includes information of a predetermined territory;

and

said mobile terminal has a display which displays the information of the territory when receiving the file.

9. A communication system comprising:

a network;

a mobile terminal which has a first folder and a first communication unit for carrying out a radio communication;

at least one server connected to the network providing at least one service;

a distribution center which is connected to said network and has a memory region correlated to said first folder and a second communication unit for carrying out a radio communication; and

when a file has been transmitted by the mobile terminal, stored in the memory region of the distribution center and identified by the distribution center as requesting a particular service, a file transferring unit transmits the file to said at least one server that provides the relevant service; and

when the file that has undergone the requested processing in the at least one server is transmitted to and stored in the memory region of the first distribution center, the file transferring unit transfers the file to said first folder which is connected through said network to said distribution center.

10. A communication system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of content servers, each connected to the network;

a distribution device connected to said network and connected to said plurality of content servers by dedicated communication channels; and

a client terminal connected to said network;

wherein said distribution center comprises;

a first folder which stores a file read from one of said plurality content servers connected to said network and connected to said plurality of content servers by dedicated communication channels;

an actuation timing setting section which sets a user-specified actuation timing to process the file stored in said first folder;

a radio transmitter which, when the actuation timing set by said actuation timing setting section has occurred, reads out the file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the read file to said client terminal; and

said client terminal comprises;

a radio receiver which wirelessly receives the file transmitted from said radio transmitter; and

a second folder which is correlated with said first folder and stores the file received by the radio receiver.

11. A communication system comprising:

a network;

a distribution center connected to said network; and

a client terminal connected to said network;

wherein said distribution center comprises;

a first folder which stores a file read from a content server connected to said network;

an actuation timing setting section which sets an actuation timing to process the file stored in said first folder;

a radio transmitter which, when the actuation timing set by said actuation timing setting section has occurred, reads out the file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the read file to said client terminal; and

said client terminal comprises;

a radio receiver which wirelessly receives the file transmitted from said radio transmitter; and

a second folder which is correlated with said first folder and stores the file received by the radio receiver;

wherein when a new file is stored in said first folder, said radio transmitter reads out the new file from said first folder and wirelessly transmits the read new file to said client terminal; and

wherein the new file stored in said first folder is removed after the new file is transferred to said second folder through said radio transmitter and said radio receiver and is stored therein.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said actuation timing setting section sets a periodic interval as the actuation timing.

13. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said actuation timing setting section further sets a time as the actuation timing.