Method of and an apparatus for controlling a web server, a web server control program, and a storage medium on which the web server control program is stored

• US 7,100,192 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2000
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takiyasu, Yoshihiro, Igawa, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US09/715,121
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/223, 709/226, 709/229, 709/231, 725 86- 87, 725 91- 93, 725/109, 725114-117, 725/144, 725/145, 725/146, 725/121, 725/112, 725/98
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2265 Server identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A WEB server includes a control unit for HTTP server, a table of addresses of VOD servers, and a table of identifiers of video data. The control unit accesses these tables, in response to a request from a user of a terminal device for a display of video data, to retrieve therefrom an address of a video server and an identifier of a title of video data related to information on a WEB page accessed by the user, then transfers the address and the identifier to the terminal device. This enables the user of a video-on-demand system to easily obtain video data associated with information on the WEB server.

Claims

1. A video data distributing system, comprising:

a plurality of video servers, each storing video data;

a controller connected with the plurality of video servers and a plurality of terminals via a network, wherein each of the terminals is arranged to send a video data request, including a first video data identifier for uniquely identifying the video data, to the controller;

wherein the controller includes storing means and control means, and the storing means is arranged to store;

a video data information table including the first video data identifier, a video server identifier, and a second video data identifier, linked with one another, the video server identifier identifying one of the video servers having the video data identified with the first video data identifier and used for accessing the identified video server, and the second video data identifier identifying the video data in the identified video server and indicating a location of the video data in the identified video server, and

a video server information table including a terminal identifier identifying a terminal and the video server identifier of the identified video server having the video data to be distributed to the terminal, linked with each other;

wherein the controller, upon receiving the video data request, obtains the video server identifier corresponding to the terminal identifier of the terminal originating the video data request from the video server information table, extracts the second video data identifier from the video data information table using the obtained video server identifier and the first video data identifier in the video data request, and data sends the video server identifier and the second video identifier to the terminal originating the video data request; and

wherein the terminal originating the video data request accesses the identified video server with the received video server identifier, and obtains the video data from the identified video server using the received second video data identifier.

2. A video data distributing system according to claim 1,

wherein the first video data identifier is a serial number.

3. A video data distributing system according to claim 1, wherein the first video data identifier is a unique video name.

4. A video data distributing system according to claim 3, wherein said second video data identifier is a file name in the video server.

5. A video data distributing system according to claim 1, wherein the video server identifier includes a URL of the video server.

6. A video data distributing system according to claim 1, wherein the video server identifier and the second video data identifier constitute at least a part of a URL.

7. A video data distributing system according to claim 6, wherein the terminal identifier is at least a part of an IP address of the terminal originating the video data request.

8. A video data distributing system according to claim 1,

wherein the video data information table further includes transmission information of each video data, and

wherein the controller sends the transmission information to the terminal originating the video data request with the video server identifier and the second video data identifier, such that the terminal originating the video data request can select a program to receive and reproduce the video data sent from the video server in accordance with the transmission information.

9. A video data distributing system according to claim 8, wherein the transmission information includes information on a network protocol used for sending and receiving the video data.

10. A video data distributing system according to claim 8, wherein the transmission information includes information on a file format of the video data.

11. A video data distributing method performed in a system including a plurality of video servers, a plurality of terminals, and a web server connected with the plurality of video servers and terminals via a network, the method comprising the steps of:

preparing, in the web server, a video data information table including a first video data identifier for uniquely identifying video data, a video server identifier, and a second video data identifier, linked with one another, the video server identifier identifying one of the video servers having video data identified with the first video data identifier and used for accessing the identified video server, and the second video data identifier identifying the video data in the identified video server and indicating a location of the video data in the identified video server;

preparing, in the web server, a video server information table including a terminal identifier identifying a terminal and the identified video server identifier of the video server having the video data to be distributed to the terminal, linked with each other;

sending a video data request including the first video data identifier from one of the plurality of terminals to the web server;

obtaining, in the web server, the video server identifier corresponding to the terminal identifier of the terminal originating the video data request from the video server information table, and extracting the second video data identifier from the video data information table using the obtained video server identifier and the first video data identifier in the video data request, to send the video server identifier and the second video data identifier to the terminal originating the video data request, and

accessing, by the terminal originating the video data request, the identified video server with the received video server identifier, and obtaining the video data from the identified video server using the received second video data identifier for reproduction.