Service retrieving apparatus and service retrieving method

• US 7,177,869 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Okuyama, Junichi, Yoshimura, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Yicun
• Application Number:
  US10/097,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 709223-225, 370/316, 370/466, 713/201, 713163-168, 713/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

When a retrieve request of a service is issued, a service retrieving apparatus according to the present invention sets a retrieve range of services within a wide-area network based upon both a service retrieving request source and a service use condition in accordance with both a geographical view point and communication conditions of networks. The service retrieving apparatus is installed in each of plural networks which constitute the wide-area network, detects a service server contained in each of these networks, and acquires service information. The acquired service information is also notified to the service retrieving apparatus of other networks.

Claims

1. A document service retrieving system for a data network, comprising:

a plurality of document service providing apparatus for providing document-related services; and

a document service retrieving apparatus comprising;

a retrieving range setting section for setting a retrieving range in which a document service is retrieved; and

a document service retrieving section for retrieving a document service in the retrieving range that outputs to a document service providing apparatus within the retrieving range and providing a retrieve condition related to a document service and geographic information related to a document service providing apparatus to the retrieve range setting section,

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on one or more document service retrieve conditions provided by the document service retrieving section and geographical information retrieved by the document service retrieving section from the plurality of document service providing apparatus,

the data network has a plurality of regions,

the document service retrieving apparatus is a plurality of document service retrieving apparatus.

at least one document service retrieving apparatus is disposed in each of the regions,

the retrieving range setting section sets at least a part of at least one of the regions as the retrieving region,

each of the document service retrieving apparatus further comprises a document service acquiring section for acquiring document service information of each of the document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as each of the document service retrieving apparatus, and

the document service retrieving section requests one or more document service retrieving apparatus within the plurality of document service retrieving apparatus to retrieve the document services and receives a retrieved result from the one or more document service retrieving apparatus.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein as the acquisition of the document service information, the document service acquiring section requests the document service information for each of document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as each of document service retrieving apparatus and receives the document service information from each of document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region.

3. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the document service information includes use condition of the document service;

wherein the document service retrieving apparatus further comprises a filtering section for filtering the document service information based on the use condition of the document service information; and

wherein the filtering section transmits the filtering result to the document service retrieving section as a retrieved result.

4. The system according to claim 3,

wherein the document service retrieving section retrieves the document services in cooperate with the filtering section, when the document service retrieving section receives a request from the document service retrieving section of another document service retrieving apparatus;

and

wherein the document service retrieving section transmits the retrieved result to the document service retrieving section of the another document service retrieving apparatus.

5. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the document service information and the retrieved result each includes geographical information as to positions of the document service providing apparatus;

and

wherein the document service range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the geographical information received from the document service acquiring section.

6. The system according to claim 5,

wherein the retrieving range setting section clusters positions of the document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as the retrieving range setting section based on the geographical information to generate cluster information;

wherein the retrieving range setting section acquires the cluster information generated in another region;

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the cluster information generated in the same and another regions.

7. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the cluster information on the directory apparatus;

and

wherein as the acquisition of the cluster information, the retrieving range setting section receives the cluster information generated in another region from the directory apparatus.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising directory apparatus for registering the document service retrieving apparatus in each of regions thereon,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects another document service retrieving apparatus in the same region as the retrieving range setting section;

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the own document service retrieving apparatus on the directory apparatus in accordance with the detection result; and

wherein the document service retrieving section requests each of other registered document service retrieving apparatus to retrieve the document services and receives the retrieved result from each of other registered document service retrieving apparatus.

9. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects communication condition between the region of the document service retrieving apparatus and the region of another document service retrieving apparatus;

and

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the detected communication condition.

10. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the document service retrieving section retrieves the document service information within the set retrieving range, when the document service retrieving section receives a request and retrieving condition from the document service retrieving section of another document service retrieving apparatus;

and

the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on one of the request and the retrieving condition.

11. A service retrieving system in a data network having a plurality of regions, comprising:

a client apparatus including;

a first retrieving means for retrieving a position of a service providing apparatus within the data network by communicating with a retrieving apparatus located in the same area; and

a communication means for communicating with the service providing apparatus by employing both the position of the service providing apparatus obtained by the first retrieving means and a position of the service providing apparatus obtained by not using the first retrieving means in the data network,

the service providing apparatus including a notification means for notifying a position of the retrieving apparatus within each of regions to one of the client apparatus and the retrieving apparatus in another region, and also in which when a notification of the position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region is received, the notification means notifies the notified position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region to a retrieving apparatus located within the same region; and

the retrieving apparatus installed in each of region, while the retrieving apparatus includes;

a notification means for communicating with the retrieving apparatus located within another region by employing the notified position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region and also for mutually notifying the positions of the retrieving apparatus held by each of retrieving apparatus; and

a second retrieving means for communicating with the retrieving apparatus located in the another region by employing the notified position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region in response to the communication of the client apparatus located in the same region so as to retrieve a position of the server apparatus, the second retrieving means providing a retrieve condition to the retrieve ranging section, wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the retrieve condition provided by the second retrieving section and geographical information of the service providing apparatus.

12. A document service retrieving method for retrieving document services provided in a data network, the method comprising:

setting a retrieving range in the data network;

retrieving document services in the set retrieving range that generate document-related output at a document service providing apparatus within the set retrieving range;

providing a retrieve condition for retrieving the document services;

outputting a request to retrieve the document services and receiving a retrieved result,

wherein setting the retrieving range is based on the retrieve condition and geographical information of the document service providing apparatus,

the data network has a plurality of regions, and

the method acquires information on document service providing apparatus, the method further comprising;

setting at least a part of at least one of the regions as a retrieving region; and

acquiring document service information from document service providing apparatus disposed in the retrieving region.

13. A retrieving program for causing a computer to retrieve document services provided in a data network, comprising:

setting a retrieving range in the data network;

retrieving document services in the set retrieving range that generate document-related output at a document service providing apparatus within the set retrieving range;

providing a retrieve condition for retrieving the document services; and

outputting a request to retrieve the document services and receiving a retrieved result,

wherein setting the retrieving range is based on the retrieve condition and geographical information of the document service providing apparatus,

the data network has a plurality of regions, and

the retrieving program further causes a computer to acquire information on document service providing apparatus, comprising;

setting at least a part of at least one of the regions as a retrieving region; and

acquiring document service information from document service providing apparatus disposed in the retrieving region.

14. A recording medium for recording thereon a retrieving program capable of causing a computer to retrieve document services provided in a data network, comprising:

setting a retrieving range in the data network;

retrieving document services in the set retrieving range that generate document-related output at a document service providing apparatus within the set retrieving range;

providing a retrieve condition for retrieving the document services; and

outputting a request to retrieve the document services and receiving a retrieved result,

wherein setting the retrieving range is based on the retrieve condition and geographical information of the document service providing apparatus,

the data network has a plurality of regions, and

the retrieving program further causes a computer to acquire information on document service providing apparatus, comprising;

setting at least a part of at least one of the regions as a retrieving region; and

acquiring document service information from document service providing apparatus disposed in the retrieving region.

15. A document service retrieving apparatus disposed in a data network, comprising:

a retrieving range setting section for setting a retrieving range in which document services are retrieved;

a document service retrieving section for retrieving a document service in the retrieving range that generates document-related output at a document service providing apparatus within the retrieving range and providing a retrieve condition to the retrieving range setting section; and

a document service acquiring section;

wherein the data network has a plurality of regions,

the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the retrieve condition provided by the document service retrieving section and geographical information of the document service providing apparatus,

the retrieving range setting section sets at least a part of at least one of the regions as a retrieving region,

the document service acquiring section acquires document service information of document service providing apparatus disposed in the retrieving region, and

the document service retrieving section outputs a request to retrieve the document service information and receives a retrieved result.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein as the acquisition of the document service information, the document service acquiring section requests the document service information for each of document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region and receives the document service information from each of document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a filtering section,

wherein the document service information includes use condition of the document service;

wherein a filtering section filters the document service information based on the use condition of the document service information; and

wherein the filtering section transmits the filtering result to the document service retrieving section as a retrieved result.

18. The system according to claim 17,

wherein the document service retrieving section retrieves the document services in cooperate with the filtering section, when the document service retrieving section receives a request;

and

wherein the document service retrieving section outputs the retrieved result.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the document service information and the retrieved result each includes geographical information as to positions of the document service providing apparatus;

and

wherein the document service range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the geographical information received from the document service acquiring section.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the retrieving range setting section clusters positions of the document service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as the retrieving range setting section based on the geographical information to generate cluster information;

wherein the retrieving range setting section acquires the cluster information generated in another region;

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the cluster information generated in the same and another regions.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20,

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the cluster information on the directory apparatus;

and

wherein as the acquisition of the cluster information, the retrieving range setting section receives the cluster information generated in another region from the directory apparatus.

22. The apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects another document service retrieving apparatus in the same region;

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the own document service retrieving apparatus on a directory apparatus in accordance with the detection result; and

wherein the document service retrieving section outputs a request to retrieve the document services and receives the retrieved result.

23. The apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects communication condition between the region of the document service retrieving apparatus and another region;

and

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the detected communication condition.

24. The system according to claim 15,

wherein the document service retrieving section retrieves the document service information within the set retrieving range, when the document service retrieving section receives a request and retrieving condition;

and

the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on one of the request and the retrieving condition.