Data management method using network

• US 7,254,606 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2002
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamada, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): SERRAO, RANODHI N
• Application Number:
  US10/057,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• 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]

Abstract

This invention has been made to manage data possessed by a user on a network. One of this invention is a data management method using a network system which includes a server and a client terminal, including the step of making a control server receive a user'"'"'s data storage request from the client terminal, the step of making the control server select a data server located in an area that has a predetermined relationship with an area set by the user, and the step of making the control server send data associated with the data storage request to the selected data server, and store the data in the selected data server.

Claims

1. A data management method using a network system which includes a server, a client terminal and a plurality of data servers, comprising:

a reception step of making the server receive a user'"'"'s data storage request and data to be stored from the client terminal;

a select step of making the server automatically select data servers for storing the data from the plurality of data servers, the selected data servers being different from each other and including at least a first data server and a second data server, said first data server being located in an area which is different from an area of user'"'"'s address registered by the user of the client terminal, said second data server being located in an area with a disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold;

a storage step of making the server send the data to the selected data servers, and store the data in the selected data; and

a step of making the server acquire disaster information from a disaster information database that provides disaster information, and search for the area with said disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than said predetermined threshold on the basis of the acquired disaster information for selecting the server in the select step.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of making the server encrypt the data, and

wherein the storage step includes the step of;

making the server send the data encrypted by different methods to the respective data servers, and store the data in the data servers.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

a step of making the server periodically acquire the encrypted data from the data servers;

a step of making the server decrypt the acquired data; and

a step of making the server compare the decrypted data.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of making the server send to the client terminal addresses of the data servers that store the data.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

a step of making the server send to the client terminal addresses of the data servers that store the data, and a key used to decrypt the encrypted data.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein information of the user'"'"'s address is pre-stored in the server.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of making the data server receive a user'"'"'s data transmission request from the client terminal; and

a step of making the data server send data associated with the data transmission request to the client terminal.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein the server automatically selects the data servers based on the user'"'"'s service subscription qualification level in the select step.

8. A server comprising:

reception means for receiving a user'"'"'s data storage request and data to be stored sent from a client terminal;

select means for automatically selecting data servers for storing the data from a plurality of data servers, the selected data servers being different from each other and including at least a first data server and a second data server, said first data server being located in an area which is different from an area of user'"'"'s address registered by the user of the client terminal, said second data server being located in an area with a disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold;

sending means for sending the data to the selected data servers via a communication line; and

searching means for acquiring disaster information from a disaster information database that provides disaster information, and searching for the area with said disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than said predetermined threshold on the basis of the acquired disaster information for selecting the server by the select means.

11. The server according to claim 8, wherein said select means automatically selects the data server based on the user'"'"'s service subscription qualification level.

12. The server according to claim 11 wherein said sending means encrypts the data using an encryption method corresponding to the data servers selected by said select means.

13. The server according to claim 11, wherein the service subscription qualification level is determined based on a subscription fee for a service.

14. The server according to claim 11, wherein the service subscription qualification level is determined based on a service subscription term.

15. The server according to claim 11, wherein said select means selects a data server with a lowest suffering risk from the plurality of data servers corresponding to the service subscription qualification level of the user who issued the storage request, and a server with a lowest suffering risk of the data servers in a different area from the area of user'"'"'s address registered by the user who issued the storage request.

16. The server according to claim 11, wherein when the user'"'"'s service subscription qualification level has changed, said select means re-selects the data servers, and said sending means sends the data again to the data servers re-selected by said select means.

17. The server according to claim 11, wherein said select means re-selects the data servers in accordance with a change in disaster information, and said sending means sends the data again to the data servers re-selected by said select means.

18. The server according to claim 11, further comprising checking means for checking authenticity of the data stored in the data server.

19. The server according to claim 18, wherein said checking means checks authenticity by comparing data which are associated with an identical storage request and are stored in the data servers.

20. The server according to claim 18, wherein said checking means checks if data becomes fraudulent due to a memory medium.

21. The server according to claim 18, wherein said checking means checks if data becomes fraudulent due to tampering of data.

22. The server according to claim 21, wherein when said checking means determines that the data becomes fraudulent due to tampering of data, said checking means sends a message indicating this to a client terminal that issued the storage request of the data.

23. The server according to claim 11, further comprising authentication means for authenticating if the user who issued the storage request is a member who subscribes to the service, and accepts only the storage request from the user authenticated by said authentication means.

24. The server according to claim 11, further comprising authentication means for checking authenticity of the data server selected by said select means, and said sending means sends data in only the data servers authenticated by said authentication means.

25. The server according to claim 11, further comprising notify means for sending at least various storage condition data associated with a data storage process to a client terminal that issued the storage request.

26. The server according to claim 25, wherein said notify means sends encryption algorithm and key data in addition to storage location data of the data associated with the storage request as the storage condition data.

27. The server according to claim 25, wherein the client device includes storage means for storing at least the storage condition data sent from said notify means.

9. A computer program making a computer function as:

reception means for receiving a user'"'"'s data storage request and data to be stored sent from a client terminal;

select means for automatically selecting data servers for storing the data from a plurality of data servers, the selected data servers being different from each other and including at least a first and a second data server, said first data server being located in an area which is different from an area of user'"'"'s address registered by the user of the client terminal, said second data server being located in an area with a disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold;

sending means for sending the data to the selected data servers via a communication; and

searching means for acquiring disaster information from a disaster information database that provides disaster information, and searching for the area with said disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than said predetermined threshold on the basis of the acquired disaster information for selecting the server by the select means.

30. The computer program according to claim 9, wherein said select means automatically selects the data servers based on the user'"'"'s service subscription qualification level.

10. A data management system including a control server, a client terminal, and a plurality of data servers, which can communicate with each other via a communication line,

said control server comprising:

reception means for receiving a user'"'"'s data storage request and data to be stored sent from the client terminal;

select means for automatically selecting data servers for storing the data from the plurality of data servers, the selected data servers being different from each other and including at least a first data server and a second data server, said first data server being located in an area which is different from an area of user'"'"'s address registered by the user of the client terminal, said second data server being located in an area with a disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold;

sending means for sending the data to the selected data servers; and

searching means for acquiring disaster information from a disaster information database that provides disaster information, and searching for the area with said disaster rate of occurrence equal to or smaller than said predetermined threshold on the basis of the acquired disaster information for selecting the server by the select means; and

said data servers comprising;

means for storing the data sent from said control server.

29. The system according to claim 10, wherein said select means automatically selects the data servers based on the user'"'"'s service subscription qualification level.