System for searching device on network

• US 7,284,013 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Maki, Nobuhiko, Ochiai, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N.
• Application Number:
  US10/683,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103.X, 707/104.1, 707/201, 707/203, 707/204, 707/205, 709/223, 719/231, 719/233
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• 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 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99946 Object-oriented database structure network

Abstract

Location information of each device connected to a network is managed in a hierarchical structure to display the location of each device in a manner easy to be recognized by a user. The location information of each device connected to the network is managed in the hierarchical structure and layout bit maps are stored in each client. When a client issues a device search request, the hierarchical location of the device whose location search was requested can be identified, and the identified location of the device can be displayed in a way to be easily recognized. When the client displays the search result, it is unnecessary for a sever to transmit the layout bit map to the client.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for searching for a device on a network, comprising:

a reception unit that receives, from the device on the network, location information of said device at a first hierarchical level and location information of said device at a hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, respectively;

a memory that stores the location information respectively received by said reception unit;

a search unit that searches for, according to a search condition received from another information processing apparatus, a device which satisfies the search condition from said memory, the search condition including the location information at the first hierarchical level or the location information at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level;

a generation unit that generates a search result by said search unit, the search result including the location information of the searched device at the first hierarchical level and the location information of the searched device at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level; and

a transmission unit that transmits the search result generated by the generation unit to the another information processing apparatus,

wherein said memory stores map data corresponding to the first hierarchical level and map data corresponding to the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, and the map data is used to display a location of the device, and

said transmission unit transmits the map data corresponding to the first hierarchical level and the map data corresponding to the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, to the another information processing apparatus.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said reception unit receives, from the device on the network, coordinate information indicating the location of said device on a map corresponding to the first hierarchical level, and

said transmission unit transmits the coordinate information to the another information processing apparatus.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said memory stores icon data indicating said device, and

said transmission unit transmits the icon data to the another information processing apparatus.

4. An information processing method of searching for a device on a network, comprising the steps of:

a reception step of receiving, from the device on the network, location information of said device at a first hierarchical level and location information of said device at a hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, respectively;

a storing step of storing in a memory the location information respectively received by said reception step;

a search step of searching for, according to a search condition received from another information processing apparatus, a device which satisfies the search condition from said memory, the search condition including the location information at the first hierarchical level or the location information at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level;

a generation step of generating a search result by said search step, the search result including the location information of the searched device at the first hierarchical level and the location information of the searched device at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level; and

a transmission step of transmitting the search result generated by the generating step to the another information processing apparatus,

wherein said memory stores map data corresponding to the first hierarchical level and map data corresponding to the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, and the map data is used to display a location of the device, and

said transmission step transmits the map data corresponding to the first hierarchical level and the map data corresponding to the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, to the another information processing apparatus.

5. An information processing method according to claim 4, wherein said reception step receives, from the device on the network, coordinate information indicating the location of said device on a map corresponding to the first hierarchical level, and

said transmission step transmits the coordinate information to the another information processing apparatus.

6. An information processing method according to claim 5, wherein said memory stores icon data indicating said device, and

said transmission step transmits the icon data to the another information processing apparatus.

7. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program to be executed by an information processing apparatus for searching for a device on a network, the computer program comprising:

a reception step of receiving, from the device on the network, location information of said device at a first hierarchical level and location information of said device at a hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, respectively;

a storing step of storing in a memory the location information respectively received by said reception step;

a search step of searching for, according to a search condition received from another information processing apparatus, a device which satisfies the search condition from said memory, the search condition including the location information at the first hierarchical level or the location information at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level;

a generation step of generating a search result by said search step, the search result including the location information of the searched device at the first hierarchical level and the location information of the searched device at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level; and

a transmission step of transmitting the search result generated by the generating step to the another information processing apparatus,

wherein said memory stores map data corresponding to the first hierarchical level and map data corresponding to the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, and the map data is used to display a location of the device, and

said transmission step transmits the map data corresponding to the first hierarchical level and the map data corresponding to the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, to the another information processing apparatus.

8. An information processing apparatus for searching for a device on a network, comprising:

a reception unit that receives, from the device on the network, location information of said device at a first hierarchical level and location information of said device at a hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, respectively;

a memory that stores the location information respectively received by said reception unit;

a search unit that searches for, according to a search condition received from another information processing apparatus, a device which satisfies the search condition from said memory, the search condition including the location information at the first hierarchical level or the location information at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level;

a generation unit that generates a search result by said search unit, the search result including the location information of the searched device at the first hierarchical level and the location information of the searched device at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level; and

a transmission unit that transmits the search result generated by the generation unit to the another information processing apparatus,

wherein the first hierarchical level corresponds to a block of a floor in a building and the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level corresponds to the floor.

9. An information processing method for searching for a device on a network, comprising:

a reception step of receiving, from the device on the network, location information of said device at a first hierarchical level and location information of said device at a hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level, respectively;

a storing step of storing in a memory the location information respectively received by said reception step;

a search step of searching for, according to a search condition received from another information processing apparatus, a device which satisfies the search condition from said memory, the search condition including the location information at the first hierarchical level or the location information at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level;

a generation step of generating a search result by said search step, the search result including the location information of the searched device at the first hierarchical level and the location information of the searched device at the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level; and

a transmission step of transmitting the search result generated by the generation step to the another information processing apparatus,

wherein the first hierarchical level corresponds to a block of a floor in a building and the hierarchical level higher than the first hierarchical level corresponds to the floor.