Web-contents receiving system and apparatus for providing an access point

• US 7,366,149 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ishidoshiro, Takashi, Maki, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US10/615,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/439, 455/41, 455/445, 370/338, 705/1, 705/26, 705/219, 709/219, 709/246
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation

Abstract

The system of the present invention enables a user moving with a terminal to utilize multiple access points located at mutually separate spots and thereby efficiently acquire a desired Web content. The user of a terminal 50 or 60 moves from one free spot (first communication area AR1) to another free spot (second communication area AR2). Prior to the movement, the user of the terminal 50 or 60 gains off-line access to an access point 20 in the first communication area AR1 and reserves acquisition of a desired Web content. The access point 20 accepts the reservation and transmits reservation information to another access point 120 in the second communication area AR2. The access point 120 gains on-line access to a Web server based on the received reservation information and acquires the reserved Web content. After the move, the user of the terminal 50 or 60 gains off-line access to the access point 120 and picks up the desired Web content.

Claims

1. A content reservation and pickup system, where multiple access points as radio relay stations for a wireless LAN are located at multiple spots that are mutually apart from each other, and a radio communication area of each access point is established in a coverage of radio wave transmitted from the access point, in said content reservation and pickup system, when a terminal enters a radio communication area of a first access point which is one of said multiple access points, said terminal gains access to said first access point to reserve acquisition of a selected content via the Internet, after the reservation, said terminal gains access to said second access point to pick up the reserved selected content,

said first access point comprising:

an input module that inputs content identification information for identifying the selected content for pickup, location specification information for specifying a location outside the radio communication area of said first access point as a pickup location of the selected content, and receiver identification information for identifying a person who picks up the selected content, through an access from said terminal entering the radio communication area of first access point;

a specification module that retrieves a radio communication area including the location specified by the input location specification information and specifies an access point that covers the retrieved radio communication area as an second access point; and

an information transmission module that maps the input receiver identification information to information on the selected content for pickup and transmits the mapped information to said specified second access point via the Internet,

said second access point comprising;

a storage module that stores the selected content for pickup, which is acquired through an access to a Web server on the Internet based on the content identification information and is mapped to the receiver identification information;

an authentication module that requests input of the receiver identification information in response to an access from any terminal, and authenticates the access when the input receiver identification information is identical with the stored receiver identification information; and

a content transmission module that transmits the selected content, which is stored as mapped to the receiver identification information, to said terminal authenticated by said authentication module.

2. A content reservation and pickup system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said information transmission module transmits the content identification information as the information on the selected content for pickup, and

said second access point further comprising:

a content fetch module that gains access to the Web server connecting with the Internet based on the input content identification information, and fetches the selected content for pickup prior to a movement of said authenticated terminal into the radio communication area of said second access point.

3. A content reservation and pickup system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said input module inputs hardware inherent information for identifying said terminal that picks up the content, instead of the receiver identification information.

4. A content reservation and pickup system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said input module inputs hardware inherent information for identifying said terminal that picks up the content, instead of the receiver identification information.

5. An access point as a radio relay station for a wireless LAN that transmits radio wave of a predetermined frequency and, when a terminal enters a radio communication area established in a coverage of the transmitted radio wave, connects said terminal to the Internet in response to a predetermined instruction from said terminal, said access point comprising:

an input module that inputs content identification information for identifying the selected content for pickup, location specification information for specifying a location outside the radio communication area of said access point as a pickup location of the selected content, and receiver identification information for identifying a receiver who picks up the selected content, through an access from said terminal entering the radio communication area;

an information transmission module that accepts reservation of the selected content for pickup in response to input by said input module, and transmits the input content identification information and receiver identification information to another access point via the Internet;

an acquisition module that, in response to input of the content identification information and the receiver identification information transmitted from another access point, gains access to a Web server on the Internet to acquire the reserved content for pickup based on the input content identification information;

a storage module that stores the acquired content, which is mapped to the receiver identification information;

an authentication module that requests input of the receiver identification information in response to an access from any terminal entering the radio communication area, and authenticates the access when the input receiver identification information is identical with the stored receiver identification information; and

a content transmission module that transmits the selected content, which is stored as mapped to the receiver identification information, to said terminal authenticated by said authentication module.

6. A content reservation and pickup method comprising the steps of:

providing multiple access points as radio relay stations for a wireless LAN at first spot and second spot that are mutually apart from each other, a first radio communication area which is a coverage of radio wave transmitted from a first access point located at the first spot, and a second radio communication area which is a coverage of radio wave transmitted from second access point located at the second spot;

allowing access from a terminal entering the first radio communication area to said first access point, so as to input content identification information for identifying the selected content for pickup, location specification information for specifying a location in the second radio communication area as a pickup location of the selected content, and receiver identification information for identifying a person who picks up the selected content;

causing either of said first access point and said second access point to gain access to a Web server on the Internet and acquire the selected content for pickup, based on the input content identification information;

causing said second access point to store the acquired content, which is mapped to the receiver identification information;

requesting input of the receiver identification information in response to an access from any terminal entering the second radio communication area to said second access point after the storage, and authenticating the access when the input receiver identification information is identical with the stored receiver identification information; and

transmitting the selected content, which is stored as mapped to the receiver identification information, to said authenticated terminal.

7. A data pickup system, where multiple access points as radio relay stations for a wireless LAN are located at multiple spots that are mutually apart from each other, and a radio communication area of each access point is established in a coverage of radio wave transmitted from the access point, in said data pickup system, when a terminal enters a radio communication area of one access point, said terminal gains access to said access point to set a storage space for data acquired via a communication line, in a memory device connecting with another access point, which is different from said one access point,

said one access point comprising:

an input module that inputs location specification information for specifying a location outside the radio communication area of said one access point as a pickup location of the data and receiver identification information for identifying a person who picks up the data, through an access from said terminal entering the radio communication area of said one access point;

a specification module that retrieves a radio communication area including the location specified by the input location specification information and specifies an access point that covers the retrieved radio communication area as an second access point; and

an information transmission module that transmits the input receiver identification information to said specified second access point,

said second access point comprising;

a storage space setting module that sets a storage space to store the receiver identification information and data mapped to the receiver identification information and acquired via the communication line, in a memory device connecting with said second access point;

an authentication module that requests input of the receiver identification information in response to an access from any terminal, and authenticates the access when the input receiver identification information is identical with the stored receiver identification information; and

a data transmission module that transmits the data, which is stored in the storage space as mapped to the receiver identification information, to said terminal authenticated by said authentication module,

whereby said authenticated terminal which enters said radio communication area of said second access point after the setting, picks up the data stored in the storage space.

8. A data pickup system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the communication line is any one of an exclusive communication line, the Internet, and a closed net virtually formed on a network like the Internet.