Information processing system, information processing unit, control method, program and a recording medium

• US 7,453,859 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Matusnaga, Kozo, Itoh, Masaharu, Fujii, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/190,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/335, 370/238, 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/274, 370/315, 370/318, 370/322, 370/324, 370/328, 370/329, 370/341, 370/350, 714/748
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An information processing system includes a plurality of information processing units wirelessly communicating with each other, each of which includes a distribution data receiving section for receiving distribution data to be distributed to each of the information processing units from an information processing unit that has received the distribution data among the plurality of information processing units, a destination selection section for selecting an information processing unit that has not received the distribution data as a destination information processing unit for the distribution data from among the plurality of information processing units, and a distribution data sending section for sending the distribution data to the information processing unit selected by the destination selection section using a frequency band that is not used by another information processing unit while the other information processing unit is sending the distribution data to still another information processing unit.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving distribution data at a first information processing unit of an information processing system,

where the distribution data is to be distributed to each of the information processing units in the information processing system;

selecting by the first information processing unit a destination information processing unit from among the information processing units of the information processing system; and

sending said distribution data from the first information processing unit to the destination information processing unit using a first wireless frequency band that is not being used by other information processing units of the information processing system to transmit the distribution data,

where sending occurs at least in part while a second wireless frequency band is used by at least one of the other information processing units to transmit the distribution data.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the destination information processing unit is the information processing unit of the information processing system that communicates with the first information processing unit at a highest speed.

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

detecting an unused frequency band that is not used by any information processing unit of the information processing system that is located within a range in which a radio wave of wireless communication performed by that information processing unit interferes,

where the first wireless frequency band is the detected unused frequency band.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising temporarily powering down the first information processing unit and placing the first information processing unit in a suspended state if no unused frequency bands are detected.

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

inquiring of other information processing units of the information processing system whether the distribution data has been received, where selecting selects an information processing unit from among information processing units that respond that the distribution data has not been received,

notifying the destination information processing unit that the destination information processing unit has been selected as the destination information processing unit, and

notifying responding information processing units that have not been selected as the destination information processing unit that the non-selected information processing unit has not been selected as the destination information processing unit.

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

in response to receiving at an inquired information processing unit an inquiry whether an inquired information processing unit has received the distribution data, determining whether the distribution data has already been received at the inquired information processing unit;

in response to determining that the distribution data has not been received, responding that the distribution data has not been received and placing the inquired information processing unit in a reserved state, where while in the reserved state additional responses indicating that the distribution data has not been received are not made in response to receiving inquiries by other information processing units;

in response to receiving a notification indicating that the information processing unit has been selected as the destination information processing unit, receiving the distribution data; and

in response to receiving a notification indicating that the information processing unit has not been selected as the destination information processing unit, releasing the reserved state.

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

sending, to each of the responding information processing units that have not been selected as the destination information processing unit, information descriptive of a total number of the responding information processing units; and

temporarily powering down each of the responding information processing units for a period of time that is related to the total number of the responding information processing units.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising temporarily powering down the first information processing unit and switching that information processing unit to a suspend state if the first information processing unit is not able to detect an information processing unit that has not received the distribution data.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising powering down the first information processing unit without sending the distribution data in response to determining that the strength of a power source of the first receiving information processing unit is below an amount required for sending the distribution data.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising powering down the selected destination information processing unit in response to determining that the strength of a power source of the selected destination information processing unit is below an amount required for receiving the distribution data.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising in response to sending the distribution data at a first communication speed, selecting a next destination information processing unit after a waiting time that is a function of a communication speed of the next destination information processing unit.

12. The method according to claim 11, where the waiting time is further a function of a number of HOPs which indicate a number of times the distribution data has been transferred sequentially by information processing units.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acquiring a transfer route along which the distribution data is transferred sequentially by information processing units,

where selecting the destination information processing unit is based on the transfer route.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

acquiring used band indicating information specifying a frequency band to be used by each information processing unit for wireless communication; and

detecting, based on the used band indicating information, an unused band that is a frequency band not used by any information processing unit located within a range in which a radio wave of wireless communication performed by that information processing unit interferes.