Service providing system, service providing method, and program of the same

• US 7,827,235 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Iizuka, Hiroko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Loi
• Application Number:
  US11/146,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for controlling a service providing device includes the steps of determining whether the service providing device has already acquired a global address of a client station accessing the service providing device, requesting the client station to notify the global address of the client station when the determining step determines that the service providing device has not yet acquired the global address, and providing the client station with different services based on whether or not the client station notifies the service providing device of the global address in response to the request at the requesting step.

Claims

1. A service providing system comprising:

a client station and a service providing device;

the service providing device being configured to provide a service to the client station; and

the client station being configured to use one of a link-local address and a global address for accessing the service of the service providing device, wherein the service providing device includes;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the client station uses the link-local address or the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device;

a service providing unit configured to provide the client station with a first URL address of a page where entire control of the service providing device is possible when the determination unit determines that the client station uses the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device; and

a notification requesting unit configured to request the client station to notify the service providing device of the global address of the client station when the determination unit determines that the client station uses the link-local address for accessing the service of the service providing device;

wherein the service providing unit provides the client station (1) with the first URL address when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of the global address, and (2) with a second URL address of a page where a partial control of the service providing device is possible when the client station, in response to a request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of the link-local address despite the request for the global address.

2. The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the client station and the service providing device communicate with each other with a communication protocol including a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) protocol.

3. The service providing system according to claim 1, wherein processes carried out by the determination unit, the notification requesting unit, and the service providing unit of the service providing device and processes carried out by the client station are processes carried out in a description phase of a UPnP protocol.

4. A service providing method in a service providing system including a client station and a service providing device, the service providing device configured to provide a service to the client station and the client station configured to use one of a link-local address and a global address for accessing the service of the service providing device, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, by the service providing device, whether the client station uses the link-local address or the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device;

providing the client station with a first URL address of a page where entire control of the service providing device is possible when the determining step determines that the client station uses the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device; and

requesting, by the service providing device, the client station to notify the service providing device of the global address of the client station if it is determined in the determining step that the client station uses the link-local address to access the service of the service providing device address;

wherein the providing step includes providing from the service providing device to the client station (1) with the first URL address when the client station, in response to the request in the requesting step, notifies the service providing device of the global address, and (2) with a second URL address of a page where a partial control of the service providing device is possible when the client station, in response to the request in the requesting step, notifies the service providing device of the link-local address in spite of the request for the global address.

5. The service providing method according to claim 4, wherein a communication protocol between the client station and the service providing device is a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) protocol.

6. A service providing device for providing a service to a client station that holds at least one of a link-local address and a global address, the service providing device comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether the service providing device acquires the link-local address or the global address of the client station accessing the service providing device;

a service providing unit configured to provide the client station with a first URL address of a page where entire control of the service providing device is possible when the determination unit determines that the client station uses the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device; and

a notification requesting unit configured to request the client station to notify the service providing device of the global address of the client station if the determination unit determines that the service providing device has acquired the link-local address of the client station;

wherein the service providing unit provides the client station (1) with the first URL address when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of the global address, and (2) with a second URL address of a page where a partial control of the service providing device is possible when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of a link-local address in spite of the request for the global address.

7. The service providing device according to claim 6, wherein a communication protocol between the client station and the service providing device includes a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) protocol.

8. The service providing device according to claim 6, wherein processes carried out by the determination unit, the notification requesting unit, and the service providing unit are processes carried out in a description phase of a UPnP protocol.

9. A method for controlling a service providing device for providing a service to a client station that holds at least one of a link-local address and a global address, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the service providing device acquires the link-local address or the global address of the client station accessing the service providing device;

providing the client station with a first URL address of a page where entire control of the service providing device is possible when the determining step determines that the client station uses the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device; and

requesting the client station to notify the global address of the client station when the determining step determines that the service providing device has acquired the link-local address of the client station; and

wherein the providing step includes providing the client station (1) with the first URL address when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of the global address, and (2) with a second URL address of a page where a partial control of the service providing device is possible when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of a link-local address in spite of the request for the global address.

10. The method for controlling a service providing device according to claim 9, wherein a communication protocol between the client station and the service providing device is a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) protocol.

11. The method for controlling a service providing device according to claim 9, wherein processes carried out at the determining step, the requesting step, and the providing step are processes carried out in a description phase of a UPnP protocol.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for causing a service providing device to provide a service to a client station that holds at least one of a link-local address and a global address, the program including instructions to execute the steps of:

determining whether the service providing device acquires the link-local address or the global address of the client station accessing the service providing device;

providing the client station with a first URL address of a page where entire control of the service providing device is possible when the determining step determines that the client station uses the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device; and

requesting the client station to notify the global address of the client station when the determining step determines that the service providing device has acquired the link-local address;

wherein the providing step includes providing the client station (1) with the first URL address when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of the global address, and (2) with a second URL address of a page where a partial control of the service providing device is possible when the client station, in response to the request from the notification requesting unit, notifies the service providing device of a link-local address in spite of the request for the global address.

13. A client station capable of accessing a service of a service providing device by using one of a link-local address and a global address, the client station comprising:

a request receiving unit configured to receive, from the service providing device, a request for notifying the service providing device of the global address;

a determining unit configured to determine whether the client station holds the global address, in response to the request receiving unit receiving the request for notifying the service providing device of the global address;

a service receiving unit configured to receive from the service providing device a first URL address of a page where entire control of the service providing device is possible when the determination unit determines that the client station uses the global address for accessing the service of the service providing device, and

a notification unit configured to notify the service providing device of the global address when the determining determines that the client station holds the global address, and of the link-local address when the determining unit determines that the client station does not hold the global address;

wherein the service receiving unit receives from the service providing device the first URL address when the client station notifies the service providing device of the global address, and a second URL address of a page where partial control of the service providing device is possible when the client station notifies the service providing device of the link-local address despite the request for the global address.