Node device, shared information update processing program, shared information update method, and information sharing system

• US 8,015,269 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xing, Inc. (Brother Industries Limited), Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Xing, Inc. (Brother Industries Limited), Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Iijima, Koichi, Kiyohara, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIU, HO T
• Application Number:
  US12/068,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/220, 709/230, 717/168, 717/170
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a node device, a shared information update processing program, a shared information update means, and an information sharing system, which can quickly and assuredly update the shared information in each of the node devices without applying an excessive load to a specific apparatus such as a server.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plurality of node devices mutually connectable through a network, each of the node devices saving shared information, used in common with the nodes, and in a case where each of the node devices transmits predetermined data to the node device, being a connection counterpart, the node device describing version information indicative of a version of the shared information, saved by the own node device, including: a data receiving means; a version judgment means; and a shared information update means.

Claims

1. A node device in an information sharing system including a plurality of node devices mutually connectable through a network, the plurality of node devices saving shared information which is used in common with the plurality of node devices, the node device transmits predetermined data to other node devices, the node device comprising:

a first version information saving unit that saves version information indicative of a version of shared information saved by the node device;

a data transmission unit that transmits data and version information corresponding to the transmitted data to the other node devices;

a data receiving unit that receives the data and version information which are transmitted from one of the plurality of node devices;

a first version judgment unit that judges whether the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

a second version information saving unit that saves the version information received by the data receiving unit, in response to the first version judgment unit judging that the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

wherein the second version information saving unit contains a predetermined number; and

wherein the predetermined number represents a number of times the first version judgment unit has determined the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit, wherein the version information received is transmitted by a different one of the plurality node devices;

a second version judgment unit that judges whether the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number, wherein the predetermined number is two or more, and

a shared information update unit that updates the shared information saved in the first version information saving unit to a new version shared information, in response to the second version judgment unit judging the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number.

2. The node device according to claim 1, wherein the data transmission unit describes the version information, saved in the first version information saving unit, and transmitting the data to the other node devices.

3. The node device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a reference unit that refers to a latest version of the shared information to a specific node device, selected from the plurality of node devices;

wherein the shared information update unit acquires the shared information from the other node device, saving the shared information of the latest version, and updates the shared information, saved by the node device to the shared information of the latest version.

4. The node device according to claim 2,

wherein the data transmission unit describes network environment information indicative of network connection environment of the node device;

and

the shared information update unit determines the node device, from which the shared information is to be acquired, on the basis of the network environment information of the plurality of other node devices, acquires the shared information from the node device thus determined, and updates the shared information saved by the node device.

5. The node device according to claim 1, wherein the data are relayed through at least one of the plurality of node devices, and the version information respectively of the shared information saved by the node device of sending the data and a second node device relaying the data is described in the data,

the version judgment unit compares the plurality of the version information, described in the one data thus received, with the version information saved by the node device and judges whether or not the version of shared information saved by the node device is older than the version of shared information saved by a plurality of the other node devices;

and

the shared information update unit acquires the shared information from the other node device saving the shared information of the newer version than the version, saved by the node device, and updates the shared information saved by the own node device in a case where it is judged that the number of the version information saved by the second version information saving unit, where the version information saved by the first version information saving unit is older than the version information saved by the second version information saving unit, reach the predetermined number.

6. The node device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a reference unit that refers to a latest version of the shared information to a specific node device, selected from the plurality of node devices;

wherein the shared information update unit acquires the shared information from the other node device, saving the shared information of the latest version, and updates the shared information, saved by the node device, to the shared information of the latest version.

7. The node device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reference unit that refers to a latest version of the shared information to a specific node device, selected from the plurality of node devices in response to judging that the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number,

wherein the shared information update unit acquires the shared information from the other node device saving the shared information of the latest version, and updates the shared information saved by the node device in response to judging that the version of shared information saved by the node device is older than the latest version.

8. The node device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a specific node saving unit that saves specific identification information of a specific node device; and

a specific identification information judgment unit that judges whether the identification information, described in the received data, matches the specific identification information saved in the specific node saving unit;

wherein the shared information update unit acquires shared information from the other node device saving shared information of a version newer than the version of shared information saved by the node device, and updates the shared information saved by the node device, in response to judging that the identification information described in the received data matches the specific identification information, and the version of the shared information saved by the node device is older than version information saved by the specific node device indicated by the specific identification information.

9. The node device according to claim 1,

wherein the data transmission unit describes the network environment information indicative of network connection environment of the node device;

and

the shared information update unit determines the node device, from which the shared information is to be acquired, on the basis of the network environment information of the plurality of other node devices, acquires the shared information from the node device thus determined, and updates the shared information saved by the node device.

10. The node device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reference unit that refers to a latest version of the shared information to a specific node device, selected from the plurality of node devices;

wherein the shared information update unit acquires the shared information from the other node device, saving the shared information of the latest version, and updates the shared information, saved by the node device to the shared information of the latest version.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer-executable program for a node device in an information sharing system, including a plurality of node devices mutually connectable through a network, the plurality of node devices saving the shared information in common with the plurality of node devices, the node device transmits predetermined data to other node devices, the medium being installed in each node device, the program comprising:

instructions for saving version information, in a first version information saving unit, indicative of a version of shared information saved by the node device;

instructions for transmitting data and version information corresponding to the transmitted data to the other node devices;

instructions for receiving the data and version information which are transmitted from one of the plurality of node devices;

instructions for judging whether the version information saved in the first version information saying unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

instructions for saving the version information received by the data receiving unit in a second version information saving unit, in response to judging that the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

wherein the second version information saving unit contains a predetermined number; and

wherein the predetermined number represents a number of times the first version judgment unit has determined the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit, wherein the version information received is transmitted by a different one of the plurality node devices;

instructions for judging whether the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number, wherein the predetermined number is two or more, and

instructions for updating the shared information saved in the first version information saving unit to a new version shared information, in response to the judging the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number.

12. A shared information update method performed by a node device in an information sharing system including a plurality of node devices, mutually connectable through a network, the plurality of node devices saving shared information in common with the plurality of node devices, the node device transmits predetermined data to the other node devices, the method comprising steps of:

saving, in a first version information saving unit, version information indicative of a version of the shared information saved by the node device;

transmitting data and version information corresponding to the transmitted data to the other node devices;

receiving data and version information which are transmitted from one of the plurality of node devices;

judging whether the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

saving, in a second version information saving unit, the version information received by the data receiving unit, in response to judging that the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

wherein the second version information saving unit contains a predetermined number; and

wherein the predetermined number represents a number of times the first version judgment unit has determined the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit, wherein the version information received is transmitted by a different one of the plurality node devices;

judging whether the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches a predetermined number, wherein the predetermined number is two or more, and

updating the shared information saved in the first version information saving unit to a new version shared information, in response to judging the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number.

13. An information sharing system including a plurality of node devices, mutually connectable through a network, the plurality of node devices saving shared information which is used in common with the plurality of node devices, a node device transmits predetermined data to other node devices, the node device comprising:

a first version information saving unit that saves version information indicative of a version of the shared information saved by the node device;

a data transmission unit that transmits data and version information corresponding to the transmitted data to the other node devices;

a data receiving unit that receives data and version information which are transmitted from one of the plurality of node devices;

a first version judgment unit that judges whether the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

a second version information saving unit that saves the version information received by the data receiving unit, in response to the first version judgment unit judging that the version information saved in the first version information is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit;

wherein the second version information saving unit contains a predetermined number; and

wherein the predetermined number represents a number of times the first version judgment unit has determined the version information saved in the first version information saving unit is older than the version information received by the data receiving unit, wherein the version information received is transmitted by a different one of the plurality node devices;

a second version judgment unit that judges whether the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number, wherein the predetermined number is two or more, and

a shared information update unit that updates the shared information saved in the first version information saving unit to a new version shared information, in response to the second version judgment unit judging the number of version information saved in the second version information saving unit reaches the predetermined number.