Control of data distribution apparatus and data distribution system

• US 8,064,080 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Mark K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mushambo; Martin
• Application Number:
  US11/271,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20060070105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/153, 348/156, 348/159, 348/207.1, 348/211.1, 348/211.3, 725/135, 725/136, 725/137, 725/138, 725/139, 725/140, 725/141, 725/142, 709/223, 358/1.15, 358/1.13, 358/1.1
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Upon distributing data from a first terminal apparatus to a second terminal apparatus, whether the data is to be distributed is determined in accordance with an access situation of a client to the first terminal apparatus, and, on the basis of a determined result, the data is distributed to the second terminal apparatus.

Claims

1. A data distribution method of distributing real-time image data from a camera server apparatus to clients via a network, comprising:

storing the real-time image data in a memory;

determining whether a number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than a predetermined number;

uploading the stored image data in the memory to a storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data when it is determined in the determining step that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number; and

interrupting uploading of the stored image data in the memory when it is determined that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is not less than the predetermined number after it is determined that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number.

2. The data distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the storage server apparatus, access situation of clients to the storage server apparatus, wherein the stored image data in the memory is uploaded when it is determined on the basis of the received access situation that no client is accessing to the storage server apparatus.

3. The data distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step is performed at preset time, and the uploading step uploads at the preset time the stored image data which is captured during a preset period of time by a camera device directed to a preset direction if it is determined in the determining step that the number of clients to which real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number.

4. The data distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number is one.

5. A data distribution method of distributing real-time image data from a camera server apparatus to clients via a network, comprising:

storing the real-time image data in a memory;

receiving access situation of clients to a storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data;

determining on the basis of the received access situation that whether a number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than a first predetermined number and whether a number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than a second predetermined number; and

uploading the stored image data in the memory to the storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data when it is determined in the determining step that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the first predetermined number and the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the second predetermined number.

6. The data distribution method according to claim 5, wherein the receiving step is performed at preset time, and the uploading step uploads at the preset time the stored image data which is captured during a preset period of time by a camera device directed to a preset direction if it is determined in the determining step that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the predetermined number.

7. The data distribution method according to claim 5, further comprising

interrupting uploading of the stored image data in the memory when it is determined that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is not less than the first predetermined number after it is determined that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the first predetermined number.

8. A data distribution apparatus of distributing real-time image data from a camera server apparatus clients via a network, comprising:

a memory configured to store the real-time image data;

a determination unit configured to determine whether a number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than a predetermined number;

an uploading unit configured to upload the stored image data in said memory to a storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data when the determination unit determines that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number; and

an interruption unit configured to interrupt the uploading of the stored image data in the memory when it is determined that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is not less than the predetermined number after it is determined that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number.

9. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive, from the storage server apparatus, access situation of clients to the storage server apparatus, wherein the stored image data in the memory is uploaded when it is determined on the basis of the received access situation that no client is accessing to the storage server apparatus.

10. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said determination unit performs the determination at preset time, and the uploading step uploads at the preset time the stored image data which is captured during a preset period of time by a camera device directed to a preset direction if it is determined by the determination unit that the number of clients to which real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number.

11. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined number is one.

12. A data distribution apparatus of distributing real-time image data from a camera server apparatus to clients via a network, comprising:

a memory configured to store the real-time image data;

a receiving unit configured to receive, from a storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data, access situation of clients to the storage server apparatus;

a determination unit configured to determine on the basis of the received access situation whether a number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than a first predetermined number and whether a number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than a second predetermined number; and

an uploading unit configured to upload the stored image data in the memory to the storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data when it is determined by the determination unit that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the first predetermined number and that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the second predetermined number.

13. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the receiving unit performs the reception of the access situation at preset time, and the uploading step uploads at the preset time the stored image data which is captured during a preset period of time by the camera device directed to a preset direction if it is determined by the determination unit that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the predetermined number.

14. The data distribution apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an interruption unit configured to interrupt the uploading of the stored image data in the memory when it is determined that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is not less than the first predetermined number after it is determined that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the first predetermined number.

15. A non-transitory storage medium readable by a data processing apparatus, said storage medium storing a program which is executable by the data processing apparatus and comprises program codes realizing the data distribution method comprising:

obtaining real-time image data;

distributing the real-time image data to clients;

storing the real-time image data in a memory;

determining whether a number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than a predetermined number;

uploading the stored image data in the memory to a storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data when it is determined in the determining step that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number; and

interrupting uploading of the stored image data in the memory when it is determined that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is not less than the predetermined number after it is determined that the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the predetermined number.

16. A non-transitory storage medium readable by a data processing apparatus, said storage medium storing a program which is executable by the data processing apparatus and comprises program codes realizing the data distribution method comprising:

obtaining real-time image data;

distributing the real-time image data clients;

storing the real-time image data in a memory;

receiving access situation of clients to a storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data;

determining on the basis of the received access situation whether a number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than a first predetermined number and whether a number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than a second predetermined number; and

uploading the stored image data in the memory to the storage server apparatus which is different from the clients which requested the real-time image data when it is determined in the determining step that the number of clients accessing to the storage server apparatus is less than the first predetermined number and the number of clients to which the real-time image data are being distributed is less than the second predetermined number.