Data transmission/reception system capable of transmitting and receiving data even from within a mobile unit that cannot maintain constant connections with a communication network

• US 8,086,736 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Omino, Takayuki, Nishioka, Michio, Mineshita, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, CHIRAG R
• Application Number:
  US11/072,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,486 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 711/111, 711/117, 701/200, 701/209, 701/213, 701/24, 455/436
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A data transmission/reception system is capable of transmitting and receiving data even from within a moving vehicle in which a constant connection to a communication network cannot be maintained. A temporary storage server that is established inside the moving vehicle temporarily saves upload data that are received from a user terminal. The temporary storage server is provided with the capability to determine whether a state exists that allows communication with various servers. When in a state that allows communication with the various servers, the temporary storage server transmits the data that it has temporarily saved to various servers by way of a communication network. The temporary storage server further, when requested to download from a user terminal, receives the download data from various servers by way of a communication network when in a state that allows communication with the various servers. The temporary storage server then temporarily saves the download data that have been received.

Claims

1. A data transmission/reception system comprising:

a user terminal, that is used by a user inside a moving vehicle, which transmits data to and receives data from an outside server that is outside the moving vehicle, by way of a communication network; and

an on-board server established inside said moving vehicle,

wherein said on-board server comprises;

a communication state determination means for determining whether said on-board server is in a state that allows communication with said outside server that is outside the moving vehicle;

data saving means for temporarily saving said data transmitted and received by said user terminal that is used by a user inside said moving vehicle, said user terminal transmits to and receives data from said outside server, by way of a communication network;

said on-board server configured to include a standby state for continuing to temporarily save said data when said communication state determination means determines that said outside server is in a state that does not allow communication,

wherein said data are temporarily saved regardless of said state determined by said communication state determination means; and

a data transmission/reception means for carrying out transmission and reception of said data temporarily saved by said data saving means by way of the communication network, when said communication state determination means determines that said data transmission/reception means is in a state that allows communication with said outside server, and when transmission or reception of said data with said outside server is interrupted, said data transmission/reception means stops transmitting or receiving said data while continuing to store said data until said communication state determination means re-determines that said data transmission/reception means is in a state that allows communication with said outside server.

2. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 1, wherein said data saving means temporarily saves upload data that have been received from said user terminal;

and when said communication state determination means has determined that a state has been established that allows communication with an upload destination server that is outside the moving vehicle, said data transmission/reception means transmits upload data that have been saved by said data saving means to said server that is the upload destination by way of a communication network in accordance with an upload request from said user terminal.

3. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 2, wherein when the transmission of upload data to said server that is the upload destination is interrupted during transmission, said data transmission/reception means enters a standby state until said communication state determination means determines that a state that allows communication with said server that is the upload destination has again been established, and when said communication state determination means determines that a state that allows communication with said server that is the upload destination has again been established, re-transmits upload data to said server that is the upload destination by way of the communication network.

4. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 2, further comprising,

said on-board server is further provided with data deletion means for deleting upload data that have been temporarily saved by said data saving means when said data transmission/reception means has completed transmission of upload data to said server that is the upload destination.

5. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 3, further comprising:

said on-board server is further provided with data deletion means for deleting upload data that have been temporarily saved by said data saving means when said data transmission/reception means has completed transmission of upload data to said server that is the upload destination.

6. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 1, wherein said communication state determination means determines whether a state is established that allows communication with a server that is the download destination and that is outside the moving vehicle;

said data transmission/reception means receives download data from said server that is the download destination by way of a communication network in accordance with a download request from a user terminal when said communication state determination means determines that a state has been established that allows communication with the server that is said download destination; and

said data saving means temporarily saves download data that have been received by said data transmission/reception means.

7. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 6, wherein said data reception means:

when the reception of download data from said server that is the download destination is interrupted during reception, remains in a standby state until said communication state determination means determines that a state that allows communication with said server that is the download destination has again been established; and

when said communication state determination means determines that a state that allows communication with said server that is the download destination has again been established, re-receives download data from said server that is the download destination by way of a communication network.

8. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 6, wherein said on-board server is further provided with:

a data transfer means for, in accordance with a request from a user terminal, transferring download data that are temporarily saved by said data saving means to said user terminal; and

a data deletion means for, when said data transfer means completes transfer of download data to said user terminal, deleting download data that are temporarily held by said data saving means.

9. A data transmission/reception system according to claim 7, wherein said on-board server is further provided with:

a data transfer means for, in accordance with a request from a user terminal, transferring download data that are temporarily saved by said data saving means to said user terminal; and

a data deletion means for, when said data transfer means completes transfer of download data to said user terminal, deleting download data that are temporarily held by said data saving means.

12. The data transmission/reception system according to claim 1, wherein if the communication state determination means determines that said on-board server is in a state that disallows communication with said outside server that is outside the moving vehicle, and the data transmission/reception means is in mid-transmission/reception of said temporarily saved data, said temporarily saved data is retransmitted/re-received when said communication state determination means determines that said on-board server is in a state that allows communication with said outside server that is outside the moving vehicle.

10. A data transmission/reception method comprising:

transmitting and receiving data by a user terminal, that is used by user in a moving vehicle, with an outside server that is outside the moving vehicle by way of a communication network,

wherein the transmitting and receiving data comprises the steps of;

determining whether a state is established that allows communication with the outside server that is outside said moving vehicle and an on-board server established inside said moving vehicle;

temporarily saving said data that are transmitted and received by said user terminal with said outside server, which is configured to include a standby state for continuing to temporarily save said data when said communication state determination means determines that said outside server is in a state that does not allow communication,

wherein said data are temporarily saved regardless of said determined state; and

transmitting and receiving said temporarily saved data between said outside server that is outside said moving vehicle and said on-board server established inside said moving vehicle, by way of the communication network when it has been determined that a state has been established that allows communication with said outside server that is outside said moving vehicle and when transmission or reception of said data with said outside server is interrupted, said data transmission/reception means stops transmitting or receiving said data while continuing to store said data until said communication state determination means re-determines that said data transmission/reception means is in a state that allows communication with said outside server.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium, including a data transmission/reception program, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute the steps, comprising:

transmitting and receiving data by a user terminal, that is used by user in a moving vehicle, with an outside server that is outside the moving vehicle by way of a communication network,

said data transmission/reception program causing a computer to execute the steps of

determining whether a state is established that allows communication with the outside server that is outside said moving vehicle and an on-board server established inside said moving vehicle;

which is configured to include a standby state for continuing to temporarily save said data when said communication state determination means determines that said outside server is in a state that does not allow communication,

temporarily saving said data that are transmitted and received by said user terminal with said outside server,

wherein said data are temporarily saved regardless of said determined state; and

transmitting and receiving said temporarily saved data between said outside server that is outside said moving vehicle and said on-board server established inside said moving vehicle, by way of the communication network when it has been determined that a state has been established that allows communication with said outside server that is outside said moving vehicle and when transmission or reception of said data with said outside server is interrupted, said data transmission/reception means stops transmitting or receiving said data while continuing to store said data until said communication state determination means re-determines that said data transmission/reception means is in a state that allows communication with said outside server.

13. A data transmission/reception system comprising:

a user terminal that is used by a user inside a moving vehicle, which transmits to and receives data from an outside server that is outside the moving vehicle, by way of a communication network; and

an on-board server established inside said moving vehicle, wherein said on-board server comprises;

a communication state determination unit for determining whether said on-board server is in a state that allows communication with said outside server that is outside of the moving vehicle;

a data saving unit for temporarily saving said data transmitted and received by a user terminal that is used by a user inside said moving vehicle, said user terminal transmits to and receives data from said outside server, by way of a communication network;

said on-board server configured to include a standby state for continuing to temporarily save said data when said communication state determination determines that said outside server is in a state that does not allow communication,

wherein said data is temporarily saved regardless of the state determined by said communication state determination unit; and

a data transmission/reception unit for carrying out transmission and reception of said data temporarily saved by said data saving unit by way of the communication network, when said communication state determination unit determines that said data transmission/reception unit is in a state that allows communication with said outside server, and when transmission or reception of said data with said outside server is interrupted, said data transmission/reception unit stops transmitting or receiving said data while continuing to store said data until said communication state determination unit re-determines that said data transmission/reception unit is in a state that allows communication with said outside server.