Information communication system, information communication method, and recording medium having information communication program stored thereon

• US 8,219,618 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Kiyohara, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US12/728,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20110072088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1059 Inter-group management mechanisms, e.g. splitting, merging or interconnection of groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems

Abstract

An information communication system for exchanging a plurality of contents between a plurality of node devices, includes a plurality of internal networks connected to an external network. The internal networks include: node devices that connects the same internal network; and a support device, which connects the internal network, and which supports acquisition of contents by the node devices. An internal overlay network is constructed for each of the internal networks. An external overlay network is constructed on the external network. Each of the node devices includes a first acquisition unit that acquires contents from a first internal overlay network, which is an access destination of the first acquisition unit. If it is unable to acquire the contents from the first internal overlay network, the first acquisition unit acquires contents from one of the support devices through a first support device, which is a support device connecting the first internal network.

Claims

1. An information communication system for exchanging a plurality of contents between a plurality of node devices, the information communication system comprising:

a plurality of internal networks that are connected to an external network, wherein the internal networks comprise;

the plurality of node devices connecting the internal networks; and

a plurality of support devices, which connect the internal networks, and the external network, and which support the node devices connecting the internal networks to acquire contents by relaying between the internal networks and the external network,

wherein a plurality of internal overlay networks, which are overlay networks that allow for exchanging of contents between the node devices connecting the internal networks, are constructed for the internal networks,

wherein an external overlay network, which is an overlay network that allows for exchanging of contents among the support devices, is constructed on the external network,

wherein node devices connecting a first internal network comprise first acquisition units that acquire contents from a first internal overlay network, wherein the first internal overlay network is one of the plurality of node internal networks, and the first internal overlay network is an access destination of the node devices connecting the first internal network, and

wherein if the first acquisition units are unable to acquire the contents from the first internal overlay network, the first acquisition units acquire contents from one of the plurality of support devices in the external overlay network via a first support device, wherein the first support device is one of the plurality of support devices and the first support device connects to the first internal network.

2. The information communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition units comprise:

contents request transmission units that transmit contents request information indicating a contents request to the first support device if the first acquisition units are unable to acquire the contents from the first internal overlay network; and

contents receipt units that receive contents transmitted from the first support device, and

wherein the support devices comprise;

contents request receipt units that receive the contents request information transmitted from request source node devices that request the contents;

second acquisition units that acquire contents from the external overlay network if the contents request information is received by the contents request receipt unit; and

contents transmission units that transmit the contents acquired by the second acquisition unit to the request source node devices that request the contents.

3. The information communication system according to claim 2,

wherein the internal overlay networks are overlay networks in which the support devices do not participate,

wherein the support devices further comprise storage units that store the contents acquired by the second acquisition units, and

wherein the contents transmission units of the support devices transmit the contents stored in the storage units to the request source node devices if the requested contents are stored in the storage units when the contents request information is received by the contents request receipt units.

4. The information communication system according to claim 2, wherein the internal overlay networks are overlay networks which allow for exchanging of contents between the support devices and the node devices connecting the internal networks.

5. The information communication system according to claim 2,

wherein the node devices connecting the first internal network comprise mode acquisition units that acquire mode information indicating either an overlay network mode or a client-server mode, and

wherein the first acquisition units of the node devices connecting the first internal network acquire contents from the first support device if the mode information acquired by the mode acquisition units indicate the client-server mode.

6. The information communication system according to claim 2,

wherein the support devices comprise mode acquisition units that acquire mode information indicating either an overlay network mode or a client-server mode, and

wherein the second acquisition units of the support devices acquire contents from a predetermined server device via the external network if the mode information acquired by the mode acquisition units indicate the client-server mode.

7. The information communication system according to claim 5,

wherein the mode information is a kind of contents, and

wherein the mode acquisition units of the node devices connecting the first internal network acquire the mode information from the first acquisition units.

8. The information communication system according to claim 6,

wherein the mode information is a kind of contents, and

wherein the mode acquisition units of the support devices acquire the mode information from the external overlay network.

9. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the first acquisition units of the node devices connecting the first internal network acquire contents from the first internal overlay network based on address information indicating an address of at least one of different node devices connecting the first internal network, and

wherein the node devices further comprise participation units that acquire the address information transmitted from the first support device by transmitting participation request information indicating a request for participation in the first internal overlay network to the first support device.

10. The information communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the first acquisition units of the node devices connecting the first internal network acquires contents from the first internal overlay network based on address information indicating an address of at least one of different node devices connecting the first internal network, and

wherein the node devices further comprise participation units that acquire the address information transmitted from the different node devices connecting the first internal network by transmitting participation request information indicating a request for participation in the first internal overlay network to the different node devices connecting the first internal network.

11. An information communication method in an information communication system exchanging a plurality of contents between a plurality of node devices, wherein the information communication system comprises a plurality of internal networks that are connected to an external network, wherein the internal networks comprise:

the plurality of node devices connecting the internal networks; and

a plurality of support devices, which connect the internal networks and the external network, and which support the node devices to acquire contents by relaying between the internal networks and the external network,

wherein a plurality of internal overlay networks, which are overlay networks that allow for exchanging of contents between node devices accessing the internal networks, are constructed for the internal networks,

wherein an external overlay network, which is an overlay network which allows for exchanging of contents among the support devices, is constructed on the external network, and

wherein the information communication method comprises a first acquiring, which is performed by node devices connecting a first internal networks, the first acquiring comprising;

acquiring contents from a first internal overlay network, the first internal overlay network being one of the plurality of node internal networks and being an access destination of node devices of the first internal network; and

if the first acquiring is unable to acquire the contents from the first internal overlay network, acquiring contents from one of the plurality of support devices in the external overlay network via a first support device, wherein the first support device is one of the plurality of support devices and the first support device connects to the first internal network.

12. The information communication method according to claim 11,

wherein the first acquiring further comprises:

contents request information transmitting in which the node devices connecting the first internal network transmit contents request information indicating a contents request to the first support device if the first acquiring is unable to acquire the contents from the first internal overlay network;

second acquiring in which the first support device receives the contents request information transmitted from the node devices connecting the first internal network, acquires contents from the external overlay network, and stores and transmits the acquired contents to a request source node device; and

contents receiving in which the node devices connecting the first internal network receive the contents transmitted from the first support device.

13. The information communication method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a first mode information acquiring, which is performed by the node devices connecting the first internal network and which comprises acquiring mode information indicating either an overlay network mode or a client-server mode,

wherein in the first acquiring, the node devices connecting the first internal network acquire contents from the first support device if the mode information corresponding to a node device acquiring the contents indicates the client-server mode.

14. The information communication method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second mode information acquiring, which is performed by the support devices, and which comprises acquiring mode information indicating either an overlay network mode or a client-server mode, and

wherein, in the second acquiring, the first support device acquires contents from a predetermined server device via the external network if the mode information corresponding to the first support device indicates the client-server mode.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having an information communication program stored thereon and readable by a computer in an information communication system in which a plurality of contents are exchanged between a plurality of node devices, wherein the information communication system comprises:

a plurality of internal networks connected to an external network,

wherein the plurality of internal networks comprise;

the plurality of node devices connecting the internal networks, and

a plurality of support devices which connect the internal networks and the external network, and which support the node devices connecting the internal networks to acquire contents by relaying between the internal networks and the external network, wherein

a plurality of internal overlay networks, which are overlay networks that allow for exchanging of contents between the node devices connecting the same internal networks, are constructed for the internal networks,

wherein an external overlay network, which is an overlay network that allows for exchanging of contents among the support devices, is constructed on the external network, and

wherein the information communication program, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising;

acquiring contents from an access destination internal overlay network, the access destination internal overlay network being one of the plurality of node internal networks and being an access destination of node devices connecting an access destination internal network; and

if the computer is unable to acquire the contents from the access destination internal overlay network, acquiring contents from one of the plurality of support devices in the external overlay network via an access destination support device, wherein the access destination support device is one of the plurality of support devices and the access destination support device connects to the access destination internal network.