File server device arranged in a local area network and being communicable with an external server arranged in a wide area network

• US 8,316,134 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Tanimoto, Yoshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): COX, NATISHA D
• Application Number:
  US11/862,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Communication is established between communication terminals arranged in different LANS while realizing dynamic response to reduction in server load, movement of communication terminal, and the like. A relay server is arranged in a LAN and can communicate with an SIP server arranged in a WAN. For instance, a first relay server exchanges account information of the communication terminals in the respective LAN with a second relay server. If exchanged account information is changed in one relay server, the account information after the change is notified to the other relay server. One relay server determines the other relay server based on the exchanged account information and relays communication data between the communication terminals through the other relay server.

Claims

1. A relay server arranged in a local area network and being communicable with an external server arranged in a wide area network, the relay server comprising:

an account information registering section arranged to register account information of a communication terminal in the local area network including the relay server, such that the account information of the communication terminal is associated with relay server account information;

a registration state changing section arranged to receive a registration change request from the communication terminal and, upon receipt of the registration change request, to change the account information of the communication terminal registered in the account information registering section such that;

if the registration change request is an unregister request, then the account information of the communication terminal is unregistered; and

if the registration change request is a register request, then the account information of the communication terminal is registered;

a registering section arranged to register the relay server account information in the external server;

a relay communication session establishing section arranged to specify a relay server of at least one other relay server registered in the external server and to establish a relay communication session that is directly communicable with the specified relay server;

a receiving and storing section arranged to receive account information registered in the account information registering section of the at least one other relay server registered in the external server and to store the received account information;

a notifying section arranged to, when changing the account information registered in the account information registering section based on the registration change request, notify the at least one other relay server of the changed account information;

a group information registering section arranged to register group information in which the account information registered in the account information registering section is grouped with the received account information registered in an account information registering section of the at least one other relay server;

a group information sharing section arranged to, when the group information is changed, share the changed group information with the at least one other relay server; and

a judging section arranged to, when receiving communication data from a first communication terminal in the local area network in which an account of a second communication terminal is specified;

judge whether or not both the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal are registered in a same group based on the group information registered in the group information registering section;

determine, when both the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal are registered in the same group, a relay server connected to the second communication terminal based on the account information registered in the account information registering section and the received account information registered in the account information registering section of the at least one other relay server; and

relay the communication data from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal through a relay communication session with the determined relay server.

2. The relay server according to claim 1, the relay server further comprising:

a change notification setting section arranged to request, when account information held in one of the at least one other relay server is changed, the at least one other relay server to transmit the account information after a change.

3. The relay server according to claim 2, wherein whether or not to request transmission of the account information after a change when the account information of one of the at least one other relay server is changed is specifiable when establishing the relay communication session that is directly communicable with the one of at least one other relay server.

4. The relay server according to claim 2, wherein whether or not to include the account information to be registered in the account information to be transmitted to the at least one other relay server is specifiable when registering the account information from the communication terminal of the local area network.

5. The relay server according to claim 3, wherein whether or not to include the account information to be registered in the account information to be transmitted to the at least one other relay server is specifiable when registering the account information from the communication terminal of the local area network.

6. The relay server according to claim 1, further including a requesting section arranged to request the at least one other relay server to transmit the group information when the relay server does not hold the group information.

7. The relay server according to claim 1, further including a requesting section arranged to request, when the group information held by the relay server is changed, the at least one other relay server to transmit the group information after change.

8. The relay server according to claim 1, further including a communication section arranged to accept a communication request of the group information from the communication terminal and to extract and transmit the group information related to the communication terminal.

9. The relay server according to claim 1, further including a receiving section arranged to receive the group information from the communication terminal and to update the held group information.