Method of using server, server reservation control apparatus and program storage medium

• US 8,370,498 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takanori, Ihara, Keigo, Yoshimine, Takao, Fukuda, Junko, Sueyoshi, Takahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US11/844,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 709226-227, 709/229, 709/245, 370/352, 370/468, 725 78- 82, 725 95- 96
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/72 using reservation actions during connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a content supply system 100, in order to use a streaming server 102 to perform a live distribution, a user PC 106 used makes a reservation for a time zone, etc. to a server reservation control center 101. When the user PC 106 sends desired reservation information to the server reservation control center 101 via the Internet 103, if the reservation is accepted, a reservation ID only used for authentication of the reservation is created and sent from the server reservation control center 101 to the user PC 106 via the Internet 103. When a distribution request is sent from the user PC 106 to the streaming server 102, authentication processing using this reservation ID is performed.

Claims

1. A method of using a server whereby in order for a user terminal apparatus to access a processing server that performs predetermined processing via a network and use functions of said processing server, said user terminal apparatus makes a reservation for the use of said processing server via the network to a reservation control apparatus that controls the situation of the reservation of said processing server and uses functions of said processing server based on said reservation, said method comprising:

a reservation requesting step of sending reservation request information including a desired service time to use said processing server from said user terminal apparatus to said reservation control apparatus via the network;

a reservation accepting step of sending, when the reservation for the use of said processing server during said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, reservation setting information including communication/connection information necessary for said user terminal apparatus to establish a communication/connection with said processing server from said reservation control apparatus to said user terminal apparatus via the network;

a storing step of writing and storing said communication/connection information included in said reservation setting information sent from said reservation control apparatus in a predetermined storage area of said user terminal apparatus; and

a communication establishing step of reading, when said user terminal apparatus accesses and uses said processing server based on said reservation, said communication/connection information stored in said predetermined storage area and establishing a communication/connection with said processing server based on the read communication/connection information,

wherein said predetermined processing executed by said processing server is processing of carrying out stream distribution of content data to a requesting client terminal apparatus via the network, and after the communication/connection with said processing server is established in said communication establishing step, said user terminal apparatus sends said content data to be distributed to said client terminal apparatus to said processing server via the network.

2. The method of using the server according to claim 1, wherein

in said storing step, said communication/connection information included in said reservation setting information is automatically written and stored in said predetermined storage area.

3. The method of using the server according to claim 1, wherein

in said storing step, said communication/connection information included in said reservation setting information is encrypted and written.

4. The method of using the server according to claim 1, wherein

when said user terminal apparatus carries out a communication/connection with said processing server via a telephone network, said communication/connection information includes a telephone number to be called by said user terminal apparatus to establish a communication/connection with said processing server.

5. The method of using the server according to claim 1, wherein

when the start time of said reservation or a predetermined time before the start time of said reservation has come, processing for establishing a communication/connection of said user terminal apparatus with said processing server is automatically started.

6. The method of using the server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notifying step of notifying, at the start time of said reservation or a predetermined time before the start time of said reservation, the user of said user terminal apparatus that the start time of said reservation or a predetermined time before the start time of said reservation has come.

7. The method of using the server according to claim 1, wherein

in said reservation accepting step, said reservation control apparatus encrypts and sends said reservation setting information.

8. A server reservation control apparatus that controls reservations for the use of a processing server that performs predetermined processing in order for a user terminal apparatus to access the processing server via a network and use functions of said processing server, said server reservation control apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving reservation request information including a desired service time to use said processing server provided from said user terminal apparatus via a network;

reservation setting information generating means for generating, when a reservation for the use of said processing server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, reservation setting information including communication/connection information necessary for said user terminal apparatus to establish a communication/connection with said processing server via the network; and

transmitting means for transmitting the reservation setting information generated by said reservation setting information generating means to said user terminal apparatus via the network,

wherein said reservation is a reservation to access said processing server to carry out stream distribution of content data to a requesting client terminal apparatus via the network, and said user terminal apparatus sends said content data to be distributed to said client terminal apparatus to said processing server via the network.

9. The server reservation control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said reservation setting information generating means includes a command to execute processing of automatically writing and storing said reservation setting information in a predetermined storage area of said user terminal apparatus in said reservation setting information.

10. The server reservation control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

when said user terminal apparatus carries out a communication/connection with said processing server via a telephone network, said communication/connection information includes a telephone number to be called by said user terminal apparatus to establish a communication/connection with said processing server.

11. The server reservation control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said network interface encrypts and sends said reservation setting information.

12. A program non-transitory storage medium storing a program to be executed by a server reservation control apparatus that controls reservations for the use of a processing server that performs predetermined processing in order for a user terminal apparatus to access the processing server via a network and use functions of said processing server, said program comprising:

reception processing that receives reservation request information including a desired service time to use said processing server provided from said user terminal apparatus via a network;

reservation setting information generation processing that, when a reservation for the use of said processing server in said desired service time included in said reservation request information is accepted, generates reservation setting information including communication/connection information necessary for said user terminal apparatus to establish a communication/connection with said processing server via the network; and

transmission processing that transmits said reservation setting information to said user terminal apparatus via the network, wherein said reservation is a reservation to access said processing server to carry out stream distribution of content data to a requesting client terminal apparatus via the network, and said user terminal apparatus sends said content data to be distributed to said client terminal apparatus to said processing server via the network.