Data extraction system, terminal apparatus, program of the terminal apparatus, server apparatus, and program of the server apparatus for extracting prescribed data from web pages

• US 8,700,702 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Inventors: Nakajima, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US13/593,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 704/4, 704/9, 704/257, 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 709/203, 709/206, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

This invention provides a terminal searching for web pages on the web and extracting the prescribed data from the web pages and a server verifying and accumulating the extracted data. The prescribed data can be extracted from the web pages on the web in a manner that the process relating to the data extraction is distributed between the terminal and the server. Therefore, necessary processes up to the data extraction are distributed, and the burden placed on each apparatus can be lessened. Further, new data not formerly found in the web pages can be found out and extracted from the web pages that has been updated or newly made.

Claims

1. A data extraction system for extracting and accumulating prescribed data from web pages on the web, the data extraction system comprising:

a plurality of terminals; and

a server connected to the plurality of terminals,

wherein the server comprises;

a first processor; and

a first memory including a first set of executable instructions that, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to perform first operations including;

receiving the prescribed data extracted by at least one of the plurality of terminals;

accumulating the prescribed data, extracted by the at least one of the plurality of terminals, with extracted data; and

verifying whether the prescribed data, extracted by the at least one of the plurality of terminals, is already accumulated with the extracted data, the prescribed data being accumulated with the extracted data when the prescribed data is determined to not be already accumulated with the extracted data, and

wherein each of the plurality of terminals comprises;

a second processor; and

a second memory including a second set of executable instructions that, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to perform second operations including;

searching for one of the web pages on the web;

extracting the prescribed data from the one of the web pages;

sending the prescribed data extracted from the one of the web pages to the server;

receiving, from the server, one of the prescribed data and information corresponding to the prescribed data only when the prescribed data is determined by the server to not be already accumulated with the extracted data and after the prescribed data is accumulated with the extracted data and not when the prescribed data is determined by the server to be already accumulated with the extracted data; and

outputting the one of the prescribed data and the information corresponding to the prescribed data.

2. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of terminals receives the prescribed data in advance.

3. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the server sends the prescribed data to each of the plurality of terminals when the first processor determines the prescribed data to not be already accumulated with the extracted data and after the prescribed data is accumulated with the extracted data.

4. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein

the server sends the prescribed data to one of the plurality of terminals that extracted the prescribed data when the first processor determines the prescribed data to not be already accumulated with the extracted data and after the prescribed data is accumulated with the extracted data, and

the one of the plurality of terminals receives the prescribed data from the server and sends the prescribed data to an other of the plurality of terminals.

5. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the prescribed data is input by one of the plurality of terminals.

6. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the server sends, to one of the plurality of terminals, prescribed data fulfilling a predetermined condition from among multiple prescribed data extracted by the one of the plurality of terminals.

7. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of terminals receives one of the web pages that fulfills a predetermined condition.

8. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the server sends, to one of the plurality of terminals, the prescribed data in response to a request from the one of the plurality of terminals.

9. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of terminals selectably displays the prescribed data on a display screen.

10. The data extraction system according to claim 9, wherein the server calculates a number of times that the prescribed data is selected and sends the number of times to each of the plurality of terminals for displaying the number of times on the display screen in association with the prescribed data selectably displayed on the display screen.

11. The data extraction system according to claim 2, wherein the prescribed data is an image.

12. The data extraction system according to claim 11, wherein

the second processor compresses the image to a prescribed number of bytes by decreasing a size and a number of colors of the image, and

the server receives the image compressed by the second processor, accumulates the image, and verifies whether the image is already accumulated based on bit strings of the image compressed by the second processor.

13. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the prescribed data is a sound.

14. The data extraction system according to claim 13, wherein

the second processor compresses a time-scale of the sound, and

the server receives the sound compressed by the second processor, accumulates the sound, and verifies whether the sound is already accumulated based on bit strings of the sound compressed by the second processor.

15. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the prescribed data is text.

16. The data extraction system according to claim 1, wherein the prescribed data is a phrase.

17. A terminal apparatus connected to a server and used by a data extraction system for extracting prescribed data from web pages on the web, the terminal apparatus controlled by a processor and comprising:

a searcher, controlled by the processor, for searching for one of the web pages on the web;

an extractor, controlled by the processor, for extracting the prescribed data from the one of the web pages;

a data sender, controlled by the processor, for sending the prescribed data extracted by the extractor to the server;

a data receiver, controlled by the processor, for receiving, from the server, upon a verification of whether the prescribed data sent by the data sender is already accumulated with extracted data by a data accumulator of the server, one of the prescribed data and information corresponding to the prescribed data only when the prescribed data is determined to not be already accumulated with the extracted data by the data accumulator and after the data accumulator accumulates the prescribed data with the extracted data and not when the prescribed data is determined to be already accumulated with the extracted data; and

an output, controlled by the processor, for outputting the one of the prescribed data and the information corresponding to the prescribed data received by the data receiver.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program for a terminal apparatus connected to a server and used by a data extraction system for extracting prescribed data from web pages on the web, the program comprising:

a search process for searching for one of the web pages on the web;

an extraction process for extracting the prescribed data from the one of the web pages;

a data sending process for sending the prescribed data extracted by the extraction process to the server;

a data reception process for receiving, from the server, upon a verification of whether the prescribed data sent by the data sending process is already accumulated with extracted data by a data accumulation process of the server, one of the prescribed data and information corresponding to the prescribed data only when the prescribed data is determined to not be already accumulated with the extracted data by the data accumulation process and after the data accumulation process accumulates the prescribed data with the extracted data and not when the prescribed data is determined to be already accumulated with the extracted data; and

an output process for outputting the one of the prescribed data and the information corresponding to the prescribed data received by the data reception process.

19. A server apparatus used by a data extraction system for extracting and accumulating prescribed data from web pages on the web, the server apparatus connected to a plurality of terminals that search for one of the web pages on the web and extract the prescribed data from the one of the web pages, the server apparatus controlled by a processor and comprising:

a data receiver, controlled by the processor, for receiving the prescribed data extracted by at least one of the plurality of terminals;

a data accumulator, controlled by the processor, for accumulating the prescribed data received by the data receiver with extracted data;

a verifier, controlled by the processor, for verifying whether the prescribed data received by the data receiver is already accumulated with the extracted data by the data accumulator, the data accumulator accumulating the prescribed data with the extracted data when the prescribed data is determined by the verifier to not be already accumulated with the extracted data; and

a data transmitter, controlled by the processor, for sending one of the prescribed data and information corresponding to the prescribed data to at least one of the plurality of terminals only when the prescribed data is determined by the verifier to not be accumulated with the extracted data by the data accumulator and after the data accumulator accumulates the prescribed data with the extracted data and not when the prescribed data is determined by the verifier to be already accumulated with the extracted data, so that the at least one of the plurality of terminals displays the one of the prescribed data and the information corresponding to the prescribed data.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program for a server apparatus used by a data extraction system for extracting and accumulating prescribed data from web pages on the web, the server apparatus connected to a plurality of terminals that search for one of the web pages on the web and extract the prescribed data from the one of the web pages, the program comprising:

a data reception process for receiving the prescribed data extracted by at least one of the plurality of terminals;

a data accumulation process for accumulating the prescribed data received by the data reception process with extracted data;

a verification process for verifying whether the prescribed data received by the data reception process is already accumulated with the extracted data by the data accumulation process, the data accumulation process accumulating the prescribed data with the extracted data when the prescribed data is determined by the verification process to not be already accumulated with the extracted data; and

a data sending process for sending one of the prescribed data and information corresponding to the prescribed data to at least one of the plurality of terminals only when the prescribed data is determined by the verification process to not be already accumulated with the extracted data by the data accumulation process and after the data accumulation process accumulates the prescribed data with the extracted data and not when the prescribed data is determined by the verifier to be already accumulated with the extracted data, so that the at least one of the plurality of terminals outputs the one of the prescribed data and the information corresponding to the prescribed data.