Information processing system, client device, and control method

• US 9,083,721 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Yohannes, Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US13/919,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 370/351
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session

Abstract

An image forming apparatus establishes a first network connection using a network protocol to enable transmitting of a request that is issued by taking the server apparatus for the starting point through a firewall to the image forming apparatus. The client server apparatus transmits an instruction through the first network connection to establish a second network connection corresponding to an application installed on the image forming apparatus after establishment of the first network connection. The image forming apparatus establishes the second network connection in response to the instruction transmitted from the print server.

Claims

1. An information processing system in which a client device and a server apparatus communicate through a firewall,

wherein the client device comprises:

an establishment unit configured to establish a first network connection using a network protocol to enable transmitting of a request that is issued by taking the server apparatus for the starting point through the firewall to the client device, the server apparatus disposed outside the firewall,

wherein the server apparatus comprises;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit an instruction to establish a network connection corresponding to an application installed on the client device, and

wherein, after the first network connection is established by the establishment unit, the client device receives the instruction transmitted from the server apparatus through the first network connection, and the establishment unit establishes a second network connection in accordance with the received instruction,

wherein the establishment unit provided in the client device establishes the first network connection through the connection of a first network protocol, and establishes the second network connection through the connection of a second network protocol,

wherein the second network protocol is used in communication of information required for execution of processing corresponding to the request by taking the server apparatus for the starting point, between the server apparatus and the application, and

wherein the first network protocol controls a connection/disconnection timing of the second network protocol.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the establishment unit provided in the client device establishes the first network connection using the first network protocol when the client device starts up, and

when a startup notification is received for the application, among a plurality of applications installed on the client device, that executes a processing corresponding to the request that is issued by taking the server apparatus for the starting point, the establishment unit establishes the second network connection using the second network protocol corresponding to the application associated with the startup notification.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus comprises a disconnection unit configured to disconnect the second network protocol when the execution of the processing corresponding to the request issued by taking the server apparatus for the starting point is completed.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus comprises an issuing unit configured to issue the request upon startup of the server apparatus, when a specific request or notification has been received from an external apparatus, and to transmit the issued request in relation to an application that executes the processing corresponding to the request through the established second network connection.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein when a print request has been received by the server apparatus from the external apparatus, the transmitting unit provided in the server apparatus executes a startup notification for the application that executes a print job, the notification being an instruction to establish the second network connection for the application through the first network protocol to the client device, and

wherein the establishment unit provided in the client device connects the second network protocol corresponding to the application that executes the print job and establishes the second network connection, when the startup notification for the application that executes the print job is received from the transmitting unit.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein the server apparatus further comprises a provision unit configured to provide screen data used in the instruction for the print request to the external apparatus, the screen data including display information for the client device connected by the first network protocol.

7. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the external apparatus is a plurality of client devices including the client device,

wherein when a change notification for an address book in a first client device has been received by the server apparatus from the first client device, the transmitting unit provided in the server apparatus executes a startup notification for the application that executes the processing of reflecting the information in the address book in a second client device, the notification being an instruction to establish the second network connection for the application through the first network protocol to the second client device, and

wherein, when the startup notification for the application that executes the processing of reflecting information in the address book is received from the transmitting unit, the establishment unit provided in the second client device connects the second network protocol corresponding to the application and establishes the second network connection.

8. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting unit provided in the server apparatus determines whether an address book that is subject to a change notification has been distributed to a client device upon connection of the client device to the first network protocol, such determination made in relation to a client device that is not connected to the first network protocol, and

when the address book that is subject to a change notification has not been distributed to the client device, a startup notification for the application that executes the processing of reflecting the information in the address book is performed in relation to the client device.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the network protocol is WebSocket.

10. A client device that communicates through a firewall with a server apparatus disposed outside the firewall, the client device comprising:

an establishment unit configured to establish a first network connection using a network protocol that enables transmitting of a request that is issued by taking the server apparatus for the starting point through the firewall to the client device; and

a receiving unit configured to receive an instruction from the server apparatus, the instruction configured to establish a second network connection corresponding to an application installed on the client device and being transmitted from the server apparatus through the first network connection after establishment of the first network connection by the establishment unit, wherein the establishment unit establishes a second network connection in accordance with the received instruction,

wherein the establishment unit establishes the first network connection through the connection of a first network protocol, and establishes the second network connection through the connection of a second network protocol,

wherein the second network protocol is used in communication of information required for execution of processing corresponding to the request by taking the server apparatus for the starting point, between the server apparatus and the application, and

wherein the first network protocol controls a connection/disconnection timing of the second network protocol.

11. A method for controlling an information processing system in which communication is performed through a firewall between a client device and a server apparatus, the method comprising:

establishing, by the client device, a first network connection using a network protocol to enable transmitting of a request that is issued by taking the server apparatus for the starting point, that is disposed outside the firewall, through the firewall to the client device;

transmitting, by the server apparatus, an instruction to establish a second network connection corresponding to an application installed on the client device through the first network connection, after the first network connection is established; and

receiving, by the client device, the instruction transmitted from the server apparatus, and establishing the second network connection in response to the received instruction,

wherein the first network connection is established through the connection of a first network protocol, and the second network connection is established through the connection of a second network protocol,

wherein the second network protocol is used in communication of information required for execution of processing corresponding to the request by taking the server apparatus for the starting point, between the server apparatus and the application, and

wherein the first network protocol controls a connection/disconnection timing of the second network protocol.