Service retrieving apparatus and service retrieving method

• US 20030055817A1
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Okuyama, Junichi, Yoshimura, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

When a retrieve request of a service is issued, a service retrieving apparatus according to the present invention sets a retrieve range of services within a wide-area network based upon both a service retrieving request source and a service use condition in accordance with both a geographical view point and communication conditions of networks. The service retrieving apparatus is installed in each of plural networks which constitute the wide-area network, detects a service server contained in each of these networks, and acquires service information. The acquired service information is also notified to the service retrieving apparatus of other networks.

Claims

1. A service retrieving system for a network, comprising:

a plurality of service providing apparatus for providing services;

a service retrieving apparatus comprising;

a retrieving range setting section for setting a retrieving range in which a service is retrieved;

a service retrieving section for retrieving a service in the retrieving range.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the network has a plurality of regions;

wherein the service retrieving apparatus is a plurality of service retrieving apparatus;

wherein at least one service retrieving apparatus is disposed in each of regions;

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets at least a part of at least one of the regions as the retrieving region; and

wherein each of service retrieving apparatus further comprise a service acquiring section for acquiring service information of each of service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as the each of service retrieving apparatus;

wherein the service retrieving section requests other service retrieving apparatus to retrieve the services and receives retrieved result from the other service retrieving apparatus.

3. The system according to claim 2,

wherein as the acquisition of the service information, the service acquiring section requests the service information for each of service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as each of service retrieving apparatus and receives the service information from each of service providing apparatus disposed in the same region.

4. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the service information includes use condition of the service;

wherein the service retrieving apparatus further comprises a filtering section for filtering the service information based on the use condition of the service information; and

wherein the filtering section transmits the filtering result to the service retrieving section as a retrieved result.

5. The system according to claim 4,

wherein the service retrieving section retrieves the services in cooperate with the filtering section, when the service retrieving section receives a request from the service retrieving section of another service retrieving apparatus;

and

wherein the service retrieving section transmits the retrieved result to the service retrieving section of the another service retrieving apparatus.

6. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the service information and the retrieved result each includes geographical information as to positions of the service providing apparatus;

and

wherein the service range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the geographical information received from the service acquiring section.

7. The system according to claim 2, further comprising directory apparatus for registering the service retrieving apparatus in each of regions thereon,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects another service retrieving apparatus in the same region as the retrieving range setting section;

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the own service retrieving apparatus on the directory apparatus in accordance with the detection result; and

wherein the service retrieving section requests each of other registered service retrieving apparatus to retrieve the services and receives the retrieved result from each of other registered service retrieving apparatus.

8. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the retrieving range setting section clusters positions of the service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as the retrieving range setting section based on the geographical information to generate cluster information;

wherein the retrieving range setting section acquires the cluster information generated in another region;

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the cluster information generated in the same and another regions.

9. The system according to claim 8,

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the cluster information on the directory apparatus;

and

wherein as the acquisition of the cluster information, the retrieving range setting section receives the cluster information generated in another region from the directory apparatus.

10. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects communication condition between the region of the service retrieving apparatus and the region of another service retrieving apparatus;

and

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the detected communication condition.

11. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the service retrieving section retrieves the service information within the set retrieving range, when the service retrieving section receives a request and retrieving condition from the service retrieving section of another service retrieving apparatus;

and

the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on one of the request and the retrieving condition.

12. A service retrieving method for retrieving services provided in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a retrieving range in the network; and

retrieving services in the set retrieving range in the network.

13. A retrieving program for causing a computer to retrieve services provided in a network, comprising the steps of:

setting a retrieving range in the network; and

retrieving services in the set retrieving range in the network.

14. A recording medium for recording thereon a retrieving program capable of causing a computer to retrieve services provided in a network, comprising the steps of:

setting a retrieving range in the network; and

retrieving services in the set retrieving range in the network.

15. A service retrieving system in a network having a plurality of regions, comprising:

a client apparatus including;

a first retrieving means for retrieving a position of a service providing apparatus within the network by communicating with a retrieving apparatus located in the same area; and

a communication means for communicating with the service providing apparatus by employing both the position of the service providing apparatus obtained by the first retrieving means and a position of the service providing apparatus obtained by not using the first retrieving means in the network,

the service providing apparatus including a notification means for notifying a position of the retrieving apparatus within each of regions to one of the client apparatus and the retrieving apparatus in another region, and also in which when a notification of the position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region is received, the notification means notifies the notified position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region to a retrieving apparatus located within the same region; and

the retrieving apparatus installed in each of region, while the retrieving apparatus includes;

a notification means for communicating with the retrieving apparatus located within another region by employing the notified position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region and also for mutually notifying the positions of the retrieving apparatus held by each of retrieving apparatus; and

a second retrieving means for communicating with the retrieving apparatus located in the another region by employing the notified position of the retrieving apparatus within the another region in response to the communication of the client apparatus located in the same region so as to retrieve a position of the server apparatus.

16. A service retrieving apparatus disposed in a network, comprising:

a retrieving range setting section for setting a retrieving range in which services are retrieved; and

a service retrieving section for retrieving a service in the retrieving range.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a service acquiring section,

wherein the network has a plurality of regions;

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets at least a part of at least one of the regions as the retrieving region; and

wherein the service acquiring section acquires service information of service providing apparatus disposed in the same region;

wherein the service retrieving section outputs a request to retrieve the services and receives retrieved result.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein as the acquisition of the service information, the service acquiring section requests the service information for each of service providing apparatus disposed in the same region and receives the service information from each of service providing apparatus disposed in the same region.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a filtering section,

wherein the service information includes use condition of the service;

wherein a filtering section filters the service information based on the use condition of the service information; and

wherein the filtering section transmits the filtering result to the service retrieving section as a retrieved result.

20. The system according to claim 19,

wherein the service retrieving section retrieves the services in cooperate with the filtering section, when the service retrieving section receives a request;

and

wherein the service retrieving section outputs the retrieved result.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the service information and the retrieved result each includes geographical information as to positions of the service providing apparatus;

and

wherein the service range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the geographical information received from the service acquiring section.

22. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects another service retrieving apparatus in the same region;

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the own service retrieving apparatus on a directory apparatus in accordance with the detection result; and

wherein the service retrieving section outputs a request to retrieve the services and receives the retrieved result.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21,

wherein the retrieving range setting section clusters positions of the service providing apparatus disposed in the same region as the retrieving range setting section based on the geographical information to generate cluster information;

wherein the retrieving range setting section acquires the cluster information generated in another region;

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the cluster information generated in the same and another regions.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23,

wherein the retrieving range setting section registers the cluster information on the directory apparatus;

and

wherein as the acquisition of the cluster information, the retrieving range setting section receives the cluster information generated in another region from the directory apparatus.

25. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the retrieving range setting section detects communication condition between the region of the service retrieving apparatus and another region;

and

wherein the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on the detected communication condition.

26. The system according to claim 17,

wherein the service retrieving section retrieves the service information within the set retrieving range, when the service retrieving section receives a request and retrieving condition;

and

the retrieving range setting section sets the retrieving range based on one of the request and the retrieving condition.