SERVER APPARATUS ENABLING POSTING OF MESSAGES, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20150012603A1
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: SAITO, Satoko
• Granted Patent: US 9,712,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A server apparatus which, when a viewer inputs a message, such as a comment, makes it possible to post a relevant comment by referring to another comment posted slightly earlier. Upon receipt of a posting request for posting a message from an information processing apparatus, a comment manager generates a posting reception notification indicative of information related to a reception sequence number of the posting request. The comment manager transmits the posting reception notification to the information processing apparatus. The comment manager receives not only the posted message but also the posting reception notification, and stores the message in a memory if there is no posting request made from another apparatus with a reception sequence number later in sequential order than the reception sequence number indicated by the posting reception notification.

Claims

1. A server apparatus that is connected to at least one information processing apparatus via a network, for receiving a message posted from the information processing apparatus to make the message open to the public, comprising:

a generation unit configured to, whenever receiving a posting request for posting a message from the information processing apparatus, generate a posting reception notification which indicates information related to a reception sequence number of the posting request;

a transmission unit configured to transmit the posting reception notification to the information processing apparatus; and

a storage unit configured to receive not only the message posted from the information processing apparatus but also the posting reception notification as reception information, and store the message in a memory if there is no posting request from another information processing apparatus which has been made with a reception sequence number later in sequential order than the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information.

2. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whenever said generation unit receives the posting request from the information processing apparatus, said generation unit generates latest registration sequence number information indicating that the posting request is a latest posting request at a current time, as the posting reception notification, and

wherein said storage unit stores the message in the memory, when a registration sequence number as the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information matches the latest registration sequence number.

3. The server apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a notification unit configured to, when the registration sequence number indicated by the reception information matches the latest registration sequence number, transmit a registration notification to the effect that the message has been registered, to the information processing apparatus, whereas when the registration sequence number indicated by the reception information does not match the latest registration sequence number, said notification unit transmits a confirmation notification to the effect that there is a latest message other than the message of which the posting request has been made by the information processing apparatus, to the information processing apparatus.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when an intervening posting request has been made by the information processing apparatus in response to the confirmation notification, said storage unit stores the message in the memory.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when said storage unit stores the message in the memory, said storage unit stores the message, in association with a theme ID indicative of a theme to which the message belongs, and the registration sequence number of the message.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when said transmission unit transmits the posting reception notification, said transmission unit transmits a list of messages which are given the same theme ID, to the information processing apparatus, as a message list.

7. The server apparatus according to claim 6, wherein upon receipt of the theme ID from the information processing apparatus as the posting request, said transmission unit transmits the posting reception notification and the message list to the information processing apparatus.

8. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whenever receiving the posting request from the information processing apparatus, said generation unit generates a token for inputting the message and an issue date and time of the token, as the posting reception notification, and

wherein upon receipt of the reception information, if a time period which has elapsed from the issue date and time indicated by the reception information is not longer than a predetermined time period, said storage unit stores the message in the memory as a message in a message list.

9. The server apparatus according to claim 8, wherein before the token is invalidated after having been issued to the information processing apparatus, even when the posting request has been received from another information processing apparatus, said generation unit does not issue the token.

10. The server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when said storage unit stores the message in the memory as the message in the message list, said storage unit invalidates the token.

11. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a time period which has elapsed from the issue date and time indicated by the reception information becomes longer than a predetermined time period, said storage unit stores the message in the memory as a provisionally-registered message.

12. The server apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a checking unit configured to, when the provisionally-registered message is stored, check whether or not the token related to the provisionally-registered message has been issued,

wherein when said checking unit checks to find that the token has not been issued, said storage unit stores the provisionally-registered message in the memory as a message in a message list, and

wherein said transmission unit transmits the message list to the information processing apparatus.

13. The server apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when said checking unit checks to find that the token has been issued, said storage unit stores only the provisionally-registered message prior to the issue date and time of the token, in the memory, as the message in the message list.

14. The server apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an invalidating unit configured to, upon receipt of a cancel notification to the effect that storage of a message is canceled from the information processing apparatus, invalidate the token if the token has been issued, and

wherein in a case where the provisionally-registered message exists when the cancel notification to the effect that storage of the message is canceled is received from the information processing apparatus, said storage unit performs processing for storing the provisionally-registered message depending on a result of the check by said checking unit.

15. An information processing apparatus connected to a server apparatus via a network,

wherein the server apparatus receives a message posted from the information processing apparatus, for making the message open to the public, and includes:

a generation unit configured to, whenever receiving a posting request for posting a message from the information processing apparatus, generate a posting reception notification which indicates information related to a reception sequence number of the posting request,

a transmission unit configured to transmit the posting reception notification to the information processing apparatus, and

a storage unit configured to receive not only the message posted from the information processing apparatus but also the posting reception notification as reception information, and store the message in a memory if there is no posting request from another information processing apparatus which has been made with a reception sequence number later in sequential order than the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information,

the information processing apparatus comprising a display control unit configured to, upon receipt of the transmission reception notification from the server apparatus, display a message input screen for inputting the message, on a display section.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein whenever said generation unit of the server apparatus receives the posting request from the information processing apparatus, said generation unit of the server apparatus generates latest registration sequence number information indicating that the posting request is a latest posting request at a current time, as the posting reception notification, and said storage unit of the server apparatus stores the message in the memory, when a registration sequence number as the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information matches the latest registration sequence number, the server apparatus further including a notification unit configured to, when the registration sequence number indicated by the reception information matches the latest registration sequence number, transmit a registration notification to the effect that the message has been registered, to the information processing apparatus, whereas when the registration sequence number indicated by the reception information does not match the latest registration sequence number, said notification unit transmits a confirmation notification to the effect that there is a latest message other than the message of which the posting request has been made by the information processing apparatus, to the information processing apparatus, and

wherein upon receipt of the confirmation notification, said display control unit displays update information to the effect that there is the latest message, and an icon for performing intervening posting, on the display section.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the message has been registered according to the registration notification or the confirmation notification from the server apparatus,

wherein if said determination unit determines that the message has not been registered, said display control unit displays not only the update information and the icon, but also a screen for re-inputting a message.

18. An information processing system including:

a server apparatus that is connected to at least one information processing apparatus via a network, for receiving a message posted from the information processing apparatus to make the message open to the public, and

the at least one information processing apparatus connected to server apparatus via the network,

wherein the server apparatus comprises;

a generation unit configured to, whenever receiving a posting request for posting a message from the information processing apparatus, generate a posting reception notification which indicates information related to a reception sequence number of the posting request;

a transmission unit configured to transmit the posting reception notification to the information processing apparatus; and

a storage unit configured to receive not only the message posted from the information processing apparatus but also the posting reception notification as reception information, and store the message in a memory if there is no posting request from another information processing apparatus which has been made with a reception sequence number later in sequential order than the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information, and

wherein the information processing apparatus comprises a display control unit configured to, upon receipt of the transmission reception notification from the server apparatus, display a message input screen for inputting the message, on a display section.

19. A method of controlling a server apparatus that is connected to at least one information processing apparatus via a network, for receiving a message posted from the information processing apparatus to make the message open to the public, comprising:

generating, whenever receiving a posting request for posting a message from the information processing apparatus, a posting reception notification which indicates information related to a reception sequence number of the posting request;

transmitting the posting reception notification to the information processing apparatus; and

receiving not only the message posted from the information processing apparatus but also the posting reception notification as reception information, and storing the message in a memory if there is no posting request from another information processing apparatus which has been made with a reception sequence number later in sequential order than the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for executing a method of controlling a server apparatus that is connected to at least one information processing apparatus via a network, for receiving a message posted from the information processing apparatus to make the message open to the public,

wherein the method comprises:

generating, whenever receiving a posting request for posting a message from the information processing apparatus, a posting reception notification which indicates information related to a reception sequence number of the posting request;

transmitting the posting reception notification to the information processing apparatus; and

receiving not only the message posted from the information processing apparatus but also the posting reception notification as reception information, and storing the message in a memory if there is no posting request from another information processing apparatus which has been made with a reception sequence number later in sequential order than the reception sequence number indicated by the information related to the reception sequence number indicated by the reception information.