RELAY DEVICE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND RELAYING METHOD

• US 20160080068A1
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishihara, Takeshi, Nishimoto, Hiroshi, Takimoto, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,876,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a relay device that relays communication between an information request device which requests information and an information providing device which provides requested information. The relay device includes an interface to receive a signal transmitted by the information request device. The relay device includes a first circuitry to perform, using the signal, at least one of connection management of a network, authentication of the information request device, and authentication of a user of the information request device. The relay device includes a second circuitry to control allocation of storage areas included in a storage device, or an available range within which information saved in the storage area is able to be provided, when the first circuitry detects establishment of a connection to the network, disconnection of the connection, an authentication result, or a lapse of a valid connection time period.

Claims

1. A relay device that relays communication between an information request device which requests information and an information providing device which provides requested information, the relay device comprising:

an interface to receive a signal transmitted by the information request device;

a first circuitry to perform, using the signal, at least one of connection management of a network, authentication of the information request device, and authentication of a user of the information request device; and

a second circuitry to control allocation of storage areas included in a storage device, or an available range within which information saved in the storage area is able to be provided, when the first circuitry detects establishment of a connection to the network, disconnection of the connection, an authentication result, or a lapse of a valid connection time period.

2. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the relay device forms a plurality of networks,

storage areas different from one another in the storage device are allocated to the respective networks, and

when the interface receives an acquisition request of information from the information request device, the second circuitry searches for only a storage area that is allocated to the network to which the information request device is connected.

3. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the first circuitry detects a connection request, a disconnection request, or an authentication success from the signal, and

the second circuitry controls the allocation of the storage areas or the available range when the first circuitry detects the connection request, the disconnection request, or the authentication success.

4. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the first circuitry communicates with an authentication device that authenticates the user, and

the second circuitry changes the allocation of the storage areas or the available range within which the information saved in the storage area can be provided also when the first circuitry receives the authentication result of the user of the information request device from the authentication device.

5. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuitry decides whether to change the allocation of the storage areas in the storage device using a status of the allocation of the storage areas, and changes the allocation of the storage areas when deciding to change the allocation of the storage areas.

6. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the storage areas are allocated to the networks, respectively, and

the second circuitry changes the allocation of the storage areas for the networks, respectively.

7. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the storage areas is allocated to each of the information request devices, each of users of the information request devices, or each of groups of users, and

the second circuitry changes the allocation of the storage area for each of the information request devices, each of the users of the information request device, or each of the groups of users.

8. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuitry changes the allocation of the storage areas in accordance with a number of connected terminals in each of the networks or a rate at which information requested by the information request device have been responded based on information saved in the storage device.

9. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuitry determines whether to change the allocation of the storage areas or an updating frequency of the allocations of the storage areas in accordance with a frequency of connections or disconnections of the information request device or a frequency of connections or disconnections in the network.

10. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuitry changes the allocation of the storage areas in accordance with a past connection history of the information request device or a past connection history in the network.

11. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein in a case that a part or a whole of the storage area allocated to one network is to be allocated to another network, the second circuitry discards information contained in the part or the whole of the storage area under a predetermined rule.

12. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein when a number of terminals connected to a specific network becomes zero, the second circuitry releases a storage area allocated to the specific network.

13. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuitry causes the first circuitry not to accept a connection to the network, or makes authentication of the information request device establishing the connection to the network or authentication of the user of the information request device unsuccessful, in accordance with sizes of individual storage areas in the storage device or a number of terminals connected to the network.

14. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay device is connected to another relay device over a second network,

the relay device further comprising a third circuitry to identify a previously-connected relay device being a relay device to which the information request device has been previously connected, transmit to the previously-connected relay device a request signal to request to transmit information managed by the previously-connected relay device, and cause information transmitted in response to the request signal to be stored in the storage device.

15. The relay device according to claim 14, wherein when information requested by the information request device is not saved in the storage device and when the information is managed by the previously-connected relay device, the third circuitry acquires the information from the previously-connected relay device.

16. The relay device according to claim 14, wherein when information request devices of a number larger than a threshold value have already been connected to a network to which a target information request device requests to connect, the third circuitry identifies the previously-connected relay device, and decides whether to synchronize information with the previously-connected relay device using a number or sizes of pieces of information saved in the storage device, or a rate at which information requested by the information request device have been responded based on information saved in the storage device.

17. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay device is connected to information processing apparatus over a second network,

the relay device further comprising a third circuitry to transmit a request signal to request to transmit information managed by the information processing apparatus, and causing information transmitted in response to the request signal to be stored in the storage device.

18. A communication system that forms a plurality of networks and includes a relay device and a control device, the relay device relaying a signal between an information request device and an information processing apparatus that are connected to same network, and the control device relaying the signal between the relay device and the information request device, wherein

the relay device includes:

a first interface to receive a signal transmitted by the information request device; and

a first circuitry to perform connection management on a network using the signal, and

the control device includes;

a second interface to acquire the signal received by the first interface;

a second circuitry to authenticate the information request device or a user of the information request device using the signal; and

a third circuitry to change allocation of storage areas in an accessible storage device or an available range within which information saved in the storage area is able to be provided, when the first circuitry detects, from the signal, information on establishment of connection to the network or disconnection of the connection or a lapse of a valid connection time period, or when the second circuitry detects information on authentication of the information request device or a user of the information request device.

19. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the communication system is connected to another control device over the second network, and

the communication system further comprises a fourth circuitry to identify a previously-connected relay device being a relay device to which the information request device has been previously connected, transmits to said other control device connected to the previously-connected relay device a request signal to request to transmit information managed by said other control device, and causes information transmitted in response to the request signal to be stored in the storage device.

20. A relay method performed by a relay device that relays communication between an information request device which requests information and an information providing device which provides requested information, comprising:

receiving a signal transmitted by the information request device;

performing, using the signal, at least one of connection management of a network, authentication of the information request device, and authentication of a user of the information request device; and

controlling allocation of storage areas included in a storage device, or an available range within which information saved in the storage area is able to be provided, when establishment of a connection to the network, disconnection of the connection, an authentication result, or a lapse of a valid connection time period is detected.