US 8,949,419 B2Granted

Synchronizing sharing servers

AssigneeMurata Machinery, Ltd.

InventorYoshifumi Tanimoto

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Abstract

A relay server and a relay communication system can easily synchronize resource information with a resource when terminals share the resource. When an instruction to synchronize shared resource information is given, the relay server transmits the synchronization instruction to each resource sharing terminal based on the shared resource information. Having received the synchronization instruction, when the shared resource information includes the resource that is owned by the terminal, the resource sharing terminal compares the resource information and the resource. If the resource information and the resource do not match, the resource sharing terminal updates the resource information to the latest information, and transmits, to the relay server, an instruction to update the shared resource information including the resource information. Thus, the resource information of an entire network can be synchronized by one synchronization instruction.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A relay server which is connected to a LAN and which communicates via a WAN with a plurality of different relay servers respectively connected to a plurality of different LANs, the relay server comprising:

a relay group information registration unit including hardware and software and being configured to store information of a relay group including account information of:
the relay server;
the plurality of different relay servers;
a client terminal connected to the relay server via the LAN;
and
a plurality of different client terminals respectively connected to the plurality of different relay servers via the plurality of different LANs;
a shared resource information registration unit configured to store, when a resource capable of being handled by only one of the client terminal and the plurality of different client terminals is shared by the client terminal and the plurality of different client terminals in the relay group, shared resource information including:
account information of a client terminal capable of handling the resource;
information regarding a name of the resource;
and
account information of a client terminal sharing the resource;
and
a control unit configured or programmed to, in response to an instruction to synchronize the shared resource information being received from the client terminal sharing the resource:
determine the client terminal capable of handling the resource based on the shared resource information;
identify a relay server connected to the determined client terminal based on the relay group information;
distribute the synchronization instruction only to the determined client terminal via the identified relay server and not to any other client terminals within the entire relay communication system including the plurality of different client terminals;
instruct the determined client terminal to synchronize the shared resource information with the resource via the identified relay server;
and
update the shared resource information in the shared resource information registration unit in response to a resource information update instruction being received from the determined client terminal via the identified relay server.

16 more elements

A relay communication system comprising:

a plurality of relay servers, each of the plurality of relay servers is connected to a corresponding LAN and is configured to communicate with the other of the plurality of relay servers via a WAN;
and
a plurality of client terminals, each of the plurality of client terminals is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of relay servers via one of the corresponding LANs;
wherein
each of the plurality of relay servers includes:
a relay group information registration unit configured to store information of a relay group including account information of:
each of the plurality of relay servers;
and
each of the plurality of client terminals including to which one of plurality of the relay servers each of the plurality of client terminals is connected;
a shared resource information registration unit configured to store, when a resource capable of being handled by only one of the plurality of client terminals is shared by the plurality of client terminals in the relay group, shared resource information including:
account information of a client terminal capable of handling the resource;
information regarding a name of the resource;
and
account information of a client terminal sharing the resource;
and
a control unit configured or programmed to, in response to an instruction to synchronize the shared resource information being received from the client terminal sharing the resource:
determine the client terminal capable of handling the resource based on the shared resource information;
identify a relay server connected to the determined client terminal based on the relay group information;
distribute the synchronization instruction only to the determined client terminal via the identified relay server and not to any other client terminals within the entire relay communication system including the plurality of different client terminals;
instruct the determined client terminal to synchronize the shared resource information with the resource via the identified relay server;
and
update the shared resource information in the shared resource information registration unit in response to a resource information update instruction being received from the determined client terminal via the identified relay server.

19 more elements

a relay group information registration unit including hardware and software and being configured to store information of a relay group including account information of:
the relay server;
the plurality of different relay servers;
a client terminal connected to the relay server via the LAN;
and
a plurality of different client terminals respectively connected to the plurality of different relay servers via the plurality of different LANs;
a shared resource information registration unit configured to store, when a resource capable of being handled by only one of the client terminal and the plurality of different client terminals is shared by the client terminal and the plurality of different client terminals in the relay group, shared resource information including:
account information of a client terminal capable of handling the resource;
information regarding a name of the resource;
and
account information of a client terminal sharing the resource;
and
a control unit configured or programmed to, in response to an instruction to synchronize the shared resource information being received from the client terminal sharing the resource:
identify the resource based on information included in the synchronization instructions;
determine the client terminal capable of handling the resource based on the shared resource information;
identify a relay server connected to the determined client terminal based on the relay group information;
distribute the synchronization instruction only to the determined client terminal only via the identified relay server and not to any other client terminals within the entire relay communication system including the plurality of different client terminals;
instruct the determined client terminal to synchronize the shared resource information with the resource via the identified relay server;
and
update the shared resource information in the shared resource information registration unit in response to a resource information update instruction being received from the determined client terminal via the identified relay server.

17 more elements

A relay communication system comprising:

a plurality of relay servers, each of the plurality of relay servers is connected to a corresponding LAN and is configured to communicate with the other of the plurality of relay servers via WAN;
and
a plurality of client terminals, each of the plurality of client terminals is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of relay servers via one of the corresponding LANs;
wherein
each of the plurality of relay servers includes:
a relay group information registration unit configured to store information of a relay group including account information of:
each of the plurality of relay servers;
and
each of the plurality of client terminals including to which one of plurality of the relay servers each of the plurality of client terminals is connected;
a shared resource information registration unit configured to store, when a resource capable of being handled by only one of the plurality of client terminals is shared by the plurality of client terminals in the relay group, shared resource information including:
account information of a client terminal capable of handling the resource;
information regarding a name of the resource;
and
account information of a client terminal sharing the resource;
and
a control unit configured or programmed to, in response to an instruction to synchronize the shared resource information being received from the client terminal sharing the resource:
identify the resource based on information included in the synchronization instructions;
determine the client terminal capable of handling the resource based on the shared resource information;
identify a relay server connected to the determined client terminal based on the relay group information;
distribute the synchronization instruction only to the determined client terminal only via the identified relay server and not to any other client terminals within the entire relay communication system including the plurality of different client terminals;
instruct the determined client terminal to synchronize the shared resource information with the resource via the identified relay server;
and
update the shared resource information in the shared resource information registration unit in response to a resource information update instruction being received from the determined client terminal via the identified relay server.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/270,883Filed 14 Nov 2008
Priority: JP 2007-33315625 Dec 2007
Published: US 2009/0164636 A125 Jun 2009
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04L 67/104
In which an application is distributed across nodes in the network: peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
H04L 67/1059
Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks: inter-group management mechanisms, e.g. splitting, merging or interconnection of groups
H04L 67/1065
Using node-based peer discovery mechanisms: discovery involving distributed pre-established resource-based relationships among peers, e.g. based…
H04L 67/56
Network services: provisioning of proxy services