Information processing system, cloud server, device control method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with device control program

An information processing system comprising:

• a cloud server and a management server disposed outside a firewall;
• and
• a relay device disposed inside the firewall and connected to a control target device disposed inside the firewall,
• the relay device including a first controller CPU, a first communication portion, and a second communication portion, wherein
• said first controller CPU includes functions comprising:
• an always-on session establishing portion configured to cause said first communication portion to establish an always-on session with said management server;
• a stop period acquiring portion configured to cause said first communication portion to acquire stop period indicating a period during which said management server refrains from providing a service;
• a first session establishing portion configured to, in response to an event that said first communication portion receives from said management server via said always-on session a connection request including address information of a connection source and address information of a connection destination, the connection request being received by said management server from said cloud server, cause said first communication portion to establish a first communication session with said cloud server by using said address information of the connection destination included in said received connection request;
• a communication history storing portion configured to, in response to said first communication session being established, store in a storing portion a communication history including the address information of the connection source and the address information of the connection destination included in said received connection request;
• a second session establishing portion configured to cause said second communication portion to establish a second communication session with said control target device specified by said address information of the connection source included in said received connection request;
• a relay portion configured to, by using said first communication session and said second communication session, relay communications between said cloud server and said control target device;
• a third session establishing portion configured to,
• in response to an event that said stop period starts, cause said first communication portion to transmit to said cloud server specified by said address information of the connection destination included in the communication history a re-establishment request including said address information of the connection source included in the communication history,
• cause said first communication portion to establish a third communication session with said cloud server, and
• maintain said third communication session until said stop period finishes;
• and
• a fourth session establishing portion configured to, in response to an event that said stop period starts, cause said second communication portion to establish a fourth communication session with said control target device specified by said address information of the connection source included in the communication history,
• said relay portion being configured to, during the time that said third communication session is established by said third session establishing portion, relay communications between said cloud server and said control target device by using said third communication session and said fourth communication session,
• said cloud server includes a second controller CPU, and a third communication portion, wherein
• said second controller CPU includes functions comprising:
• a cloud-side session establishing portion configured to cause said third communication portion to establish a first communication session with said relay device;
• a job generating portion configured to generate a job to be executed by said control target device;
• and
• a job transmitting portion configured to cause said third communication portion to transmit said generated job to said control target device via said first communication session,
• said cloud-side session establishing portion including,
• a connection requesting portion configured to cause said third communication portion to transmit to said management server a connection request including address information of a connection destination and address information of a connection source for identifying said control target device,
• an establishment request receiving portion configured to, after said connection request has been transmitted, cause said third communication portion to establish said first communication session in the case where said third communication portion receives an establishment request including the same address information as said address information of the connection destination included in said connection request from said relay device receiving said connection request forwarded from said management server,
• a cloud-side session disconnecting portion configured to, after said first communication session is established, in response to acquisition of a result of a job executed by said control target device, cause said third communication portion to disconnect said first communication session,
• a re-establishing portion configured to, in response to an event that said third communication portion receives said re-establishment request from said relay device, cause said third communication portion to establish said third communication session with said relay device, and
• said job transmitting portion including a stop period transmitting portion configured to, in the case where said third communication session is established, cause said third communication portion to transmit said generated job to said control target device via said third communication session.

A cloud server disposed outside a firewall, comprising a controller CPU and a communication portion, wherein

• said controller CPU includes functions comprising:
• a stop period acquiring portion configured to cause said communication portion to acquire a stop period indicating a period during which a management server disposed outside the firewall refrains from providing a service;
• a cloud-side session establishing portion configured to cause said communication portion to establish a first communication session with a relay device disposed inside the firewall and connected to a control target device disposed inside the firewall;
• a job generating portion configured to generate a job to be executed by said control target device;
• and
• a job transmitting portion configured to cause said communication portion to transmit said generated job to said control target device via said first communication session,
• said cloud-side session establishing portion including,
• a connection requesting portion configured to, in the case of not being in said stop period, cause said communication portion to transmit to said management server a connection request including address information of a connection destination and address information of a connection source for identifying said control target device,
• an establishment request receiving portion configured to, after said connection request has been transmitted, cause said communication portion to establish said first communication session in the case where an establishment request is received from said relay device receiving said connection request forwarded from said management server, the establishment request including the same address information as said address information of the connection destination included in said connection request,
• a cloud-side session disconnecting portion configured to, after said first communication session has been established, in response to acquisition of a result of a job executed by said control target device, cause said communication portion to disconnect said first communication session on the condition of not being in said stop period, and in the case of being in said stop period, cause said communication portion to disconnect said first communication session after said stop period has finished, and
• said job transmitting portion being configured to, in the case where said job is generated in said stop period, cause said communication portion to transmit to said control target device the job generated in said stop period, via said first communication session established before said stop period starts.

A device control method performed in an information processing system including a cloud server and a management server disposed outside a firewall and a relay device disposed inside the firewall and connected to a control target device disposed inside the firewall, allowing said relay device to execute:

• an always-on session establishing step of establishing an always-on session with said management server;
• a stop period acquiring step of acquiring stop period indicating a period during which said management server refrains from providing a service;
• a first session establishing step of, in response to an event that a connection request including address information of a connection source and address information of a connection destination is received from said management server via said always-on session, the connection request being received by said management server from said cloud server, establishing a first communication session with said cloud server by using said address information of the connection destination included in said received connection request;
• a communication history storing step of, in response to said first communication session being established, storing a communication history including the address information of the connection source and the address information of the connection destination included in said connection request;
• a second session establishing step of establishing a second communication session with said control target device specified by said address information of the connection source included in said received connection request;
• a relay step of, by using said first communication session and said second communication session, relaying communications between said cloud server and said control target device;
• a third session establishing step of,
• in response to an event that said stop period starts, transmitting to said cloud server specified by said address information of the connection destination included in the communication history a re-establishment request including said address information of the connection source included in the communication history,
• establishing a third communication session with said cloud server, and
• maintaining said third communication session until said stop period finishes;
• and
• a fourth session establishing step of, in response to an event that said stop period starts, establishing a fourth communication session with said control target device specified by said address information of the connection source included in the communication history, wherein
• said relay step includes a step of, during the time that said third communication session is established by said third session establishing portion, relaying communications between said cloud server and said control target device by using said third communication session and said fourth communication session,
• the device control method further allowing said cloud server to execute,
• a cloud-side session establishing step of establishing a first communication session with said relay device,
• a job generating step of generating a job to be executed by said control target device, and
• a job transmitting step of transmitting said generated job to said control target device via said first communication session,
• said cloud-side session establishing step includes,
• a connection requesting step of transmitting to said management server a connection request including address information of a connection destination and address information of a connection source for identifying said control target device,
• an establishment request receiving step of, after said connection request has been transmitted, establishing said first communication session in the case where an establishment request including the same address information as said address information of the connection destination included in said connection request is received from said relay device receiving said connection request forwarded from said management server,
• a cloud-side disconnecting step of, after said first communication session is established, in response to acquisition of a result of a job executed by said control target device, disconnecting said first communication session, and
• a re-establishing step of, in response to an event that said re-establishment request is received from said relay device, establishing said third communication session with said relay device,
• said job transmitting step includes a stop period transmitting step of, in the case where said third communication session is established, transmitting said generated job to said control target device via said third communication session.

A device control method performed by a cloud server disposed outside a firewall, comprising:

• a stop period acquiring step of acquiring stop period indicating a period during which a management server disposed outside the firewall refrains from providing a service;
• a cloud-side session establishing step of establishing a first communication session with a relay device disposed inside the firewall and connected to a control target device disposed inside the firewall;
• a job generating step of generating a job to be executed by said control target device;
• and
• a job transmitting step of transmitting said generated job to said control target device via said first communication session, wherein
• said cloud-side session establishing step includes
• a connection requesting step of, in the case of not being in said stop period, transmitting to said management server a connection request including address information of a connection destination and address information of a connection source for identifying said control target device,
• an establishment request receiving step of, after said connection request has been transmitted, establishing said first communication session in the case where an establishment request including the same address information as said address information of the connection destination included in said connection request is received from said relay device receiving said connection request forwarded from said management server,
• a cloud-side disconnecting step of, after said first communication session has been established, in response to acquisition of a result of a job executed by said control target device, disconnecting said first communication session on the condition of not being in said stop period, and in the case of being in said stop period, disconnecting said first communication session after said stop period has finished, and
• said job transmitting step includes a step of, in the case where said job is generated in said stop period, transmitting the job generated in said stop period to said control target device, via said first communication session established before said stop period starts.