JP2007188125A - Communication apparatus, data sharing system, data sharing device, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus which enables same data to be simply shared among browsers. <P>SOLUTION: A communication apparatus 270 is provided with; a means to communicate with a server and other units; a data acquisition means 304 to acquire data from the server if a transfer request of data is received; a means to receive operation input; browsers 302 and 306 to give a data transfer request to the data acquisition means 304 according to the operation input and output the acquired data so as to be browsed; a data holding means 308 to hold data acquired by the data acquisition means; a means 312 to transmit control information to make other devices acquire the data when the data acquisition means acquires data according to data transfer request which is received from the browsers 302 and 306; a reception means 316 to receive a transfer request from other units; and a means 318 and 320 to provide data held by the data holding means 308 to other units if the transfer request is received after transmission of the control information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for sharing data and allowing users to use the data jointly, and in particular, a communication device, a data sharing system, and data for sharing data on a network with a plurality of devices and using them together. The present invention relates to a sharing device and a computer program.

  With the development and popularization of communication technology, a wide variety of information has been transmitted regardless of the actual distance. For example, information terminals such as personal computers and recent mobile phones can access servers all over the world via the so-called Internet. Those users can browse various web pages while staying at a favorite place such as home. In addition, it has become possible for a plurality of users at remote locations to communicate in real time using an information terminal.

  When users in remote places communicate with each other, it is convenient that both users share the same information and browse the same information, thereby enabling smooth communication. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described later disclose technologies for sharing data of web pages between terminals each having a browser for browsing web pages published on a network. .

  The system described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of terminals connected via a network. In this technology, when an operation is performed on the browser of one terminal, the terminal has a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating the location of data on the network and the data being browsed. Information on operations performed on the browser is transmitted. The other terminal operates in accordance with these pieces of information, acquires data at a location represented by the URL, and displays the data according to the operation represented by the operation information. Therefore, the operation state for the browsers in both terminals is kept the same, and the browsers in both terminals can acquire and display data at the same URL.

  The system described in Patent Literature 2 includes a plurality of terminals each connected to a network, and a collaboration server connected to the network and having a cache for data sharing. When an operation is performed on the browser of a certain terminal, the terminal reflects the contents of the performed operation. If the operation at this time requires data acquisition, the terminal acquires a page for sharing via the collaboration server. If the operation at this time requires an operation other than the operation that requires data acquisition (for example, movement of a scroll bar, movement of focus selection, etc.), the terminal goes to a page for sharing via the collaboration server. The contents of the operation are reflected. When the operation content is reflected by a certain terminal in this way, the sharing partner's terminal acquires the information and reflects it in the browser of its own terminal.

  When there is a page acquisition request from the terminal, the collaboration server creates a shared page by combining the data acquired via the network and the operation information to the browser into a single page. In addition to sending to the terminal, the shared page is stored in the collaboration server cache. The collaboration server changes the content of the sharing page stored in the cache when a request for changing the content from the terminal to the sharing page is made by a browser operation. Further, when there is a change in the content of the sharing page, the sharing partner's terminal acquires the information and reflects it in the browser of the own terminal. In this way, the terminal can share the data in the same operation state as the other party by sharing the page for sharing stored in the cache of the collaboration server. For example, when the terminal operates the browser of its own terminal, the operation result is reflected in the sharing page, or when the content of the sharing page changes, the changed information is acquired and the page of the own terminal is acquired. To reflect.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-124461 Japanese Patent No. 3437933

  In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, information is shared about a location (URL) where data exists, and each terminal designates the URL to access a web server and acquire data. Therefore, if the data at the specified URL is changed between a certain access to the web server and the next access, data sharing is not performed.

  In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, a server having a cache function for data sharing is used, and terminals share the same data in the cache. Therefore, the problem of acquiring different data for each access can be solved. However, data shared between terminals in this technology is a sharing page created by the collaboration server. This sharing page includes operation information. Since the operation information changes according to the status of the operation performed on the terminal, the sharing page is data that changes according to the status of the operation performed on the terminal and cannot be reused. The collaboration server's cache function is for storing a shared page that is currently being shared. Therefore, the following problems arise.

  That is, first, even if the terminal has acquired data to be shared in the past, the terminal cannot reuse the data acquired in the past. Each time the data to be shared is specified, the terminal must request a page for sharing from the collaboration server and acquire the data from the collaboration server. Each time the data to be shared is specified in the terminal, the collaboration server must acquire the corresponding data from the web server, create a sharing page, and transmit it to the terminal. Therefore, every time a terminal accesses data, communication occurs between the collaboration server and the web server, and between the collaboration server and each terminal, and access from the terminal to the data is inefficiently correspondingly. It will be something.

  Second, in this technology, data cannot be shared only by the terminal, and another collaboration server having a cache function for storing a shared page is required. Furthermore, it is difficult to use the cache function of the collaboration server for purposes other than data sharing. The collaboration server's cache function is for saving the shared page that is currently shared, so the data acquired by accessing the web server is saved in the cache, and the saved data is saved. There is no proxy function provided to the terminal. If you try to implement the proxy function as described above using the collaboration server cache, you will receive access to the cache from devices other than those participating in data sharing. There is a risk that the contents of the cache will be rewritten. If the shared page that is the contents of the cache is rewritten, data sharing using the cache will not be established.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to easily share data among a plurality of browsers, and reliably and efficiently even when data to be shared with other devices changes. It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication device that enables data sharing.

  The communication device according to the first aspect of the present invention responds to the data transfer request from the server using the communication unit when the communication unit for communicating with the server and the other device and the data transfer request are given. A data acquisition means for acquiring data, an input means for receiving a predetermined operation input related to data browsing, and a data transfer request to the data acquisition means according to the operation input received by the input means; A browser for outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition means in a viewable manner, a data holding means for holding the data acquired by the data acquisition means, and the data acquisition means in response to a transfer request given by the browser When the data is acquired, the control information for causing the other device to execute the data acquisition operation is transmitted to the other device using the communication means. Control information transmitting means, a transfer request receiving means for receiving a data transfer request from another device using a communication means, and a transfer request receiving means requesting a transfer after the control information transmitting means transmits control information. The data providing means for providing the data held in the data holding means to another device using the communication means.

  Preferably, the communication device further includes a data acquisition unit when a condition that the transfer request receiving unit receives the data transfer request in a state where the condition that the control information transmitting unit transmits the control information is not satisfied is satisfied. Means for providing the transfer request to the device, and means for providing the data to another apparatus using the communication means when the data acquisition means acquires data corresponding to the transfer request given by the means for giving Including.

  A communication device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a communication device that exchanges data with a server and other devices, and communication means for communicating with the server and other devices, and data transfer When a request is given, data is acquired from the server using communication means and is given to the browser; input means for accepting a predetermined operation input related to data browsing; and input accepted by the input means A data transfer request is given to the data acquisition means according to the operation, a browser for outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition means in a viewable manner, and a flag attached to the data acquired by the data acquisition means And flagged data holding means. The flag is set to the first value or the second value. The communication device further sets the flag attached to the data to the first value when the data holding means holds the data acquired in response to the transfer request given from the browser by the data acquisition means. When the means and the flag are set to the first value, the control information for causing the other apparatus to execute the operation of acquiring the data corresponding to the flag is transmitted to the other apparatus using the communication means. Control information transmitting means, transfer request receiving means for receiving a data transfer request from another device using the communication means, and data corresponding to the transfer request received by the transfer request receiving means, The data held in the flagged data holding means together with the flag set to the value is provided to another device using the communication means, and the flag attached to the data is set to the second value. And a data providing means of the eye.

  Preferably, the communication device further has data corresponding to the transfer request received by the transfer request receiving means held in the flagged data holding means, and the flag held together with the data is set to the first value. If the condition that the transfer request is not satisfied, when the data corresponding to the transfer request given by the means for giving the transfer request to the data acquisition means and the means for giving by the data acquisition means is acquired, the data is Means for providing to other devices using communication means.

  A communication device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a communication device that exchanges data with a server and a plurality of other devices, and communication means for communicating with each of the server and the other devices. When a data transfer request is given, a data acquisition means for acquiring data from the server using the communication means, and a flag provided for each other device is attached to the data acquired by the data acquisition means Data holding means with a plurality of flags for holding. Each of the flags is set to a first value or a second value. The communication apparatus further includes a transfer request receiving means for receiving a data transfer request from another apparatus using the communication means, and the transfer request receiving means receives the transfer request from the first apparatus among the other apparatuses. If the data corresponding to the transfer request is not held in the multi-flagged data holding means together with the flag set to the first value corresponding to the first device, the transfer request is given to the data acquisition means. And a first data providing means for providing the data to the first device using the communication means when the data corresponding to the transfer request given by the means provided by the data obtaining means is obtained. When the data corresponding to the transfer request given by the means for giving by the data obtaining means is obtained and the data holding means with a plurality of flags holds the data, And a means for setting a flag corresponding to a second device different from the first device among the other devices, and the flag is set to the first value The control information transmitting means for transmitting the control information for causing the other apparatus to execute the operation for acquiring the data to the second apparatus using the communication means, and the transfer request received by the transfer request receiving means. The corresponding data that is held in the data holding means with a plurality of flags together with the flag set to the first value corresponding to the device that has sent the transfer request is transmitted using the communication means. Second data providing means for providing to the other original device and setting the flag of the other device attached to the data to the second value.

  Preferably, the communication device further includes an input unit for receiving a predetermined operation input related to browsing of data, a data transfer request to the data acquisition unit according to the operation input received by the input unit, and the data acquisition unit A browser for outputting the acquired data so that it can be browsed, and when the data acquisition means acquires data corresponding to the transfer request given by the browser and the data holding means with a plurality of flags holds the data, Means for setting a flag corresponding to each of the other attached devices to a first value.

  A communication apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention uses a communication means for communicating with another apparatus, a browser for displaying data in a viewable manner, and the communication means, and sends an instruction to acquire data to the other apparatus. A data acquisition instruction receiving means for receiving the data, and a data receiving means for transmitting a transfer request to another apparatus based on the acquisition instruction and receiving data from the other apparatus using the communication means. The browser updates the output based on the data acquired by the data receiving means.

  When the computer program according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer, the computer program causes the computer to operate as any one of communication apparatuses according to the first to fourth aspects.

  A data sharing system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a first communication device having any one of the communication devices according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, and a fourth aspect of the present invention. And a second communication device having such a communication device. The communication means of the first communication device communicates with the communication means of the server and the second communication device, and the communication means of the second communication device communicates with the communication means of the first communication device.

  The data sharing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is used together with a predetermined browser for displaying data in a viewable manner, and the display of the data to be browsed performed by the browser is a predetermined sharing partner. This is a data sharing device for sharing data with a terminal device that is a sharing partner, as is also done in the terminal device. The browser issues a transfer request for the data to be browsed when executing the operation of acquiring the data to be browsed. In response to the browser requesting the transfer of data to be browsed, the data sharing device includes an acquisition unit for acquiring the browsing target data, and the browsing target data acquired by the acquisition unit in the browser Supply means for displaying the browsing object data on the browser, storage means for storing the browsing object data acquired by the acquisition means in a predetermined cache, and browsing by the supply means Data acquisition requesting means for requesting the terminal device serving as a sharing partner to acquire the data to be browsed from the cache when the target data is supplied to the browser.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used for the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a data sharing system according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a data sharing system 100 and a server 104 for providing data via a network 102 are connected to the network 102, share data provided by the server 104, and share the data with each other. Terminal devices 110 and 112 for displaying in a viewable manner in the same manner as others are included. Specifically, the server 104 is a general web server, holds data such as web pages, and responds to reception of a predetermined transfer request via the network 102, and data corresponding to the transfer request. To the requester. More specifically, in response to receiving a predetermined HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request via the network 102, data corresponding to the transfer request is returned.

  From the viewpoint of whether the terminal devices 110 and 112 are devices that actively perform processing for data sharing and start data sharing, or devices that are data sharing partners for the device on the start side. There are two types of devices. That is, the terminal device 110 that manages the data to be shared and starts processing required for data sharing (hereinafter referred to as “starting side”) and the sharing partner for the terminal device ( Hereinafter, it is referred to as “the other party”). In the present specification, the former terminal device 110 is referred to as a “starting-side shared terminal device”, and the latter terminal device 112 is referred to as a “other-party shared terminal device”. It is not fixed whether the terminal device belongs to the start side or the other side, but in the following description, the terminal device 110 is the start side and the terminal device 112 is the other side.

  The initiating terminal device 110 transmits a transfer request to the server 104 via the network 102, displays the data returned from the server 104 in a viewable manner, and displays the returned data with the counterpart shared terminal device 112. Share. The partner-side shared terminal device 112 shares data with the initiating-side shared terminal device 110 via the network 102, acquires the shared data, and displays the data in a viewable manner.

  The initiating shared terminal device 110 includes a communication unit 120 serving as an interface for performing communication via the network 102, an input unit 122 for receiving operation information from the user and issuing operation information corresponding to the operation, A browser 126 for acquiring and displaying data according to the operation information issued by the input unit 122, and mediating the acquisition of data by the browser 126, and the acquired data and the operation by the user with the partner shared terminal device 112 A start-side sharing control unit 124 for performing processing shared between them, and a cache 128 that is connected to the start-side sharing control unit 124 and stores data acquired by the browser 126 via the start-side sharing control unit 124 including.

  The partner shared terminal device 112 includes a communication unit 130, an input unit 132, a browser 136, and a browser 136 having the same functions as those of the communication unit 120, the input unit 122, and the browser 126 of the start side shared terminal device 110. And a partner-side sharing control unit 134 for executing processing for mediating the acquisition and sharing the acquired data and the operation by the user. The counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 may include the same cache as the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110. However, in the data sharing system 100 according to the present embodiment, when sharing data and operations, the counterpart shared The cache of the terminal device 112 is not used.

  The browsers 126 and 136 are both general web browsers. That is, in accordance with an operation by the user, an HTTP request is issued to request transfer of data provided on the network 102, an HTTP response corresponding to the issued HTTP request is received, and data included in the HTTP response To be viewable. However, the content of the operation on the browser is directly given from the input unit 122 or 132 to the browser 126 or 136, and further given to the initiating side sharing control unit 124 or the partner side sharing control unit 134. The start-side sharing control unit 124 and the partner-side sharing control unit 134 control the browsers 126 and 136 based on the given operation information, and share data and operations. Hereinafter, browsers 126 and 136 may be referred to as “starting browser 126” and “other browser 136”, respectively.

  User operations on the browser can be classified into the following two types. That is, an operation that updates data of the browser 126 or 136 and an operation that is not included in the operation of updating data. Specifically, an operation for designating an address of data such as a URL, an operation for clicking an object in which a hyperlink to other data is set, and “advance” for updating to another data using the data acquisition history An operation of pressing a “return” button, an operation of pressing a reload button for re-acquiring data, and an operation of pressing a button for transmitting form data correspond to the former operation. The operation for updating the display based on the currently held data corresponds to the latter operation. Specifically, operations that scroll the display, operations that click an object with a hyperlink to another position in the same data, and operations that enlarge or reduce the browser display area correspond to the latter operations. To do.

  The initiating shared terminal device 110 and the counterpart shared terminal device 112 share data and operations related to the display so that both display the same information in the same state. FIG. 2 shows a display transition example in the browsers 126 and 136. Referring to FIG. 2, it is assumed that the user performs an operation of updating data in initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 or counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112. In response to this operation, the initiating shared terminal device 110 and the counterpart shared terminal device 112 share data. For example, when the initiating shared terminal device 110 acquires certain data and the initiating browser 126 displays the display screen 150, the counterpart shared terminal device 112 also acquires the same data as the data used for displaying the screen 150. To do. The partner browser 136 displays the same screen 152 as the screen 150.

  Furthermore, when one of the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 and the other shared terminal apparatus 112 performs an operation that is not included in the operation for updating data, the operation is first reflected in the display of the apparatus that has accepted the operation. The same operation is reflected in the display of the other device. For example, it is assumed that the user of the initiating shared terminal device 110 has performed an operation of moving the scroll bar 154A on the screen 150 downward. This operation is first reflected in the browser 126 on the start side. That is, the display of the browser 126 on the start side is changed from the screen 150 to the screen 160. On the screen 160, the display position of the scroll bar 154A moves, and accordingly, the display of data on the screen is also changed. By sharing the subsequent operation, the operation is reflected in the browser 136 of the other party. That is, the display on the partner browser 136 is changed from the screen 152 to the same screen 162 as the screen 160 displayed on the start browser 126. The position of the scroll bar 154B on the screen 162 is the same position as the position of the scroll bar 154A on the screen 160.

  The initiating shared terminal device 110 and the counterpart shared terminal device 112 create browser control information in response to user inputs. Further, control information is exchanged so that the control performed on the browser of one device is also performed in the browser of the other device. The control information includes, for example, information for controlling processing corresponding to operations such as scrolling, advancing, returning, and history display of the browser display screen, and a URL indicating the position of data to be acquired and a position indicated by the URL This is information for controlling the browser to receive the data transfer corresponding to.

  In order for the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 and the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 to perform the same display, it is necessary for both to obtain the same data. However, even if the data provided by the server 104 is data identified by the same URL, it may change depending on the access timing or the like.

  Therefore, the data sharing system 100 according to the present embodiment uses the cache 128 to share data. In general web browsers, a cache is used to improve data access speed. That is, when a web browser accesses the network to acquire and display data, the acquired data is stored in a cache. When trying to display the same data again, the web browser acquires the corresponding data from the cache and displays it. As a result, the browser can repeatedly display the same data without accessing the network 102.

  In the data sharing system 100 according to the present embodiment, the cache 128 has a function as a general cache for the browser 126 on the start side. However, the cache 128 functions as the only transfer source of data to be shared with the browser 136 on the other side. That is, when an operation for obtaining a process requiring data acquisition is performed, the initiating shared terminal device 110 acquires data from the server 104 or the cache 128 prior to the counterpart shared terminal device 112, and the initiating browser 126. Forward to. Further, by storing the acquired data in the cache 128, the same data as the data transferred to the initiating browser 126 is prepared. Then, the other browser 136 receives the transfer of the data stored in the cache 128.

<Constitution>
FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of data in the cache 128 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, cache 128 includes a plurality of cache data 170A, 170B,. Each of the cache data 170A, 170B,..., 170N includes a name 172 for identifying the cache data and data 174. The name 172 corresponds to the URL used when the data 174 is acquired via the network 102. When the initiating side sharing control unit 124 acquires data from the cache 128, the name 172 is referred to and data to be acquired is selected.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of control information created by the start-side sharing control unit 124 and the counterpart-side sharing control unit 134. Referring to FIG. 4, there are two types of information in the control information. One control information 180A is operation control information for instructing the browser to perform an operation corresponding to an operation not included in the operation for updating data. The other control information 180B is data acquisition control information for instructing data acquisition in response to an operation of updating data.

  The operation control information 180A includes a field 182 for storing an operation control request, which is a parameter indicating that the control information requests the browser to perform an operation corresponding to an operation not included in the operation for updating data, Content 184.

  The data acquisition control information 180B includes a field 186 for storing a data acquisition control request that is a parameter indicating that the control information is a request for data acquisition, and a URL 188 corresponding to the data to be acquired. The data acquisition control information 180B according to the present embodiment further includes transfer source designation information 190 indicating whether the transfer source when acquiring data is the server 104 on the network 102 or a cache. The transfer source designation information 190 takes one of a first value indicating that the transfer source is a server and a second value indicating that the transfer source is a cache. When the initiating shared terminal device 110 transmits the data sharing control information 180B to the other shared terminal device 112, the initiating shared control unit 124 sets the value of the transfer source designation information 190 to the second value. . In other cases, the value of the transfer source designation information 190 is set by the start side sharing control unit 124 or the partner side sharing control unit 134.

  The initiating shared terminal device 110 according to the present embodiment is substantially hardware similar to a general computer for executing a program and a computer program (hereinafter simply referred to as “program”) executed by the hardware. And the data stored in the hardware. FIG. 5 shows the internal configuration of the computer system 200.

  With reference to FIG. 5, the computer system 200 includes a computer 210, a keyboard 212, a mouse 214, and a monitor 216. The computer 210 includes a CD-ROM (compact disk read only memory) drive 222 and an FD (flexible disk) drive 226, a CPU (central processing unit) 228, a keyboard 212, a mouse 214, a monitor 216, and a CD-ROM drive. 222, an FD drive 226, a bus 230 connected to the CPU 228, a read only memory (ROM) 232 connected to the bus 230 for storing a boot-up program and the like, and connected to the bus 230, and a program command, a system program, and A random access memory (RAM) 234 that stores work data and the like, a hard disk 236 that stores programs and data, and a network adapter board 238 that provides a connection to the network 102 shown in FIG.

  A program for causing the computer system 200 to operate as the initiating shared terminal device 110 is stored in the CD-ROM 220 or FD 224 inserted into the CD-ROM drive 222 or FD drive 226 and further transferred to the hard disk 236. . Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 210 through the network 102 (see FIG. 1) and stored in the hard disk 236. The program is loaded into the RAM 234 when executed. The program may be loaded directly into the RAM 234 from the CD-ROM 220, from the FD 224, or via the network 102.

  This program includes a plurality of instructions for causing computer 210 to operate as initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. Some of the basic functions required to perform this operation are provided by operating system (OS) or third party programs running on the computer 210, or modules of various toolkits installed on the computer 210. Therefore, this program does not necessarily include all the functions necessary for causing the computer 210 to execute the operation of the initiating shared terminal device 110. The program calls only an instruction for executing the operation as the initiating shared terminal device 110 described above by calling an appropriate function or “tool” in a controlled manner so as to obtain a desired result. It only has to be included. The operation of computer system 200 is well known and will not be repeated here.

  FIG. 6 shows a control structure of a program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110. Referring to FIG. 6, when initiating shared terminal process 260 is started, in step 262, it is determined whether or not there is an operation by the user. If the operation information is issued by the input unit 122 (see FIG. 1), the process proceeds to step 264. Otherwise, go to step 274. In step 264, based on the operation information, it is determined whether the operation by the user is an operation for updating data or other operation. If the operation requires an operation involving data acquisition, the process proceeds to step 270. Otherwise, go to step 272. This determination is executed in the browser 126.

  In step 270, a start-side data sharing process for realizing data sharing with the partner-side shared terminal device 112 (see FIG. 1) is performed, and the process returns to step 262. Details of the start-side data sharing process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step 272, an operation sharing process is performed to share an operation for obtaining an operation without acquiring new data, and the process returns to step 262. Details of the operation sharing process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  When the processing shifts from step 262 to step 274, in step 274, it is determined whether control information has been received from the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112. If control information is received, the process proceeds to step 276. Otherwise, return to step 262.

  In step 276, the received control information is analyzed. In the following step 278, it is determined whether the received control information is the operation control information 180A or the data acquisition control information 180B. If the control information is the data acquisition control information 180B, the process proceeds to the start side data sharing process in step 270. If it is the operation control information 180A, an operation control information reflection process for reflecting the content of the operation represented by the operation control information 180A in the initiating browser 126 is performed in step 280, and the process returns to step 262. Details of the operation control information reflection process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows a control structure of the start side data sharing process performed in step 270 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 7, when the start side data sharing process of step 270 is started, in step 302, the start side browser 126 issues a transfer request according to the data acquisition control information 180B, and the start side sharing control unit 124 accepts this. If the operation accepted in step 262 of FIG. 6 is an operation that specifies data acquisition from the server 104, such as an operation of pressing a reload (reread) button, data transfer is prohibited in the transfer request. Add a description for For example, when a transfer request is made with an HTTP request, a description “Pragma: no-cache” for prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache 128 is added to the header.

  In step 304, data is acquired from the transfer source designated by the transfer request. That is, if the server 104 is designated as the transfer source, the transfer request accepted in step 302 is transmitted to the server 104 via the network 102 based on the transfer request, and data is received from the server 104. If a cache is designated as the transfer source, the corresponding data is read from the cache 128 (see FIG. 1).

  In step 306, the data acquired in step 304 is supplied to the start-side browser 126, and the data is reflected on the display of the start-side browser 126. In step 308, the data received in step 304 is stored in the cache 128, and the data reflected in the browser 126 on the start side is synchronized with the data in the cache 128.

  In the subsequent step 310, the data acquisition control information 180B is prepared, and the transfer source designation information 190 is set to a second value representing the cache 128. In step 312, the data acquisition control information 180B prepared in step 310 is transmitted to the counterpart shared terminal device 112 (see FIG. 1). In step 316, the process waits for a transfer request to be transmitted from the partner shared terminal device 112, and proceeds to step 318 when a transfer request is received. When a transfer request is received from the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112, the transfer request includes information specifying transfer of data from the cache 128, as will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step 318, data to be transferred is acquired from the cache 128 in accordance with the transfer request received in step 316. In step 320, the data acquired in step 318 is transmitted to the other party shared terminal device 112, and the process ends.

  FIG. 8 shows a control structure of the operation sharing process executed in step 272 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 8, when the operation sharing process in step 272 is started, in step 344, the operation waits for the operation to be reflected in its own browser, and information on the browser operation is obtained from the browser. If the operation is reflected, the process proceeds to step 346. In step 346, operation control information 180A is created based on the information obtained in step 274, the operation control information 180A is transmitted to other devices in the sharing relationship, and the process ends.

  FIG. 9 shows a control structure of the operation control reflection process executed in step 280 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 9, when the operation control information reflecting process in step 280 is started, in step 360, information simulating the operation information is displayed to the browser based on operation control information 180A received from another device. Generate and issue to browser. In step 362, the control waits for the operation of the control content specified by the operation control information 180A to be reflected in the browser. When the operation is reflected, the process ends.

  The counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 (see FIG. 1) according to the present embodiment includes hardware for executing the same program as the computer system 200 (see FIG. 5) according to the start shared terminal apparatus 110, and the hardware. This is realized by a program executed by the program and data stored in the hardware. Since the internal structure of the computer that realizes the function of partner-side shared terminal apparatus 112 is the same as that of computer system 200 shown in FIG. 5 and its operation is well known, description thereof will not be repeated here.

  FIG. 10 shows a control structure for causing a computer to realize the functions of the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112. Referring to FIG. 10, the control structure of counterpart shared terminal process 380 is similar to the control structure of initiator shared terminal process 260 shown in FIG. 10, the same steps as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. However, in the partner-side shared terminal process 380, the process of step 388 is performed instead of the start-side data sharing process in step 270 of the start-side shared terminal process 260. In step 388, the other party data acquisition process for acquiring the data shared with the start side shared terminal apparatus 110 and reflecting it in the own browser is performed. In the partner shared terminal process 380, if the determination result in the start shared terminal process 264 is obtained, the process proceeds to step 386. In step 386, counterpart data sharing processing for realizing data sharing with the initiating shared terminal device 110 is performed, and the process proceeds to step 388.

  FIG. 11 shows a control structure of the counterpart data sharing process executed in step 386 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 11, when the counterpart data sharing process is started in step 386, data acquisition control information 180B is created based on the transfer request and transmitted to initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 in step 424. The start side shared terminal device 110 performs a start side data sharing process (see FIG. 7) on the data acquisition control information 180B, and transmits the data acquisition control information 180B. In step 426, the process waits for the data acquisition control information 180B to be transmitted from the initiating shared terminal device 110. When the data acquisition control information 180B is received, the partner data sharing process 386 is terminated, and the process proceeds to the partner data acquisition process shown in step 388 of FIG.

  The counterpart data acquisition process in step 388 shown in FIG. 10 is executed when the data acquisition control information 180B is given from the initiating shared terminal 110. The data acquisition control information 180B is transmitted in step 312 of the start side data sharing process shown in FIG. Therefore, the transfer source designation information 190 of the data acquisition control information 180B is set to the second value.

  FIG. 12 shows a control structure of the counterpart data acquisition process executed in step 388 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 12, when this process is started, in step 442, counterpart communication control unit 134 (see FIG. 1) issues a transfer request according to the received data acquisition control information 180B. Since the cache is designated as the data transfer source in the data acquisition control information 180B, the counterpart sharing control unit 134 transmits this transfer request to the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110. This transfer request includes information indicating that a transfer of data from the cache 128 of the initiating shared terminal device 110 is requested.

  The initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 receives this transfer request at step 316 shown in FIG. 7, and performs the processing at steps 318 and 320. As a result, the initiating shared terminal device 110 transmits the data in the cache 128 to the counterpart shared terminal device 112.

  In step 444, the data transmitted from the initiating shared terminal device 110 is acquired. In step 446, the data received in step 444 is given to the partner browser 136, the data is reflected in the display of the partner browser 136, and the process ends.

<Operation>
The data sharing system 100 (see FIG. 1) according to the present embodiment roughly executes two types of operations. One operation is to perform data sharing and reflect the same data to the initiating browser 126 and the partner browser 136, and the other operation is to share the user's operation and the browsers 126 and 136. This is an operation for keeping the display state the same. Any operation is started in response to an operation by the user of the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 or the user of the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112.

  First, the operation for data sharing will be described. FIG. 13 shows a sequence of processing for newly acquiring and sharing data in the server 104 when the user performs an operation on the initiating shared terminal device 110. Referring to FIG. 13, the user of initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 performs an operation that requires data acquisition on input unit 122. The input unit 122 (see FIG. 1) generates operation information 460 corresponding to the operation.

  Here, the initiating shared terminal device 110 performs the following processing 462 and transmits a transfer request 464 to the server 104. That is, the initiating browser 126 operates in accordance with the given operation information. In this case, the URL of data to be acquired is specified based on the operation, and a transfer request 464 related to the data is issued. At this time, if the accepted operation is an operation designating acquisition of data from the server 104, a description for prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache 128 is added to the transfer request by the browser. The initiating side sharing control unit 124 first specifies the URL of the data to be acquired based on the transfer request. When the data corresponding to the transfer request is not in the cache 128, or when transfer of data from the cache is prohibited by the above description, the transfer request is transmitted to the server 104 via the communication unit 120. .

  Upon receiving the transfer request 464, the server 104 performs processing 466 for acquiring data of the URL specified by the transfer request, and transmits the acquired data 468 to the initiating shared terminal device 110 that is the transfer request source. The initiating side sharing control unit 124 receives the data 468 via the communication unit 120.

  If the data corresponding to the transfer request is in the cache 128 and the transfer request does not have a description prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache, the following processing is performed in step 462 instead of obtaining the data 468 from the server 104. That is, the initiating side sharing control unit 124 acquires the data 468 of the URL specified by the transfer request from the cache 128 based on the transfer request.

  As described above, when the start-side sharing control unit 124 acquires the data 468, the data 468 is given to the start-side browser 126, and the data 468 is reflected in the display of the start-side browser 126. The initiating side sharing control unit 124 further stores the data 468 in the cache 128. Of the cache data 170A, 170B,..., 170N (see FIG. 3) in the cache 128, the data 174 in the cache data is the browser 126 on the start side. It becomes the same data as the data displayed in.

  Subsequently, the start-side sharing control unit 124 performs processing 474 for creating data acquisition control information 476 for causing the partner browser 136 (see FIG. 1) to execute data acquisition. The URL 188 of the data acquisition control information 476 to be created is the same as the URL specified based on the transfer request in the process 462. However, the start-side sharing control unit 124 sets the transfer source designation information 190 to the second value in order to designate the cache 128 as the transfer source. The initiating side sharing control unit 124 transmits the created data acquisition control information 476 to the counterpart side sharing terminal device 112 via the communication unit 120.

  Upon receiving the data acquisition control information 476 via the communication unit 130, the counterpart side sharing control unit 134 (see FIG. 1) executes the following process 478. That is, the counterpart sharing control unit 134 performs a process of issuing a transfer request 480 relating to data corresponding to the URL 188 (see FIG. 4) of the data acquisition control information 476 according to the received data acquisition control information 476. The URL specified in this transfer request is the same as the URL specified by the transfer request 464. However, since the cache 128 is designated as the transfer source in the data acquisition control information 476, the cache 128 is also designated as the transfer source in the issued transfer request 480. The counterpart side sharing control unit 134 transmits the transfer request 480 to the initiating side sharing terminal device 110 via the communication unit 130.

  When the start-side sharing control unit 124 receives the transfer request 480 from the partner-side shared terminal device 112 via the communication unit 120, the initiating-side sharing control unit 124 executes the following process 482. That is, the initiating side sharing control unit 124 specifies the data transfer source based on the transfer request. In the transfer request 480, the cache 128 is designated as the transfer source. Therefore, the start side sharing control unit 124 acquires the corresponding data 484 from the cache 128 (see FIG. 3). At this time, the initiating sharing control unit 124 selects the cache data 170A, 170B,..., 170N having the name 172 corresponding to the URL specified by the transfer request 480, and the data 174 in the cache data is selected. get. Since the URL specified by the transfer request 480 is the same as the URL specified by the transfer request 464, the data 484 acquired at this time is the data 468 transmitted from the server 104 to the initiating shared terminal device 110 in the process 466. It becomes. The acquired data 484 is transmitted to the other party shared terminal device 112.

  When the partner-side sharing control unit 134 receives this data 484 via the communication unit 130 (see FIG. 1), the partner-side sharing control unit 134 gives the data 484 to the partner-side browser 136 and displays the data 484 on the partner-side browser 136. To reflect. The data 484 reflected on the display of the partner browser 136 is the same as the data 468 reflected on the display of the start browser 126. Therefore, the same data as the data reflected on the display on the browser 126 on the start side is reflected on the display on the browser 136 on the other side.

  FIG. 14 shows a sequence of data sharing processing when the user performs an operation on partner-side shared terminal apparatus 112. In FIG. 14, the same processes and information as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Referring to FIG. 14, the user of partner-side shared terminal apparatus 112 performs an operation for updating data on input unit 132 (see FIG. 1). The input unit 132 generates operation information 500 corresponding to the operation, and provides the operation information 500 to the browser 136 on the other side. The partner-side shared device 112 performs the following processing 502. That is, first, the counterpart browser 136 issues a transfer request in response to the operation information 500. The counterpart sharing control unit 134 creates data acquisition control information 504 based on the transfer request and transmits the data acquisition control information 504 to the initiating shared terminal device 110 via the communication unit 130.

  In this case, the start-side shared terminal apparatus 110 creates a transfer request based on the data acquisition control information 504 in process 462 and transmits it to the server 104. Thereafter, the initiating shared terminal device 110 executes a process similar to the process shown in FIG. Therefore, the same data as the data reflected on the display on the browser 126 on the start side is reflected on the display on the browser 136 on the other side.

  Next, an operation for realizing operation sharing will be described. One of the start side shared terminal device 110 and the other side shared terminal device 112 shown in FIG. 1 performs an operation other than an operation for updating data. The browser (browser 126 or browser 136) of the device that has received the operation operates in accordance with the operation, and the sharing control unit (the start-side sharing control unit 124 or the partner-side sharing control unit 134) of the device that has received the operation. When the browser operates according to the operation information and the operation is reflected, the browser obtains information on the operation of the browser. The sharing control unit creates operation control information 180A based on the obtained information, and transmits the operation control information 180A to other devices in a sharing relationship.

  When the operation control information 180A is received, information imitating the operation information is generated for the browser based on the operation control information 180A and given to the browser. It waits for the operation of the control content specified by the operation control information 180A to be reflected in the browser. When the operation is reflected, the process ends.

  As described above, even when an operation requesting a process involving data acquisition is performed in either the initiating shared terminal device 110 or the counterpart shared terminal device 112, the data acquisition control information corresponding to the operation is stored. Are integrated into the initiating shared terminal device 110. As a result, the initiating shared terminal device 110 acquires data prior to the counterpart shared terminal device 112. At this time, it is possible to select whether to newly acquire data from the server 104 or to acquire data that already exists in the cache.

  Further, the acquired data is reflected on the display of the browser 126 on the start side and held in the cache 128. As a result, even if the data reflected in the browser 126 on the start side is new data acquired from the server 104 or stored in the cache 128, the same data as that data is stored in the cache 128. Will be prepared. After the data is stored in the cache 128, the initiating shared terminal device 110 issues data acquisition control information to the counterpart shared terminal device 112, so that the counterpart shared terminal device 112 can acquire the data in the cache 128. It becomes possible.

  Furthermore, the initiating shared terminal device 110 designates the cache 128 as the transfer source in the data acquisition control information. As a result, the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 requests transfer of data from the cache 128. In response to this request, initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 selects cache 128 as the data transfer source, and transmits the data stored in cache 128 to counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112. Therefore, the same data as the data reflected on the display on the browser 126 on the start side is reflected on the display on the browser 136 on the other side.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the initiating shared terminal device 110 and the counterpart shared terminal device 112 set transfer source designation information in the data acquisition control information and cause the browser to designate the transfer source, so that the initiating side Data sharing between the shared terminal device 110 and the counterpart shared terminal device 112 was realized. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment.

  In the second embodiment described below, the data acquisition control information does not include transfer source designation information. Instead, information relating to the designation of the transfer source is added to the data itself stored in the cache. Then, when acquiring data, the transfer source is selected based on the information to be given. In the second embodiment, as will be described later, even if a plurality of counterpart shared terminals are connected via the network 102 to a single start shared terminal, data sharing is appropriately realized. it can. As a premise, the transmission destination of the transfer request of the partner shared terminal apparatus 112 is always set to the start shared terminal apparatus 110 regardless of the URL of the data to be acquired. This is realized, for example, by setting the initiating shared terminal device 110 as a proxy server of the counterpart shared terminal device 112.

  Similar to the data sharing system 100 according to the first embodiment, the data sharing system according to the second embodiment includes a start-side shared terminal device 110 and a partner-side shared device 112. The initiating shared terminal device 110 and the counterpart shared device 112 are realized by hardware similar to that of the first embodiment, a program executed by the hardware, and data stored in the hardware. Is done. However, the data structure of the cache according to the present embodiment is different from that of the cache according to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 shows the data structure of the cache according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 15, cache 530 stores cache data 532A, 532B,. Each of these cache data 532A, 532B,..., 532N includes a name 172 and data 174 for identifying the data, similarly to the cache data 170A, 170B,. Further, for each of the cache data 532A, 532B,..., 532N, an area 540 is provided for storing a flag used to determine the transfer source when transferring data to the partner shared terminal device 112. Yes. In this area 540, a value representing the other party's shared terminal device is stored (hereinafter, this state is referred to as “a flag is set”). Or nothing is stored (hereinafter, this state is referred to as “flag is down”). The flag indicates that the data should be shared with the other party shared terminal device 112 represented by the value of the flag. For example, in the cache data 532A, a flag representing the other party shared terminal device named “shared party A” is set. This indicates that the cache data 532A identified by the name “www.xxx.co.jp” is a data sharing target. That is, when a transfer request relating to the cache data 532A is given, the data 174 in the requested cache data 532A should be acquired from the cache and transferred. For example, the flag of data 532B is down. This indicates that the cache data 532B identified by the name “www.ΔΔΔ.co.jp” is not a data sharing target. That is, when a transfer request relating to the cache data 532B is given to the initiating sharing control unit 124, the initiating sharing control unit 124 may acquire the data 532B from the cache and transfer it to the request issuing source. Represents that the data may be acquired from the server 104 and transferred to update the cache data 532B with the acquired data.

  The flag is set to a first value corresponding to the standing state or a second value corresponding to the falling state. If there is one counterpart shared terminal device, it is sufficient that the flag can be distinguished from the standing state and the descending state. In this case, it may be expressed by a binary value of 1 and 0. Only when the flag is in a standing state, information indicating that the flag is in a standing state is added, and when it is in a descending state, the information can be deleted. It is possible to represent the state of being down and the state of being down. When there are a plurality of partner-side shared terminal devices, a flag representing each partner-side shared terminal device is set. Each of these flags indicates whether the flag is standing or descending with respect to the corresponding counterpart shared terminal apparatus. In this case, a flag representing the state by binary values of 1 and 0 may be attached to the data for each partner shared terminal device. It is also possible to give information indicating the other party shared terminal device to which data transmission has not yet been performed to the data and delete the information when the data transmission to the other party shared terminal device is completed. The state where the flag is standing and the state where it is descending can be expressed.

  In the present embodiment, the start side sharing control unit 124 creates a data acquisition instruction as control information in place of the data acquisition control information 180B shown in FIG. FIG. 16 shows an example of a data acquisition instruction. The data acquisition instruction 550 includes a field 552 for storing a parameter indicating that the control information is an instruction to acquire data from the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 to the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112, and the data to be acquired. URL 554. The data acquisition instruction 550 does not have the transfer source designation information that the data acquisition control request information 180B according to the first embodiment has.

  In the second embodiment, the control structure of the process for realizing the operation executed by the start side sharing control unit 124 and the partner side sharing control unit 134 according to the operation not included in the operation of updating the data is This is the same as that of the first embodiment. The structure of processing executed by the start side sharing control unit 124 and the partner side 136 in response to an operation of updating data is different from the control structure of processing according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the control structure of the start side shared terminal process for realizing the operation of the start side shared control unit 124 in the program for causing the computer to realize the function as the start side shared terminal apparatus according to the second embodiment Will be explained.

  When the data transfer request (HTTP request) is given, the sharing control unit 124 of the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 acquires data for acquiring data corresponding to the transfer request (HTTP request) from the server 104 using an HTTP response. Processing, a control information transmission process for transmitting control information (data acquisition instruction) for causing the other-side shared terminal device 112 to execute an operation for acquiring data, and a data transfer request from the other-side shared terminal device 112 ( A transfer request receiving process for receiving (HTTP request), and a data providing process for providing data based on the transfer request (HTTP request) received in the data transfer request receiving process to the partner shared terminal device 112 using an HTTP response; To do.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the structure of the process 600 of the initiating sharing apparatus 110 when the input unit 122 (see FIG. 1) receives an operation for updating data. Referring to FIG. 17, when execution of process 600 is started, first, in step 602, an operation for updating data displayed by browser 126 is accepted. The browser 126 executes an operation corresponding to the accepted operation. In this case, since an operation to update data is accepted, the browser 126 issues a transfer request (HTTP request) for acquiring data to be newly displayed by the update. At this time, if the accepted operation is an operation designating acquisition of data from the server 104, a description for prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache is added to the header of the transfer request by the browser. In step 604, the name of the data to be acquired is checked based on the transfer request (HTTP request) issued in step 602. Specifically, a URL representing the location of the data to be acquired on the network is obtained.

  In step 606, it is determined whether the data held in the cache 128 at this time can be used for the subsequent processing. The condition that the data corresponding to the URL obtained in step 604 is held in the cache 128 and the description for prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache is not added to the transfer request (HTTP request) is satisfied. If so, it is determined that the data included in the cache 128 can be used, and the process proceeds to step 614. If it is not satisfied, it is determined that it cannot be used, and the process proceeds to Step 608.

  In step 608 and step 610, data acquisition processing is executed. In step 608, based on the URL obtained in step 604, the transfer request (HTTP request) issued in step 602 is transmitted to the server 104 via the communication unit 120. In step 610, data is acquired from the server 104. Specifically, a response (HTTP response) to the transfer request (HTTP request) transmitted in step 608 is received from the server 104. In the subsequent step 612, the acquired data is stored in the cache 128.

  In step 614, a flag is set in the data corresponding to the URL obtained in step 604 in the cache 128. If there are a plurality of counterpart shared terminal apparatuses 112, a flag corresponding to each counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 is set. In step 616, a control information transmission process is executed. That is, a data acquisition instruction 550 related to the acquired data is transmitted to the other party shared terminal device 112 via the communication unit 120. If there are a plurality of counterpart shared terminal devices 112, a data acquisition instruction 550 is transmitted to each counterpart shared terminal device 112. In step 618, the display content in the browser 126 is updated based on the acquired data in the cache 128, and the process 600 ends.

  As described above, when the browser 126 of the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 updates the display based on new data by the process 600 shown in FIG. 17, the data is held in the cache 128 and further corresponds to the data in the cache. Will be flagged.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a control structure of processing 640 in which the initiating shared terminal device 110 receives a transfer request (HTTP request) from the counterpart shared terminal device 112 and responds to the transfer request (HTTP request). Referring to FIG. 18, when the execution of process 640 is started, a transfer request reception process is executed in step 642. That is, a transfer request (HTTP request) is accepted.

  In step 644, the transfer request given in step 642 is analyzed. Specifically, the URL included in the HTTP request is extracted and the transmission source of the HTTP request is identified. At this time, it is checked whether there is a description for prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache in the header of the HTTP request.

  In step 646, the data requested by the other party is searched in the cache 128. In step 648, it is determined whether the data contained in the cache 128 can be used. That is, the condition that the data corresponding to the URL extracted in step 644 is retrieved from the cache 128 in step 646 and the description for prohibiting the transfer of data from the cache is not detected in step 644 is satisfied. If so, it is determined that the data in the cache 128 can be used, and the process proceeds to step 650. If the condition is not satisfied, it is determined that it cannot be used, and the process proceeds to Step 652.

  In step 650, it is determined whether or not a flag is set for the data in the cache 128 retrieved in step 646. If the flag is not set, the determination result is NO and the flow proceeds to step 652. If standing, the determination result is yes and the process proceeds to step 670. When there are a plurality of counterpart shared terminal apparatuses 112, it is determined whether or not the flag of the counterpart shared terminal apparatus of the transmission source identified in step 644 is set.

  In step 652 and step 654, data acquisition processing similar to that in step 608 and step 610 shown in FIG. 17 is executed. That is, in step 652, a transfer request (HTTP request) is transmitted to the server 104. In step 654, data is acquired from the server 104 by receiving a response (HTTP response) to the transfer request (HTTP request). In the subsequent step 656, the received data to be acquired is stored in the cache 128.

  In step 660, data corresponding to the transfer request is provided to the other party by returning the data acquired in step 654 to the other party. Specifically, the data acquired in step 654 is transmitted (using an HTTP response) to the transmission source of the transfer request.

  In step 662, the display content in the browser 126 is updated based on the data acquired in step 654. In the following step 666, it is determined whether there is a partner shared terminal device other than the data transmission destination in step 660. In the case where there is a partner shared terminal device other than the data transmission destination in step 660, for example, one start side shared terminal device 110 and two or more partner side shared terminal devices 112 share data. This is the case. If there is a partner shared terminal device other than the data transmission destination in step 660, the process proceeds to step 667. If not, the process 640 is terminated.

  In step 667, a flag of the partner shared terminal device other than the data transmission destination in step 660 corresponding to the data stored in the cache 128 in step 656 is set. In step 668, based on the flag set in step 667, control information transmission processing similar to that in step 616 in FIG. 17 is executed. That is, a data acquisition instruction 550 related to the acquired data is transmitted to the other party shared terminal apparatus other than the other party shared terminal apparatus that has transmitted the transfer request, and the process 640 ends. As a result, the operation performed in the other party shared terminal apparatus that has transmitted the transfer request can be reflected in the other party shared terminal apparatus.

  In steps 670 and 672, a data providing process is executed. That is, at step 670, an HTTP response including the data retrieved from the cache 128 at step 646 is prepared and transmitted to the other party shared terminal device 112. In subsequent step 672, the start side sharing control unit 124 clears the flag of the partner side shared terminal device 112 that is the transmission source of the transfer request corresponding to the data held in the cache 128, and ends the process 640. Even when there are a plurality of counterpart shared terminals, the flag to be lowered in step 672 is only the one corresponding to the data transmission destination in step 670. For the other flags corresponding to the other party shared terminal device 112, nothing is done. By doing so, it becomes possible to identify whether or not the data to be shared has been transmitted to each of the plurality of counterpart shared terminals by the flag.

  Note that in the determination in step 606 of FIG. 17, although a determination result indicating that the data can be used is obtained, a flag may be set in the data stored in the cache 128. In such a case, the process may proceed to step 608 to acquire data from the server 104.

  In this case, in step 612, the data newly acquired from the server 104 is stored in the cache 128 separately from the data that has already been stored and the flag is set. Further, a flag is also set for the data newly acquired from the server 104. In this way, both old data and new data corresponding to the same URL exist in the cache 128. In this case, among the data corresponding to the same URL, the oldest acquisition date is returned to the other party, and the old data is deleted from the cache 128. As a result, even if there is data that the partner shared terminal apparatus 112 has not yet acquired, the start shared terminal apparatus 110 acquires new data from the server 104, and then both the old data and the new data are both acquired. 112 can be provided.

  The sharing control unit 134 of the partner-side shared apparatus 112 acquires data acquisition instruction reception processing for receiving control information (data acquisition instruction) from the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 for instructing an operation for acquiring data, and acquires data. A data reception process for transmitting a transfer request (HTTP request) to the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 based on control information (data acquisition instruction) for instructing an operation and receiving data from the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 using an HTTP response; To do. Hereafter, the process of the other party shared terminal device 112 in 2nd Embodiment is shown using FIG. 19, FIG.

  FIG. 19 shows the structure of a process 700 for updating the display of the browser 136 in response to an operation on the input unit 132 by the user in the other party shared terminal device 112. When execution of the process 700 is started, in step 702, the browser 136 receives an operation for updating data via the input unit 132, and issues a transfer request (HTTP request) based on the operation. In step 704, the name of data to be acquired is checked. Specifically, the URL of the data to be acquired is obtained based on the operation in step 702. In step 706, the transfer request (HTTP request) issued in step 702 is transmitted to the initiating shared terminal device 110. In step 708, data is acquired from the initiating data sharing terminal device 110. Specifically, a response to the transfer request (HTTP response) transmitted in step 706 is received from the initiating shared terminal device 110 via the communication unit 130. In step 710, the display content in the browser 136 is updated based on the acquired data, and the process 700 is terminated.

  Note that the process in FIG. 19 is a process that can be performed in the existing browser technology if the start-side shared terminal device 110 is set as a proxy server. That is, the counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 designates the transmission destination of the transfer request (HTTP request) by setting the initiating shared terminal apparatus 110 as a proxy server.

  FIG. 20 shows the structure of the process 720 executed when the partner shared terminal apparatus 112 receives the data acquisition instruction 550 from the initiator shared terminal apparatus 110. When the execution of step 720 is started, a data acquisition instruction reception process is executed in step 722. That is, the data acquisition instruction 550 is received from the initiating shared terminal device 110 via the communication unit 130. In subsequent steps 724 and 726, data reception processing is executed. That is, in step 724, based on the data acquisition instruction 550 received in step 722, transfer including the URL 554 specified in the data acquisition instruction 550 received in step 722 to the initiating shared terminal device 110 via the communication unit 130. Send a request (HTTP request). In step 726, the counterpart sharing control unit 134 receives a response to the transfer request (HTTP response) from the initiating sharing terminal device 110 via the communication unit 130. In step 728, the display content in the browser 136 is updated based on the data received in step 726, and the process 720 is terminated.

  Also in the present embodiment, when an operation requesting a process involving data acquisition is performed in either the initiating shared terminal device 110 or the counterpart shared terminal device 112, a transfer request corresponding to the operation is started. To the shared terminal device 110 on the side. Therefore, the initiating shared terminal device 110 acquires data prior to the counterpart shared terminal device 112. Further, the acquired data is reflected on the display of the browser 126 on the start side and held in the cache 530. As a result, the same data as the data reflected in the browser 126 on the start side is prepared in the cache 530. At this time, a flag representing a counterpart terminal device sharing the data is set. This flag makes it possible to identify which data is to be shared. After the data is stored in the cache 530, the initiating shared terminal device 110 issues a data acquisition instruction to the counterpart shared terminal device 112, so that the counterpart shared terminal device 112 can acquire the data in the cache 530. become. The counterpart shared terminal apparatus 112 requests the initiating terminal apparatus 110 to transfer data. In response to this request, the initiating shared terminal device 110 searches the cache 530 for the same data as the requested data, and checks the flag. Since the data to be shared is flagged, the cache 530 is selected as the data transfer source, and the data stored in the cache 530 is transmitted to the partner shared terminal device 112. Therefore, the same data as the data reflected on the display on the browser 126 on the start side is reflected on the display on the browser 136 on the other side. Furthermore, the flag which stood at this time is lowered.

  When the data to be shared again is transferred to the initiating browser 126, the corresponding data in the cache is not flagged, so the data is acquired from the server 104 and the data in the cache is updated. be able to. Alternatively, the data in the cache can be transferred to the browser 126 as it is. On the other hand, when data is transferred to the browser 136 on the other side, the corresponding data in the cache is flagged, so that data is always acquired from the cache. Therefore, data can be shared with certainty.

  In the above embodiment, the flag in the cache is for designating the transfer source when the data is transferred, but this flag is used for setting the use authority regarding the data in the cache. You can also. For example, when there is a transfer request related to flagged data, the issuer of the transfer request is authenticated by the sharing partner represented by the flag, and the data is transferred only to the authenticated partner terminal device Can be. Accordingly, when a transfer request is received from a device other than the predetermined sharing partner via the network 102, the data can be prevented from being erroneously transmitted to the device other than the sharing partner. Therefore, what kind of data is shared by the users of the data sharing system is kept secret, and the privacy of the users can be protected.

  Furthermore, even when the initiating shared terminal device and the partner shared terminal device are not sharing data, it is possible to exchange data using the cache and the flag. For example, when a transfer request is given from the partner shared terminal device and there is no corresponding data in the cache, the data is acquired via the network 102 based on the request, transferred to the partner shared device 112, and a flag is set. Without storing the data in the cache. Thus, by using the flag and the cache, the initiating shared terminal device 110 operates as if it is a proxy server with respect to the counterpart shared terminal device 112.

  In the data sharing system 100 according to the first embodiment described above, when the initiating sharing control unit 124 gives the data acquisition control information 180B to the initiating browser 126, is there target data in the cache 128? The transfer source designation information is set depending on whether or not, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, even if there is target data in the cache 128, if the specified time has passed since the data was stored in the cache, the transfer source designation information is set so that new data is acquired from the server. You may make it do. Further, when there is target data in the cache, it may be set by the start side sharing control unit 124 or the other side sharing control unit 134 as appropriate according to a user instruction. Except for the case where the initiating sharing control unit 124 gives the data acquisition control information 180B to the browser 136 on the other party via the partner sharing control unit 134, the data acquisition control information 180B does not necessarily include the transfer source designation information 190. It does not have to be. For example, when the initiating sharing control unit 124 issues control information to cause the initiating browser 126 to acquire data, it issues data acquisition control information including a data acquisition control request 186 and a URL 188. Also good. In response to this data acquisition control information, the initiating browser issues a transfer request in the same manner as a general browser, and the initiating side sharing control unit 124 uses the data in the general browser based on the transfer request. The data is acquired from the server or the cache and transferred to the browser by the same operation as the acquisition operation.

  Further, previously cached data may be set as data to be shared. In this case, data cached in the past by one data sharing terminal device is acquired and set as data to be shared. Then, the data is shared with the terminal device that is the sharing partner using the method according to the first or second embodiment.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the start-side shared terminal device includes a cache, and data is shared using only the cache of the start-side shared terminal device. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It suffices that at least one device in the data sharing system has a cache, and at least one terminal has a function as a start-side shared terminal device. For example, instead of the start side shared terminal device, the other side shared terminal device may have a cache. In this case, the initiating shared terminal device gives the data received from the server 104 to its own browser and stores the data in the cache of the counterpart terminal device.

  Further, for example, both the partner shared terminal device and the start shared terminal device may have a cache. In this case, it is necessary to specify in advance which of the other party's shared terminal apparatus and the initiating side shared terminal apparatus is used for storing the data to be shared. In such a case, the apparatus that has received an operation requesting a process that requires data acquisition from the user may operate as a starter with respect to sharing of the data and store the data in its own cache.

  Note that the terminal device can be a sharing start side or a sharing partner side from time to time. In addition, each time a user performs an operation on a device participating in sharing, the terminal device that has received the operation may operate as a start side. In this case, if each terminal device in the data sharing system includes a cache, the cache of the terminal device that has received the operation may hold data shared in accordance with the operation. Data shared in the past is distributed in the cache of each terminal device in the data sharing system. Alternatively, the terminal device that has received the operation may store data in a specific terminal device, and the cache of the designated terminal device may hold data that is shared corresponding to the operation.

  In the above embodiment, the user operation on the browser on the start side is given to the sharing control unit. Then, the sharing control unit converts the operation content into control information and gives it to the browser, thereby designating the operation to be executed on the browser. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the browser may receive an operation directly from the user. In this case, sharing of data and operations is performed as follows, for example. That is, the browser receives an operation by the user and executes an operation corresponding to the operation. If the browser performs an operation that requires data acquisition, the browser issues a transfer request. In response to the transfer request, the sharing control unit executes the series of operations related to data sharing. When the browser performs other operations, the sharing control unit analyzes the operation given to the browser or the operation performed by the browser, creates control information according to the browser operation, and Send.

  As described above, by using the cache, the data displayed by the browser can be shared with other apparatuses as a sharing partner without using other servers. Even when the data to be shared in the server changes, the latest data can be shared. In addition, the data in the cache can be used to improve both the access speed to the data and the data sharing.

  It is possible to prevent the data from being rewritten by making it impossible to access the sharing target from a device other than the other device that is the sharing partner, so that the data to be viewed and the data to be browsed can be shared. The privacy of the sharing user can be protected. In addition, if there is data other than the data sharing target in the cache, the proxy function and data sharing can be provided by using the cache so that the data can be accessed for purposes other than data sharing. . Furthermore, by sharing information related to user operations, the same data can be displayed in the same display state as the device that is the sharing partner.

  In addition, it is possible to directly share data by communication with another apparatus serving as a sharing partner without using another server or the like.

  Further, by acquiring and displaying data to be shared via a device that is a sharing partner, the data can be shared with the device that is a sharing partner. Furthermore, by sharing information related to user operations with a sharing partner device, the same data can be displayed in the same display state as the sharing partner device.

  By executing the program according to each of the above embodiments on a computer, the operation and effect of each of the above embodiments can be realized on the computer. Further, by reading and executing the program from the recording medium recorded with the program, the operation and effect of each of the above embodiments can be realized by the computer.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim in the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are intended. Including.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the data sharing system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display transition in the browsers 126 and 136 of the start side shared terminal device 110 and the other party shared terminal device 112. FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure in the cache 128. FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of control information. It is a block diagram of the computer system which implement | achieves the function of the start side shared terminal device 110, and the function of the other party shared terminal device 112. 5 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a start side shared terminal process for realizing an operation of a sharing control unit 124 of the start side shared terminal apparatus 110. It is a figure showing the flow of the start side data sharing process performed in step 270 of the start side shared terminal process shown in FIG. It is a figure showing the flow of the operation sharing process performed in step 272 of the start side shared terminal process shown in FIG. It is a figure showing the flow of the operation control reflection process performed in step 280 of the start side shared terminal process shown in FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a partner-side shared terminal process for realizing the operation of the sharing control unit 134 of the partner-side shared terminal apparatus 112. It is a figure showing the flow of the other party data sharing process performed in step 386 of the start side shared terminal process shown in FIG. It is a figure showing the flow of the other party data acquisition process performed in step 388 of the start side shared terminal process shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the sequence of a data sharing process when the user of the start side shared terminal device 110 performs operation which requests | requires acquisition of data. It is a figure which shows the sequence of a data sharing process in case the user of the other party shared terminal device 112 performs operation which asks for acquisition of data. It is a figure showing the data structure of the cache which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the structure of the data acquisition instruction which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. In 2nd Embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process when the start side shared terminal device receives operation which updates data. In 2nd Embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which a start side shared terminal device responds to the transfer request received from the other party shared terminal device. In 2nd Embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process when the other party shared terminal device receives operation which updates data. In 2nd Embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which a other party shared terminal device performs according to a data acquisition instruction | indication.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Data sharing system, 102 Network, 104 server, 110 Initiation side shared terminal device, 112 Opposite side shared terminal device, 120, 130 Communication part, 122,132 Input part, 124 Initiation side share control part, 134 Opposite side share control part , 126, 136 Browser, 128, 530 Cache, 170A,..., N, 532A,..., N Cache data, 180A, 180B Control information, 210 Computer, 212 Keyboard, 214 Mouse, 216 Monitor, 220 CD-ROM, 222 CD -ROM drive, 224 FD, 226 FD drive, 228 CPU, 230 bus, 232 ROM, 234 RAM, 236 hard disk, 238 network adapter board, 550 Data acquisition instruction

Claims (10)

Communication means for communicating with the server and other devices;
When a data transfer request is given, a data acquisition unit for acquiring data corresponding to the data transfer request from the server using the communication unit;
An input means for accepting a predetermined operation input related to data browsing;
A browser for outputting a data transfer request to the data acquisition unit in response to an operation input received by the input unit, and outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition unit in a viewable manner,
Data holding means for holding data acquired by the data acquisition means;
When the data acquisition unit acquires the data in response to a transfer request given from a browser, control information for causing the other device to execute an operation of acquiring the data is transmitted using the communication unit. Control information transmitting means for transmitting to the device;
Transfer request receiving means for receiving a data transfer request from the other device using the communication means;
When the transfer request receiving unit receives the transfer request after the control information transmitting unit transmits the control information, the data held in the data holding unit is provided to the other device using the communication unit. And a data providing means. further,
When the condition that the transfer request receiving means receives a data transfer request in a state where the condition that the control information transmitting means transmits the control information is not satisfied, the transfer request is sent to the data acquisition means. Means to give
And means for providing the data to the other device using the communication means when the data acquisition means acquires data corresponding to the transfer request given by the means for giving. The communication apparatus according to 1. A communication device that exchanges data with a server and other devices,
Communication means for communicating with the server and other devices;
When a data transfer request is given, data is obtained from the server using the communication means, and is provided to the browser;
An input means for accepting a predetermined operation input related to data browsing;
A browser for outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition means so as to be viewable while giving a data transfer request to the data acquisition means according to the input operation accepted by the input means;
Including flagged data holding means for attaching and holding a flag to the data acquired by the data acquisition means,
The flag is set to a first value or a second value;
The communication device further includes:
Means for setting the flag attached to the data to the first value when the data holding means holds the data acquired by the data acquisition means in response to the transfer request given from the browser When,
When the flag is set to the first value, control information for causing the other device to execute an operation of acquiring data corresponding to the flag is transmitted to the other device using the communication unit. Control information transmitting means for,
Transfer request receiving means for receiving a data transfer request from the other device using the communication means;
The data corresponding to the transfer request received by the transfer request receiving means, the data held in the flagged data holding means together with the flag set to the first value, using the communication means A data providing means for providing to another device and setting a flag attached to the data to a second value; further,
The condition that the data corresponding to the transfer request received by the transfer request receiving means is held in the data holding means with flag and the flag held together with the data is set to the first value is satisfied. If not, means for giving the transfer request to the data acquisition means;
And means for providing the data to the other device using the communication means when the data acquisition means acquires the data corresponding to the transfer request given by the means for giving. Item 4. The communication device according to Item 3. A communication device that exchanges data with a server and a plurality of other devices,
Communication means for communicating with each of the server and the other devices;
When a data transfer request is given, a data acquisition unit for acquiring data from the server using the communication unit;
A plurality of flagged data holding means for attaching and holding a flag provided for each of the other devices to the data acquired by the data acquisition means,
Each of the flags is set to a first value or a second value,
The communication device further includes:
Transfer request receiving means for receiving a data transfer request from the other device using the communication means;
When the transfer request receiving means receives the transfer request from the first device among the other devices, the data corresponding to the transfer request is set to the first value corresponding to the first device. Means for giving the transfer request to the data acquisition means if not held in the data holding means with a plurality of flags together with the flag,
When the data acquisition means acquires data corresponding to the transfer request given from the means for giving, the first data provision means for providing the data to the first device using the communication means When,
When the data acquisition means acquires data corresponding to the transfer request given by the giving means, and the data holding means with the plurality of flags holds the data, a flag attached to the data, the other Means for setting a flag corresponding to a second device different from the first device among the devices to a first value;
When the flag is set to the first value, control for transmitting the control information for causing the other device to execute the operation to acquire the data to the second device using the communication unit. Information transmission means;
The data corresponding to the transfer request received by the transfer request receiving means and held in the data holding means with a plurality of flags together with the flag set to the first value corresponding to the transmission request transmission source device. For providing the data to the other device that is the transmission source of the transfer request using the communication means, and setting the flag of the other device attached to the data to the second value. And a data providing means. further,
An input means for accepting a predetermined operation input related to data browsing;
A browser for outputting the data acquisition request to the data acquisition means in response to an operation input received by the input means, and outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition means in a viewable manner;
When the data acquisition means acquires data corresponding to the transfer request given by the browser, and the data is held by the multiple flagged data holding means, it corresponds to each of the other devices attached to the data The communication device according to claim 5, further comprising means for setting a flag to be set to a first value. Communication means for communicating with other devices;
A browser for displaying the data in a viewable manner,
A data acquisition instruction receiving means for receiving a data acquisition instruction from the other device using the communication means;
Using the communication means, and a data receiving means for transmitting a transfer request to the other apparatus based on the acquisition instruction and receiving data from the other apparatus,
The communication apparatus, wherein the browser updates an output based on data acquired by the data receiving unit. A computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to operate as the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A first communication device comprising the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
A second communication device comprising the communication device according to claim 7,
The communication means of the first communication device communicates with a server and communication means of the second communication device;
The data sharing system, wherein the communication means of the second communication device communicates with the communication means of the first communication device. It is used together with a predetermined browser for displaying data so that it can be browsed, and becomes the sharing partner so that the display of the data to be browsed performed by the browser is also performed on a predetermined terminal device serving as a sharing partner. A data sharing device for sharing data with a terminal device,
The browser issues a transfer request for the data to be browsed when executing the operation of acquiring the data to be browsed,
The data sharing device includes:
In response to the transfer request for the data to be browsed issued by the browser, obtaining means for obtaining the data to be browsed;
Supplying the browsing object data acquired by the acquiring means to the browser, and supplying means for displaying the browsing object data on the browser;
Storage means for storing the data to be browsed acquired by the acquisition means in a predetermined cache;
A data acquisition requesting unit for requesting the terminal device serving as a sharing partner to acquire the browsing target data from the cache when the browsing target data is supplied to the browser by the supply unit; A data sharing device.

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