JP2005210161A - Peer-to-peer communication system, and communication method and communication program therefor, - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a peer-to-peer communication system which even a computer or a mobile phone or the like which is not installed with peer-to-peer communication software can easily access and acquire the content. <P>SOLUTION: The peer-to-peer communication system is provided therein with a server 4, the address denoting own location of which a terminal 5 which does not take part in the peer-to-peer communication system and installed with a browser for performing socket communication accesses, which establishes socket communication connection with the terminal 5, when the browser transmits a key denoting acquisition right of content of acquisition object in compliance with the HTTP protocol to the server 4, and transmits the content of acquisition object whose acquisition right is indicated by the key to the terminal 5 by the socket communication. Thus, the terminal 5 can acquire the content, even if the terminal 5 is not installed with the peer-to-peer communication software. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a peer-to-peer communication system, a communication method therefor, and a communication program, and in particular, a peer-to-peer communication system is constructed even with a computer (hereinafter also referred to as a terminal device) not equipped with peer-to-peer communication software. The present invention relates to a peer-to-peer communication system capable of easily accessing a network and acquiring content, a communication method thereof, and a communication program.

  A peer-to-peer communication technique as described in Patent Document 1 below has been widespread. In this peer-to-peer communication technology, computers equipped with software for peer-to-peer communication among a large number of computers connected to a wide area network such as the Internet form a group, and content stored in each computer participating in the group Is shared by each computer participating in the group. Thereby, a certain user can access a storage medium in another person's computer from his own computer and browse image data and the like stored therein.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-57701

  Peer-to-peer communication is possible to reduce the load on the center server and to share content within the group. However, there is an inconvenience that a terminal device that does not have peer-to-peer communication software, that is, does not participate in a group cannot access content in the peer-to-peer communication system.

  For example, even if an attempt is made to connect to a peer-to-peer communication system in which the user is participating from a destination computer to acquire necessary content, it is impossible to install the software for peer-to-peer communication on the computer. Also, since a portable terminal device such as a cellular phone has a small memory capacity, it cannot be equipped with software for peer-to-peer communication. Therefore, a necessary content can be acquired by accessing a peer-to-peer communication system from a cellular phone or the like. Can not. Furthermore, even if a content such as image data stored in a peer-to-peer communication system is introduced to a friend who does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system, the person cannot access and view the image data.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a peer-to-peer communication system, a communication method thereof, and a communication program capable of easily accessing a peer-to-peer communication system and acquiring contents even by a computer or a mobile phone not equipped with peer-to-peer communication software. It is in.

  The peer-to-peer communication system of the present invention is a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system and is accessed by an address indicating its location from a terminal device equipped with a browser that performs socket communication, and has the right to acquire content to be acquired. When a key to be transmitted is transmitted from the browser using the HTTP protocol, a socket communication connection is established with the terminal device, and the acquisition target content indicated by the key is acquired by socket communication with the terminal device. The system is provided with a server for transmitting data.

  The communication method of the present invention is a communication method for a server connected to a network that constructs a peer-to-peer communication system, from a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system and that includes a browser that performs socket communication. When a key indicating the right to acquire the content to be acquired is transmitted from the browser using the HTTP protocol, a socket communication connection is established with the terminal device and acquired using the key. The content to be acquired indicating the right is transmitted to the terminal device by socket communication.

  The communication program of the present invention is a communication program for performing communication processing of a server connected to a network that constructs a peer-to-peer communication system, and is a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system and is equipped with a browser that performs socket communication Establishing a socket communication connection with the terminal device when a key is accessed from the device at an address indicating the location of the server and a key indicating the acquisition right of the content to be acquired is transmitted from the browser using the HTTP protocol; Transmitting the acquisition target content indicated by the key to the acquisition right to the terminal device by socket communication.

  With these configurations, if the terminal device connection server address of the non-participant and the key indicating the content acquisition right are known, even if the terminal device is not equipped with peer-to-peer communication software, Can be obtained from a peer-to-peer communication system.

  According to the present invention, since a terminal device of a non-system participant can access and acquire content in the peer-to-peer communication system, convenience and usability of the peer-to-peer communication system are improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a peer-to-peer communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The peer-to-peer communication system in this example is constructed mainly for the exchange of image data, and includes a center server 2 connected to the network 1 and personal computers 3a, 3b,... (User terminals connected to the network 1). In this example, two units are shown) and a support server 4 connected to the network 1.

  The center server 2 and the support server 4 are installed by a system provider who provides this image data exchange system by peer-to-peer communication, and the system provider uses image exchange software for exchanging image data by peer-to-peer communication. Distribute The user installs the image exchange software on his computer 3a and starts it up, so that it is stored in the storage device in the other user's computer 3b,... You can access and view existing image data.

  A computer 5 or a mobile phone 6 that does not have image exchange software and does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system for exchanging image data accesses the support server 4 of the present embodiment, and performs the procedure described below. Accordingly, the image data stored in the peer-to-peer communication system can be browsed.

  The computer 5 is equipped with general-purpose browsing software (hereinafter referred to as a browser) capable of socket communication such as Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) of Microsoft Corporation and Netscape Navigator of Netscape Corporation. It is assumed that a browser capable of socket communication for mobile phones is installed. That is, the computer 5 and the mobile phone 6 are premised on that a browser having a socket communication means such as a flash is mounted.

  FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a communication processing procedure performed when the computer 5 or the mobile phone 6 accesses the image exchange peer-to-peer communication system and acquires image data. Hereinafter, the communication processing procedure in the computer 5 will be described, but the communication processing procedure in the mobile phone 6 is the same.

  For example, image data registered in a certain album (in this example, the album name “diving” in this example) from a friend who is currently participating in the image-exchange peer-to-peer communication system. It is assumed that an email requesting browsing is received by the computer 5. In this mail, the address (URL) of the support server 4 in the peer-to-peer communication system in which the image data is placed, and a group key indicating the browsing right (acquisition right) of the image data are described.

  When the operator of the computer 5 designates and clicks the URL of the support server 4 designated in the received mail with the cursor, the general-purpose browser 5a in the computer 5 is activated. First, the socket communication means 5b of the browser 5a opens an XML socket and notifies the support server 4 to that effect.

  Upon receiving this notification, the support server 4 generates a unique access key for the computer 5 (in FIG. 2, this access key is “abcde”), and returns the access key to the socket communication means 5b of the computer 5.

  The socket communication means 5b that has received the access key analyzes the access key, and transmits the analyzed access key to JavaScript in the browser 5a. At this time, the screen shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the monitor of the computer 5. When the operator selects the “Browse” button on this screen, the browser pulls down the group key described in the above email, so the operator selects the group key and clicks the “Install” button. Press.

  Thereby, the browser 5a uploads the group key of the XML file to the support server 4 using the HTTP protocol, and returns the access key to the support server 4. Access key transmission should be hidden to increase security.

  The support server 4 that has received the group key and the access key searches for a connection port destination of the XML socket opened in the computer 5 based on the access key, and establishes a socket communication connection. Also, the album name is acquired from the center server 2 based on the group key, and the XML group key is transmitted to the socket communication means 5 b of the computer 5. At this time, the data communication between the process of searching for the connection port destination of the XML socket in the support server 4 and the process of specifying the destination of returning the group key from the access key (socket communication means 5b in FIG. 2) is a process. Inter-communication.

  When the socket communication means 5b of the computer 5 receives the key file of the album name and the group key, it updates the album list and displays the screen shown in FIG. 4 on the monitor.

  Here, when the operator designates and clicks the album name “diving” with the cursor, an image request signal is transmitted from the socket communication means 5 b to the support server 4. The support server 4 that has received the image request signal receives the thumbnail image of each image data (diving 1, diving 2, diving 3,...) Registered in the album name “diving” and the address and image of the original image data. Comment data (keywords) added to the data is collected and returned to the computer 5. Receiving this, the socket communication means 5b displays a thumbnail image list on the monitor as shown in FIG.

  Although not shown, when the operator selects any of the thumbnail images with the cursor, the support server 4 reads out the original image data from the system, transmits it to the computer 5, and displays it.

  According to the embodiments described above, since necessary information stored in the system can be acquired by accessing the peer-to-peer communication system even from a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system, The convenience and usability of the system are improved.

  Although the above embodiment has been described as a peer-to-peer communication system for exchanging image data, it goes without saying that data (content) to be exchanged is not limited to image data.

  According to the present invention, even a non-participant of a peer-to-peer communication system can access information in the system, which is useful for constructing a peer-to-peer communication system that is convenient and easy to use.

1 is a configuration diagram of a peer-to-peer communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the communication processing procedure between the peer-to-peer communication system shown in FIG. 1, and the terminal device which is not participating in this system. It is a figure which shows the group key input screen displayed on the monitor of the terminal device which is a system non-participant shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the monitor screen of the terminal device which is a system non-participant shown in FIG. It is the figure which displayed the thumbnail image on the monitor screen shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network 2 Center server 3a, 3b, ... User terminal device 4 of a peer to peer communication system 4 Support server 5 Non-participant use terminal device 5a of a peer to peer communication system Browser 5b Socket communication means 6 Mobile phone

Claims (3)

  A key indicating the acquisition right of the content to be acquired is received from the browser by using the HTTP protocol from a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system and that is accessed at an address indicating its own location from a terminal device equipped with a browser that performs socket communication. A server that establishes a socket communication connection with the terminal device and transmits the acquisition target content indicated by the key to the terminal device by socket communication. A peer-to-peer communication system comprising:   In a communication method of a server connected to a network that constructs a peer-to-peer communication system, a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system and that has an address indicating the location of the server from a terminal device equipped with a browser that performs socket communication When the key indicating the acquisition right of the content to be acquired that has been accessed is transmitted from the browser using the HTTP protocol, a socket communication connection is established with the terminal device and the acquisition right is indicated by the key A communication method, wherein target content is transmitted to the terminal device by socket communication.   In a communication program that performs communication processing of a server connected to a network that constructs a peer-to-peer communication system, the location of the server is determined from a terminal device that does not participate in the peer-to-peer communication system and that includes a browser that performs socket communication. Establishing a socket communication connection with the terminal device when a key indicating the acquisition right of the acquisition target content is transmitted from the browser using the HTTP protocol, and the acquisition right is acquired using the key. A communication program comprising: transmitting the content to be acquired in which the content is indicated to the terminal device by socket communication.

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