JP2006277343A - Information processor, its control method, program, storage medium, and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for suppressing the capacity of a storage device required at a message reception to the minimum, and for transmitting/receiving a message in a text format by attaching a file. <P>SOLUTION: This information processor for communicating through a network with an external device is provided with a storage means for storing one or more file information and first text information including information showing reference to the file information, a generation means for generating second text information including information showing reference to the first text information and control information for controlling the operation of the external device on the basis of the first text information, an extraction means for extracting the file information to be referenced in the first text information and a transmission means for transmitting the second text information, the file information extracted by the extraction means and the first text information to the external device in this order. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for attaching and receiving a file to a text message.

  In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, Web services on a network are increasingly used from information processing apparatuses such as computers and digital devices. A web service is a software component that has been released on the network with open specifications. In general, messages sent and received between an information processing device such as a computer or digital device and a Web service are SOAP (Simple Object Access) whose specifications have been formulated by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an Internet technology standardization organization. Protocol) and the like are often described based on the XML protocol. Here, the XML protocol is a communication protocol that describes communication contents using XML (eXtensible Markup Language), which is a markup language whose specifications are established by the W3C.

  XML is a language for describing structured data in a text format. Therefore, when an XML format message is transmitted and received using only the XML protocol specification, binary format data such as an image file linked and referenced from the XML format message cannot be transmitted in the binary format.

So, in addition to the specifications of SOAP itself, W3C has conventionally formulated specifications for attaching binary files to messages sent and received via SOAP, such as SwA (SOAP Messages with Attachments) and MTOM (SOAP Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism). Has been. In these specifications for attaching files to messages sent and received using the XML protocol, the message structure is defined in a multipart format using the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) specification, etc., which is often used on the Internet. . In other words, an XML format message written in accordance with the XML protocol specifications such as SOAP is stored in one part of the multipart, and a message configuration is defined in which binary data referenced from this message is stored in another part. ing.
JP 2004-213353 A

In the above specification for attaching a file to a message, the order in which the parts are arranged on the multipart message is free. For this reason, a message transmitting apparatus that generates a message based on this specification can generate a message in the most suitable part order according to the application, purpose, and situation. As a result, each part of the generated message can be arranged in the following pattern.
1) The XML protocol message storage part that is the reference source is placed before the reference binary data storage part.
2) The XML protocol message storage part that is the reference source is placed after the reference binary data storage part.
3) The XML protocol message storage part that is the reference source is placed between the reference binary data storage parts.

  In the case of the message configuration as in 1) above, the following problem occurs on the receiving side that has received this message. In other words, the communication software on the receiving side that sequentially processes the received part of the message while receiving the message, when the XML protocol message storage part is received, the XML format message stored in this part is applied to the application software. Can not be passed to. This is because if it is passed, the receiving application may try to refer to the binary data stored in the part that has not been received by the communication software, and the binary data of the reference destination cannot be found. is there. For this reason, the communication software on the receiving side must keep the message storage part of the XML protocol in a storage device such as a memory until the reception of the reference binary data storage part is completed.

  In the case of the message configuration as in 2) above, the following problem occurs on the receiving side that has received this message. That is, the communication software on the receiving side that receives this message unconditionally holds the binary data stored in the other part in a storage device such as a file space or memory until the message storage part of the XML protocol is received. become. However, for example, when there is a description that cannot be interpreted by the communication software in the XML protocol message, or when the processing must be interrupted, or when message transfer to another recipient is instructed. Binary data retention is essentially unnecessary. Therefore, there is a problem that resources such as a file space and a storage device such as a memory are wasted.

  In the case of the message configuration as in 3) above, both problems 1) and 2) can occur.

  As described above, in the conventional method, the storage device on the receiving side has not been used efficiently. For this reason, the message receiving side needs to have a large-capacity storage device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a technique for attaching and receiving a file to a text message that can minimize the capacity of a storage device required on the message receiving side. Objective.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing system according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
An information processing system comprising first and second information processing devices capable of communicating with each other,
The first information processing apparatus includes:
Holding means for holding one or more file information and first text information including information indicating a reference to the file information;
Generating means for generating, based on the first text information, second text information including information indicating a reference to the first text information and control information for controlling an operation of the second information processing apparatus;
Extraction means for extracting the file information referred to in the first text information;
Sending means for sending the second text information, the file information extracted by the extracting means, and the first text information to the second information processing apparatus in this order;
The second information processing apparatus
An input means for inputting the second text information, the file information, and the first text information in this order from the first information processing apparatus;
Determination means for determining whether to transfer the first text information and the file information to a higher-level process based on the control information included in the input second text information;
When the determination means determines that the first text information and the file information are to be transferred to the upper process, the storage means for storing the input file information, the first text information, and the upper process for transfer. With.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which attaches a file to a text format message and can transmit / receive can be provided which can suppress the capacity | capacitance of the memory | storage device which a message receiving side requires to the minimum.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them.

<< First Embodiment >>
(System configuration)
First, a configuration example of the information processing system in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system according to this embodiment includes a message transmission device (hereinafter referred to as a transmission device) 100, a message reception device (hereinafter referred to as a reception device) 120, and a network 140 to which these are connected. Has been.

  The transmission apparatus 100 is an information processing apparatus that generates a message and transmits the generated message to the reception apparatus 120 via the network 140 using SOAP, which is one of XML protocols. The transmission device 100 is realized by, for example, a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS), or a digital information device such as a mobile phone, PHS, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a printer.

  The receiving device 120 is an information processing device that receives a message sent from the transmitting device 100 and performs predetermined processing based on the content. Similarly to the transmission device 100, the reception device 120 is realized by, for example, a personal computer (PC), a workstation (WS), or a digital information device such as a mobile phone, a PHS, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a printer. .

  The network 140 is typically the Internet, but it can be any line that can send and receive data, such as public lines (analog lines, ISDN, etc.), LANs, WANs, wireless LANs, etc., whether wired or wireless. It may be a simple configuration. For example, TCP / IP or the like can be adopted as a communication protocol in the lower layer of the XML protocol.

  In the present embodiment, a case is described in which there is one message transmission device and one message reception device, but there may be a plurality of each.

  The transmission device 100 and the reception device 120 are connected to external storage devices 110 and 130 for storing binary data attached to a message, respectively. In this embodiment, binary data is described as a file, but it may be data expanded on a memory, or may be on a Web server or storage server via a network. The external storage devices 110 and 130 may be included in the configuration of the transmission device 100 and the reception device 120, respectively.

  The message transmission device 100 transmits the application data in XML format via the network 140 and the transmission side application 101 that makes a transmission request for the binary file that is linked and referenced from the application data. A message generation unit 102 that generates a multipart format transmission message such as a multipart MIME, and a message generation unit 102 that is called from the message generation unit 102, searches a description in application data, and reads a file that needs to be attached. A message transmission unit 104 that transmits a message created by the message generation unit 102 to the message reception device 120 via the network 140, and a link reference search unit 105 that searches for a link reference description included in the XML document.

  The receiving device 120 receives a message in a multipart format such as multipart MIME received from the transmitting device 100 via the network 140, and analyzes a message received by the message receiving unit 122 to analyze a plurality of messages. A message analysis unit 122 that decomposes into parts, an attachment writing unit 123 that saves the binary data part in the external storage device 130 based on communication from the message analysis unit 122, and application data extracted from the message by the message analysis unit It is comprised from the receiving side application 121 which is a transfer destination.

  Each of these components is realized as a program for controlling the operation of the information processing apparatus, but may be realized by a dedicated hardware device.

(Configuration of information processing device)
Next, an outline of the information processing apparatus constituting the information processing system of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a device configuration of the transmission apparatus 100. The same or equivalent hardware configuration can be adopted for the receiving device 120 which is the information processing device described above.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1000 denotes a CPU, which executes application programs, operating systems (OS), control programs, and the like stored in a hard disk device (HD) 1005, which will be described later, and stores information and files necessary for executing the programs in the RAM 1002. Etc. are temporarily stored.

  Reference numeral 1001 denotes a ROM which stores various data such as a program such as a basic I / O program. A RAM 1002 temporarily stores various data, and functions as a main memory, work area, and the like of the CPU 1000.

  Reference numeral 1003 denotes an external storage drive for realizing access to a recording medium, and a program or the like stored in the medium (recording medium) 1004 can be loaded into the computer system. The medium 1004 includes, for example, a flexible disk (FD), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, PC card, DVD, IC memory card, MO, memory stick, and the like.

  Reference numeral 1005 denotes an external storage device, which uses an HD functioning as a large-capacity memory in this embodiment. The HD 1005 stores application programs, OS, control programs, related programs, and the like. The external storage devices 110 and 130 may be realized by the HD 1005 or may be realized as an external storage provided in a SAN (Storage Area Network) or the like.

  Reference numeral 1006 denotes an instruction input device, which corresponds to a keyboard, a pointing device (such as a mouse), a touch panel, or the like. Using the instruction input device 1006, the user instructs the transmitting device 100 to input a command or the like for controlling the device.

  Reference numeral 1007 denotes a display for displaying a command input from the instruction input device 1006, a response output of the transmission device 100 in response thereto, and the like.

  A system bus 1009 controls the flow of data in the information processing apparatus. Reference numeral 1008 denotes an interface (hereinafter referred to as I / F), which exchanges data with an external device via the I / F 1008.

  In addition, it can also be comprised as an alternative of a hardware apparatus with the software which implement | achieves a function equivalent to the above each apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the program and related data according to the present embodiment are directly loaded from the medium 1004 into the RAM 1002 and executed.However, for example, every time the program according to the present embodiment is operated, You may make it load into RAM1002 from HD1005 in which the program is already installed. It is also possible to record the program according to the present embodiment in the ROM 1001, configure it as a part of the memory map, and execute it directly by the CPU 1000.

  Further, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a configuration in which the transmission device 100 and the reception device 120 are each realized by one information processing device will be described, but may be realized by a configuration in which resources are distributed to a plurality of devices. . For example, storage and calculation resources may be distributed in a plurality of devices.

(Message generation / transmission process)
Next, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, a process in which the transmission device 100 generates and transmits a message in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which the transmission device 100 generates and transmits a message.

  First, in step S201, the transmission side application 101 specifies an XML document to be transmitted to the reception side application 121 on the reception device 120 to the message generation unit 102. FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplarily showing an XML document to be transmitted to the reception application 121. As shown in FIG. 4, this XML document includes a location that refers to an external file (401, 402). It is assumed that the files referenced 401 and 402 are stored in the external storage device 110.

  Next, in step S202, the message generation unit 102 in which the XML document to be transmitted (FIG. 4) is specified generates a content ID for identifying this XML document. Here, it is assumed that “body.xml” is generated as the content ID.

  Next, in step S203, the message generation unit 102 generates a message in an XML protocol format such as SOAP as shown in FIG. 5 using the content ID “body.xml”. FIG. 5 is a diagram exemplarily showing a SOAP format message created based on the XML document of FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the XML document designated as a transmission target by the transmission side application 101 is expressed as a link reference (501) described by the content ID in this part, and is not described directly in this part.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when generating a message in the XML protocol format, the message generation unit 102 adds control information for analyzing the XML document by the receiving device 120 based on a user instruction input. To be able to control. In FIG. 5, SOAP is used as the XML protocol, and account information (<a: account ...> to </ a: account>) 502 that is control information is converted into a SOAP header (<SOAP-ENV: Header ... > To </ SOAP-ENV: Header>). In the account information illustrated in FIG. 5, a URL ("http: // sample / message / account") 503 for identifying a server device that manages account information, a user name "user001", and a password "abcxyz4" are described. Yes. The description contents of the control information are not limited to such contents, and any information can be used as long as the receiving apparatus 120 can perform a predetermined process based on the contents.

  The information processing apparatus (transmission apparatus 100) corresponding to the present embodiment provides a software interface that allows a user to easily input instructions for such information. For example, a text editor, a selection type input tool, a rule setting tool for the transmission apparatus 100 to automatically generate control information, and the like are provided. In this embodiment, “http: // sample / message / account” included in 503 in the account information 502 receives a message directly from the transmission device 100, performs processing based on the control information, and performs XML processing. A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the receiving device 120 that performs processing based on a document or the like is shown.

  Next, in step S204, the message generation unit 102 adds a MIME header (including part ID 705 and the like), a boundary character string, and the like to the generated XML protocol format message, and the first message of the MIME multipart format message. A transmission request is made to the message transmission unit 104 as a part. The message transmission unit 104 receives the message in the MIME multipart format in which the transmission request is made in synchronization with other components (for example, the message generation unit 102, the link reference search unit 104, etc.) or asynchronously. Process to send to.

  Next, in steps S205 to S212, the XML document to be transmitted is searched, the link reference description is extracted, replaced with the reference to the generated content ID, and the file described as the link reference destination is in a multipart format. To send as the next part of

  First, in step S205, the message generation unit 102 searches the link reference search unit 105 sequentially for elements included in the document from the beginning of the XML document (FIG. 4) to be transmitted, and searches for a link reference description. Control to do.

  Next, in step S206, the link reference search unit 105 searches for the next element included in the XML document. When S206 is evaluated for the first time, the first element of the document is searched.

  Next, in step S207, it is determined whether or not the element searched in step S206 is the last element of the XML document. If it is the last element (YES in step S207), the process proceeds to step S213. If it is not the last element (NO in step S207), the process proceeds to step S208.

  In step S208, it is determined whether or not a link reference description (for example, href = "image1.jpg", href = "image2.jpg" in FIG. 4) exists in the element searched in step S206. . If it exists (YES in step S208), the process proceeds to step S209. If it does not exist (NO in step S208), the process returns to step S206. Here, a case where 401 including the link reference href = "image1.jpg" is evaluated and the process proceeds to step S209 will be described.

  In step S209, the message generation unit 102 generates an ID corresponding to the link reference destination file for the description of the link reference searched in step S208. Here, "image1.jpg" is generated as the ID of the reference file of the link reference href = "image1.jpg".

  Next, in step S210, the message generator 102 changes the description of the link reference destination included in the element currently referenced in the XML document using the ID generated in step S209. For example, the description 401 in FIG. 4 is changed to 601 in FIG.

  Next, in step S211, the message generation unit 102 instructs the attached file reading unit 103 to read the link reference destination file (for example, “image1.jpg”) from the external storage device 110. The attached file reading unit 103 reads the requested file from the external storage device 110 based on an instruction from the message generating unit 102 and passes it to the message generating unit 102.

  Next, in step S212, the message generation unit 102 adds a MIME header (including IDs 708, 710, etc. generated in step S209), a boundary character string, etc. to the binary data of the read file, and follows the MIME multipart format. Request transmission to the message transmission unit 104 as a part. The message transmission unit 104 performs a process of transmitting a MIME multipart message requested to be transmitted to the reception device 120 asynchronously with other components (for example, the message generation unit 102, the link reference search unit 104, etc.). Do. Then, the process returns to step S206.

  By performing the processing of steps S206 to S212 from the beginning to the end of the XML document, the description of the link reference included in the XML document is replaced with the ID generated by the message generation unit. For example, the description of FIG. 4 is modified as shown in FIG. Further, the files referred to in the XML document are controlled to be sent to the receiving device 120 as separate MIME parts.

  When the replacement of all the link reference destinations and the transmission request are completed (YES in step S207), in step S213, the message generation unit 102 replaces the link reference destination of the XML document to be transmitted with the content ID ( A MIME header (including the ID 712 generated in step S202), a boundary character string, and the like are added to FIG. 6), and a transmission request is made to the message transmission unit 104 as the last part of the multipart format. The message transmission unit 104 performs a process of transmitting a MIME multipart format message for which a transmission request has been made to the reception device 120.

  FIG. 7 shows an entire multipart message requested to be transmitted to the message transmission unit 104 when the XML document illustrated in FIG. 4 is controlled to be transmitted by the processes in steps S201 to S213. As shown in FIG. 7, the message whose transmission is controlled by the receiving device 120 includes the first part 701 including the reference 707 to the XML document, the parts 702 and 703 including the binary data 709 and 710, respectively, and the binary data. It is constructed in the order of part 704 of the XML document including the reference 713. Each part includes the ID 705, 708, 710, 712 of each part.

(Message reception processing)
Next, with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, a process in which the receiving device 120 receives and analyzes a message in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which the receiving device 120 receives and analyzes a message.

  First, in step S301, the message reception unit 124 notifies the message analysis unit 122 that the message transmitted from the transmission device 100 has arrived.

  Next, in step S302, the message analysis unit 122 requests the message reception unit 121 to receive the first part. When the message reception unit 121 receives the first part of the MIME message, it passes the data to the message analysis unit 122.

  Next, in step S303, the message analysis unit 122 that has received the first part analyzes a message in an XML protocol format such as SOAP included in the part, and performs predetermined processing based on the content. As shown in FIG. 7, the first part does not include the XML document itself to be passed to the receiving application, and the link reference using the content ID (<Include href = ”cid: body.xml” />) There is only a description 707 and at this point the XML document is not parsed. On the other hand, the control information for handling this XML document is analyzed at this point. In FIG. 7, as an example of the control information analyzed at this point, account information (<a: account. ..) in the SOAP header (<SOAP-ENV: Header ...> to </ SOAP-ENV: Header>) is shown. .> To </ a: account>) 706 is shown, and the receiving apparatus 120 performs processing such as user authentication based on this content. Note that the contents of the SOAP body (the part indicated by 707 in the example of FIG. 7) are evaluated after receiving the part (704 in the example of FIG. 7) included in the XML document.

  Next, in step S304, when the message analysis unit 122 analyzes the control information (exemplified by 706) and executes a predetermined process, some problem or abnormality occurs due to the description method or description content. Determine whether or not. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, this may be performed by determining whether or not the authentication information indicated by 706 is correct. Alternatively, for example, an abnormality may be detected in the process based on the control information. Alternatively, for example, it may be performed by checking whether the control information is well-formed or conforms to a schema such as DTD (Document Type Definition) or XML Schema. If any problem occurs (YES in step S304), the process proceeds to step S309, and the message receiving unit 124 discards the data stored in the subsequent parts without saving them in the external storage device, and performs error processing. Control to end the process. If no problem has occurred (NO in step S304), the process proceeds to step S305.

  In step S305, the message analysis unit 122 requests the message reception unit 124 to receive the next part of the message in the multipart format. When the message reception unit 121 receives the next part of the MIME message, it passes the data to the message analysis unit 122.

  Next, in step S306, the message analysis unit determines whether or not the content ID of the part received in step S305 is a link reference from the first part ("body.xml" 707 in the example of FIG. 7). Determine. If the link is referenced from the first part (YES in step S306), the process proceeds to step S308. If the link is not referenced (NO in step S306), the process proceeds to step S307. Here, if a link reference is made, it is a part containing an XML document, otherwise it is a part containing binary data.

  In step S307, the message analysis unit 122 determines that this part stores the attached binary data, and uses the attached file writing unit 123 to store it as a file in the external storage device 130 on the receiving side. Control.

  On the other hand, in step S308, when the content ID of the next part is linked from the first part (YES in step S306), the message analysis unit 122 determines that this part is the transmission-side application 101 on the transmission device 100. However, it is determined that the XML document designated as the transmission target is stored, and the XML document is passed to the receiving-side application 121 (upper processing). At this time, the receiving-side application 121 can perform a predetermined process based on the XML document and the attached file. Then, the process ends.

  As described above, in a situation where a file is attached to a message in a text format and transmitted / received, the transmission device 100 transmits information to be transmitted, including the attached file, information referring to the attached file, and other control information. In this order, information including control information, information referring to an attached file, and attached file are transmitted in this order, and the receiving apparatus 120 first evaluates the control information and determines whether to receive the subsequent information. With such a mechanism, when receiving a message, the receiving apparatus 120 can prevent the reference binary data from being unnecessarily expanded to a disk or a memory, so that the resources of the storage device are not wasted. It becomes possible. That is, the receiving device 120 only needs to include a storage device having a minimum capacity.

<< Second Embodiment >>
In the first embodiment, a device that performs processing based on control information, a device that performs processing based on an XML document or the like, and a device that directly receives a message from the transmitting device 100 (receiving device 120) However, it may be configured such that these devices are different from each other.

  In this embodiment, as an example of such a configuration, a configuration will be described in which predetermined processing is performed based on control information included in a message received by a receiving device, and an XML document or the like is transferred to another device.

(System configuration)
A configuration example of a system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information processing system in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, a message transmitted from a message transmission device (hereinafter referred to as a transmission device) 800 in the configuration of the first embodiment is a message reception device A (hereinafter referred to as a reception device A) 820 as a message relay device. The configuration differs from that of the first embodiment in that the message may be transferred to a message receiver B850 (hereinafter referred to as receiver B) that is the final destination connected via the network 840. Since the receiving device A820 not only receives a message but also may transfer the received message to the receiving device B850, a message transmitting unit 825 is added to the configuration of the receiving device 120 of the first embodiment. . There may be a plurality of receiving devices A820 that operate as relay devices between the transmitting device 800 and the receiving device B850. The functional configurations of transmitting apparatus 800 and receiving apparatus B850 are the same as those of transmitting apparatus 100 and receiving apparatus 120 in FIG. Further, the transmission device 800, the reception device A820, and the reception device B850 are information processing devices similar to those in the first embodiment, and the configurations thereof are the same as those in the first embodiment as illustrated in FIG.

(Message reception / relay processing)
Next, with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 7, the flow of message processing on the receiving device A820 operating as a message relay device in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which the reception device A820 receives and analyzes a message. The operation of the transmission device 800 is the same as that of the transmission device 100 in the first embodiment.

  First, in step S901, the message reception unit 824 notifies the message analysis unit 822 that the message sent from the transmission device 800 has arrived.

  Next, in step S902, the message analysis unit 822 requests the message reception unit 821 to receive the first part. When the message reception unit 821 receives the first part of the MIME message, it passes the data to the message analysis unit 822.

  Next, in step S903, the message analysis unit 822 that has received the first part analyzes a message in an XML protocol format such as SOAP included in the part, and performs predetermined processing based on the content. As shown in FIG. 7, the first part does not include the XML document itself to be passed to the receiving application, and the link reference using the content ID (<Include href = ”cid: body.xml” />) There is only a description 707 and at this point the XML document is not parsed. On the other hand, the control information for handling this XML document is analyzed at this point. In FIG. 7, as an example of the control information analyzed at this point, account information (<a: account. ..) in the SOAP header (<SOAP-ENV: Header ...> to </ SOAP-ENV: Header>) is shown. ...-</ A: account>) 706 is shown, and the receiving device A820 performs processing such as user authentication based on this content.

  Next, in step S904, it is determined whether or not the final destination of the XML document or the like is the own apparatus. In the present embodiment, “http: // sample / message / account” included in 714 in FIG. 7 indicates the URL of the final destination, and this does not necessarily indicate the receiving device A820. . If the final destination is the own apparatus (NO in step S904), the process proceeds to step S905 while continuing to temporarily store the message to be sent. If not (YES in step S904), the process proceeds to step S909, where the temporary storage of the sent message is interrupted, and the message is transferred to the final destination device (in this embodiment, the receiving device B850). Control. The message to be transferred may be all parts (for example, 701, 702, 703, 704 in FIG. 7), or the second and subsequent parts (702, 703, 704 in FIG. 7). Good. It is assumed that which part is transferred is described in the control information, and the receiving device A820 controls the transfer based on the contents. When the transfer process ends, the process ends.

  In step S904, in the configuration of the first embodiment, as performed in step S304 in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not to continue the process based on the result of determining the abnormality of the control information. Also good.

  In step S905, the message analysis unit 822 requests the message reception unit 824 to receive the next part of the message in the multipart format. When the message reception unit 821 receives the next part of the MIME message, it passes the data to the message analysis unit 822.

  Next, in step S906, the message analysis unit determines whether or not the content ID of the part received in step S905 is a link reference from the first part ("body.xml" 707 in the example of FIG. 7). Determine. If the link is referenced from the first part (YES in step S906), the process proceeds to step S908. If the link is not referenced (NO in step S906), the process proceeds to step S907. Here, if a link reference is made, it is a part containing an XML document, otherwise it is a part containing binary data.

  In step S907, the message analysis unit 822 determines that the attached binary data is stored in this part, and uses the attached file writing unit 823 to store the part as a file in the external storage device 130 on the receiving side. Control.

  On the other hand, in step S908, when the content ID of the next part is linked from the first part (YES in step S906), the message analysis unit 822 determines that this part is the transmission-side application 801 on the transmission device 800. Is the part that stores the XML document designated as the transmission target, and passes this XML document to the receiving-side application 821. At this point, the receiving application 821 can perform a predetermined process based on the XML document and the attached file. Then, the process ends.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the receiving device A820 performs a predetermined process based on the control information, determines the final destination of an XML document or the like, and if it is not its own device, it is sent. The temporary storage of information is immediately interrupted, and transfer to the final destination device is started. As a result, the receiving device A820 can perform a predetermined process based on a part of the message, while preventing the reference binary data from being unnecessarily expanded to a disk or a memory, and wastes storage device resources. It becomes possible not to use. That is, the receiving device A820 only needs to include a storage device having a minimum capacity.

  As described above, as an example of a configuration in which a device that performs processing based on control information, a device that performs processing based on an XML document, and the device that directly receives a message from a transmission device are not the same device, the reception device receives Although a configuration has been described in which predetermined processing is performed based on control information included in the message and an XML document or the like is transferred to another device, the embodiment according to the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control information includes identification information of a device that performs processing based on an XML document, identification information of one or more devices that perform processing based on the control information, and predetermined information defined for each device. The device that received the message performs predetermined processing based on the information described for the device, and forwards the XML document, binary data, etc. to the device identified by the identification information, A configuration may be adopted in which predetermined information is transmitted to each device identified by the included identification information to perform predetermined processing. Alternatively, the control information includes identification information of a device that performs processing based on an XML document or the like, and the device that has received the message performs predetermined processing based on the content of the control information, and the XML document or binary data or the like. You may make it the structure which transfers to the apparatus identified with identification information. Alternatively, identification information of one or more devices that perform processing based on the control information and predetermined information defined for each device are included in the control information, and the device that receives the message may be an XML document, binary data, or the like It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which predetermined processing is performed based on the control information, and predetermined information is transmitted to each device identified by the identification information included in the control information. By applying such a configuration, the apparatus can perform complicated processing while minimizing the capacity of the storage device required by the receiving apparatus.

<< Other Embodiments >>
As described above, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention can take an embodiment as, for example, a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, or a storage medium. You may apply to the system comprised from an apparatus, and may apply to the apparatus which consists of one apparatus.

  The present invention can also be achieved by supplying a program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment directly or remotely to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the supplied program code. Including the case where it is achieved.

  Therefore, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by a computer, the program code installed in the computer is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) and the like.

  As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to an Internet homepage, and the computer program of the present invention itself or a compressed file including an automatic installation function is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. Can also be supplied. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer. In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiments being realized by the computer executing the read program, the OS running on the computer based on an instruction of the program is a part of the actual processing. Alternatively, the functions of the above-described embodiment can be realized by performing all of them and performing the processing.

  Furthermore, after the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or The CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system in a first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing in which a transmission device generates and transmits a message in the first and second embodiments. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which a receiving device receives and analyzes a message in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram exemplarily showing an XML document in the first and second embodiments. FIG. 5 is a diagram exemplarily showing a SOAP format message created based on an XML document in the first and second embodiments. FIG. 6 is a diagram exemplarily showing a modified XML document in the first and second embodiments. FIG. 6 is a diagram exemplarily showing an entire multipart message requested for transmission in the first and second embodiments. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system in a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which a receiving device receives and analyzes a message in the second embodiment. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a device configuration of an information processing device in the first and second embodiments. FIG.

Claims (15)

An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external device via a network,
Holding means for holding one or more file information and first text information including information indicating a reference to the file information;
Generating means for generating second text information including information indicating a reference to the first text information based on the first text information and control information for controlling an operation of the external device;
Extraction means for extracting the file information referred to in the first text information;
An information processing apparatus comprising: the second text information, the file information extracted by the extraction means, and sending means for sending the first text information to the external device in this order.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit monitors an instruction input from the outside and generates control information of the second text information based on the monitored instruction input. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external device via a network,
1 or more file information, 1st text information containing the information which shows the reference to the said file information, the information which shows the reference to the said 1st text information, and the control information which controls the operation | movement of the said information processing apparatus are included. Input means for inputting second text information from the external device in the order of second text information, file information, and first text information;
Determination means for determining whether to transfer the first text information and the file information to a higher-level process based on the control information included in the input second text information;
When the determination means determines that the first text information and the file information are to be transferred to the upper process, the storage means for storing the input file information, the first text information, and the upper process for transfer. An information processing apparatus comprising: The determination unit transfers at least one of the second text information, the first text information, and the file information to a predetermined external device based on the control information included in the input second text information. Further determine whether or not to
If the determination means determines that at least one of the second text information, the first text information, and the file information is to be transferred to a predetermined external device, the input second text information, the first text information, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a transfer unit that transfers at least one of text information and the file information to the external apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit configured to perform processing based on the control information included in the second text information. An inspection means for inspecting the validity of the input second text information;
The input means interrupts input of the file information and the first text information when it is determined that the second text information input by the inspection means is not valid. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5. An information processing system comprising first and second information processing devices capable of communicating with each other,
The first information processing apparatus includes:
Holding means for holding one or more file information and first text information including information indicating a reference to the file information;
Generating means for generating, based on the first text information, second text information including information indicating a reference to the first text information and control information for controlling an operation of the second information processing apparatus;
Extraction means for extracting the file information referred to in the first text information;
Sending means for sending the second text information, the file information extracted by the extracting means, and the first text information to the second information processing apparatus in this order;
The second information processing apparatus
An input means for inputting the second text information, the file information, and the first text information in this order from the first information processing apparatus;
Determination means for determining whether to transfer the first text information and the file information to a higher-level process based on the control information included in the input second text information;
When the determination means determines that the first text information and the file information are to be transferred to the upper process, the storage means for storing the input file information, the first text information, and the upper process for transfer. An information processing system comprising: A method for controlling an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external device via a network,
A holding step of holding in the holding means one or more file information and first text information including information indicating a reference to the file information;
Based on the first text information, a generating step for generating second text information including information indicating a reference to the first text information and control information for controlling the operation of the external device;
An extraction step of extracting the file information referred to in the first text information;
A control method for an information processing apparatus, comprising: a sending step for sending the second text information, the file information extracted in the extraction step, and the first text information to the external device in this order.   9. The control of the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the generation step monitors an instruction input from the outside, and generates control information of the second text information based on the monitored instruction input. Method. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external device via a network,
1 or more file information, 1st text information containing the information which shows the reference to the said file information, the information which shows the reference to the said 1st text information, and the control information which controls the operation | movement of the said information processing apparatus are included. An input step of inputting second text information from the external device in the order of second text information, file information, and first text information;
A determination step of determining whether to transfer the first text information and the file information to a higher-level process based on the control information included in the input second text information;
In the determination step, when it is determined that the first text information and the file information are to be transferred to the upper process, the input file information, the first text information, and the upper process are stored in the storage means. An information processing apparatus control method comprising: an accumulating step. The determination step transfers at least one of the second text information, the first text information, and the file information to a predetermined external device based on the control information included in the input second text information. Further determine whether or not to
When it is determined in the determination step that at least one of the second text information, the first text information, and the file information is transferred to the predetermined external device, the input second text information, the first text information, The method according to claim 10, further comprising a transfer step of transferring at least one of text information and the file information to the external device.   The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising a control step of performing processing based on the control information included in the second text information. An inspection step of inspecting the validity of the input second text information;
The input step interrupts the input of the file information and the first text information when it is determined that the second text information input in the inspection step is not valid. The control method of the information processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 12.   A computer program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 13.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 14.

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