JP2008269657A - Content data providing device and network system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content data providing device capable of responding quickly to a transmission request from a client, even when a capacity of a storage device fast in a reading speed is small. <P>SOLUTION: This content data providing device 1 is provided with a transfer control part 16, a deletion control part 161 and a transmission request arousing part 17. The transfer control part 16 copies a transfer objective content data into the high-speed storage device 15 when a required available capacity is determined to exist in the high speed storage device 15. The transfer control part 16 indicates a transmission request arousing operation to be executed, to the transmission request arousing part 17, after finishing the copy of transfer objective content data. Meanwhile, the transfer control part 16 requests a deletion to the deletion control part 161, when no required available capacity is determined to exist in the high-speed storage device 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content data providing apparatus that is connected to a plurality of client apparatuses via a network and transmits the requested content data to the client apparatus in response to a content data transmission request from any of the client apparatuses. .

  In a content data providing apparatus that provides content data to a plurality of external terminals connected via a network, it is necessary to provide content data quickly in response to a transmission request from a client.

  Patent Document 1 relates to a content data providing method for providing content data from a server on a network to a client via a network connection device. Here, for example, content data having a data size of a predetermined value or more is connected to the network connection device. It is stored in the data cache unit provided inside. Thereby, when the requested content data is stored in the cache unit, it can be provided from the cache unit instead of from the server, and the content data can be provided quickly.

JP 2003-44346 A

  By the way, in a normal server device, the content data is stored in a storage device such as a memory card having a large capacity but a slow reading speed. In this aspect, while it is possible to store a large amount of content data, it takes time to read the content data due to heavy processing, and it has not been possible to quickly respond to a transmission request from a client device ( Hereinafter, such a storage device is also referred to as a “low speed storage device”).

  Therefore, a mode is conceivable in which content data is stored in a storage device (hereinafter also referred to as “high-speed storage device”) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) having a high reading speed. In this aspect, it takes less time to read out content data than in the previous aspect, and it is possible to respond quickly to a transmission request from a client device.

  However, since a high-speed storage device has a high price per unit capacity, a problem arises in terms of cost if many capacities are installed. In addition, data stored in the high-speed storage device must be loaded every time it is started. If a large amount of data is stored, it takes a long time to start. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce both the storage capacity of the high-speed storage device mounted on the server device and the data amount of the content data actually stored therein as much as possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can quickly provide content data to a client device with a device configuration in which the storage capacity of a high-speed storage device and the amount of data stored therein are reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for providing content data.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is a content data providing apparatus connected to a plurality of client apparatuses via a network, wherein the first storage means stores a plurality of contents data, When it is determined that the second storage means having a relatively higher reading speed than the first storage means and the second storage means have a necessary free space, the second storage means stores the first storage means. The specific content data is transferred to and stored in the second storage means, and when it is determined that the second storage means does not have a necessary free space, the content data in the second storage means is deleted. A transfer control unit that performs a deletion request for deleting, a deletion unit that selectively deletes content data in the second storage unit when the deletion request is received, and the specific content data Transmission request calling means for calling a transmission request for the specific content data stored in the second storage means to the plurality of client devices, Content data providing means for reading the specific content data from the second storage means and transmitting it to the client apparatus in response to a transmission request for the specific content data from any of a plurality of client apparatuses. It is characterized by that.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the content data providing apparatus according to the first aspect, the transfer control unit repeatedly performs the deletion request until a necessary free capacity is obtained in the second storage unit. Features.

  The content data providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the deletion unit receives the deletion request, the time elapsed since the last transmission request was received. Based on the above, the content data to be deleted is selected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the content data providing device according to the first or second aspect, when the deletion unit receives the deletion request, the deletion unit determines whether the deletion target is based on the frequency of the transmission request. It is characterized by selecting content data.

  In the content data providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, when the deletion unit receives the deletion request, the deletion unit stores the content data to be deleted based on the data size. It is characterized by selecting.

  Further, in the content data providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the invention according to claim 6 prevents the specific content data stored in the second storage means from being deleted. It is characterized by setting protection.

  The invention of claim 7 is a content data providing apparatus connected to a plurality of client apparatuses via a network, comprising: a first storage means for storing a plurality of content data; and the first storage means. If it is determined that the second storage unit having a relatively high reading speed and the second storage unit have a necessary free space, the specific content data stored in the first storage unit is stored in the first storage unit. Transfer control means for transferring to and stored in the second storage means, and the specific content data stored in the second storage means after the specific content data is stored in the second storage means A transmission request calling means for calling a transmission request to the plurality of client devices, and transmission of the specific content data from any of the plurality of client devices Content data providing means for reading the specific content data from the second storage means and transmitting it to the client device in response to the request, the transfer control means being necessary for the second storage means If it is determined that there is no free space, the specific content data is not transferred to the second storage unit, and the transmission request invoking unit has no free space necessary for the second storage unit. Even if the transfer control unit does not execute the transfer, the transmission request for the specific content data is urged to the plurality of client devices, and the content data providing unit is configured to request the content requested by the transmission request. If no data is stored in the second storage means, the requested content data is read from the first storage means. And transmits to the client device.

  The invention of claim 8 is a network system comprising the content data providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a plurality of client devices connected to the content data providing device via a network. The client device performs pop-up display, pop-up means for reflecting the transmission request alerting by the transmission request invoking means of the content data providing apparatus as pop-up display, display means for displaying the pop-up information, and the pop-up display. Selection means for selecting whether or not.

  According to the invention described in the present application, even if transmission requests from client devices for specific content data are concentrated in a short time by the transmission request inducing means, the specific content data targeted for the transmission request is relatively read out. By being stored in the high-speed storage means, it is possible to quickly provide content data to the client device.

  On the other hand, each content data can be provided to many client devices in a short time, and the content data stored in the high-speed storage means can be selectively deleted later based on a predetermined rule. The unit time for storing data in the storage means having a high reading speed can be shortened. That is, the storage capacity of a storage device with a high reading speed and the data capacity stored therein can be reduced.

  For this reason, it is possible to achieve both the speed of providing the content data and the prevention of the increase in the storage capacity of the high-speed storage device.

  Further, according to the invention described in the present application, new content data that is likely to concentrate access is provided by transferring data to the high-speed storage device as described above in providing content data newly obtained by the content data providing device. Thus, it is possible to achieve both the quickness of provision and the prevention of an increase in necessary storage capacity in the high-speed storage device.

  In addition, according to the invention described in the present application, since deletion of content data stored in a storage device with a high reading speed is selected based on the history information of each content data, it will remain in the high-speed storage device as it is in the future. If the necessity of storing is low, it is possible to delete from the content data estimated from the history, and the amount of content data stored in the high-speed storage device can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the invention described in the present application, the client device user immediately responds to the transmission request invocation by reflecting the invocation of the transmission request by the transmission request inducing unit of the content data providing device as a pop-up display in the client device. Therefore, transmission requests from client devices can be concentrated in a shorter time. Thereby, it is possible to further reduce the capacity of the storage device having a high reading speed and the amount of data stored therein.

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

<1. Functional configuration of content data providing apparatus>
FIG. 1 shows a network configuration example of a network system 100 including a content data providing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the content data providing apparatus 1 is connected to a plurality of client apparatuses 41, 42, 43, 44 via the LAN 30 or the Internet 32, and these client apparatuses 41, 42, 43, 44 are It functions as a server that provides content data.

  The content data providing apparatus 1 may be an apparatus having a function as a server. For example, in addition to a WWW server, the content data providing apparatus 1 includes a facsimile apparatus having an Internet facsimile function for performing facsimile communication via the Internet and an MFP (Multi Functional Peripheral). Is possible.

  The client devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 can be configured by a facsimile device or an MFP having an Internet facsimile function in addition to a personal computer or a mobile phone.

  In the following, the main functions related to the implementation of the present invention will be mainly described.

  First, a configuration example of the content data providing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the content data providing apparatus 1 includes a CPU 10 that controls the content data providing apparatus 1 according to a predetermined program, and a program memory 11 that stores the program. When the content data providing apparatus 1 is a facsimile machine, the program memory 11 may be a ROM, and when configured using a general-purpose server, it may be a RAM in which an execution program is expanded.

  The content data providing apparatus 1 further includes a content data provision control unit 12 that performs control when the content data of the content data providing apparatus 1 is provided to the client apparatuses 41, 42, 43, and 44. Further, a LAN I / F 13 corresponding to an interface with the LAN 30 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, since the LAN 30 is connected to the Internet 32 via the router 31, communication with the external terminals 41, 42, 43, and 44 connected to the LAN 30 and the Internet 32 is possible through this LAN I / F 13. Is possible.

  Furthermore, the content data providing apparatus 1 includes two types of storage devices as content data storage units. That is, the low-speed storage device 14 having a relatively low reading speed and the high-speed storage device 15 having a relatively high reading speed.

  For example, the low-speed storage device 14 can be configured using an external storage device such as a memory card using a flash memory or a hard disk drive. The high-speed storage device 15 can be configured using a part of a main memory such as a semiconductor RAM, and can be handled as a cache memory. Generally, a low-speed storage device 14 having a larger storage capacity than that of the high-speed storage device 15 is mounted in terms of price and the like.

  Each of these storage devices 14 and 15 may be provided exclusively, or may be shared with other storage functions. For example, the semiconductor RAM on the server constituting the content data providing apparatus 1 is virtually divided into a program area and a data area, and the program area is used as the program memory 11 and the data area is used as the high-speed storage device 15. Good. Furthermore, the low-speed storage device 14 can be configured by an arbitrary low-speed storage device (preferably a large-capacity storage device) connected to the LAN 30 or a partial folder thereof. Therefore, the content data providing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to an integrated apparatus, and may be a set of a plurality of functional parts that cooperate through mutual communication.

  The content data providing device 1 is also provided with a transfer control unit 16 that controls transfer of content data from the low-speed storage device 14 to the high-speed storage device 15, and this transfer control unit 16 is stored in the high-speed storage device 15. The deletion control unit 161 cooperates with the deletion control unit 161 for deleting content data, and the deletion control unit 161 further cooperates with the content data evaluation unit 162 and the timer unit 163.

  In addition, the content data providing device 1 includes a transmission request calling unit 17 that calls a plurality of client devices 41, 42, 43, 44 to send a transmission request.

  The above parts are connected to each other by a bus 20.

  Next, a configuration example of the client devices 41 to 44 is shown in FIG. These client apparatuses 41 to 44 have different functions depending on the type of equipment, but the parts configured according to the features of the present invention have similar functions. The client device 41 (42 to 44) includes a CPU 50, a ROM 51, a RAM 52, and a content data transmission request unit 55 that makes a content data transmission request. Further, a LAN I / F 53 corresponding to an interface with the LAN 30 (34) is provided. The client devices 43 and 44 are connected to the Internet 32 via the router 33. The client devices 41 and 42 can communicate with the content data providing device 1 via the LAN 30, and the client devices 43 and 44 can communicate with the content data providing device 1 connected to the Internet 32 via the LAN 43. It is.

  Further, the client device 41 (42 to 44) includes a display unit 54 and a pop-up control unit 56 that causes the display unit 54 to perform pop-up display. The pop-up operation unit 57 is realized by a function such as a keyboard and a mouse, for example, and is performed by an operation input of a key command by the user or a mouse click operation in a state where a predetermined position on the screen of the display unit 54 is pointed. The pop-up control unit 56 can give an instruction to select whether or not to display pop-ups and display form. In response to this instruction, the pop-up control unit 56 selects the presence / absence of the pop-up display and sets the display form. The other client devices 41, 42, and 44 may have different detailed configurations depending on the type of each device, but have the functions corresponding to the pop-up control unit 56 and the pop-up operation unit 57. is there.

<2. Operation of content data providing apparatus>
Next, the operation of the content data providing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be roughly classified into the following three. That is,
(1) Operation related to content data transfer from the low-speed storage device 14 to the high-speed storage device 15 (hereinafter referred to as “operation A”),
(2) Operation related to content data transmission to client device (hereinafter referred to as “operation B”),
(3) Operation relating to content data deletion from the high-speed storage device 15 (hereinafter “operation C”),
It is.

<2-1. Action A>
In the pre-processing operation (FIG. 4), first, the transfer control unit 16 determines whether or not there is content data to be transferred (S11). Here, the transfer target content data is, for example, content data newly generated due to reception of an HTML file by the content data providing device 1. If there is a request from the client devices 41 to 44, the content is transferred to the request source. Data that can be transferred to.

  In the present embodiment, newly generated content data is first stored in the low-speed storage device 14. The transfer control unit 16 has a function of calculating and storing the total number of bytes of all the content data stored in the low-speed storage device 14, and the transfer target content depending on whether or not the total number of bytes has increased in step S11. The presence or absence of data can be determined. That is, in this case, if the total number of bytes increases, it is determined that the content data has increased. Alternatively, the latest time at which the content data is stored may be stored in the low-speed storage device 14, and the presence / absence of transfer target content data may be determined based on a change in the time in step S11.

  If it is determined in step S11 that there is no content data to be transferred, the transfer control unit 16 loops without performing substantial processing and repeats this question.

  If it is determined in step S11 that there is content data to be transferred, the transfer control unit 16 next determines whether there is enough free space in the high speed storage device 15 to store the content data to be transferred (S12). ).

  If it is determined in step S12 that there is no necessary free space, the transfer control unit 16 issues a deletion request to the deletion control unit 161 (S13).

  When a deletion request is made to the deletion control unit 161, the deletion control unit 161 deletes the content data stored in the high-speed storage device 15 according to a predetermined priority order. The operation of the deletion control unit 161 will be described in detail later in the description of “Operation C”.

  The transfer control unit 16 repeatedly issues a deletion request to the deletion control unit 161 until a necessary free capacity is obtained.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the necessary free space is available, the transfer control unit 16 copies the transfer target content data to the high-speed storage device 15 (S14).

  When the copy of the content data to be transferred in step S14 is completed, the transfer control unit 16 instructs the transmission request invocation unit 17 to execute a predetermined transmission request invocation activation operation (S15), and ends the transfer process. .

  If copying to the high-speed storage device 15 is not possible, it is possible to give only an instruction to execute a transmission request alerting activation without copying to the high-speed storage device 15. In this case, specifically, when the result of the capacity comparison in step S12 is “NO”, the transmission request calling unit in step S15 without performing the deletion request in step S13 or copying to the high-speed storage device 15 in step S14. This is a flow that shifts to an execution instruction for a predetermined transmission request activation work for 17.

  Upon receiving an instruction from the transfer control unit 16, the transmission request calling unit 17 performs a predetermined operation for calling a transmission request for content data to be transferred to the user of the client device.

  This operation is performed by simultaneously transmitting a predetermined transmission alert message to a plurality of client apparatuses 41 and 42 connected via the LAN 30 by broadcasting into the subnet. Further, the same transmission alert message can be transmitted to the client devices 43 and 44 connected via the Internet 32. In order to prevent an unlimited transmission alert message from being sent to all of the client devices connected to other local networks via the Internet 32, the addresses of the client devices 43 and 44 to be transmitted are transferred. It is only necessary to register in advance in the unit 16 and send a transmission alert message only to such registered client devices 43 and 44.

  The client devices 41 to 44 are set to perform a pop-up display (for example, a display including the word “new content has been registered”) on the display screen of the display unit 54 when receiving the above transmission alert message. . Furthermore, the client apparatus 41 is transmitted by transmitting a different transmission invocation message according to the type of content data targeted for the transmission request and causing the client apparatuses 41 to 44 to perform a pop-up display corresponding to each transmission invocation message. It is also possible to suggest the type of content data newly registered to the users .about.44.

  In the client devices 41 to 44, the method of reflecting the transmission alert message is not limited to pop-up display, and for example, a notification sound generation unit may be provided on the client device to generate a notification sound.

  Here, an operation example of the client apparatuses 41 to 44 that have received the transmission alert message will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 11.

  It is assumed that an operation for reflecting the transmission alert message to the client devices 41 to 44 is selected and set in advance from the pop-up operation unit 57 by each user of the client devices 41 to 44. Here, any of the pop-up display, display on the task tray, and no display operation can be set as the reflection operation.

  First, the pop-up control unit 56 determines whether or not a transmission alert message has been received from the content data providing apparatus 1 (S101).

  If it is determined in step S101 that there is no transmission alert message, the pop-up control unit 56 loops without performing substantial processing and repeats this question.

  If it is determined in step S101 that there is a transmission alert message, the pop-up control unit 56 determines whether the pop-up display setting is ON (S102).

  If it is determined in step S102 that the pop-up display setting is ON, the pop-up control unit 56 displays a pop-up corresponding to the received transmission alert message on the display unit 54 (S103), and ends the process. .

  If it is determined in step S102 that the pop-up display setting is OFF, the pop-up control unit 56 next determines whether the display setting on the task tray is ON (S104).

  If it is determined in step S104 that the display setting on the task tray is ON, the pop-up control unit 56 performs a display corresponding to the received transmission alert message on the task tray of the display unit 54 (S105), and ends the process. .

  If it is determined in step S104 that the display setting on the task tray is OFF, the process ends without performing any display operation.

  In the operation of the client devices 41 to 44 described above, when the pop-up display setting or the task tray display setting is ON, the user of the client devices 41 to 44 causes the content data providing device 1 to generate new content data. It will be immediately noticed and will be urged to issue a transmission request.

  That is, when the predetermined operation of the transmission request invocation unit 17 functions effectively for the users of the client devices 41 to 44, the transfer target that is the target of the transmission request is immediately after the predetermined operation. Transmission requests for content data are made almost simultaneously from a large number of client apparatuses 41-44.

<2-2. Operation B>
Next, the operation (“Operation B”) of the content data providing apparatus 1 that has received a transmission request from the client apparatuses 41 to 44 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the content data provision control unit 12 determines whether or not there is a content data transmission request from any of the client devices 41 to 44 (S21).

  If it is determined in step S21 that there is no content data transmission request from any of the client devices 41 to 44, the content data provision control unit 12 loops without performing substantial processing and repeats this question.

  If it is determined in step S21 that one or more of the client devices 41 to 44 has requested transmission of content data, the content data provision control unit 12 stores the requested content data in the high-speed storage device 15 next. It is determined whether or not there is (S22).

  If it is determined in step S22 that the requested content data is stored in the high-speed storage device 15, the content data provision control unit 12 reads the corresponding content data from the high-speed storage device 15 (cache memory) and responds. (S23), and the transmission process ends.

  If it is determined in step S22 that the requested content data is not stored in the high speed storage device 15, the content data provision control unit 12 reads the corresponding content data from the low speed storage device 14 and sends it to the corresponding client device. Transmit (S24), and the transmission process ends.

  When the transmission request detected in step S21 is from the user of the client devices 41 to 44 that has responded to a predetermined operation for invoking the transmission request by the transmission request inducing unit 17, the requested content data is transferred. The target content data is stored in the high-speed storage device 15 in principle as a result of the processing of FIG. That is, in this case, step S23 is always performed, and the content data is promptly provided.

  On the other hand, due to exceptional circumstances such as the modification described later. Content data may not be transferred to the high-speed storage device 15 but may be stored only in the low-speed storage device 14, and step S24 is a countermeasure for such a case.

<2-3. Operation C>
Next, an operation (“Operation C”) for deleting content data stored in the high-speed storage device 15 based on a predetermined rule will be described.

  Deletion of content data from the high-speed storage device 15 is controlled by the deletion control unit 161. The content data evaluation unit 162 included in the deletion control unit 161 includes each content stored in the high-speed storage device 15. For data, the time when the data was copied from the low-speed storage device 14 to the high-speed storage device 15 and the time when the transmission request was last received from the client device are stored.

  In addition, two types of set times are registered in advance in the deletion control unit 161. That is, the first set time T1 is a time (standby storage time) for storing the content data in a state where there is no transmission request in the high-speed storage device 15, and the second set time T2 is for storing the content data at a high speed. This is the longest time (limit storage time) stored in the device 15.

  Based on the above, the flow of “Operation C” will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 6. This “Operation C” is based on the history information of each content data stored in the high-speed storage device 15. Based on the principle of selecting content data to be deleted from the high-speed storage device 15. Specifically, the “transmission request history information” (access history) for the content data and the passage of time since the content data was stored in the high-speed storage device 15, that is, “storage time history information” are the basis for the determination. .

  First, the content data evaluation unit 162 and the timer unit 163 are referred to by the deletion control unit 161, and the elapsed time since the last transmission request is received from any of the client devices 41 to 44 is equal to or longer than the first set time T1. The presence / absence of the content data is determined (S31).

  If it is determined in step S31 that there is corresponding content data, the deletion control unit 161 deletes the content data from the high-speed storage device 15 (S32).

  If it is determined in step S31 that there is no corresponding content data, the process proceeds to step S33.

  Next, the deletion control unit 161 refers to the content data evaluation unit 162 and the timer unit 163, and the elapsed time after copying from the low speed storage device 14 to the high speed storage device 15 is equal to or longer than the second set time T2. The presence or absence of the content data is determined (S33).

  If it is determined in step S33 that there is corresponding content data, the deletion control unit 161 deletes the content data from the high-speed storage device 15 (S34).

  If it is determined in step S33 that there is no corresponding content data, the process proceeds to step S35.

  Next, the deletion control unit 161 determines whether or not there is a deletion request (step S13 in FIG. 3) from the transfer control unit 16 (S35).

  When it is determined in step S35 that there is a deletion request, the deletion control unit 161 refers to the content data evaluation unit 162 and the timer unit 163 and receives the last transmission request from any of the client devices 41 to 44. The content data having the longest elapsed time (in other words, the content data having the oldest last access time) is deleted from the high-speed storage device 15 (S36).

  If it is determined in step S35 that there is no deletion request, the process returns to step S31 and a predetermined operation is repeated.

  Through the above-described deletion operation, the content data stored in the high-speed storage device 15 can always be the minimum content data with a relatively large number of transmission requests.

  In addition to the above, the condition of content data to be deleted from the high speed storage device 15 in step S36 can be arbitrarily set. For example, among the content data stored in the high-speed storage device 15, content data whose transmission request frequency (number of transmission requests per unit time) is smaller than a predetermined threshold, or content data currently existing in the high-speed storage device 15 It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which content data having the maximum data size is deleted. In this case, the content data evaluation unit 162 may calculate the transmission request frequency from the client devices 41 to 44 and update the content data sequentially, or store the data size of each content data.

  Further, the deletion conditions in steps S33 and S35 are not limited to the above, and the number of deletion conditions is not limited to the above. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which deletion is performed only when there is a deletion request.

  In addition, a configuration may be further provided in which arbitrary content data is deleted from the high-speed storage device 15 by direct instruction input by the operator of the content data providing device 1. Conversely, a configuration may be provided in which protection settings are made so that specific content data cannot be deleted from the high-speed storage device 15.

<3. First Modification of Content Data Providing Device 1>
Next, the operation of the first modification of the content data providing apparatus 1 will be described.

  The content data providing apparatus in the first modified example has the same basic configuration as that of the content data providing apparatus 1 described above, and is placed in the same network environment. Furthermore, the operation of the content data providing apparatus in the first modification is the same as that of the content data providing apparatus 1 in “operation B” and “operation C”.

  A feature of the first modified example is that a plurality of types of content data serving as transfer target content data can be set. For example, content data newly stored in the low-speed storage device 14 and content data whose transmission frequency from the low-speed storage device 14 exceeds a predetermined value are set to be detected by the transfer control unit 16 as transfer target content data. ing.

  Furthermore, in the first modification, a transfer target content data table is stored in the transfer control unit 16. In the transfer target content data table, whether or not to request deletion of each type of transfer target content data and whether or not to issue a transmission request to the client device are specified.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the transfer target content data table in the first modification.

  For example, when content data newly stored in the low-speed storage device 14 and content data whose transmission frequency from the low-speed storage device 14 exceeds a predetermined value are set as transfer target content data, each type of transfer target content For the data, a table as shown in FIG. 7 in which whether or not a deletion request is to be made and whether or not to send a transmission request is specified is created and stored in the transfer control unit 16. In the following description, content data newly stored in the low-speed storage device 14 is referred to as “transfer target content data D1”, and content data whose transmission frequency from the low-speed storage device 14 exceeds a predetermined value is referred to as “transfer target content data D2”. .

  Next, the operation of the content data providing apparatus according to the first modification, which corresponds to “operation A” of the embodiment of the content data providing apparatus 1 described above, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the transfer control unit 16 determines whether or not there is content data to be transferred (S41). Here, the transfer target content data is various content data designated in advance as transfer target content data.

  If it is determined in step S41 that there is no content data to be transferred, the process loops without performing substantial processing, and this question is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S41 that there is content data to be transferred, then the transfer control unit 16 determines whether there is enough free space in the high speed storage device 15 to store the content data to be transferred. (S42).

  When it is determined in step S42 that the necessary free space is not available, the transfer control unit 16 refers to the transfer target content data table and determines whether or not a deletion request to the deletion control unit 161 is necessary for the transfer target content data. Judgment is made (S43).

  If it is determined in step S43 that a deletion request is necessary, the transfer control unit 16 issues a deletion request to the deletion control unit 161 (S44). The transfer control unit 16 repeatedly issues a deletion request to the deletion control unit 161 until a necessary free capacity is obtained.

  If it is determined in step S43 that no deletion request is required, the process proceeds to step S46 without copying the content data to the high-speed storage device 15.

  When it is determined in step S42 that the necessary free space is available, the transfer control unit 16 copies the transfer target content data to the high-speed storage device 15 (S45).

  Subsequently, the transfer control unit 16 refers to the transfer target content data table and determines whether or not it is necessary to call up a transmission request in the transfer target content data (S46).

  If it is determined in step S46 that a transmission request is required, the transfer control unit 16 instructs the transmission request calling unit 17 to execute a predetermined transmission request calling operation (S47), and performs the transfer process. finish.

  If it is determined in step S46 that no transmission request is required, the transfer process is terminated.

  When the above configuration is applied to FIG. 6 as an example, a deletion request is made when the transfer target content data is “transfer target content data D1”, and a deletion request is not made when it is “transfer target content data D2.” That is, the “transfer target content data D2” is copied to the high speed storage device 15 only when it can be copied to the high speed storage device 15 without being deleted. Further, the transmission request alerting activation operation is not performed in the “transfer target content data D2”.

  In the above-described modification, for example, only content data received from a specific transmission source among content data newly stored in the low-speed storage device 14 can be used as transfer target content data.

  In addition, only content data that does not exceed a predetermined data size among content data newly stored in the low-speed storage device 14 can be set as transfer target content data.

  Furthermore, all the content data newly stored in the low-speed storage device 14 is set as content data to be transferred, and if it exceeds the predetermined data size, both a deletion request and a transmission request are issued, and if it does not exceed, it is transmitted It is also possible to make a request only.

<4. Second Modification of Content Data Providing Device 1>
Next, the operation of the second modification of the content data providing apparatus 1 will be described.

  The content data providing apparatus in the second modification has the same basic configuration as the content data providing apparatus 1 and the content data providing apparatus in the first modification, and is in a similar network environment. To do. Furthermore, the operation of the content data providing apparatus in the second modification is the same as that of the content data providing apparatus 1 in “operation B” and “operation C”.

  Also in the second modified example, as in the first modified example, it is possible to set a plurality of types of content data to be transferred target content data.

  Further, also in the second modified example, a transfer target content data table is stored in the transfer control unit 16 as in the first modified example. However, in the second modification, instead of designating whether or not to perform a deletion request, conditions for data copying to the high-speed storage device 15 are designated for each type of transfer target content data. In addition, it is the same as the transfer target content data table in the first modified example that whether or not to send a transmission request to the client device is specified.

  As a condition for performing this data copy, the data copy to the high-speed storage device 15 may be performed only when the data amount of the transfer target content data is smaller than the free capacity of the high-speed storage device 15. Various conditions can be adopted.

  (1) Data copy to the high speed storage device 15 is performed only when the free capacity of the high speed storage device 15 is larger than a predetermined value.

  (2) Data is copied to the high-speed storage device 15 only when the amount of content data to be transferred is smaller than a predetermined value.

  (3) Data copy to the high speed storage device 15 is performed only when the free capacity of the high speed storage device 15 after the data copy of the transfer target content data to the high speed storage device 15 is larger than a predetermined value.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the transfer target content data table in the second modification.

  Next, the operation of the content data providing apparatus in the second modification, which corresponds to “operation A” in the embodiment of the content data providing apparatus 1 described above, will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the transfer control unit 16 determines whether or not there is content data to be transferred (S51). Here, the transfer target content data is various content data designated in advance as transfer target content data.

  If it is determined in step S51 that there is no content data to be transferred, the process loops without performing substantial processing, and this question is repeated.

  When it is determined in step S51 that there is transfer target content data, the transfer control unit 16 reads the transfer condition of the transfer target content data with reference to the transfer target content data table (S52).

  When the transfer condition is read in step S52, the transfer control unit 16 determines whether or not the transfer condition is satisfied (S53).

  If it is determined in step S53 that the transfer condition is satisfied, the transfer control unit 16 copies the transfer target content data to the high-speed storage device 15 (S54).

  If it is determined in step S53 that the transfer condition is not satisfied, the transfer control unit 16 proceeds to step S55 without copying the transfer target content data to the high speed storage device 15.

  Subsequently, the transfer control unit 16 refers to the transfer target content data table and determines whether or not it is necessary to urge the transmission request in the transfer target content data (S55).

  If it is determined in step S55 that a transmission request is required, the transfer control unit 16 instructs the transmission request calling unit 17 to execute a predetermined transmission request activation operation (S56), and performs the transfer process. finish.

  If it is determined in step S55 that no transmission request is required, the transfer process is terminated.

  The control in each of the above modifications can be combined with each function of the content data providing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment as long as it does not contradict the function of the content data providing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.

It is the block diagram which showed the network environment example in which the content data provision apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention was installed. It is the block diagram which showed the structural example of the content data provision apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structural example of the client apparatuses 41-44 which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the "operation | movement A" of the content data provision apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the "operation | movement B" of the content data provision apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the "operation | movement C" of the content data provision apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the table | surface which showed the example of the transfer object content data table in a 1st modification. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the content data provision apparatus which concerns on a 1st modification. It is the table | surface which showed the example of the transfer object content data table in a 2nd modification. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the content data provision apparatus which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of the client apparatuses 41-44 which concern on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Content data provision apparatus 12 Content data provision control part 14 Low speed memory | storage device 15 High speed memory | storage device 16 Transfer control part 17 Transmission request calling part 41-44 Client apparatus 100 Network system 161 Deletion control part 162 Content data evaluation part

Claims (8)

A content data providing device connected to a plurality of client devices via a network,
First storage means for storing a plurality of content data;
Second storage means having a relatively faster reading speed than the first storage means;
When it is determined that the second storage means has a necessary free space, the specific content data stored in the first storage means is transferred to the second storage means for storage, and the second storage means Transfer control means for making a deletion request for deleting the content data in the second storage means when it is determined that there is no free space required in the storage means,
A deletion means for selectively deleting the content data in the second storage means when receiving the deletion request;
After the specific content data is stored in the second storage unit, a transmission request alert for invoking the plurality of client devices to transmit the specific content data stored in the second storage unit Means,
Content data providing means for reading the specific content data from the second storage means and transmitting it to the client apparatus in response to a transmission request for the specific content data from any of the plurality of client apparatuses;
An apparatus for providing content data, comprising: The content data providing apparatus according to claim 1,
The content data providing apparatus, wherein the transfer control unit repeatedly performs the deletion request until a necessary free space is obtained in the second storage unit. In the content data provision apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2,
When receiving the deletion request, the deletion unit selects content data to be deleted based on an elapsed time since receiving the last transmission request. In the content data provision apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2,
When the deletion unit receives the deletion request, the deletion unit selects content data to be deleted based on the frequency of the transmission request. In the content data provision apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2,
When receiving the deletion request, the deletion unit selects content data to be deleted based on a data size. The content data providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A content data providing apparatus that performs protection setting so that specific content data stored in the second storage means cannot be deleted. A content data providing device connected to a plurality of client devices via a network,
First storage means for storing a plurality of content data;
Second storage means having a relatively faster reading speed than the first storage means;
A transfer control means for transferring the specific content data stored in the first storage means to the second storage means for storage when it is determined that the second storage means has a necessary free space;
After the specific content data is stored in the second storage unit, a transmission request alert for invoking the plurality of client devices to transmit the specific content data stored in the second storage unit Means,
Content data providing means for reading the specific content data from the second storage means and transmitting it to the client apparatus in response to a transmission request for the specific content data from any of the plurality of client apparatuses;
With
If the transfer control unit determines that the second storage unit does not have a necessary free space, the transfer control unit does not transfer the specific content data to the second storage unit,
The transmission request invoking means sends a transmission request for the specific content data even when the transfer control means does not execute the transfer because the second storage means does not have a necessary free space. To the client device,
If the content data requested by the transmission request is not stored in the second storage unit, the content data providing unit reads the requested content data from the first storage unit and transmits it to the client device. Content data providing apparatus characterized by the above. A network system comprising the content data providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and a plurality of client devices connected to the content data providing device via a network.
The client device is
Pop-up means for reflecting the request for transmission by the request for transmission request of the content data providing apparatus as a pop-up display;
Display means for displaying the pop-up information;
Selecting means for selecting whether to perform the pop-up display;
A network system comprising:

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