JP2010086272A - Information acquisition device, information acquisition program, and information acquisition system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information acquisition device, an information acquisition program, and an information acquisition system for reducing circuit loads when there are a plurality of RSS readers on one LAN. <P>SOLUTION: Either of information acquisition devices is set to connect to a point on a WAN indicated by position information and acquire content summary information in accordance with frequency of access to the WAN from each of the information acquisition devices. The set information acquisition device acquires the content summary information as a representative, while the other information acquisition device acquires the content summary information via the representative information acquisition device. Thus, as compared with a case where each information acquisition device acquires the content summary information, circuit loads are reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information acquisition device, an information acquisition program, and an information acquisition system.

  There is a server that distributes content summary information including a title of a content (for example, a website) published on a network and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). For example, there is an RSS server that distributes feed information, which is one piece of content summary information, in the RSS (Resource Description Framework Site Summary) format.

Patent Document 1 describes a reader (RSS reader) that acquires RSS-format feed information (RSS feed information) from a plurality of RSS servers. When the RSS reader described in Patent Literature 1 displays a list of link buttons to the content corresponding to each title together with the title of the RSS feed acquired from the RSS server, and the user selects a desired link button Display the corresponding content.
JP 2008-165692 A

  However, when a plurality of RSS readers are provided on one LAN (Local Area Network) and the feed information of the RSS server on the WAN (Wide Area Network) is referred to, the plurality of RSS readers are individually connected to the RSS server. Since the feed information is referred to, an excessive load is applied to the line and the communication device until the access to the WAN from one LAN, and there is a possibility of adversely affecting the communication with the RSS server (for example, occurrence of a busy state). . Further, regarding the reference that is performed many times from one LAN, the RSS server side determines that it is an abnormal action, and there is a possibility that some restrictions may be imposed when acquiring the RSS feed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an information acquisition device, an information acquisition program, and an information acquisition program that can reduce a line load when there are a plurality of RSS readers (information acquisition devices) on one LAN. An object is to provide an information acquisition system.

  In order to solve this object, the information acquisition device according to claim 1 is connected to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information including at least the position information of the content and the title of the content at a predetermined timing. The content summary information, setting information storage means for storing timing setting information for connection to a location on the WAN indicated by the location information of the content summary information, the information acquisition device and the LAN The position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device connected to the position indicated on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information at a predetermined timing. Information acquisition means for acquiring the setting information of the timing to connect to, and the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device Position information collection means for collecting position information of the stored content summary information, setting information of the information acquisition apparatus stored in the setting information acquisition means, and the other information acquired by the setting information acquisition means Based on the setting information stored in the information acquisition device, a frequency comparison means for comparing the connection frequency, and the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device collected by the position information collection means The information acquisition apparatus that acquires at least a part of the position information of the information and sets the content summary information by connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information that is the setting target is set as this information acquisition apparatus. The connection device setting means for setting whether to use the information acquisition device based on the frequency of connection compared by the frequency comparison means, and the connection device setting means When the information acquisition apparatus is set as the information acquisition apparatus, the content summary information is connected to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set at the timing stored in the setting information storage unit. And the content summary information is provided to the other information acquisition device, while the other information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting means. Summary information sharing means for acquiring from the other information acquisition device the content summary information acquired by connecting the device to a location on the WAN indicated by the location information targeted for setting at a predetermined timing. .

  The information acquisition device according to claim 2 is the information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the connection device setting unit is an information acquisition device that is determined to have a high connection frequency by comparison by the frequency comparison unit. If this is the case, the information acquisition apparatus performs a first setting for acquiring the content summary information by connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set, and the first If the information acquisition device whose frequency of connection is determined to be high by the comparison by the first setting means for instructing the other information acquisition device to be set to the other information acquisition device is the other information acquisition device The second information acquisition device is connected to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set and the content summary information is acquired, and the second setting is set to the other information. Information acquisition And a second setting means for instructing the location.

  The information acquisition device according to claim 3 is the information acquisition device according to claim 2, wherein the second setting unit connects the other information acquisition device to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information. Acquisition timing setting means for setting the other information acquisition device to acquire the content summary information acquired by the other information acquisition device at a timing after a predetermined period.

  The information acquisition device according to claim 4 is the information acquisition device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising position information storage means for storing position information of the content summary information, wherein the second setting means includes the position information. Reference position for setting each of the position information to be set stored in the information storage means to position information indicating the storage position in the other information acquisition apparatus that has acquired and stored the corresponding content summary information Including setting means.

  The information acquisition device according to claim 5 is the information acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising position information storage means for storing position information of the content summary information, wherein the frequency comparison means includes the frequency comparison means, When there is position information that matches the position information stored in the position information storage means in the position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device collected by the position information collection means In addition, the connection frequency is compared based on the setting information stored in the other information acquisition device that stores the matching position information and the setting information of the information reading device stored in the setting information acquisition unit. Is.

  The information acquisition program according to claim 6 acquires the content summary information by connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the location information of the content summary information including at least the location information of the content and the title of the content at a predetermined timing. A program for causing an information acquisition device to function, wherein the information acquisition device includes setting information storage means for storing setting information of timing for connection to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information. Position information of the content summary information stored in another information acquisition device that is connected to the acquisition device so as to be communicable on the LAN and can be connected to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information at a predetermined timing. A setting information acquisition step of acquiring setting information of timing to connect to a position on the WAN indicated by A location information collection step for collecting location information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device from the information acquisition device, setting information of the information acquisition device stored in the setting information acquisition step, Based on the setting information stored in the other information acquisition device acquired by the setting information acquisition step, a frequency comparison step of comparing connection frequencies, and the other information collected by the position information collection step Information for acquiring the content summary information by setting at least a part of the position information of the content summary information stored in the information acquisition device as a setting target and connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information as the setting target Whether the acquisition device is this information acquisition device or another information acquisition device is determined based on the frequency of connections compared in the frequency comparison step. And when the information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting step and the connection device setting step, the setting information is stored at the timing stored in the setting information storage means. The content summary information is acquired by connecting to a location on the WAN indicated by the location information, and the content summary information is provided to the other information acquisition device. When the information acquisition device is set, the content summary information acquired by connecting the other information acquisition device to the location on the WAN indicated by the location information targeted for setting at a predetermined timing A summary information sharing step acquired from the information acquisition apparatus.

  The information acquisition system according to claim 7, wherein the content summary information is acquired by connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information including at least the position information of the content and the title of the content at a predetermined timing. A plurality of information acquisition apparatuses are communicably connected to each other on a LAN, and one information acquisition apparatus constituting the information acquisition system is located at a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information. Position information of the content summary information stored in the setting information storage means for storing the setting information of the connection timing, and the other information acquisition device that is communicably connected to the one information acquisition device on the LAN. The setting information acquisition means for acquiring the setting information of the timing to connect to the position on the WAN shown, and the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device Position information collecting means for collecting position information of the content summary information stored in the information acquisition apparatus, setting information of the first information acquisition apparatus stored in the setting information acquisition means, and setting information acquisition means Based on the acquired setting information stored in the other information acquisition device, stored in the other information acquisition device collected by the frequency comparison means for comparing the connection frequency and the position information collection means. An information acquisition device that acquires at least a part of the position information of the content summary information that is set as a setting target and acquires the content summary information by connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information that is set as the setting target A connection device setting means for setting whether to be an information acquisition device or another information acquisition device based on the frequency of connection compared by the frequency comparison means; and When the first information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting means, the position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set at the timing stored in the setting information storage means When the content summary information is acquired by connecting to the other information acquisition device and the content summary information is provided to the other information acquisition device, while the connection device setting unit sets another information acquisition device as the information acquisition device In the summary, the content summary information acquired by connecting the other information acquisition device to the position on the WAN indicated by the location information set as the setting target at a predetermined timing is acquired from the other information acquisition device. Information sharing means.

  According to the information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, the information acquisition apparatus that acquires the content summary information by connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set is the information acquisition apparatus or another information acquisition apparatus. One of the devices is set, and the set information acquisition device is representative to acquire the content summary information, and the other information acquisition device receives the content summary information via the representative information acquisition device. get. Therefore, there is an effect that the line load can be reduced as compared with the case where each information acquisition apparatus acquires content summary information.

  In addition, since the setting of the information acquisition device that is acquired on behalf of the content summary information is set according to the connection frequency of each information acquisition device to the WAN, for example, a high-frequency connection (information acquisition) is required. Even if it is an information acquisition device to be used, there is an effect that it is possible to acquire information without shortage. The information acquisition program according to claim 6 and the information acquisition system according to claim 7 also have the same effects as the information acquisition device according to claim 1.

  According to the information acquisition device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the information acquisition device of the first aspect, the following effect can be obtained. Since the information acquisition device to be represented is the information acquisition device with a higher connection frequency, even if it is an information acquisition device that requires a high-frequency connection (information acquisition), information can be acquired without shortage. There is an effect that can be.

  According to the information acquisition device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the information acquisition device according to the second aspect, the following effect can be obtained. When the content summary information is acquired by another information acquisition device, the timing at which the information acquisition device acquires the content summary information from the other information acquisition device and the timing at which the other information acquisition device acquires the content summary information Since it is set at a later timing, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the content summary information from being missed.

  According to the information acquisition device of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the information acquisition device according to the second or third aspect, the following effect is obtained. When content summary information is acquired by another information acquisition device, the reference destination of the target content summary information stored in the position information storage means is set in the other information acquisition device, so that the line load can be easily There is an effect that can be reduced.

  According to the information acquisition device of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect obtained by the information acquisition device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the following effect is obtained. Since it is possible to set which of the information acquisition apparatus or the other information acquisition apparatus is to acquire the same content summary information, there is an effect that the line load can be surely reduced.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-function device system 2 which is an embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention. The multi-function device system 2 includes a plurality of multi-function devices 10 and a LAN line 4 that connects the plurality of multi-function devices 10.

  In FIG. 1, the multi-function device system 2 including three multi-function devices 10 (distinguishable by 10A, 10B, and 10C) is illustrated, but the multi-function devices included in the multi-function device system 2 are illustrated. If the number of the machines 10 is plural, it can be changed as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the LAN line 4 of the multi-function device system 2 is connected to a WAN line 8 via a router 6. A plurality of content providing servers 90 and 91 are connected to the WAN line 8. In FIG. 1, the two content providing servers 90 and 91 are only connected to the WAN line 8, but the number of content providing servers can be changed as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the content providing server 90 publishes one site, and the content providing server 91 publishes one site. Each site contains a plurality of contents. Each of the content providing servers 90 and 91 stores feed information (RSS format feed information) that is summary information of a plurality of contents included in its own site. The specific contents of these pieces of information will be described later in detail.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the multi-function device 10. Although details will be described later, the multi-function device 10 of this embodiment is always powered on for FAX reception. Further, the URL (content URL) registered in advance is accessed at predetermined update times, and feed information can be acquired from the content providing servers 90 and 91.

  Further, each multi-function device 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) constituting the multi-function device system 2 itself feeds information according to the reference frequency of the feed information (hereinafter referred to as “update frequency”). You can set whether to distribute the feed information acquired to other multi-function devices by secondary distribution, or let other multi-function devices acquire feed information, and acquire feed information via the multi-function devices It is configured. In the following, the configuration of the multi-function device 10A will be described as a representative of the multi-function device 10 included in the multi-function device system 2, but the other multi-function devices 10B and 10C are similarly configured.

  The multi-function device 10A includes a control unit 12, a display panel 50, a keypad 52, a printing unit 54, a scanning unit 56, a FAX unit 58, a network interface 60, and a PSTN interface 62. The control unit 12 includes a CPU 14, a ROM 16, a RAM 18, and an NVRAM 20.

  CPU14 performs various processes according to each program (program 16a-16e) memorize | stored in ROM16. The ROM 16 stores a basic function program 16a, a feed information analysis program 16b, a feed information display program 16c, a WAN connection program 16d, a browser program 16e, and a URL registration program 16f.

  The basic function program 16a is a program for controlling basic operations of the multi-function device 10A. The basic function program 16a includes, for example, a program for generating display data displayed on the display panel 50. The basic function program 16a includes a program for controlling the printing unit 54, the scanning unit 56, the FAX unit 58, and the like, for example.

  The WAN connection program 16 d is a program for connecting to the WAN line 8. The feed information analysis program 16b is a program for analyzing feed information acquired from the content providing servers 90 and 91 and creating information for display on the display panel 50 (hereinafter referred to as “display information”). . The feed information display program 16c is a program for displaying display information. The browser program 16e is a program for browsing a Web page.

  The URL registration program 16f is a program for registering the URL of the feed information that each content providing server 90, 91 has. Although details will be described later, by the processing executed by the URL registration program 16f, the multi-function device 10A acquires the feed information in accordance with the update frequency of the feed information and receives another multi-function device (multi-function device 10B or multi-function device). Secondary distribution of the acquired feed information to the functional device 10C) or let the multi-function device 10B or the multi-function device 10C acquire the feed information, and the multi-function device 10A feeds via the multi-function device 10B or the multi-function device 10C. You can set whether to get information.

  The RAM 18 includes a basic function work area 18a, a feed information analysis work area 18b, a display information storage area 18c, an acquisition list memory 18d, and a selection memory 18e. The basic function work area 18a is a storage area for storing various data generated in the course of processing being executed in accordance with the basic function program 16a.

  The feed information analysis work area 18b is a storage area for storing various data created in the course of processing being executed according to the feed information analysis program 16b. The display information storage area 18c is a storage area for storing display information created according to the feed information analysis program 16c.

  The acquisition list memory 18d acquires a list of URLs of feed information (hereinafter referred to as “feed information URL”) stored in the URL storage area 18b of the other multi-function device 10 and provides the multi-function device as a provider. And an information ID of the list in association with each other. The selection memory 18e is a memory for storing the feed information URL selected by the user from the list stored in the acquisition list memory 18d.

  The NVRAM 20 includes a basic function parameter storage area 20a, a URL storage area 20b, and an RSS setting information storage area 20c. The basic function parameter storage area 20a is a storage area for storing various parameters (for example, print settings, scan settings, etc.) used when the CPU 14 executes processing according to the basic function program 16a.

  The URL storage area 18b is a storage area for storing the feed information URL of each content providing server 90, 91. Here, when receiving the content providing service from each of the content providing servers 90 and 91, the user performs registration for receiving the content providing service in advance.

  Although the details will be described later, the multi-function device 10A of the present embodiment can not only register the feed information URL in the main body, but also other multi-function devices (multi-function devices 10B and 10C) included in the multi-function device system 2. The feed information URL that has already been registered can be registered. In addition, it is configured so that feed information can be acquired from the content providing servers 90 and 91 via another multi-function device 2.

  The RSS setting information storage area 20c is a storage area for storing a timing (hereinafter referred to as “reference timing”) for referring to the content providing servers 90 and 91 (feed information URL 102 (see FIG. 3A)). . The reference timing stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c can be changed as appropriate according to the needs of the user.

  Note that the multi-function device 10A of the present embodiment may set a dedicated reference timing for each feed information URL stored in the URL storage area 18b, separately from the reference timing stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c. It is configured to be able to. When a dedicated reference timing is set for one feed information URL, the reference timing is stored in association with the one feed information URL in the URL storage area 18b. The reference timing for the feed information URL that is not associated with the reference timing in the URL storage area 18b is the reference timing stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c.

  The display panel 50 is a display device that can display various information and also functions as a touch panel. The keypad 52 is composed of a plurality of keys. The user can input various instructions and information to the multi-function device 10 by operating the keypad 52.

  The printing unit 54 has a printing mechanism such as an ink jet type or a laser type. The scanning unit 56 has a reading mechanism such as a CCD or CIS. The FAX unit 58 executes various operations for executing FAX communication. The network interface 60 is connected to the LAN line 4. The multi-function device 10A can communicate with the multi-function device 10B and the multi-function device 10C, and can access the WAN line 8.

  The PSTN interface 62 is connected to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) (not shown). The PSTN is used when performing FAX communication or telephone communication.

  Next, the contents stored in the URL storage area 20b (see FIG. 2) of the NVRAM 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the URL storage area 20b.

  The URL storage area 20b stores, for each feed information, the title 101 of the site to which the feed information is distributed, the feed information URL 102, the secondary distribution destination 103, the method 104, and the reference timing 105 in association with each other. It is an area. In the URL storage area 20b, each piece of feed information is associated with an identification number 100 represented by the symbol “i”. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, n pieces of feed information are stored.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the multi-function device 10A according to the present embodiment provides not only the URL of the site located in the content providing servers 90 and 91 but also other feeds connected to the LAN line 4 as the feed information URL 102. The URLs of the multi-function device 10B and the multi-function device 10C are also stored.

  Although details will be described later, when the URL of another multi-function device (multi-function device 10B or multi-function device 10C) connected to the LAN line 4 is stored as the feed information URL 102, the multi-function device 10A itself Does not directly acquire the feed information of the site title 101 from the content providing server (90 or 91) of the providing source, but the feed information of the site title 101 acquired by the multi-function device 10B or the multi-function device 10C from the content providing server of the providing source. Is acquired indirectly from the multi-function device 10B or the multi-function device 10C.

  According to the example shown in FIG. 3A, in the multi-function device 10A, the feed information URL 102 whose site title 101 is “CCC” is “mfc: Neighbors10B / listXXX” which is the URL of the multi-function device 10B. Therefore, the multi-function device 10A does not directly acquire the feed information of the site whose site title 101 is “CCC” from the providing content providing server (90 or 91), but indirectly through the multi-function device 10B. get.

  The secondary distribution destination 103 is a URL to which the multi-function device 10A secondarily distributes the feed information acquired from the content providing servers 90 and 91. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, “mfc: Neighbors 10C” is the URL of the secondary distribution destination. The secondary distribution destination is not limited to one multi-function device, and may be set for a plurality of multi-function devices.

  According to the example shown in FIG. 3A, when the multi-function device 10A acquires the feed information of the site whose site title 101 is “AAA”, the acquired feed information is transmitted to the secondary distribution destination 103. Secondary distribution to a certain multi-function device 10C (mfc: Neighbors 10C).

  A method 104 is a distribution method in the case of secondary distribution of feed information, or an acquisition method in the case of acquiring feed information from another multi-function device. Both the distribution method and the acquisition method are performed at each reference timing (reference timing 105 or reference timing 111) or using a signal. In the former case, the method 104 is “none”. In the latter case, the method 104 is “signal”. When there are a plurality of secondary distribution destinations, the method 104 is set individually.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3A, when the feed information of the site whose site title 101 is “AAA” is secondarily distributed to the multi-function device 10C (mfc: Neighbors 10C), the signal is first sent to the multi-function device 10C. The multi-function device 10C that received the signal is made to access the multi-function device 10A and acquire the feed information, so that the feed information is secondarily distributed to the multi-function device 10C.

  If another multi-function device is set as the secondary distribution destination 103 and the method 104 is “none”, the other multi-function device accesses the multi-function device 10A at each reference timing. By obtaining the feed information, the feed information is secondarily distributed to the multi-function device.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3A, when the feed information of the site whose site title 101 is “CCC” is acquired via the multi-function device 10B (mfc: Neighbors 10B), its own reference timing ( Here, the feed information is acquired by accessing the multi-function device 10B at every reference timing 105).

  If the feed information URL 102 is the URL of another multi-function device, and the method 104 is “signal”, when a signal is received from another multi-function device, the multi-function device is accessed and fed. Get information.

  Here, the method 104 is appropriately changed according to the setting of the multi-function device that acquires the feed information from the content providing servers 90 and 91 indirectly rather than directly. Therefore, when the multi-function device 10A changes the feed information acquisition method, the setting change is notified to the other multi-function device, and the multi-function device that secondarily distributes the feed information to the multi-function device 10A The method 104 to change is changed. On the other hand, when the multi-function device that is the secondary distribution destination of the multi-function device 10A changes the feed information acquisition method, the setting change is notified to the multi-function device 10A, and the multi-function device is notified to the secondary distribution destination. , The corresponding method 104 is changed.

  The reference timing 105 is a dedicated reference timing for one feed information URL 102. The feed information URL 102 associated with the reference timing 105 acquires the feed information by referring to the feed information URL 102 at the timing of the reference timing 105 regardless of the reference timing 111 stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c. . According to the example shown in FIG. 3A, the multi-function device 10A changes the feed information URL 102 (ie, the multi-function device 10B) whose site title 101 is “CCC” to “every hour / 35 minutes (specifically, At 35 minutes per hour), and feed information is acquired. Note that, among the multi-function devices included in the multi-function device system 2, there may be a multi-function device in which the reference timing 105 cannot be set.

  Next, the contents stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c (see FIG. 2) of the NVRAM 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the contents stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c.

  The RSS setting information storage area 20 b is an area for storing a reference timing 111 that is a timing for referring to the feed information URL 102. Of the feed information URLs 102 stored in the URL storage area 20b (see FIG. 3A) described above, feed information URLs other than the feed information URL associated with the reference timing 105 are referred to at the reference timing 111. The

  According to the example shown in FIG. 3B, the multi-function device 10 </ b> A changes the feed information URL 102 not associated with the reference timing 105 to “every day / AM 0:00 (specifically, every day AM 0:00)”. The feed information is acquired with reference to the reference timing 111.

  Next, the contents stored in the display information storage area 18c (see FIG. 2) of the RAM 18 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of the stored contents of the display information storage area 18c. The display information storage area 18c can store the display information 112 for each URL stored in the URL storage area 20b.

  Specifically, the display information storage area 18c can store the display information 112 for each site stored in the URL storage area 20b. As described above, the URL storage area 20b stores n (n is an integer of 1 or more) URLs 102 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, n pieces of display information 112 are also stored in the display information storage area 18c. Each display information 112 is given an identification number 110. In the present embodiment, the identification number 110 is also expressed by the symbol “i”, like the identification number 100 (see FIG. 3).

  The data structure of each display information 112 will be described. The display information 112 includes site information 120. The site information 120 includes a site title character string 122 and feed update date / time information 124. The site title character string 122 is a character string of a site title. The title of the site can be rephrased as “site name”. The feed update date / time information 124 is information related to the date / time (latest update date / time) when the feed information was updated in the content providing server.

  The display information 112 includes updated content information 132. The number of update content information 132 is equal to the number of content that the site has. For example, in FIG. 4, the display information 112 corresponding to “i = 0” includes m pieces of update content information 132 (m is an integer equal to or greater than 1). This means that the site corresponding to “i = 0” has m contents. For example, when content related to weather forecast and content related to sports exist in a predetermined site, the display information 112 corresponding to the site has two pieces of updated content information 132. Each update content information 132 is given an identification number 130. In the present embodiment, the identification number 130 is represented by a code “j”.

  Each update content information 132 includes a content title character string 140, content update date / time information 142, a content summary character string 144, and a content URL 146. In the case of the above example, the update content information 132 corresponding to the content related to the weather forecast includes the information 140 to 146, and the update content information 132 corresponding to the content related to the sports also includes the information 140 to 146.

  The content title character string 140 is a character string of the content title. The title of content can also be rephrased as “content name”. The content update date / time information 142 is information related to the date / time when the content is updated in the content providing server (latest update date / time). The content summary character string 144 is a summary of character strings included in the content. In other words, the content summary character string 144 is a character string that is more than the title of the content, less than the entire character string of the content, and is a character string that reflects the contents of the content. The content URL 146 is a content URL.

  Next, a screen displayed on the display panel 50 when the multi-function device 10 acquires feed information from the content providing servers 90 and 91 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display contents of the display panel 50.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the screen content of the display panel 50 in the standby state. On the display panel 50 in the standby state, a button 160 for selecting a function (for example, a FAX function, a scan function, a copy function, etc.) is displayed. In addition, the content title character string 162 stored in the display information storage area 18c is displayed as a telop on the display panel 50 in the standby state.

  When the content title character string 162 is touched by the user, the content update date / time information (content update date / time information 142) and the content title of each content are displayed for all contents on the site where the content character string 162 is displayed. A list 170 including a character string (content title character string 140) and a site title character string of the site is displayed on the display panel 50.

  FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which the list 170 is displayed on the display panel 50. According to the example shown in FIG. 5B, content update date / time information “14:32” and a content title character string “Sport. In addition, a button 174 for ending the list display is displayed on the screen on which the list 170 is displayed on the display panel 50.

  When one content title character string is touched (selected) by the user while the list 170 is displayed on the display panel 50, information on the touched content is displayed on the display panel 50.

  FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of screen content displayed on the display panel 50 when one content is selected from the content included in the list 170. According to the example shown in FIG. 5B, the display panel 50 includes a site title character string 172, content update date / time information 180, a content title character string 182, a content summary character string 184, and a View button 186. A screen containing is displayed. When the View button 186 is operated by the user on the screen shown in FIG. 5C, the browser program 16e is activated and the content in the content URL 146 is displayed.

  Next, a process in which the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A acquires feed information will be described with reference to FIG. Although details will be described later, the multi-function device 10A of the present embodiment (1) accesses (connects) the feed information URL 102 stored in the URL storage area 20b of the NVRAM 20 at every predetermined reference timing (update timing). Or (2) When a signal is received from another multi-function device, the feed information is obtained by any one of the acquisition methods of accessing (connecting) the multi-function device that is the source of the signal. ing.

  FIG. 6A is a flowchart showing a first feed information acquisition process executed by the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A. This first feed information acquisition process is a process when the feed information URL 102 is accessed (connected) to acquire feed information, operates as an independent task, and starts up the multi-function device 10 according to the feed information analysis program 16b. Is executed from. The first feed information acquisition process operates as an independent task.

  When the first feed information analysis process is started, the feed information URL 102 stored in the URL storage area 20b of the NVRAM 20 every time the reference timing (update time) set by the user or determined by the program is reached. The feed information is acquired by accessing (connecting) to (S11).

  As described above, the feed information URL 102 includes not only the URLs of the content providing servers 90 and 91 but also the URLs of the other multi-function devices 10B and 10C in the multi-function device system 2 (LAN line 4). Yes. Therefore, depending on the contents of the URL storage area 20b, the multi-function device 10A accesses not only the content providing servers 90 and 91 but also other multi-function devices 10B and 10C, and feeds information from the multi-function devices 10B and 10C. get. However, when the multi-function device 10A receives a signal from the multi-function devices 10B and 10C, the multi-function device 10A is configured to access the multi-function device and acquire feed information (that is, the method 104 is “sianal”). In S11, no other multi-function device is accessed.

  Next, by analyzing the acquired feed information, display information 112 (see FIG. 4) is created, and by storing the created display information 112 in the display information storage area 18c, the storage contents of the display information storage area 18c Is updated (S12).

  After the processing of S12, it is confirmed whether or not the secondary distribution destination 103 is stored (registered) in the URL storage area 102 (S13). If there is the secondary distribution destination 103 (S13: Yes), the secondary distribution destination 103 is displayed. A signal including information (for example, the site title 101) that can specify which feed information is sent (S14), and the process returns to S11. In S14, if there are a plurality of secondary distribution destinations 103, a signal is transmitted to all the secondary distribution destinations 103. On the other hand, if the secondary distribution destination 103 is not stored in the URL storage area 102 (S13: No), the process returns to S11.

  FIG. 6B is a flowchart showing the second feed information acquisition process executed by the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A. This second feed information acquisition process is a process for acquiring (feeding) feed information by accessing (connecting) to the multi-function device that is the source of the signal when a signal is received from another multi-function device. This is one of the processes according to the analysis program 16b.

  This second feed information acquisition process is activated upon reception of a signal. Since the received signal includes information on which feed information the signal is, the feed information URL 102 is specified from the content stored in the URL storage area 20b based on the information, and the feed information URL 102 is accessed. Then, feed information is acquired (S21).

  Next, as in the process of S12 in the first feed information acquisition process (see FIG. 3A) described above, the storage content of the display information storage area 18c is updated (S22), and the second feed information acquisition process is terminated. To do.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a display process (multifunction device display process) for the CPU 14 of the multifunction device 10A to display the feed information will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a multi-function device display process executed by the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A. This multi-function device display process operates as an independent task, and is executed from the time of activation of the multi-function device 10A according to the feed information display program 16c (see FIG. 2).

  Prior to the description of the multi-function device display process shown in FIG. 7, the states that the multi-function device 10A can take will be described. The same applies to the multi-function devices 10B and 10C. The multi-function device 10A has a plurality of states such as a standby state and a function execution state. In the standby state, information for selecting a function is displayed on the display panel 50 (the display panel 50 is lit).

  A button 160 for selecting a function is displayed on the display panel 50 in the standby state (see FIG. 5A). The user can input a function execution instruction to the multi-function device 10 </ b> A by operating the button 160. When the button 160 is operated, the function execution state is entered. In the function execution state, information about the function being executed (for example, the number of copies) is displayed on the display panel 50. When the function being executed in the multi-function device 10A is completed, it shifts to a standby state.

  When the multi-function device display process is activated, the content title character string 162 stored in the display information storage area 18c of the RAM 18 corresponding to each URL (for each site) stored in the URL storage area 20b of the NVRAM 20 is displayed. Are displayed in a telop (for example, scrolling from right to left) one by one (one content at a time) on the screen in the standby state on the display panel 50 (S31). The screen at this time is, for example, the screen shown in FIG. In the function execution state, the content title character string 162 is not displayed.

  When the content title character string 162 is displayed in telop (see FIG. 5A), when the content title character string is touched by the user, a list display request event occurs. In this case, the display of the RAM 18 is displayed. The site information of the site (RSS site) where the content character string 162 is displayed and the updated content information 132 stored corresponding to the site are acquired from the information storage area 18c, the site title character string 122, List data including the content title character string 140 and each content update date / time information 142 is created, and a list 170 corresponding to the list data is displayed as a list on the display panel 50 (S32). The screen at this time is, for example, the screen shown in FIG.

  The list 170 includes content update date / time information of the content and a content title character string of the content for each of a plurality of contents (for example, m pieces of content).

  In a state where the list 170 is displayed on the display panel 50 (see FIG. 5B), when one content (content title character string) is selected (touched) by the user, an event related to the content selection operation occurs. In this case, from the display information storage area 18c of the RAM 18, the site title character string 122 for the selected content, the content title character string 140 of the content, the content update date / time information 142 of the content, and the content Display data including the content summary character string 144 is generated, and a display based on the display data is displayed on the display panel 50 (S33). As a result, a screen including the site title character string 172, the content update date and time information 180, the content title character string 182, the content summary character string 184, and the View button 186 is displayed on the display panel 50 (FIG. 5 ( c)).

  When the screen including the View button 186 is displayed on the display panel 50 (see FIG. 5C), when the user operates the View button 186, the content URL 146 is accessed according to the WAN connection program 16d, and the browser program 16e is activated to display the content (S34).

  Next, a method for registering the feed information URL 102 in the URL storage area 20b in the multi-function device 10A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing feed information URL registration processing according to the URL registration program 16f executed by the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A. In the multi-function device 10B and the multi-function device 10C, the same processing is executed according to the URL registration program 16f possessed by each multi-function device.

  This feed information URL registration process is a process that is started when the user desires to register the feed information URL 102 and performs a predetermined operation. When it is started, first, the multifunction system 2 (that is, in the LAN line 4) is started. The contents of the URL storage area 20b of the other multi-function device (multi-function device 10B or multi-function device 10C) existing in is searched (S51).

  Based on this search, a list of feed information URLs stored in the URL storage area 20b of the other multi-function device (contents stored in the URL storage area 20b (see FIG. 3A)) is acquired (S52). . Next, the information ID of the acquired feed information URL list is associated with the providing multi-function device and stored in the acquisition list memory 18d (S53).

  After the process of S53, the registration mode in the multi-function device 10A is confirmed (S54). The registration mode includes an automatic mode in which all feed information URL lists included in the acquired feed information URL list are automatically registered, and a feed information URL desired to be registered from the acquired feed information URL list. There are user selection modes that can be selected. Which registration mode is selected can be appropriately selected by a user performing a predetermined operation.

  If the registration mode is the user selection mode as a result of the confirmation in S54 (S54: user selection), the contents of the acquired feed information URL list are displayed on the display panel 50 (S55). By displaying the contents of the feed information URL list on the display panel 50, the user can select the feed information URL desired to be registered by touching it appropriately. After the process of S55, the one or more feed information URLs selected by the user are stored in the selection memory 18e (S56), and the process proceeds to S57.

  On the other hand, if the registration mode is the automatic mode as a result of checking in the process of S54 (S54: automatic), all the feed information URLs included in the feed information URL list are stored in the selection memory 48e (S64), and the process of S57 is performed. Migrate to

  In S57, it is confirmed whether the processing of S58 to S63 described later is executed for the feed information URL stored in the selection memory 18e (S57). At this time, if all have not been completed yet (S57: No), one feed information URL is selected from the selection memory 18e (S58), and the selected feed information URL is stored in the URL of itself (multifunction device 10A). The feed information URL 102 stored in the area 20b is confirmed (S59).

  If the selected feed information URL is stored in its own URL storage area 20b as a result of the confirmation in S59 (S59: Yes), registration of the selected feed information URL is unnecessary. , The process returns to S57.

  On the other hand, if the selected feed information URL is not stored in the URL storage area 20b of itself (multi-function device 10A) as a result of checking in the process of S59 (S59: No), the currently selected feed information URL The reference timing 111 or 105 stored in the RSS setting information storage area 20c of the multi-function device (multi-function device 10B or multi-function device 10C) as the provider is acquired based on the information ID corresponding to (S60).

  After the processing of S60, the acquired reference timing 111 or 105 (that is, the reference timing 111 or 105 set in the multi-function device of the provider) and the reference timing stored in its own RSS setting information storage area 20c 111 and confirm whether the update frequency (reference frequency) of the feed information is higher (S61).

  As a result of checking in the process of S61, if the update frequency of its own feed information is higher than that of the multi-function device of the providing source (S61: Yes), the first registration setting process is executed (S62) , The process returns to S57. Details of the first registration setting process (S62) will be described with reference to FIG.

  On the other hand, as a result of the confirmation in the process of S61, if the update frequency of its own feed information is lower than that of the multi-function device of the providing source or the update frequency is the same (S61: No), the second registration The setting process is executed (S63), and the process returns to S57. Details of the second registration setting process (S63) will be described with reference to FIG.

  Here, as a result of the confirmation in the process of S57, if the process is executed for all the feed information URLs stored in the selection memory 18e (S57: Yes), the feed information URL registration process is terminated.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 9A, the above-described first registration setting process (S62) executed when the own update frequency is higher will be described. FIG. 9A is a flowchart showing the first registration setting process (S62) executed in the feed information URL registration process (see FIG. 8).

  In the first registration setting process (S62), first, the corresponding feed information URL is changed to the multi-function device (multi-function device 10A) to the multi-function device (multi-function device 10B or multi-function device 10C) as the provider. A change command instructing to do is sent (S71). This change command includes information on the reference timing 111 or 105 in the multi-function device. When this change command is sent, the multi-function device that has received the change command executes a first registration change process (FIG. 9A) to be described later, and changes according to the setting of the acquisition method in the multi-function device. Reply with completion notification.

  Therefore, after the process of S71, it is confirmed whether or not such a change completion notification has been received (S72). If the reception is not confirmed (S72: No), the reception confirmation of the change notification is continued until the reception can be confirmed. When the reception of the change completion notification is confirmed (S72: Yes), the selected feed information URL is registered in the URL storage area 20b of itself (multifunction device 10A) as the feed information URL (S73). At this time, the corresponding title is also registered as the title 101 in the URL storage area 20a.

  Next, in association with the feed information URL registered in the URL storage area 20b by the process of S73, the multi-function device of the provider (the partner) is set as the secondary distribution destination 103 (S74), and is included in the notified change completion notification The distribution method is set in accordance with the acquisition method of the other multi-function device (S75), and the first registration setting process (S62) is terminated.

  In the process of S75, if the acquisition method of the partner multi-function device is to acquire feed information after receiving a signal, the corresponding method 104 (distribution method) is set to "signal" If the acquisition method of the multi-function device is to access and acquire each reference timing, the corresponding method 104 is set to “none”.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 9B, a first registration change process executed when a registration change command is received will be described. FIG. 9B is a flowchart showing the first registration change process executed by the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A. The first registration change process is a process according to the URL registration program 16f. The same processing is executed in the multi-function device 10B and the multi-function device 10C.

  This first registration change process is started when the multi-function device 10A receives a change command from another multi-function device, and searches for the corresponding feed information URL from the URL storage area 20b based on the received change command ( In step S171, the corresponding feed information URL is changed to the URL of the multi-function device that is the source of the change command (S172). Next, the method 104 is set according to the setting of its own acquisition method, and a change completion notification corresponding to the acquisition method is sent to the change command destination (S173).

  After the processing of S173, it is confirmed whether or not it is a model that can set a dedicated reference timing 105 for each feed information URL (S174). If it is a model that can be set (S174: Yes), many change command transmission sources are sent. After a predetermined period (for example, after 5 minutes) of the reference timing of the function device, it is set as the reference timing 105 for referring to the multi-function device (S175), and the first registration change process is terminated.

  In this way, by making the reference timing of the multi-function device that has received the secondary distribution of feed information later than the reference timing of the multi-function device on the secondary distribution side, secondary distribution of the feed information Can be reliably received, and missed feed information can be prevented.

  On the other hand, as a result of checking in the process of S174, if the model itself is not a model that can set the dedicated reference timing 105 for each feed information URL (S174: No), the process of S175 is skipped and the first registration change process is terminated. To do.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 10A, the above-described second registration setting process (S63) that is executed when the own update frequency is lower will be described. FIG. 10A is a flowchart showing the second registration setting process (S63) executed in the feed information URL registration process (see FIG. 8).

  In the second registration setting process (S63), first, the multi-function device (multi-function device 10B or multi-function device 10C) as the provider is registered in the URL storage area 20a as the feed information URL 102 (S91). At this time, the corresponding title is also registered as the title 101 in the URL storage area 20a.

  Next, the method 104 is set according to the setting of the acquisition method of itself (multi-function device 10A), and a distribution command according to the acquisition method is sent to the multi-function device of the provider (S92). This distribution command is a command for instructing secondary distribution of the corresponding feed information URL to itself (multi-function device 10A) to the multi-function device of the provider.

  After the process of S92, it is confirmed whether it is a model capable of setting a dedicated reference timing 105 for each feed information URL (S94). As a result of checking in the process of S94, if the model can be set (S94: Yes), referencing the multi-function device after a predetermined period (for example, after 5 minutes) of the reference timing of the multi-function device of the provider The timing 105 is set (S95), and the second registration setting process (S63) is terminated.

  In this way, by making the reference timing of the multi-function device that has received the secondary distribution of feed information later than the reference timing of the multi-function device on the secondary distribution side, secondary distribution of the feed information Can be reliably received, and missed feed information can be prevented.

  On the other hand, as a result of checking in the process of S94, if the model itself is not a model that can set the dedicated reference timing 105 for each feed information URL (S94: No), the process of S95 is skipped and the second registration setting process (S63). ) Ends.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 10B, the second registration change process executed when the distribution command is received will be described. FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the second registration change process executed by the CPU 14 of the multi-function device 10A. The first registration change process is a process according to the URL registration program 16f. The same processing is executed in the multi-function device 10B and the multi-function device 10C.

  This second registration change process is started when the multi-function device 10A receives a distribution command from another multi-function device, and searches for the corresponding feed information URL from the URL storage area 20b based on the received distribution command ( In step S191, for the corresponding feed information URL, the multi-function device that is the source of the distribution command is set as the secondary distribution destination 103 (S192).

  After the process of S192, a distribution method is set according to the acquisition method of the partner multi-function device included in the received distribution command (S193), and the second registration setting process (S63) is terminated. In the process of S193, if the acquisition method of the partner multi-function device is to acquire feed information after receiving a signal, the corresponding method 104 (distribution method) is set to “signal”, and the partner If the acquisition method of the multi-function device is to access and acquire each reference timing, the corresponding method 104 is set to “none”.

  As described above, according to the multi-function device system 2 and the multi-function device 10 of the present embodiment, when one multi-function device 10A registers a feed information URL, the feed information URL is already another multi-function. If registered in the machines 10B and 10C, the frequency (update frequency) with which these multi-function machines refer to the content providing servers 90 and 91 is compared.

  At this time, if the user (multifunction device 10A) refers to the content providing servers 90 and 91 more frequently, he / she accesses the content providing servers 90 and 91 on behalf of him / her to acquire the feed information. The feed information URL 102 is registered in the URL storage area 20b so that the acquired feed information (content summary information) is secondarily distributed to the multi-function devices (multi-function devices 10B and 10C). On the other hand, if the frequency of referring to the content providing servers 90 and 91 is lower, the feed information URL 102 is set so that other multi-function devices receive secondary distribution of the feed information acquired from the content providing servers 90 and 91. Is registered in the URL storage area 20b.

  Therefore, the line load can be reduced as compared with the case where the multi-function devices 10A, 10B, and 10C included in the multi-function device system 2 individually access the content providing servers 90 and 91 to acquire the feed information.

  In addition, the setting of the multi-function device acquired on behalf of the feed information is performed by setting each multi-function device in accordance with the connection frequency to the content providing servers 90 and 91 located on the WAN line 8. Even in a multi-function device that is required to have a high update frequency for acquisition (update), feed information can be acquired without shortage. Therefore, by connecting the multi-function device with the higher update frequency to the content providing servers 90 and 91 as in this embodiment, the multi-function devices 10A, 10B, and 10C can obtain feed information without any shortage. .

  Further, according to the multi-function system 2 and the multi-function device 10 of the present embodiment, the own update frequency is lower, and when acquiring feed information from other multi-function devices, the reference timing of the other is changed. Since the multi-function device is set at a timing later than the reference timing for referring to the content providing servers 90 and 91, even if the multi-function device does not directly acquire the feed from the content providing servers 90 and 91, it prevents the feed information from being missed. can do.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be easily made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It can be guessed.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the multi-function device 10 (10A to 10C) is illustrated as a device included in the multi-function device system 2. However, as with the multi-function device 10, the feed information URL is accessed to feed from the access destination. An RSS reader (for example, a PC) that can acquire information can be used as a device included in the multi-function device system 2. In that case, the RSS reader has a memory configuration similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and a program capable of executing the same processing as the flowcharts shown in FIGS. That's fine.

  In the above embodiment, when the multi-function device 10A performs secondary distribution of feed information to other multi-function devices (multi-function devices 10B, 10C), first, a signal is sent and the other multi-function devices The multi-function device 10A is accessed to acquire feed information.

  Instead of this, or in combination with this, when the multi-function device 10A acquires the feed information from the content providing servers 90 and 91, the acquired feed information is transferred to other multi-function devices (multi-function devices 10B and 10C). It is also possible to use a configuration in which secondary distribution is performed by

  Alternatively, each multi-function device 10A, 10B, 10C does not send a signal to the secondary distribution destination even in the case of performing secondary distribution, and each multi-function device has a reference timing set for each, It is good also as a structure which accesses content provision server 90,91 or another multifunctional machine, and acquires feed information. In such a configuration, it is not necessary to store the method 104 in the URL storage area 20b.

  In the above embodiment, the multi-function device 10A is configured to acquire a list of feed information URLs from other multi-function devices and register the feed information URL based on the list. The user may input a desired feed information URL using the touch panel function of the pad 52 or the display panel 50. In such a case, the feed information URL input by the user may be searched from the URL storage area 20b of another multi-function device, information may be collected, and the update frequencies may be compared.

  In the above-described embodiment, the multi-function device 10A compares the update frequencies when the same feed information URL as the feed information URL desired to be registered is registered in another multi-function device, and the content providing server The multi-function device to be accessed on behalf of 90 and 91 is determined. However, even if the same feed information URL as the feed information URL desired to be registered is not registered in another multi-function device, If the update frequency of the multi-function device is higher, the feed information may be obtained via another multi-function device.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when it is determined in the processing of S61 in FIG. 8 that the update frequency of the own feed information is the same as the update frequency of the multi-function device of the providing source, the second registration setting process (S63). ), But may be configured to shift to the first registration setting process (S62).

  Note that the term “content” in the above embodiment may be rephrased as “one piece of information in a site”. Here, each of the “plurality of information” corresponds to one URL. Therefore, the term “content” can be rephrased as “information corresponding to one URL in the site”.

  The feed information (content summary information) may include site information. The site information may include a site title. The feed information may include a title character string of the content and a URL of the content for each of the plurality of contents. The content summary information may include information indicating the date and time when the content is updated for each of the plurality of content. The content summary information may include a summary character string in which a character string of the content is summarized for each of a plurality of contents. The summary character string may be a character string that is larger than the content title and less than the entire content character string.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-function device system which is an embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a multi-function device. (A) is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the memory content of URL storage area, (b) is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the memory content of RSS setting information storage area 20c. An example of the storage content of a display information storage area is shown. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display content on a display panel 50. FIG. (A) is a flowchart showing a first feed information acquisition process executed by the CPU of the multi-function device, and (b) is a flowchart showing a second feed information acquisition process executed by the CPU of the multi-function device. is there. It is a flowchart which shows the multi-function device display process performed by CPU of a multi-function device. It is a flowchart which shows the feed information URL registration process performed by CPU of a multi-function device. (A) is a flowchart showing a first registration setting process executed in the feed information URL registration process of FIG. 8, and (b) shows a first registration change process executed by the CPU of the multi-function device. It is a flowchart to show. (A) is a flowchart showing a second registration setting process executed in the feed information URL registration process of FIG. 8, and (b) shows a second registration change process executed by the CPU of the multi-function device. It is a flowchart to show.

Explanation of symbols

2 Multi-function device system (an example of an information acquisition system)
10 Multi-function device (an example of information acquisition device)
16f URL registration program (an example of an information acquisition program)
20b URL storage area (location information storage means)
20c RSS setting information storage area (setting information storage means)
S11, S21 An example of summary information sharing means, an example of summary information sharing step,
S52 An example of position information collection means, an example of position information collection step S60 An example of setting information acquisition means, an example of setting information acquisition step S61 An example of frequency comparison means, an example of frequency comparison step S62 An example of connection device setting means, the first An example of the setting means, an example of the connection device setting step S63 An example of the connection device setting means, an example of the second setting means, an example of the connection device setting step S91 An example of the reference position setting means S94 An example of the acquisition timing setting means

Claims (7)

An information acquisition device for acquiring the content summary information by connecting to a location on the WAN indicated by the location information of content summary information including at least content location information and the content title, at a predetermined timing,
Setting information storage means for storing setting information of timing for connection to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information;
The content summary information stored in another information acquisition device that is connected to the information acquisition device so as to be communicable on the LAN and can be connected to the location on the WAN indicated by the location information of the content summary information at a predetermined timing. Setting information acquisition means for acquiring setting information of timing for connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information;
Position information collection means for collecting position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device;
The connection frequency is compared based on the setting information of the information acquisition device stored in the setting information acquisition unit and the setting information stored in the other information acquisition device acquired by the setting information acquisition unit. Frequency comparison means,
A position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set, with at least a part of the position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device collected by the position information collecting unit as a setting target A connection device that sets whether the information acquisition device that acquires the content summary information by connecting to the current information acquisition device or another information acquisition device is based on the frequency of connections compared by the frequency comparison means Setting means;
When the information acquisition apparatus is set as the information acquisition apparatus by the connection apparatus setting means, the position information on the WAN indicated by the position information as the setting target is stored at the timing stored in the setting information storage means. When the content summary information is connected and the content summary information is provided to the other information acquisition device, while another information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting unit. The summary information for acquiring the content summary information acquired by connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information set as the setting target by the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device An information acquisition apparatus comprising: a sharing unit. The connection device setting means includes:
If the information acquisition device determined to have a high connection frequency by the comparison by the frequency comparison means is the main information acquisition device, the main information acquisition device is on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set. A first setting unit configured to connect to a location and acquire the content summary information, and to instruct the other information acquisition device to perform the first setting;
When the information acquisition device that is determined to have a high connection frequency by the comparison by the frequency comparison means is the other information acquisition device, the position information that is the setting target is indicated to the other information acquisition device. A second setting unit that connects to a location on the WAN to acquire the content summary information and includes a second setting unit that instructs the other information acquisition apparatus to perform the second setting. The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   The second setting means sends the other information acquisition apparatus to the other information acquisition apparatus at a timing after a predetermined period from the timing when the other information acquisition apparatus connects to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information. The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an acquisition timing setting unit configured to acquire the content summary information acquired by the information acquisition apparatus. A location information storage means for storing location information of the content summary information;
The second setting means stores each of the position information to be set stored in the position information storage means in the other information acquisition device that has acquired and stored the corresponding content summary information. 4. The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising reference position setting means for setting position information indicating a position. A location information storage means for storing location information of the content summary information;
The frequency comparison means includes position information stored in the position information storage means in position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device collected by the position information collection means. When there is matching position information, based on the setting information stored in the other information acquisition device that stores the matching position information and the setting information of the information reading device stored in the setting information acquisition means The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection frequencies are compared. An information acquisition program for functioning an information acquisition device that connects to a position on the WAN indicated by position information of content summary information including at least content position information and the content title at a predetermined timing There,
The information acquisition apparatus includes setting information storage means for storing setting information of timing for connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information,
The content summary information stored in another information acquisition device that is connected to the information acquisition device so as to be communicable on the LAN and can be connected to the location on the WAN indicated by the location information of the content summary information at a predetermined timing. A setting information acquisition step for acquiring setting information of timing for connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information;
A location information collection step for collecting location information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device;
The connection frequency is compared based on the setting information of the information acquisition device stored in the setting information acquisition step and the setting information stored in the other information acquisition device acquired in the setting information acquisition step. A frequency comparison step,
A position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set, with at least a part of the position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device collected in the position information collecting step as a setting target A connection device that sets whether the information acquisition device that acquires the content summary information by connecting to the current information acquisition device or another information acquisition device is based on the frequency of connections compared in the frequency comparison step Configuration steps;
When the information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device in the connection device setting step, the location information on the WAN indicated by the location information as the setting target is stored at the timing stored in the setting information storage unit. When the content summary information is connected and the content summary information is provided to the other information acquisition device, while another information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting step. The summary information for acquiring the content summary information acquired by connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information set as the setting target by the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device An information acquisition program comprising a sharing step. A plurality of information acquisition apparatuses that acquire the content summary information by connecting to a position on the WAN indicated by the location information of the content summary information including at least the content location information and the content title on the LAN. An information acquisition system that is communicably connected to each other,
One information acquisition device constituting this information acquisition system is:
Setting information storage means for storing setting information of timing for connection to a position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information;
The setting information of the timing for connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition apparatus that is communicably connected to the one information acquisition apparatus on the LAN is acquired. Setting information acquisition means;
Position information collection means for collecting position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device from the other information acquisition device;
The connection frequency based on the setting information of the one information acquisition device stored in the setting information acquisition unit and the setting information stored in the other information acquisition device acquired by the setting information acquisition unit A frequency comparison means for comparing
A position on the WAN indicated by the position information to be set, with at least a part of the position information of the content summary information stored in the other information acquisition device collected by the position information collecting unit as a setting target Whether the information acquisition device that acquires the content summary information by connecting to the first information acquisition device or another information acquisition device is set based on the frequency of connection compared by the frequency comparison means Connection device setting means;
When the first information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting unit, the timing information stored in the setting information storage unit is on the WAN indicated by the position information targeted for setting. The content summary information is acquired by connecting to a location, and the content summary information is provided to the other information acquisition device, while another information acquisition device is set as the information acquisition device by the connection device setting unit. In this case, the other information acquisition apparatus acquires the content summary information acquired by connecting to the position on the WAN indicated by the position information targeted for setting at a predetermined timing from the other information acquisition apparatus. An information acquisition system comprising summary information sharing means.

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