JP2010204890A - Service utilization system, method of utilizing service, and program for arranging and displaying service - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the burden of selecting services on users in various network environments of a service utilization system that utilizes services on a network. <P>SOLUTION: When a computer PC1 is connected to a local area network LAN1, the CPU 30 of the computer PC1 searches for services connected to the local area network LAN1. Based on service utilization information which is a history of utilization of services that the computer PC1 stores, a Naive Bayes classifier predicts a priority order that indicates the degrees of possibilities that the services found might be used by the computer PC1. Based on the priority order, the services found are selectably displayed in a display 54. The user selects a desired service from the choices displayed and forces the computer PC1 to execute it. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a service utilization system that can use a plurality of services connected to a network from a first terminal connected to the network.

  In recent years, opportunities for using mobile devices in a plurality of network environments have increased due to the high performance of mobile devices and the spread of wireless networks. For example, a user brings a mobile device into a plurality of conference rooms or classrooms, and connects to a local area network (LAN) constructed for each conference room or classroom, and uses a service connected to the LAN. For example, output by a printer or projection by a projector can be performed.

  However, in such a usage environment, it is troublesome for a user to select a service to be used every time a connection is made to the LAN. If there are a large number of services connected to the LAN, the display is made on a GUI (Graphical User Interface). It was also difficult to find a desired service from among the choices of services provided.

  In response to such issues, many software programs that record network settings of frequently used devices for each network have been developed. However, this is not applicable in ad hoc environments where the network service configuration differs for each connection. It was difficult.

JP 2005-124170 A

  In light of the above-described problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the burden of user service selection in various network environments in a service use system that uses services on a network.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

Application Example 1 A service utilization system that utilizes a plurality of services connected to a network from a first terminal connected to the network,
Search means for searching for a plurality of services connected to the network;
First storage means for storing a use history of services used in the first terminal;
It is a ranking of the magnitude of the possibility of being used in the first terminal for the plurality of searched services based on priority basic information including at least the usage history stored in the first storage means. A priority prediction means for predicting priorities;
Display means for selectively displaying services available on the first terminal in an arrangement based on the predicted priority order;
A service utilization system comprising: execution means for executing a service selected by the user from among the displayed services.

  The service use system having such a configuration predicts priorities for a plurality of searched services based on priority basic information including at least the use history of the services used in the first terminal, and uses them in the first terminal. Possible services are displayed so as to be selectable in an arrangement based on the priority order, and the service selected by the user is executed. Therefore, the service that is more likely to be used in the first terminal is easier for the user to select, and the user's burden of service selection can be reduced. Also, since the service connected to the network is searched and the priority order is predicted based on the usage history of the searched service, it can be suitably applied even in an environment where the service connected to the network is fluid. it can.

[Application Example 2] The service utilization system according to Application Example 1, wherein the network includes a second terminal different from the first terminal, and the plurality of terminals used in the second terminal. A usage history acquisition means for acquiring a usage history stored in the second storage means from the second terminal is connected to a second terminal having a second storage means for storing a service usage history. A service usage system including the usage history acquired from the second terminal in the priority order basic information.

  The service use system having such a configuration can predict the priority order by including the use history of the service used in the second terminal in the priority order basic information. Therefore, flexible priority order prediction can be performed in consideration of the usage status in terminals other than the first terminal. In addition, when the usage history of the usage history of the first terminal is small, when the first terminal is connected to a network that has not been connected in the past, or when a new service is newly connected to the network, Prediction accuracy can be improved.

[Application Example 3] Application example 2 in which the usage history acquisition unit performs the acquisition on a service whose usage history is not stored in the first storage unit among a plurality of services searched by the search unit. Service usage system.
The service usage system having such a configuration acquires the usage history of the second terminal for a service whose usage history is not stored in the first storage means, that is, the usage of the second terminal only when it is the minimum necessary. Since the history is acquired and reflected in the prediction of the priority order, the prediction can be performed simply and the calculation burden on the first terminal can be reduced. In addition, the communication load on the network can be reduced.

Application Example 4 In the usage history acquisition unit, when the total usage in the network to which the first terminal is connected is less than a predetermined value in the usage history stored in the first storage unit. The service use system according to Application Example 2 or Application Example 3 in which the acquisition is performed.
The service usage system having such a configuration reflects the usage history of the second terminal even when the first terminal is connected to a network where the total number of services used by the first terminal is small. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of predicting the priority order. In addition, the communication load on the network can be reduced.

Application Example 5 The service use system according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4, wherein the priority order predicting unit predicts the priority order based on a service use probability calculated based on the priority order basic information. .
Since the service use system having such a configuration calculates the service use probability and predicts the priority order, the prediction accuracy can be improved.

[Application Example 6] The service usage system according to Application Example 5, wherein the priority order predicting means calculates the usage probability by a naive Bayes classifier.
Since the service use system having such a configuration calculates the use probability by the naive Bayes classifier, it is possible to appropriately predict an uncertain event with a relatively small amount of calculation.

[Application Example 7] The service utilization system according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 6, further comprising detection means for detecting a change in a connection state of the first terminal to the network. When the means detects the change, the search means performs the search, and the priority order prediction means predicts the priority order.

  Since the service usage system having such a configuration updates the priority every time the connection state of the first terminal to the network changes, the latest usage history is reflected each time the first terminal is connected to the network. The services can be arranged and displayed in the order of priority, which is highly convenient.

[Application Example 8] In the service utilization system according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 7, the search means can grasp the operating states of the plurality of services, and the priority order basic information includes: A service use system including status information indicating an operation state of the service ascertained by the search means.

  Since the service use system having such a configuration sets the priority order also reflecting the operation state of the service, more flexible priority order prediction can be performed. For example, when the service is in a state where it cannot be provided due to an error, the state can be reflected.

Application Example 9 The service utilization system according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 8, wherein at least some of the plurality of services searched by the search unit are services newly connected to the network.
The service use system having such a configuration can be suitably applied even when there is a service newly connected to the network.

Application Example 10 The service use system according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 9, wherein the network is a network to which the first terminal is connected for the first time.
The service use system having such a configuration can be suitably applied to a network to which the first terminal is connected for the first time.

Application Example 11 In the service use system according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 10, a server storing each of the software for making the plurality of services available is connected to the network, and , It is determined whether or not priority software, which is software that can use a service having a higher priority among the services predicted by the priority prediction means, is stored in the storage medium of the first terminal. A service utilization system comprising: determination means; and software acquisition means for acquiring the priority software from the server when the determination means determines that the priority software is not stored.

  In the service use system having such a configuration, when software that can use a service with high priority is not stored in the first terminal, the software can be acquired from the server. Therefore, the user selects the service. The service can be used smoothly when trying to execute.

  The present invention can also be realized as a service use device that uses a service on a network, a service use method, a computer program shown in Application Example 13, a storage medium that records the program, and the like.

Application Example 12 A computer program for displaying a plurality of services in a predetermined arrangement of services when a plurality of services connected to the network are used from a terminal connected to the network A search function for searching for a plurality of services connected to the network and creating a list of services; a storage function for storing a service usage history in the terminal in a storage medium; and the stored usage history A priority prediction function for predicting a priority that is a ranking of the likelihood of being used in the terminal for the plurality of searched services based on priority basic information including at least: Arrangement device for arranging a list based on the predicted priority for displaying the list of services A computer program to realize the door to the computer.

2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a service use system 20. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of computer PC1, PC2. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the priority order prediction process in computer PC1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of service utilization information etc. in a priority order prediction process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the service utilization process in computer PC1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of GUI displayed in a service utilization process.

A. Example:
A-1. Network configuration:
A schematic configuration of a service utilization system 20 as an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The service use system 20 is a system that uses a service provided on a network from a terminal, and is configured by connecting computers PC1, PC2, printers PRT1, PRT2, projector PJ, and server SV to a local area network LAN1.

  The computers PC1 and PC2 are terminals that use services existing on the network. The computer PC1 corresponds to a first terminal, and the computer PC2 corresponds to a second terminal. In this embodiment, the computer PC1 is normally used by being connected to a local area network LAN2 to which printers PRT3 and PRT4 are connected as shown in FIG. 1B. The user sometimes moves the computer PC1 to connect to the local area network LAN1 shown in FIG. FIG. 1A shows a connection state when the computer PC1 is moved.

  The printers PRT1 to PRT4 and the projector PJ are services on the network, the printers PRT1 to PRT4 provide a print output service, and the projector PJ provides an image projection output service. In the present embodiment, the printers PRT1 and PRT2 are conventionally connected to the local area network LAN1, but the projector PJ is newly connected to the local area network LAN1 after the computer PC1 was previously connected to the local area network LAN1. (In the present application, such a newly connected service is referred to as a “new service”). In FIG. 1, the printers PRT1 to PRT4 and the projector PJ are given parentheses and their model numbers are given, and the local area networks LAN1 and LAN2 are given parentheses and their network addresses are given. ing. The printer PRT1 and the printer PRT3 (model number PM-1111), the printer PRT2 and the printer PRT4 (model number LP-2222) have the same model number, that is, the same model.

  In this embodiment, the server SV is a file server that stores and provides drivers for the printers PRT1 and PRT2 and the projector PJ as shared files. The printer server spools the jobs of the printers PRT1 and PRT2, and controls output. It also functions as a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server that automatically assigns network settings to components. The server SV is not essential. Further, in the local area networks LAN1 and LAN2, there are no particular limitations on the terminals and service types (types) and the number of services constituting the local area network LAN1, connection methods such as wired and wireless.

A-2. Configuration of computers PC1 and PC2:
A schematic configuration of the computers PC1 and PC2 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, since the computers PC1 and PC2 have the same configuration, the configuration of the computer PC1 will be described below. The computer PC1 is a general-purpose personal computer in which a predetermined program is installed, and includes a CPU 30, a hard disk drive 40, a ROM 51, a RAM 52, an input mechanism 53, a display 54, and an interface 55, as shown in FIG. Are connected by an internal bus.

  The CPU 30 controls the entire computer PC1 by developing firmware and OS stored in the hard disk drive 40 and ROM 51 in the RAM 52 and executing them. Further, the CPU 30 executes a program stored in the hard disk drive 40, whereby a search unit 31, a priority order prediction unit 32, a display unit 33, an execution unit 34, a usage history acquisition unit 35, a detection unit 36, and a determination unit 37. Also, it functions as a software acquisition unit 38 and a usage history providing unit 39. Details of these functional units will be described later.

  The hard disk drive 40 stores a usage history database 41. The usage history database 41 is a database that stores the usage history of services on the network that the computer PC1 has been able to use in the past. In this embodiment, the usage environment (network address), the type of service, and the service model number are used. , Consisting of elements of usage count. In the present application, the history information stored in the usage history database 41 is referred to as service usage information. In this embodiment, the usage history database 41 is configured to store usage histories in all networks (here, the local area networks LAN1 and LAN2) to which the computer PC1 has been connected, but registered in advance. Only the network may be configured to store the usage history.

  In this embodiment, the input mechanism 53 includes a keyboard and a pointing device (here, a mouse). In the present embodiment, the display 54 is a liquid crystal display, and displays an image via a graphic controller (not shown). The interface 55 is an interface for connecting to the local area network. In FIG. 2, the computer PC1 is connected to the local area network LAN1 via the interface 55.

A-3. Priority prediction process:
The priority order prediction process in the service use system 20 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the priority order prediction process is a rank order of the possibility that the computer PC1 will use the service on the local area network LAN1 in the computer PC1 when the computer PC1 is connected to the local area network LAN1. This is a process for predicting the priority order. What is the priority prediction process? In this embodiment, the process is started by starting a predetermined program on the computer PC1, but the timing of starting the process is not particularly limited, and may be started when the computer PC1 is started.

  When the priority order prediction process is started, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 30 determines whether the connection state of the computer PC1 to the network has changed as a process of the detection unit 36 (step S100). . In this embodiment, this determination is made as follows. First, when connected to the local area network LAN1, the CPU 30 of the computer PC1 searches for a server SV that works as a DHCP server by broadcasting. Then, the CPU 30 receives assignment of network settings such as an IP address, a subnet mask, and a default gateway, and stores the information in the hard disk drive 40. Here, the CPU 30 reads the network setting at a predetermined timing and backs it up in a predetermined area of the hard disk drive 40, and collates the backup with the current network setting at the predetermined timing. As a result, if the current network setting is different from the backup, the CPU 30 determines that it is newly connected to the predetermined network, and if it is not different, the CPU 30 determines that the network connection state has not changed. It is.

  Note that detection of a change in the state of connection to the network is not limited to such a configuration, and various configurations can be adopted. For example, the CPU 30 may detect that the IP address has been rewritten by the user's manual operation using the above-described method. Alternatively, the CPU 30 detects that the link pulse on the local area network LAN1 has not been received within a predetermined time and has shifted to a state in which a predetermined number of link pulses are received within the predetermined time, and the network connection is detected. It may be determined that the state has changed. In this way, even when the computer PC1 is newly connected to the same network as the previous connection, it can be reliably detected that the computer PC1 is newly connected.

  As a result, if the connection state of the network has not changed (step S100: NO), the CPU 30 stands by until a change in the connection state is detected. On the other hand, if the network connection state has changed (step S100: YES), the CPU 30 searches for a service connected to the local area network LAN1 as a process of the search unit 31 (step S110).

  In this embodiment, such service search is performed by broadcasting an SLP service search request using SLP (Service Location Protocol). In response to such a request, each service connected to the local area network LAN1 unicasts its type (service type) and attribute information (here, the service model number) to the computer PC1. A specific example of the search result is shown in FIG. In this example, as shown in the figure, the printer PRT1 (model number PM-1111), the printer PRT2 (LP-2222), and the projector PJ (model number ELP-3333) connected to the local area network LAN1 are searched.

  The service search is not limited to the configuration using SLP, and various protocols such as PnP-X (Plug and Play Extensions) and WS-Inspection can be used. In addition, the service search may be configured such that information on services connected to the local area network LAN1 is managed by the server SV and acquired from the server SV. In addition, a service search may be performed using a plurality of protocols. By doing this, the information that can be acquired differs depending on the protocol, so the range of service information that can be grasped is expanded. In addition, there is a possibility that the protocol that can be handled differs depending on the service, so it is possible to search for more services.

  When the service is searched, the CPU 30 reads the usage history database 41 and acquires service usage information (step S120). A specific example of the service usage information acquired here is shown in FIG. In this example, the service usage information includes a network environment (network address) to which the computer PC1 has been connected in the past, and the type of service, model number, and usage count that were available when the computer PC1 was connected to the environment. . Specifically, the service usage information includes the printer PRT1 (model number PM-1111), the printer PRT2 (LP-2222), and the local area network LAN2 (network address 192.Network address 192.168.1) of the local area network LAN1. 168.2) of printer PRT3 (model number PM-1111) and printer PRT4 (LP-2222). For example, in the use environment “192.168.1”, the computer PC1 has used the model number “LP-2222” of the service type “printer” 10 times in the past. Since the projector PJ is newly connected to the local area network LAN1 as described above, the service usage information of the projector PJ is not included in the acquired service usage information.

  When the service usage information is acquired, the CPU 30 determines whether the service searched in step S110 includes a new service that is searched for the first time (step S130). This determination is made by collating the search result in step S110 with the service usage information acquired in step S120. In the present embodiment, since the projector PJ (model number ELP-3333) searched in step S110 is not included in the service usage information acquired in step S120, it is determined that the projector PJ is a new service. It will be.

  If there is a new service as a result of the determination (step S130: YES), the CPU 30 creates a new database for the projector PJ (model number ELP-3333) that is the new service (step S140). That is, the service usage information (number of times of use 0) of the projector PJ shown in FIG. 4C is added to the service usage information shown in FIG.

  When the new database is created, the CPU 30 acquires service usage information of the computer PC2 for the projector PJ (model number ELP-3333), which is a new service, as processing of the usage history acquisition unit 35 (step S150). Specifically, the CPU 30 of the computer PC 1 transmits a request message for the usage information of the projector PJ to the computer PC 2, and the CPU 30 of the computer PC 2 responds to the hard disk of the computer PC 2 as processing of the usage history providing unit 39. Service usage information related to the projector PJ is transmitted from the usage history database 41 stored in the drive 40 to the computer PC1. In short, the computer PC1 acquires the usage history of the projector PJ of another computer PC2 that is already connected to the local area network LAN1. In the present embodiment, the computer PC1 is configured to acquire service usage information from all terminals on the local area network LAN1 by broadcast, but may be configured to acquire from a specific terminal set in advance. . A specific example of the service usage information acquired in this way is shown in FIG. In this example, the projector PJ is used 20 times from the computer PC2.

  When the service usage information is acquired or if there is no new service in step S130 (step S130: NO), the CPU 30 performs steps S120 and S150 for the service searched in step S110 as the processing of the priority order prediction unit 32. The priority order is predicted for each service type based on the service usage information acquired in step S160. In the present embodiment, the priority order is predicted based on the calculation result by calculating the use probability of each service in the computer PC1 based on the acquired service use information. In this embodiment, the usage probability is calculated using the naive Bayes classifier described below. However, the usage probability may be calculated by other methods.

  The naive Bayes classifier will be described. Since the Bayes classifier is a well-known probability theory, detailed explanation is omitted, but it is a probability model in which Bayes' theorem is applied to a simple independence assumption, and the dependent class variable C and the dependent class variable C depend on it. Using the characteristic variables F1 to Fn, the probability of occurrence of a predetermined event is calculated by the following equation (1). In the following equation (1), p (X | Y) represents a conditional probability of the probability of X when Y.

  In accordance with the present embodiment, a specific calculation example of the use probability by the naive Bayes classifier for the service “printer” is shown. The probability P (PM-1111) of using the model number “PM-1111” is calculated as the following equation (2) based on the service usage information shown in FIG. Further, the probability P (LP-2222) of using the model number “LP-2222” is calculated as the following equation (3) based on the service usage information shown in FIG.

P (PM-1111) = 900 / (0 + 10 + 900 + 100) = 0.89 (2)
P (LP-2222) = (10 + 100) / (0 + 10 + 900 + 100) = 0.11 (3)

  Therefore, the probability P (PM-1111 | 192.168.18.1) of using the model number “PM-1111” in the usage environment “192.168.1” is expressed by the above formulas (1), (2), (3 ) And the following calculation formula (4). Similarly, the probability P (LP-2222 | 192.168.8.1) of using the model number “LP-2222” in the usage environment “192.168.8.1” is calculated as in the following equation (5). In the following formulas (4) and (5), the exclamation mark “!” Is a negative symbol, for example, “! PM-1111” means “not PM-1111”.

P (PM-1111 | 192.168.1) = P (PM-1111) × P (192.168.1 | PM-1111) ÷ (P (192.168.1 | PM-1111) × P (PM-1111) + P (192.168 .1 |! PM-1111) × P (! PM-1111)) = {0.89 × 0 / (0 + 900)} ÷ {0 / (0 + 900) × 089 + 10 / (10 + 100) × 0.11} = 0.0 ... (4)
P (LP-2222 | 192.168.1) = P (LP-2222) × P (192.168.1 | LP-2222) ÷ (P (192.168.1 | LP-2222) × P (LP-2222) + P (192.168 .1 |! LP-2222) × P (! LP-2222)) = {0.11 × 10 / (10 + 100)} ÷ {10 / (10 + 100) × 0.11 + 0 / (0 + 900) × 0.89} = 1.0 ... (5)

  With this calculation, the priority order is predicted in descending order of the probability value. Here, the model number “LP-2222” (printer PRT2) having the highest probability value and the model number “PM-1111” (printer PRT1) are predicted to increase in order of priority.

  In this embodiment, since there is only one service “projector” on the local area network LAN1, the priority order is not predicted, but a plurality of new services “projectors” are provided in the local area network LAN1. When the priority order is also predicted for the projector, the service usage information of the projector acquired from the computer PC2 in step S150 is treated as the service usage information of the computer PC1, and similarly. The usage probability was calculated. Further, even when a new service and a conventionally existing service are connected to the local area network LAN1, the service usage information on the new service acquired from the computer PC2 is the service usage information of the computer PC1. The usage probability is calculated in the same manner.

  When the priority order is predicted for each service type in this way, the CPU 30 rewrites the OS (Operating System) setting file of the computer PC1 based on the predicted priority order as processing of the display unit 33 (step S170). This setting file describes service selection candidates and their display order displayed on the GUI for performing the service execution instruction in the service use processing described later. In step S170, the predicted priority is set. The display order of the service selection candidates is rewritten based on the order.

  When the setting file is rewritten, the CPU 30 determines, as processing of the determination unit 37, that the software that can use the service for the service having the highest priority among the same service types in step S160 is the hard disk of the computer PC1. It is determined whether it is stored in the drive 40 (step S180). Here, the software is a printer driver corresponding to the printer PRT2 having the highest priority in step S160.

  As a result, if the printer driver is not stored (step S180: NO), the CPU 30 requests the server SV to send the printer driver for the printer PRT2 to the server SV as a process of the software acquisition unit 38, and the printer driver from the server SV. Is acquired (step S190).

  In this embodiment, the software is acquired only for the service having the highest priority in the same service type. However, a plurality of pieces of software may be acquired. For example, three pieces of software may be acquired in descending order of priority. In such a case, the number of software acquisitions may be a predetermined number, or may be dynamically changed according to the use probability calculated in step S160. In this way, for example, even when a service with the second highest priority is used, the user can use the service smoothly.

  When the printer driver is acquired in this way, or if the printer driver is stored in step S170 (step S180: YES), the CPU 30 ends the priority order prediction process.

A-4. Service usage processing:
Service use processing in the service use system 20 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the service use process is a process of executing output by a service connected to the local area network LAN1, such as the printer PRT1, in the computer PC1. This process is started when the user of the computer PC1 operates a service execution instruction using the input mechanism 53. The service execution instruction operation is, for example, an operation in which the user opens a desired document file on the computer PC1 with a predetermined application, for example, word processing software, and issues a print instruction for the document.

  When the service use process is started, first, the CPU 30 receives a service use instruction (step S200), and reads the setting file for the service type corresponding to the received instruction as the process of the display unit 33. For the service type, services on the local area network LAN1 that can be used by the computer PC1 are displayed on the display 54 so as to be selectable (step S210).

  A specific example of the GUI displayed on the display 54 in step S210 is shown in FIG. The illustrated GUI shows a part of a window W1 for operating a print output service, which is displayed on the display 54 when a user performs a print instruction operation on the computer PC1. As illustrated, the window W1 includes a sub window SW1, a pull-down button PB, and a sub window SW2. The sub window SW1 is a window that displays the name of the printer to be used, and one of the available printers is displayed by default. The pull-down button PB is a button for pull-down display of a list of available printers. When the user operates the input mechanism 53 and clicks the pull-down button PB with a pointer, a list of available printers is displayed in the sub-window SW2. Is displayed. Further, when the user clicks and selects one printer from the list shown in the sub-window SW2, the selected printer is displayed in the sub-window SW1 instead of the printer displayed by default. In short, the user does not need to select a printer to be used if the printer displayed by default in the sub-window SW1 is a desired printer. If the printer is not the desired printer, the user can display a list of printers in the sub-window SW2, A desired printer can be selected from them.

  In such a window W1, LP-2222 (printer PRT2) predicted to have the highest priority for the service type “printer” in step S160 of the priority order prediction process described above is displayed in the sub-window SW1. Further, the sub-window SW2 displays the priority levels predicted in step S160 in descending order, and in the figure, LP-2222 (printer PRT2) and LP-1111 (printer PRT1) are displayed in this order based on the priority levels. It is displayed. Note that LP-2222 highlighted in the sub-window SW2 indicates that the printer is currently displayed in the sub-window SW1.

  When the available services are displayed, the CPU 30 receives a service execution instruction performed by the user selecting a desired service, and executes the selected service as a process of the execution unit 34 (step S220). In the present embodiment, LP-2222 (printer PRT2) is selected by the user, and the CPU 30 transmits print target data to a server SV as a printer server to execute printing.

  When the service is executed in this way, the CPU 30 updates the service usage information in the usage history database 41 for the used service (step S230). Thus, the service use process ends. FIG. 4E shows a specific example of the updated service usage information. In this example, the printer PRT2 (LP-2222) having the highest priority is used. 4D, among the service usage information shown in FIG. 4B, the usage count of the printer “LP-2222” in the usage environment “192.168.1” is “10” to “11”. It shows how it was updated once. By updating in this way, the priority order of services can be accurately predicted based on the latest usage history when the priority order prediction process is executed next time.

A-5. effect:
The service usage system 20 described above predicts priorities for a plurality of searched services based on service usage information, which is the usage history of services used in the computer PC1, and determines the services available on the computer PC1. The display is made selectable in an arrangement based on the priority order, and the service selected by the user is executed. Therefore, a user can easily select a service that is determined to have a high possibility of being used in the computer PC1 based on the use history of the computer PC1, and thus the burden on the user in selecting a service can be reduced. Such an effect becomes remarkable when there are many services connected to the local area network LAN1. Further, since the service connected to the local area network LAN1 is searched and the priority order is predicted based on the service usage information of the searched service, the service connected to the local area network LAN1 can be used in a fluid environment. , Can be suitably applied.

  In addition, the service usage system 20 acquires the usage history of other terminals only for services for which the service usage information is not stored in the computer PC1, that is, the service usage information is acquired from the computer PC2 only when necessary. And since it is reflected in prediction of a priority order, prediction can be performed simply and the calculation burden of computer PC1 can be reduced. In addition, the communication load of the local area network LAN1 can be reduced.

  Further, since the service usage system 20 predicts the priority order based on the service usage probability calculated based on the service usage information, the prediction accuracy can be improved. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the use probability is calculated by simple Bayes, an uncertain event can be appropriately predicted with a relatively small amount of calculation. As a result, resources such as a memory and a CPU can be used effectively or can be made compact.

  Further, since the service use system 20 can detect the connection state to the local area network and update the priority every time the connection state changes, each time the computer PC1 is connected to the local area network, Services can be arranged and displayed in priority order reflecting the most recent usage history.

  In addition, when the software that enables the use of a high priority service is not stored in the computer PC1, the service use system 20 can acquire the software from the server SV. Therefore, the user of the computer PC1 can execute the service. When trying to select and execute, the service can be used smoothly.

B. Variation:
A modification of the above embodiment will be described.
B-1. Modification 1:
In the priority order prediction process of the above-described embodiment, the service search (step S110) and the service priority order prediction (step S160) are performed when a change in the network connection state is detected in step S100. The timing for performing the service search or the like is not limited to this, and can be set at various timings. For example, it may be when a predetermined user operation instruction is received, when a predetermined application is started in the computer PC1, or may be performed periodically at predetermined time intervals.

B-2. Modification 2:
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the computer PC1 is connected to the local area network LAN1 to which the computer PC1 has been connected before has been described with respect to the aspect of calculating the use probability using the naive Bayes classifier. Even if it is connected to the local area network LAN3 (network address 192.168.8.3) that has never been connected in the past, the priority order is preferably set based on the usage history in other networks. Can be predicted. An example of calculating the use probability in such a case is shown below. Here, the network configuration of the local area network LAN3 will be described here as being the same as that of the local area network LAN2.

  The probability P (PM-1111) of using the model number “PM-1111” and the probability P (LP-2222) of using the model number “LP-2222” are the services shown in FIG. Based on the usage information, P (PM-1111) = 0.89 and P (LP-2222) = 0.11.

  Here, the probability P (PM-1111 | 192.168.8.3) of using the model number “PM-1111” in the use environment “192.168.8.3” and the model number “LP” in the use environment “192.168.8.3”. -2222 "may be calculated as follows using, for example, the following equations (6) and (7).

P (PM-1111 | 192.168.3) = P (PM-1111) × P (192.168.3 | PM-1111) ÷ {P (192.168.3 | PM-1111) × P (PM-1111) + P (192.168 .3 |! PM-1111) x P (! PM-1111)} = (0.89 x 0.5) ÷ (0.5 x 0.89 + 0.5 x 0.11) = 0.89 (6)
P (LP-2222 | 192.168.3) = P (LP-2222) × P (192.168.3 | LP-2222) ÷ {P (192.168.3 | LP-2222) × P (LP-2222) + P (192.168 .3 |! LP-2222) × P (! LP-2222)} = (0.11 × 0.5) ÷ (0.5 × 0.11 + 0.5 × 0.89) = 0.11 (7)

  In short, since the usage environment “192.168.8.3” is a network that is connected for the first time, P (192.168.8.3 | PM-1111) and P (192.168.8.3 | LP-2222) are used in the usage history. Here, it is assumed that N (N = 2 in this example) services connected to the local area network LAN3 are used with the same probability 1 / N. 3 | PM-1111) = P (192.168.8.3 | LP-2222) = 0.5. By this calculation, the service “PM-1111” (printer PRT1) having the highest probability value and the service “LP-2222” (printer PRT2) are predicted to increase in order of priority.

B-3. Modification 3:
In the above-described embodiment, in the priority order prediction process, all the service usage information used as the basis for the priority order prediction is handled in the same column. However, weighting may be performed using a predetermined adjustment coefficient. Such weighting may be performed by multiplying the calculated use probability of each service by an adjustment coefficient, or service use information (the number of use in the embodiment) may be multiplied by an adjustment coefficient.

  For example, when a new service and a conventionally existing service are connected to the local area network LAN1, the adjustment coefficient of the new service may be made larger than that of other services. This is because newly connected services are often newly introduced new products and are considered to be rich in functions. Of course, it is assumed that the new service has low reliability, or the service usage information about the new service is acquired from the computer PC2, and therefore, is less important than the service usage information of the computer PC1, The adjustment factor may be smaller than other services.

  Further, when a plurality of terminals other than the computer PC1 are connected to the local area network LAN1, weighting may be performed in the same manner. For example, when there are 20 terminals connected to the local area network LAN1 other than the computer PC1 and service usage information is obtained from each terminal, the usage histories of 21 units including the computer PC1 are treated equally. This is because a usage probability that hardly reflects the usage history of the computer PC1 is calculated.

  Alternatively, the last use date and time for each service may be stored in the service use information, and the adjustment coefficient of the service that has passed a predetermined period from the last use date and time may be smaller than other services. This is because there is a high possibility that a service that has been used a lot in the past but has not been used recently will not be used. With such a configuration, more flexible priority order prediction can be performed.

B-4. Modification 4:
In the above-described embodiment, the service usage history of the computer PC1 is a total of service usage histories in the computer PC1, but when a plurality of users use the computer PC1, the computer PC1 The service usage history may be stored for each and the priority order prediction according to the usage history of the user may be performed. For example, the user may be identified by a user name input at the time of login. In this way, the priority order can be suitably predicted according to the service usage characteristics for each user.

B-5. Modification 5:
In the priority order prediction process of the above-described embodiment, only the new service is configured to acquire service usage information from other terminals connected to the local area network LAN1 (steps S130 to S150). The target for acquiring service usage information is not limited to a new service, and may be all available services. By doing so, it is possible to make a more flexible priority prediction reflecting the reliability and convenience evaluated by others. In such a case, the service usage information used as the basis for the prediction of the priority order includes the usage history in the computer PC1 and the usage history in the computer PC2 for one service. Alternatively, the above-described weighting may be performed.

  Alternatively, in the service usage information of the computer PC1, when the total usage in the local area network LAN1 is less than a predetermined value, the service usage information may be acquired from other terminals for all available services. Alternatively, when there is a service whose total usage is less than a predetermined value, the service usage information may be acquired from another terminal only for the service. In this way, even when a certain prediction accuracy cannot be expected due to a small number of service usages, a suitable priority order can be predicted using the usage history of others.

B-6. Modification 6:
In the above-mentioned embodiment, considering the convenience of explanation, the service usage information that is the basis for the prediction of the priority order is only the usage environment, the service type, the model number, and the usage count, but includes various usage histories. Can do. For example, interface information, service IP address, subnet, service type, and the like may be used. The interface information is information indicating which interface of the computer PC1 is used to connect to the local area network LAN1. This is because by including such various usage histories, it is possible to predict the priority order with higher accuracy. For example, if the use probability is calculated using the interface information as a characteristic variable of the above-described naive Bayes classifier, it reflects whether the local area network LAN1 is connected using a wireless LAN or a wired LAN. Therefore, the communication speed of the connection environment can also be included in the prediction factor.

  Further, in this embodiment, the usage count for each service model number is stored as service usage information. However, if the service IP address is stored together, a plurality of services of the same model number are connected to the local area network LAN1. Even in the case where the services are the same, it is possible to appropriately predict the priority order for the services of the same model number.

  If the service format (for example, if the service is a printer, for example, ink jet, laser, color, or monochrome) is used as the basis for the priority prediction For example, the correspondence relationship between the model number and the format of each manufacturer of the service may be stored, and the format may be grasped from the model number acquired by SLP.

B-7. Modification 7:
In step S110 of the priority order prediction process, the computer PC1 may acquire status information indicating the current operating state of each service, and add the status information to the service usage information to serve as a basis for priority order prediction. Examples of such status information include error information indicating an error state, in-use information indicating that a service is being used by another terminal, information on a service waiting to be executed (if a print service, The number of unexecuted jobs). Such status information can be acquired by using a known protocol such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) after grasping the IP address of each service using SLP, for example.

  As a usage method of the status information, for example, status information may be stored in the usage history database 41, and the usage probability may be calculated as a characteristic variable of the above-described Naive Bayes classifier. Alternatively, the priority may be predicted based on the calculation result by multiplying the use probability value of each service by an adjustment coefficient corresponding to the content of the status information. Specifically, the service operating state is set to an adjustment coefficient “0.8” when there are three or more unexecuted jobs, and the adjustment coefficient is set to “0.5” when an error is occurring. The priority may be lowered according to factors that prevent smooth use. As described above, if the priority order including the status information is predicted, the service state can be reflected and the priority order can be predicted more flexibly.

B-8. Modification 8:
In the above-described embodiment, the priority order is predicted by the Bayes classifier. However, the priority order prediction method is not particularly limited, and other known classifiers may be used. Of course, the calculation of the use probability is not essential. For example, the priority order may be simply predicted in the order of the service having the highest number of uses in the connected use environment. In short, the priority order may be predicted based on service usage information, status information, and the like.

  The service usage information used as the basis for the priority order prediction may be only the service usage information in the connected usage environment, or the service usage information in the usage environment that is not connected, for example, the usage environment with the highest number of service usages. It is good only as well.

B-9. Modification 9:
In the above-described embodiment, the computers PC1 and PC2 have been described as having the same configuration, but need not necessarily have the same configuration. The CPU 30 of the computer PC1 functions as a search unit 31, a priority prediction unit 32, a display unit 33, an execution unit 34, a usage history acquisition unit 35, a detection unit 36, a determination unit 37, and a software acquisition unit 38, and the CPU 30 of the computer PC2 May be configured to function as the usage history providing unit 39. In this way, the computer PC1 is a terminal connected to various networks, such as a notebook computer, and the computer PC2 is a terminal that does not move between the networks, such as a desktop computer. It can be set as a simple structure.

B-10. Modification 10:
Although various configurations have been described in the above-described embodiments, the service use system 20 of the present invention is based at least on the means for searching for services, the means for storing service use information in the computer PC1, and the service use information. Thus, it is only necessary to include at least means for predicting the priority order of the searched service, means for displaying the service candidates based on the predicted priority order, and means for executing the service. The other configurations described above are not essential and may be combined appropriately.

B-11. Modification 11:
In the above-described embodiment, the service usage information stored in the usage history database 41 is not particularly limited in time, but the usage history database 41 stores each usage history in association with the usage date and time. The CPU 30 may delete the old usage history after a predetermined time from time to time. In this way, it is possible to predict the priority order with high accuracy, reflecting only the latest usage situation.

B-12. Modification 12:
In the above-described embodiments, examples of output devices such as printers and projectors have been shown as services constituting the service utilization system 20, but the types of services are not particularly limited, and various types of services that can be used via a network. Service. For example, it may be an input device such as a WEB camera, or may be a server that provides shared files or distributes moving images.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to such embodiment, Of course, in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can implement in a various aspect. For example, the terminals constituting the service utilization system of the present invention are not limited to the personal computer shown in the embodiment, but can be applied to various terminals such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). In addition to the configuration as a service use system, the present invention can also be realized as a service use device, a service use method, a computer program for displaying service use candidates, a storage medium storing the program, and the like. .

20 ... Service usage system 30 ... CPU
31 ... Search unit 32 ... Priority order prediction unit 33 ... Display unit 34 ... Execution unit 35 ... Usage history acquisition unit 36 ... Detection unit 37 ... Judgment unit 38 ... Software acquisition unit 39 ... Usage history providing unit 40 ... Hard disk drive 41 ... Usage history database 51 ... ROM
52 ... RAM
53 ... Input mechanism 54 ... Display 55 ... Interface PRT1 to PRT4 ... Printer PJ ... Projector SV ... Server PC1, PC2 ... Computer LAN1, LAN2 ... Local area network W1 ... window SW1, SW2 ... sub-window PB ... pull-down button

Claims (13)

A service utilization system for utilizing a plurality of services connected to a network from a first terminal connected to the network,
Search means for searching for a plurality of services connected to the network;
First storage means for storing a use history of services used in the first terminal;
It is a ranking of the magnitude of the possibility of being used in the first terminal for the plurality of searched services based on priority basic information including at least the usage history stored in the first storage means. A priority prediction means for predicting priorities;
Display means for selectively displaying services available on the first terminal in an arrangement based on the predicted priority order;
A service utilization system comprising: execution means for executing a service selected by the user from among the displayed services. The service utilization system according to claim 1,
The network includes a second storage device that is a second terminal different from the first terminal, and that stores second usage means for storing usage histories of the plurality of services used in the second terminal. Is connected,
Furthermore, a usage history acquisition unit that acquires the usage history stored in the second storage unit from the second terminal is provided.
The service usage system including the usage history acquired from the second terminal in the priority order basic information.   The service usage system according to claim 2, wherein the usage history acquisition unit performs the acquisition on a service whose usage history is not stored in the first storage unit among a plurality of services searched by the search unit.   The usage history acquisition unit performs the acquisition when the total usage in the network to which the first terminal is connected is less than a predetermined value in the usage history stored in the first storage unit. The service use system according to claim 2 or claim 3.   5. The service use system according to claim 1, wherein the priority order predicting unit predicts the priority order based on a service use probability calculated based on the priority order basic information.   6. The service use system according to claim 5, wherein the priority order predicting means calculates the use probability by a naive Bayes classifier. The service use system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
And further comprising a detecting means for detecting a change in the connection state of the first terminal to the network,
A service utilization system in which, when the detection means detects the change, the search means performs the search, and the priority order prediction means predicts the priority order. The service use system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The search means can grasp the operating state of the plurality of services,
The service usage system, wherein the priority basic information includes status information indicating an operation state of the service ascertained by the search means.   9. The service use system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of services searched by the search means are services newly connected to the network.   The service use system according to claim 1, wherein the network is a network to which the first terminal is connected for the first time. The service use system according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Connected to the network is a server that stores software that makes the plurality of services available,
Furthermore,
Judgment to determine whether or not priority software, which is software that can use a service with a higher priority among the services predicted by the priority prediction means, is stored in the storage medium of the first terminal. Means,
A service utilization system comprising: software acquisition means for acquiring the priority software from the server when the determination means determines that the priority software is not stored. A service utilization method for utilizing a plurality of services connected to a network from a terminal connected to the network,
A search step for searching for a plurality of services connected to the network;
A storage step of storing a service usage history in the terminal;
Priority prediction for predicting a priority that is a ranking of the likelihood of being used in the terminal for the plurality of searched services based on priority basic information including at least the stored usage history Process,
A display step of selectively displaying services available on the terminal in an arrangement based on the predicted priority;
A service using method that uses a service selected by the user from the displayed services. A computer program for displaying a plurality of services in a predetermined service arrangement when using a plurality of services connected to the network and available from a terminal connected to the network,
A search function for searching a plurality of services connected to the network and creating a list of services;
A storage function for storing a service usage history in the terminal in a storage medium;
Priority prediction for predicting a priority that is a ranking of the likelihood of being used in the terminal for the plurality of searched services based on priority basic information including at least the stored usage history Function and
A computer program that causes a computer to realize an array function that arranges the list of services into an array based on the predicted priority for displaying the list of services.

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