JP2012068944A - Information processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a plurality of terminals to communicate sharing a line while users are unaware of a connection state of the line in a communication service in which a plurality of terminals are not allowed to be connected to one line simultaneously.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes: communication state information acquisition means of acquiring information on a communication state of the apparatus itself during a communication line connection; timer means of measuring time; and line control means of disconnecting the communication line based upon the information on the communication state acquired by the communication state information acquisition means and the time measured by the timer means.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a program, and more particularly to a technique that is preferably applied to an information processing apparatus used in a communication service that allows contracts with a plurality of terminals but is not permitted to connect to a line at the same time. is there.

  In recent years, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) has attracted attention as a wireless communication standard for providing wireless broadband services. In the future, a service by LTE (Long Term Evolution) is also scheduled to start.

  Some carriers that provide wireless broadband services may not be able to connect multiple terminals simultaneously with a single contract. In this case, a user who has made a plurality of terminals with one contract with a communication carrier cannot connect with another terminal to communicate without disconnecting the currently connected terminal.

  For users who want to use one line (that is, one line) to use the home line and mobile line with the wireless broadband service, the use form of the home PC is always connected to the Internet. In such a service where simultaneous connection is not permitted, one line cannot be shared between the home and the outside. Also, for users who want to use a single contract (one contract that allows sharing of the line with the family) to use the line for the home where the family communicates with their terminals with the wireless broadband service, As described above, since simultaneous connection to a line is not permitted, it is extremely difficult for a family to share a line.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a login management system that prevents multiple logins to a plurality of computers by the same user. In the login management system, the server device (usage status management device 3) creates a database (usage status management database 31) for registering a login account for the client device in response to an inquiry from the client devices (computers 1 and 2). If the account is queried and the client is logged in to another client device with the inquired account, a response indicating that the user cannot log in is returned.

JP-A-10-31361

  The invention disclosed in Patent Literature 1 relates to account management of a computer and prevents multiple logins by the same account, but does not solve the above problem in using a wireless broadband service. As described above, there is a case in which a single contract is made and a family communicates with their own terminals at home, that is, different users share one line. In such a case, the invention of Patent Document 1 is applied. Even so, the problem of sharing a single line with family members cannot be solved.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a communication service that does not allow a plurality of terminals to connect to a single line at the same time, and allows a plurality of terminals to communicate by sharing a line without the user being aware of the connection status of the line. The purpose is to be able to.

  An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is acquired by a communication state information acquisition unit that acquires information on a communication state of the own device during connection to a communication line, a time measuring unit that measures time, and a communication state information acquisition unit. Line control means for disconnecting the communication line based on the communication state information and the time measured by the time measuring means.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, in the above information processing apparatus, the line control means indicates that the communication status information acquired by the communication status information acquisition means is not in communication, When the non-communication time measured by (1) exceeds the first time, the communication line may be disconnected.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control unit indicates that the communication state information acquired by the communication state information acquisition unit is in communication. When the measured communication time exceeds the second time, the communication line may be disconnected.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control unit disconnects the communication line based on the communication state information and the measurement time, and then sets the communication line in response to a request from the running application. Reconnection may be performed.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention is the information processing apparatus described above, wherein the line control unit reconnects the communication line after a third time has elapsed since the communication line was disconnected based on the communication state information and the measurement time. It may be what performs.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the above information processing apparatus, the third time is a reconnection trial time indicating a time from the reconnection attempt until the connection failure is found, and a reconnection attempt after the connection failure. It may be larger than the sum of the disconnection waiting time indicating the time until the trial starts.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control unit may send information indicating that the line is connected to an active application.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control unit may perform reconnection after a predetermined time has elapsed after connection of the communication line has failed.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control means includes priority information indicating a priority of a device that performs communication using information stored in a server device connected to a communication line. Based on this, the communication line may be disconnected.

  Further, in the information processing apparatus of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control means indicates that the priority information indicates the highest priority of the own apparatus, and the communication state acquired by the communication state information acquisition means This information indicates that communication is in progress, and when the time during communication measured by the time measuring means exceeds a time longer than a predetermined time, the communication line may be disconnected.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the information processing apparatus described above, the line control unit has the priority information indicating the highest priority of the other information processing apparatus, and is acquired by the communication state information acquisition unit. The communication status information indicates that the communication is in progress, and the communication line may be disconnected when the communication time measured by the time measuring means exceeds a predetermined time. .

  A program according to one aspect of the present invention is acquired by a communication state information acquisition process for acquiring information on a communication state of the own apparatus while a communication line is connected to a computer, a time measurement process for measuring time, and a communication state information acquisition process. And a line control process for disconnecting the communication line based on the communication state information and the time measured by the time measurement process.

  According to the present invention, in a communication service that does not allow a plurality of terminals to connect to a single line at the same time, a plurality of terminals share a line and communicate without the user being aware of the connection status of the line. Is possible.

It is a hardware block diagram of PC concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of PC concerning embodiment of this invention. 4 is a flowchart of line control processing (line disconnection) according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart of line control processing (line connection) according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the line connection and line disconnection (an example) between several terminals in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the line connection between multiple terminals and line disconnection (other examples) in embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a PC (Personal Computer) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PC 10 of the present embodiment is a PC having a general hardware configuration, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a memory 12, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 13, an input device 14, an output device 15, and a communication IF (Interface). ).

  The CPU 11 controls the overall operation of the PC 10 according to an OS (Operating System) stored in the memory 12 and a program specific to the present embodiment, and performs line disconnection processing based on the communication state of the own device and the duration of the communication state. Perform line connection processing (line control processing). The memory 12 has a storage area (ROM (Read Only Memory)) for storing an OS and a program specific to the present embodiment, and a working storage area (RAM (Random Access Memory)) used for various processes of the CPU 11. The HDD 13 is an external storage device that holds various data. The input device 14 is a device that receives an input operation by a user, and is a mouse, a touch pad, a keyboard, or the like. The output device 15 is a device that performs screen output and audio output of various data, and is a display, a speaker, or the like. The communication IF 12 is an interface that performs wireless signal processing and realizes wireless communication with another communication device such as a base station.

  FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the PC according to the present embodiment. In the PC 10 of the present embodiment, the CPU 11 reads a program specific to the present embodiment stored in the memory 12, and performs line disconnection processing and line connection processing (line control processing) based on the communication state of the own device and the duration of the communication state. ) Is configured as a control unit 100. The control unit 100 logically includes a communication state information acquisition unit 110, a timing unit 120, and a line control unit 130. Each means may be realized by software as described above, or may be realized by hardware using a circuit or the like.

  The communication state information acquisition unit 110 monitors the communication IF 16 and acquires information on the communication state of the PC 1 while the communication line is connected. The communication status information includes, for example, “communication” indicating that communication is performed between the PC 1 and another device on the line and data is flowing in the communication line, or a PC connected to the communication line. And “not communicating” indicating that data is not being exchanged between the device and another device on the line.

  The time measuring means 120 measures the duration of the communication state of the PC 1 and the duration of the line disconnection state. For example, from the communication state information acquired by the communication state information acquisition unit 110, the time is recorded for each change in the communication state, and the duration of “communication” is obtained as the communication time, or “not communicating” Is determined as the communication interruption time.

  The line control unit 130 disconnects and connects the communication line of the PC 1 based on the communication state information acquired by the communication state information acquisition unit 110 and the duration of the communication state measured by the time measuring unit 120. A specific processing flow will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the line control process according to the embodiment of the present invention, and represents the process when the line is disconnected. First, the communication state information acquisition unit 110 of the control unit 100 acquires information on the communication state of the PC 1 (step S101).

  If the acquired communication state information is “communication” (step S102 / YES) and the duration of “communication” measured by the time measuring means 120 exceeds a predetermined time (step S103 / YES), line control The means 130 notifies the user of line disconnection (step S105), and disconnects the line (step S106).

  On the other hand, even if the acquired communication state information is “not communicating” (step S102 / NO), when the “non-communication” duration measured by the time measuring means 120 exceeds a predetermined time ( In step S104 / YES), the line control unit 130 notifies the user of line disconnection (step S105) and disconnects the line (step S106).

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the predetermined time for determining that the line is disconnected during “communication” and the predetermined time for determining that the line is disconnected during “not communicating” are the same in this embodiment. It may be. Further, the time as a threshold for determining disconnection or connection of a line may be set at the time of manufacturing the PC, or the setting may be arbitrarily changed while the user is using the PC.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the line control process according to the embodiment of the present invention, and represents the process when performing line connection. First, when there is a communication request from an application activated on the PC 1 (step S201 / YES), the line control unit 130 performs line connection (step S203).

  If the line connection is successful (step S204 / YES), the line is connected (step S206) and communication is started. If the line connection has failed (step S204 / NO), the line connection is retried every predetermined time (step S205 / YES) after the connection failure (step S203).

  On the other hand, even when there is no particular communication request from the application running on the PC 1 (step S201 / NO), when the continuation time during the line disconnection measured by the time measuring means 120 exceeds a predetermined time ( In step S202 / YES), line connection is performed (step S203). Then, after the connection is successful, the line is connected (step S204 / YES, step S206), and after the connection failure, the line connection is retried (step S204 / NO, step S205 / YES, step S203).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of line connection and line disconnection between a plurality of terminals in the embodiment of the present invention. In this example, terminal A and terminal B share a line, and FIG. 5 shows that the state transitions from left to right.

  First, the terminal B that is disconnected is connected to the line. However, since the terminal A is connected to the line and is communicating, the terminal B fails to connect to the line and waits for a predetermined time while the line is disconnected. The other terminal A disconnects the line while terminal B is waiting while the line is disconnected.

  Here, the line disconnection to be performed is based on the line control processing of the present invention, and is a forced line disconnection when the communication state continues for a predetermined time, that is, a periodic line disconnection. Further, although not shown in FIG. 5, the line control process of the present invention forcibly disconnects the line even when the state of no communication continues for a predetermined time.

  Then, the terminal B retries the line connection after the connection failure while the line of the terminal A is disconnected, connects to the communication line after the connection is successful, and starts communication.

  Terminal A performs line connection after a predetermined time has elapsed after periodic line disconnection. However, since the terminal B is connected to the line and is communicating, the line connection of the terminal A fails and the line is disconnected for a predetermined time. After connection failure, the line connection is retried every predetermined time, and the retry is repeated until the connection is successful.

  D is the disconnection processing time related to line disconnection, V is the periodic disconnection time from the periodic line disconnection until the first line connection is established, F is the connection attempt time until connection failure is found after the line connection is established, and line connection In this embodiment, it is assumed that the relationship of V> W + F is always satisfied, where W is the connection attempt waiting time from the time when the failure is found until the line connection is retried.

  According to the example of FIG. 5, a plurality of terminals that are connected to a line for communication are in a state where a terminal connected to the line is in communication for a predetermined time, or a state where the terminal connected to the line is not communicating. If it continues for a predetermined time, it disconnects itself and creates a line non-occupied state for the terminal that is disconnecting. A terminal that is waiting for communication while the line is disconnected can perform communication by connecting the line. In this way, regardless of whether or not each terminal is communicating, it is a case where simultaneous connection to one communication line is not permitted by canceling the line connection state and transferring the communication line. However, it is possible for the user to connect the line as if they were connected at the same time without disconnecting or connecting the line by their own operation.

  In this embodiment, since the relationship of V> W + F is always satisfied, the probability that a terminal waiting for communication while the line is disconnected can be connected to the line is increased (the probability that the reconnection of the line will fail is reduced). It becomes possible.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of line connection and line disconnection between a plurality of terminals in the embodiment of the present invention. The example of FIG. 6 shows a method in which one terminal is preferentially used among a plurality of terminals and a line is to be temporarily occupied. Similarly to the example of FIG. 5, terminal A and terminal B share a line, and a server is connected to the line.

  In this example, a device that communicates by connecting to a line stores and references priority information indicating the priority of a device that performs communication in a shared space (predetermined storage area) on the server, A certain terminal can communicate by connecting to a line for a longer time than other terminals. The line control means 130 described above refers to priority information, and disconnects and connects lines based on the priority information.

  First, the terminal A communicating with the line is connected to the storage area of the server and refers to the priority information. At this time, since the priority is not set for any of the terminals, the terminal A sets the priority, and periodically disconnects the line. In FIG. 6, the priority can be set only for one terminal, but a plurality of terminals may be set by setting priorities in stages (for example, the priority is set in three stages (1 Terminal 3 is given priority 1, terminal B is given priority 3, terminal C is given priority 2, etc.).

  Then, the terminal B that is disconnected and waiting for communication refers to the priority information held in the storage area of the server after connecting the line and starting communication. At this time, since the terminal A is set as the priority information, the terminal B disconnects the line at a timing earlier than the normal periodic line disconnection.

  Terminal A starts communication by connecting a line by line connection after periodic line disconnection. Then, the priority information held in the storage area of the server is referred to. At this time, since the terminal A has been set as the priority information, the terminal A disconnects the line at a timing later than the normal periodic line disconnection. Note that the terminal A cancels the setting of the terminal in the priority information before disconnecting the line. Also in this example, it is assumed that the relationship of V> W + F is always satisfied.

  A terminal with a priority set is configured to disconnect the line by waiting for a user operation without disconnecting the line by the terminal itself (periodic line disconnection at a timing later than usual as described above). May be. In addition, for a terminal that tries to connect a line when priority is set for another terminal, the line is connected until the priority is set for the terminal itself or the priority is not set for any terminal. You may comprise so that it may not be recognized. With this configuration, it is possible to make the use of a preferential terminal more robust.

  According to the example of FIG. 6, the priority is set by a plurality of terminals sharing one communication line, and the difference in the connection time of the line is set according to the priority. The user can use the circuit more flexibly.

  The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment alone, and various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Implementation is possible. For example, as an information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a cellular phone, a portable music player, and the like can be considered in addition to the PC described above.

  In addition, the program executed on the client PC 1 in this embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (communication state information acquisition 110, timing unit 120, and line control unit 130). A concrete means is realized using. That is, when the computer (CPU) reads a program from a predetermined recording medium and executes it, the above-mentioned means are loaded onto the main storage device and generated.

  The program executed on the client PC in the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, the program may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The program is a file in an installable or executable format, such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, nonvolatile memory card, or the like. It may be configured to be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Further, the program may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium or loaded and executed through the communication line realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments. And the recording medium which recorded the program code comprises this invention.

10 PC
11 CPU
12 Memory 13 HDD
14 Input device 15 Output device 16 Communication IF
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Control part 110 Communication state information acquisition means 120 Timing means 130 Line control means

Claims (12)

Communication status information acquisition means for acquiring information on the communication status of the own device during communication line connection;
A time measuring means for measuring time;
Line control means for disconnecting the communication line based on the communication state information acquired by the communication state information acquisition means and the time measured by the time measuring means;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The line control means indicates that the communication status information acquired by the communication status information acquisition means is not communicating, and the non-communication time measured by the time measuring means is a first time. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication line is disconnected when the number exceeds 1.   The line control means indicates that the communication state information acquired by the communication state information acquisition means is in communication, and the communication time measured by the time measurement means exceeds a second time. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication line is disconnected.   The line control means reconnects a communication line in response to a request from a running application after disconnecting the communication line based on the communication state information and the measurement time. The information processing apparatus according to any one of the above.   5. The line control unit according to claim 1, wherein the line control unit reconnects the communication line after a third time has elapsed since the communication line was disconnected based on the communication state information and the measurement time. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The third time is greater than the sum of the reconnection attempt time indicating the time from the attempt to reconnect until the connection failure is found and the disconnection waiting time indicating the time from the connection failure to the start of the reconnection attempt. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line control unit sends information indicating that the line is connected to an active application.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line control unit performs reconnection after a predetermined time has elapsed after connection of the communication line has failed.   The line control means disconnects a communication line based on priority information indicating a priority of a device that performs communication using information stored in a server device connected to the communication line. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 8.   The line control means indicates that the priority information indicates the highest priority of the own device, and that the communication status information acquired by the communication status information acquisition means is in communication, The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the communication line is disconnected when a time during communication measured by the time measuring unit exceeds a predetermined time.   The line control means indicates that the priority information indicates the highest priority of another information processing apparatus, and that the communication status information acquired by the communication status information acquisition means is in communication 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the communication line is disconnected when a time during communication measured by the time measuring unit exceeds a time shorter than a predetermined time. On the computer,
A communication status information acquisition process for acquiring information on the communication status of the own device during communication line connection;
A timekeeping process to measure time,
A line control process for disconnecting the communication line based on the communication status information acquired in the communication status information acquisition process and the time measured in the time measurement process;
A program characterized by having executed.

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