JP2013097614A - Communication system, communication device, communication method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system, a communication device, a communication method and a computer program which perform load distribution.SOLUTION: A client device determines whether or not an inquiry condition is satisfied (S12) by referring to a preliminarily stored load distribution table and determining whether or not it is a time zone in which own device can perform downloading, and inquires whether or not content to be downloaded exists to a server device (S13) when the inquiry condition is satisfied (S12:YES). When a notification indicating that the content to be downloaded exists is received from the server device, timing to perform downloading is set (S16) and inquiry about a storage place of the content is performed (S18). When information etc. about the storage place of the content is received from the server device (S19), the client device starts downloading of the content (S20).

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system, a communication apparatus, a communication method, and a computer program that perform load distribution.

  Conventionally, when a content distribution request is transmitted from a user terminal as a content distribution procedure, a media stream for content distribution is constructed in accordance with a session establishment protocol while ensuring communication quality (communication bandwidth, delay, etc.). A procedure for distributing content through a stream is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  For popular content, content distribution requests from a large number of user terminals are transmitted. In this case, the processing capacity of the distribution server (content server) that distributes the content and the network resources to which the distribution server is connected are insufficient, and it becomes impossible to simultaneously respond to distribution requests from a large number of user terminals.

  In order to solve such a problem, it is effective to copy the content on which access is concentrated, store it in a plurality of distribution servers, and distribute it. These are generally referred to as CDN (content delivery network) technologies.

JP 2000-183013 A

  However, it is difficult to predict which content is popular and needs to be duplicated, and as long as the content is duplicated and placed on multiple distribution servers, the system configuration becomes larger. is there. In addition, when downloading large volumes of data such as software updates, the peak load on the server side at the release timing is extremely high, so distributing these timings is important to ensure user convenience in service provision It is.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a communication system, a communication device, a communication method, and a computer program capable of adjusting the timing at which a device on the content download side downloads autonomously and distributedly. The purpose is to do.

  The communication system according to the present invention stores content and transmits a content in response to an external transmission request, and transmits the content to the transmission device in response to the transmission request. In the communication system comprising the receiving device for receiving the content to be received, the receiving device stores means for storing identification information for identifying the device itself, the identification information for the plurality of devices, and each of the plurality of devices receives content from the transmitting device. Means for storing a table that defines a correspondence relationship with a time zone in which the device is to be received, referring to the table, and based on the stored identification information of the device, the time at which the device is to receive content from the transmitter Means for acquiring band information, and means for making a content transmission request to the transmitting device based on the time band information acquired by the means. And features.

  In the communication system according to the present invention, the receiving device includes means for notifying the transmitting device of the acquired time zone information, and the transmitting device is configured to perform content based on the time zone information notified from the receiving device. And a means for notifying the receiving apparatus of the specified timing, and the receiving apparatus transmits the transmission request to the transmitting apparatus at a timing notified from the transmitting apparatus. It is characterized by doing.

  In the communication system according to the present invention, the receiving device stores a plurality of tables defining correspondence relationships between identification information of a plurality of devices and time zones in which each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the transmitting device. And the transmitting apparatus includes means for transmitting information specifying a table to be referred to by the receiving apparatus to the receiving apparatus, and the receiving apparatus refers to the table specified by the transmitting apparatus, Obtains information on a time zone in which content should be received from the transmission device.

  The communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that the table defines information on a time zone that is uniquely determined by a date when content is received and identification information of the device itself.

  The communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that the receiving device further comprises means for informing the acquired time zone information.

  The communication device according to the present invention makes a content transmission request to an external device storing content, and identifies the device itself in the communication device that receives the content transmitted from the external device in response to the transmission request. Means for storing identification information, means for storing a table defining a correspondence relationship between identification information of a plurality of devices and a time zone in which each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the external device, refer to the table, Based on the stored identification information of the own device, means for acquiring time zone information in which the own device should receive content from the external device, and based on the information on the time zone obtained by the means, the external device Is provided with means for making a content transmission request.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the table defines information of a time zone that is uniquely determined by a date when content is received and identification information of the apparatus.

  The communication apparatus according to the present invention is further characterized by further comprising means for informing the acquired time zone information.

  In the communication method according to the present invention, a content transmission request is made to an external device storing content, and the content transmitted from the external device is received in response to the transmission request. Referring to a table that defines the correspondence between the information and the time zone in which each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the external device, obtains information on the time zone in which the device should receive content from the external device The content transmission request is sent to the external device based on the acquired time zone information.

  The computer program according to the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to acquire content by communication from an external device that stores the content. In the computer program, identification information of a plurality of computers and each of the plurality of computers receives content from the external device. Referring to a table that defines the correspondence relationship with the time zone to be received, the step of causing the computer to acquire the time zone information to receive the content from the external device, and the information of the time zone acquired by the computer And a step of outputting a content transmission request to the external device.

  In the present invention, the time zone for receiving the content is determined by the table stored in the device on the content receiving side. Therefore, it is not necessary for the device on the content delivery side to adjust the request from each receiving device. Also, the reception timing in each receiving apparatus is determined in an autonomous distributed manner in each receiving apparatus.

  According to the present invention, in a communication system including a transmission device and a reception device, each reception device can acquire information on a communicable time zone with reference to a table stored in each reception device, The content transmission timing can be controlled in an autonomous and distributed manner.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the communication system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure of a server apparatus and a client apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a client apparatus. 3 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a load distribution table. It is a flowchart explaining the download procedure of the content by a client apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the screen which displays the information of a time slot | zone. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the screen displayed at the time of content download. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the screen displayed at the time of content download. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the screen which displays the information of a time slot | zone. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. 10 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the third embodiment. 10 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of a load distribution table.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a communication system according to the present embodiment. The communication system according to the present embodiment includes a server device 10 that provides various contents, and a plurality of client devices 20, 20,..., 20 that download contents from the server device 10. The server device 10 and each client device 20 are connected via a communication network N such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

  When the server device 10 stores various contents and receives a transmission request for the content from the client device 20, the server device 10 transmits the requested content to the requesting client device 20. The content stored in the server apparatus 10 is arbitrary. For example, a control program for controlling the client apparatus 20, an application program installed in the client apparatus 20, update data (updata) of the control program or application program, an application program, and the like Various data such as video data, music data, image data, document data, etc. used in the system.

The client device 20 is a device that is connected to the server device 10 via the communication network N and is capable of downloading content from the server device 10. The client device 20 includes various terminal devices such as a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, and a personal computer, for example. The client device 20 may be an information home appliance such as a television receiver, a media player capable of recording / reproducing content, and a recorder. Further, the client device 20 may be a relay device such as a router device connected between an arbitrary communication device and the server device 10.
In the present embodiment, a portable information terminal is assumed as the client device 20, and the following description is given.

  The client device 20 makes a content transmission request to the server device 10 and receives the content transmitted from the server device 10 in response to the transmission request. The client device 20 according to the present embodiment refers to a table (load distribution table) to be described later, determines whether or not the download is permitted, and if the download is permitted, A feature is that a transmission request is transmitted to the device 10 to download content from the server device 10.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of the server device 10 and the client device 20. The server apparatus 10 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, a content database (content DB) 130, and a terminal ID database (terminal IDDB) 140.

  The control unit 110 of the server device 10 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the operation of the communication unit 120, the content DB 130, and the terminal ID database 140, thereby causing the entire device to function as a transmission device in the communication system of the present invention.

  The communication unit 120 is connected to the communication network N, receives information transmitted from the client device 20 via the communication network N, and transmits information, content, and the like to be transmitted to the client device 20.

The content DB 130 stores content to be transmitted to the client device 20. The content DB 130 stores information for identifying the content, content storage location (URL), content version, data size, and the like together with the content.
The terminal ID database 140 stores identification information (terminal ID) for identifying the client device 20. The load distribution table applied to each client device 20 may be stored in the terminal ID database 140 in association with the terminal ID.

  The client device 20 includes a control unit 210. The control unit 210 controls operations of the content database (content DB) 220, the communication unit 230, the input unit 240, and the display unit 250. It functions as a receiving device in the system.

  The content DB 220 is a storage unit for storing content acquired (downloaded) from the server device 10. The content DB 220 stores the acquired content in association with content identification information (file name and the like), content version, data size, acquisition date and time, information for specifying the acquisition destination, and the like.

  The communication unit 230 is connected to the communication network N, and transmits a content transmission request to the server device 10 and receives data such as content transmitted from the server device 10 in response to the transmission request.

  The input unit 240 functions as an interface for accepting a user operation. The display unit 250 has a function of displaying information to be notified to the user with characters, graphics, and the like.

  The control unit 210 includes a communication control unit 211, a received data extraction unit 212, a transmission data generation unit 213, a load distribution control unit 214, a load distribution control database (load distribution control DB) 215, a time control unit 216, and a content management unit 217. Is provided.

The communication control unit 211 mainly performs control related to communication with the server device 10.
The reception data extraction unit 212 functions as a processing unit that extracts necessary data from information received through the communication unit 230. The transmission data generation unit 213 functions as a processing unit that generates transmission data to be transmitted to the outside through the communication unit 230.

  The load distribution control unit 214 reads the load distribution table from the load distribution control DB 215 and acquires information on a time zone defined by the load distribution table (information on timing at which the own device should receive content from the server device 10). The details of the load distribution table will be described later. The load distribution control unit 214 has a function of executing load distribution based on the read time zone information.

  The time control unit 216 includes a storage area that stores a designated time designated as a time at which content should be downloaded from the server device 10, a timer, and the like, and has a function of controlling the timing at which the content is downloaded from the server device 10.

  When the content transmitted from the server device 10 is extracted by the received data extraction unit 212, the content management unit 217 stores the extracted content in the content DB 220 and stores the content information (information identifying the content, version Information, data size, etc.).

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the client device 20. The client device 20 includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a storage device 23, a communication device 24, an input device 25, and a display device 26.

  The CPU 21 controls the operations of the RAM 22, the storage device 23, the communication device 24, the input device 25, and the display device 26, thereby realizing processing by each function processing unit of the client device 20 illustrated in FIG. To function as a communication device (reception device) according to the present invention.

The RAM 22 is a memory for temporarily storing data generated by the CPU 21, data read from the storage device 23, data input through the communication device 24 or the input device 25, and the like.
The storage device 23 is a storage device such as a flash memory or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and has a storage area for storing various programs and data. The storage area provided in the storage device 23 stores a control program for controlling the operation of each of the above-described hardware units, a computer program for functioning as the communication device of the present application, an application program as a tool provided to the user, and the like. The Further, data input by the user, content received through the communication device 24, and the like are stored in the storage area of the storage device 23 as needed.

  The communication device 24 is a device for communicating with the server apparatus 10 via the communication network N. The communication device 24 transmits a content transmission request to the server device 10 and receives the content transmitted from the server device 10.

  The input device 25 is a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like, and is a device for accepting user operations. The display device 26 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and is a device for displaying information to be notified to the user.

  The functional configuration and hardware configuration of the client device 20 described above are merely examples, and are not limited to the above.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the communication system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment. The client device 20 refers to the load distribution table stored in the load distribution control DB 215 and inquires of the server device 10 whether there is content to be downloaded in the time zone specified in the load distribution table.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a load distribution table. The load distribution table is a table that defines the timing at which the client device 20 downloads content according to the identification information (terminal ID) of the client device 20. In this embodiment, a time zone is adopted as the download timing, and the downloadable time zone is defined in correspondence with the last digit of the terminal ID. Further, in order to prevent the downloadable time zone from being fixed by the client device 20, the downloadable time zone is set according to the download date (the number of days since January 1, 1970 in the example of the table in FIG. 5). The table is defined to be changed.
For example, when the client device 20 with the terminal ID “12345” downloads content on October 1, 2011, the last digit of the terminal ID is “5”, and the number of days elapsed since January 1, 1970 Is “15248” days, it can be seen that the timing permitted for this client device 20 is the time zone of “0:00 to 4:00” by referring to the table shown in FIG. .

  In the timing chart shown in FIG. 4, when inquiring whether there is content to be downloaded, the client device 20 determines whether the current time belongs to a time zone defined by the load distribution table. If the current time belongs to the time zone defined by the load distribution table, an inquiry is executed, and if not, the inquiry is not executed and the user operation is waited for.

  When the server device 10 receives an inquiry about the presence / absence of content from the client device 20, the server device 10 refers to the content DB 130 to determine whether the requested content exists. If the content exists, the server device 10 designates the time, and notifies the client device 20 that the information of the designated time and the content exist. At this time, the server device 10 appropriately designates a notification time. For example, the server device 10 can determine the congestion status in the time zone in which the inquiry is received from the client device 20, and can specify the time to distribute the load.

When the client device 20 receives the time information and notification that the content exists from the server device 10, the client device 20 sets the timing (downloadable time) for downloading the content after the specified time and downloads the content. Therefore, the server apparatus 10 is requested for information necessary for this purpose.
Receiving the request from the client device 20, the server device 10 notifies the client device 20 of information (for example, URL) indicating the storage location of the content as information necessary for downloading the content.

  After receiving the information indicating the storage location of the content notified from the server device 10, the client device 20 determines whether or not the calculated timing has been reached, and if the calculated timing has been reached, To request content transmission.

  Next, processing contents executed by the client device 20 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a content download procedure by the client device 20. The control unit 210 of the client device 20 performs a status check when the device is activated, when returning from the standby state, or the like (step S11), and determines whether the inquiry condition is satisfied (step S12). The status check executed by the control unit 210 includes check items such as a check of the remaining battery level, a check of connection preparation by the communication unit 230, and a check of an elapsed time since the previous content acquisition. The control unit 210 refers to a load distribution table stored in advance, and determines whether or not the inquiry condition is satisfied by determining whether or not the time is within a time zone in which the device can download the content. to decide.

When the inquiry condition is satisfied (S12: YES), the client device 20 inquires of the server device 10 about the presence of content through the communication unit 230 (step S13). At this time, the communication control unit 211 of the client device 20 causes the transmission data generation unit 213 to generate transmission data for inquiring about the presence / absence of content, and transmits the generated transmission data to the server device 10 through the communication unit 230. Inquiries are made.
When the inquiry condition is not satisfied (S12: NO), the control unit 210 returns the process to step S11.

  Prior to making an inquiry to the server device 10, information on a time zone determined from the load distribution table may be displayed on the display unit 250. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen displaying time zone information. In the example shown in FIG. 7, application programs that can be used by the client device 20 are displayed by icons arranged in 3 rows and 5 columns. In addition, by displaying the text information “connect time [8-10]” in the vicinity of the application program for playing back video data, you can download the content that can be used by this application program. Indicates that the time zone is from 8:00 to 10:00.

The communication unit 230 of the client device 20 receives information notified from the server device 10 in response to an inquiry about the presence of content (step S14). As described above, when the content to be downloaded exists in the server device 10, the server device 10 designates the designated time and then sends the information on the designated time and the information indicating that the content exists to the client device 20. Notice.
When the communication unit 230 of the client device 20 receives the information on the time specified by the server device 10 and the information indicating that the content exists, the reception data extraction unit 212 of the client device 20 selects the time from the received information. And the extracted time information is stored in the storage area in the time control unit 216 (step S15).

  Next, the time control unit 216 of the client device 20 sets the timing (downloadable time) for downloading content after the time designated by the server device 10 (step S16). The time control unit 216 determines whether or not the current time is a downloadable time (step S17). If the current time is not a downloadable time (S17: NO), the time control unit 216 waits until the downloadable time is reached.

  When the current time becomes the downloadable time (S17: YES), the client device 20 inquires of the server device 10 about the storage location (URL) of the content through the communication unit 230 (step S18). At this time, the communication control unit 211 of the client device 20 causes the transmission data generation unit 213 to generate transmission data for inquiring the storage location (URL) of the content, and the generated transmission data is transmitted through the communication unit 230 to the server device 10. Inquiries are made by sending to.

  The communication unit 230 of the client device 20 receives the information (URL) notified from the server device 10 in response to the inquiry about the storage location of the content (step S19). Information received by the communication unit 230 is passed to the communication control unit 211 through the reception data extraction unit 212.

  The communication control unit 211 controls the transmission data generation unit 213 to generate transmission data for starting the download of the content, and transmits the generated transmission data to the server device 10 through the communication unit 230, so that the content Download is started (step S20).

  In the present embodiment, when the client device 20 receives the information regarding the storage location of the content, the content is automatically downloaded. However, the content may be downloaded by accepting a user operation. 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams showing examples of screens displayed when content is downloaded. When the client device 20 is ready to download content, for example, the screen shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the fact that the content can be updated (downloaded) is displayed on the status bar arranged at the top of the screen as character information. An icon indicates that the application program that uses the content is software that reproduces video data.

  In order to receive an instruction to start downloading, for example, an operation of dragging the status bar downward is accepted. When the drag operation of the status bar is accepted, the display unit 250 displays a screen for confirming content update (download) as shown in FIG. The screen shown in FIG. 9 includes an “OK” button for instructing to execute download and a “Cancel” button for instructing to cancel the download. Start or cancellation is determined, and one of the processes is executed.

The communication control unit 211 of the client device 20 monitors the communication unit 230 and determines whether the content has been successfully downloaded (step S21).
If the content download is not successful (S21: NO), the communication control unit 211 determines whether or not the value of a trial counter (not shown) has become 0 (step S22). It is assumed that an integer value of 1 or more is set in advance as the initial value of the trial counter.
When the value of the trial counter is not 0 (S22: NO), the communication control unit 211 decreases the value of the trial counter by 1 (step S23), and the process proceeds to step S20. When the value of the trial counter becomes 0 (S22: YES), the user is notified that the content download has failed (step S24).

  If it is determined in step S21 that the content has been successfully downloaded (S21: YES), the downloaded content is stored in the content DB 220, and the user is notified that the content has been successfully downloaded (step S25). The notification that the download is successful or unsuccessful is performed, for example, by displaying character information to that effect on the display unit 250.

  When the content is successfully downloaded, information on a time zone for downloading the content next may be displayed on the display unit 250. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays time zone information. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the character information “Next DL time is 10-11 o'clock” is displayed in the vicinity of the application program for reproducing the video data, and used in this application program. It shows that the next time zone in which possible content can be downloaded is the time zone from 10:00 to 11:00.

  In this embodiment, each client device 20 stores a load distribution table in advance, and each of the client devices 20 autonomously adjusts the content download timing with reference to the load distribution table. The apparatus 20 may be configured to include a load distribution table.

  Further, the client device 20 is configured to determine the content download timing with reference to one load distribution table, but a load distribution table is prepared for each type of content to be downloaded and each service to be used. The timing may be adjusted according to the service or the like.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, when the client device 20 inquires of the server device 10 about the presence / absence of content, the load distribution table is referred to and the inquiry is made in a time zone when the own device can be downloaded. In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the presence / absence of content is inquired in advance and the download timing is set with reference to the load distribution table.
Since the system configuration and the internal configuration of each device are exactly the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, an example in which an updater of an application program (software) is downloaded as content will be described. The client device 20 inquires of the server device 10 whether there is updater to be downloaded at an appropriate timing (for example, timing when the device is activated). At this time, the client device 20 notifies the server device 10 of the terminal ID of the own device and information on the current version of the software.

Upon receiving the inquiry, the server device 10 checks whether or not the corresponding software updater exists in the content DB 130. When the updater exists, the server apparatus 10 designates the update apparatus according to the information indicating that the updater exists, the updated software version information (target version), the updater storage location information, and the congestion status. The client device 20 is notified of the time information.
Here, as in the first embodiment, a URL can be used as the update data storage location. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which notifies several URL so that a download destination can be changed according to the congestion condition of the communication network N. FIG.

  Upon receiving the notification from the server device 10, the client device 20 refers to the load distribution table stored in the load distribution control DB 215, and after the time specified by the server device 10 and in the time zone specified in the load distribution table. Set the timing for downloading the software updater within the range. Then, the client device 20 requests the server device 10 to transmit update data at the set timing. At this time, the client device 20 notifies the server device 10 of the terminal ID of the device itself, information on the current version of the software to be updated, and information on the version after the update.

  When a plurality of URLs are notified from the server device 10, an updater transmission request is made by designating any one URL. In response to an updater transmission request, if downloading of the updater from the server device 10 fails, the designated URL is changed and the updater transmission request is executed again.

  If the server device 10 successfully downloads the updater, the downloaded updater is stored in the content DB 220 and the user is notified that the updater has been successfully received. For example, the notification that the download is successful is performed by displaying text information to that effect on the display unit 250.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first and second embodiments, a configuration is used in which the timing for downloading content from the server device 10 is set using one load distribution table stored in advance in the client device 20, but the load distribution table to be used is a server. The structure acquired from the apparatus 10 may be sufficient.
In the third embodiment, a configuration in which a load distribution table is acquired from the server device 10 as necessary will be described. Since the system configuration and the internal configuration of each device are exactly the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 12 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the third embodiment. The client device 20 inquires of the server device 10 whether there is software updater to be downloaded at an appropriate timing (for example, when the device is activated). At this time, the client device 20 notifies the server device 10 of the terminal ID of the own device and information on the current version of the software.

  Upon receiving the inquiry, the server device 10 checks whether or not the corresponding software updater exists in the content DB 130. When the updater exists, the server apparatus 10 transmits to the client apparatus 20 information indicating that the updater exists, version information (target version) of the updated software, storage location information of the updater, and a load distribution table. . It is assumed that the load distribution table transmitted to the client device 20 is stored in advance in the server device 10 (for example, in the terminal ID database 140) in association with the terminal ID of the client device 20.

  When the client device 20 receives the load distribution table or the like transmitted from the server device 10, the client device 20 stores the received load distribution table in the load distribution control DB 215. The client apparatus 20 refers to the newly stored load distribution table and sets the timing for downloading the update data within the range defined in the load distribution table. Then, the client device 20 requests the server device 10 to transmit update data at the set timing. At this time, the client device 20 notifies the server device 10 of the terminal ID of the device itself, information on the current version of the software to be updated, and information on the version after the update.

  Receiving the updater transmission request, the server apparatus 10 transmits the corresponding updater to the client apparatus 20.

  If the server device 10 successfully downloads the updater, the downloaded updater is stored in the content DB 220 and the user is notified that the updater has been successfully received.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the third embodiment, the server apparatus 10 manages the load distribution table in association with the terminal ID of the client apparatus 20, but the client apparatus 20 can store and use a plurality of load distribution tables. It is good also as a structure which notifies suitably the information of a load distribution table from the server apparatus 10. FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. The client device 20 inquires of the server device 10 whether there is software updater to be downloaded at an appropriate timing (for example, when the device is activated). At this time, the client device 20 notifies the server device 10 of the terminal ID of the own device and information on the current version of the software.

  Upon receiving the inquiry, the server device 10 checks whether or not the corresponding software updater exists in the content DB 130. When the updater exists, the server apparatus 10 includes information indicating that the updater exists, software version information after update (target version), information on the storage location of the updater, and information for identifying the load distribution table (hereinafter referred to as the load distribution table). , Referred to as the table number). The table number transmitted to the client device 20 is information for designating a load distribution table to be used by the client device 20 that is the notification destination. For example, the terminal ID of the client device 20, the content to be downloaded (updater), the download Assume that it is stored in advance in the server device 10 in association with the date and time. When the server device 10 receives an inquiry regarding the presence or absence of updater, the server device 10 determines the table number to be notified based on the terminal ID of the client device 20, the download date and time, and the like.

  The client device 20 that has received the information notified from the server device 10 reads the load distribution table specified by the table number from the load distribution control DB 215 and refers to the read load distribution table, and is specified in the load distribution table. Set the updater download timing within the range. Then, the client device 20 requests the server device 10 to transmit update data at the set timing. At this time, the client device 20 notifies the server device 10 of the terminal ID of the device itself, information on the current version of the software to be updated, and information on the version after the update.

  Receiving the updater transmission request, the server apparatus 10 transmits the corresponding updater to the client apparatus 20.

  If the server device 10 successfully downloads the updater, the downloaded updater is stored in the content DB 220 and the user is notified that the updater has been successfully received.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In the first embodiment, as shown in the load distribution table of FIG. 5, one day (24 hours) is divided into 10 time zones, and the terminal ID (1) of the client device 20 that can be downloaded in each time zone. However, the time zone classification is not limited to the classification defined in the load distribution table of the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the load distribution table. In the load distribution table according to the present embodiment, one day (18 hours) except for a midnight time zone (for example, a time zone of 0:00 to 6:00) in which the client device 20 is unlikely to be activated. Are divided into three time zones (morning, afternoon and evening). Further, the client device 20 is divided into nine categories by using the remainder when the terminal ID is divided by the integer 9. In the table shown in FIG. 14, the time zone and the category of the client device 20 are defined so that access from the client device 20 belonging to the three categories is permitted per time zone.
Also, in this embodiment, assuming that the content distribution period is 3 days, the three time zones in the morning, afternoon, and evening appear in order so that the download time zones are not fixed in 3 consecutive days. In addition, a downloadable time zone is defined according to the download date (in the example of the table of FIG. 14, the number of days since January 1, 1970).

  For example, when the client device 20 having the terminal ID “12345” downloads content on October 1, 2011, the download time zone is determined as follows. The category determined by the terminal ID is “6” according to 12345mod9. Since the number of days elapsed from January 1, 1970 is “15248” days, the value of “15248 mod 9” is “2”. Therefore, it is understood that the timing permitted for this client device 20 is the time zone of “18: 00 to 24:00” by referring to the load distribution table of FIG.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the downloadable time zone can be shifted within the content distribution period (for example, three days), so that fairness for each client device 20 can be ensured.
In the present embodiment, since the distribution period of each content is limited, each client device 20 can specify the distribution time of the next content. For example, when three days have passed since the previous content download, the client device 20 can estimate that the distribution of the next content has started. Therefore, at the time of startup of the terminal, it is determined whether a predetermined period (for example, 3 days) has elapsed since the previous content download, and when the predetermined period has elapsed, the client device 20 It may be configured to automatically inquire whether there is content to be downloaded.

10 Server device (transmitting device)
20 Client device (receiving device)
210 control unit 211 communication control unit 212 reception data extraction unit 213 transmission data generation unit 214 load distribution control unit 215 load distribution control DB
216 Time control unit 217 Content management unit 220 Content DB
230 Communication Unit 240 Input Unit 250 Display Unit N Communication Network

Claims (10)

A transmission device that stores the content and transmits the content in response to an external transmission request; and a reception device that makes a content transmission request to the transmission device and receives the content transmitted in response to the transmission request. In a communication system comprising:
The receiving device is:
Means for storing identification information for identifying the own device;
Means for storing a table defining a correspondence relationship between identification information of a plurality of devices and a time zone in which each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the transmission device;
Means for referring to the table and acquiring information on a time zone in which the device should receive content from the transmitting device based on the stored identification information of the device, and information on a time zone obtained by the means A communication system comprising: means for making a transmission request for content to the transmission device based on the above. The receiving device comprises means for notifying the transmitting device of the acquired time zone information,
The transmitting device, based on the time zone information notified from the receiving device, means for specifying the timing of transmitting content;
Means for notifying the receiving device of the designated timing,
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the reception device transmits the transmission request to the transmission device at a timing notified from the transmission device. The receiving device stores a plurality of tables that define correspondence relationships between identification information of a plurality of devices and time zones when each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the transmitting device,
The transmitting device comprises means for transmitting information specifying a table to be referred to by the receiving device to the receiving device;
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving device refers to a table specified by the transmitting device, and acquires information on a time zone in which the receiving device should receive content from the transmitting device. The communication system described.   The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the table defines information on a time zone that is uniquely determined by a date when content is received and identification information of the device itself.   The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reception device further includes means for informing the acquired time zone information. In a communication device that makes a content transmission request to an external device storing content and receives content transmitted from the external device in response to the transmission request.
Means for storing identification information for identifying the own device;
Means for storing a table defining a correspondence relationship between identification information of a plurality of devices and a time zone in which each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the external device;
Means for referring to the table and acquiring information on a time zone in which the device should receive content from the external device based on the stored identification information of the device, and information on a time zone obtained by the means And a means for making a content transmission request to the external device.   7. The communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the table defines information of a time zone that is uniquely determined by a date when content is received and identification information of the own apparatus.   The communication apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for notifying the acquired time zone information. In a communication method for making a content transmission request to an external device storing content and receiving the content transmitted from the external device in response to the transmission request,
Referring to a table that defines the correspondence between the identification information of a plurality of devices and the time zone in which each of the plurality of devices should receive content from the external device, the time when the device itself should receive content from the external device Get the information of the belt,
A content transmission request is made to the external device based on the acquired time zone information. In a computer program that causes a computer to acquire content by communication from an external device that stores the content,
The computer receives the content from the external device by referring to a table that defines the correspondence relationship between the identification information of the plurality of computers and the time period when each of the plurality of computers should receive the content from the external device. Obtaining information on the time zone to be
And causing the computer to output a content transmission request to the external device based on the acquired time zone information.

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