JP2017004056A - Information processing device, terminal device, control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it easy to deal with a share request even when not carrying devices storing data on a share object such as an original image.SOLUTION: In an information processing device, a transmission unit is configured to transmit share request information indicative of a request for data on a share object to devices of owners possessing data on the share object, and a reception unit is configured to receive appropriateness information indicative of appropriateness of the share request from terminal devices of the owners. A transmission control unit is configured to, when the appropriateness information indicates a permission to share the data on the share object, cause the data on the share object to be transmitted to a device of a request person; and select a device to which the share request information is transmitted from devices associated with the owners on the basis of information about the devices associated with the owners.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for sharing data.

  In recent years, services that share data with others via servers on a network have become widespread. When the data to be shared is an image, the original size of the image is stored in a local device and the reduced size image is stored in a server due to the storage capacity of the service and the network line. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a method in which a user issues a print command to a server storing images and transmits the image to a print server in charge of output.

JP 2003-271343 A

  When creating a photo book or slide show using an image owned by someone else using such a shared service, it is necessary to use an original size image (original image) instead of a reduced size in order to improve the quality. is there. However, in general, when a device that holds an original image is not carried, even if there is an inquiry about an image sharing request, it cannot be immediately handled. In Patent Document 1, it is described that an image is transmitted from another device, but an image for which the device has the right is transmitted to the other device.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to easily cope with a sharing request.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes the following arrangement.
That is, transmission means for transmitting sharing request information indicating that the sharing target data is requested to the owner device that owns the sharing target data requested by the requester;
Receiving means for receiving availability information indicating whether sharing is possible from the owner's terminal device;
When the permission information indicates permission to share the data to be shared, transmission control means for transmitting the data to be shared to the requester's device, and
The transmission control means selects a device that transmits the sharing request information from among devices associated with the owner based on information related to the device associated with the owner, and transmits the sharing to the selected device. The transmission means is controlled to transmit the request information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily cope with a sharing request.

1 is a configuration diagram of a data sharing system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a data sharing system according to a first embodiment. The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the request | requirement terminal of 1st Embodiment, and an owning terminal. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the request | requirement terminal and server apparatus of 1st Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the owned terminal and the image storage device according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the various management tables of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the display apparatus of the request | requirement terminal of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the request | requirement image list | wrist of 1st Embodiment, and a sharable / non-shared list. The figure which shows the example of a display screen of the display apparatus of the owner terminal of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the exchange of the data of the data sharing system of 1st Embodiment. The block diagram of the data sharing system of 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the server apparatus and owner terminal of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display screen of the display apparatus of the owner terminal 102 of 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram of the data sharing system of 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram of the data sharing system of 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the server apparatus of 3rd Embodiment, and an owner terminal. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the request | requirement terminal and owner terminal of 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display screen of the display apparatus of the request | requirement terminal of 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the exchange of the data of the data sharing system of 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the request | requirement terminal and server apparatus of 5th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the possession terminal and image storage apparatus of 5th Embodiment. The figure which shows the exchange of the data of the data sharing system of 5th Embodiment.

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

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the entire data sharing system according to the first embodiment. In a data sharing system, a request terminal 101 which is a requesting terminal device that requests image sharing is a function for communicating with a network and a function for transmitting information (sharing request information) for requesting an image owned by another user. Have The owner terminal 102, which is a terminal device on the owner side of an image that is data to be shared, has a function of communicating with a network and a function of receiving share request information for an image that the user owns. In this embodiment, an example of the request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 is a mobile terminal. In FIG. 1, the communication function between the request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 is assumed to have a wireless communication function. However, in addition to or instead of this, a wired communication function may be provided.

  The server device 103 (information processing device) that is inherent in the cloud has a server function of the data sharing system. The server apparatus 103 holds a virtual machine 104 that provides a virtual machine service that performs various arithmetic processes, and a storage device 105 that provides a storage service that accumulates reduced-size images (thumbnail images). The server apparatus 103 has a communication function capable of communicating with various terminals constituting the data sharing system via the network 108. An image storage device 106 as an example of a holding device that holds data to be shared stores an original size image of the user who owns the owner terminal 102. The image storage device 106 has a communication function capable of communicating with various terminals constituting the data sharing system via the network 108.

  The connection device 107 has a function for wirelessly connecting the request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 to the network 108. The connection device 107 may be a wireless public line base station as well as a wireless LAN access point. In the present embodiment, the server apparatus 103 is a virtual machine inherent in the cloud, but may be a normal server apparatus. Further, the function of the server device 103 can be built in the owner terminal 102 so that the function realized by the owner terminal 102 and the function realized by the server device 103 can be realized by the owner terminal 102.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the entire data sharing system according to the first embodiment. The requester's request terminal 101 is transmitted according to the sharing request information, a communication unit 201 that performs communication processing with other devices, an image request unit 202 that generates sharing request information for requesting image sharing, and the sharing request information. An image acquisition unit 203 that performs an image acquisition process. In addition, the request terminal 101 includes an image storage unit 204 that stores acquired images. Note that the communication units 201, 221, 241, and 261 of each device have functions as transmission means and reception means.

  The server apparatus 103 includes a communication unit 221 that performs communication processing with other devices, and a transmission processing instruction unit (transmission control unit) 222 that instructs image transmission processing for sharing an image between users of the system. The server apparatus 103 also includes an image management unit 223 that manages images registered in the data sharing system, a user management unit 224 that manages users who own images, and devices (apparatuses) owned by users. A device management unit 225 for management is provided. The image management unit 223, the user management unit 224, and the device management unit 225 perform management using the management tables shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, respectively, and processing using them Details will be described later with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Furthermore, the server apparatus 103 includes an image storage unit 226 that stores a reduced image that is registered in the shared system and is displayed and an image that is transmitted and received between users. The components from the communication unit 221 to the device management unit 225 correspond to the virtual machine 104 in FIG. The image storage unit 226 corresponds to the storage device 105 in FIG.

  The owner terminal 102 of the image owner includes a communication unit 241 that performs communication processing with other devices, a request image confirmation unit (display control unit) 242 that confirms display of an image requested from another device, and a sharing target Shareability selection section 243 for selecting whether or not the image (request image) can be shared. The image storage device 106 serving as an image owner's data storage device stores a communication unit 261 that performs communication processing with other devices, an image transmission unit 262 that transmits a requested image, and an image owned by the user. An image storage unit 263 is included. Note that the communication units 201, 221, 241, and 261 perform wireless communication, for example.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102. The request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 are common mobile terminals such as smartphones, and have common components. The CPU 301 performs processing for various processes, such as logic determination, and controls various components connected to the bus 308. The request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 each have a memory including a program memory and a data memory. The program memory stores a program for control by the CPU 301 including processing procedures to be described later. The memory for realizing the program memory and the data memory may be the ROM 302 or the RAM 303 into which the program is loaded from an external storage device or the like.

  The wireless communication device 304 enables transmission / reception of data held by the request terminal 101 or the owner terminal 102 or calculated data to / from other devices. The wireless communication device 304 realizes the communication units 201 and 241 in cooperation with the CPU 301. The UI device 305 is an input device such as various buttons, a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel device mounted on the request terminal 101 or the owner terminal 102, for example. The display device 306 is a display panel (for example, a liquid crystal) mounted on the request terminal 101 or the owner terminal 102, and can display various information displayed on the screen and the user under the control of the CPU 301. It is. The server device 103 and the image storage device 106 are also information processing devices, and have the same hardware configuration as the request terminal 101 or the owner terminal 102.

  4A and 4B are flowcharts showing operations related to image transmission / reception (sharing processing) in the data sharing system of the first embodiment. This flowchart is a flowchart showing operations of the request terminal 101 of the image requester, the server device 103, the owner terminal 102 of the image owner, and the image storage device 106 of the image owner. The processing flow by the request terminal 101 is shown in FIG. 4A (a), and the processing flow by the server apparatus 103 is shown in FIG. 4A (b). Further, the processing flow by the owner terminal 102 is shown in FIG. 4B (a), and the processing flow by the image storage device 106 is shown in FIG. 4B (b). Hereinafter, processing by each of the request terminal 101, the server device 103, the owner terminal 102, and the image storage device 106 will be described.

  If there is no special description regarding the state of each device of the data sharing system including the request terminal 101, the server device 103, the owner terminal 102, and the image storage device 106, it is assumed that the power is turned on and communication is possible. In this data sharing system, a unique image ID is assigned to an image, and the image ID is associated with the ID (user ID) of the image owner uniquely assigned to the system (FIG. 5A). ) Image management table). The image storage unit 226 of the server apparatus 103 stores a thumbnail image file of a reduced size corresponding to the image to be shared. Further, the contact information of the user is registered in the user ID, and a list of devices managed for each user is registered (the user management table in FIG. 5B and the device management tables in FIGS. 5C and 5D). ). In FIGS. 5C and 5D, one user or a plurality of devices are associated with one user.

  First, processing (S401 to S406) executed by the request terminal 101 will be described. In step S <b> 401, the request terminal 101 accepts selection of a request target image (request image) based on an operation from the requester via the UI device 305. Specifically, the image request unit 202 of the request terminal 101 accesses the image management table 501 (FIG. 5A) managed by the image management unit 223 of the server apparatus 103 via the communication unit 201 and makes it public. Get information about the thumbnail image that has been added. The server apparatus 103 is information (a thumbnail image in the present embodiment) for determining each of the plurality of data in order for the requesting terminal 101 to select data to be shared from the plurality of data held by the image storage apparatus. I will provide a. As shown in FIG. 5A, the image management table 501 includes an image ID for identifying an image, a user ID for identifying an owning user, and a thumbnail image file name. The image request unit 202 accesses a thumbnail file described in the image management table 501 and displays an image corresponding to the display device 306 provided in the request terminal 101.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen by the image request unit 202. The display screen of the owner terminal 102 shown in FIG. 6 is an operation screen for accepting user input indicating whether sharing is possible based on the sharing request information (requested image list and thumbnail image) notified from the server device 103. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the image request unit 202 displays one or a plurality of published thumbnail images 601 acquired from the server apparatus 103. In the display of these thumbnail images 601, a check box 602 used for selecting a requested image is arranged. An OK button 603 is a button that is pressed when the user instructs the end of selection. When the user selects the requested image from the thumbnail images 601 displayed on the screen, a check mark is displayed in the check box 602 of the selected thumbnail image 601. The image request unit 202 generates a request image list 701 shown in FIG. 7A by using an image ID corresponding to the thumbnail image selected on the screen shown in FIG. In the request image list 701, a request ID for identifying an image request is associated with an image ID corresponding to the requested thumbnail image.

  Note that the display screen illustrated in FIG. 6 is an example, and it is only necessary to select an image ID of an image to be acquired from a plurality of images, and the configuration of the screen is not limited to this. Further, as information presented at the time of selection, display of thumbnail images is not essential, and other information related to images may be used. For example, instead of or in addition to the display of thumbnail images, subject information such as date, place, person, and landscape may be displayed.

  In step S <b> 402, the image request unit 202 of the request terminal 101 transmits the request image list 701 created in step S <b> 401 to the server apparatus 103 via the communication unit 201. In step S <b> 403, the image acquisition unit 203 receives the sharability list 702 as illustrated in FIG. 7B transmitted from the server apparatus 103. The sharing permission / inhibition list 702 describes sharing permission / inhibition corresponding to the image ID requested to be shared.

  In step S404, the image acquisition unit 203 refers to the shareability list 702 acquired in step S403, and determines whether all the images requested to be shared are shareable. As a result of the determination, if all images can be shared (YES in S404), the image acquisition unit 203 receives the image to be shared transmitted from the server apparatus 103 in S405 and stores it in the image storage unit 204. To do. On the other hand, if there is an image whose sharing is not permitted as a result of the determination in S404 (NO in S404), in S406, the image acquisition unit 203 displays an image indicating that sharing is not permitted. For example, a thumbnail image of an image whose sharing is not permitted is displayed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S405, and an image for which sharing is permitted is received from the server apparatus 103. The above is the process executed by the requester's request terminal 101.

  Next, processing executed by the server apparatus 103 will be described. In step S <b> 421, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 of the server apparatus 103 receives the request image list 701 from the request terminal 101. In step S <b> 422, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 extracts an image ID of an image to be shared (hereinafter also referred to as a target image) from the received request image list 701, and refers to the image management table 501 managed by the image management unit 223. The user ID of the owner of the target image is extracted. In step S423, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 selects the device corresponding to the user ID extracted in step S422 from the device management table as device management information (device management information) prepared for each user managed by the device management unit 225. The management table 503 is selected. Then, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 refers to the selected device management table 503 and acquires device information indicating a device (device) owned by the owner of the target image. The device management table 503 includes, as device information, a name (device name) indicating the type of device used by the owner who owns the image to be shared, a device type indicating whether the device is a notification device or a storage device, and a device Describes an energization type indicating whether energization is always energized (communication is always possible) or energized at any time. The device management table 503 may be a plurality of table groups prepared for each user, or may be a table in which correspondence between a user and a device owned by the user is registered for a plurality of users. If the device management table is easy for each user, a user ID is assigned to each device management table, and the device management table to which the user ID extracted in S422 is assigned is referred to. When the correspondence between the user and the device owned by the user is a device management table registered for a plurality of users, the user ID record extracted in S422 is extracted and referenced. FIGS. 5C and 5D show an example of a record group extracted by the user ID (u001).

  The device type is a type classified based on the function of the device. In an example of the device type, devices that often communicate with other devices (smartphones, tablet terminals, etc.) are classified as notification devices and do not communicate with other devices much, but often store data (Home server, camera, etc.) are classified as storage devices. Personal computers and the like may be classified as notification devices and storage devices.

  The energization type is a type classified based on the energization status of the device. In an example of the energization type, devices that are often turned on (smartphones, tablet devices, home servers, etc.) are classified as “always”, and devices that are often turned off (cameras, personal computers, etc.) Computer etc.) is classified as “as needed”. The device management table 503 describes the ID of an image held (stored) by the device and the address of each device.

  In S424, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 extracts the owner terminal 102 whose device type is the notification device based on the device information acquired in S423, and sets the extracted owner terminal 102 as the notification destination of the sharing request information. decide. If the device type is known, it can be determined whether or not the device is likely to be in a communicable state (for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal). If you do not know whether or not it is actually communicable, you can send sharing request information to devices that are likely to be communicable (for example, smartphones and tablet devices) based on the device type. Good. Then, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits the request image list 701 as the share request information and the thumbnail file of the target image to the owner terminal 102 determined as the notification destination.

  In S424, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 may select the notification destination of the sharing request information based on the name indicating the device type. For example, if the name of the device is known, it is a device that is highly likely to be in a communicable state (for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal), or a device that is highly likely to store a large amount of image data (for example, a digital device). It is possible to determine whether it is a camera, a personal computer, or a home server. If it is not known whether or not communication is actually possible, the sharing request information may be transmitted to a device (for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal) that is likely to be in a communicable state.

  In S424, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 may select the notification destination of the sharing request information based on the energization type. If the energization type is known, it is a device that is highly likely to be energized and communicable (for example, a home server), or a device that is not likely to be communicable (for example, a digital camera, It is possible to determine whether or not Further, if it is not known whether or not communication is actually possible, the sharing request information may be transmitted to a device that is highly likely to be in a communicable state. If it is known whether each device can communicate as shown in FIG. 5D, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 notifies the sharing request information based on the information indicating whether communication is possible in S424. The destination may be selected. As described above, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits the sharing request information from the devices associated with the owner based on the information about the devices (device name, device type, energization type, communication state). Select. In this case, it may be determined by combining a plurality of information, or may be determined by a single information.

  When there are a plurality of image owners, the requested image list is transmitted to each device of each user. Here, a case where there is only one owner will be described as an example. In the above embodiment, the device described as the notification device in the device management table 503 is selected and the sharing request information is notified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the notification address for notifying the sharing request information may be acquired with reference to the user management table 502 (FIG. 5B) as the user management information managed by the user management unit 224. Here, the user management table 502 describes each user (user ID), a notification address for notifying sharing request information, and an owned image (image ID).

  In step S425, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 receives the sharing permission / inhibition list 702 (FIG. 7B) from the owner terminal 102 that is the transmission destination of the sharing request information, that is, the transmission destination of the request image list 701. In the shareability list 702, information indicating whether each image in the request image list 701 can be shared is described. The shareability list 702 is generated in the owner terminal 102 (described later with reference to FIG. 4B (a)). In subsequent S426 to S429, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 generates a transmission image list for instructing transmission of an image permitted to be shared from the sharability list received in S425. First, in S426, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 extracts one image ID from the shareability list 702 and checks whether sharing is permitted. If sharing is permitted (YES in S426), the process proceeds to S427. If sharing is not permitted (NO in S426), the process proceeds to S428. In step S427, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 describes the image ID of the image in the transmission list for instructing the image storage device 106 to transmit the image. In S429, it is determined whether or not the above-described processing has been completed for all the requested images. If completed (YES in S429), the process proceeds to S430. If not completed (NO in S429), the process is completed. Returns to S426, and the above processing is executed for the next image.

  In S430, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits the transmission image list to the image storage device 106 of the image owner. When a plurality of pieces of image data to be shared are distributed and held in a plurality of image storage devices, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 creates and transmits a transmission image list for each storage device. . It can be grasped by referring to the device management table 503 which image is stored in which image storage device. In step S <b> 431, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits a sharing permission / inhibition list 702 indicating the result of permission / inhibition of sharing request information to the requesting terminal 101. Note that the execution order of S430 and S431 is not limited to the order of description, and S431 may be earlier than S430 or may be simultaneous. In step S <b> 432, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 receives an image to be shared from the image storage device 106 and transmits it to the requesting terminal 101. In the server device 103, the device management unit 225 manages the user's owned device, so that the request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 can communicate information without being aware of the other device via the server device 103. Can send and receive.

  In step S433, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 determines whether transmission of all requested images has been completed. If transmission has been completed for all images (YES in S433), the process ends. On the other hand, if there is an incomplete image (NO in S433), in S434, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits a request list of insufficient images that have not been completed to the target image storage device. Transmission omissions can be prevented by periodically performing the processes of S433 and S434. Above, description of the flow of the server apparatus 103 is complete | finished.

  Next, a processing flow by the owner terminal 102 of the owner of the image to be shared will be described. In step S <b> 441, the requested image confirmation unit 242 receives the requested image list 701 and the thumbnail file of the target image from the server apparatus 103 via the communication unit 241. In this embodiment, an example in which a thumbnail file stored in the server apparatus 103 is received has been described. However, a thumbnail file may be stored in the owner terminal 102 in advance. In that case, it is not necessary to receive a thumbnail file. When the owner terminal 102 can communicate with the image storage device 106 and the thumbnail file is stored in the image storage device 106, the request image confirmation unit 242 acquires the thumbnail file from the image storage device 106. Also good.

  Next, in S442, the request image confirmation unit 242 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 8 on the display device, and allows the user to select whether or not to share the target image requested to be shared by the request image list 701. In FIG. 8, a message 801 is a display for notifying an image sharing request. A thumbnail image 802 represents an image for which sharing request information has been provided, and each thumbnail image 802 is provided with a check box 803 for selecting permission of sharing. An OK button 804 is a button indicating completion of selection of whether sharing is possible. In the message 801, the name of the request source of sharing request information (Mr. XX) and the device name (home server) of the image storage device 106 may be displayed. Thereby, it is possible to confirm who the request is from and from which image storage device the image is transmitted. The server device 103 transmits user information (for example, the name of the requester) indicating the requesting user of the sharing request information and the device name of the image storage device 106 to the owner terminal 102 together with the request image list.

  In S443 to S446, the shareability selection unit 243 creates the shareability list 702 by describing the result of selection by the user (whether sharing is possible) on the screen displayed in S442 in each image of the request image list 701. In other words, the shareability selection unit 243 sets “OK” for shareability in the shareability list 702 for images that are permitted to be shared (images that have been checked in the check box 803) (YES in S443) (S444). ). On the other hand, for an image that is determined to be unsharable (NO in S443), the sharability selection unit 243 sets “NG” in the sharability of the sharability list 702 (S445). In S446, the sharability selection unit 243 determines whether or not the above process has been completed for all the images described in the request image list 701. If the process has not been completed (NO in S446), the process proceeds to S443. If it has been completed (YES in S446), the process proceeds to S447.

  In S447, the requested image confirmation unit 242 determines whether the image storage device 106 is a home server. If the image storage device 106 is a home server (YES in S447), the process proceeds to S449, and if not, the process proceeds to S448. In S <b> 448, the requested image confirmation unit 242 instructs to turn on the image storage device 106. In this embodiment, whether or not the image storage device 106 is a home server is confirmed in S447. However, any device that is always energized and capable of communication is used. In S443, the image storage device 106 does not have such a server. It is not limited. In S447, it is determined whether or not the image storage device 106 is a device that is always energized. If the device is not a device that is always energized, a display prompting the user to turn on the image storage device 106 is displayed in S448. What is necessary is just to be performed. If the image storage device 106 is not always an energized device (in this embodiment, it is not a home server), there is a possibility that the power is not turned on. In S449, the request image confirmation unit 242 transmits the sharability list 702 generated in S443 to S446 to the server apparatus 103. This is the end of the description of the flow of the owner terminal 102. Note that instead of an instruction for prompting power-on, an instruction for prompting a communicable state may be used. As described above, the owner terminal 102 shifts the image storage device 106 to a communicable state when it is determined that the image storage device 106 is not a device that is always communicable (not a home server). Display control for displaying the prompt for the display on the display device 306 is performed.

  Next, a processing flow by the image owner's image storage device 106 will be described. In step S <b> 461, the image transmission unit 262 receives the transmission image list (S <b> 430) transmitted from the server apparatus 103 via the communication unit 261. In S462, the image transmission unit 262 extracts the target image from the image storage unit 263 according to the transmission image list received in S461. In S463, the image transmission unit 262 transmits the target image extracted in S462 to the server apparatus 103 via the communication unit 261. The above is the processing of the image storage device 106.

  As described above, when image sharing is requested at the request terminal 101, image sharing request information is notified to the owner terminal 102 of the image owner. When the owner permits sharing at the owner terminal 102, an image that is requested to be shared is transmitted to the requester from a device (image storage device 106) that stores images owned by the owner.

  FIG. 9 shows data exchange by the data sharing system of the first embodiment. In process 901, the request terminal 101 transmits the thumbnail file and the request image list 701 to the server apparatus 103 (S402). The requested image list 701 is an example of identification information for identifying a target image as data to be shared. The identification information is not limited to this example as long as the requested data can be identified.

  In processing 902, the server apparatus 103 notifies the requested image list 701 of images to the owner terminal 102 possessed by the owner of the data to be shared (S424). In process 903, the owner terminal 102 transmits a sharability list 702 as sharability information indicating sharability of the sharing target data to the server apparatus 103 (S449). In process 904, the server apparatus 103 transmits a transmission image list to the image storage apparatus 106 in order to acquire data (target image) indicated by sharing by the received availability information (S430). In process 905, the image storage apparatus 106 transmits an image to the server apparatus 103 according to the transmission image list transmitted in process 904 (S463). In process 906, the server apparatus 103 acquires the image acquired from the image storage apparatus 106 in process 905 (the image that is permitted to be shared by the owner terminal 102 among the images described in the request image list). (S432).

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the type of the image storage device is determined in S447 and S448 (FIG. 4B), and the user is prompted to turn on the power (or shift to a communicable state). In the second embodiment, whether or not the image storage device is turned on is determined based on whether or not communication is possible, and a display for prompting power-on (prompting to shift to a communicable state) is performed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a data sharing system according to the second embodiment. The image storage device 1001 is a camera having a network connection function, for example, and is replaced with the image storage device 106 of FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operations of the server apparatus 103 and the owner terminal 102 according to this embodiment. The data sharing process according to the second embodiment will be described below using the flowchart of FIG. The processing of the request terminal 101 and the image storage device 1001 is the same as that in the first embodiment (S401 to S406 in FIG. 4A and S461 to S463 in FIG. 4B). Therefore, below, operation | movement of the server apparatus 103 and the owner terminal 102 is demonstrated. In FIG. 11, steps corresponding to the same processes as those in the first embodiment (FIGS. 4A and 4B) are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment.

  First, the process of the server apparatus 103 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the transmission process instruction unit 222 of the server apparatus 103 acquires the device information owned by the owner of the data to be shared in S423, the process proceeds to S1121. In step S1121, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 determines whether the image storage device 1001 is in a communicable state from the device information acquired in step S423. If the image storage device 1001 is communicable (YES in S1121), the process proceeds to S424. If communication is not possible (NO in S1121), the process proceeds to S1122. Note that a process for confirming whether or not the image storage device 1001 is communicable can use a known mechanism that can determine whether or not the device is communicable. For example, a mechanism for measuring packet reachability such as a ping command, or a mechanism in which the client side periodically communicates with the server side can be adopted. As shown in FIG. 5D, the result of confirming the communication state may be described in the device management table 504. In this case, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 refers to the device management table 504 and confirms whether each device can communicate.

  In step S <b> 1122, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits information for prompting power-on of the image storage device 1001 together with the request image list 701. At this time, the name of the image storage device may be acquired, added to the request image list 701, and a request image list including the name may be transmitted. By referring to such a request image list, the owner terminal 102 of the image owner can clearly indicate which device the user should turn on (this will be described later). . The request image list generated as described above (including power-on prompting information of the image storage device) is transmitted to the owner terminal 102 of the image owner together with the thumbnail image as in the first embodiment (S424). ).

  Next, processing by the owner terminal 102 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. If it is determined in S446 that the processing of the previous image has been completed (when the generation of the shareability list 702 is completed), the process proceeds to S1141. In S1141, the requested image confirmation unit 242 of the owner terminal 102 transmits whether the status of the image storage apparatus 1001 that stores the image permitted to be shared in S444 is communicable together with the requested image list 701, and received in S441. Judgment based on power-on reminder information. If the image storage device that stores the image to be shared is the target of power-on prompting, the request image confirmation unit 242 determines that communication is not possible. If it is determined that communication is possible (YES in S1141), the process proceeds to S449. If it is determined that communication is not possible (NO in S1141), the process proceeds to S1142. In step S <b> 1142, the requested image confirmation unit 242 performs a display prompting the user to turn on the image storage device 1001. FIG. 12 is an example of a display screen on the owner terminal 102. In addition to the screen display (FIG. 8) of the owner terminal 102 according to the first embodiment, a display prompting to turn on the data storage device (in FIG. 12, “Please turn on the camera”) is added. . In S1141, a device management table as shown in FIG. 5D may be referred to in order to determine whether or not the state of the image storage device is communicable.

  The processing flow (S401 to S406) of the requesting terminal 101 of the requester and the processing flow (S461 to S463) of the image storage device 1001 are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIGS. 4A and 4B), and thus description thereof is omitted. Note that the processing flow of the image storage device 1001 is a flow that starts after the device is turned on, and the processing from turning on the power to initialization processing and the start of a predetermined function is omitted in FIG. 4B. Yes.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the server apparatus 103 checks the communication state of the image storage apparatus 1001 that is an image storage apparatus, and turns on the image storage apparatus corresponding to the owner terminal 102 as necessary. (Alternatively, a display prompting for a transition to a communicable state) is performed. As described above, the display on the owner terminal 102 is changed according to whether the image storage device 1001 is turned on, that is, according to the communication state of the image storage device 1001. In the second embodiment, the communication state is confirmed by the server device, but may be performed by the mobile terminal.

  It is also possible to change the device that receives the notification of the sharing request information (the transmission destination of the request image list in S424) by managing the communication state of the user-owned device. For example, in the configuration of the data sharing system illustrated in FIG. 13, it is assumed that the owner terminal 102 and the notebook PC 1301 are registered as notification devices that notify the sharing request information in the device management table managed by the device management unit 225. In this case, when both the usage status of the owner terminal 102 and the notebook PC 1301 are ON, the sharing request information is notified not only to the owner terminal 102 but also to the notebook PC 1301. The notebook PC 1301 can execute the processing flow equivalent to that of the owner terminal 102 to select whether or not the image can be shared in accordance with the received notification and to issue a transmission instruction. As described above, even when a request notification is made, the notification (image request) is transmitted to both the owner terminal 102 and the notebook PC 1301, so that the owner can be notified more reliably. When the communication state of either the owner terminal 102 or the notebook PC 1301 is ON, the sharing request information is notified to the device whose communication state is ON.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first and second embodiments, the owner terminal 102 is urged to turn on the image storage device as a data storage device. In the third embodiment, when a device that can be remotely activated is used as the image storage device, the necessary image storage device is turned on by remote activation from the owner terminal 102. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of the entire data sharing system according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the image storage device 1401 is a personal computer having a network connection function and a remote activation function, and is replaced with the image storage device 106 of FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing operations of the server apparatus 103 and the owner terminal 102 according to the third embodiment. Hereinafter, the operations of the server apparatus 103 and the owner terminal 102 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The processing of the request terminal 101 and the image storage device 1001 is the same as that in the first embodiment (S401 to S406 in FIG. 4A and S461 to S463 in FIG. 4B). Therefore, hereinafter, operations of the server apparatus 103 and the owner terminal 102 according to the third embodiment will be described. In FIG. 15, steps corresponding to the same processes as those in the first embodiment (FIGS. 4A and 4B) are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment. In addition, the device management table of the third embodiment describes whether or not remote activation is possible for each device in addition to the data configuration shown in FIG. 5C or 5D.

  First, the processing of the server apparatus 103 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S1521, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 of the server apparatus 103 checks whether the image storage apparatus 1401 is a remotely startable apparatus from the apparatus information acquired in step S423. If image storage device 1401 can be remotely activated (YES in S1521), the process proceeds to S1522, and if communication is not possible (NO in S1521), the process proceeds to S424. In S1521, the communication state may be confirmed as in the second embodiment, and the process may proceed to S1522 when the communication state is communication disabled (OFF) and remote activation is possible. In step S1522, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 adds an instruction to remotely start the image storage device 1401 to the request image list. If it is determined in S433 that transmission of all images has been completed, the process proceeds from S433 to S1523. In step S <b> 1523, the transmission processing instruction unit 222 transmits an end message indicating that transmission of all images has been completed to the owner terminal 102.

  Next, processing of the owner terminal 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S1541, the request image confirmation unit 242 determines whether the request image list received in step S441 includes an activation instruction for the data storage device. If a remote activation instruction is included (YES in S1541), the process proceeds to S1542, and if not included (NO in S1541), the process proceeds to S442. In S1542, the requested image confirmation unit 242 executes a remote activation process for the data storage device that is instructed to be activated remotely in the requested image list. For the remote activation process, for example, a method of transmitting a packet for activation like Wake-On-Lan (registered trademark) can be used. Since a well-known technique can be employed for the remote activation process, details are omitted.

  In step S <b> 1543, the request image confirmation unit 242 determines whether an end message indicating that all transmission images have been received is received from the server device 103. If an end message has been received (YES in S1543), the process proceeds to S1545, and if not received (NO in S1543), the process proceeds to S1544. In step S <b> 1544, the request image confirmation unit 242 receives the transmission end message transmitted from the server apparatus 103. In step S1545, the requested image confirmation unit 242 stops the image storage device 1401 by remote operation. Since this stop process is not the main point of the present invention as in the start process, a detailed description thereof is omitted, but a method of transmitting a packet for stopping can be used. This is the end of the description of the processing flow of the owner terminal 102.

  The processing flow of the requesting terminal 101 of the requester and the processing flow of the image storage device 1401 are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIGS. 4A (a) and 4B (b)), and the description thereof is omitted. Note that the processing flow of the image storage device 1401 starts after the image storage device is turned on, and the processing from power-on to initialization processing and stable operation is omitted. Similarly, the description of the processing until the image storage device 1401 is stopped after receiving the stop processing is omitted.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, when the image sharing request information is received, the image archiving apparatus is remotely activated, so that it is automatically activated even when the image archiving apparatus is not turned on. Can be made. Therefore, operability is improved and image transmission is performed more reliably. Further, the image storage device can be stopped by confirming the end of the image transmission and performing a stop process on the image storage device remotely activated after the transmission is completed. Therefore, it is possible to realize start / stop of the image storage device according to the necessity, and to realize power saving.

  In the third embodiment, the owner terminal 102 takes charge of the start processing and stop processing of the image storage device that can be remotely started, but both or one of these processing may be performed by the server device 103. The transmission processing instruction unit 222 may be configured to select a device that transmits the sharing request information from among devices associated with the owner based on information indicating whether remote activation is possible. .

<Fourth embodiment>
In the first embodiment to the third embodiment, the owner only specifies whether or not to share the image requested to be shared from the requesting terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Conditions may be negotiated between the requester and the owner. In the fourth embodiment, an example of processing related to the exchange of transactions between individuals between an image requester and an owner will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing operations of the request terminal 101 and the owner terminal 102 according to the fourth embodiment. The description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment (the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A and 4B) will be omitted by using the flowchart of FIG. 16, and different parts will be described.

  The processing of the request terminal 101 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S1601, the image acquisition unit 203 receives a request condition transmitted from the owner terminal 102 of the image owner. The request condition describes a condition for obtaining permission for transmission when the owner terminal 102 of the owner does not permit permission unconditionally for the request image list transmitted in S402. The request condition is displayed on the image display device and prompts the user to determine permission or acceptance. FIG. 17A shows an example of display by the request terminal 101 that has received the request condition. A message 1701 is a message indicating a condition for obtaining permission for transmission included in the request condition, and a button 1702 is a button for selecting whether to accept or reject the condition. When the button 1702 is pressed, the screen display ends. The present embodiment is an example of transactions between individuals, and the required condition is a price, but it may be an exchange condition or other conditions.

  In step S1602, the image acquisition unit 203 determines whether the requester has accepted the request condition. As shown in FIG. 17A, if the “OK” button among the buttons 1702 is pressed, it is determined that the request condition is granted, and if the “reject” button is pressed, the request condition is rejected. Judged to be. If it is determined that the request condition is permitted (YES in S1602), the process proceeds to S1603. If it is determined that the condition is rejected (NO in S1602), the process proceeds to S1604. In step S1603, the image acquisition unit 203 describes in the condition result that the condition has been accepted. On the other hand, in S1604, the image acquisition unit 203 describes that the condition is rejected in the condition result. In step S <b> 1605, the image acquisition unit 203 transmits the condition result to the owner terminal 102. In step S <b> 1606, the image acquisition unit 203 performs payment processing corresponding to the request condition, and transmits information related to payment completion (hereinafter referred to as payment information) to the owner terminal 102. Information related to payment completion represents information related to evidence that payment processing has been completed. For example, when there is money exchange, the payment information may indicate evidence of transfer. This is the end of the description of the processing flow by the requesting terminal 101.

  Next, the processing of the owner terminal 102 of the image owner will be described using FIG. In S1641, the request image confirmation unit 242 determines whether sharing permission is set for the request image list whose selection is displayed in S442. If sharing permission is set (YES in S1641), the process proceeds to S444. If sharing permission is not set (NO in S1641), the process proceeds to S1642. In step S1642, the request image confirmation unit 242 transmits a request condition message to the request terminal 101. With respect to the request condition for permitting sharing, the owner may select a prepared message, or the owner may create a message. Further, at this time, the owner may be able to set a request condition for permitting sharing.

  In S1643, the request image confirmation unit 242 receives the condition result transmitted from the requesting terminal 101 (S1605). In step S1644, the request image confirmation unit 242 determines whether the request condition has been accepted by the requester from the condition result acquired in step S1643. If the request condition is accepted (YES in S1644), the process proceeds to S1645, and if rejected (NO in S1644), the process proceeds to S445. In step S <b> 1645, the request image confirmation unit 242 receives payment information transmitted from the request terminal 101. In step S1646, the request image confirmation unit 242 determines whether the request condition has been fulfilled and the settlement has ended. If it is confirmed that the payment is completed based on the payment information (YES in S1646), the process proceeds to S444. If not completed (NO in S1646), the process returns to S1645. In S444, the requested image confirmation unit 242 permits sharing of the requested image as a sharing target.

  FIG. 17B is an example of a display screen on which payment has been confirmed. A message is described in 1711, and a button 1712 is used to end the display of the screen. When the button 1712 is pressed, the description of the processing flow of the owner terminal 102 of the image owner is ended, and the description of the processing flow of the fourth embodiment using FIG.

  FIG. 18 shows data exchange of the entire data sharing system in the fourth embodiment. A process 1801 corresponds to S402, and a process 1802 corresponds to S424, which is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. After the notification of the sharing request information in the process 1802, negotiations of transaction conditions for data sharing are performed between the owner terminal 102 and the request terminal 101 in processes 1803-1805. In the present embodiment, negotiation of transaction conditions is performed directly between the owner terminal 102 and the request terminal 101, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the server apparatus 103 may mediate data communication between the owner terminal 102 and the request terminal 101 for negotiating transaction conditions.

  In process 1803, the request condition is transmitted from the owner terminal 102 to the request terminal 101 (S1642). In process 1804, a message of a condition result is transmitted from the requesting terminal 101 to the owner terminal 102 (S1605). In process 1805, payment process data (payment information) is transmitted from the requesting terminal 101 to the owner terminal 102 (S1606). A process 1806 corresponds to S449, a process 1807 corresponds to S430, a process 1808 corresponds to S463, and a process 1809 corresponds to S432, which are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. Note that the processing 1803 and the processing 1804 are not only performed once, but may be performed a plurality of times until the required conditions satisfy both.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment, when the image owner is requested to share an image, a request condition for permitting image sharing is set, and the sharing target is determined according to the result of acceptance of the request condition by the requester. A method for controlling image transmission has been described. According to the fourth embodiment, when the requester accepts a request condition for sharing an image, the requester performs a settlement process. When the owner of the image confirms the settlement process by the requester, the image is transmitted to the requester. This enables transaction of image data between individuals.

  In this embodiment, the transmission / reception of conditions and the transmission / reception of payment data are performed directly between terminals, but of course, a server device may be used. The description of the present embodiment has been made based on the first embodiment, but the present embodiment is not limited to the first embodiment, and may be applied to other embodiments. In the owner terminal 102, different request conditions may be set for each image that is a request target. In addition, the request terminal 101 may be able to specify acceptance / rejection of request conditions for each request target image.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the fifth embodiment, encryption is performed at the time of transmission of an image to be shared in the first embodiment, and the safety at the time of file transmission / reception is improved. 19A and 19B are flowcharts showing the operations of the image requester request terminal 101, the server device 103, the image owner owner terminal 102, and the image storage device 106 according to the fifth embodiment. A different part from 1st Embodiment (flowchart of FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B) is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. 19A, FIG. 19B. Note that the encryption method used in this embodiment may be any known encryption method. As for the encryption key method, the common key method is used in this embodiment, but a public key method may be used.

  In step S1901, the image acquisition unit 203 of the request terminal 101 receives encrypted data that is an encrypted image file from the server apparatus 103. In step S <b> 1902, the image acquisition unit 203 transmits a message requesting an encryption key (encryption key) necessary for decrypting the encrypted file to the owner terminal 102. In step S <b> 1903, the image acquisition unit 203 receives the decryption key transmitted from the owner terminal 102. In step S1904, the image acquisition unit 203 performs a process of decrypting the encrypted data received in step S1901 using the encryption key acquired in step S1903. In this way, the image acquisition unit 203 can obtain an image to be shared.

  In the server apparatus 103, the image storage apparatus 106 receives the encrypted image and transmits it to the request terminal 101. That is, in S1921, the image transmission unit 262 of the server apparatus 103 receives the encrypted image file from the image storage apparatus 106 and transmits it to the requesting terminal 101.

  Next, processing by the owner terminal 102 of the fifth embodiment will be described. In S1941, the requested image confirmation unit 242 of the owner terminal 102 receives the decryption key generated by the image storage device 106. As described above, this encryption key is a key for decrypting the encrypted image transmitted by the image storage device 106 for sharing with the requesting terminal 101. In S1942, the request image confirmation unit 242 receives a message requesting an encryption key from the requesting terminal 101. When receiving a message requesting the encryption key from the requesting terminal 101, in S1943, the request image confirmation unit 242 transmits the encryption key received in S1941 to the requesting terminal 101.

  The image storage apparatus 106 according to the fifth embodiment encrypts the image to be shared and transmits the encrypted image to the server apparatus 103 (or the request terminal 101), and also has an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted image. Send to. In S1961, the image transmission unit 262 performs encryption processing on the image extracted in S462. In step S1962, the image transmission unit 262 transmits the decryption encryption key generated at the time of encryption in step S1961 to the owner terminal 102. In step S1963, the image transmission unit 262 transmits the encrypted image to the server apparatus 103. This is the end of the description of the processing flow of the image storage device 106, and the description of the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 20 shows data exchange in the data sharing system according to the fifth embodiment. The process 2001 corresponds to S402, the process 2002 corresponds to S424, the process 2003 corresponds to S449, and the process 2004 corresponds to S430. In processing 2005, the image storage apparatus 106 transmits an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted image that is the data to be shared to the owner terminal 102 (S1962). In processing 2006, the image storage device 106 transmits the encrypted image file to the server device 103 (S1963). In processing 2007, the server apparatus 103 transmits the encrypted image file to the request terminal 101 (S1921). In processing 2008, the requesting terminal 101 transmits a message requesting an encryption key to the owner terminal 102 (S1902). In process 2009, the owner terminal 102 transmits the encryption key to the request terminal 101 in response to the request for the encryption key from the request terminal 101 (S1943).

  As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the control method in the case where the file transmission / reception is performed using the encrypted file has been described. By using an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted image as a transmission path different from the transmission path of the image, the data is not restored unless the data and the key are aligned, and safety can be improved. Moreover, although description of 5th Embodiment was demonstrated based on 1st Embodiment, it is not limited to 1st Embodiment and it is clear that it can apply also to other embodiment.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, the shared image transmission / reception route is an example that passes through the server device 103. However, the request can also be made via the owner terminal 102 without passing through the server device 103. It may be transmitted directly to the terminal 101. In this embodiment, the case where there is one image owner who is an image requesting user and a user who is requesting an image has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is obvious that there may be a plurality of image owners, and there may be a plurality of requesting users.

  Further, in the first to fifth embodiments, a thumbnail image having a different size from the original image is used as data for determining the request image when the request terminal 101 selects the request image. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, instead of the thumbnail image, an image in which noise, a pattern, a character, or the like is added and superimposed on the original image may be used. In this way, when selecting an image to be requested, data different from the original image is used so that the original image corresponding to the image published on the server device can be used by others without the owner's approval. Can be prevented.

  Further, the data requested from the request terminal 101 is not limited to images, but can also include moving images, audio, and electronic books. In that case, the information (data published to the server device 103) for determining the data to be shared by the owner includes data for the first few seconds of the video and audio, and for several pages of the electronic book. It may be data with a limited disclosure range such as data. Further, the data data disclosed to the server apparatus 103 may be metadata relating to contents such as a title, a table of contents, and a creator of the requested data.

  Note that the present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus execute the program. It can also be realized by a process of reading and executing. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

101: Request terminal, 102: Owner terminal, 103: Server device, 104: Virtual machine, 105: Storage, 106: Image storage device, 107: Connection device, 202: Image request unit, 203: Image acquisition unit, 222: Transmission processing instruction unit, 242: request image confirmation unit, 243: shareability selection unit, 262: image transmission unit

Claims (28)

Transmitting means for transmitting sharing request information indicating that the data to be shared is requested to the device of the owner who owns the data to be shared requested by the requester;
Receiving means for receiving availability information indicating whether sharing is possible from the owner's terminal device;
When the permission information indicates permission to share the data to be shared, transmission control means for transmitting the data to be shared to the requester's device, and
The transmission control means selects a device that transmits the sharing request information from among devices associated with the owner based on information related to the device associated with the owner, and transmits the sharing to the selected device. An information processing apparatus that controls the transmission means to transmit request information.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the apparatus includes a name indicating a type of the apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the device includes information indicating a classification based on a function of the device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the device includes information indicating a classification based on an energization state of the device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the device includes information indicating a communication state of the device. The transmission control means includes
Transmitting the data to be shared from the holding device that holds the data to be shared to the receiving unit;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data to be shared is transmitted from the transmission unit to the requester's apparatus.   The information according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transmission control unit causes the data to be shared to be transmitted from a holding device that holds the data to be shared to the requester's device. Processing equipment.   The transmission control means transmits the sharing request information by specifying a user corresponding to the data to be shared with reference to user management information for managing correspondence between the data and a user who owns the data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an owner is specified.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits information indicating a holding device that stores the data to be shared together with the sharing request information.   The transmission control means refers to device management information in which the owner, one or a plurality of devices, and information related to the device are associated, and identifies a holding device that stores the data to be shared The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus.   11. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits information indicating whether the holding device holding the data to be shared is in a communicable state together with the sharing request information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The transmission means transmits information requesting a remote activation process of the holding device when the holding device holding the data to be shared can be remotely activated and is not in a communicable state. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the information processing apparatus is characterized in that:   When the holding device holding the data to be shared can be remotely activated, the transmission means transmits information requesting remote activation processing of the holding device together with the sharing request information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.   14. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein, when all data requested to be shared is transmitted to the requesting device, the transmission unit transmits a transmission end message to the owner device. The information processing apparatus according to item.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits information indicating the requester to the owner's apparatus. The receiving means receives the encrypted data to be shared and an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted data to be shared from a holding device that holds the data to be shared,
16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the encrypted data to be shared and an encryption key to the requester apparatus.   The transmission means requests the specific information for specifying the plurality of data in order to select the data to be shared from the plurality of data held by the holding device holding the data to be shared. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device transmits the information to a person's device. Receiving means for receiving sharing request information indicating requesting data to be shared;
Display control means for displaying on the display means an operation screen for accepting user input indicating whether sharing is possible based on the sharing request information;
A terminal device comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit to the information processing apparatus permission / prohibition information indicating whether or not sharing is accepted by user input. The sharing request information includes information indicating a requester who is a user who requests sharing of the data to be shared,
The terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display information indicating the requester.   The terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display information indicating a holding device that holds the data to be shared. Determination means for determining whether or not the holding device holding the data to be shared is in a communicable state;
The display control means causes the display means to display information for shifting the holding device to a communicable state when the determination means determines that communication is not possible. The terminal device according to any one of 20. The receiving means receives information indicating a communication state of a holding device holding the data to be shared;
21. The display control unit according to claim 18, wherein when the communication state indicates that communication is impossible, the display unit displays information for shifting the holding device to a state where communication is possible. The terminal device according to item 1.   23. The display control unit causes the display unit to display information related to a condition for permitting sharing with a requester who is a user who requests sharing of the data to be shared. The terminal device according to any one of the above. The data to be shared provided to the requester's device that is a user who requests sharing of the data to be shared is encrypted,
The receiving means receives an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted data to be shared from a holding device holding the data to be shared,
The terminal device according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the transmission unit transmits the encryption key to the requester's device. A control method executed by the information processing apparatus,
A transmission step of transmitting sharing request information indicating that the data to be shared is requested to a device of an owner who owns the data to be shared requested by the requester;
A second receiving step of receiving permission / inhibition information indicating permission / inhibition of sharing from the owner's device;
A transmission control step for transmitting the data to be shared to the requester's device when the permission information indicates permission to share the data to be shared; and
In the transmission step, based on information related to the device associated with the owner, a device that transmits the sharing request information is selected from the devices associated with the owner, and the sharing request is transmitted to the selected device. A control method characterized by transmitting information. A control method executed by a terminal device,
A receiving step of receiving sharing request information indicating requesting data to be shared;
A display control step of displaying on the display means an operation screen for accepting a user input indicating whether sharing is possible based on the sharing request information;
A transmission step of transmitting to the information processing apparatus permission / prohibition information indicating whether or not sharing is accepted by user input.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the information processing apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 17.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the terminal device of any one of Claims 18 thru | or 24.

Images