JP3855411B2 - DATA RELAY DEVICE, DATA RELAY METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a data relay device, a data relay method, and a recording medium, and in particular, a data relay device, a data relay method, and a recording medium that relay data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
  In recent years, the Internet, which is a huge computer network connecting the whole world, has been rapidly spreading. The Internet, which is a network between networks, can be accessed from a client computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a “client”), which is an information terminal device in a closed network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and sends mail. Or use an external database. As described above, there are various services on the Internet. Among them, the WWW (World Wide Web) that can receive multimedia screens composed of various moving images and sounds from all over the world is popular.
[0003]
  In order to view data on the WWW, client software called a browser such as Netscape Navigator (registered trademark of Netscape Communications) is used. The user writes a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that specifies the WWW that he or she wants to see, or is a link (highlighted character or image) in an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) document, and the character or image is displayed as a pointing device. The desired information can be obtained by tracing other data related to the document being viewed at that time.
[0004]
  By the way, when using the Internet from the inside of a LAN or the like, generally, a method in which a client running client software is indirectly connected to the Internet via a data relay device called a proxy server. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to improve communication efficiency.
[0005]
  In other words, once acquired data is stored in the cache in its own server, and when the same data is accessed again from inside the LAN, the data is supplied from there to minimize the burden on the network. Therefore, communication efficiency can be improved.
[0006]
  Such a data relay apparatus basically mediates exchange of information between an external server and a client in the LAN. However, highly functional data relay apparatuses have been proposed as follows.
[0007]
  For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-168027, it is described in the HTML language in order to absorb differences in screen display caused by differences in client settings (such as differences in the type of browser software used). Data relay apparatuses that convert the data once into image data and then supply the data to the client have been made public. According to such a method, it is possible to always obtain a constant display content regardless of the type of browser software used by the client.
[0008]
  Incidentally, data (for example, a multimedia screen) posted on a server on a network is generally updated regularly or irregularly. Therefore, in order to always browse the latest data, it is necessary to access the server frequently.
[0009]
  When there is a large amount of data desired to be browsed, the burden on the user increases, so in order to solve such problems, for example, WebWhat'sNew (registered trademark of Ai Soft Co., Ltd.) Software is used. In such software, since a plurality of pieces of data are periodically checked for updates, it is possible to follow the data updates without increasing the burden on the user.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  However, in such a conventional technique, by setting the name of the target server, the data acquisition date (or acquisition frequency), etc., it is possible to acquire updated data or update data. It was configured to display as a message. Therefore, when a plurality of data is to be browsed, there is a problem that the setting is complicated.
[0011]
  In the prior art, the frequency of acquiring data is fixed. Therefore, in order to acquire the data without omission, it is necessary to set the acquisition frequency shorter than the period in which the data is updated. As a result, there is a problem that unnecessary access to the server increases and the communication cost increases.
[0012]
  Furthermore, assuming that data is acquired from individual information terminal devices in the LAN using software such as the above-mentioned WebWhat'sNew, the same data is accessed multiple times when viewed as a whole LAN. As a result, there was a problem that traffic was burdened.
[0013]
  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data relay apparatus that acquires desired data without omission without increasing the burden on the user and the communication cost.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, in a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices, the present invention relates to past data requests from the information terminal device.And an information terminal device identifier for identifying the information terminal device that has made the data request.When history information is held and a new data request is input from the information terminal device, information on the data request is displayed.SaidHistory information holding means to be added as history information, data acquisition means for accessing a server on the network in response to the data request, and acquiring requested data, and data acquired by the data acquisition means Entered a data requestSaidData output means for outputting to the information terminal device, and referring to the history information, Using the information terminal device identifier and the number of data accesses,Importance determining means for determining the importance of data acquired in the past, and automatic acquisition means for automatically acquiring from the server data determined to be highly important by the importance determining means. A data relay device is provided.
[0015]
  When data is relayed between the information terminal device and the server by such a data relay device, the history information holding means is related to past data requests from the information terminal device.And an information terminal device identifier for identifying the information terminal device that has made the data request.When history information is held and a new data request is input from the information terminal device, information related to the data request is added as history information. The data acquisition means accesses a server on the network in response to the data request and acquires the requested data. The data output means transmits the data acquired by the data acquisition means to the information terminal device that has input the data request. The importance level determination means refers to the history information.Using the information terminal device identifier and the number of data accesses,Determine the importance of data acquired in the past. The automatic acquisition means automatically acquires from the server data determined to be high by the importance determination means.
[0016]
  In order to solve the above problem, in a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices, data is stored regarding past data requests from the information terminal device. History information including a resource identifier for identifying a resource that has been set, and when a new data request is input from the information terminal device, history information that adds information on the data request as the history information Holding means and said data A data acquisition unit that accesses a server on the network in response to a data request and acquires the requested data, and outputs the data acquired by the data acquisition unit to the information terminal device that has input the data request The importance is determined by the data output means, the importance level determination means for determining the importance level of the data acquired in the past using the resource identifier and the data access count with reference to the history information, and the importance level determination means. There is provided a data relay device comprising: automatic acquisition means for automatically acquiring data determined to be high from the server.
[0017]
  When data is relayed between the information terminal device and the server by such a data relay device, the history information holding unit identifies the resource in which the data is stored in relation to past data requests from the information terminal device. If a new data request is input from the information terminal device, information related to the data request is added as history information. The data acquisition means accesses a server on the network in response to the data request and acquires the requested data. The data output means transmits the data acquired by the data acquisition means to the information terminal device that has input the data request. The importance determining means refers to the history information, and determines the importance of data acquired in the past using the resource identifier and the number of data accesses. The automatic acquisition means automatically acquires from the server data determined to be high by the importance determination means.
[0018]
  Further, in order to solve the above problem, in a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices, history information relating to past data requests from the information terminal device is retained. When a new data request is input from the information terminal device, history information holding means for adding information relating to the data request as the history information, and holding data acquired in the past from a server on the network A data holding unit that accesses the server on the network in response to the data request, acquires the requested data, and adds the acquired data to the data holding unit; and the data acquisition Data output means for outputting the data acquired by the means to the information terminal device that has received the data request; Importance determining means for determining the importance of data acquired in the past with reference to the history information and the number of specific keywords included in the data held in the data holding means, and the importance A data relay comprising: automatic acquisition means for automatically acquiring from the server data determined to be highly important by the degree determination means and adding the acquired data to the data holding means An apparatus is provided.
[0019]
  When data is relayed between the information terminal device and the server by such a data relay device, the history information holding means holds history information related to past data requests from the information terminal device, and the information terminal device When a new data request is input from, information related to the data request is added as history information. The data holding unit holds data acquired in the past from a server on the network. The data acquisition unit accesses a server on the network in response to the data request, acquires the requested data, and adds the acquired data to the data holding unit. The data output means transmits the data acquired by the data acquisition means to the information terminal device that has input the data request. The importance level determination means determines the importance level of data acquired in the past with reference to history information and the number of specific keywords included in the data held in the data holding means. The automatic acquisition unit automatically acquires from the server the data determined to have high importance by the importance determination unit, and adds the acquired data to the data holding unit.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
  FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention. In this figure, an information terminal device 1 is connected to a network 3 via a data relay device 2 and acquires desired data from data 4 a stored in a server 4 connected to the network 3.
[0021]
  The data relay device 2 includes a history information holding unit 2a, a data acquisition unit 2b, an automatic acquisition unit 2c, an importance level determination unit 2d, a frequency determination unit 2e, and a data output unit 2f. In response to the request, desired information is acquired from the server 4, and the history information is generated and managed. In addition, referring to the history information, frequently accessed data and its update frequency are detected, and when there is no access from the user, the data is automatically acquired from the server 4 at the detected frequency.
[0022]
  In the data relay device 2, the history information holding means 2 a generates and holds a history of data requested for acquisition from the information terminal device 1. When a data acquisition request is generated from the information terminal device 1, the data acquisition unit 2 b first searches for desired data from the history information, and if it exists, the data acquisition unit 2 b stores the data in the data relay device 2. Read from the storage device and send to the information terminal device 1. If the desired data does not exist, a request is made to the server 4 via the network 3, the desired data is acquired, output to the information terminal device 1, and stored in the storage device described above. Store.
[0023]
  The automatic acquisition unit 2c automatically acquires the data determined to be important by the importance level determination unit 2d from the server 4 at the frequency determined by the frequency determination unit 2e. The importance level determining means 2d refers to the history information stored in the history information holding means 2a, determines the importance level of data accessed in the past, and supplies it to the automatic acquisition means 2c. The frequency determination unit 2e calculates a past update frequency for the data determined to be important by the importance level determination unit 2d, and supplies the obtained frequency to the automatic acquisition unit 2c.
[0024]
  The data output means 2f outputs the data acquired by the data acquisition means 2b or the automatic acquisition means 2c to the information terminal device 1.
  Here, for example, assuming an in-house LAN or the like to which a plurality of information terminal devices 1 are connected, since each user often has a common purpose, the type of server to be accessed is also common. Therefore, in such a group of a plurality of users, there are many cases where someone always accesses a server having a high degree of importance. Under such circumstances, it is expected that history information relating to highly important data is stored in the history information holding means 2a. Here, “high importance” means that the utility value is high not only for a specific user but also for a plurality of users.
[0025]
  The importance level determination means 2d determines the importance level by applying a predetermined condition (for example, a large number of accesses) to the history information held in the history information holding means 2a. Is selected and supplied to the automatic acquisition means 2c. The frequency determining means 2e calculates the optimum access frequency of the data with high importance selected by the importance determining means 2d and supplies it to the automatic acquisition means 2c. When there is no data request from the user for the data determined to be high in importance by the importance level determination unit 2d, the automatic acquisition unit 2c uses the frequency calculated by the frequency determination unit 2e, Obtained automatically from the server 4.
[0026]
  Therefore, according to the embodiment as described above, for example, for data frequently accessed by many users in the LAN, the data relay device 2 automatically starts from the server 4 even when there is no data request. Will get. Since the acquired data is recorded inside the automatic acquisition means 2c, when the user issues an access request for the data thereafter, the recorded data is read and supplied. As a result, the traffic between the data relay device 2 and the server 4 can be prevented from being congested.
[0027]
  Next, a configuration example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the embodiment of the present invention. The correspondence between the principle diagram shown in FIG. 1 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is as follows.
[0028]
  That is, the history information holding unit 21 has the function of the history information holding means 2a. The data acquisition unit 22 has the function of the data acquisition unit 2b. Further, the automatic acquisition unit 23 has the function of the automatic acquisition unit 2c. The importance determining unit 2d has the function of the importance determining unit 24, and the frequency determining unit 2e has the function of the frequency determining unit 25. Further, the data output unit 26 has the function of the data output means 2f.
[0029]
  The history information holding unit 21 receives the data acquisition request input from the clients 11 and 12 via the LAN 10, the date and time when the request was made (hereinafter abbreviated as “request date and time”), and the client identifier (hereinafter “client”). And abbreviated as “identifier”) as history information.
[0030]
  The data acquisition unit 22 analyzes the data acquisition request from the clients 11 and 12, and if the history information of the requested data exists in the history information holding unit 21, the data acquisition unit 22 receives the corresponding data from the data holding unit 27. The data is read and supplied to the data output unit 26. If there is no history information of the requested data, the desired data is acquired from the target server (server 31 or server 32) via the network 30 and stored in the data holding unit 27. The data is supplied to the data output unit 26. The data output unit 26 outputs the data output from the data holding unit 27 to the requesting client via the LAN 10.
[0031]
  The importance level determination unit 24 determines the importance level by applying a predetermined condition to the history information held in the history information holding unit 21, and selects history information of data having a high importance level. It supplies to the automatic acquisition part 23. The frequency determination unit 25 calculates the optimum access frequency of the data with high importance selected by the importance determination unit 24 with reference to the history information, and supplies the calculated access frequency to the automatic acquisition unit 23. If there is no access from the user to the data that is determined to be highly important by the importance determination unit 24, the automatic acquisition unit 23 uses the frequency calculated by the frequency determination unit 25 as the server. Automatically obtained from 4.
[0032]
  The clients 11 and 12 are controlled by the client software 11a and 12a, respectively, and send a data acquisition request to the data relay device 20 in accordance with information input from an input device (keyboard, mouse, etc.) (not shown). In addition to outputting, the data transmitted from the data relay device 20 is displayed on a display device (not shown) (CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc.).
[0033]
  The servers 31 and 32 are configured to provide various services in response to requests from clients. For example, the servers 31 and 32 transmit information desired by the user (such as a multimedia screen) via the network 30.
[0034]
  In the above embodiment, two clients and two servers are provided for convenience, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to more cases. The clients 11 and 12, the data relay device 20, and the servers 31 and 32 can be configured by so-called computers such as personal computers and workstations.
[0035]
  Next, the operation of the data relay device 20 shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed in a predetermined cycle by the software interrupt or the like in the data relay device 20 shown in FIG. When this flowchart is started, the following processing is performed.
[S1] The data acquisition unit 22 of the data relay apparatus 20 determines whether a data acquisition request has been issued from the client 11 or the client 12. As a result, if it is determined that an acquisition request has occurred (YES), the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is determined that an acquisition request has not occurred (NO), the process ends (end).
[S2] The data acquisition unit 22 supplies the data request received from the client, the request date and time, and the client identifier to the history information holding unit 21, and stores them as history information.
[S3] The data acquisition unit 22 determines whether or not the same data request transmitted from the client is already held in the history information holding unit 21. As a result, if it is determined that the same data request already exists as history information (YES), the process proceeds to step S4, and if it is determined that it does not exist (NO), the process proceeds to step S7. .
[S4] The data acquisition unit 22 acquires the update date and time of the requested data from the corresponding server.
[S5] The data acquisition unit 22 compares the data update date / time of the server with the date / time (request date / time) of the history held in the history information holding unit 21, and determines whether the data update date / time of the server is newer. Determine whether. As a result, if it is determined that the update date / time of the server data is newer (YES), the process proceeds to step S7. If the request date / time is determined to be newer (NO), the process proceeds to step S6.
[S6] The data acquisition unit 22 acquires data corresponding to the request from the data holding unit 27.
[S7] The data acquisition unit 22 acquires the requested data from the server.
[S8] The data acquisition unit 22 outputs an acquisition result (success / failure) and a data identifier (hereinafter abbreviated as “data identifier”) to the history information holding unit 21 when acquisition is successful, It is added to the history information.
[S9] The data output unit 26 outputs the acquisition result and data to the client when acquisition is successful. Then, the process ends (END).
[0036]
  According to the above processing, when there is a data request from the clients 11 and 12, the data relay device 20 uses the data request, the request date and time, and the client identifier as history information, as a history information holding unit 21. And the history information holding unit 21 is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the requested data has been previously acquired and stored in the data holding unit 27. As a result, if the data has not been acquired before, the data relay device 20 reads the desired data from the corresponding server, stores it in the data holding unit 27, and outputs it to the requesting client.
[0037]
  When the requested data is stored in the data holding unit 27, the data relay device 20 inquires the corresponding server about the update date and time of the requested data, and stores it in the data holding unit 27. Compare with the requested date and time of stored data.
[0038]
  If the server update date is newer, data is acquired from the server and supplied to the client and the data holding unit 27. If the request date and time from the client is newer, the data is read from the data holding unit 27 and supplied to the requested client.
[0039]
  FIG. 4 shows an example of history information obtained as a result of the processing of FIG. As shown in this figure, the history information includes a data request, a request date and time, a client identifier, a data acquisition result, and a data identifier. Note that a blank indicates a delimiter.
[0040]
  For example, in the history information shown in the first line, the data request is “http://www.preppy.co.jp/”, and the request date and time is “1990705070030” (May 9, 1997, 7 o'clock). 0 minute 30 seconds), the client identifier is “terminal 1”, the data acquisition result is “success”, and the data identifier is “data 1”. In the history information on the third line, a data request “http://www.harry.co.jp/” is made from “terminal 1” at “12: 8: 20 on August 26, 1997”. The obtained result is “failure”.
[0041]
  Next, an example of processing in the case where the automatic acquisition unit 23 of the data relay device 20 automatically acquires data will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example of processing executed by the automatic acquisition unit 23 of the data relay apparatus 20 shown in FIG. This process is executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, a cycle of 5 minutes) by, for example, software interruption. When this flowchart is executed, the following processing is performed.
[S11] The automatic acquisition unit 23 acquires the current time by referring to, for example, a built-in timer.
[S12] The automatic acquisition unit 23 reads an access schedule (a list of automatically acquired data types and their frequencies: details will be described later) stored in a memory such as a built-in RAM (Random Access Memory). .
[S13] The automatic acquisition unit 23 compares the current time with the access frequency described in the access schedule, and determines whether there is data to be automatically acquired. As a result, if it is determined that there is data to be automatically acquired (YES), the process proceeds to step S14. If it is determined that there is no data (NO), the process ends (END).
[S14] The automatic acquisition unit 23 refers to the history information holding unit 21 and determines whether or not a data request to be automatically acquired already exists in the history. As a result, when it is determined that the target data request already exists in the history (YES), the process proceeds to step S15, and when it is determined that the data request does not exist (NO), step S17. Proceed to
[S15] The automatic acquisition unit 23 acquires the update date and time of the requested data from the corresponding server.
[S16] The automatic acquisition unit 23 compares the acquired update date and time with the request date and time of data stored in the history, and determines whether or not the update date and time is newer than the request date and time. As a result, if it is determined that the update date / time is newer (YES) than the request date / time, the process proceeds to step S17, and if it is determined that the update date / time is other than that (update date / time is equal to the request date / time) (NO). Ends processing (end).
[S17] The automatic acquisition unit 23 accesses the corresponding server 31 via the network 30 and acquires desired data. Then, the acquired data is stored in the data holding unit 27.
[S18] The automatic acquisition unit 23 supplies the data request, the request date and time, the acquisition result, and the data identifier to the history information holding unit 21, and holds them as history information. Then, the process ends (END).
[0042]
  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of history information generated as a result of the above processing. In the example of this figure, the history information of the second row and the third row is generated by the automatic acquisition unit 23. In the history information on the second line, data “terminal 999” exists in the portion where the client identifier is stored. The identifier “terminal 999” is not a specific client, but an identifier indicating that this data has been automatically acquired by the data relay device 20 (hereinafter referred to as “data relay device identifier”).
[0043]
  In the example of the second line, the data “http://www.preppy.co.jp/” is requested to the server at “8:30:10 on May 10, 1997”, and as a result, the data It is indicated that the acquisition is “successful” and the data identifier of the acquired data is “data 5”. In the example of the third line, the data “http://www.preppy.co.jp/” is requested to the server by the automatic acquisition unit 23 at “8:30:20 on May 11, 1997” The result is shown to be “failure”.
[0044]
  The data relay device identifier is given, for example, when the data relay device 20 is manufactured. This data relay device identifier may be unchangeable to prevent inadvertent rewriting by the administrator of the data relay device 20.
[0045]
  FIG. 7 shows an example of processing executed in the importance level determination unit 24 shown in FIG. This flowchart is executed, for example, when the administrator of the data relay device 20 performs a predetermined input from an input device (not shown). When this flowchart is executed, the following processing is performed.
[S31] The importance level determination unit 24 displays a search condition input screen as shown in FIG. 8 on a display device (not shown) of the data relay device 20, and waits until the administrator inputs predetermined information.
[S32] The importance determining unit 24 refers to the information input in step S31 (information input in the window on the second row in FIG. 8), and stores history information for the past Y days as a history information holding unit. 21.
[S33] The importance level determination unit 24 determines whether or not a search keyword (information input in the window on the seventh line in FIG. 8) has been input on the input screen illustrated in FIG. As a result, if it is determined that a keyword has been input (YES), the process proceeds to step S34, and if it is determined that a keyword has not been input (NO), the process proceeds to step S35.
[S34] The importance level determination unit 24 detects data corresponding to the history information for the past Y days selected in step S32 from the data holding unit 27, and how many times the above keyword is included in each data. Count whether or not Then, the data is rearranged in descending order of the number of times the keyword is included.
[S35] The importance level determination unit 24 acquires data according to other search conditions (data input in the third to sixth lines in FIG. 8) input on the input screen in FIG. Select.
[S36] The importance determining unit 24 refers to the data input in the first row of FIG. 8 and acquires the data of the upper X% of the data selected in step S35.
[S37] The importance level determination unit 24 supplies the acquired upper X% data to the automatic acquisition unit 23 as data that is the basis of the access schedule. Then, the process ends (END).
[0046]
  According to the above processing, history information retentionPartAmong the history information held in the table 21, the top X% of data satisfying the search condition shown in FIG. 8 is extracted. Since these data are frequently accessed by the user, they can be considered as important data having high utility value. Details of the search conditions in FIG. 8 will be described in detail below.
[0047]
  In other words, the data displayed in the first row in FIG. 8 is data that determines what percentage of the top of the data that satisfies the following conditions is to be extracted. In this example, since the value “10” is input, the top 10% of the data satisfying the following condition is extracted in step S36.
[0048]
  Also, “Past Y Day” in the second row is a condition for selecting data requested for data in the past Y days. In this example, it is set to select data for the past 30 days. Yes. Note that by appropriately changing this setting item, it is possible to perform a search that reflects a change in tendency due to a change in time.
[0049]
  In the third row “less than the data amount Z kbyte”, data having a data amount equal to or greater than the input value Z is selected. In this example, since the value “100” is input, data of 100 Kbytes or more is selected. In this way, by applying the condition based on the capacity of data, for example, data including images and sounds can be excluded. That is, since data including information such as images and sounds generally has a large data capacity as compared with data of only a document (text), these data are selected by using the data amount as a condition. It becomes possible. Contrary to the above case, data having a predetermined data amount or more may be selected.
[0050]
  Next, the “data acquisition result” on the fourth line is a condition for selecting data according to the data acquisition result (success / failure). In this example, “successful only” is Since the data has been input, only the data that has been successfully acquired from the data requested is selected. By applying such a condition, it is possible to perform a search focused on data that is easily acquired.
[0051]
  Subsequently, in the “terminal” on the fifth line, data is selected on the condition of the client that has requested the data. For example, in this example, since “terminal 1 and terminal 2” are input, only the data requested for data from the terminal 1 (client 11) and the terminal 2 (client 12) is selected. By applying such conditions, it is possible to select data frequently requested by a specific user, group, or organization. In contrast to the above example, data requested by a predetermined client may be excluded. In this case, for example, a symbol “!” May be placed in front of the client identifier to be excluded so as to be distinguished from other client identifiers. For example, if “! Terminal 1” is selected, all clients other than the client having the terminal 1 as an identifier are selected as targets.
[0052]
  Subsequently, in the “URL” on the sixth line, data is selected according to resources on the network 30. In this example, since “http://www.preppy.co.jp/, http://www.harry.co.jp/” is input, among the requested data, “WWW server” Only data acquired from “www.preppy.co.jp” and “www.harry.co.jp” will be selected. Thus, by specifying resources, for example, it is possible to perform a search focused on specific information (news). In the above example, only predetermined resources are selected, but conversely, predetermined resources may be excluded. Further, instead of inputting all the URLs, a part of the URLs may be input and a URL including the input part may be selected.
[0053]
  Finally, the keyword on the seventh line is used to determine the importance of the data depending on how many times the predetermined keyword is included in each data stored in the data holding unit 27. In this example, since “movie, new work” is input, it is counted how many times the phrase “movie” or “new work” is included in each data held in the data holding unit 27, Data is sorted in descending order of the number of times it is included. In this way, by performing a search using a keyword, it is possible to perform selection that closely adheres to the contents of data.
[0054]
  In the input screen of FIG. 8, the square box displayed at the left end is selected as a condition by checking “X” inside the box. In this example, all items other than “less than data amount ZKbyte” are selected.
[0055]
  In the above embodiment, the top X% of the data selected according to the predetermined condition is selected. However, after selecting the top X% data, other conditions are applied. Also good.
[0056]
  Next, the operation of the frequency determination unit 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing for inputting an initial value to the frequency determination unit 25. This process is executed after the process shown in FIG. 7 is executed and the data that is the basis of the access schedule is generated. When this flowchart is started, the following processing is executed.
[S41] The frequency determination unit 25 reads the data that is the basis of the access schedule (the list of data requests with high importance extracted by the process shown in FIG. 7) from the automatic acquisition unit 23. Then, an input screen as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on a display device (not shown) of the data relay device 20, and the administrator inputs the date and time for accessing each data request. In this display example, data requests with high importance acquired by the processing shown in FIG. 7 are displayed in order from the top according to the importance. The administrator makes a setting by inputting a desired date and time in a window displayed on the right side of each data request. Further, “OTHERS” displayed on the bottom line indicates data other than the data request displayed on the top row, and is a notation used when the date and time are collectively specified.
[S42] The frequency determination unit 25 determines whether or not the input is completed on the input screen illustrated in FIG. As a result, if it is determined that the input has been completed (YES), the process proceeds to step S43. If it is determined that the input has not been completed (NO), the process returns to step S42 and waits until the input is completed.
[S43] The frequency determination unit 25 supplies the input data to the automatic acquisition unit 23 as an access schedule.
[0057]
  Next, details of the above processing will be described below.
  In step S41, the frequency determination unit 25 generates the data that is the source of the access schedule generated by the process shown in FIG. 7 and stored in the automatic acquisition unit 23 (more precisely, a list of data requests with high importance). Reading is performed, and an input screen as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on a display device (not shown).
[0058]
  In the display example of FIG. 10, an example after the input is completed is shown, but in the display before the input, the window on the right side of the screen (the window in which the date and time is input) is blank. Also, “OTHERS” on the last line is not displayed, and a plurality of data requests are displayed instead.
[0059]
  On such a display screen, when an input such as “Monday at 5:00 am”, “Everyday at noon”, or “Everyday at 5:00 pm” is made, the date and time when each data is accessed is set. .
[0060]
  In this display example, data requests are arranged in descending order of importance, and before “OTHERS” is input, a plurality of data requests are arranged in accordance with the importance. In such a screen, for example, if “OTHERS” is entered in the fourth row, the display of the data request below it is erased, and a display screen as shown in FIG. 10 is obtained. These deleted data requests are set to the access date and time at “6 pm on the first day of every month”.
[0061]
  According to the processing shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 described above, when the automatic acquisition unit 23 automatically accesses the server, the access schedule including the data request to be acquired and the access date / time (frequency) is set. It can be generated and supplied to the automatic acquisition unit 23.
[0062]
  By the way, the access frequency of the access schedule set as described above is appropriately set by the administrator, and is not optimal. Therefore, by executing the processing shown below, it is possible to make a data request with a frequency closer to the optimum.
[0063]
  FIG. 11 is a process for optimizing the access frequency of the access schedule. This process is executed when the administrator inputs a predetermined input from an input device (not shown) or at a predetermined cycle (for example, every month). When this flowchart is started, the following processing is executed.
[S61] The frequency determination unit 25 reads the access schedule (see FIG. 10) held in the automatic acquisition unit 23.
[S62] The frequency determination unit 25 determines whether data other than “OTHERS” exists in the access schedule. As a result, when it is determined that there is data other than “OTHERS” (YES), the process proceeds to step S63, and when it is determined that there is no data (NO), the process ends (END).
[S63] The frequency determining unit 25 acquires history information corresponding to a data request other than “OTHERS” included in the access schedule from the history information holding unit 21 for the past one month.
[S64] The frequency determination unit 25 rearranges the history information corresponding to each acquired data request in time series.
[S65] The frequency determination unit 25 refers to the data identifier of each sorted history information to check whether data has been updated.
[S66] The frequency determination unit 25 obtains the minimum value of the non-updated period (hereinafter referred to as “minimum update period”) for each data.
[S67] The frequency determining unit 25 acquires the minimum data update period (the value obtained in step S66) corresponding to the first data request, that is, the data request described at the beginning of the access schedule.
[S68] The frequency determination unit 25 compares the frequency described in the access schedule (cycle in which data is requested) with the minimum update period acquired in step S67, and determines whether these are equal. . As a result, if it is determined that these values are equal (YES), the process proceeds to step S70. If it is determined that these values are not equal (NO), the process proceeds to step S69.
[S69] The frequency determination unit 25 updates the frequency of the access schedule with the minimum update period obtained in step S66.
[S70] The frequency determining unit 25 determines whether the target data request exists in the access schedule. As a result, if it is determined that the target data exists (YES), the process proceeds to step S71. If it is determined that there is no data (NO), the process ends (END).
[S71] The frequency determination unit 25 reads the next data request from the access schedule, and proceeds to step S68.
[0064]
  Next, the details of the above processing will be described using a specific example.
  In step S <b> 61, the frequency determination unit 25 acquires an access schedule (see FIG. 10) from the automatic acquisition unit 23. In step S62, it is determined whether data other than “OTHERS” exists. In the example shown in FIG. 10, since it exists, it determines with YES and progresses to step S63.
[0065]
  Note that “OTHERS” is omitted because there is little merit of optimizing the access frequency because the importance of the data contained therein is low.
  Subsequently, in step S63, history information corresponding to data requests described in the access schedule excluding “OTHERS” is acquired from the history information holding unit 21 for the past one month. In the example of FIG. 10, “http://www.preppy.co.jp/”, “http://www.nard.co.jp/”, “http://www.harry.co.jp/” The history information corresponding to is read from the history information holding unit 21 for the past one month.
[0066]
  In step S64, the read history information is rearranged in chronological order for each data acquisition request. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, “http://www.preppy.co.jp/”, “http://www.nard.co.jp/”, “http://www.harry.co.jp/ The historical information for one month corresponding to “/” is sorted in order of request date and time.
[0067]
  In step S65, the data identifier of the rearranged history information is referred to and it is checked whether or not there is an update. That is, when the data identifier changes from the previous value, it is determined that the data has been updated.
[0068]
  In step S66, the minimum update period is obtained by obtaining the difference between the request dates and times of the updated data requests. The “minimum update period” is expected to be a value close to the frequency at which data is updated in the corresponding server.
[0069]
  In step S67, the first data request of the access schedule is acquired. In the example of FIG. 10, the data request “http://www.preppy.co.jp/” is acquired. In step S68, it is determined whether the frequency of the access schedule is equal to the minimum update period. In the example of FIG. 10, since the frequency of update is one week, if the minimum update period is one week, it is determined as YES and the process proceeds to step S70. Proceed to S69.
[0070]
  In step S69, the frequency of the access schedule is replaced by the minimum update period. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, when the minimum update period is two weeks, “Monday 5 am” is updated to “Every other Monday 5 am”. When the minimum update period is one day, the update is performed at “5 am every day”.
[0071]
  Even when the data update period of the server is shorter than the access period of the automatic acquisition unit 23, it is assumed that any client in the LAN accesses, so even in such a case, the minimum update The period is considered to have a value close to the server update period.
[0072]
  In step S70, it is determined whether or not target data exists. Now, since the process for the data request “http://www.preppy.co.jp/” on the first line has been completed, it is determined as YES and the process proceeds to step S71.
[0073]
  In step S71, the next data is acquired. Now that the processing for the data request “http://www.preppy.co.jp/” on the first line shown in FIG. 10 has been completed, the data request “http: // www. nard.co.jp/ "will be acquired. Then, the process returns to step S68, and the same process as described above is repeated.
[0074]
  According to the above processing, the frequency of access to the server when data is automatically acquired by the automatic acquisition unit 23 is optimized.
  In the above embodiment, the access frequency is directly rewritten according to the minimum update period calculated by the frequency determination unit 25. For example, the access frequency that seems to be optimal is displayed on the screen, and the administrator is made to display the access frequency. On the other hand, a change in the access schedule may be requested.
[0075]
  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In this case, the processing contents of the functions that the data relay device should have are described in a program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the above processing is realized by the computer by executing this program on the computer. Is done. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device and a semiconductor memory. When distributing the market, store the program in a portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) or floppy disk, or store it in a storage device of a computer connected via a network. In addition, it can be transferred to another computer through the network. When executed by a computer, the program is stored in a hard disk device or the like in the computer, loaded into the main memory and executed.
[0076]
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the present invention, the importance of the data accessed in the past is determined by referring to the history information, and the data with high importance is automatically acquired from the server at a predetermined frequency. Since it did in this way, it becomes possible to acquire the information presumed to have high utility value for the user without omission. In addition, since the acquired data is stored in the data relay device, it is possible to view desired information from an arbitrary terminal at a timing desired by the user.
[0077]
  In particular, it is possible to select data frequently requested by a specific user / group / organization by determining the importance of the data using the information terminal device identifier included in the history information. Further, by determining the importance of data using the resource identifier included in the history information, it becomes possible to perform a search focused on specific information such as news. Further, by determining the importance level of data using the number of specific keywords included in the data acquired in the past, it is possible to perform selection in close contact with the contents of the data.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed when history information is generated in the data relay device shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an example of history information generated by the flowchart shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed in the automatic acquisition unit shown in FIG.
6 is a diagram showing an example of history information generated when the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is executed. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed in an importance level determination unit shown in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a display example of an input screen displayed when the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is executed.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed in a frequency determination unit shown in FIG.
10 is a display example of an input screen displayed when the process shown in FIG. 9 is executed.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of another process executed in the frequency determination unit shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
  2a History information holding means
  2b Data acquisition means
  2c Automatic acquisition means
  2d Importance determining means
  2e Frequency determination means
  2f Data output means

Claims (9)

In a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
And about the past data request from the information terminal apparatus holds the history information including the information terminal apparatus identifier for identifying the information terminal apparatus that has performed a data request, the new from the information terminal device When the data request is inputted, the history information holding means for adding information relating to the data request as the history information,
Data acquisition means for accessing a server on the network in response to the data request and acquiring the requested data;
And data output means for outputting the data acquired by said data acquisition means to the information terminal device inputs the data request,
Referring to the history information, using the information terminal device identifier and the number of data accesses, importance determining means for determining the importance of data acquired in the past;
Automatic acquisition means for automatically acquiring, from the server, data determined to have high importance by the importance determination means;
A data relay device comprising: In a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
With respect to past data requests from the information terminal device, holding history information including a resource identifier for specifying a resource in which data is stored, and when a new data request is input from the information terminal device , History information holding means for adding information relating to the data request as the history information;
Data acquisition means for accessing a server on the network in response to the data request and acquiring the requested data;
Data output means for outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition means to the information terminal device that has input the data request;
Referring to the history information, using the resource identifier and the number of data accesses, importance determining means for determining the importance of data acquired in the past;
Automatic acquisition means for automatically acquiring, from the server, data determined to have high importance by the importance determination means;
A data relay device comprising: In a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
History information holding means for holding history information relating to past data requests from the information terminal device, and adding information relating to the data request as the history information when a new data request is input from the information terminal device When,
Data holding means for holding data acquired in the past from a server on the network;
A data acquisition unit that accesses a server on the network in response to the data request, acquires the requested data, and adds the acquired data to the data holding unit;
Data output means for outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition means to the information terminal device that has input the data request;
An importance level determination unit that determines the importance level of data acquired in the past with reference to the history information and the number of specific keywords included in the data held in the data holding unit;
Automatic acquisition means for automatically acquiring data determined to be high by the importance determination means from the server and adding the acquired data to the data holding means;
A data relay device comprising: In a data relay method for relaying data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
With respect to past data requests from the information terminal device, it holds history information including an information terminal device identifier for identifying the information terminal device that made the data request, and a new data request is received from the information terminal device. When input, a history information holding step of adding information related to the data request as the history information;
A data acquisition step of accessing a server on the network in response to the data request and acquiring the requested data;
A data output step of outputting the data acquired in the data acquisition step to the information terminal device that has input the data request;
Referring to the history information, using the information terminal device identifier and the number of data accesses, an importance determining step for determining the importance of data acquired in the past;
An automatic acquisition step of automatically acquiring from the server data determined to be high in importance by the importance determination step;
A data relay method comprising: In a data relay method for relaying data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
With respect to past data requests from the information terminal device, holding history information including a resource identifier for specifying a resource in which data is stored, and when a new data request is input from the information terminal device A history information holding step of adding information related to the data request as the history information;
A data acquisition step of accessing a server on the network in response to the data request and acquiring the requested data;
A data output step of outputting the data acquired in the data acquisition step to the information terminal device that has input the data request;
An importance level determining step of determining the importance level of data acquired in the past using the resource identifier and the number of times of data access with reference to the history information;
An automatic acquisition step of automatically acquiring from the server data determined to be high in importance by the importance determination step;
A data relay method comprising: In a data relay method for relaying data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
A history information holding step of holding history information related to past data requests from the information terminal device, and adding information related to the data request as the history information when a new data request is input from the information terminal device. When,
In response to the data request, the server on the network is accessed to acquire the requested data, and the acquired data is added to a data holding unit that holds data acquired in the past from the server on the network. A data acquisition step;
A data output step of outputting the data acquired in the data acquisition step to the information terminal device that has input the data request;
An importance level determining step for determining the importance level of data acquired in the past with reference to the history information and the number of specific keywords included in the data held in the data holding unit;
An automatic acquisition step of automatically acquiring data determined to be high in the importance determination step from the server and adding the acquired data to the data holding unit;
A data relay method comprising: In a computer-readable recording medium recording a program used in a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices ,
And about the past data request from the information terminal apparatus holds the history information including the information terminal apparatus identifier for identifying the information terminal apparatus that has performed a data request, the new from the information terminal device When the data request is inputted, the history information holding step of adding information about the data request as the history information,
A data acquisition step of accessing a server on the network in response to the data request and acquiring the requested data;
A data output step of outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition step to the information terminal device inputs the data request,
Referring to the history information, using the information terminal device identifier and the number of data accesses, an importance determining step for determining the importance of data acquired in the past;
An automatic acquisition step of automatically acquiring from the server data determined to be high in importance by the importance determination step;
A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon. In a computer-readable recording medium recording a program used in a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
And about the past data request from the information terminal device, data holds history information including a resource identifier for identifying a resource that has been stored, the new data request from said information terminal device is input Once, a history information holding step of adding information about the data request as the history information,
A data acquisition step of accessing a server on the network in response to the data request and acquiring the requested data;
A data output step of outputting the data acquired by the data acquisition step to the information terminal device inputs the data request,
An importance level determining step for determining the importance level of data acquired in the past using the resource identifier and the number of access times of data with reference to the history information
An automatic acquisition step of automatically acquiring from the server data determined to be high in importance by the importance determination step;
A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon. In a computer-readable recording medium recording a program used in a data relay device that relays data between a server on a network and a plurality of information terminal devices,
A history information holding step of holding history information related to past data requests from the information terminal device, and adding information related to the data request as the history information when a new data request is input from the information terminal device. When,
In response to the data request, the server on the network is accessed to acquire the requested data, and the acquired data is added to a data holding unit that holds data acquired in the past from the server on the network. A data acquisition step;
A data output step of outputting the data acquired in the data acquisition step to the information terminal device that has input the data request;
An importance level determining step for determining the importance level of data acquired in the past with reference to the history information and the number of specific keywords included in the data held in the data holding unit;
An automatic acquisition step of automatically acquiring data determined to be high in the importance determination step from the server and adding the acquired data to the data holding unit;
A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon.

Images