JP4569253B2 - Network communication system, storage device, and network communication method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a network communication system including devices that perform communication via a network, a storage device that forms the network communication system, and a network communication method corresponding to the storage device.

  In recent years, a small-sized storage device (semiconductor storage device) including a nonvolatile semiconductor storage element such as a flash memory and capable of writing / reading various data is known as a removable medium.

  For example, such a semiconductor memory device does not perform operations related to processing of stored data alone, and essentially takes the form of a removable medium, for example, like a disk-shaped recording medium. . For this purpose, it is connected to a host via a data line by being loaded into a host computer such as a personal computer or a digital camera, and application data is written / read by controlling the application from the host side. Is usually done.

In recent years, the use of networks such as the Internet and LAN (Local Area Network) has become widespread. Against this background, data to be written / read to / from a semiconductor memory device has been transmitted / received via a network.
For this purpose, for example, a semiconductor memory device is connected (loaded) to a host device having a communication function with a network. Then, for example, an operation on the host is performed to establish a communication connection between the host and a predetermined external network device, and for example, the host reads out necessary data stored in the semiconductor memory device, and reads this data. Data is transmitted to an external network device via a network. Alternatively, the host receives data transmitted from the external network device and writes the received data to the semiconductor device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-178453

By the way, it is preferable that the data stored in the semiconductor memory device is protected with the highest possible security performance from the viewpoint of, for example, the possibility of privacy protection and confidentiality.
However, in the situation where data is transferred to and from the semiconductor memory device through the host as described above, all data written / read to / from the semiconductor memory device is temporarily held by the host for transmission / reception. Will be processed. For this reason, for example, by incorporating a mechanism such as an illegal program in the host device, data written / read to / from the semiconductor storage device is illegally copied or altered. There is a possibility of fraud such as.

As one measure for solving such security vulnerability due to the host device intervening in the exchange of data between the semiconductor storage device and the external network device, for example, the semiconductor storage device alone or the external network It is conceivable that the communication with the device via the network is possible, thereby eliminating the intervention of the host device.
However, adding a component or device that can physically communicate with a network to a semiconductor storage device has a corresponding cost increase factor as a removable medium other than, for example, a semiconductor element. Further, by adding a device for the network communication function, a reduction in size and weight as a removable medium and a restriction on design freedom are given.
In this way, providing a complete network communication function to a single semiconductor storage device is not preferable in that the disadvantages of the original removable media are significant.

In view of the above-described problems, the present invention is configured as follows as a network communication system.
The network communication system of the present invention comprises a storage device and a communication terminal device.
In addition, the storage means for storing data in the storage device, the inter-device communication means for performing communication between the communication terminal device and the storage device by a predetermined communication method other than via the network, and the communication terminal device are predetermined. Network communication having a function corresponding to a predetermined protocol layer including a protocol layer corresponding to a physical connection function, which is necessary for communication via the predetermined network. network comprising: means, provided in the storage device, among all required for communication by way of a predetermined network protocol layer, a function corresponding to the protocol layer by remote upper layer corresponding to the physical connectivity Response processing means.
Then, the function corresponding to the protocol layer possessed by the network correspondence processing means and the function corresponding to the protocol layer corresponding to the physical connection function possessed by the network communication means of the communication terminal device are transmitted via the inter-device communication means. by be connected by the communication, for the purpose of transmission and reception of data to write and / or read with respect to the upper Symbol storage means is performed, is the network corresponding processing means having the above-described storage device, the physical in said network communication means By using a protocol layer corresponding to a typical connection function, the storage device is configured to directly communicate with an external information processing apparatus via the predetermined network.

The storage device is configured as follows.
That is, between a storage means for storing data and a communication terminal device having a function corresponding to a predetermined protocol layer including a protocol layer corresponding to a physical connection function required for communication via a predetermined network. Supports the physical connection function among the communication means between devices for performing communication by a predetermined communication method other than via the network and all the protocol layers required for the predetermined communication via the predetermined network. and a network-enabled processor having a function corresponding to the protocol layer by remote upper layer, the function corresponding to the protocol layer included in the network-enabled processor, included in the communication terminal apparatus, corresponding to the physical connection functions and a function corresponding to the protocol layer that, by connecting the communication via the communication means between the apparatus, to the storage means For the purpose of transmission and reception of data to write and / or read operation is performed, utilizing a protocol layer corresponding to said physical connection functions in the network corresponding processing means ,, said network communication means included in the above storage device, The storage device is configured to directly communicate with the external information processing apparatus via the predetermined network.

Further, as the network communication method for a storage apparatus including a storage means for storing data, a predetermined protocol layers including a protocol layer corresponding to The required physical connectivity to communication by way of a predetermined network All protocol layers required for inter-device communication processing for communicating with a communication terminal device having a corresponding function by a predetermined communication method other than via a network, and for predetermined communication via a predetermined network of, in terms of the shall perform a network-enabled process for realizing the function corresponding to the protocol layer by remote upper layer corresponding to the physical connection functions, write and / or read with respect to the storage means For the purpose of data transmission / reception to be performed, the storage device communicates with the external information processing device via the predetermined network. Communication when performing signal has a function corresponding to the protocol layer of the network handling process, it included in the communication terminal device, and a function corresponding to the protocol corresponding to the physical connectivity, through the inter-device communication process by be connected by, the network-enabled process having the above-described storage device, by using a protocol layer corresponding to said physical connection functions in the network communication means, so as to perform direct communication with an external information processing apparatus It was decided to compose.

According to each of the above configurations, the storage device has a protocol higher than this except for at least the protocol layer corresponding to the physical connection function with the network as a function for performing communication with the outside via a predetermined network. The function corresponding to the layer is provided. Further, the storage device is configured to be communicably connected to a communication terminal device by a communication method other than via a network.
The communication terminal device has at least a function corresponding to a protocol layer for physically connecting to a network as a protocol layer required for a predetermined communication function to be executed by itself via the network.
In addition, when the storage device communicates with the outside via the network, the storage device is connected to be able to communicate with the communication terminal device. As a result, the storage device is linked to the protocol layer function that the communication device itself has as a network compatible process, and the function of the lower protocol layer that the communication terminal device has. Communication with is possible. In this case, the storage device uses a function on the side of the communication terminal device corresponding to a lower layer than the protocol layer that it has as a network compatible process.
This means that on the communication terminal device side, the function corresponding to the protocol layer higher than the protocol layer linked to the storage device side does not execute any processing on the data transmitted and received by the storage device via the network. It means that.

In this way, according to the present invention, the data transmitted / received by the storage device to / from the outside via the network corresponds to a protocol layer of a predetermined level or higher in the communication terminal device, regardless of the presence of the communication terminal device. The function is prevented from performing processing.
As a result, the processing range on the communication terminal device side for the data transmitted and received by the storage device via the network is limited, and the security related to the data is improved and strengthened accordingly.
In addition, in order to enhance security as described above, a physical connection function can be omitted as a function corresponding to the network communication given to the storage device. This eliminates the need to add physical components such as hardware devices and connectors for enabling general connection. For this reason, the storage device of the present invention can avoid an increase in cost due to the addition of components, and can maintain a reduction in size and weight and a high degree of freedom in design.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the entire network communication system to which the embodiment of the present invention is applicable.
This network communication system includes a portable communication terminal device 1, a removable media device 2, and a server 3. Among these, the portable communication terminal device 1 and the server 3 are connected to the network 4 with a physical connection function.
The removable media device 2 includes, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor storage element such as a flash memory as a storage area, and the outer shape is, for example, a small card shape. The removable media device 2 can be loaded into a device as a host including, for example, a corresponding slot, and data is written and read by an application on the loaded host device side.

  The portable communication device 1 is one of devices as a host capable of writing / reading data corresponding to the removable media device 2 as described above. For this purpose, for example, the portable communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a media slot in which the removable media device 2 can be loaded, as described above, though not shown here. . By loading the removable media device 2 into this media slot, the removable media device 2 and the portable communication terminal device 2 are connected by connectors. Thereby, first, power is supplied from the portable communication device 1 to the removable media device 2, and the removable media device 2 is activated. In addition, since the data line is also connected, data communication can be performed according to a predetermined communication method, and the portable communication terminal device 1 can write / read data to / from the removable media device 2. Become.

  The portable communication device 1 has a function of connecting to the network 4. The network communication hardware included in the portable communication device 1 may be a cable based on a predetermined standard, or may be a wireless (radio wave, infrared, etc., carrier is not limited) communication. However, since the portable communication device 1 is assumed to be used by being carried by a user, the portable communication device 1 includes at least a hardware configuration corresponding to wireless communication, for example, a so-called hot spot. It is preferable to make it possible to use a wireless LAN service or the like from the viewpoint of convenience.

The server 3 is configured to have a server function for storing and managing data stored in the removable media device 2. Also, it has a connection function with the network 4.
Although omitted in this figure, the portable communication terminal device 1 that communicates with the server 3 via the network 4 is not a specific one, but becomes a plurality registered in the server 3 by an appropriate procedure.

The usage form of the network communication system constructed in this way is as follows.
First, the user can load the removable media device 2 into the portable communication terminal device 1 owned by the user and carry it, for example. Then, the user can newly store application data (user data) in the removable media device 2 loaded by operating the portable communication terminal device 1. In addition, application data stored in the removable media device 2 can be read out, subjected to a reproduction process according to the data format, and reproduced and output in a predetermined reproduction output mode. For example, image data is displayed and output as video, and audio data is output as sound.

Here, since the storage capacity of the removable media device 2 is finite, for example, when application data (user data) is newly stored in the removable media device 2 as described above, it will eventually become free space. It becomes impossible to write and store data any more.
In the present embodiment, the server 3 is used as a storage area for saving and storing data once stored in the removable media device 2 on the assumption of such a situation.

  For example, in response to a user operation on the portable communication terminal device 1 or when a predetermined application data transmission condition is satisfied, the portable communication terminal device 1 stores it in the removable media device 2 loaded therein. Necessary data is transmitted from the stored data (or data to be stored) to the server 3 via the network 4.

  In the server 3, when the transmitted data is received and acquired, for example, the received and acquired data is stored in a database so as to correspond to the transmission source removable media device 2. . For example, the application data stored and held in the server 3 in this way is deleted from the removable media device 2 or is not stored. Although detailed explanation is omitted here, the data stored in the server 3 can be downloaded and acquired by an authorized user via a network and used.

By using the system in this way, the substantial storage capacity of the removable media device 2 itself can be kept in a state where there is regularly a free space with a certain margin or more. Data can be stored.
Further, in such a system, the storage area of the server 3 is virtually handled as the storage area of the removable media device 2, so that the storage capacity of the removable media device 2 can be apparently provided by the server 3. It also means that the storage capacity is increased. In addition, for this reason, the system according to the present embodiment may be configured to provide a user interface that can seamlessly handle, for example, the actual storage area of the removable media device 2 and the virtual storage area of the server 3. Is possible.

The block diagram of FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration example of the portable communication terminal device 1 and the removable media device 2.
First, the portable communication terminal device 1 will be described.
The portable communication terminal device 1 includes, for example, a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a data processing unit 14, a network communication processing unit 15, a media communication processing unit 16, a display unit 17, and an operation unit 18 as shown in the figure. The power supply unit 19 and the connector unit 20 are provided.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 executes various processes according to, for example, an OS (Operating System) installed in the ROM 12 and various application programs. The RAM 13 is a work area for the CPU 11 and appropriately stores data, programs, and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

The data processing unit 14 collectively indicates parts for executing data processing and signal processing as necessary for user data (application data) read from the removable media device 2.
For example, when the user data is video data or audio data that has been compression-encoded, the data processing unit 14 has a function of executing a decoding process for data compression-encoding corresponding thereto. become.
The data processing unit 14 may be configured such that all of its functions are executed by hardware. However, the data processing unit 14 is configured as software processing that the CPU 11 executes according to a program for some or all of the functions. May be.

  The network communication processing unit 15 is a part having a software configuration and a hardware configuration for connecting to the network 4 and performing data communication with the outside. Note that the software configuration as the network communication processing unit 15 may be such that, for example, the CPU 11 actually executes a predetermined program.

Although the communication protocol corresponding to the network 4 should not be particularly limited, the present embodiment is assumed to be TCP / IP as an example.
For example, at the time of data transmission, the network communication processing unit 15 performs processing such as packetization so that the transmission / reception according to TCP / IP can be performed, and the transmission destination terminal existing on the network 4 is processed. Sends and outputs commands and user data (application data). Further, at the time of reception, predetermined demodulation processing such as packetization is performed on information transmitted from the transmission source via the network 4 and actual data of commands and application data is obtained in the same manner as described above.
As the actual network communication unit 15, for example, as described above, a configuration corresponding to a predetermined wireless LAN standard and a configuration corresponding to a wired LAN such as Ethernet (Ethernet registered trademark) may be given. It is done. If the configuration is provided with a modem as hardware, it is possible to connect to the Internet using a telephone line.

  The media communication unit 16 is a part having a software configuration and a hardware configuration for communicating with the removable media device 2 in accordance with a predetermined wired data communication format. The software configuration as the media communication unit may be such that the CPU 11 executes a predetermined program.

  Although not shown here, the main body of the portable communication terminal device 1 is provided with a media slot in which the removable media device 2 can be attached and detached in accordance with the external standard of the removable media device 2. When the removable media device 2 is properly loaded into the media slot, the connector 20 of the portable communication terminal device 1 and a connector portion 39 of the removable media device 2 described later are connected and predetermined terminals are connected to each other. . Thus, the media communication unit 16 of the portable communication terminal device 1 is electrically connected to the host communication unit 37 of the removable media device 2 and can exchange commands and data with each other.

The display unit 17 is provided such that the display screen unit is displayed on the main body of the portable communication terminal device 1 and can be viewed by the user. For example, the display control of the CPU 11 displays an image according to the operation. It is a user interface part made to be displayed.
The display device employed in the display unit 17 according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited. However, in the present situation, for example, a liquid crystal display panel may be employed.

For example, the operation unit 18 collectively shows various operators provided at predetermined positions of the main body of the portable communication terminal device 1 and command output parts that generate and output operation commands corresponding to operations on these operators. It is a part.
The operation command output from the operation unit 18 is input to the CPU 11 via the internal data bus 21. The CPU 11 executes a required control process in response to the input operation command. Thereby, in the portable communication terminal device 1, the operation | movement according to user operation is obtained.

The power supply unit 19 is a part configured to include a power supply circuit for generating a required number of DC power supply voltages from, for example, a battery or a commercial AC power supply and supplying them to a required internal chip and circuit part.
Further, as described above, in a state where the removable media device 2 is loaded in the media slot, the power supply unit 19 supplies a predetermined level of the DC voltage for power supply via the connection of the connector units 39 and 20. Is supplied to the power supply unit 38 of the removable media device 2. The power supply unit 38 uses the supplied DC voltage for power supply to generate and output a required number of DC power supply voltages to be supplied to required internal chips and circuit parts.

Next, the removable media device 2 will be described.
The removable media device 2 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a main storage unit 34, a sub storage unit 35, a network correspondence processing unit 36, and a host communication processing unit 37, which are interconnected by an internal data bus 40, 39 is provided.

  Also in this case, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 executes various processes according to, for example, an OS (Operating System) installed in the ROM 32 and various application programs. The RAM 33 is a work area for the CPU 31 and appropriately stores data, programs, and the like necessary for the CPU 31 to execute various processes.

  The main storage unit 34 is a part as a storage area in which application data (user data) is stored. In the present embodiment, the actual storage device forming the main storage unit 34 is a semiconductor memory element represented by, for example, a flash memory.

Reading / writing data to / from the main storage unit 34 in the removable media device 2 is performed by a memory control process of the CPU 31.
For example, when the portable communication terminal device 1 serving as a host system for the removable media device 2 writes application data to the main storage unit 34 of the removable media device 2 loaded in the memory slot, the portable communication terminal Under the control of the CPU 11 of the device 1, the media communication processing unit 16 transmits a data write request command from the media communication unit 16 to the removable media device 2, and also transmits application data to be written at an appropriate timing. To do.
On the removable media device 2 side, the command is received and acquired by the host communication processing unit 37 and output to the CPU 31 via the internal data bus 40. In response to this command, the CPU 31 causes the host communication processing unit 37 to sequentially receive and acquire application data transmitted from the portable communication terminal device 1 and transfer it to the main storage unit 34 via the internal data bus 40. A process for writing is executed.

When the portable communication terminal device 1 which is a host system is used for some purpose by reproducing and outputting application data stored in the removable media device 2, the portable communication terminal device 1 A command for requesting transfer of application data to the apparatus 2 is transmitted. Similarly to the above, this command is received by the host communication processing unit 37 and received by the CPU 31 on the removable media device 2 side.
The CPU 31 of the removable media device 2 executes control processing for reading application data specified by the received command from the main storage unit 34, and the host communication processing unit 37 sends the read application data to the host system (portable communication). A control process for transmitting to the terminal device 1) is executed.
In the portable communication terminal device 1, the media communication processing unit 16 receives and acquires application data transmitted as described above. The CPU 11 of the portable communication terminal device 1 transfers the received and acquired application data to the data processing unit 14 and executes the required data processing, for example, in a predetermined manner according to the format of the application data. Playback output.
As will be described later, in the removable media device 2 of the present embodiment, at least reading of application data from the main storage unit 34 does not respond to a command from the portable communication terminal device 1 side. There are cases where it is executed based on its own judgment.

In this case, the sub storage unit 35 transfers (sends) data stored in the main storage unit 34 or data to be stored to the server 3 as described later. ) Is a part that stores and holds predetermined information required for the operation.
In the present embodiment, the sub storage unit 35 stores server location information 35-1, authentication information 35-2, and transmission condition information 35-3, for example, as shown in FIG.
The server location information 35-1 is information indicating the location and location of the server 3 on the network, and is information such as the IP address of the server 3, for example.
The authentication information 35-2 includes information elements required for server authentication, which is an authentication process executed by the server side as to whether or not the removable media device 2 to which data transfer is to be performed is authentic. . Here, assuming that SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is adopted as a protocol for server authentication, for example, authentication information 35-2 includes a device ID unique to each removable media device 2 and a user ID. The information may be formed as a set of uniquely assigned user ID information, password, and certificate information issued by PKI. In addition, as an information element forming the authentication information 35-2, for example, when performing authentication by IPsec at the time of data communication, a password for this authentication may be included.
The transmission condition information 35-3 is information indicating a condition when data should be transmitted from the removable media device 2 to the server 3. In the present embodiment, when the condition indicated by the transmission condition information 35-3 is satisfied, a process for automatically transmitting information from the removable media device 2 to the server 3 is executed. Is done.

  As the storage area as the sub storage unit 35, for example, a predetermined storage area in a semiconductor memory element including the storage area as the main storage unit 34 may be allocated, or a semiconductor memory different from the main storage unit 34 may be allocated. An element may be provided, and this semiconductor memory element may be used as the sub storage unit 35. In addition, if the information to be stored in the sub storage unit 35 can be handled as all fixed information and the contents are not changed at any time, the sub storage unit 35 is rewritten. It is also possible to configure the semiconductor memory element with an unusable type.

The network correspondence processing unit 36 is a part for the removable media device 2 to connect to the network 4 and communicate with the outside. However, although details will be described later, when the removable media device 2 connects to the network 4, The removable media device 2 is configured to use a physical connection function to the network 4 provided in the portable communication terminal device 1 depending on the state loaded in the portable communication terminal device 1. Therefore, the network correspondence processing unit 36 is configured to have a function corresponding to a protocol layer higher than the protocol layer corresponding to the physical connection function to the network 4. Also, the network corresponding processing unit 36 may be configured as software processing that the CPU 31 executes according to a program for some or all of the functions. Further, the network correspondence processing unit 36 is also configured according to TCP / IP which is a communication protocol corresponding to the network 4.

As can be understood from the above description, the host communication processing unit 37 includes a software configuration and a hardware configuration for performing communication with the portable communication terminal device 1 in accordance with a predetermined wired data communication format. It is a part.
Further, as described above, the power supply unit 38 uses the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply unit 19 of the portable communication terminal device 1 in a state where the removable media device 2 is loaded in the portable communication terminal device 1. This is a part that generates and outputs a DC power supply voltage to be supplied to an internal circuit. For this reason, the removable media device 2 according to the present embodiment is activated by supplying power only after being connected to a host system such as the portable communication terminal device 1.

FIG. 4 shows an internal configuration example of the server 3.
For example, the server 3 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, an authentication processing unit 53, an access processing unit 54, and a network interface 55 interconnected by an internal data bus 56 as shown in the figure.

  The control unit 51 is a part for executing various controls and processes in the server 3, and includes a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM, a RAM, and the like, for example. In this case, the CPU executes processing in accordance with programs and various setting information stored and held in the ROM or the storage unit 52. The RAM is an area where a program to be executed by the CPU is expanded. Further, it is used as a calculation work area when the CPU executes processing.

  The storage unit 52 is a large-capacity storage device unit including, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive) in the present situation. As shown in the figure, the storage unit 52 stores at least information constructed as a database such as an authentication database 52-1, an access database 52-2, and an application data database 52-3.

  The authentication database 52-1 is information that is databased so that information necessary for executing the authentication process is managed by, for example, the user or the removable media device 2 unit. As an example of the information necessary for executing the authentication process, for example, on a per user basis, the user ID, password, and the like are associated with each user.

  The access database 52-2 is information in which the history of the removable media device 2 that has accessed the server 3 for data transfer is made into a database.

The application data database 52-3 is information obtained by converting the application data transferred from the removable media device 2 into a database.
For example, in a case where application data is transmitted in response to a request for downloading application data via the network 4 from the removable media device 2 (or the host system of the removable media device 2), the control unit 51 includes an application data database. 52-3 is accessed and application data designated as a download request is searched. The application data entity obtained by the retrieval is read from the storage unit 52 and transmitted to the download request source device via the network 4 via the network interface 55.

  For example, when there is an access from the removable media device 2 (or the host system of the removable media device 2), the authentication processing unit 53 determines whether or not the accessed device is legitimate. It is a part which performs. For example, when a new user registration is performed, a process for reconstructing the authentication database 52-1 or the like is also executed accordingly.

The access management processing unit 54 is a part for executing various necessary processes related to the access from the removable media device 2 side. For example, every time access from the removable media device 2 side is performed, The access database 52-2 is reconstructed so that the access history is reflected. Further, for example, depending on how the system is operated, access to the server 3 may be prohibited based on the content of the access history. This process is executed by the unit 54.
In addition, about the said authentication process part 53 and the access management process part 54, the software component part may be implement | achieved as a process which the control part 51 (CPU) performs according to a program, for example.

  The network interface 55 includes a hardware configuration and a software configuration for connecting to the network 4 in the same manner as the network communication processing unit 15 of the portable communication terminal device 1 described above, for example.

In the system including the portable communication terminal device 1, the removable media device 2, and the server 3 adopting the above-described configurations, the network communication processing unit 15 has a function of connecting to the network 4 in the removable media device 2. Further, in the removable media device 2, the network compatible processing unit 36 has a function of connecting to the network.
As described above, the network communication processing unit 15 and the network correspondence processing unit 36 adopt TCP / IP as a communication protocol corresponding to the connection with the network 4.

As is well known, the TCP / IP protocol layer can be divided into a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, and an application layer from the lower layer to the upper layer.
The data link layer located at the lowest layer is a protocol layer for providing various functions for physically transmitting data to a network, for example, as a signal by electricity or light. For example, it specifies communication hardware specifications such as LAN cards and repeaters such as cables, hubs and switches for connection, and network standards such as Ethernet (trademark) and PPP (Point to Point Protocol) belong to it. To do.
The network layer located above the data link layer is a layer in which IP (and ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)) is located in TCP / IP, and absorbs the difference in the standards of the lower data link layer. , A protocol layer for realizing data distribution between networks based on IP addresses. The data targeted by the data link layer is a packet exchanged between networks.
The transport layer located above the network layer is a layer where TCP and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are located in TCP / IP, and mediates between the application (application layer) and IP (network layer). A protocol layer that provides functionality. In TCP / IP, the transport layer is configured to identify an application by a port number, and based on this port number, relays data between the application and the IP.
The application layer, which is an upper layer of the transport layer and is the uppermost layer, defines various protocols for applications for providing actual services to users. Protocols defined by the application layer include, for example, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) for web communication, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) for email transmission and reception, POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3), and file transfer. Examples include FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and DNS (Domain Name System) corresponding to the function of resolving a domain name and converting it to an IP address.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the configuration and functional relationship between the network communication processing unit 15 of the portable communication terminal device 1 and the network correspondence processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2. Further, in this figure, the configurations of the network communication processing unit 15 and the network correspondence processing unit 36 are shown as functional blocks corresponding to the TCP / IP protocol layer.
First, the network communication processing unit 15 of the portable communication terminal device 1 will be described.
The network communication processing unit 15 illustrated in FIG. 5 corresponds to an application layer block 10 3 corresponding to the application layer, a network layer block 101 corresponding to the network layer, a transport layer block 102 corresponding to the transport layer, and a data link layer. having a data link layer block 10 0.

Here, the data link layer block 10 0, so that has a physical hardware configuration for transmitting and receiving data (packet) via the network 4. For example, as described above, the portable communication terminal device 1 of the present embodiment has a function of connecting to the network 4 wirelessly. The data link layer block 10 0 corresponding thereto, will be configured with a hardware device for performing wireless communication in response to a predetermined standard for example, among the IEEE802.11 family of standards.
Also it includes the data link layer block 10 0, are forming a network communication processing section 15, a program feature, for example, the CPU11 executes implemented by software in each protocol layer corresponding functional blocks (100 to 103) For example, it can be stored in the ROM 12.

Network communication processing section 15, as described above, the application layer block 103, the network layer block 101, the transport layer block 102 has a data link layer block 10 0, the function block (100 corresponding to these layers ˜103) are configured to be functionally linked according to the rules of TCP / IP.
The fact that the network communication processing unit 15 includes the above functional blocks (100 to 103) means that it has a function corresponding to all protocol layers defined by TCP / IP. Become. Therefore, the portable communication terminal device 1 has a function corresponding to all protocol layers for performing communication via the network 4 by itself.
In addition, what kind of service is realized by providing a communication function via the network 4 differs depending on a network-compatible application provided in the portable communication terminal device 1. For example, if the portable communication terminal device 1 includes a web browser application, a service such as browsing of a web site can be provided to the user as a function of the portable communication terminal device 1.

  Next, the network correspondence processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2 will be described. In FIG. 5, the network correspondence processing unit 36 includes a network layer block 201, a transport layer block 202, and an application layer block 203, and these functional blocks are functionally linked according to the rules of TCP / IP. Composed. In the case of this configuration, the network correspondence processing unit 36 does not include a data link layer block corresponding to the lowermost data link layer. That is, the removable media device 2 alone has a function of executing processing corresponding to a network having a hierarchy higher than the network layer, but includes hardware, and is physically connected to the network to transmit and receive data. It does not have the configuration.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the data packet obtained by the processing of the network corresponding processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2 is transmitted to the outside via the network 4, and the data packet received from the outside via the network 4 is also transmitted. Is acquired by the network correspondence processing unit 36 and the application can execute a predetermined process, the removable media device 2 is loaded into the media slot of the portable communication terminal device 1.
Thereby, as described in FIG. 2, the removable media device 2 and the portable communication terminal device 1 are connected to each other with the connector units 39 and 20, and the host communication processing unit 37 of the removable media device 2, The media communication processing unit 16 of the portable communication terminal device 1 is electrically connected, and communication between the removable media device 2 and the portable communication terminal device 1 is possible.

By obtaining this state, in the present embodiment, as schematically shown in FIG. 5, the network layer block 201 in the network corresponding processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2 is connected to the host communication processing unit 37 and the media communication. A state of being connected to the data link layer block of the network communication processing unit 15 of the portable communication terminal device 1 can be obtained via communication with the processing unit 16.
Accordingly, the network compatible processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2 having functions of the application layer, the transport layer, and the network layer, and not having the function of the data link layer lower than the application layer, is a portable communication terminal device. It is possible to perform data communication by connecting to the network 4 by using the function of the data link layer in the one network communication processing unit 15.

In this embodiment, as described above, the application data stored in the main storage unit 34 of the removable media device 2 is transferred to the server 3 via the network 4 and stored and managed on the server 4 side. The system is constructed so that
In the present embodiment, when the network corresponding processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2 uses the data link layer block 100 in the network communication processing unit 15 of the portable communication terminal device 1 to connect to the network 4, A case where the application data stored in the main storage unit 34 is transferred to the server 3 as described above can be given.

A process for the removable media device 2 to transfer data stored in the main storage unit 34 to the server 3 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
FIG. 6 shows a flow of processing executed between the removable media device 2 and the server 3. The processing of the removable media device 2 is obtained, for example, by executing a program stored so that the CPU 11 is installed in the ROM 12. Similarly, the processing of the server 3 is obtained by executing a program stored in the control unit 51 such that the CPU is installed in the ROM (or the storage unit 52).
In FIG. 6, communication between the removable media device 2 and the server 3 is performed via the data link layer of the portable communication terminal device 1 loaded with the removable media device 2. Is also shown schematically.
In the description of FIG. 6, it is assumed that encryption communication by IPsec (Internet Protocol security) is performed in the data communication between the removable media device 2 and the server 3.

  First, in the removable media device 2, it is determined whether or not communication for transferring data (application data) stored in its own main storage unit 34 to the server should be started as the process of step S101. Has been. Note that the processing in step S101 is executed in response to the power supply being performed by loading the media slot of the portable communication terminal device 1 that is a host system and the removable media device 2 being activated. .

The communication start determination process in step S101 is executed based on the transmission condition information 35-3 stored in the sub storage unit 35 as shown in FIG.
Here, as the transmission conditions indicated by the transmission condition information 35-3, three examples of transmission conditions A, B, and C are given, and the processing as step S101 corresponding to each example is illustrated in FIG. This is shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 9 (a).

First, as the transmission condition A,
“When the total data amount A stored in the main storage unit 34 is larger than the predetermined value B (A> B), transmission of data stored in the main storage unit 34 is started”. It is assumed that the conditions for starting transmission are specified.
In this case, as step S101, as shown in FIG. 7A, whether or not the data amount B stored in the main storage unit 34 at the current time point is larger than a predetermined value A (A> B). Whether or not is established).
In a state where a negative determination result is obtained because A> B is not satisfied, the standby state is maintained as it is. However, a positive determination result is obtained in step S101 because the condition of B> A is satisfied. If so, the process proceeds to step S102 and subsequent steps in order to start communication.
As a case where a positive determination result is obtained in step S101 of FIG. 7A, first, data is already written, for example, by another host system before the media slot of the removable media device 2 is loaded. As a result, a case where the total data capacity A exceeds a predetermined value B can be cited. When the removable media device 2 is loaded into the media slot, the total data amount A is equal to or less than the predetermined value B. Thereafter, new application data is newly stored in the main storage unit 24 by the portable communication terminal device 1. Even when the total data amount A becomes larger than the predetermined value B due to the writing, the positive result is obtained in step S101.

In addition, as a condition for starting transmission of transmission condition B,
“Of the files as application data stored in the main storage unit 34, if there is a file that satisfies the condition that the value a indicating the data size is larger than the predetermined value b, this condition is satisfied. “Start transmission of data as the corresponding file” is specified.
Step S101 in this case includes, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), step S101-1 and step S101-2 which is assumed to be subsequent thereto.
First, in step S101-1, a file having a data size value a greater than a predetermined value b is searched from all files stored in the main storage unit 34. Then, in the next step S101-2, it is determined whether or not there is a data file searched with matching search conditions as a search result in step S101. If a negative determination result is obtained because the retrieved data file does not exist, the process returns to step S101-1. That is, it will be in the state which waited in step S101 of FIG. On the other hand, if a positive determination result is obtained in step S102-2, the process proceeds to step S102.

Even when a positive determination result is obtained in step S101 in FIG. 8A, first, before loading into the media slot of the removable media device 2, a predetermined value has already been obtained by another host system or the like. In this case, a data file having a data size a larger than b has been written.
Further, when the removable media device 2 was loaded into the media slot, there was no data file having a data size exceeding the predetermined value b. Thereafter, the portable communication terminal device 1 newly adds a data file larger than the predetermined value b. This is a case where application data having a data size is written to the main storage unit 24.

In addition, as a condition for starting transmission of the transmission condition C,
It is assumed that “the transmission of data is started when a predetermined time has elapsed since the power was supplied and started up” is specified.
In step S101 in this case, as shown in FIG. 9A, a predetermined time elapses from the time when the removable media device 2 is activated. For this purpose, for example, a microcomputer comprising a CPU 11, a ROM 12, and a RAM 13 has a clock function, and the CPU 11 may execute a process for measuring time using the clock function. When it is determined in step S101 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S102, the connection with the network 4 is confirmed. That is, it is determined whether or not physical connection with the network 4 is properly performed in the data link layer block 101 of the portable communication terminal device 1. Specifically, for example, in the case of connection by wireless LAN, status information regarding the radio wave reception status is obtained from the data link layer block 101, and it is determined based on this information whether the wireless LAN is within a communicable range. To do. Further, if the connection is made by a cable, status information about whether or not the data link layer block 101 is connected to a network connection terminal or the like via the cable is obtained, and based on this information Determine whether the cable connection is normal. In this way, in step S102, it is determined whether or not physical connection with the network 4 is possible.

  If it is determined in step S102 that the network connection is impossible, the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if the determination result that the network connection is possible is obtained, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, processing for acquiring information necessary for network communication is executed. Thereby, for example, an IP address or the like is acquired from a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server. For example, when the information to be acquired in step S103 has already been acquired and stored in the main storage unit 34 or the sub storage unit 35, the process of step S103 may be omitted.

In the next step S104, a process for searching for the server 3 is executed. For this purpose, the network processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2 executes a process for transmitting a ping (Packet Internet Groper) command by designating the IP address of the server 3, for example. By this processing, the ping command issued from the network correspondence processing unit 36 is transmitted from the data link layer block 100 of the portable communication terminal device 1 to the server 3 via the network 4.
The IP address of the server 3 can be acquired by referring to the server location information 35-1 stored in the sub storage unit 35 as shown in FIG. Further, as is well known, the ping command uses Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). That is, the processing in step S104 is executed by the network layer block 201 in the network corresponding processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2.

  The ping command transmitted by the process of step S104 is received by the server 3. Upon receiving the ping command, the server 3 transmits a response in response to the received ping command to the removable media device 2 that is the transmission source of the ping command as a search response process in step S201.

The removable media device 2 determines whether or not the ping command has been executed normally based on the response status of the response to the previously transmitted ping command as the processing of the same step S104. It is determined whether or not connection is possible.
If it is determined in step S104 that the connection with the server 3 is not possible, the process returns to step S101 after executing the required error handling process in step S111 as necessary. As an error handling process in this case, for example, as a control on the removable media device 2 side, a message indicating that communication with the server 3 is impossible is output on the display unit 17 of the portable communication terminal device 1. It is possible to do.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the connection with the server 3 is possible, the process proceeds to step S105, and processing for establishing a connection (connection) with the server 3 is performed. Execute.
The connection is established in a well-known manner by, for example, transmitting and receiving a SYN flag for connection request and an ACK flag for confirmation response between a client and a server according to a predetermined procedure. The connection handling process in step S202 in the server 3 is a process for such flag transmission / reception.
As is well known, connection establishment is a function defined in the transport layer. Therefore, the processing in step S105 is mainly processing as the transport layer block 202 in the network processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2.

As described above, the connection establishment process in step S105 and the connection handling process in step S202 are executed, so that the connection between the removable media device 2 and the server 3 is established.
In this case, as a process after the connection is established, first, as shown in step S106, the removable media device 2 issues an authentication request for server authentication to the server 3.

The authentication request in step S106 is a processing procedure executed first by the removable media device 2 side in server authentication for authenticating the validity of the removable media device 2 on the server 3 side. Here, it is assumed that the server authentication is based on SSL as described above.
When the server authentication is based on SSL, in step S106, necessary information required for SSL authentication is read from the authentication information 35-2 of the sub storage unit 35 together with a command for authentication request. These pieces of information are transmitted to the server 3. As is well known, SSL is positioned between the application layer and the transport layer in relation to TCP / IP. Accordingly, the processing in step S106 is executed by the application layer block 203 in the network correspondence processing unit 36.
When the server 3 receives the authentication information transmitted in this way, the server 3 executes an authentication process as shown in step S203.
For this purpose, information such as various IDs, passwords, and certificates issued by PKI, which are supposed to be received server authentication information, is referred to the authentication database 52-1 stored in the storage unit 52. As a result, it is determined whether or not the removable media device 2 that has made an authentication request this time is a registered one that can enjoy the data transfer service to the server 3. Then, the authentication result is transmitted to the removable media device 2. The server authentication processing of the server 3 is executed by the authentication processing unit 53 in correspondence with FIG. However, in actuality, in step 3, it is executed by a processing function corresponding to the application layer.

In step S106, the removable media device 2 receives this authentication result information and determines whether or not the server authentication can be established. If the server authentication is not established in step S106, an error handling process is executed in step S111 as necessary, and the process returns to step S101.
As an error handling process in this case, for example, as a control on the removable media device 2 side, a message notifying that server authentication has not been established is output on the display unit 17 of the portable communication terminal device 1. It is possible to do.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S106 that the server authentication has been established, the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, transmission of data to be transferred to the server 3 is started from the data stored in the main memory.
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the transmission of data to the server 3 started by the process of step S107 is given security according to IPsec. As is well known, IPsec is defined in the network layer. Therefore, processing for encryption communication corresponding to IPsec is executed by the network layer block 201 in the network corresponding processing unit 36 of the removable media device 2. Is done.
The processing of the network layer block 201 corresponding to IPsec in step S107 is roughly as follows. First, the network layer block 201 exchanges encryption keys by negotiation with the network layer on the server 3 side. This key exchange protocol defines IKE (Internet Key Exchange). Then, the network layer block 201 converts the data (packets) delivered from the transport layer block 202 into data units in the ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) format. In addition to the encrypted data, the ESP stores SPI, sequence number, IPsec authentication data (MAC: Mass Authentic Code), and the like. The authentication data corresponding to IPsec is obtained by using, for example, a hash function called a message digest, using a password shared between the server 3 and the removable media device 2 and communication contents. Then, for example, an IP packet with an IP header added to this ESP is generated. In the case of the present embodiment, this IP packet is sent from the host communication processing unit 37 to the data link layer block 100 of the network communication processing unit 15 of the portable communication terminal device 1 via the media communication processing unit 16. Delivered. The data link layer block 100 transmits the delivered IP packet via the network 4. Thereby, the encrypted data is transferred to the server 3 in units of IP packets.
By transmitting the data in this way, the application data stored in the main storage unit 34 of the removable media device 2 is transmitted in a form in which security such as confidentiality, integrity, and authentication function is maintained. Will be done.
This data transmission is performed until it is determined in step S108 that the data transmission end condition is satisfied.

Here, as data transmission processing after step S107, which data is transmitted from the data stored in the main storage unit 34 differs depending on the transmission conditions described above. In addition, the end condition that is the determination element in step S108 is in accordance with the end condition that is the content as the transmission condition described above.
First, in the case of transmission condition A, various criteria can be considered for selecting data to be transmitted. For example, for example, it is conceivable to transmit data in the order of the data file with the largest data size, or conversely transmit in the order of the data file with the smaller data size. Further, in the removable media device 2, information such as update date / time and use frequency of application data stored in the storage unit 34 is held, for example, in order of oldest (or newest) update date / time. It may be possible to transmit in the order of low (or high).
Further, in the case of the transmission condition A, as the determination of the end of data transmission in step S108, as shown in FIG. 7B, the value C of the transfer data amount after the data transmission is started in step S107 As a relationship between the total data amount A described in step S101 and the predetermined value B, it is determined whether or not C> A−B is established. That is, it is determined whether or not the transfer data amount C so far exceeds the data amount obtained by the difference of the predetermined value B with respect to the total data amount A. The state where this condition is satisfied means that when data transferred to the server 3 is deleted from the main storage unit 34, the total data amount A stored in the main storage unit 34 is larger than the predetermined value B. This corresponds to the state of being small.

Further, in the case of the transmission condition B, among the data files stored in the main storage unit 34, the data size a exceeds the predetermined value b, that is, the previous step S101-1 (FIG. 8A The data file retrieved in step (b)) is transmitted in the order according to a predetermined rule such as the order of file numbers.
Further, in the case of the transmission condition B, as the determination of the end of data transmission in step S108, as shown in FIG. 8B, all the data files searched in step S101-1 (see FIG. 8A) are obtained. It is determined whether or not the transmission has been completed.

Also in the case of the transmission condition C, as in the transmission condition A, various criteria can be considered for selecting data to be transmitted.
In addition, various criteria can be considered as to how to determine the end of data transmission in step S108 in the case of the transmission condition C. As an example, as shown in FIG. It can be considered to determine whether or not the amount of data transferred to the server 3 after step S107 has reached a predetermined value or more.

  When it is determined in step S108 that the data transmission has ended, the removable media device 2 executes a process corresponding to the data transmission end in step S109. As this process, for example, the data (application data file) that has been transferred to the server 3 by the process after step S107 is deleted from the main storage unit 34. As a result, a part (or all) of the data stored in the main storage unit 34 is saved by moving it to the server 3, and the remaining data in the main storage unit 34 is saved according to the saved data size. The capacity can be increased and secured.

Further, the server 3 starts processing for receiving and acquiring data transmitted from the removable media device 2 in step S204 in response to the processing in step S107. In step S205, for example, when it is determined that the data reception is completed, the process proceeds to step S206.
In step S206, control processing for writing and storing the received data in the storage unit 52 so as to be newly registered in the application data database 52-3 is executed.
Along with this, as shown as the processing of the subsequent step S207, control for updating the access database 52-2 so that the access history from the removable media device 2 for the current data transmission is reflected. Processing is also executed. This processing is executed by the access management processing unit 54 in correspondence with FIG.

If the removable media device 2 executes step S109 described above, in the next step S110, a process for cutting off the connection with the server established by the process of the previous step S105 is executed. .
The connection is disconnected by transmitting and receiving a FIN flag for a disconnection request and an ACK flag for an acknowledgment corresponding to the FIN flag between a client and a server according to a predetermined procedure. The server 3 executes such processing for flag transmission / reception as the disconnection handling processing shown in step S208.
Since disconnection is also a function defined in the transport layer, the transport layer block 202 is mainly executed as the processing in step S110.

  On the removable media device 2 side, when the process of step S110 is completed, the process returns to the process of step S101. Thus, when the predetermined transmission start condition is satisfied again, the processes after step S102 are executed. To be done.

First, the application data stored in the removable media device 2 is transferred so as to be saved in the server 3 in accordance with a predetermined transmission start condition as in the present embodiment. A storage capacity for application data can be constantly secured with a certain margin or more. Thereby, for example, the user can store data without worrying about how much free space is available in the removable media device 2, and convenience is improved.
In addition, the fact that data originally stored in the removable media device 2 exists in the server 3 connected via the network means that the apparent storage capacity of the removable media device 2 is allocated on the server 3. It is possible to treat it as increased by the capacity, which is also an advantage for the user.

In the case of the present embodiment, data transmission from the removable media device 2 to the server 3 is automatically executed based on a predetermined transmission start condition by the processing in step S101 in FIG. That is, for example, it is unnecessary for the user to perform operations on the portable communication terminal device 1 (host) to execute data transmission, and this also increases convenience.
In addition, about transmission conditions, it is possible to comprise so that a user can set with arbitrary property by predetermined operation.

Here, when data stored in the removable media device 2 is transferred to the server 3 and stored, conventionally, the data is stored by the host (portable communication terminal device 1) loaded with the removable media device 2. After being read and temporarily stored, it is transmitted to the server 3 only by the network communication function (network communication processing unit 15) provided in the host. In accordance with this, as a conventional removable media device, a network As for the function corresponding to communication, it is not necessary to provide a function corresponding to any protocol layer.
However, with the above-described configuration, there is a situation in which data of the removable media device 2 is read and held by the application of the host (portable communication terminal device 1) even temporarily. Accordingly, if the host device is illegal, when the storage data of the removable media device 2 is transmitted to the server, the read data is illegally transferred to another server at the stage after the data is read from the removable media device 2. There is a high possibility that fraud such as copying to a medium and using or tampering can be easily performed.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the application data stored in the main storage unit 34 of the removable media device 2 is transferred to the server 3, processing corresponding to the application layer, transport layer, and network layer is performed. All are executed on the removable media device 2 side. Then, in order to physically execute data transmission via a network using packets, only the data link layer on the portable communication terminal device 1 side is shared and used.
This is because the network-compatible processing unit 1 on the portable communication terminal device 1 side has a hardware for simply physically connecting to the network 4 (included in the data link layer block 100). The function blocks (network layer block 101, transport layer block 102, application layer block 103) corresponding to the protocol layer above the data link layer are in a state in which transmission data is only electrically input / output. This means that no processing is performed on the packet data transmitted from the media device 2.
That is, in other words, when the data of the removable media device 2 is transmitted and output to the server 3 or the like via the network, it is assumed that it is in the protocol layer above the data link layer in the portable communication terminal device 1 and further in the upper layer This means that the application cannot execute processing on the data to be transmitted and output. This prevents the host (portable communication terminal apparatus 1) side from improperly transmitting data as described above.

In addition, in the present embodiment, security such as encryption and authentication is applied to the transmission data from the removable media device 2, for example. The processing for this is based on, for example, IPsec defined in the network layer. Therefore, the encryption of the packet payload, the process of incorporating the authentication data, etc. are all executed by the network layer block 202 of the removable media device 2. Therefore, in this case as well, the functions of the protocol layer above the data link layer block 100 of the host (portable communication terminal apparatus 1) and the application above the TCP / IP are not involved at all.
Thereby, as this Embodiment, the further strengthened security effect is acquired.

In this way, the present embodiment has an effect that high security can be obtained for data stored in the removable media device 2.
Further, such a security effect is achieved by using only the function of the data link layer of the host (portable communication terminal device 1) when the removable media device 2 transmits data via the network, and the protocol of the higher layer. This is because the functions of the layers are covered by the removable media device 2 itself. Therefore, the security effect on the transmission data of the removable media device 2 is kept the same regardless of the device and model of the host that provides the data link layer function. That is, the present invention obtains the above-described security effect while having wide versatility with respect to a host (communication terminal device) to be combined with the removable media device 2 (storage device).

In addition, the removable media device 2 of the present embodiment is provided with only the function of the protocol layer above the data link layer. This is because the removable media device 2 itself is physically connected to the network. It leads to not having hardware. In other words, for example, there is no need to provide connection parts and elements including terminals corresponding to predetermined standard cables for network connection, antennas and parts such as transmitters and receivers, elements for wireless LAN compatible radio wave connection, and the like. . If these components and elements are provided, the cost will be increased, and the size and weight will increase. On the other hand, the functions of the protocol layer above the data link layer can be realized as software by a program. Therefore, the configuration as the present embodiment is realized without any change such as addition of hardware. can do.
This avoids an increase in cost due to the addition of parts for the removable media device 2. In addition, in the removable media device 2 that is originally required to be small and light as a portable medium, an increase in the weight and an increase in size can be avoided. Further, for example, if the removable media device 2 actually conforms to an existing standard, the same design shape as before is maintained. In particular, as a general matter, portable media are often determined by strict specifications, such as the design shape of the outer shape, for convenience of insertion into a slot. For this reason, the merit that the same design shape as before is easily maintained is great.

In the above embodiment, the case where data is transmitted from the removable media device 2 to the server 3 (external information processing device) has been described. However, for confirmation, the effect of the present invention is as follows. The removable media device 2 loaded in the host (portable communication terminal device 1) receives data transmitted from the server 3 (may be another external information processing device) via the network, In the case of storing in the main storage unit 34, it is obtained in the same manner.
That is, when the removable media device 2 receives data, the data transmitted from the external information processing device such as the server 3 passes through the data link layer block 100 of the host (portable communication terminal device 1). Then, it is delivered to the network layer block 201 of the network corresponding processing unit 15 of the removable media device 2. Also at this time, in the host (portable communication terminal apparatus 1), only the data is electrically passed through the hardware part as the data link layer for physically performing data communication. The functional blocks (network layer block 101, transport layer block 102, application layer block 103) corresponding to the above do not perform any data processing.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the contents described so far.
Further, for example, the transmission conditions that are the determination criteria in step S101 of FIG. 6 described above should not be limited to the three examples of transmission conditions A, B, and C.
For example, the transmission conditions A, B, and C are intended for data that is already stored in the main storage unit 34, but for example, data to be stored in the main storage unit 34 from this. It may be considered.
That is, as a condition for starting transmission, for example, when a process of transferring, writing, and storing application data from the portable communication terminal device 1 to the main storage unit 34 is started, this writing should be started. The transmission start is determined according to the application data. Specific conditions at this time include, for example, “start transmission when the file type of the application data is a specific one”, “start transmission when the file size of the application data is greater than a certain value”, etc. I can think about the contents.
In this case, the data transferred from the portable communication terminal device 1 to the removable media device 2 for writing to the main storage unit 34 is transferred to the network corresponding processing unit 37 without being transferred to the main storage unit 34. Thus, transmission to the server 3 is performed by the processing in step S107.
Then, in the determination in step S108, it may be determined whether transmission of application data transferred from the portable communication terminal device 1 to the server 3 has been completed as a transmission termination condition.

  In the description according to the above embodiment, the IPsec communication protocol is applied to the security communication for the data transmitted from the removable media device 2, but for example, other encryption methods such as SSL and security methods. Etc. may be used. Further, it may be performed by an application higher than TCP / IP. Even in such a case, the transmission data of the removable media device 2 is not processed above the data link layer block 100 on the host (portable communication terminal device 1) side. Security will be maintained.

In the above embodiment, TCP / IP is adopted as a communication protocol for connection with the network, and the protocol layer is composed of four layers, that is, a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, and an application layer. However, for example, the present invention can also be applied to a protocol layer that is more fragmented.
Even in this case, the removable media device 2 executes at least processing corresponding to the upper layer protocol necessary for maintaining the security of the transmission data, such as packet generation and encryption for the transmission data. For the function corresponding to the protocol (including the lowest protocol layer for physically connecting to the network), the function of the host (portable communication terminal apparatus 1) is used.
Also, the present invention can be applied to communication protocols other than TCP / IP.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structural example of a portable communication terminal device and a removable media apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of information memorize | stored in the sub memory | storage part in a removable media apparatus. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of a server 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure and relationship of the network corresponding | compatible process part of a removable media apparatus, and the network communication process part of a portable communication terminal device by the structure of a communication protocol layer. 5 is a flowchart showing data transmission / reception processing between the removable media device and a server. It is a flowchart which shows the process of step S101 in the case of the transmission condition A, and step S108. It is a flowchart which shows the process of step S101 in the case of the transmission condition B, and step S108. It is a flowchart which shows the process of step S101 in the case of the transmission conditions C, and step S108.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable communication terminal device, 2 Removable media device, 3 Server, 4 Network, 11, 31 CPU, 12, 32 ROM, 13, 33 RAM, 14 Data processing part, 15 Network communication processing part, 16 Media communication part, 17 Display unit, 18 Operation unit, 19, 38 Power supply unit, 20, 39 Connector unit, 21, 40 Internal data bus, 334 Main storage unit, 35 Sub storage unit, 35-1 Server location information, 35-2 Authentication information, 35 -3 transmission condition information, 36 network communication processing unit, 37 host communication processing unit, 52 storage unit, 52-1 authentication database, 52-2 access database, 52-3 application data / database, 53 authentication information, 54 access management processing Part 55 network interface 100 Data link layer block, 101, 201 Network layer block, 102, 202 Transport layer block, 103, 203 Application layer block

Claims (3)

It consists of a storage device and a communication terminal device,
Storage means for storing data in the storage device;
An inter-device communication means for performing communication between the communication terminal device and the storage device by a predetermined communication method other than via a network;
The above-mentioned communication terminal device is for communication via a predetermined network, and corresponds to a predetermined protocol layer including a protocol layer corresponding to a physical connection function required for communication via this predetermined network. Network communication means having a function to
Provided in the storage device, among all the protocol layers needed for the communication by way of said predetermined network, the network corresponds to a function that corresponds to the protocol layer by remote upper layer corresponding to the physical connectivity Processing means,
A function corresponding to a protocol layer possessed by the network correspondence processing means, a function corresponding to a protocol layer corresponding to the physical connection function possessed by the network communication means of the communication terminal device, and an inter-device communication means. by be connected by communications through, for the purpose of transmission and reception of data to write and / or read with respect to the upper Symbol storage means is performed, is the network corresponding processing means having the above-described storage device, the in the network communication unit using a protocol layer corresponding to the physical connectivity, a network communication system that will be to perform an external information processing apparatus and the direct communication by way of said predetermined network. Storage means for storing data;
Predetermined communication method other than via a network with a communication terminal device having a function corresponding to a predetermined protocol layer including a protocol layer corresponding to a physical connection function required for communication via a predetermined network An inter-device communication means for performing communication by
Of all the protocol layers required for a given communication by via a predetermined network, and a network-enabled processor having a function corresponding to the protocol layer by remote upper layer corresponding to the physical connection functions,
The function corresponding to the protocol layer possessed by the network corresponding processing means and the function corresponding to the protocol layer corresponding to the physical connection function possessed by the communication terminal apparatus are communicated via the inter-device communication means. by be connected, for the purpose of transmission and reception of data to write and / or read with respect to the upper Symbol storage means is performed, the network corresponding processing means having the above-described storage device, the physical connection in said network communication means using the corresponding protocol layer function, it is Ru memory device to perform the external information processing apparatus and the direct communication by way of said predetermined network. A network communication method for a storage device comprising storage means for storing data,
Predetermined communication method other than via a network with a communication terminal device having a function corresponding to a predetermined protocol layer including a protocol layer corresponding to a physical connection function required for communication via a predetermined network An inter-device communication process for performing communication by
Of all the protocol layers required for a given communication by via a predetermined network, performing a network-enabled process for realizing the function corresponding to the protocol layer by remote upper layer corresponding to the physical connectivity It is assumed
For the purpose of transmission and reception of data to write and / or read is made to the above term memory unit, said memory device when performing communication with an external information processing apparatus by way of the predetermined network, the network-enabled process a function corresponding to the protocol layer, included in the communication terminal device, and a function corresponding to a protocol layer corresponding to said physical connection functions, by connecting the communication via between the device communication process, the storage the network-enabled process with the device, utilizing a protocol layer corresponding to said physical connection functions in the network communication means, network communication method to perform direct communication with the external information processing apparatus.

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