JP4972901B2 - Information sharing space providing system, information sharing space providing method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information sharing space providing system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program for sharing information among a plurality of terminals, and in particular, a space for sharing information between groups selected arbitrarily when necessary. Further, the present invention relates to an information sharing space providing system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program in which information shared in the space can be used anytime, and a tool that uses the space can be easily and freely implemented.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional electronic information sharing system for sharing information among a plurality of specified users.

  As shown in FIG. 30, in this example, the file sharing management system 101 manages the file list and community information held by the user terminals 102a to 102d connected to the network 103, and the user terminals 102a to 102d In response to the request, a file list that can be referred to in the community to which the user of the user terminal belongs is distributed. For example, when a user terminal 102a that has issued a request selects a file to be acquired from a file list managed by the file sharing management system 101, the user terminal 102c that holds the selected file receives a request from the file sharing management system 101. The fact is notified and a file is transmitted from the user terminal 102c to the user terminal 102a, whereby information is shared between user terminals belonging to the same community (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 31 is a diagram showing another example of a conventional computer system that shares information among a plurality of specified users.

  As shown in FIG. 31, in this example, a copy of the shared data is held in the memory 206, and the tool 203-1 generates a data change request based on the operation performed by the user, and the dynamic manager. The data change request notified from the tool and the data change request notified from the remote device 202 are selected and executed by the data change engine 203-2 (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In addition, when data change requests are notified to each other via the communication manager 206, information is shared among devices belonging to the same community.

Here, in the information sharing system of the above-described form, when a shared document is edited simultaneously by a plurality of devices, it cannot be processed correctly, and there is a possibility that each device cannot maintain the same state. Therefore, a technology to keep each device in the same state by a mechanism that keeps data change requests called deltas in order, a mechanism that cancels deltas that cause inconsistencies, and a mechanism that deletes deltas that are no longer needed is considered. (For example, see Patent Documents 3 and 4).
JP 2004-172818 A Special table 2003-505760 gazette Special table 2003-526837 gazette JP 2004-152289 A

  However, the conventional information sharing system as described above has the following problems.

  (1) Since information such as the list of shared files, the terminals that store them, and the list of terminals that make up the group are managed by the server, group creation and members must be performed by users who have access rights to the server. In addition to being able to add, only members managed by the server can join the group, so that the user cannot share information with a group of arbitrarily selected members when needed.

  (2) Since information such as a list of shared files, a terminal for storing them, and a list of terminals constituting a group are managed by the server, the shared information cannot be acquired unless the server is accessible. For this reason, information that is shared cannot be referenced or edited in a state in which it is not connected to the network.

  (3) Since a relay server is required to mediate communication between terminals, information sharing cannot be used when a server dedicated to system operation for 24 hours cannot be prepared.

  (4) When implementing a new tool, it is necessary to additionally implement a corresponding data change engine, and the data change engine must have a mechanism that can roll back all processing. It takes time to implement the tool.

  (5) Since it is necessary to hold data change request information in each terminal for a long period of time in order to deal with inconsistencies caused by sharing information among a plurality of terminals, the memory of the terminal is compressed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional techniques as described above, and provides an information sharing space in which information can be shared by a group of arbitrarily selected members when necessary. It is an object to provide a system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide an information sharing space providing system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program capable of referencing and editing information shared even when not connected to a network.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide an information sharing space providing system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program capable of selecting communication means between terminals according to the status of the infrastructure to which the system is applied.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide an information sharing space providing system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program that can easily and freely implement a tool that uses shared information.

  In addition, for the conflict handling function that is indispensable for realizing information sharing, an information sharing space providing system, an information sharing space providing method, and a computer program that do not impose terminal resources and do not restrict the implementation of tools are provided. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
An information sharing space providing system for sharing information between a plurality of terminals,
Each of the plurality of terminals is
Storage means for holding object information to be shared and synchronization control information including group information of a group to which a user holding a terminal belongs and member information of members of the group;
Message control means for periodically sending and receiving messages with other terminals constituting the group;
A distributed synchronization management means for temporarily storing a command requested to be notified, and performing execution control of the command notified from the stored command and other terminals constituting the group;
Providing the user with the function to use the shared information, providing the control API of the synchronization control information to the tool for interacting with the user, generating and generating a command corresponding to the call of the control API of the synchronization control information And the command notified from the other terminal constituting the group is reflected in the storage means, the conflict handling process is performed at the time of reflection, and the notification to the other terminals constituting the command group is sent to the distributed synchronization management means Synchronization control information management means to request,
The object information control API is provided to the tool, a command corresponding to the call of the object information control API is generated, and the generated command and a command notified from another terminal constituting the group are stored in the storage unit. Object information management means for performing a conflict handling process at the time of reflection and requesting the distributed synchronization management means to notify other terminals constituting the command group;
Provided to the tool a control API related to group member addition, generates a command corresponding to a call of the control API related to group member addition, and a command notified from the generated command and other terminals constituting the group And inviting means for requesting the message control means to notify the other terminals constituting the command group,
Communication means for exchanging information between terminals constituting a group,
The distributed synchronization management means temporarily stores a command requested to be notified by the synchronization control information management means and the object information management means.

  In the present invention configured as described above, each terminal reflects the operation of the shared object performed at each terminal, group control such as member addition and group creation on each storage means, and the processing contents are reflected. By notifying other terminals constituting the group and reflecting the notification, the information can be shared by the group of arbitrarily selected members.

  In addition, a temporary storage unit for shared information is provided in the storage unit, and processing not notified to other terminals constituting the group is reflected in the temporary storage unit, and can be accessed when the terminal cannot access the network. By storing the processing contents until the end, it is possible to refer to and edit the shared information even when not connected to the network.

  Also, if the communication means is implemented in such a form that the message transmission function and the reception function can be called from the message control means, the communication protocol to be used can be freely selected. It can be selected according to the status of the infrastructure to be applied.

  In addition, by providing APIs that can use the functions (object information manipulation, synchronization control information manipulation, and invitation processing) that are commonly required by the tools to the tools, it is possible to constrain the implementation of the tools without squeezing terminal resources. Will not occur.

  In addition, the change of the shared information made by the API call from the tool is first reflected in the temporary storage unit of the storage means, and the change of the shared information by the notification from the other terminal is reflected in the storage unit, and then recorded in the temporary storage unit. The changed shared information is reflected in the storage unit. At that time, it is possible to determine the conflict by comparing the version information added to the shared information, and to quickly delete the information in the temporary storage unit after the determination, without compressing the terminal resources, There are no restrictions on implementation.

  The present invention has the following effects.

  (1) Since the group control function is implemented by the process on the terminal and the exchange of the process contents without using the server, each terminal is a server for the group configuration control function such as group creation or change. It can be used without being restricted by the ability of the user, and the user can share information with a group of arbitrarily selected members when necessary.

  (2) Since the information to be shared is stored in the storage means of each terminal and further has a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing the shared information, the shared information can be referred to even when the terminal is not connected to the network. Editing can be performed, and the edited contents can be immediately reflected on other terminals constituting the group when the network is connected.

  (3) Since the communication function is implemented in such a manner that the message transmission function and the reception function can be called from the message control function, the communication means between the terminals can be selected according to the status of the infrastructure to which the system is applied. .

  (4) Since an API that can use functions (object information operation, synchronization control information operation, and invitation processing) that are commonly required by the tool is provided to the tool, a tool that uses shared information can be easily And it can be implemented freely.

  (5) A temporary storage unit is provided in the storage means, and the change of the shared information made by the API call from the tool is first reflected in the temporary storage unit, and the change of the shared information due to the notification from the other terminal is reflected in the storage unit. Later, when the change of the shared information recorded in the temporary storage unit is reflected in the storage unit, the conflict is determined by comparing the version information added to the shared information, and immediately after the determination, the temporary storage unit By deleting the information, it is possible to cope with the contention without holding a lot of information, so that each terminal does not press the memory with the information for dealing with the contention.

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

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an information sharing space providing system according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a storage unit 2 that stores information, a data processing unit 1 that operates by program control, and exchange of information between terminals that constitute a group 1 are realized in the terminal 10. Two or more communication units 8a to 8c are provided.

  The storage unit 2 includes a synchronization control information storage unit 2a that stores synchronization control information such as group information of one or more groups to which a user holding the terminal belongs, and member information of members constituting the group, and a tool 9a. Synchronous control information temporary storage unit 2b that temporarily stores the synchronous control information updated by instructions from -9c, and object information storage unit 2c that stores object information shared by the group to which the user holding the terminal belongs The object information temporary storage unit 2d that temporarily stores object information updated in accordance with instructions from the tools 9a to 9c.

  The data processing unit 1 temporarily stores a message control unit 3 that periodically transmits and receives messages to and from other terminals that constitute the group, and commands that are requested to be notified. A distributed synchronization management unit 4 that controls execution of commands notified from other terminals via the message control unit 3 and an API (Application Program Interface) for controlling synchronization control information to the tools 9a to 9c, When the control API of the synchronization control information is called, a command that expresses the processing contents is generated, the command is reflected in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a and the synchronization control information temporary storage unit 2b, and the corresponding conflict handling process is performed. The synchronization control information management unit 5 that requests the distributed synchronization management unit 4 to notify the other terminals constituting the command group, and the object information shared by the group. The control API is provided to the tools 9a to 9c, the command generation by the object information control API, the reflection of the command to the object information storage unit 2c and the object information temporary storage unit 2d, and the corresponding conflict handling process are performed. An object information management unit 6 that requests the distributed synchronization management unit 4 to notify the other terminals constituting the command group and a control API related to group member addition are provided to the tools 9a to 9c, and control related to group member addition is provided. A command corresponding to the API call is generated, the generated command and a command notified from another terminal constituting the group are reflected in the storage unit 2, and the notification of the command to the other terminal constituting the group is message-controlled. And an invitation unit 7 that requests the unit 3, and includes a synchronization control information management unit 5 and object information. The command requested to be notified from the information management unit 6 is temporarily stored in the distributed synchronization management unit 4.

  The communication units 8a to 8c are modules that provide message transmission and reception message providing functions. If the message control unit 3 is implemented so that the message transmission function and the reception function can be called, the communication protocol to be used is not limited. As shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to use a different communication protocol for each group or member by mounting three communication units 8a to 8c having communication functions using different communication protocols. The identification information of the communication protocol is included in the information notification destination information of the group information and member information.

  In operation of the present embodiment, the present embodiment includes one or more tools 9a to 9c that provide a user with a function of using shared information and accept user operations and transmit the shared information status to the user. combine. The tools 9a to 9c can be created using an API provided by this embodiment.

  The present embodiment and the tools 9a to 9c are implemented as a system in the terminal 10. The members constituting the group hold one or more terminals 11 and 12 on which the same form and tools 9a to 9c are mounted. Hereinafter, the terminal 10 is simply referred to as a terminal or a local terminal, and the terminals 11 and 12 are referred to as remote terminals.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the synchronization control information stored in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the group information 301 describes a unique group identifier in the system, a version used for conflict detection, a group name, an information notification destination addressed to the group, and one or more participating member identifiers. ing. Note that there is no need to notify the information addressed to the group. The member information 302 describes a unique member identifier in the system, a version used for conflict detection, an information notification destination addressed to the member, and the like. The participating member identifier of the group information 301 is associated with the member identifier of the group member information 302. In the configuration example shown here, only the minimum information necessary for sharing is shown, and in addition to this, the group information 301 describes the group additional information such as the group creator and the group description, and is shared. In the member information 302, additional information such as group member affiliation information can be described and shared.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of object information stored in the object information management unit 2c illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, object information 401 includes objects such as a group unique identifier or a system unique identifier, a version used in conflict detection, an object name, a file, a schedule, or a bulletin board message. The object type indicating the type of the object and unique information in which the contents of the object are described in a format determined for each object type. The unique information may be described in the XML format. In the configuration example shown here, only minimum information is shown, and in addition to this, additional information such as the object creator, creation date and time, and last update date and time can be described and shared.

  These synchronization control information and object information are handled as information to be shared by the same mechanism.

  The API provided to the tools 9a to 9c by the synchronization control information management unit 5 includes reference / editing of synchronization control information. The API provided by the object information management unit 6 includes new registration, reference, editing, and deletion of object information. The API provided by the invitation unit 7 includes new group creation, invitation creation, invitation reading, and group withdrawal.

  The synchronization control information management unit 5 also provides an API for notifying the tools 9a to 9c of events related to synchronization control information such as the update of the generated synchronization control information and the occurrence of contention. Similarly, the object information management unit 6 also provides an API for notifying the tools 9a to 9c of events related to object information such as new registration, update, deletion, and occurrence of conflict of generated object information. Similarly, the invitation unit 7 also provides an API for notifying the tool of events related to invitation processing such as invitation reading and group participation request message acquisition.

  The tools 9a to 9c are tools such as a tool for operating a file shared by a group, a tool for sharing a schedule, and a bulletin board, which are realized by using these APIs.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a message handled by the message control unit 3 illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a message is a group of information exchanged between terminals, and includes one or more commands. First, it shows the message destination information and includes information notification destination information including the identification of the corresponding communication function, command target identification information (group identifier or user identifier), and a numerical value assigned to each command target. The message sequence number used for arranging the commands, command generation identification (data indicating any one of the synchronization control information management 5, the object information management unit 6, and the invitation unit 7) for distinguishing the function for processing the command, and the command data. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a command generated by the object information management unit 6 illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the command is data describing the contents of the process performed by the user via the tool, and its configuration differs depending on the function for generating the command, and the target object identifier to be processed and the newly created Work type such as update, delete, and so on, the latest object information after processing, identification of the user who performed the work, work date and time, and the like.

  Hereinafter, the operation in this embodiment will be described with reference to flowcharts. In the following description, two types of processing, “object editing support” and “message reflection / notification” will be described. In a terminal in which a system based on this embodiment is operating, these two processes operate independently and asynchronously, thereby realizing information sharing between terminals belonging to a group. That is, the process when the synchronization control information control API in the synchronization control information management unit 5 is called and the process when the object information control API in the object information management unit 6 is called are grouped in the message control unit 3. It is performed asynchronously with the message transmission / reception processing that is periodically performed with other terminals constituting the network.

  First, in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG. 1, a procedure in which object editing performed on a tool of a certain terminal is reflected on other terminals of the group will be described. Although the object editing will be described here, the processing contents are also reflected on other terminals in the same procedure for adding and deleting objects.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining object editing support processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  The tool to which the object edit is input by the user sets the input information and calls an API provided by the object information management unit 6 (step 501).

  Next, the object information management unit 6 reflects the edited contents of the object in the object information temporary storage unit 2d (step 502).

  Next, the object information management unit 6 converts the processing content performed this time into a command 802 shown in FIG. 5 and registers it in the distributed synchronization management unit 4 (step 503). This completes the process for editing the object.

  Next, message reflection / notification processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG. 1 will be described. This process is repeatedly executed at regular intervals while the terminal is connected to the network. If it is not connected to the network, it is periodically determined whether or not it is connected to the network, and when it is determined that it is connected, the message reflection / notification process is started. That is, the message control unit 3 does not perform message transmission / reception during a period in which the terminal cannot transmit / receive a message to / from other terminals constituting the group, and calls the control API for the synchronization control information provided by the synchronization control information management unit 5 and A command created in response to a call to the control API for object information provided by the object information management unit 6 is continuously recorded in the distributed synchronization management unit 4, and is recorded when message transmission / reception with other terminals becomes possible. Notification of the command that was executed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining message reflection / notification processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  First, the message control unit 3 instructs the installed communication units 8a to 8c to acquire messages, and arranges the acquired messages using information described in the messages (step 504).

  Alignment is processed when multiple processing is acquired as multiple messages with the same processing target (that is, the command target identification described in the message is the same) in a terminal that has not performed message reflection / notification processing for a while. This is done to reflect in the order in which they occurred. Sorting is realized by rearranging messages having the same command target identification by message sequence number. The latest message sequence number for each group or user is recorded for each group and user, and when each terminal notifies a message, the latest message sequence number is incremented and described in the message. At the time of message acquisition, the recorded message sequence number is rewritten with the message sequence number described in the acquired message. Multiple messages with the same sequence number may occur. In this case, either one may be processed first.

  Next, each message is processed. Whether the message is a synchronous control message or an invitation message is determined by referring to the command generation function identification (step 505). If the message is an invitation message, the message is notified to the invitation unit 7, and the invitation function commands the message. (Step 506) and processing corresponding to the command is executed (step 507).

  On the other hand, if the message is a synchronization control message, the message is notified to the distributed synchronization management unit 4, and the distributed synchronization management unit 4 converts the message into a command (step 508). The distributed synchronization management unit 4 requests the component corresponding to the command among the synchronization control information management unit 5 and the object information management unit 6 to execute the command (step 509). The corresponding function is determined by the type of the target data of the command (synchronous control information or object information). Upon receiving the notification, the synchronization control information management unit 5 or the object information management unit 6 reflects the contents described in the command in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a or the object information storage unit 2c (step 510). Here, the object to be reflected is not a temporary storage unit. When the processing is completed for all the messages acquired in step 504, the processing proceeds to the next processing (step 511).

  When processing of all acquired messages is completed, processing is performed for zero or more commands registered in step 503. First, for each command registered in the distributed synchronization management 4, a request is made to reflect the contents of the command in the storage unit 2 to any of the functions of the corresponding synchronization control information management unit 5 and object information management unit 6 (steps). 512, 513). Here, since the object editing command is assumed, the object to be requested is the object information management unit 6.

  The object information management unit 6 compares the version of the object information included in the command and stored in the object information temporary storage unit 2d with the version of the object information stored in the object information storage unit 2c. If the versions match or the version of the object information included in the command is small, it is determined that there is a conflict (step 514).

  If there is no conflict, the distributed synchronization management unit 4 converts the command into a message and requests the message control unit 3 to notify the command (step 515).

  The message control unit 3 acquires the notification destination of the group sharing the target object from the synchronization control information storage unit 2a, selects the communication units 8a to 8c corresponding to the notification destination, and requests message notification to the notification destination. .

  On the other hand, if there is a conflict, the object information management unit 6 notifies the tool of the contents of the stored command and that it has been canceled (step 517).

  Next, the registration command processed by the distributed synchronization management unit 4 is deleted (step 518).

  The above processing is performed for all commands registered in the distributed synchronization management unit 4 (step 519).

  After processing of all commands is completed, the message control unit 3 discards the data in the object information temporary storage unit 2b and the synchronization control information temporary storage unit 2d (step 520).

  The above is the message reflection / notification processing performed periodically.

  The editing of the group information 301 and member information 302 shown in FIG. 2 is reflected on the other terminals of the group by substantially the same processing. The difference is that the object reflecting the process in step 502 is the synchronization information temporary storage unit 2b, the object reflecting the process in step 513 is the synchronization information storage unit 2a, and steps 502, 503, The module that performs processing in 513 and 517 is not the object information management unit 6 but the synchronization control information management unit 5.

  In order to realize the information synchronization procedure described above, each terminal constituting the group holds the latest information on the group information and group member information (collectively referred to as synchronization control information) to which the terminal belongs. I have to do it. Therefore, if a function for supporting addition or deletion of a new member to a group is not provided, the synchronization control information on each terminal must be manually changed for each process, which is not realistic.

  In the following, a new group creation and group invitation procedure in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a new group creation and group invitation procedure in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  First, the invitation source terminal registers new group information in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a using the API provided by the synchronization control information management unit 5 (step 601).

  Next, using the API provided by the synchronization control information management unit 5, add yourself as a participant in the created group. Specifically, the user identifier of the user holding the terminal is added to the participating member identifier of the group information (step 602). This completes the new group creation process.

  Next, an invitation to the group is created using the API provided by the invitation unit 7. The invitation is created in a form that can be handled by the user, such as a file (step 603).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an invitation created by the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the invitation includes a group identifier, group explanation information (group name, group purpose, etc.), and invitation source member information (stored in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a). It consists of Here, the reason why the group information itself stored in the synchronization control information storage unit 2b is not included is that detailed information such as participating member information is passed to a user who has not yet confirmed participation in the group. This is to improve security.

  Next, the invitation created in this way is distributed to the invitee terminal (step 604). Distribution is done manually. For example, distribution is performed by attaching to a mail or via a physical medium such as a floppy.

  In the invitation destination terminal, the acquired invitation is read into the system using the API provided by the invitation unit 7 (step 605).

  When the invitation unit 7 has successfully read the invitation, the invitation unit 7 notifies the tool of the event, and the tool asks the user whether or not to join the group. Participation / non-participation is transmitted to the system by an API provided by the invitation unit 7, and when not participating, the invitation unit 7 discards the retrieved invitation information, and the process ends (step 606).

  On the other hand, when participating, after recording the invitation source member information included in the invitation in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a, a participation request message is created (step 607).

  Thereafter, the message control unit 3 is requested to notify the invitation source terminal of the participation request message, and the participation request message is notified to the invitation source terminal using the member information recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a ( Step 608).

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a participation request message notified to the terminal in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the participation request message includes a group identifier of a group that wants to participate and member information of a terminal holding user who requests participation.

  In the invitation source terminal, the message control unit 3 acquires the participation request message notified in step 608 and notifies the invitation unit 7 (step 609).

  The invitation unit 7 notifies the tool of a participation request message acquisition event. The tool usually gives the invited user a dialog confirming whether or not the user who has notified the participation request message can participate, and notifies the system of participation permission / denial using the API provided by the invitation unit 7. (Step 610).

  If the participation is not permitted, the process is terminated (or the fact that the participation is not permitted may be transmitted to the invitee terminal).

  When participation is permitted, member addition is notified to all terminals constituting the group. The member addition notification includes member information of the member to be added (described in the participation request message 702) (step 611).

  Each terminal that has received the notification adds member information to the synchronization control information storage unit 2a in each synchronization control information management unit 5, and the member described in the participation request message in the participation member identifier of the group information An information member identifier is added (step 612).

  Next, the invitation unit 7 of the invitation source terminal notifies the invitation destination terminal of the group information of the group permitted to join, the member information of the group members, and the object information shared by the group. 3 (step 613).

  In the invitation destination terminal, the notified group information, member information, and object information are recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a and the object information storage unit 2c by the synchronization control information management unit 5 and the object information management unit 6 (step 614).

  For messages that the invitation unit 7 requests the message control unit 3 to notify, the message control unit 3 periodically sends a message notification in the message reflection / notification processing in order for the invitation processing to proceed promptly. It is not performed, but is controlled in the message control unit 3 so that a message notification is performed each time a request is made.

  With the above processing, a new member can be registered in the group.

  Below, the effect of this form is demonstrated.

  In this embodiment, the information to be shared is stored in the storage unit of each terminal, and there is a temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the shared information, so that even if the terminal is not connected to the network, Editable. Furthermore, the editing contents performed without being connected to the network can be reflected immediately when connected to the network and can be kept in the same state as the terminals constituting the group.

  In this embodiment, the shared information is distributed only to the terminals that make up the group, not in an environment that can be accessed physically by any user, such as a server. The possibility of leaking outside the group is low.

  Further, in this embodiment, since group creation and modification are all performed by processing on the terminal and exchange between terminals, the group management function is not limited by the capability of the server or the operation.

  Further, in this embodiment, the update of shared information is automatically transmitted to the terminal by the message reflection / notification process shown in FIG. 7, so that the terminal always keeps up-to-date information without the user performing the acquisition process. You can grasp.

  Further, in this embodiment, the communication protocol that provides the message transmission and reception message acquisition functions can be used regardless of the communication protocol to be used as long as the message transmission function and the reception function can be called from the message control section. For this reason, when a server that can be operated for 24 hours cannot be prepared, the information sharing function can be used by using a communication protocol that does not require a server.

  In this embodiment, since the tool can be mounted using a common API provided by the data processing device, the data processing device is not updated every time a new tool is mounted, and the tool can be easily mounted. It is.

  Further, in this embodiment, the message notification and reflection process for sharing and the user operation process on the local terminal operate asynchronously, so that the process responsiveness to the user is high. In other words, the user can use the tool without being aware of sharing, except that a conflict may occur.

  Further, in this embodiment, the storage unit has a temporary storage unit, and the change of the shared information made by the API call from the tool is first reflected in the temporary storage unit, and the change of the shared information by the notification from the other terminal is performed. After reflecting in the storage unit, when reflecting the change of the shared information recorded in the temporary storage unit to the storage unit, the conflict is determined by comparing the version information added to the shared information, and immediately after the determination By deleting the information in the temporary storage unit, it is possible to cope with the contention without holding a lot of information, so that each terminal does not press the memory with the information for dealing with the contention.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, even when a plurality of terminals simultaneously perform editing reflection processing on the same shared information, each terminal constituting the group can keep the shared information in the same state.

  For example, in the first embodiment, when the terminal A and the terminal B perform editing on the file α almost simultaneously, and the message reflection / acquisition processing is performed at the same timing, the terminal A describes the editing contents of the terminal B. It is possible that the edited content of the terminal A is transmitted before the acquired message is acquired, and the terminal B transmits the edited content of the terminal B before acquiring the message describing the edited content of the terminal A. In the first embodiment, the terminal A and the terminal B have different files α in this case. However, in this embodiment, the terminals A and B and other terminals constituting the group are also used in this case. Can all remain the same for file α. Moreover, in order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to hold the time when the processing of the terminal A and the terminal B is performed and to determine that the processing performed first is prioritized. In order to cope with this, a server that manages the unified time is required. In this embodiment, the state of each terminal is kept in the same state without a server for managing the unified time.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described function is realized by performing conflict determination and handling even when a command corresponding to an operation performed on a remote terminal is reflected. Although the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the operations of the object information management unit 6, the synchronization control information management unit 5, and the distributed synchronization management unit 4 are partially different.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining another example of message reflection / notification processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG. Only processing steps different from those of the first embodiment will be described below.

  The processing in steps 701 to 704 is the same as the processing in steps 504 to 507 shown in FIG.

  In step 705, the distributed synchronization management unit 4 converts the acquired message into a command and simultaneously records it as a notified command.

  Thereafter, when the distributed synchronization management unit 4 requests the object information management unit 6 or the synchronization control information management unit 5 corresponding to the command to execute the command (step 706), the object information management unit 6 or the synchronization control information management unit 5 acquires the version of the shared information to be commanded from the object information storage unit 2d or the synchronization control information storage unit 2a, and compares it with the version of the shared information included in the command. If the versions match or the version of the shared information included in the command is small, it is determined that there is a conflict (step 707).

  When it is determined that there is no conflict, the contents of the command are reflected in the corresponding storage unit (step 708). When it is determined that there is a conflict, the object information management unit 6 or the synchronization control information management unit 5 extracts a command targeting the same object as the processing target object of the command handled this time from the notified command recorded by the distributed synchronization management unit 4 (step 710).

  Next, the content of the conflict (the member that generated the command and the content of the command) is notified to the tool from the acquired command and the command that has been processed this time (step 711).

  Further, the conflicting object is changed to a synchronous error state (step 712).

  These processes mean that when the operation contents are notified at the same time, it is not possible to automatically determine which one should be prioritized, so that the person is notified of the state and requested to take action.

  12 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the object information stored in the object information storage unit 2c illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the object information is recorded in the object information storage unit in a format that can describe the synchronization error state. An object in the error state is controlled by the object information management unit 6 so that it can be referenced and deleted but cannot be edited.

  The subsequent processing of steps 713 to 718 is the same as the processing of steps 512 to 517 shown in FIG.

  The processing contents at the time of unreported command processing recorded in the distributed synchronization management unit 4 are partially different. When the notification is completed for these commands, the distributed synchronization management unit 4 re-registers the processed command as a notified command (step 719). Further, the notified command processed in the previous message reflection / notification process is deleted (step 720).

  In this way, by recording the command that was processed last time in the regular message reflection / notification processing, it is possible to grasp the content of the conflict when the conflict is detected. However, when a message exchanged between terminals is delayed somewhere in the communication path, the command subject to competition may not be included in the previous command. In this case, the content of the conflict cannot be correctly grasped, but an older command can be recorded so that the content of the contention can be correctly grasped.

  Below, the effect of this form is demonstrated.

  In this embodiment, the notified command and the command notified from the remote terminal are stored until the next message reflection / notification process is completed, and the conflict determination and the countermeasure are performed even when the operation performed on the remote terminal is reflected. Therefore, even if multiple terminals perform the reflection process for editing the same shared information at the same time, the terminals that make up the group can share the shared information without using the server that manages the unified time. It is possible to keep it in the same state.

(Third embodiment)
The tools realized using this embodiment have different types of information shared by each tool, but the shared information handled by each tool is expressed in a common frame called object information. For example, in the case of a schedule management tool, schedule information (eg, a project meeting is performed in a conference room from 10:00) is defined as one object information. In the case of a file management tool, file information (eg, file size, file type, hierarchical structure, etc.) and file data are defined as object information having a different object type from the schedule information.

  Here, a competition determination process is considered. In the first and second embodiments, the unit for performing the conflict determination process is object information. In this case, the following problems may occur.

-File name change and file content editing are judged as conflicts-File movement and file content editing are judged as conflicts-File additional information (comment) changes and file editing conflicts In any case, the two processes should not be judged as conflicts. All of these problems are that the contents expressed in the object information are divided into several parts and treated as one object information in the system even though the contents do not interfere with each other. Is caused.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the object information stored in the object information storage unit 2c illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the object information is divided into four parts other than the object identifier. A meta information part 403a, a file information part 403b, a parent-child relation information part 403c, and a unique information part 403c. The meta information part 403a includes a meta information version, an object name, an object type, and a synchronization error state. In addition to these, additional information such as the last update date and updater information may be included. When the information included in the meta information unit 403a is changed, the meta information version is incremented. The file information part 403b is described only in the case of an object including a file, and the file information version is incremented when the content of the file is edited. The file identifier is a value indicating the location of the file data when the file data is held separately from the object information. The parent-child relationship information section 403c includes a parent-child relationship version and parent object data. In addition to these, additional information related to the parent-child relationship may be included. When the information included in the parent-child relationship information unit 403c is changed, the parent-child relationship version is incremented. The unique information part 403d includes a unique information version and unique information. When the information included in the unique information part is changed, the unique information version is incremented.

  The object information management unit 6 provides an editing API for each information unit to the tool. In the processing of the command corresponding to each editing API, the competition is determined by comparing the versions for each information part. As a result, even for the same object, editing processes with different target information parts do not compete with each other.

  When this object representation is applied to a file, for example, the file name is described in the meta information section, the file data is described in the file information section, the parent folder information is described in the parent-child relationship information section, and additional information such as comments is described in the unique information section. It will be. As a result, the file name change in the local terminal does not conflict with file data editing, file movement, and file comment editing.

  Below, the effect of this form is demonstrated.

  In this embodiment, the object expression is divided into meta information, file information, parent-child relationship information, and unique information, and version management is performed, so that unnecessary competition can be prevented. Further, by realizing the object representation and the conflict handling process for general purposes, it is not necessary to implement a different conflict handling process for each tool.

(Fourth embodiment)
In this embodiment, authority control of each member of the group can be realized. For example, control such as allowing the user A to refer to the file but not to edit the file is realized without using the server.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the information sharing space providing system of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 14, this embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that an authority management unit 20 is added. The authority management unit 20 provides the tools 9a to 9c with an API for controlling authority information called a role (new registration, editing, and deletion), and adding and deleting roles to members. It also provides an API for notifying the tools 9a to 9c of events such as control of generated role information and addition / deletion of roles to members. Further, the role information and group information are changed and the corresponding conflict handling process is performed on the synchronization control information storage unit 2a and the synchronization control information temporary storage unit 2b.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of role information and group information stored in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a and the synchronization control information temporary storage unit 2b illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the role information 601 can be defined for each group, and has a group identifier and a role identifier as identification information. The role identifier is a unique value in the group. Also, it consists of a version, role name, and a list of permitted commands or a list of prohibited commands used for conflict handling processing. (If a permitted command is described, commands that are not described must be prohibited. (If a prohibited command is described, it indicates that an undescribed command is permitted.) In the group information 602, a role identifier given to a participating member is described for each participating member identifier.

  The operation in this embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining object editing support processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  After the object edit is input from the tools 9a to 9c (step 801), it is determined with reference to the role information 601 and the group information 602 whether the target processing is permitted by the object information management unit 6 (step 802). ).

  If the processing is not permitted, the object information management unit 6 notifies the execution failure to the tools 9a to 9c (step 803), and the process ends. If it is permitted, the same processing as steps 502 and 503 in the first to third embodiments is executed (steps 804 and 805).

  The message reflection / notification process is basically the same as the flow shown in FIG. 11, but the process contents at the time of conflict determination are different. If it is determined in step 707 that there is a conflict during processing of the command notified from the remote terminal, the synchronization control information management unit 5, the object information management unit 6, and the invitation unit 7 send the user corresponding to the notified remote terminal to the user. Whether or not the notified command processing is permitted is determined with reference to the role information and group information. If it is not permitted, that is, if it is determined that there is no authority to execute the command, it is determined that the command is in conflict. In step 710, in the case of authority management conflict, it is determined that the command that changed the role of the terminal holding user or the command that changed the role information of the terminal holding user is a conflict command.

  In step 715, when a conflict determination is made during processing of a command generated at the local terminal, it is again determined whether the local terminal holding member is permitted the target processing. If it is determined that it is not permitted, it is determined as a conflict.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the command execution authority is granted, the reflection is executed.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining the role editing support process in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  This is the same as the object editing corresponding process, except that the authority management unit 20 performs the process of the object information management unit 6.

  Since the role addition / deletion processing procedure for members is the same as the synchronization control information editing processing such as member addition / deletion, description thereof will be omitted.

  Below, the effect of this form is demonstrated.

  In this form, the authority information of each member constituting the group is expressed by role information and a role identifier for each member described in the group information. An API for adding and deleting, and an API for notifying the tool of events such as control of generated role information and addition / deletion of roles to members are provided, and the synchronization control information storage unit 2a and synchronization control information temporary storage unit 2b are provided. In addition, the authority management unit 20 that performs the role information and group information change and the corresponding conflict handling process is added, and the command execution authority is confirmed during the command processing in the object information management unit 6 and the synchronization control information management unit 5, If there is no authority, cancel the command execution or determine that there is a conflict. Authority control of Nba can be realized.

(Fifth embodiment)
Depending on the protocol used to send and receive messages, message delays may occur. When a plurality of update messages for the same object are notified and if the message is processed by the terminal with a delay due to a delay, it is erroneously determined as a conflict in the conflict determination in step 707 of FIG. End up. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a conflict is not erroneously determined even when a message delay occurs.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the information sharing space providing system of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the present embodiment is configured by adding an accumulated command storage unit 2e to the storage unit 2 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining message reflection / notification processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG.

  Only processing steps different from those of the second embodiment will be described below.

  In the message conflict determination (step 707), the object information management unit 6 or the synchronization control information management unit 5 obtains the version of the shared information to be commanded from the object information storage unit 2d or the synchronization control information storage unit 2a, and the command Compare with the version of shared information contained in. At this time, if it is determined that the version of the shared information included in the command is larger than the version of the storage unit and there is a command that has not arrived due to the difference in version (for example, 1 is added to the version every time information is updated) If there is a difference of two or more, it can be determined that there is an unreachable command), and it is determined that the command to be processed is accumulated.

  The command determined to be stored is held in the stored command storage unit 2e by the distributed synchronization management unit 4 (step 901).

  After the processing of all the acquired messages is completed (step 709), the distributed synchronization management unit 4 checks whether there is a command recorded in the accumulated command storage unit 2e.

  If there is an accumulated command, one accumulated command is taken out from the accumulated command storage unit 2e, and a command corresponding to the command is requested to be executed. Thereafter, the same steps as the execution processing of the command acquired from the message are taken. Prior to the registration command processing, all accumulated commands are processed (step 902).

  In this way, by determining the presence of a delayed message by version and accumulating the next message until the delayed message arrives, even if a message delay occurs, it is not erroneously determined as a conflict. .

(Sixth embodiment)
When one extra terminal can be prepared, the reliability of information sharing can be increased by implementing the configuration described below. This terminal is hereinafter referred to as a master terminal. It is desirable that the master terminal is always activated.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the entire system.

  As shown in FIG. 20, there is always a master terminal among a plurality of terminals constituting a group that can exchange messages with each other in the network.

  In addition to some terminals other than the master terminal (hereinafter referred to as general terminals), the master terminal must be in a group.

  21 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the general terminal illustrated in FIG. 20, and FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the master terminal illustrated in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the general terminal in this embodiment is provided with a master terminal cooperation unit 811 in addition to the terminal configuration (FIG. 1) in the first embodiment. Further, the operation of the distributed synchronization management unit 4 is partially different. In addition, the storage unit 2 includes a master terminal information storage unit 2f and a provisional execution command storage unit 2g.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing master terminal information stored in the master terminal information storage unit 2f shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the master terminal information stored in the master terminal information storage unit 2f describes a master terminal identifier, an information notification destination to the master terminal, and the like. When a plurality of pieces of master terminal information are registered, the user can select which master terminal to participate when creating a group. Further, the group information stored in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a is partially different. As shown in FIG. 23, the identifier of the master terminal of the group is added to the group information (822).

  As shown in FIG. 22, the configuration of the master terminal in this embodiment is almost the same as that of a general terminal. However, in addition to the configuration of the terminal in the first embodiment (FIG. 1), a master terminal control unit 812 is implemented. ing. Further, the operation of the distributed synchronization management unit 4 is partially different.

  Since most of the master terminal and the general terminal perform the same operation, it is possible to switch the general terminal and the master terminal with the same module by implementing the distributed synchronization management unit 4 so that the operation is switched depending on whether or not the master terminal is the master terminal. Can be realized.

  In this embodiment, the operation at the time of creating a group and the operation at the time of message reflection / notification processing are partially different from those in the other embodiments.

  FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an operation when creating a group in the system shown in FIG.

  The master terminal cooperation unit 811 of the general terminal monitors the group creation process in response to an instruction from the user in the synchronization control information management unit 5. When group creation occurs (steps 901 and 902), the master terminal cooperation unit 811 determines whether or not the group needs to participate in the master terminal (step 903). Whether or not there is linkage is specified by the creator at the time of group creation using group attributes. If cooperation is required, the master terminal is added to the group participant information (step 904), and the message processor 3 is requested to notify the message for forcibly inviting the master terminal (step 905). Group information and participating member information are notified in the message for forcibly inviting the master terminal.

  The master terminal receives the message for compulsory invitation, and the master terminal control unit 812 notifies the synchronization control information management unit 5 to make the master terminal participate in the designated group. Specifically, the synchronization control information management unit 5 registers the group information and group member information included in the message forcibly invited in the synchronization control information storage unit 2a.

  Furthermore, the master terminal control unit 812 of the master terminal notifies the invitation terminal of the participation process result (step 907). When this notification is received and the participation of the master terminal is successful, the processing is terminated. When joining fails, the master terminal cooperation unit 811 deletes the master terminal from the group participants (step 909), and notifies the tool of master terminal joining failure (step 910).

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart for explaining message reflection / notification processing in the master terminal shown in FIG.

  The message reflection / notification process in the master terminal differs from the message reflection / notification process in the general terminal in other embodiments in two points. The first point is that the distributed synchronization management unit 5 notifies the notification source node of a cancel message when it is determined that there is a conflict in the determination of the acquisition message conflict (step 921). The cancel message contains all the content of the conflicting message, and information that caused the conflict (for example, if the final edit was stored in the storage unit, the conflicting process was performed. Member can be acquired).

  Another point is that after reflecting the command which has not become a conflict, the command is converted into a message and notified to all participating terminals (step 922).

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart for explaining message reflection / notification processing in the general terminal shown in FIG.

  If the acquired message is a synchronization control message, it is determined whether or not it is a cancel message (step 923). If the message is a cancel message, the distributed synchronization management unit 4 converts the message into a command (step 924), and responds to the corresponding object information management 6 or synchronization control information management 5 from the command included in the cancel message. The data in the temporary storage unit is deleted (step 925), and the cancellation content is notified to the tool (step 926). If it is not a cancel message, it is processed as a normal synchronization control message.

  Further, the synchronization control message that is not the cancel message is converted into a command by the distributed synchronization management unit 4 (step 705), and the contents of the command are stored in the corresponding storage unit by the corresponding object information management unit 6 or the synchronization control information management unit 5. It is reflected (step 708). Here, since the master terminal is dealing with the conflicting message, it is not necessary for the general terminal to perform the conflict determination.

  Also, after the command is reflected in the storage unit (step 708), the distributed synchronization management unit 4 determines whether the command is a command transmitted by the own node (step 928). If the command is transmitted by the own node, the object information management unit 6 or the synchronization control information management unit 5 deletes the information in the temporary storage unit corresponding to the command and the temporary execution command storage unit 2g (step 929). That is, the editing process that has occurred at the terminal is not reflected for the first time when the message notified from the terminal is notified from the master terminal.

  Furthermore, after the processing of the acquisition message is completed, the distributed synchronization management unit 4 requests only the contention determination to the storage unit to the function corresponding to the registration command (step 930) (as described above, this reflection is (This is not executed at this timing because it is performed in response to a notification from the master terminal). The requested object information management unit 6 or synchronization control information management unit 5 makes a conflict determination. If there is no conflict, the message processing unit 3 is notified (step 716), and the command information is sent to the temporary execution command storage unit 2g. Is recorded (step 932). Here, the contents of the command and the storage limit time are recorded in the provisional execution command storage unit 2g. The requested message processing unit 3 does not notify the message to all the nodes constituting the group, but notifies the master terminal (step 933). The master terminal of the notification destination is described in the group information (822).

  Furthermore, the registration command processed immediately before the command processing is not deleted, and the data in the temporary storage unit is not discarded even after the processing of all the registration commands is completed. These data are deleted when the message notified by the terminal is notified from the master terminal (step 929).

  Furthermore, after the processing of all registered commands is completed, the distributed synchronization management unit 4 checks whether there is any command whose storage limit time has passed in the temporary execution command storage unit (step 934). If there is a command that has passed the storage limit time, the corresponding object information management unit 6 or synchronization control information management unit 5 deletes the data in the temporary storage unit (step 935), and notifies the tool of the cancellation content. (Step 936). That is, a command that is not notified from the master terminal until the storage limit time is treated as canceled.

  In this way, the master terminal and the general terminal operate and the master terminal handles the conflict in the notified message, so that multiple nodes simultaneously edit the same object as shown in the second embodiment. However, the object and the synchronization control information will not be in a synchronization error state in the general terminal. Accordingly, it is not necessary for the user to manually perform synchronization recovery processing for the synchronization error object and synchronization control information at each node.

(Seventh embodiment)
In this embodiment, the function of the master terminal described in the sixth embodiment is further enhanced to further increase the reliability of information sharing.

  Depending on the protocol that implements the communication unit, a situation where a message is lost may occur. If the message is lost, it is difficult to keep the synchronization state in the group in the embodiments so far.

  In the sixth embodiment, when the message notified from the general terminal to the master terminal is lost, the notification is not returned from the master terminal, so the storage limit time of the temporary execution command is exceeded and it is determined to be canceled. (Steps 934-936). Therefore, even if the notification message from the general terminal to the master terminal is lost, the synchronization state can be maintained. However, when the notification from the master terminal to the general terminal is lost, the state of the general terminal becomes an old state and the sharing state collapses.

  As described in the sixth embodiment, the latest shared state is held in the master terminal. Therefore, the general terminal periodically compares the status of the master terminal with the status of its own terminal, and if there is a discrepancy, copy the status of the master terminal so that the synchronization status can be maintained even if a message loss occurs. To do.

  27 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the general terminal shown in FIG. 20, and FIG. 28 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the master terminal shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 27, a synchronization check unit 813 is mounted on the general terminal in this embodiment, and a synchronization check processing unit 814 is mounted on the master terminal in this embodiment as shown in FIG.

  In this embodiment, a general terminal periodically executes a synchronization check process that involves a synchronization recovery process.

  FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the synchronization check process accompanied by the synchronization recovery process.

  In the general terminal, the synchronization check unit 813 periodically sends a synchronization check request notification to the master terminal (actually, the notification is notified via the message processing unit 3) (step 941). In the synchronization check request, message identification, an identifier of the synchronization check target group, and information on the notification source terminal are described.

  In the master terminal, the synchronization check processing unit 814 receives the synchronization check request via the message processing unit 3 and the distributed synchronization management unit 4 (step 942). The synchronization check processing unit 814 obtains the synchronization control information and object information of the group corresponding to the group identifier described in the synchronization check request from the synchronization control information management unit 5 and the object information management unit 6 (step 943). From the acquired information, group synchronization control information and object information comparison information (for example, identifiers and versions of all information) are collected and notified as a response to the synchronization check to the terminal that has notified the synchronization check request (step 944). ).

  The synchronization check unit 813 of the general terminal receives the response of the synchronization check, acquires the synchronization control information and object information of the corresponding group from the synchronization control information management unit 5 and the object information management unit 6, and receives the received comparison information Compare (step 946). For example, the identifiers of all the information are compared, and it is compared whether there is no information that does not exist or information that does not match the version. If the information matches, the synchronization check process ends because the synchronization state is maintained. If they do not match, synchronization recovery processing is executed for each piece of information that does not match.

In the synchronization recovery process, if the comparison information notified in the response of the synchronization check has sufficient information (step 948), the synchronization control information management unit 5 or the object information management unit 6 replaces the information with the information for comparison. Request (step 954). If the information notified in the response of the synchronization check is insufficient, the synchronization check unit 813 notifies the master terminal of an acquisition request for information that does not match (step 949). The synchronization check processing unit 814 of the master terminal receives the information acquisition request (step 950), acquires the corresponding information from the synchronization control information management unit 5 or the object information management unit 6, and notifies it to the requested general terminal ( Step 952). Upon receiving this notification, the synchronization check unit 813 of the general terminal requests the synchronization control information management unit 5 or the object information management unit 6 to replace the information (step 954).
By operating in this way, even when a message is lost, synchronization between group participating terminals can be maintained, and reliability of information sharing can be increased.

  The present invention can be applied to the use of a program base that supports group collaborative work, in particular, a program base that supports non-fixed group collaborative work. A non-fixed group is, for example, a product development project composed of different members of an organization, or a standardization work team composed of different members of a company. Examples of programs that support collaborative work include tools for sharing files, tools for sharing schedules, and tools for sharing and managing tasks.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the information sharing space provision system of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the synchronous control information memorize | stored in the synchronous control information storage part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the object information memorize | stored in the object information management part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the message which the message control part shown in FIG. 1 handles. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the command which the object information management part shown in FIG. 1 produces | generates. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the object edit corresponding | compatible process in the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the reflection / notification process of the message in the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the new creation of a group in the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. 1, and the invitation procedure to a group. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the invitation created by the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the participation request message notified to a terminal in the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining another example of message reflection / notification processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the object information memorize | stored in the object information storage part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the object information memorize | stored in the object information storage part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the information sharing space provision system of this invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of role information and group information stored in the synchronization control information storage unit and the synchronization control information temporary storage unit illustrated in FIG. 14. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the object edit corresponding | compatible process in the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the role edit corresponding | compatible process in the information sharing space provision system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the information sharing space provision system of this invention. FIG. 19 is a flowchart for describing message reflection / notification processing in the information sharing space providing system shown in FIG. 18. FIG. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the whole system. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the general terminal shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the master terminal shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the master terminal information memorize | stored in the master terminal information storage part shown in FIG. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an operation when creating a group in the system shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining message reflection / notification processing in the master terminal shown in FIG. 20; 21 is a flowchart illustrating message reflection / notification processing in the general terminal illustrated in FIG. 20. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the general terminal shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the master terminal shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the synchronous check process accompanied by a synchronous recovery process. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional electronic information sharing system which shares information among the specified several users. It is a figure which shows the other example of the conventional computer system which shares information between the specified several users.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Data processing part 2 Memory | storage part 3 Message control part 4 Distributed synchronization management part 5 Synchronization control information management part 6 Object information management part 7 Invitation part 8a-8c Communication part 9a-9c Tool 10-12 Terminal 20 Authority management part 301,602 Group information 302 Member information 401, 402, 403a to 403d Object information 601 Role information 801 Message 802 Command

Claims (39)

An information sharing space providing system for sharing information between a plurality of terminals,
Each of the plurality of terminals is
Storage means for holding object information to be shared and synchronization control information including group information of a group to which a user holding a terminal belongs and member information of members of the group;
Message control means for periodically sending and receiving messages with other terminals constituting the group;
A distributed synchronization management means for temporarily storing a command requested to be notified, and performing execution control of the command notified from the stored command and other terminals constituting the group;
Providing the user with the function to use the shared information, providing the control API of the synchronization control information to the tool for interacting with the user, generating and generating a command corresponding to the call of the control API of the synchronization control information And the command notified from the other terminal constituting the group is reflected in the storage means, the conflict handling process is performed at the time of reflection, and the notification to the other terminals constituting the command group is sent to the distributed synchronization management means Synchronization control information management means to request,
The object information control API is provided to the tool, a command corresponding to the call of the object information control API is generated, and the generated command and a command notified from another terminal constituting the group are stored in the storage unit. Object information management means for performing a conflict handling process at the time of reflection and requesting the distributed synchronization management means to notify other terminals constituting the command group;
Provided to the tool a control API related to group member addition, generates a command corresponding to a call of the control API related to group member addition, and a command notified from the generated command and other terminals constituting the group And inviting means for requesting the message control means to notify the other terminals constituting the command group,
Communication means for exchanging information between terminals constituting a group,
The distributed synchronization management means temporarily stores a command requested to be notified from the synchronization control information management means and the object information management means ,
The storage means
An object information storage unit for storing the object information common to other terminals constituting the group;
An object information temporary storage unit for storing the object information reflecting an operation performed on a local terminal;
A synchronization control information storage unit for storing the synchronization control information common to other terminals constituting the group;
An information sharing space providing system comprising : a synchronization control information temporary storage unit that stores the synchronization control information reflecting an operation performed at a local terminal . The information sharing space providing system according to claim 1 ,
The contention handling process is recorded in the synchronization control information or object information version recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit or the object information storage unit, and in the synchronization control information temporary storage unit or the object information temporary storage unit. An information sharing space providing system characterized in that it is performed by comparing the synchronization control information or the version of the object information. In the information sharing space providing system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The message control means includes a command generated at a local terminal after receiving a message from another terminal constituting the group and reflecting the received message by the synchronization control information managing means or the object information managing means. As a result of performing the reflection process and the conflict handling process, an information sharing space providing system is characterized in that only commands that have not been determined to be in conflict are notified to other terminals constituting the group. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A process when the control API of the synchronization control information in the synchronization control information management unit is called and a process when the control API of the object information in the object information management unit is called constitutes a group in the message control unit An information sharing space providing system, which is performed asynchronously with a message transmission / reception process periodically performed with another terminal. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The message control means does not perform message transmission / reception during a period in which the terminal cannot transmit / receive messages to / from other terminals constituting the group, and calls the control API for synchronization control information provided by the synchronization control information management means, and A command created in response to a call to the control API for object information provided by the object information management means is continuously recorded in the distributed synchronization management means, and is recorded when message transmission / reception with other terminals becomes possible. An information sharing space providing system characterized by command notification. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The information sharing space providing system, wherein the synchronization control information is handled as information to be shared by the same mechanism as the object information. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
When there is a conflict, the synchronization control information management unit or the object information management unit cancels the command generated by the local terminal before notification from the two commands that cause the conflict. An information sharing space providing system characterized by notifying a tool of contents. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A system for providing an information sharing space, wherein an addition of a member to a group is realized by exchanging information between an inviter and an invitee using an invitation created on a terminal that has already joined. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
Provision of an information sharing space characterized in that an arbitrary tool that uses information sharing between groups is created using the API provided by the synchronization control information management means, the object information management means, and the invitation means system. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
An information sharing space providing system comprising a plurality of communication means having different communication protocols. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The distributed synchronization management means stores the notified command and the command notified from other terminals constituting the group until the processing of the next message is completed,
The information sharing space providing system, wherein the synchronization control information management unit and the object information management unit perform conflict determination and handling even in the process of reflecting a command notified from another terminal constituting the group. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11 ,
The storage means divides the object information into meta information, file information, parent-child relationship information, and unique information, and adds and stores version information respectively.
The information sharing space providing system, wherein the object information management means processes each piece of information of the object information independently. The information sharing space providing system according to claim 11 ,
The synchronization control information management unit and the object information management unit can synchronize the object information or the synchronization control information that is the target of the command when it is determined that the commands notified from other terminals constituting the group conflict. An information sharing space providing system for notifying the tool that it is not in a state. In the information sharing space providing system according to claim 11 or 13,
The synchronization control information management unit and the object information management unit are configured to perform synchronization control recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit or the object information storage unit at the time of reflecting a command notified from another terminal constituting the group. Information sharing characterized in that the contention determination is performed by comparing the version of the information or object information with the version of the synchronization control information or the object information described in the command notified from the other terminal constituting the group Space provision system. The information sharing space providing system according to claim 14 ,
The storage means includes an accumulated command storage unit that stores a command whose processing is temporarily suspended,
The synchronization control information management unit and the object information management unit are recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit or the object information storage unit in a conflict determination performed at the time of reflection processing of a command notified from another terminal constituting the group. When the version of the synchronization control information or object information being compared with the version of the synchronization control information or object information described in the command notified from another terminal that constitutes the group, Detect that there are unreported commands,
When it is detected that there is a command that has not been notified, the distributed synchronization management means records a command notified from another terminal that constitutes a group in the accumulated command storage unit, and records it in the accumulated command storage unit An information sharing space providing system that performs a reflection process on a received command in the same manner as a reflection process of a command notified from another terminal each time a message is transmitted / received. The information sharing space providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 15 ,
A group is defined by defining one of the plurality of terminals as a master terminal,
The distributed synchronization management means of terminals other than the master terminal constituting the group notifies the master terminal of a message to notify the group,
The distributed synchronization management means of the master terminal performs a conflict determination on the notified message, notifies the non-conflicting message to all terminals constituting the group, and conflicts the message only to the notified terminal. An information sharing space providing system characterized by notifying The information sharing space providing system according to claim 16 ,
Terminals other than the master terminal are
A master terminal cooperation unit that monitors group creation and forcibly invites the master terminal at the time of group creation; and
A master terminal information storage unit for storing information of the master terminal for invitation;
A temporary execution command storage unit that stores commands executed in the terminal until a notification from the master terminal is received;
The said master terminal has a master terminal control part which receives the invitation to a group from terminals other than the said master terminal, and participates in a group, The information sharing space provision system characterized by the above-mentioned. The information sharing space providing system according to claim 16 or 17 ,
The terminals other than the master terminal periodically check whether the information shared by the group is the same as the information shared by the group held by the master terminal, and if there is unequal information, It has a synchronization check part that copies information,
The master terminal has a synchronization check processing unit that receives the synchronization check request, obtains information for comparing the synchronization control information of the group and the object information held in the group, and responds to the terminal that has notified the synchronization check request. An information sharing space providing system characterized by The information sharing space providing system according to claim 18 ,
The synchronization check unit of the terminal other than the master terminal periodically checks whether the information shared by the group is equal to the information shared by the group held by the master terminal, and if there is unequal information, the master terminal Copy the information
The synchronization check processing unit of the master terminal receives the synchronization check request, acquires comparison information between the group synchronization control information and the object information held in the group, and returns a response to the terminal that has notified the synchronization check request. A unique information sharing space provision system. An information sharing space providing method for sharing information between a plurality of terminals,
Processing for storing object information to be shared and synchronization control information including group information of a group to which a user holding the terminal belongs and member information of members of the group in a storage unit in the terminal;
Processing for periodically sending and receiving messages with other terminals that constitute a group by means of message control means in the terminal;
The synchronization control information management means in the terminal provides the user with the function of using the shared information, provides the control API for the synchronization control information to the tool that interacts with the user, and controls the control API for the synchronization control information. Generate a command corresponding to the call to the command, reflect the generated command and a command notified from another terminal constituting the group to the storage means, perform a conflict handling process at the time of reflection, and configure the command group Processing to request notifications to other devices,
The object information management means in the terminal provides an object information control API to the tool, generates a command corresponding to the call of the object information control API, and configures the generated command and other groups. A process in which a command notified from a terminal is reflected in the storage means, a conflict handling process is performed at the time of reflection, and a request to be notified to other terminals constituting the group of the command;
The invitation means in the terminal provides a control API for adding a group member to the tool, generates a command corresponding to the control API call for adding a group member, and forms the generated command and group A process of reflecting a command notified from another terminal to the storage unit, and requesting the message control unit to notify the other terminal constituting the command group;
The distributed synchronization management means in the terminal temporarily stores the command requested to be notified from the synchronization control information management means and the object information management means, and is notified from the saved terminal and other terminals constituting the group. It was closed and the process that controls the execution of the command,
further,
Processing to store the object information common to other terminals constituting the group in the object information storage unit;
A process of storing the object information reflecting an operation performed on a local terminal in an object information temporary storage unit;
Processing to store the synchronization control information common to other terminals constituting the group in the synchronization control information storage unit;
And a process of storing the synchronization control information reflecting the operation performed at the local terminal in the synchronization control information temporary storage unit . The information sharing space providing method according to claim 20 ,
A version of the synchronization control information or object information recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit or the object information storage unit, and the synchronization control information recorded in the synchronization control information temporary storage unit or the object information temporary storage unit, or A method for providing an information sharing space, wherein the conflict handling process is performed by comparing the version of object information. The information sharing space providing method according to claim 20 or 21 ,
After the message control means receives a message from another terminal constituting the group and reflects the received message, the reflection process of the command generated in the local terminal and the conflict handling process are performed. A method for providing an information sharing space, wherein only commands that are not determined to be notified to other terminals constituting the group. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 22 ,
The message control unit forms a group when the synchronization control information control API is called by the synchronization control information management unit and when the object information control API is called by the object information management unit. A method for providing an information sharing space, which is performed asynchronously with a message transmission / reception process periodically performed with another terminal. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 23 ,
The message control means does not perform message transmission / reception during a period in which the terminal cannot transmit / receive messages to / from other terminals constituting the group, and calls the control API for the synchronization control information provided by the synchronization control information management means, and A command created in response to a call to the control API for object information provided by the object information management means is continuously recorded in the distributed synchronization management means, and is recorded when message transmission / reception with other terminals becomes possible. A method for providing an information sharing space, characterized by notifying a command. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 24 ,
An information sharing space providing method, wherein the synchronization control information is handled as information to be shared by the same mechanism as the object information. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 24 ,
If there is a conflict by the synchronization control information management unit or the object information management unit, the command generated at the local terminal before notification is canceled out of the two commands that caused the conflict. An information sharing space providing method characterized by notifying a tool of contents. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 26 ,
A method for providing an information sharing space, characterized in that adding a member to a group is realized by exchanging information between an invitation source and an invitation destination using an invitation created at a terminal that has already joined. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 27 ,
An information sharing space providing method for creating an arbitrary tool that uses information sharing between groups using an API provided by the synchronization control information management means, the object information management means, and the invitation means . The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 28 ,
A method for providing an information sharing space, comprising: selecting a communication unit corresponding to a communication protocol to be used from a plurality of communication units having different communication protocols. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 29 ,
A process of storing the notified command and the command notified from other terminals constituting the group by the distributed synchronization management unit until the next message control is completed;
Providing an information sharing space, comprising: a process for determining and coping with contention when reflecting a command notified from another terminal constituting the group by the synchronization control information management means and the object information management means Method. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 30 ,
The object information is divided into meta information, file information, parent-child relationship information, and unique information, and each version information is added and stored in the storage means, and the object information management means converts the individual information of the object information. An information sharing space providing method, wherein the information sharing space is processed independently. The information sharing space providing method according to claim 30 ,
Synchronization control recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit or the object information storage unit at the time of reflection processing of commands notified from other terminals constituting the group by the synchronization control information management unit and the object information management unit Information sharing characterized in that the contention determination is performed by comparing the version of the information or object information with the version of the synchronization control information or the object information described in the command notified from the other terminal constituting the group Space provision method. The information sharing space providing method according to claim 32 ,
When it is determined by the synchronization control information management means and the object information management means that the commands notified from other terminals constituting the group conflict, the object information or the synchronization control information that is the target of the command can be synchronized. A method for providing an information sharing space, wherein the tool is notified that it is not in a state. The information sharing space providing method according to claim 32 ,
Store the temporarily suspended command in the accumulated command storage unit,
Recorded in the synchronization control information storage unit or the object information storage unit in the conflict determination performed at the time of reflection processing of commands notified from other terminals constituting the group by the synchronization control information management unit and the object information management unit. When the version of the synchronization control information or object information being compared with the version of the synchronization control information or object information described in the command notified from another terminal that constitutes the group, Detect that there are unreported commands,
When it is detected by the distributed synchronization management means that there is a command that has not been notified, the command notified from the other terminals constituting the group is recorded in the accumulated command storage unit and recorded in the accumulated command storage unit A method for providing an information sharing space, wherein a reflection process is performed on a received command in the same way as a reflection process of a command notified from another terminal each time a message is transmitted and received. The information sharing space providing method according to any one of claims 20 to 34 ,
A group is defined by defining one of the plurality of terminals as a master terminal,
By the distributed synchronization management means of terminals other than the master terminal constituting the group, a message to notify the group is notified to the master terminal,
The distributed synchronization management means of the master terminal performs a conflict determination on the notified message, notifies the non-conflicting message to all the terminals constituting the group, and conflicts the message only to the notified terminal. An information sharing space providing method of notifying The information sharing space providing method according to claim 35 ,
Terminals other than the master terminal are
Monitor the group creation by the master terminal cooperation unit, forcibly invite the master terminal at the time of group creation,
Hold the master terminal information to invite in the master terminal information storage unit,
The command executed in the terminal is stored in the temporary execution command storage unit until notification from the master terminal is received,
The method for providing an information sharing space, wherein the master terminal includes a master terminal control unit that receives an invitation to a group from a terminal other than the master terminal and participates in the group. The information sharing space providing method according to claim 35 or claim 36 ,
The terminals other than the master terminal periodically check whether the information shared by the group is equal to the information shared by the group held by the master terminal by the synchronization check unit. , Copy the master terminal information,
The master terminal has a synchronization check processing unit that receives the synchronization check request, obtains information for comparing the synchronization control information of the group and the object information held in the group, and responds to the terminal that has notified the synchronization check request. An information sharing space providing method characterized by: The information sharing space providing method according to claim 37 ,
The synchronization check unit of a terminal other than the master terminal periodically checks whether the information shared by the group is equal to the information shared by the group held by the master terminal, and if there is unequal information, the master terminal Copy the information
The synchronization check processing unit of the master terminal receives a synchronization check request, obtains information for comparing the synchronization control information of the group and the object information held in the group, and returns a response to the terminal that has notified the synchronization check request. A characteristic information sharing space providing method. Processing for storing in a storage means object information to be shared and synchronization control information such as group information of a group to which a user holding a terminal belongs and member information of members of a group;
Processing to periodically send and receive messages to and from other devices that make up the group,
Providing the user with the function to use the shared information, providing the control API of the synchronization control information to the tool for interacting with the user, generating and generating a command corresponding to the call of the control API of the synchronization control information The command notified from the other terminal constituting the command and the group is reflected in the storage means, the conflict handling process is performed at the time of reflection, and the process of requesting the notification to the other terminal constituting the command group,
The object information control API is provided to the tool, a command corresponding to the call of the object information control API is generated, and the generated command and a command notified from another terminal constituting the group are stored in the storage unit. And processing to respond to the conflict at the time of reflection, requesting notification to other terminals constituting the group of the command,
Provided to the tool a control API related to group member addition, generates a command corresponding to a call of the control API related to group member addition, and a command notified from the generated command and other terminals constituting the group Processing to reflect to the storage means and request notification to other terminals constituting the group of the command,
A process of temporarily storing the command requested to be notified, and performing execution control of the command notified from the stored command and other terminals constituting the group;
Processing for storing the object information common to other terminals constituting the group and the synchronization control information common to other terminals constituting the group in the storage unit;
A process of temporarily storing the object information reflecting the operation performed at the local terminal and the synchronization control information reflecting the operation performed at the local terminal in the storage means. A computer program that is executed by a computer.

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