JPH11353216A - Data update information system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inform a user of the update state of communication data that an application server of a communication application has by grasping the update state. SOLUTION: When communication data saved on recording media of application servers 1a, 1b, 1c... are updated, the application servers 1a, 1b, 1c... detect their update states and generate and send update notification information showing the update states to an application server data management part 17 of a total management server 7. The application data management part 17 receives and stores the sent update notification information. A data management part 29 of a total management client 5 obtain the update notification information from the application data server management part 17 and informs a user terminal of the update state that the update notification information represents.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a system for grasping the update status of communication data possessed by an application server of a communication application and indicating the update status to a user.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A user who uses a communication application (hereinafter, an application is referred to as an AP) can operate a communication terminal such as a personal computer to establish a communication connection with an AP server and refer to communication data stored in the AP server. it can. In some communication APs, the user can perform update work such as change, addition, or deletion on the referred data, and can save the updated data in the AP server again.

[0003]

When a user who uses a communication AP tries to refer to updated communication data in an AP server, the user first activates an AP client to start the AP.
Requires a communication connection with the server. Therefore, the user cannot know at all until the communication connection whether or not the communication data to be referred to has been updated.
Therefore, in many cases, as a result of the communication connection, there is no change from the communication data referred to by the user at the time of the previous communication connection. In some cases, even though the communication data has not been updated, the user may need to make a number of communication connections to the AP server to check whether the communication data has been updated.

[0004] Further, many of recent communication APs perform user authentication by inputting a password or the like prior to communication connection to an AP server. Therefore, if the user has multiple communication APs
When using, the authentication work and the connection work must be repeated many times, and the operation work of the communication terminal becomes extremely complicated, which leads to a prolonged communication time and an increase in communication cost. There is a problem. Such prolongation of communication time and increase in communication cost are particularly remarkable in mobile communication having poor line quality compared to wired communication. Further, when the user uses a portable personal computer, there is a problem that the battery consumption of the terminal increases and the communicable time per charge decreases.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to communicate the update status of communication data stored in each AP server to each AP server individually even when a user uses a plurality of communication APs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for promptly notifying a user without having to connect.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This system uses a communication A
P includes one or more AP servers, and an integrated management server that is communicably connected to the AP servers and that integrally manages update status of communication data of one or more AP servers. When the communication data stored on the recording medium is updated by being changed, added, deleted, etc., each AP server detects the update status and creates update notification information indicating the update status, Send to Master Management Server. The integrated management server receives and stores the transmitted update notification information, and provides the user terminal with the update status indicated by the update notification information. Thereby, the user can grasp the update status of the communication data of various AP servers only by accessing the integrated management server without accessing each AP server.

In a preferred embodiment, a conditional expression for designating update notification information desired by the user is registered in the integrated management server. The integrated management server extracts information that satisfies the conditional expression from the received update notification information,
save. The integrated management server provides the extracted update information to the user terminal.

The system may include an integrated management client that manages the AP clients in an integrated manner. The integrated management server transmits the received update notification information to the integrated management client, and the integrated management client receives the update notification information and provides it to the user terminal.

In a further preferred embodiment, the integrated management server includes an authentication information management unit in which a user and an AP server are registered. When the user refers to the communication data, the integrated management server communicates with the user in the authentication information section and A
Using the registered contents of the P server, authentication work for communication connection between the AP client on the user terminal and the AP server storing communication data desired by the user is automatically performed.

[0010]

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This system comprises a plurality of AP servers 1
a, 1b, 1c, etc., and each AP server
The processing of the specific business of P is performed. Next, the system includes a plurality of AP clients 3a, 3b, 3c,... Accessing the respective AP servers 1a, 1b, 1c,. It has an integrated management client 5 for managing. Further, this system includes a plurality of AP servers 1a, 1
, 1c... comprises a single integrated management server 7 that integrally manages the update notification information of the communication data stored in the plurality of AP servers 1a, 1b,.
1c... And the integrated management client 5 are communicably connected. In general, the AP servers 1a, 1b, 1c,... Are mounted on different machines, respectively.
b, 1c,..., and the integrated management client 5 includes the AP clients 3a, 3c
, 3c... are mounted on the user's machine. However, this need not be the case.
The P servers 1a, 1b, 1c... May be mounted on one machine, or the integrated management server 7
1b, 1c... May be mounted on the same machine, or the integrated management client 5 may be mounted on a different machine from the AP clients 3a, 3b, 3c.

Each of the AP servers 1a, 1b, 1c,... Comprises a business processing unit 9 for processing a specific business of a communication AP and updating communication data, etc., and a server interface unit 11 connected to the integrated management server 7. Transmission data management unit 1 for transmitting communication data update notification information to integrated management server 7
3 is provided. The integrated management server 7 includes the AP servers 1
a, 1b, 1c,..., a client interface unit 23 connected to the integrated management client 5, and a user interface unit 25 for an administrator of the system to perform input and output. Further, the integrated management server 7 includes an AP server data management unit 17, a filtering information management unit 19, and an authentication information management unit 21. AP server data management unit 17
Processes update notification information of communication data transmitted from a plurality of AP servers 1a, 1b, 1c,... In the filtering information management unit 19, a conditional expression for extracting update notification information desired by the user from among the update notification information stored in the AP server data management unit 17 is registered. In the authentication information management unit 21, a user who can communicate with the integrated management server 7, a password of the user, and an AP server which can communicate with the integrated management server 7 are registered. Using the registered contents, the authentication information management unit 21 performs an authentication operation to determine whether the AP server to which the user wants to connect for communication and the user are valid. The integrated management client 5 includes a server interface unit 2 connected to the integrated management server 7.
7, a data management unit 29 that manages data shown to the user, and a user interface unit 31 through which the user performs input and output.

[0013] Hereinafter, the user will be referred to as the AP client 3a,
The operation will be described using an example in which the AP server 1a corresponding to the AP client 3a is used.

The user establishes communication connection between the AP client 3a of the possessed communication terminal and the AP server 1a.
It is assumed that communication data on the server 1a has been updated, added, deleted, and so on. AP server 1a is the AP server 1
a occupies a communication data use area of a fixed size on the storage medium of the machine on which the device a is mounted. When a change occurs in the communication data use area due to the update work of the communication data by the user, the transmission data management unit 13 creates data for notifying that the communication data has changed (hereinafter referred to as notification data a). The notification data a indicates the location where the updated communication data is stored, the updated time, the person who performed the update, and the like. As a method of creating the notification data a, for example, the transmission data management unit 13 periodically checks for a change in the data use area on the storage medium of the machine, and as a result of the check, Notification data a
There is a method of creating. Alternatively, each time the data use area changes, the business processing unit 9 notifies the transmission data management unit 13 of the change, and then the transmission data management unit 13 may create the notification data a. .

The transmission data management unit 13 transmits the created notification data a to the server interface unit 15 of the integrated management server 7 via the server interface unit 11 periodically or each time the notification data a is created. I do.
The operation described above is performed for the other AP servers 1b, 1c,.
Is performed similarly. The server interface unit 15 of the integrated management server 7 includes a plurality of AP servers 1a, 1
The notification data a transmitted from b, 1c... on the same route is received, and all the received notification data a is sent to the AP server data management unit 17. At this time, the authentication information management unit 13 determines whether each of the AP servers 1a, 1b, 1c,... Is registered in advance in the authentication information management unit 13 as an AP server that can communicate with the integrated management server 7. I do. As a result of the authentication work, if it is a valid AP server, the received notification data a is received as it is,
If it is not a valid AP server, it does not receive the notification data a.

The notification data a is created for all the update situations of the communication data. On the other hand, there are cases where the user sets a certain condition and wants to refer only to the update situation that meets the condition. is there. Therefore,
In the filtering information management unit 19, a conditional expression of “what condition each user using this communication system refers to the notification data a” is registered. As an example, "User P may add or change in the text file of user P on AP server 1a, regardless of who is performing the update work, in the entire time zone after 10:00 am I want to refer to the update notification information about the communication data that has been transmitted. " The conditional expression is registered by the system administrator using the user interface unit 25 or is registered by the user who specifies the condition using the user interface unit 31.

The AP server data management unit 17 stores the notification data a sent from the AP servers 1a, 1b, 1c,.
Is assigned an identification number. In addition, the AP server data management unit 17 uses the conditional expression of each user registered in the filtering information management unit 19 to extract the notification data a that satisfies the conditional expression. Then, the AP server data management unit 19 stores the identification number, the notification data a satisfying the conditional expression, and the user corresponding to the notification data a as the notification data b.

When a user enters a desired AP server (for example, AP
When the user wants to refer to the updated contents of the communication data stored in the server 1a), the following procedure is performed.

First, the user operates the integrated management client 5
The user inputs a password or the like using the user interface unit 31, and connects the integrated management client 5 and the integrated management server 7 by communication. The authentication information management unit 21 uses the user registered in advance in the authentication information management unit 21 and the registered content of the password of the user, and according to the password or the like input by the user, the user Perform authentication work to determine whether the user is a valid user who can communicate.

Next, the AP server data management unit 17
Notification data b stored in the P server data management unit
Is transmitted to the data management unit 29 via the client interface unit 23 of the integrated management server 7 and the server interface unit 27 of the integrated management client 5. The data management unit 29 receives the transmitted notification data b, and further transmits the notification data b to the user interface unit 31. The user, for example, on the display of a personal computer,
The notification data b can be referred to in an easily viewable form such as a list.

FIG. 2 is an example of a list of notification data b displayed on the user terminal.

By referring to the update status of the communication data in such a list format, the user can quickly grasp the outline of the update content.

The user refers to the provided list of notification data b, and obtains notification data b (for example, notification data b1 stored in the notification data AP server 1a) for which the user wants to know more detailed update contents. If there is, the AP client 3a corresponding to the AP server 1a is started, and communication connection work with the AP server 1a is performed. As described above, in the relationship between the user and the integrated management server 7, it has already been confirmed that the user is valid when the integrated management server 7 and the integrated management client 5 are connected for communication. Therefore,
Regarding the relationship between the user and the AP server 1a, the authentication information management unit 21 of the integrated management server 7 may automatically perform a user authentication operation between the integrated management server 7 and the AP server 1a. This eliminates the need for the user to perform an input operation such as a password input, thereby simplifying the terminal operation of the user and shortening the communication time. This certification work is completed,
When the AP client 3a and the AP server 1a are communicatively connected, the user can give a predetermined instruction to the AP server 1a and refer to desired communication data.

At this time, the AP client 3a
The data management unit 29 is notified that the user refers to the notification data b1. Upon receiving the notification, the data management unit 29 sends the notification data b from the list of the notification data b.
Delete the display of 1. Therefore, only the notification data b not yet referred to by the user is displayed on this list. At the same time, the integrated management client 5
The AP server data management unit 17 is notified via the server interface unit 27 and the client interface unit 23 that the user refers to the notification data b1. Upon receiving the notification, the AP server data management unit regards the notification data b1 as unnecessary, and deletes the notification data b1 and the notification data a corresponding to the notification data b1 from the storage medium.

FIG. 3 shows the format of the notification data a created by the transmission data management unit 13.

For example, which user changed the changed data at which AP server, at what time (time zone), in which area in the AP server, by which method, and the change is notified. Data field F for storing data at different time intervals
1 to F6 are provided. In addition, free data fields F7, F7, which can be freely set by an AP developer, in consideration of expandability
8 etc. are also provided. Alternatively, the AP developer may leave all the information to be stored in the above-mentioned F3 to F8 so that the restrictions at the time of AP development are reduced.

FIG. 4 is an example of a conditional expression of communication data desired by the user.

For example, the conditional expression 33 indicates that the user P
(F1) on the server 1, in the text file of the user P (F4), after 10:00 a.m. (F2), in the entire time zone (F6), and by one of all the users (F4)
3) A conditional expression when it is desired to refer to the added or changed (F5) data.

Further, a plurality of conditional expressions are registered in advance for one user, and the user selects one desired conditional expression from the conditional expressions or selects a plurality of conditional expressions. Alternatively, it may be so selected that the update status of the communication data satisfying the selected one or more conditions can be referred to. For example, when the user Q registers the conditional expressions 35 and 37 and wants to refer to the update status that satisfies only the conditional expression 35, the user Q only has to select only the conditional expression 35. Conditional expression 3
When it is desired to refer to the update status that satisfies either one of Condition 5 and Conditional Expression 37, the two conditional expressions may be connected by “OR” and may be selected. When the user wants to refer to the situation, he or she can select two conditional expressions by “AND”.

FIG. 5 shows the format of the notification data b.

The notification data b is obtained by adding an identification number to the notification data a. Further notification data b
When each notification data a satisfies the conditional expression of each user registered in the filtering information management unit 19, a data field F9 in which a user corresponding to the conditional expression is registered is added. .

FIG. 6 shows an example of the format of the data field F9.

A maximum number of users N is determined in advance,
The size is N bits. In FIG. 6, for example, the number of users is 5, and the maximum number of users is 32. Each bit corresponds to each user. When the notification data b satisfies the conditional expression registered in the filtering information management unit, “1” is set to the bit corresponding to the user who registered the conditional expression in the data field F9 of the notification data b. sign up. “0” is registered in the bit of the user whose notification data b does not satisfy the conditional expression. Therefore, when certain notification data b conforms to the conditional expressions of a plurality of users, “1” is registered in bits corresponding to the plurality of users. Each time one of the users refers to the notification data b, a notification of the reference is sent from the integrated management client 5 to the integrated server data management unit 17 as described above, and the notification data b is referred to. “0” is registered in the bit corresponding to the user who made the request. Similarly, as another user refers to the notification data b, “0” is registered in a bit corresponding to the referring user. When "0" is finally registered in all the bits, the notification data b has been referred to by all users who should refer to it. Therefore, the integrated server data management unit 17 regards the notification data b and the notification data a corresponding to the notification data b as unnecessary and deletes them from the storage medium.

According to the embodiment described above, the following advantages can be obtained.

(1) The user's operation of operating the communication terminal is labor-saving, and the operation efficiency is improved, so that the operation time of the terminal is shortened.

(2) When the communication terminal used by the user is a portable personal computer, (1) reduces the battery consumption and extends the usable time of the communication terminal per charge.

(3) Similarly, according to (1), the communication cost during data communication is also reduced.

(4) The conventional e-mail software also has a function of notifying that a mail addressed to the user has arrived, but this function is provided only in a single communication AP called e-mail. However, in order to obtain the same effect in other communication APs, each communication AP must be provided with a similar notification function. By introducing the system according to the present invention, it is not necessary to incorporate a notification function when developing a communication AP, it is possible to suppress an increase in the program of the communication AP to be developed, and it is easy to develop the program. Become.

(5) The integrated management server exists independently of the AP server. In order to manage a plurality of AP servers in an integrated manner, it is necessary to add a new communication AP or change the function of an existing communication AP. Becomes easier.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-described embodiment is an exemplification for describing the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to this embodiment. Without departing from the spirit of the invention, those skilled in the art
The present invention can be implemented in various other forms in which various modifications, improvements, modifications, simplifications, and the like are added to the above-described embodiment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an embodiment of a data update notification system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a list of notification data b displayed on a user terminal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a format of notification data a.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a conditional expression of communication data desired by a user.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a format of notification data b.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a format of a data field F9 of notification data b.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 AP server 3 AP client 5 Integrated management client 7 Integrated management server 9 Business processing unit 11 Server interface unit 13 Transmission data management unit 15 Server interface unit 17 AP server data management unit 19 Filtering information management unit 21 Authentication information management unit 23 Client interface Part 25 User interface part 27 Server interface part 29 Data management part 31 User interface part 33 Conditional expression of user P 35 Conditional expression of user Q 37 Conditional expression of user Q

Claims (14)

[Claims] An application server that has communication data used in a communication application, detects an update status of the communication data, and creates update notification information indicating the update status; and A data update notification system comprising: an integrated management server that is connected to communicate with all of the devices, acquires the update notification information from each of the application servers, stores the update notification information, and provides an update status indicated by the update notification information to a user terminal. . 2. The communication application according to claim 1, further comprising:
Or an integrated management client that integrally manages a plurality of communication clients, whereby the integrated management client obtains and stores the update notification information from the integrated management server, and updates the update status indicated by the update notification information. 2. The data update notification system according to claim 1, wherein the data update notification is provided to the user terminal. 3. The integrated management server further comprises: condition storage means for storing a conditional expression for extracting the update notification information, whereby one or a plurality of updates obtained from one or a plurality of the application servers are provided. 2. The data update notification system according to claim 1, wherein update notification information matching the conditional expression is extracted from the notification information. 4. The integrated management server, wherein: a user registration unit for registering one or a plurality of users; a server registration unit for registering one or a plurality of application servers; and the registration contents of the user and the application server. 2. The data update notification system according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication work means for automatically performing an authentication work when the application client used by the user and the application server for communication connection are used. 5. An application server having communication data used by a communication application, wherein: an update status detecting means for detecting an update status of the communication data; and information generation for generating update notification information indicating an update status of the communication data. Means; and information transmitting means for transmitting the update notification information to an integrated management server that integrally manages one or more of the update statuses, whereby the update status is transmitted to a user terminal through the integrated management server. Application server that can provide 6. Information for communicatively connecting to one or a plurality of application servers having communication data used in a communication application, and acquiring update notification information indicating an update status of the communication data from each of the application servers. Acquisition means, information storage means for saving the acquired update notification information, and information transmission means for transmitting an update status indicated by the acquired update notification information to a user terminal, whereby one or more of the communication An integrated management server that can provide data update status to user terminals in an integrated manner. 7. An update notification that is communicably connected to an integrated management server that integrally manages update status of communication data of one or more application servers, and that indicates an update status of the communication data from the integrated management server. An integrated management client that acquires information and provides an update status indicated by the update notification information to a user terminal. 8. A process of detecting an update status of communication data of one or more application servers; a process of creating update notification information indicating the detected update status; acquiring and storing the update notification information And a step of providing the user terminal with the update status indicated by the update notification information. 9. An application server having communication data used in a communication application, a step of detecting an update state of the communication data, a step of creating update notification information indicating the update state, and Transmitting the application server to an integrated management server that integrally manages the one or more application servers. 10. A process in which an integrated management server that integrally manages the update status of communication data of one or more application servers obtains update notification information indicating the update status from the application server. A data update notification method, comprising: storing the update notification information; and providing the update status indicated by the update notification information to a user terminal. 11. An integrated management client that integrally manages one or a plurality of application clients, from an integrated management server that integrally manages an update status of communication data of one or a plurality of application servers.
A data update notification method, comprising: obtaining update notification information indicating the update status; storing the update notification information; and providing the update status indicated by the update notification information to a user terminal. 12. An application server having communication data used in a communication application, a step of detecting an update state of the communication data, a step of creating update notification information indicating the update state, and A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a data update notification method, comprising: transmitting a data update notification method to an integrated management server that integrally manages one or a plurality of the application servers. 13. A process in which an integrated management server that integrally manages the update status of communication data of one or more application servers obtains update notification information indicating the update status from the application server. A computer-readable program storing a program for causing a computer to execute a data update notification method including a step of storing the update notification information and a step of providing the update status indicated by the update notification information to a user terminal. Possible recording medium. 14. An integrated management client that integrally manages one or a plurality of application clients, comprising: an integrated management server that integrally manages an update state of communication data of one or a plurality of application servers;
A data update notification method comprising: obtaining update notification information indicating the update status; storing the update notification information; and providing the update status indicated by the update notification information to a user terminal. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program to be executed by a computer.