Network system and information equipment

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

According to the present invention, when the content of information held by one information device is used from another device in an environment in which a plurality of information devices dynamically participate in a network, the information held by other than the own device is as new as possible. It is related to network systems and information devices.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, a system in which a plurality of information devices such as computers are connected to a network and information is shared and utilized by each information device has been used (for example, JP-A-2000-112802 and JP-A-2000-163300). , Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-75439, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-257039, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-114495, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-54719, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-114714, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-111825, See Kai 2000-222268 and JP2000-267921). By the way, in an environment where the information devices connected to the network are not constant, for example, in a home network, the power of the information devices is turned on / off at an arbitrary timing, and the information devices are often physically connected from the network. In an environment where the server is disconnected, it is possible to use the shared information when the server goes down, assuming that the shared information is always held in the server like a general server / client system. It disappears. In addition, in an environment such as a home network, which is composed of multiple personal computers and includes a part connected by a low-speed line such as wireless, multiple application softwares are operating simultaneously on the personal computer to share information. If the processing capacity is insufficient to perform the synchronization processing at the same time, or if the communication processing becomes heavy, the operation of the application software may be hindered.

【0003】

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-222268 describes that in the synchronous processing of file groups of two or more computers, the independence from the database management unit, which may be different for each computer, is enhanced, and the communication between the computers is enhanced. Data in multiple slave devices in an environment where the master holds a superset of shared data and the slave holds a subset of the shared data, assuming a master and slave device configuration for the purpose of saving time. The application form is adopted so that the update is reflected in the shared data of the master. As a result, synchronization of shared data is realized in a so-called server / client type system configuration on the premise of a master and slave device configuration.

【0004】

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-267921, a program for processing data files having a shared relationship stored in a plurality of computers connected via a network always targets data files having the same contents in the network. Obtaining a network file transparency system that can operate, even if the network connection between computers is disabled, a network file transparency system that can operate with the latest data files until just before the program stored in each computer becomes network connection disabled And even if the program that needs to be processed each time the shared data file is updated is stored on multiple computers connected to the network, the update status of the data file to be processed Network file management unit, network file transfer inside multiple computers connected to the network for the purpose of obtaining a simplified network file transparency system that does not need to implement the function of monitoring and managing each program. It has a unit, a data file, and a program, and the network file management unit has an online transparent unit, a download transparent unit, and a program activation unit inside the unit. The intended purpose is achieved by such a structure.

【0005】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-222268 has a problem that synchronization of shared data cannot be realized in a system configuration in which a master information device is absent. Further, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-267921, the device configuration in the network can be automatically acquired, and the shared information in the self-information device and the shared information in the other information device can be managed separately. In the application form in which the connection and disconnection to the network are performed dynamically, there is a problem that it is difficult to update and manage the shared information. In addition, since it is not possible to manage up to which version of the shared information in another information device is retained by one information device, the information device that retains the original shared information is separated from the network. Has a problem that the latest information among the information devices in the network cannot be used.

【0006】

An object of the present invention is to enable each information device connected to the network to use the latest shared information even in an environment where the information devices connected to the network are not constant.

【0007】

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, in a network system in which a plurality of information devices are connected, a network interface that controls communication processing between the information devices and a process for synchronizing shared information with the network interface are provided in each information device. A communication processing unit that controls information exchange with the elements to be performed, a device list acquisition unit that acquires the name of an information device connected to the network and saves it as device list information, and another device saves the information via the communication processing unit. An update status information acquisition unit that acquires the update status of shared information and saves it as update status information, and a connection notification unit that notifies information devices in the network that the own device is connected to the network via the communication processing unit. , The own machine information management unit that notifies other machines of the update via the communication processing unit when the own machine shared information, which is the shared information for managing the update on the own machine, is updated, and the communication processing unit is used. Provided is a network system including a other machine information acquisition unit that acquires shared information held by another machine and stores it as other machine shared information. The network interface controls communication processing between information devices. The communication processing unit controls information exchange between the network interface and an element that performs processing for synchronizing shared information. The device list acquisition unit acquires the name of the information device connected to the network and saves it as device list information. The update status information acquisition unit acquires the update status of the shared information managed by another machine via the communication processing unit and saves it as the update status information. The connection notification unit notifies the information device in the network that the own machine is connected to the network via the communication processing unit. The own machine information management unit notifies another machine of the update via the communication processing unit when the own machine shared information, which is the shared information for managing the update in the own machine, is updated. The other device information acquisition unit acquires the shared information held by the other device via the communication processing unit and stores it as the other device shared information.

【0008】

Here, instead of the own machine information management unit, there is a own machine information difference management unit that holds and manages the shared information held by the own machine and the own machine difference information which is the update difference thereof, and the shared information. Instead of the acquisition unit, it may be configured to have an acquisition unit with another machine information difference that acquires the difference information of the shared information and updates the shared information of the other machine. Further, the shared information acquisition unit may be further configured to have another machine information acquisition control unit that controls the shared information acquisition unit to acquire the shared information when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Further, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the acquisition unit with the information difference of the other machine is further configured to have the difference information acquisition control unit of the other machine that controls to acquire the shared information of the other machine and the difference information thereof. You may. Further, instead of the acquisition unit with the information difference of the other machine, the information management unit of the other machine may be provided to control the timing of updating the shared information of the other machine based on the acquired difference information. Further, instead of the update status information acquisition unit, the update status of the shared information held by another device is acquired via the communication processing unit and saved as the update status information, and which information device copies the latest shared information. If the state of the latest copy included in the judgment result is newer than the state of the latest copy held by the own machine, the device that is the source of the received judgment result is received. It may be configured to have a second update status information acquisition unit that acquires a copy of the shared information of the corresponding device from the shared information of another device held by the user.

【0009】

Further, according to the present invention, a network interface that controls communication processing between information devices, a communication processing unit that controls information exchange between the network interface and an element that performs processing for synchronizing shared information, and a communication processing unit connected to the network. Information device name that is acquired and saved as device list information The device list acquisition unit and the update status information that acquires the update status of shared information saved by other devices via the communication processing unit and saves it as update status information. The acquisition unit, the connection notification unit that notifies the information device in the network that the own unit is connected to the network via the communication processing unit, and the own unit shared information that is the shared information that manages the update by the own unit. The own machine information management unit that notifies the update to other devices via the communication processing unit when updated, and the shared information held by the other device via the communication processing unit are acquired and saved as shared information of other devices. An information device characterized by being provided with an information acquisition unit for another machine is provided. The network interface controls communication processing between information devices. The communication processing unit controls information exchange between the network interface and an element that performs processing for synchronizing shared information. The device list acquisition unit acquires the name of the information device connected to the network and saves it as device list information. The update status information acquisition unit acquires the update status of the shared information managed by another machine via the communication processing unit and saves it as the update status information. The connection notification unit notifies the information device in the network that the own machine is connected to the network via the communication processing unit. The own machine information management unit notifies another machine of the update via the communication processing unit when the own machine shared information, which is the shared information for managing the update in the own machine, is updated. The other device information acquisition unit acquires the shared information held by the other device via the communication processing unit and stores it as the other device shared information.

【0010】

Here, instead of the own machine information management unit, there is a own machine information difference management unit that holds and manages the shared information held by the own machine and the own machine difference information which is the update difference thereof, and the shared information. Instead of the acquisition unit, it may be configured to have an acquisition unit with another machine information difference that acquires the difference information of the shared information and updates the shared information of the other machine. Further, the shared information acquisition unit may be further configured to have another machine information acquisition control unit that controls the shared information acquisition unit to acquire the shared information when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Further, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the acquisition unit with the information difference of the other machine is further configured to have the difference information acquisition control unit of the other machine that controls to acquire the shared information of the other machine and the difference information thereof. You may. Further, instead of the acquisition unit with the information difference of the other machine, the information management unit of the other machine may be provided to control the timing of updating the shared information of the other machine based on the acquired difference information. Further, instead of the update status information acquisition unit, the update status of the shared information held by another device is acquired via the communication processing unit and saved as the update status information, and which information device copies the latest shared information. If the state of the latest copy included in the judgment result is newer than the state of the latest copy held by the own machine, the device that is the source of the received judgment result is received. It may be configured to have a second update status information acquisition unit that acquires a copy of the shared information of the corresponding device from the shared information of another device held by the user.

【0011】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Prior to explaining the embodiment of the present invention in detail, the outline thereof will be described. In an environment in which a plurality of information devices such as computers dynamically participate in a network, the contents of information held by a certain information device may be described. It is related to an information sharing type network system and information device that acquires new contents held by other than the own machine when used from the information device of. Here, the dynamic environment is not a general client-server type, but an environment in which which information device is connected to the network and which information device is disconnected from the network is not constant. For example, a plurality of personal computers. It is like a home network composed of a portable terminal, a set-top box, and the like. Further, the network may be either a wired network or a wireless network.

【0012】

In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to acquire the latest shared information that can be acquired in the network, the update history information and the update status information of the shared information are used, and the shared information in the own machine is connected to the network. It has a means to compare old and new with the shared information in the device, and its basic feature is to acquire the latest shared information that can be acquired in the network by using the comparison result. It is also characterized by having an element that controls the timing of acquiring all or part of the latest shared information that can be acquired from within the network. In the environment to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied, a plurality of information devices that hold information to be shared are connected by a network, and in addition to the data that each device manages updates in its own machine, other devices hold it. It's like keeping a copy of the shared information you do. Here, the reason for holding a copy of the shared information held by another device is that in the environment assumed in the present invention, each device is not always participating in the network, and no matter which device is disconnected from the network. This is to make the contents of the shared information held by the disconnected device available to other devices. In this way, a network system in which a plurality of information devices having the same configuration are connected is configured, and the shared information such as data held by each information device is updated to be the same, that is, the sharing possessed by each information device. It synchronizes information.

【0013】

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an example in which five information devices 101 to 105 are connected by a network. Each information device 101 to 105 holds a copy of the shared information that is updated and managed by each of the other devices, in addition to the shared information that manages the update in the own machine. For example, the information device 101 holds the shared information D1 (shared information of the information device 101 itself) that the device 101 itself manages to update, and further, the shared information D2 to D5 that the devices 102 to 105 manage to update respectively. Holds D2'~ D5', which is a copy of (own device shared information of devices 102 to 105). Here, "'" attached to the shared information indicates that the shared information is copied. As an environment to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied, it is assumed that a plurality of (two or more) information devices participate in the network as shown in FIG. The configuration of each information device and the operation of each information device to realize the system can be explained in an environment where two information devices are connected. Therefore, in the description of each embodiment described below, mainly 2 The case where the information devices are connected by a network will be described. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

【0014】

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a network system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, in an environment in which a plurality of information devices 100 having the same configuration are connected by a network, the network interface 110 that controls communication processing between the devices and the shared information synchronization with the network interface 110 in each information device. A communication processing unit 120 that controls information exchange with an element that performs processing for the above, a device list acquisition unit 130 that acquires the device name of an information device connected to the network and saves it as device list information 1300, and the above. The own unit is connected to the network via the update status information acquisition unit 140 that acquires the update status of the shared information held by another device via the communication processing unit 120 and saves it as the update status information 1400, and the communication processing unit 120. The connection notification unit 150 that notifies the devices in the network that this has been done, and the shared information that the own machine manages to update are managed as the own machine shared information 1600, and the communication processing unit when the own machine shared information 1600 is updated. Other device information that notifies the update to other devices via 120, acquires the shared information that the other device manages the update via the communication processing section 120, and saves it as the other device shared information 1700. It has an acquisition unit 170. The device list acquisition unit 130, the update status information acquisition unit 140, the connection notification unit 150, the own unit information management unit 160, and the other unit information acquisition unit 170 are elements that perform processing for synchronizing shared information. In the following, in order to distinguish between the two information devices 100, one is 100a and the other is 100b. In addition, when expressing the elements in each device separately, add a or b to each element and write them as, for example, 130a and 140b, because the operations of the elements in each device are common and distinguish them. If is not required, write it without distinguishing between devices such as 100 and 110. Furthermore, the information device 100a and the information device 100b have the same configuration.

【0015】

Hereinafter, the operation of the first embodiment will be described in detail. First, when a certain information device 100 is connected to the network, the network interface 110 detects that the information device 100 is connected to the network, and transmits a signal indicating the connection to the connection notification unit 150 via the communication processing unit 120. The connection notification unit 150 receives a signal indicating that the own device is connected to the network, and sends a device list acquisition instruction to the device list acquisition unit 130. Upon receiving the device list acquisition instruction, the device list acquisition unit 130 acquires a list of devices participating in the network and saves it as device list information 1300. For example, in the case of a personal computer equipped with the Microsoft Windows operating system (hereinafter referred to as Windows), the device name in the network can be entered using the application interface (hereinafter referred to as API) of Windows. A list of devices can be obtained by sequentially acquiring the devices.

【0016】

The device list information 1300 is a character string of the device name, for example, {(device 1, 1), (device 2, 1), (device 3, 0), ...}. It is described as a set of connection states (1 indicates that it is connected and 0 indicates that it is disconnected). When the already connected information device 100 is disconnected from the network, if the network interface 110 has a disconnection detection function, the disconnected device is other than the own device described in the device list information 1300. Change the connection status of the device from 1 to 0. A list of devices participating in the network by giving the device list acquisition unit 130 a function to periodically acquire the device list in devices other than the disconnected devices, that is, devices that are continuously participating in the network. And update the device list information 1300.

【0017】

Next, in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the information device 100b is updated with its own shared information 1600 managed by itself. This update is, for example, when the information device 100b is a personal computer and the information to be shared is a file under a specific folder, a new file is created, deleted, updated, or the like. Alternatively, when the information to be shared is a database file, addition, deletion, modification, etc. of records are applicable. When an update occurs in the information device 100b, the information management unit 160b of the own machine detects the update in the information device 100b, and another device in the network notifies that the update has occurred via the communication processing unit 120b and the network interface 110b. Notify to. This operation detects changes in the file system, for example, if 100b is a personal computer running the Microsoft Windows operating system and information device 100a and information device 100b are connected via an IP network. The information device 100b can detect the update by using the Windows API, and the information device 100b can notify the information device 100a of the update by broadcasting to the network using the communication processing API such as Winsock. .. When the information device 100b notifies the update, for example, the update file name, the update date and time, the update version, and the like are transmitted as the update notification. When the information device 100b transmits an update notification to the network, the information device 100a receives the update notification issued by the information device 100b by the network interface 110a and the communication processing unit 120a. The communication processing unit 120a sends an update notification from 100b to the update status information acquisition unit 140a. The update status information acquisition unit 140a acquires the update status in the information device 100b from the update notification from the information device 100b, and saves it as the update status information 1400a.

【0018】

The update status information 1400a is a table showing the update status of the shared information held by each information device connected to the network, and is as shown in FIG. 8, for example. As shown in FIG. 8, the update status information 1400a inside the information device 100a holds the latest status and the latest copy status for each shared information in each information device that has been connected to the network. Here, the latest state is the last update date and time or the latest version of the own device shared information 1600 held by each information device, and the latest copy state is the last update date and time of the other device shared information 1700a held by the information device 100a. Or the version. The name of the device that has been connected to the network can be obtained from the device list information 1300a. The information device 100a changes the update status information 1400a in the information device 100a as shown in FIGS. 8 to 9 by the update notification from the information device 100b. The difference between the update status information 1400a in FIGS. 8 and 9 is that if the latest status of the information device 100b is a date and time expression, it is from "2000.09.25 18:00" to "2000.10.01". "09:30" shows an example in which the version expression is changed from "00000004" to "00000005".

【0019】

After changing and saving the update status information 1400a, the update status acquisition unit 140a compares the latest status and the latest copy status included in the update status information 1400a, and if it indicates that the latest status is newer, communication processing is performed. The acquisition instruction is transmitted to the other device information acquisition section 170a so that the shared information held by the information device 100b, that is, the own device shared information 1600b of the information device 100b is acquired through the section 120a. In response to this acquisition instruction, the other device information acquisition unit 170a requests the information device 100b to transmit the shared information 1600b via the communication processing unit 120a and the network interface 110a.

【0020】

The transmission request of the shared information 1600b to the information device 100b is sent to the own machine information management unit 160b via the network interface 110b and the communication processing unit 120b, and the own machine information management unit 160b sends the own machine shared information 1600b to the communication processing unit. It transmits to the information device 100a via 120b and the network interface 110b. The other device information acquisition unit 170a of the information device 100a receives the shared information of the information device 100b via the network interface 110a and the communication processing unit 120a, and stores it as a part of the other device shared information 1700a. Here, as a part, when the information device 101 in FIG. 1 corresponds to the information device 100a and the information device 102 corresponds to the information device 100b, the copy of the shared information in the information device 100b is D2'. This is because the information 1700a shared by other devices held by the information device 100a may also include D3', D4', and D5'. By the above operation, the information device 100a creates and updates a copy of the shared information 1600b held by the information device 100b inside the information device 100a.

【0021】

In the above description, the device list information 1300 and the update status information 1400 are held separately, but of course, the actual storage form may be saved as one file. In that case, the contents of the update status information 1400 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are saved as one file, and the device name part is also used as the device list information 1300. According to the first embodiment, in an environment in which an information device dynamically participates in a network, no matter which device is disconnected from the network, the shared information managed by that device can be completely used by other devices. You can avoid the problem of disappearing. Also, even if there is a possibility that the shared information in the device will be updated while a certain device is disconnected, when the device is connected to the network again, the updated status of the shared information will be notified to other devices. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not to update the copy of the shared information on another machine, so that it is possible to prevent waste of the load for performing communication processing and the network load.

【0022】

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a network system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the own machine shared information 1600 updated and managed by the own machine instead of the own machine information management unit 160 in the first embodiment. It also has a management unit 161 with own machine information difference that holds and manages the own machine difference information 1601 which is the update difference, and also acquires and manages the difference information 1701 of the shared information instead of the shared information acquisition unit 170. It is different from the first embodiment in that it has the acquisition unit 171 with the difference in other machine information that updates the machine shared information 1700. Therefore, in the following, the operations of the own machine information difference management unit 161 and the other machine information difference acquisition unit 171 will be mainly described.

【0023】

In FIG. 3, when the information device 100b is updated to the own machine shared information 1600, the management unit 161b with the own machine information difference updates the own machine shared information 1600b, and the difference is changed to the own machine difference information 1601b. Save as separately. For example, when the own machine shared information 1600b is a database file, the database file itself is updated, and the information of the record newly added, deleted, or modified is recorded as the update difference. As the record information that is the update difference, at least the device name, the information indicating the latest state, and the record number are saved, and when the correction is made, the information that specifies the field and the correction content are also saved. Further, the own machine difference information 1601b saves the update difference as a list, and each element of the list is, for example, {100b, latest state, record number, correction content, (device 1,0), (device 2,0). ), ...}, which also holds information indicating to which device in the network the update has been transmitted. Here, the device name and the latest state in each element of the list are the same as the update state information in the first embodiment described above.

【0024】

After the update and storage of the own machine shared information 1600b and the own machine difference information 1601b are completed, the management unit 161b with the own machine information difference sends an update notification to other devices in the network via the communication processing portion 120b and the network interface 110b. , Here send to 100a. The update notification includes the device name, the latest status, the record number, the correction content, and the like among the list elements of the above-mentioned own machine difference information 1601b. In the information device 100a, the acquisition unit 171a with the information difference of another device receives the notification of the update of the shared information in the information device 100b via the network interface 110a and the communication processing portion 120a. Next, the acquisition unit 171a with the other device information difference checks whether a copy of the shared information of the information device 100b exists in the other device shared information 1700a, and if it does not exist, the network interface 110a and the communication processing portion 120a are used. Information indicating that the information device 100b is requested to share the information 1600b is transmitted via the information device 100b.

【0025】

When a copy of the shared information of the device 100b exists in the other device shared information 1700a, the acquisition unit 171a with the other device information difference is in the latest copy state of the difference information of the information device 100b existing in the other device difference information 1701a. And, the latest state included in the update notification received from the information device 100b is compared, and the device 100b is requested to transmit the difference information newer than the difference information included in the other device difference information 1701a. Here, the content of the other machine difference information 1701a has the same format as the own machine difference information 1601b in the above 100b. Further, when the device 100a requests the difference information, the information indicating that the difference information is requested and the latest copy state value of the difference information of the device 100b included in the difference information 1701a of another machine are sent to the device 100b. send.

【0026】

When the information device 100b is requested to transmit the shared information or the difference information from the other device information difference acquisition unit 171a, the own device shared information difference management unit 161b performs the network interface 110b and communication processing in the information device 100b. The request from the information device 100a is detected via the minute 120b, and the own device shared information 1600b or the own device difference information 1601b is transmitted to the device 100a. When the request from the device 100a indicates the transmission of the own device shared information 1600b, in the device 100b, the own device information difference management unit 161b sends the own device shared information 1600b via the network interface 110b and the communication processing unit 120b. Send to device 100a. Since this is a process of copying the shared information as it is, the process is the same as that of the first embodiment.

【0027】

When the request from the information device 100a indicates the transmission of the own device difference information 1601b, the management unit 161b with the own device information difference is in the own device difference information 1601b indicating that the value is newer than the latest copy status value received from the device 100a. The element of is transmitted to the information device 100a. In the information device 100a, the management unit 171a with other device information difference receives the transmission content from the information device 100b and adds it to the other device difference information 1701a. In addition, the management unit 171a with other device information difference sequentially applies the update included in the difference information obtained from the information device 100b to the other device shared information 1700a, and updates the other device shared information 1700a. By the above operation, the information device 100a can reflect the update of the shared information generated by the information device 100b in the copy of the shared information in the own machine.

【0028】

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to convey the update of another machine only by the difference. As a result, when the size of the shared information is very large, the load of communication processing can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment in which the entire shared information is copied. However, instead of reducing the amount of communication, the number of processes inside the information device, such as saving the difference and updating the shared information copy due to the difference, is increased as compared with the first embodiment. That is, the second embodiment is suitable when the processing capacity of the device is high, the network bandwidth is limited, and the environment suitable for the first embodiment is different. is there.

【0029】

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a network system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the first point is that the other machine information acquisition control unit 180 that controls the operation of the shared information acquisition unit 170 to acquire the shared information is added. It differs from the operation of the embodiment. Therefore, the operation of the other machine information acquisition control unit 180 will be mainly described below. The third embodiment operates in the same manner as the first embodiment, but after the information device 100a receives the update notification from the information device 100b, the other device information acquisition control unit 180a performs the information device. Control the timing of acquiring the latest shared information 1600b from 100b. That is, the other machine information acquisition control unit 180a first receives the update notification from the information device 100b, decides to start acquiring the shared information in the other machine information acquisition control unit 180a, and causes the other machine information acquisition unit 170a to start the acquisition. Instruct.

【0030】

In the other machine information acquisition control unit 180a, the start of acquisition of shared information is determined when a predetermined condition is satisfied. As the predetermined condition, for example, a timer is used to set a periodic acquisition start timing, the processing load of the information device 100a is monitored, and it is determined that acquisition may be started when the processing load becomes equal to or less than the default value. The communication load is monitored and it is determined that the acquisition can be started when the communication load becomes equal to or less than the default value, or the acquisition start is determined by the acquisition start operation by the user or the like. The operation after the other machine information acquisition control unit 180a instructs the acquisition start is the same as the operation of the first embodiment. According to the third embodiment, the copy of the shared information is not started immediately after the update occurs in the device in the network, but is copied at the timing determined by the other device information acquisition control unit 180. As a result, when updates occur frequently, the communication process for acquiring shared information and the update process in the device become a very heavy load, which hinders the operation of the application software on each device. It becomes possible to avoid such problems.

【0031】

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a network system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the second embodiment, the operation of the acquisition unit 171 with the information difference of the other machine to acquire the shared information of the other machine and the difference information thereof. The operation due to the addition of the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190 is added, and the operation due to the addition of the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190 is different from the operation of the second embodiment. Therefore, the operation of the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190 will be mainly described below.

【0032】

The fourth embodiment operates in the same manner as the second embodiment, but after the information device 100a receives the update notification from the information device 100b, the other device difference information acquisition control unit 190a sends the information. Controls the timing of acquiring the latest difference information from the device 100b. That is, the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190a first receives the update notification from the device 100b, decides to start the acquisition of the difference information in the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190a, and informs the other machine information difference management unit 171a. Instruct to start acquisition. In the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190a, the start of acquisition of the difference information is determined when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition is the same as the method in which the other machine information acquisition control unit 180 determines the start of acquisition of shared information in the third embodiment. The operation after the other machine difference information acquisition control unit 190a determines to start the difference acquisition is the same as that of the second embodiment. According to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effect of the second embodiment, that is, the reduction of the communication load by transmitting the update contents by the difference, the communication processing load and the processing load in the device are concentrated. Or it becomes possible to avoid persistence.

【0033】

Next, a fifth embodiment and a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 and 7 are block diagrams of a network system according to a fifth embodiment and a sixth embodiment of the present invention, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the fifth embodiment and the sixth embodiment, the other machine information difference in the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment, respectively. Instead of the attached acquisition unit 171, it has another machine information management unit 172 that controls the timing to update the other machine shared information 1700 based on the acquired difference information, and instead of the other machine information difference acquisition unit 171. The operation of having the other machine information management unit 172 is different from the operation of the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment. Therefore, the operation of the other machine information management unit 172 will be mainly described below.

【0034】

In the fifth embodiment and the sixth embodiment, the operations from the occurrence of the update to the acquisition of the difference information in the information device 100b are the operations of the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment, respectively. It is the same as the operation. However, even if the difference information is acquired, the other machine shared information 1700a is not immediately updated based on the difference information, and the other machine information management unit 172a controls the update timing of the other machine shared information 1700a. That is, when the other machine information management unit 172a acquires the difference information from the information device 100b and then satisfies the predetermined condition by the same method as the other machine information acquisition control unit 180 in the third embodiment. , Determine the timing to reflect the difference information in the other machine shared information 1700a. The operation of the other machine information management unit 172a after deciding to start updating the other machine shared information 1700a is the operation of the other machine information difference management unit 171a in the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment, respectively. The same is true. According to the fifth embodiment and the sixth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment, respectively, the processing load in the device is made more accurate. It becomes possible to control.

【0035】

Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a network system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, in the seventh embodiment of the present invention, in the first to sixth embodiments, the second update status information acquisition unit 141 is used instead of the update status information acquisition unit 140. It is different from the first to sixth embodiments in that it has. Therefore, the operation of the second update status information acquisition unit 141 will be mainly described below.

【0036】

In addition to the functions of the update status information acquisition unit 140, the second update status information acquisition unit 141 compares the update status information 1400 between information devices, and of shared information managed by the information device disconnected from the network. As a copy, it determines which information device holds the latest copy. As described in the first embodiment, when the device list acquisition unit 130 updates the device list information 1300, the second update status information acquisition unit 141 is disconnected from the network from the update status information 1400. The shared information managed by the device is searched, and it is determined which information device other than the disconnected information device holds the latest copy of the shared information. After the determination, the second update status information acquisition unit 141 notifies the network of the disconnected information device name, the latest copy status, and the own machine name as the determination result.

【0037】

The second update status information acquisition unit 141 receives the determination result transmitted by another device via the network interface 110 and the communication processing unit 120, and the latest copy status included in the determination result is the latest copy status held by the own machine. If it indicates that it is newer than the above, a copy of the shared information of the corresponding device is obtained from the shared information 1700 of the other device held by the device that is the source of the received judgment result. According to the seventh embodiment, even if one of the information devices is suddenly disconnected from the network, the latest shared data copy held by the remaining information device can be made available. Become. As a result, in an environment where the connection and disconnection of information devices to the network can occur frequently and at any time, when the latest state of the shared information copy held by each device becomes disjointed, each information device It is possible to match the shared information copy in the latest shared information or shared information copy as long as it can be obtained by the devices participating in the network. In each of the above-described embodiments, various information devices that can be connected to a network, such as a computer and a portable information terminal device, can be used as the information devices.

【0038】

As described above, according to each of the above-described embodiments, the device that constantly provides services such as a server is not essential, and the shared information is shared even in a situation where the device configuration of the network changes dynamically such as a home network. Will be updated as much as possible and can be used from each device. In addition, shared information can be effectively used even in the case of an ad hoc system such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). In addition, by having a device list acquisition unit and a connection notification unit, it is possible to automatically acquire the device configuration in the network, and further, the own device information management section, other device information management section, own device shared information, etc. By using the machine shared information and the function of the update status information acquisition unit, the shared information in the own machine and the shared information in other machines can be managed separately, and even in the application form where the connection / disconnection to the network is dynamically performed, the information is shared. It has the effect of facilitating information update management. In addition, since it is possible to manage up to which version of the shared information in another device is retained by one device, even if the device that retains the original shared information is disconnected from the network, it is in the network. It will be possible to use the latest copy of the equipment.

【0039】

[Effect of the invention]

According to the present invention, even in an environment where the information devices connected to the network are not constant, such as a home network, or in an environment where a plurality of personal computers are connected by a low-speed line such as a wireless network. Each information device connected to will be able to use the latest shared information.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 3]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 4]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 5]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 6]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 7]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 8]

It is a block diagram of the network system which concerns on 7th Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 9]

It is a table showing the update state of the shared information in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 10]

It is a table showing the update state of the shared information in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100a, 100b, 101 ~ 105 Information equipment 110 Network interface 120 Communication processing unit 130 Equipment list acquisition department 140 Update status information acquisition unit 141 Second update status information acquisition unit 150 Connection notification unit 160 Own machine information management department 161 Management department with own machine information difference 170 Other machine information acquisition department 171 Management department with information difference of other machines 172 Other machine information management department 1300 Device list information 1400 Update status information 1600 Shared information 1601 Own machine difference information 1700 Information shared by other machines 1701 Difference information of other machines 180 Other machine information acquisition control unit 190 Other machine difference information acquisition control unit