Management system, communication control method, and communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10498716-B2
Application number	US-201615341349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2016
Priority date	Nov 25, 2015
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A management system, a method of controlling communication, and a communication system. The management system and method includes receiving a request to distribute information related to a prescribed attribute from a first communication terminal that is authenticated by a first client, receiving a request to receive a message related to the prescribed attribute from a second communication terminal that is authenticated by a second client, and controlling distribution of the information related to the prescribed attribute to the second communication terminal based on whether a first service that is used by the first client and a second service that is used by the second client are each associated with the prescribed attribute. The communication system includes a first communication terminal executing a first application, a second communication terminal executing a second application, and a management system to communicate with the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A management system, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a pubrequest to request distribution of information including a specific topic name from a first communication terminal that is authenticated by a first client and whose access to a first service is authorized, and receive a subrequest to receive a message including the specific topic name from a second communication terminal that is authenticated by a second client and whose access to a second service is authorized; and
processing circuitry configured to control distribution of the information including the specific topic name to the second communication terminal based on whether the first service that is used by the first client and the second service that is used by the second client are each associated with the specific topic name,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the first service on the specific topic name, and
when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is not obtained, the processing circuitry is further configured to obtain a service to be inherited, which is associated with the first service that the first client is authorized to use, determine whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the service to be inherited on the specific topic name, and determine that the first communication terminal has the authority to publish, when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is obtained either for the first service or the service to be inherited; and
an attribute manager configured to store attribute information indicating an attribute and service information indicating the first service and the second service are in association with each other,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the distribution of the information including the specific topic name to the second communication terminal based on whether each of the service information of the first service and the service information of the second service is associated with the attribute information of the specific topic name in the attribute manager.

2. The management system of claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is further configured to determine whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the second service on the specific topic name, and
when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is not obtained, the processing circuitry is further configured to obtain a service to be inherited, which is associated with the second service that the second client is authorized to use, determine whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the service to be inherited on the specified topic name, and determine that the second communication terminal has the authority to subscribe, when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is obtained either for the second service or the service to be inherited.

3. The management system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first communication terminal is authenticated by a first account,
the second communication terminal is authenticated by a second account, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to control the distribution of the information including the specific topic name to the second communication terminal based on whether the first account is associated with the first service and whether the second account is associated with the second service.

4. The management system according to claim 2 , wherein
the management system further comprises a service inheritance management table configured to store service identifiers of the services to be inherited, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to identify the service to be inherited associated with the first service or the second service, using the service identifiers stored in the service inheritance management table.

5. The management system according to claim 4 , wherein
when the first service or the second service is not associated with the specific topic name, the processing circuitry is further configured to control the information including the specific topic name not to be distributed to the second communication terminal.

6. A method of controlling communication, comprising:
receiving a pubrequest to request distribution of information including a specific topic name from a first communication terminal that is authenticated by a first client and whose access to a first service is authorized;
receiving a subrequest to receive a message including the specific topic name from a second communication terminal that is authenticated by a second client and whose access to a second service is authorized; and
controlling distribution of the information including the specific topic name to the second communication terminal based on whether the first service that is used by the first client and the second service that is used by the second client are each associated with the specific topic name, wherein
determining whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the first service on the specific topic name,
when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is not obtained, further obtaining a service to be inherited, which is associated with the first service that the first client is authorized to use;
determining whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the service to be inherited on the specific topic name; and
determining that the first communication terminal has the authority to publish, when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is obtained either for the first service or the service to be inherited; and
storing, via an attribute manager, attribute information indicating an attribute and service information indicating the first service and the second service are in association with each other,
wherein controlling the distribution of the information including the specific topic name to the second communication terminal is based on whether each of the service information of the first service and the service information of the second service is associated with the attribute information of the specific topic name in the attribute manager.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
determining whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the second service on the specific topic name,
wherein, when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is not obtained, the method further comprises obtaining a service to be inherited, which is associated with the second service that the second client is authorized to use; and determining whether authority to publish or subscribe is obtained for the service to be inherited on the specified topic name, and
wherein, when it is determined that authority to publish or subscribe is obtained either for the second service or the service to be inherited, the method further comprises determining that the second communication terminal has the authority to subscribe.

8. A communication system, comprising:
a first communication terminal executing a first application and whose access to a first service is authorized;
a second communication terminal executing a second application and whose access to a second service is authorized; and
a management system to communicate with the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal through a network using a publish-subscribe pattern, the management system including
a receiver configured to receive a pubrequest to request distribution of information including a specific topic name from the first application and to receive a subrequest to receive a message including the specific topic name from th

Assignees

• Soneda Takuya
• Umehara Naoki
• Hinohara Hiroshi
• Miyamoto Atsushi
• Horiuchi Takeshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Soneda Takuya
• Umehara Naoki
• Hinohara Hiroshi
• Miyamoto Atsushi
• Horiuchi Takeshi

Classifications

• H04L63/10

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• H04L67/303

  Terminal profiles · CPC title

• H04L63/08 Primary

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04L67/16

  Electricity · mapped topic