Relay apparatus, recording medium storing program for relay apparatus, information processing method, and information processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9648360-B2
Application number	US-201213363294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2012
Priority date	Mar 30, 2011
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A relay apparatus configured to communicate with a server which transmits contents corresponding to identification information received by the server, and a terminal which acquires the contents corresponding to the identification information, the relay apparatus comprises: a communication unit configured to communicate with the server and the terminal; and a processor configured to: receive first identification information from the server through the communication unit; determine whether first contents corresponding to the received first identification information complies with a first format or a second format; transmit the first identification information to the terminal through the communication unit if the processor determines that the first contents complies with the first format; and transmits, to the terminal through the communication unit, second identification information corresponding to second contents which is acquired by converting the first contents if the processor determines that the first contents complies with the second format.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing system comprising:
a terminal device comprising a first processor, a first interface, and a display; and
a relay apparatus comprising a second processor and a second interface, wherein the second interface is configured to communicate with a service provider and the terminal device, and wherein the service provider is different from the relay apparatus and the terminal device and stores a first content therein,
wherein the second processor is configured to:
receive a first selection screen request including first type format information from the terminal device;
store in a memory a first format indicated by the first type format information;
generate and transmit a file list request to the service provider;
receive a file list from the service provider in response to transmitting the file list request, the file list including first individual file information, the first individual file information including thumbnail specifying information and file specifying information, the thumbnail specifying information including first type information and a first thumbnail URL, the first thumbnail URL indicating a first location of the service provider that stores thumbnail data, the first type information indicating a first thumbnail data format; and
determine whether the first thumbnail data format indicated by the first type information is identical to the first format stored in the memory,

wherein when the first thumbnail data format indicated by the first type information is identical to the first format stored in the memory, the second processor is configured to:
generate a first XML text including the first thumbnail URL; and
transmit the generated first XML text to the terminal device,

wherein the first processor is configured to:
generate a first thumbnail request including the first thumbnail URL;
transmit the first thumbnail request to the service provider in accordance with the first thumbnail URL; and
receive a first thumbnail image data from the service provider in response to transmitting the first thumbnail request, the first thumbnail image data being in the first thumbnail data format; and display a particular thumbnail image based on the first thumbnail image data on a display,

wherein when the first thumbnail data format indicated by the first type information is not identical to the first format stored in the memory, the second processor is configured to:
convert the thumbnail specifying information into a converted thumbnail specifying information, the converted thumbnail specifying information including second type information, the first thumbnail URL, and a second thumbnail URL, the second thumbnail URL indicating a conversion from the first thumbnail data format to a second location of the relay apparatus, the second type information indicating a second thumbnail data format different from the first thumbnail data format;
generate a second XML text including the second thumbnail URL and the first thumbnail URL; and
transmit the generated second XML text to the terminal device,
wherein the first processor is configured to:
generate a second thumbnail request including the second thumbnail URL and the first thumbnail URL; and
transmit the second thumbnail request to the relay apparatus in accordance with the second thumbnail URL included in the second thumbnail request,

wherein the second processor is configured to:
receive the second thumbnail request from the terminal device;
generate a third thumbnail request in accordance with the first thumbnail URL;
transmit the third thumbnail request to the service provider;
receive a second thumbnail image data from the service provider in response to transmitting the third thumbnail request, the second thumbnail image data being in a second thumbnail data format different from the first thumbnail data format;
convert the second thumbnail image data into a third thumbnail image data, the third thumbnail image data being in the first thumbnail data format; and
transmit the third thumbnail image data to the terminal device,

wherein the first processor is further configured to:
receive the third thumbnail image data from the relay apparatus; and
display the particular thumbnail image based on the third thumbnail image data on the display.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the second processor is configured to:
receive a first electronic file information acquisition request including first type format information from the terminal device;
store in a memory a first format indicated by the first type format information;
generate and transmit an electronic file information request to the service provider;
receive an electronic file information from the service provider in response to transmitting the electronic file information request, the electronic file information including first type information and first electronic file URL, the first electronic file URL indicating a first location of the service provider that stores electronic file, the first type information indicating a first electronic file data format; and
determine whether the first electronic file data format indicated by the first type information is identical to the first format stored in the memory,
wherein when the first electronic file data format indicated by the first type information is identical to the first format stored in the memory, the second processor is configured to:
transmit the first electronic file information including the first electronic file URL to the terminal device,
wherein the first processor is configured to:
generate a first electronic file request including the first electronic file URL;
transmit the first electronic file request to the service provider in accordance with the first electronic file URL;
receive a first electronic file data from the service provider in response to transmitting the first electronic file request, the first electronic file data being in the first electronic file data format; and
print an image based on the received electronic file,

wherein when the first electronic file format indicated by the first type information is not identical to the first format stored in the memory, the second processor is configured to:
convert the electronic file information into a converted electronic file information, the converted electronic file information including second type information and second electronic file URL, the second electronic file URL indicating a second location of the relay apparatus, the second type information indicating a second electronic file data format; and
transmit the converted electronic file information to the terminal device,
wherein the first processor is configured to:
generate a second electronic file request including the second electronic file URL and the first electronic file URL; and
transmit the second electronic file request to the relay apparatus in accordance with the second electronic file URL,
wherein the second processor is configured to:
receive the second electronic file request from the terminal device;
generate a third electronic file request in accordance with the first electronic file URL included in the second electronic file request;
transmit the third electronic file request to the service provider;
receive a second electronic file data from the service provider in response to transmitting the third electronic file request, the second electronic file data being in a second electronic file data format different from the first electronic file data format;
convert the second electronic file data into a third electronic file data, the third electronic file data being in the first electronic file data format; and
transmit the third electronic file data to the terminal device,
wherein the first processor is further

Assignees

• Sasaki Hiroyuki
• Miyazawa Masafumi
• Shimada Yusuke
• Nagasaki Takeshi
• Ito Katsuaki
• Watanabe Satoshi
• Yamamoto Kazutaka
• Banno Hirokazu
• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Sasaki Hiroyuki
• Miyazawa Masafumi
• Shimada Yusuke
• Nagasaki Takeshi
• Ito Katsuaki
• Watanabe Satoshi
• Yamamoto Kazutaka
• Banno Hirokazu

Classifications

• H04N21/8153

  comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image · CPC title

• H04L67/06

  specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP] · CPC title

• H04N21/47202

  for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand · CPC title

• H04L67/2823

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/234309 Primary

  by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo (conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01) · CPC title