Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a processing device that executes processing for a request transmitted from one terminal without relaying communication by the processing device.SOLUTION: In a communication system, a communication terminal 100 as a processing device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires first related-data related to a first terminal from a communication terminal 10a as the first terminal; a storage unit that stores the acquired first related-data; and an execution unit. When the first terminal is designated as a transmission destination of a specific request transmitted from a communication terminal 20a as a second terminal different from the first terminal, the execution unit executes, in place of the first terminal, processing according to the specific request using the stored first related-data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a processing device that executes communication with a communication terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which, when a resource-limited device that does not belong to a mesh network communicates with a node that belongs to the mesh network, the communication is performed via a mesh network bridge device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2018-538718 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a configuration in which a processing device is used to relay communication when a first terminal and a second terminal that cannot directly communicate with each other execute communication, when a request is transmitted from one of the first terminal and the second terminal, the processing device receives the request from the one terminal and transmits the request to the other of the first terminal and the second terminal. The other terminal that receives the request executes processing according to the request and transmits a response to the request. When the processing device receives the response from the other terminal, it transmits the response to the one terminal.

[0005] In this configuration, the processing device relays communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, which can result in a long period between sending a request and receiving a response to the request.

[0006] This specification provides a technique that enables a processing device to execute processing for a request transmitted from one terminal without relaying communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a processing device, which includes an acquisition unit that acquires first related data related to a first terminal from the first terminal, a storage unit that stores the acquired first related data, and an execution unit that, when the first terminal is specified as a destination of a specific request transmitted from a second terminal different from the first terminal, executes a process according to the specific request using the stored first related data on behalf of the first terminal.

[0008] In the above configuration, the processing device obtains and stores the first related data for processing according to the request. This allows the processing device to execute the processing on behalf of the first terminal when the processing device receives a request transmitted from the second terminal to the first terminal. This allows the processing device to execute the processing for the request transmitted from the second terminal without relaying the communication. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication terminal according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 shows a flowchart of a data retention process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the communication terminal after data holding processing in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 shows a sequence diagram of an alternative response process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 shows a flowchart of a data retention process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The technical elements of the processing device disclosed in this specification are listed below. Note that each of the technical elements below is useful independently.

[0011] The related data may include data that changes. The acquisition unit may acquire the first related data from the first terminal when an update request for updating the first related data is received from the second terminal, and the storage unit may store the acquired new first related data when new first related data is acquired from the first terminal. According to this configuration, the first related data stored in the processing device can be updated in response to an update request from the second terminal. Therefore, the second terminal can appropriately update the first related data to new data when the first related data should be updated (for example, at the timing when the second terminal transmits a request).

[0012] The associated data may include data that changes. The acquisition unit may repeatedly acquire the first associated data from the first terminal, and the storage unit may store the new first associated data when new first associated data is acquired from the first terminal. With this configuration, the processing device can repeatedly update the first associated data that changes. Therefore, the first associated data can be updated to new data as appropriate.

[0013] The acquisition unit may acquire the first associated data via a first communication network to which the first terminal belongs, and the execution unit may execute processing in accordance with the request acquired via a second communication network to which the second terminal belongs and to which the first terminal does not belong. With this configuration, in order to cause the second terminal to execute processing in accordance with the request, it is not necessary to make the first terminal and the second terminal participate in the same communication network.

[0014] The second network may be a network that performs communication according to a communication standard that is not supported by the first terminal. With this configuration, even if the first terminal cannot participate in the second communication network, the second terminal can cause the first terminal to perform processing according to a request.

[0015] The acquisition unit may further acquire second associated data related to the third terminal from a third terminal different from the first terminal, the storage unit may store the first associated data in combination with identification information of the first terminal and store the second associated data in combination with identification information of the third terminal, and the execution unit may further, when the third terminal is specified as a destination of the specific request transmitted from the second terminal, execute processing according to the specific request using the stored second associated data on behalf of the third terminal. With this configuration, the processing device can execute processing for a request on behalf of each of a plurality of terminals.

[0016] (First Example) (Communication Network Configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 2 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of communication networks 10, 20, and 30. Each of the communication networks 10, 20, and 30 is capable of communication according to Bluetooth (registered trademark), which is a short-range wireless communication method. The communication network 10 is capable of communication according to Bluetooth Version 5.0 or later. In the following, "Bluetooth Version 5.0 or later" is simply referred to as "Bluetooth 5.0". On the other hand, the communication networks 20 and 30 are capable of communication according to Bluetooth Version 4.2 or earlier. In the following, "Bluetooth Version 4.2 or earlier" is simply referred to as "Bluetooth 4.0". In the following, communication terminals belonging to the communication networks 10, 20, and 30 execute communication according to BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

[0017] The communication network 10 includes communication terminals 10a, 10b, 100, and 200 capable of communicating according to Bluetooth 5.0. On the other hand, the communication network 20 includes communication terminals 20a, 20b, and 100 capable of communicating according to Bluetooth 4.0. The communication network 30 includes communication terminals 30b, 30a, and 200 capable of communicating according to Bluetooth 4.0. The communication terminals 20a, 20b, 30b, and 30a that do not belong to the communication network 10 cannot perform communication according to Bluetooth 5.0. The communication terminals 10a and 10b that do not belong to the communication networks 20 and 30 can perform communication according to Bluetooth 4.0. Note that the communication terminals that do not belong to the communication network 10 may be capable of communication according to Bluetooth 5.0.

[0018] In the communication network 10, a mesh network is formed by the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 100, and 200 belonging to the communication network 10. Therefore, the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 100, and 200 belonging to the communication network 10 can directly communicate with each other according to Bluetooth. In the communication network 20, a star-shaped network is formed with the communication terminal 100 belonging to the communication network 20 at its center. Each of the communication terminals 20a and 20b belonging to the communication network 20 can directly communicate with the communication terminal 100 according to Bluetooth. On the other hand, the communication terminals 20a and 20b cannot directly communicate with each other according to Bluetooth. In the communication network 30, a star-shaped network is formed with the communication terminal 200 belonging to the communication network 30 at its center. Each of the communication terminals 30a and 30b belonging to the communication network 30 can directly communicate with the communication terminal 200 according to Bluetooth. On the other hand, the communication terminals 30a and 30b cannot directly communicate with each other according to Bluetooth.

[0019] (Configuration of communication terminal) 2, the communication terminal 10a includes a communication interface 12, a sensor unit 14, a control unit 16, and a storage unit 18. Hereinafter, "interface" is referred to as "I / F." The communication I / F 12, the sensor unit 14, the control unit 16, and the storage unit 18 are communicatively connected by wiring (not shown).

[0020] The communication I / F 12 is a communication I / F for the communication terminal 10a to perform wireless communication via the communication network 10. The communication I / F 12 is used for communication according to Bluetooth 5.0. The sensor unit 14 includes at least one sensor for measuring, for example, the temperature, the air pressure, etc. around the communication terminal 10a.

[0021] The control unit 16 is composed of a CPU, a memory, etc. The control unit 16 controls the processing executed by the communication terminal 10a according to a computer program stored in the storage unit 18. The storage unit 18 has a storage area composed of a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 18 stores in advance a computer program for the control unit 16 to execute the processing. The storage unit 18 stores data generated while the communication terminal 10a is executing the processing according to instructions from the control unit 16.

[0022] The storage unit 18 stores a GATT (short for Generic Attribute Profile) database 19. The GATT database 19 can store various data that can be communicated in communication according to BLE. For example, the GATT database can store detection values ​​detected by the sensor unit 14.

[0023] The communication terminals 10b, 100, and 200 have the same configuration as the communication terminal 10a. The communication terminal 100 includes a communication I / F 102 corresponding to the communication I / F 12, the sensor unit 14, the control unit 16, and the storage unit 18, a sensor unit 104, a control unit 106, and a storage unit 108. The communication terminal 200 includes a communication I / F 202 corresponding to the communication I / F 12, the sensor unit 14, the control unit 16, and the storage unit 18, a sensor unit 204, a control unit 206, and a storage unit 208.

[0024] The communication terminals 20a and 30a have the same configuration as the communication terminal 10a. The communication terminal 20a includes a communication I / F 22 corresponding to the communication I / F 12, the sensor unit 14, the control unit 16, and the storage unit 18, a sensor unit 24, a control unit 26, and a storage unit 28. The communication terminal 30a includes a communication I / F 32 corresponding to the communication I / F 12, the sensor unit 14, the control unit 16, and the storage unit 18, a sensor unit 34, a control unit 36, and a storage unit 38. However, unlike the communication I / F 12, the communication I / Fs 22 and 32 are used for communication according to Bluetooth 4.0, but cannot be used for communication according to Bluetooth 5.0. The communication terminals 20b and 30b have the same configuration as the communication terminals 20a and 30a.

[0025] The communication terminal 100 belongs to both communication networks 10 and 20. The communication terminal 100 can communicate with other communication terminals 20a and 20b belonging to the communication network 20 through communication conforming to Bluetooth 4.0, and can communicate with other communication terminals 10a, 10b, and 200 belonging to the communication network 10 through communication conforming to Bluetooth 5.0. The communication terminal 200 belongs to both communication networks 10 and 30. The communication terminal 200 can communicate with other communication terminals 30a and 30b belonging to the communication network 30 through communication conforming to Bluetooth 4.0, and can communicate with other communication terminals 10a, 10b, and 100 belonging to the communication network 10 through communication conforming to Bluetooth 5.0.

[0026] (Data retention processing) The data retention process is a process in which the communication terminal 100 acquires a GATT database from each of the communication terminals 20a, 20b, 30a, 30b, and 200 communicatively connected to the communication terminal 100, and updates the data in the GATT database. In a modified example, the communication terminal 100 may acquire a GATT database from at least one of the communication terminals 20a, 20b, 30a, 30b, and 200 communicatively connected to the communication terminal 100, and update the data.

[0027] The data retention process is started when a communication terminal is connected to the communication terminal 100 so as to be able to communicate with it. The data retention process when the communication terminal 10a is connected to the communication terminal 100 will be described below, but the data retention process when the communication terminals 10b, 20a, 20b, and 200 are connected to the communication terminal 100 is similar. As shown in FIG. 3, in the data retention process, the control unit 106 acquires the GATT database 19 from the communication terminal 10a (S10). Specifically, the control unit 106 transmits a request to the communication terminal 10a to transmit the GATT database 19 of the communication terminal 10a by executing communication according to Bluetooth 5.0. The control unit 16 of the communication terminal 10a transmits the GATT database 19 to the communication terminal 100 in combination with the identification information T10a of the communication terminal 10a in accordance with the received request. The control unit 106 combines the received GATT database 19 with the identification information T10a received in combination with the GATT database 19, and stores it in the storage unit 108.

[0028] In S12, the control unit 106 determines whether or not it is time to make an inquiry to the communication terminal 10a to acquire data stored in the GATT database 19 of the communication terminal 10a. Specifically, the control unit 106 has a timer. The control unit 106 starts the timer when the GATT database 19 is acquired in S10 or the previous inquiry (see S14) is executed. When the measurement period of the timer reaches a predetermined timing (YES in S12), the control unit 106 proceeds to S14.

[0029] In S14, the control unit 106 transmits an inquiry to the communication terminal 10a to acquire data stored in the GATT database 19. Next, the control unit 106 determines whether or not to acquire data from the communication terminal 10a (S16). In a state in which the connection between the communication terminal 100 and the communication terminal 10a is established, the control unit 16, upon receiving the inquiry, identifies update data including data that has been updated from data already transmitted to the communication terminal 100 and data that has not yet been transmitted to the communication terminal 100 among the data included in the GATT database 19, and transmits the update data to the communication terminal 100. On the other hand, if the update data is not identified, the control unit 16 transmits a response indicating that there is no data to the communication terminal 100. Note that, if the connection between the communication terminal 100 and the communication terminal 10a is disconnected, the control unit 106 cannot acquire data from the communication terminal 10a. In a modified example, the control unit 16 may transmit the latest GATT database 19 to the communication terminal 100 upon receiving the inquiry.

[0030] When the control unit 106 acquires the transmitted update data from the communication terminal 10a (YES in S16), if there is existing data in the GATT database 19 stored in the storage unit 108 corresponding to the update data acquired in S16, the control unit 106 updates the existing data to the update data acquired in S16 in S18. If there is no existing data in the GATT database 19 stored in the storage unit 108 corresponding to the update data acquired in S16, the control unit 106 records the update data as new data. Return to S12. On the other hand, when the control unit 106 does not acquire update data from the communication terminal 10a (NO in S16), the control unit 106 determines whether or not a response indicating that no data is available has been acquired from the communication terminal 10a (S20). When a response indicating that no data is available is acquired (YES in S20), return to S12. On the other hand, if a response indicating that there is no data is not obtained (NO in S20), that is, if a response to the inquiry is not received from communication terminal 10a because the connection between communication terminal 100 and communication terminal 10a has not been disconnected, etc., the data retention process is terminated.

[0031] The data retention process enables the communication terminal 100 to store the GATT database 19 of the communication terminal 10a. The communication terminal 100 can update the GATT database 19 stored in the storage unit 108 by repeatedly acquiring update data from the communication terminal 10a. This allows the communication terminal 100 to retain data included in the GATT database 19 stored in the storage unit 18 while updating it. As shown in FIG. 4, when the communication terminal 100 executes communication with the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, and 200 to which a connection has been established, the GATT databases 19, 19b, 29... of the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, and 200 are stored in the storage unit 108 of the communication terminal 100 in combination with the identification information T10a, T10b, and T20a....

[0032] In a modified example, the communication terminal 100 may repeatedly obtain updated data from the communication terminal 10a every time the GATT database 19 of the communication terminal 10a is updated by transmitting a request including a Notify to the communication terminal 10a.

[0033] (Proxy response processing) The communication terminal 100 can execute processing according to the contents of a request from another communication terminal, acting as a proxy for the communication terminal that has acquired the GATT database through the data storage processing. In this embodiment, a proxy response processing will be described with reference to Fig. 5 in which the communication terminal 100 executes processing on behalf of the communication terminal 10a in response to a request transmitted from the communication terminal 20a to the communication terminal 10a after the communication terminal 100 acquires the GATT database 19 from the communication terminal 10a.

[0034] In the proxy response process, the control unit 26 of the communication terminal 20a transmits a beacon signal to the vicinity of the communication terminal 20a via the communication I / F 22 (S30). The beacon signal includes identification information T20a of the communication terminal 20a that is the source of the beacon signal.

[0035] When the control unit 106 of the communication terminal 100 acquires a beacon signal via the communication I / F 102, the control unit 106 transmits a connection request to the communication terminal 20a based on the identification information T20a included in the beacon signal to establish a connection for performing communication with the communication terminal 20a according to Bluetooth (S32). This establishes a connection between the communication terminal 100 and the communication terminal 20a (S34). Note that if a connection between the communication terminal 100 and the communication terminal 20a has already been established, the processes of S30 to S34 are omitted. Next, in S36, the control unit 26 transmits a request such as Read or Write according to Bluetooth using the connection established in S34. The control unit 26 transmits a request including the identification information T10a of the communication terminal 10a indicating the transmission destination of the request.

[0036] When the control unit 106 of the communication terminal 100 receives the request, it identifies the communication terminal 10a to which the request is to be transmitted (S37). Next, the control unit 106 determines whether or not it is possible to respond to the request by using the stored GATT database (S38). Specifically, the control unit 106 determines whether or not the GATT database 19 of the communication terminal 10a identified by the destination identification information T10a included in the request is stored in the storage unit 108. If the GATT database 19 is not stored in the storage unit 108 (NO in S38), the process proceeds to S50. On the other hand, if the GATT database 19 is stored in the storage unit 108 (YES in S38), the control unit 106 transmits a response indicating that the request has been received to the communication terminal 20a on behalf of the communication terminal 10a (S39).

[0037] In S40, the control unit 106 executes processing according to the received request. For example, if the request includes Read, the control unit 106 reads information specified in the request from the GATT database 19 in the storage unit 108. For example, if the request includes Write, the control unit 106 writes information specified in the request to the GATT database 19 in the storage unit 108. In this case, the control unit 106 transmits a request to the communication terminal 10a at a predetermined timing so that the same writing is performed in the GATT database 19 stored in the communication terminal 10a.

[0038] When the process of S40 ends, the control unit 106 transmits the result of the process executed according to the request to the communication terminal 20a, which is the sender of the request, as a response to the request. (S42). For example, the control unit 106 transmits data read from the GATT database 19 according to the Read included in the request to the communication terminal 20a, and ends the proxy response process. As a result, even if the communication terminal 20a does not belong to the communication network 10, the communication terminal 100 belonging to the communication network 20 executes the process according to the request transmitted from the communication terminal 20a on behalf of the communication terminal 10a. Even if the communication terminal 20a cannot execute communication according to Bluetooth 5.0, it can cause the communication terminal 10a belonging to the Bluetooth 5.0 communication network 10 to execute the process according to the request. Similarly, even if the communication terminal 20a cannot execute communication according to Bluetooth 5.0, it can cause the communication terminals 10b and 200 belonging to the Bluetooth 5.0 communication network 10 to execute the process according to the request.

[0039] In S50, the control unit 106 transmits the request already received in S36 to the communication terminal 10a, which is the destination of the request. If a connection between the communication terminal 100 and the communication terminal 10a has not been established, the control unit 106 and the control unit 16 execute the same processes as S30 to S34 prior to S50 to establish a connection between the communication terminal 100 and the communication terminal 10a.

[0040] The control unit 16 generates a response including the identification information T20a of the communication terminal 20a that is the sender of the request, and transmits the response indicating that the request has been received to the communication terminal 100, as in S39 (S51). Upon receiving the response, the control unit 106 of the communication terminal 100 transmits the response to the communication terminal 20a identified by the identification information T20a that is specified as the destination of the response (S52).

[0041] When the control unit 16 of the communication terminal 10a transmits the response in S51, it executes processing according to the request already received in S50, similar to S40 (S53). Next, in S54, the control unit 16 transmits the result of the processing executed according to the request as a response to the request, specifying the identification information T20a of the communication terminal 20a that is the sender of the request as the destination, similar to S42. When the control unit 106 of the communication terminal 100 receives the response, it transmits the response to the communication terminal 20a identified by the identification information T20a specified as the destination of the response (S56), similar to S52, and ends the processing.

[0042] In the processes of S50 to S56, the communication terminal 100 relays communication between the communication terminals 10a, 20a with which a connection has not been established and with which the communication terminal 100 cannot directly communicate. This allows the communication terminal 20a to communicate with the communication terminal 10a without belonging to the communication network 10. Even if the communication terminal 20a cannot communicate according to Bluetooth 5.0, it can communicate with the communication terminal 10a belonging to the Bluetooth 5.0 communication network 10.

[0043] The communication terminal 100 determines whether a proxy response is possible by determining whether a GATT database is stored, and if a proxy response is possible, executes processing according to the request (S40) and responds (S42). On the other hand, if the communication terminal 100 is not capable of a proxy response (NO in S38), it causes the communication terminal of the request destination to execute processing according to the request by transmitting the request to the communication terminal specified as the request destination. In this way, the communication terminal 20a can cause the communication terminal 100 to execute processing according to the request regardless of whether the communication terminal 100 is capable of a proxy response.

[0044] The communication terminal 200 can execute data storage processing and proxy response processing in the same manner as the communication terminal 100. This allows the communication terminals 30a and 30b that do not belong to the communication network 10 to execute processing according to a request in which the communication terminals 10a, 10b, and 100 that belong to the communication network 10 are specified as the destination.

[0045] In a modified example, the communication terminal 20a may cause the communication terminal 200 storing the GATT database of the communication terminals 30a and 30b to execute processing according to the request on behalf of the communication terminals 30a and 30b. In this case, the communication terminal 100 may relay communication between the communication terminals 20a and 200.

[0046] (Correspondence) The communication terminal 10a is an example of a "first terminal", the communication terminal 20a is an example of a "second terminal", and the communication terminal 100 is an example of a "processing device". The GATT database is an example of "first associated data". The communication network 10 is an example of a "first communication network", and the communication network 20 is an example of a "second communication network".

[0047] (Second Example) Differences from the first embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the contents of the data storage process executed by the control unit 106 of the communication terminal 100 are different. The data storage process of this embodiment is started when the GATT databases of the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, and 200 that are directly and communicably connected to the communication terminal 100 are stored in the storage unit 108 of the communication terminal 100. That is, the process of S10 in FIG. 3 has already been executed by the control unit 106.

[0048] The data retention process is started when the GATT database is stored in the storage unit 108. When multiple GATT databases are stored, the communication terminal 100 executes data retention process for each of the multiple GATT databases to the communication terminal that transmitted the GATT database. The control unit 106 monitors whether a GATT database update request is received from the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, 200 that are directly connected to the communication terminal 100 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The control units 16, 26, 206 of the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, 200 can transmit a GATT database update request at a preset timing. The control units 16, 26, 206 of the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, 200 may transmit an update request in response to a user's instruction. In order to identify which of the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, 200 the GATT database of which should be updated, the control unit 16, 26, 206 creates an update request including identification information of the communication terminal to be updated and transmits it to the communication terminal 100.

[0049] When the control unit 106 receives the update request (YES in S72), it transmits an inquiry to the communication terminal identified by the identification information included in the update request to acquire data stored in the GATT database, similar to S14. As a result, the control unit 106 executes the processes of S76, S78, and S80, which are similar to the processes of S16, S18, and S20, respectively, in Fig. 3. Note that when the process of S78 ends, the process returns to S72. If YES in S80, the process returns to S72. If NO in S80, the data retention process ends.

[0050] In this configuration, for example, when the communication terminal 20a is to cause the communication terminal 10a to execute processing according to a request, the communication terminal 20a can cause the communication terminal 100 to execute updating of data in the GATT database 19 before transmitting a request specifying the communication terminal 10a as the destination. This allows the communication terminal 20a to cause the communication terminal 100 to execute processing according to the request using the latest GATT database 19.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples exemplified above.

[0052] (1) The communication network 10 may be a communication network capable of executing communication according to a communication method other than Bluetooth 5.0, such as Bluetooth 4.0, Zigbee, SubGHz communication, etc. Similarly, the communication networks 20 and 30 may be communication networks capable of executing communication according to a communication method other than Bluetooth 4.0, such as Bluetooth 5.0, for example. Furthermore, the communication methods of the communication networks 10, 20, and 30 may be the same as each other or different from each other.

[0053] (2) The communication terminals 10a and the like may be any type of terminal, such as a mobile terminal, a tablet terminal, a PC, or a sensor device.

[0054] (3) The “associated data” stored in the communication terminal 100 may be a database other than the GATT database, or may be a part of the data in the GATT database. In addition, the “associated data” may be a database or data corresponding to the communication method of the communication network.

[0055] (4) In each of the above embodiments, the communication terminal 100 may acquire and store the GATT database from each of the communication terminals 20a and 20b by executing a data storage process. In this case, the communication terminal 100 may execute a process on behalf of the communication terminal 20a in response to a request transmitted from the communication terminal 10a to the communication terminal 20a by executing a process similar to the proxy response process of Fig. 5.

[0056] In addition, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exert technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies exemplified in this specification or drawings achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 2: Communication systems 10, 20, 30: Communication network 10a, 10b, 20a, 20b, 30a, 30b, 100, 200: communication terminal 12: Communication interface 14: Sensor section 16: Control unit 18: Storage area 19: GATT database

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires first associated data related to the first terminal from the first terminal; A storage unit for storing the acquired first associated data; a control unit that, when a specific request transmitted from a second terminal different from the first terminal is specified as a destination of the specific request, determines whether or not a response to the specific request is possible by using the stored first related data; a processing device comprising an execution unit that, when it is determined that a response is possible, executes processing according to the specific request using the stored first related data on behalf of the first terminal.

2. the first related data includes variable data; the acquisition unit acquires the first related data from the first terminal when an update request regarding an update of the first related data is received from the second terminal; The processing device according to claim 1 , wherein when new first associated data is newly acquired from the first terminal, the storage unit stores the acquired new first associated data.

3. the first related data includes variable data; the acquisition unit repeatedly acquires the first associated data from the first terminal; The processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the storage unit is configured to store new first associated data when the new first associated data is newly acquired from the first terminal.

4. The acquisition unit acquires the first associated data via a first communication network to which the first terminal belongs; 4. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit executes processing in accordance with the specific request obtained via a second communication network to which the second terminal belongs and to which the first terminal does not belong.

5. The processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the second communication network is a network that performs communication according to a communication standard that is not supported by the first terminal.

6. The acquisition unit further acquires second associated data related to a third terminal from a third terminal different from the first terminal; the storage unit stores the first associated data in combination with identification information of the first terminal, and stores the second associated data in combination with identification information of the third terminal; 6. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit further executes processing in accordance with the specific request using the stored second related data on behalf of the third terminal when the third terminal is specified as the destination of the specific request sent from the second terminal.

7. A processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the execution unit transmits the specific request to the first terminal when it is determined that a response is not possible.

8. The first communication network is one of a mesh network and a star network, The processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the second communication network is a mesh network or a star network, which is different from the first communication network.

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