Network Storage Systems

Abstract

To intuitively process a file in a network storage device.SOLUTION: A network storage system 100 comprises a network storage device 110 comprising a first storage device 111 and a terminal device 120 comprising a second storage device 121. The terminal device 120 comprises a storage place determination unit 123 which determines selected electronic information to be first information or second information, a function display unit 124 which causes function information to be displayed as an item in a context menu when the selected electronic information is determined to be the first information, and a command transmission unit 125 which transmits command information corresponding to the function information selected from the context menu. The network storage device 110 comprises a function execution unit 112 which executes a function corresponding to the function information with respect to the selected first information on the basis of the command information acquired from the command transmission unit 125.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a network storage system including a network storage device and a terminal device connected to a network. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, to execute a function such as backup provided by a network storage device, an operation such as that described in Patent Document 1 is performed. Specifically, a web browser is launched on a terminal device connected to the network storage device, and the network storage device is accessed. A web server application provided in the network storage device processes the access from the terminal device and sends a file corresponding to the function to be executed to the terminal device. The terminal device displays a window related to the function on its display based on the file received by the web browser. When a user operates the terminal device to send information about the function, the network storage device executes the function. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-215776 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a user who is performing normal file operations on a terminal device wants to use the functions of a network storage device on a file, folder, etc. that he or she is currently operating on, there is a problem in that the procedure becomes complicated, as the user must launch a separate web browser and call up a web server application.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a network storage system that can easily implement the functions of a network storage device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention is a network storage system comprising: a network storage device having a first storage device capable of storing electronic information as first information and capable of communicating via a network; and a terminal device having a second storage device capable of storing electronic information as second information and capable of communicating via the network, wherein the terminal device comprises a storage location determination unit that determines whether electronic information selected by a user is first information or second information; a function display unit that, when the storage location determination unit determines that the electronic information is first information, displays functional information corresponding to functions that the network storage device can execute as items in a context menu; and an instruction sending unit that sends instruction information corresponding to the functional information selected in the context menu to the network storage device, and the network storage device comprises a function execution unit that executes the function corresponding to the functional information with respect to the selected first information based on the instruction information obtained from the instruction sending unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] Even when a file operation is being performed on a terminal device, the functions of the network storage device can be easily performed through intuitive operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates the device configuration of a network storage system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a functional configuration of a network storage system. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing first and second stages of display on a terminal device. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third stage of display on the terminal device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fourth stage of display on the terminal device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the network storage system. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing another example 1 of the operation of the network storage system. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing another example 2 of the operation of the network storage system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a network storage system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are presented as examples to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, the shapes, structures, materials, components, relative positional relationships, connection states, numerical values, mathematical formulas, the content of each step in a method, and the order of each step shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and may include content not described below. Furthermore, while geometric expressions such as parallel and orthogonal may be used, these expressions do not indicate mathematical precision and include substantially acceptable errors and deviations. Furthermore, expressions such as simultaneous and identical also include substantially acceptable ranges.

[0010] Furthermore, the drawings are schematic diagrams in which emphasis, omission, or adjustment of proportions is appropriately made in order to explain the present invention, and the shapes, positional relationships, and proportions may differ from the actual shapes, positional relationships, and proportions.

[0011] In addition, in the following, multiple inventions may be collectively described as one embodiment, and some of the contents described below may be described as optional components related to the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the device configuration of a network storage system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the network storage system. The network storage system 100 includes a network storage device 110 and a terminal device 120 connected to a network. The network storage system 100 may include multiple network storage devices 110 or multiple terminal devices 120. The network storage device 110 and the terminal device 120 may be connected to a single type of network, or may be connected via multiple types of networks, such as a first network 210 and a second network 220, which are connected via an address translation device 150. In this embodiment, the description will focus on one network storage device 110 and one terminal device 120 connected via the first network 210.

[0013] The device configuration and functional configuration of the network storage system 100 will be explained below in order, but the order of explanation does not necessarily match the order of control, which will be described later.

[0014] The type of the first network 210 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) that performs communication based on private IP addresses (local IP addresses). Specifically, the first network 210 is a network that complies with IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3. A network storage device 110 and a terminal device 120 are connected to this first network 210. However, the devices connected to the first network 210 are not limited to these.

[0015] The type of second network 220 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), commonly known as the Internet, provided by a telecommunications carrier that allows communication based on a global IP address.

[0016] The address translation device 150 is a device that has a NAT (Network Address Translation) function that translates an IP address into another IP address. In this embodiment, the address translation device 150 is a so-called router.

[0017] The network storage device 110 is a device that includes a first storage device 111 that can store electronic information as first information, and a first processor 112 that is a processor that can execute programs, and is capable of communicating with a terminal device 120 via a network. There are no particular limitations on the specific network storage device 110, but in this embodiment, a NAS (Network Attached Storage) is given as the network storage device 110. The network storage device 110 may also be, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a server.

[0018] Electronic information is a file or folder (directory) that can be handled as a single entity when saving, reading, moving, deleting, etc. Furthermore, the terms "first information" and "second information" used in this specification and claims both refer to electronic information, but they are stored in different locations (devices). Specifically, the first information is electronic information stored in the network storage device 110, and the second information is information stored in the terminal device 120.

[0019] The first storage device 111 is a device that can store the first information for a long period of time and output the stored data, and examples of such a device include a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD). In this embodiment, the first storage device 111 also stores an application to be executed by the second processor 122 included in the terminal device 120.

[0020] The first processor 112 is a processor included in the network storage device 110, and by having the first processor 112 execute a predetermined program, a function execution unit 113 that executes various functions (applications) is realized. The function realized by the function execution unit 113 is a function that performs processing on specific first information based on predetermined information acquired from the terminal device 120. Specifically, the functions realized by the function execution unit 113 can include a function to change a user's or group's access authority to the first information stored in the first storage device 111, and a function to back up the first information. The function execution unit 113 may also execute a function to scan for viruses, etc.

[0021] The terminal device 120 is equipped with a second storage device 121 that can store electronic information as second information, and a second processor 122 that is a processor that can execute programs, and is a device that communicates with the network storage device 110 via a network and can save and retrieve electronic information in the first storage device 111 of the network storage device 110. Specific examples of the terminal device 120 are not particularly limited, and include desktop computers and laptop computers. In this embodiment, the terminal device 120 performs installation processing based on an application acquired from the first storage device 111 or the like, thereby enabling function information indicating functions executed by the network storage device 110 to be displayed as items in a context menu that is displayed based on the OS (Operating System) running on the terminal device 120.

[0022] The terminal device 120 includes a storage location determination unit 123, a function display unit 124, and an instruction transmission unit 125 as processing units realized by causing the second processor 122 to execute the installed application. In this embodiment, the terminal device 120 includes a request information processing unit 126 as a processing unit.

[0023] The terminal device 120 is configured to acquire and store access rights to the network storage device 110 from the user as an initial setting so that the terminal device 120 can access the network storage device 110 by executing an application.

[0024] 3, when a user selects identification information 300 such as an icon that identifiably indicates electronic information, the storage location determination unit 123 determines whether the electronic information corresponding to the identification information 300 selected by the user is first information or second information. Specific determination methods are not limited, but for example, the user uses a cursor 301 based on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) by an OS running on the terminal device 120 to designate one of the identification information 300 displayed in a view window 310 by a file viewer on a display device provided in the terminal device 120, and selects the designated identification information 300 by right-clicking the mouse. Based on an address, which is one piece of information included in the selected identification information 300, the storage location determination unit 123 determines that electronic information present on a network is first information and that electronic information present locally is second information.

[0025] When the storage location determination unit 123 determines that the electronic information corresponding to the identification information 300 selected is primary information, the function display unit 124 displays function information 303 corresponding to functions executable by the network storage device 110 as items in the context menu 302. The items to be displayed may be changed depending on the type of the selected primary information.

[0026] When a user selects one of the pieces of functional information 303 displayed as items in the context menu 302 using the GUI, the instruction sending unit 125 sends instruction information corresponding to the selected piece of functional information 303 (shown inverted in the figure) to the network storage device 110.

[0027] When the function execution unit 113 of the network storage device 110 that has received the instruction information transmits to the terminal device 120 request information requesting the transmission of additional information to be used for executing the function corresponding to the instruction information, the request information processing unit 126 further displays the additional information related to the received request information as a window 304 created based on an application, as shown in FIG. 5, and transmits the additional information based on the content entered by the user via the GUI in the displayed window 304 to the network storage device 110.

[0028] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the network storage system 100. Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the network storage system.

[0029] A user starts a file viewer on the terminal device 120 (S101). The file viewer requests identification information corresponding to electronic information that conforms to predetermined conditions from the network storage device 110 (S102). In response to the request, the network storage device 110 transmits one or more pieces of identification information to the terminal device 120 (S103). The file viewer displays the received identification information 300 in the view window 310 as shown in FIG. 3 (S104).

[0030] The user selects identification information corresponding to the desired electronic information based on the GUI (S105). The file viewer transmits the selected identification information, or a part of it, to the storage location determination unit 123 (S106). The storage location determination unit 123, which has received information such as a URL, determines whether the electronic information corresponding to the selected identification information 300 is first information stored in the first storage device 111 of the network storage device 110, or second information stored in the second storage device 121 of the terminal device 120 (S107).

[0031] If the determination result of the storage location determination unit 123 is the first information, the function display unit 124 displays the function information 303 as an item in the context menu 302 (S108), as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 4, when the user selects one of the function information 303 displayed in the context menu 302 using the GUI, the instruction transmission unit 125 transmits instruction information corresponding to the selected function information 303 to the network storage device 110 (S109).

[0032] The function execution unit 113 of the network storage device 110 that has received the instruction information executes the function (application) corresponding to the instruction information (S110).

[0033] Here, when the function execution unit 113 determines that additional information that requires at least one of user selection and input is required when executing a function (S111, Yes), the function execution unit 113 sends request information to the application of the terminal device 120 requesting the transmission of additional information to be used to execute the function corresponding to the received instruction information (S112).

[0034] The request information processing unit 126 of the application 130 further displays a window 304 containing information related to the request information, as shown in FIG. 5 (S113), and transmits additional information based on the content entered by the user via the GUI in the displayed window 304 to the network storage device 110 (S114).

[0035] Using the received additional information, function execution unit 113 executes the function, transmits the execution result to terminal device 120 (S115), and the execution result is displayed on terminal device 120 (S116).

[0036] According to the network storage system 100 of the above embodiment, when operating electronic information such as files and folders, if a user wants the network storage device 110 to perform a function targeting first information, the function can be easily performed with an intuitive operation without having to go to the trouble of launching a separate web browser and establishing a connection with the network storage device 110.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the present invention may be embodied in another embodiment by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification or by excluding some of the components. Furthermore, the present invention also includes various modifications that would occur to a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention, i.e., the meaning of the wording of the claims.

[0038] For example, if a function performed in the network storage device 110 does not require additional information, such as backing up a folder or scanning a file for viruses, the request information is not sent and the request information processing unit 126 does not display a window, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0039] 8, if additional information is required for the function information 303 selected by the user in the context menu 302, the request information processing unit 126 further displays a window 304 (S113) before (or after) the instruction sending unit 125 sends the instruction information (S109).The additional information input or selected by the user may then be sent to the network storage device 110 (S114). [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention is applicable to a network storage system that includes a network storage device and a terminal device that are connected to a network such as the Internet or a LAN. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 100 Network Storage System 110 Network storage device 111 First storage device 112 First Processor 113 Function Execution Department 120 Terminal Equipment 121 Second storage device 122 Second Processor 123 Storage location determination unit 124 Function display section 125 Instruction transmission unit 126 Request information processing unit 150 Address translation device 210 First Network 220 Second Network 300 Identification Information 301 Cursor 302 Context Menu 303 Feature Information 304 Window 310 viewsAwind

Claims

1. A network storage system comprising: a plurality of network storage devices each having a first storage device capable of storing electronic information as first information and capable of communicating via a network; and a terminal device each having a second storage device capable of storing electronic information as second information and capable of communicating via the network, The terminal device a storage location determination unit that determines whether the electronic information selected by the user is first information or second information; a function display unit that displays, when the storage location determination unit determines that the information is first information, function information corresponding to functions that can be executed by each of the plurality of network storage devices as items in a context menu; an instruction sending unit that sends instruction information corresponding to the function information selected in the context menu to the network storage device; The network storage device a function execution unit that executes a function corresponding to the function information for the selected first information based on the instruction information acquired from the instruction transmission unit; Network storage system.

2. The function execution unit transmitting request information to the terminal device requesting transmission of additional information used to execute the function; The terminal device a request information processing unit that displays additional information related to the request information and transmits the additional information based on the input to the network storage device; 2. The network storage system according to claim 1.

3. The electronic information is a file.

3. The network storage system according to claim 1.

4. The electronic information is a folder.

4. The network storage system according to claim 1.

5. The function is a function for changing the access authority of a user or group to the first information; 5. The network storage system according to claim 3.

6. The function is A function to back up the first information.

5. The network storage system according to claim 3.

7. the first storage device stores an application to be executed by a second processor included in the terminal device; The terminal device By performing an installation process based on the application acquired from the first storage device, the function information can be displayed as an item in the context menu.

7. The network storage system according to claim 1.

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