Information processing system using information caching based on user activity

Claim 2

An information processing apparatus to be connected to a network in order to receive a transfer of information via the network from an information management apparatus storing various information, comprising: prediction means for predicting a necessary information which will be required by a user in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to a first knowledge concerning an activity schedule of the user and a second knowledge concerning a relationship between a user's activity and an attribute of information; transfer control means for determining at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used amongst a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and controlling the transfer of the necessary information from the information management apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be received by the necessary time; and storage means for storing the necessary information transferred via the network.

Claim 3

An information transfer control apparatus for realizing an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus via a network, comprising: prediction means for predicting a necessary information which will be required by a user using the first information processing apparatus in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to a knowledge concerning an activity schedule of the user; and transfer control means for determining at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and controlling the transfer of the necessary information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be transferred by the necessary time.

Claim 4

An information transfer control apparatus for realizing an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus via a network, comprising: prediction means for predicting a necessary information which will be required by a user using the first information processing apparatus in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to a knowledge concerning an activity schedule of the user; and transfer control means for determining at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and controlling the transfer of the necessary information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be transferred by the necessary time.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the prediction means and the transfer control means are integrally incorporated within the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the prediction means and the transfer control means are integrally incorporated within the second information processing apparatus.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the prediction means and the transfer control means are integrally incorporated within a network service server provided in conjunction with the network to which the first and second information processing apparatuses are connected.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the prediction means also predicts a future location of the first information processing apparatus according to the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user, while the transfer control means determines a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of information, according to the future location, and a knowledge concerning a relationship between a location of the first information processing apparatus and an available network, and controls the transfer of information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus according to the determined transfer time and network to be used.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transfer control means determines the transfer time and network to be used also according to a current location of the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transfer control means determines a transfer time for the transfer of the necessary information according to the necessary time, and controls the transfer of the necessary information according to the determined transfer time.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transfer control means determines a transfer time for the transfer of the necessary information also according to a knowledge concerning a relationship between a time for using the network and an information transfer cost.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transfer control means determines a transfer time for the transfer of the necessary information also according to a knowledge concerning a relationship between a time for using the network and a connection possibility of the network.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transfer control means determines a transfer time for the transfer of the necessary information also according to an amount of the necessary information.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transfer control means determines a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and controls the transfer of the necessary information according to the determined transfer time and network to be used.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transfer control means determines the transfer time and network to be used according to the necessary time, the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user, and a knowledge concerning a relationship between the user's activity and an available network.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user specifies a location of the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transfer control means determines the transfer time and network to be used according to the necessary time, the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user, and a knowledge concerning a relationship between the user's activity schedule and a status/environment of an available network.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the status/environment of the available network indicates time dependent information on the available network.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user specifies a location of the first information processing apparatus at each time.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transfer control means determines the transfer time and network to be used which satisfy prescribed evaluation criteria.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: acquisition means for acquiring at least one of a first relationship between a current processing carried out by the first information processing apparatus and at least one of present time and present place, and a second relationship between the current processing and a past processing carried out by the first information processing apparatus in past, and providing said at least one of the first and second relationships as the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising: correction means for correcting the knowledge concerning the activity schedule of the user according to said at least one of the first and second relationships acquired by the acquisition means.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the prediction means also uses a knowledge concerning a relationship between a user's activity and an attribute of information in predicting the necessary information and the necessary time.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: acquisition means for acquiring a relationship between a current processing carried out by the first information processing apparatus and an attribute of information handled by the current processing, and providing the acquired relationship as the knowledge concerning the relationship between a user's activity and an attribute of information.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising: correction means for correcting the knowledge concerning the relationship between a user's activity and an attribute of information according to the relationship acquired by the acquisition means.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the knowledge concerning an activity schedule of the user is given in a form of a schedule table produced according to user's inputs.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: input means for entering inputs from the user; and means for adding, correcting, and/or selecting the first and second knowledge according to the inputs entered by the input means.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transfer control means controls the transfer of the necessary information to satisfy prescribed evaluation criteria, and the apparatus further comprising: input means for entering inputs from the user; and means for adding, correcting, and/or selecting the evaluation criteria according to the inputs entered by the input means.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transfer control means controls the transfer of the necessary information such that the necessary information are transferred from the second information processing apparatus to a third information processing apparatus first, temporarily stored in the third information processing apparatus, and then transferred from the third information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the transfer control means is distributedly provided over the third information processing apparatus and one of the first information processing apparatus, the second information processing apparatus, and a network service server provided in conjunction with the network to which the first, second, and third information processing apparatuses are connected.

Claim 37

The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of: detecting a current location of the first information processing apparatus, such that the determining step determines the transfer time and network to be used also according to the current location of the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 38

An article of manufacture, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a system for controlling an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from second information processing apparatus via a network, the computer readable program code means including: first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a first knowledge concerning an activity schedule of a user using the first information processing apparatus and a second knowledge concerning a relationship between a user's activity and an attribute of information; second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to predict a necessary information which will be required by the user in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to the first and second knowledge; and third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and control the transfer of the necessary information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be received by the necessary time at the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 39

An article of manufacture, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a system for controlling an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from second information processing apparatus via a network, the computer readable program code means including: first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a first knowledge concerning an activity schedule of a user using the first information processing apparatus and a second knowledge concerning a relationship between a user's activity and an attribute of information; second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to predict a necessary information which will be required by the user in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to the first and second knowledge; and third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and control the transfer of the necessary information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be received by the necessary time at the first information processing apparatus.

Claim 40

An article of manufacture, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a system for controlling an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus via a network, the computer readable program means including: first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a knowledge concerning an activity schedule of a user using the first information processing apparatus; second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to predict a necessary information which will be required by a user using the first information processing apparatus in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to the knowledge concerning an activity schedule of the user; and third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and control the transfer of the necessary information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be transferred by the necessary time.

Claim 41

An article of manufacture, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a system for controlling an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus via a network, the computer readable program means including: first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a knowledge concerning an activity schedule of a user using the first information processing apparatus; second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to predict a necessary information which will be required by a user using the first information processing apparatus in future and a necessary time by which the necessary information will be actually required by the user, according to the knowledge concerning an activity schedule of the user; and third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine at least one of a transfer time and a network to be used among a plurality of available networks for the transfer of the necessary information, and control the transfer of the necessary information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus via the network according to said at least one of transfer time and network to be used, such that the necessary information will be transferred by the necessary time.

Claim 42

An article of manufacture, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a system for controlling an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus via one of a plurality of networks, the computer readable program means including: first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a first knowledge concerning an activity schedule of a user using the first information processing apparatus and a second knowledge concerning a relationship between a location of the first information processing apparatus and an available network; second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to predict a future location of the first information processing apparatus according to the first knowledge; third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine a transfer time and a network to be used for the transfer of information according to the future location and the second knowledge; and fourth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to control the transfer of information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus according to the determined transfer time and network to be used.

Claim 43

An article of manufacture, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a system for controlling an information transfer to a first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus via one of a plurality of networks, the computer readable program means including: first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide a first knowledge concerning an activity schedule of a user using the first information processing apparatus and a second knowledge concerning a relationship between a location of the first information processing apparatus and an available network; second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to predict a future location of the first information processing apparatus according to the first knowledge; third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine a transfer time and a network to be used for the transfer of information according to the future location and the second knowledge; and fourth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to control the transfer of information from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus according to the determined transfer time and network to be used.

Claim 44

The article of manufacture of claim 35, wherein the computer readable program means further includes: fifth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to detect a current location of the first information processing apparatus, such that the third computer readable program code means determines the transfer time and network to be used also according to the current location of the first information processing apparatus.