JP2000194541A - Terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal device which can download a network OS from a server device through a network and update the network OS. SOLUTION: The terminal device once connected to the server device requests the server device to check whether the client OS stored in its main body is of the latest version (n1, n2). When not, the input of timing of update is accepted and the client OS is updated in the timing (n3 to n16). Thus, the client OS stored in the main body is rewritten into the client OS downloaded from the server device to update the client OS, so the trouble to update the client OS is saved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device connected to a server device via a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a network system in which a plurality of client devices are connected to a server device via a network. In this type of network system, a network OS suitable for a network environment is provided in each of a server device and a client device, and communication control between the server device and the client device is performed by the network OS. Examples of the terminal device include a set-top box that is connected to the TV device and that can not only display information acquired from the server device on the TV screen but also make a ticket reservation and the like.

[0003]

By the way, when the server device updates the network OS (on the server side) (when the version of the network OS is upgraded), the client device also updates the version of the network OS (on the client side). Should be done. A general terminal device (network computer (NC)) such as a set-top box stores a network OS in a flash memory or the like, and has a function of updating (rewriting) the network OS in the BIOS.

However, many network computers such as set-top boxes do not have an FD drive or the like in the main body. Therefore, the network O
When updating S, it is necessary to connect an FD drive or the like that reads the latest version of the network OS from a recording medium such as an FD to the terminal device, and there is a problem that updating the network OS takes time.

Therefore, the latest version of the network OS is downloaded from the server device, and the network OS is downloaded.
There is a demand for a terminal device that can update the information. In some cases, an application program that has been upgraded from a server device via a network is downloaded to a terminal device.
9, JP-A-2-51355, JP-A-4-3
No. 45346), and those for downloading a network OS have not been proposed so far.

An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device that can download a network OS from a server device via a network and update the network OS.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device that can start downloading a network OS from a server device at an arbitrary time.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a terminal device connected to a server device via a network.
Version check request means for transmitting the version of the network OS stored in the main unit to the server device and requesting a check whether the version of the network OS is an appropriate version, and a server device for the version check request means If the response result from the network OS is not appropriate,
Update instruction receiving means for receiving an input as to whether or not to update the network OS;
Download request means for requesting the server device to download an appropriate version of the network OS when receiving an input to update the OS.

In this configuration, the server is requested to check whether the version of the network OS stored in the main unit is appropriate, and it is determined that the response result to the request from the server is inappropriate. Is received, an input as to whether to update the network OS is accepted. Here, when an input to update is received,
Requests the server device to download an appropriate network OS.

[0010] Therefore, the terminal device rewrites the network OS stored in the main body to the network OS downloaded from the server device, thereby enabling the network device to operate.
S can be updated. That is, the network OS can be updated without connecting an FD drive or the like to the terminal device. Further, even if the result of the version check is inappropriate, the network OS is not updated (a download request to the server device) unless the user inputs an update of the network OS. Therefore, when there is a process to be executed quickly, the update of the network OS can be postponed (the process to be executed immediately can be performed immediately).

Further, the present invention provides, in a terminal device connected to a server device via a network, version acquiring means for acquiring an appropriate network OS version from the server device, and a version acquired by the version acquiring means. Version comparing means for comparing the version of the network OS stored in the main unit,
Update instruction receiving means for receiving an input as to whether or not to update the network OS, when the two versions do not match in the version comparing means;
Download request means for requesting the server device to download an appropriate version of the network OS when the update instruction receiving means receives an input to update the network OS.

In this configuration, the terminal device acquires an appropriate version of the network OS from the server device, and determines whether or not the network OS stored in the main unit is of an appropriate version. Then, when the determination result indicates that the update is not appropriate, an input as to whether or not to update the network OS is received, and when an input to perform the update is received, the server device is requested to download an appropriate network OS. . Thereby, claim 1
The same effects as those described above can be obtained.

[0013] The version check requesting means is a means for executing at the time of connection with the server device.

Further, the version check acquisition means is means for executing at the time of connection with the server device.

With this configuration, the version of the network OS stored in the terminal device main body can be checked every time the terminal device is connected.

The update instruction receiving means also receives an input of a time to start updating the network OS,
When the input time has come, the download request means is executed.

In this configuration, the time for executing the update of the network OS can be designated, so that the user himself / herself can use the network OS at any time such as a time when the terminal device is not used or a midnight when the call charge is discounted. Updates can be performed.

Further, notifying means for notifying the server device of a time at which the download request means is executed, and the number of terminal devices scheduled to execute the download request means for each time zone are acquired from the server apparatus. Reservation information acquisition means.

In this configuration, the network O
By notifying the number of terminal devices requesting the download of S as reservation information, it is possible to suppress concentration of network OS download requests to the server device at a certain time.

[0020]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a network system to which a terminal device (client device) according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1 is a terminal device, 2 is a server device, and 3 is a network connecting the terminal device 1 and the server device 2. Network 3
Is, for example, a public line network or a LAN. As illustrated, a plurality of terminal devices 1 are connected to a server device 2 via a network 3. The server device 2 stores the latest version of the client OS and the version number of the client OS on a hard disk or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of software in the terminal device according to this embodiment. Reference numeral 11 denotes a maintenance OS corresponding to the BIOS of the terminal device main body, reference numeral 12 denotes a client OS for controlling communication with the server device 2, and reference numeral 13 denotes a plurality of application software for performing various processes. The maintenance OS 11 is a program having a function of performing input control with a mouse or a keyboard, control of connection / disconnection of a line with the server device 2, control of updating of the client OS 12, and the like. The client OS is a program for controlling input and output of data communicated with the server device, and is stored in the flash memory. The client OS 12 corresponds to a network OS according to the present invention. Maintenance O
Between S11 and client OS12 and client O
Data exchange and function call are performed between S12 and AP13.

Hereinafter, the operation of the terminal device 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing of the terminal device of this embodiment.
When the terminal device 1 is connected to the server device 2 via the network 3 (n1), the terminal device 1 requests the server device 2 to check the version of the client OS 12 (n).
2). At this time, the terminal device 1 also transmits the version number of the client OS 12 stored in the flash memory to the server device 2. The terminal device 1 stores the version number in a RAM (not shown) or the like.

When receiving a version check request from the terminal device 1, the server device 2 determines whether the version number transmitted with the request matches the latest version number of the client OS12. Note that the server device 2 stores the latest version number of the client OS as described above. If the two version numbers match, the server device 2 stores the client OS stored in the terminal device 1
Returns OK indicating that 12 is appropriate, and
If the two version numbers do not match, an NG indicating that the stored client OS 12 is not appropriate is returned to the terminal device 1.

The terminal device 1 waits for the result of the version check request to be transmitted from the server device 2 (n3), and upon receiving the result, the result is OK or N
G is determined (n4). If OK (client OS1 stored in flash memory
If 2 is the latest one), the process proceeds to n5 to execute a normal process. Note that the normal processing here refers to the activation of the application 13 and the communication processing with the server device 1 based on the activated application 13. On the other hand, if the result is not OK (if it is NG), the terminal device 1 displays a comment indicating the fact on the display unit and the client OS
(N6) prompting the user to input whether to immediately execute the update or to execute the update later (see FIG. 4). here,
If the user inputs that the update will be performed immediately,
The terminal device 1 requests the server device 1 to download the latest version of the client OS 12 (n7 to n7).
n9).

Upon receiving a request from the terminal device 1 to download the client OS 12, the server device 2 starts downloading the stored latest version of the client OS 12. The terminal device 1 updates the client OS 12 by rewriting the client OS 12 stored in the flash memory with the client OS 12 downloaded from the server device 2 (n1
0). The update process of the client OS 12 is controlled by the maintenance OS 11. When the update of the client OS 12 is completed, the terminal device 1 proceeds to n5 and executes a normal process.

On the other hand, when the user inputs that the network OS 12 will be updated later, the terminal device 1 requests the server device 2 to transmit the reservation information (n11). The server device 2 stores the reservation information shown in FIG. The reservation information is information indicating the number of terminal devices 1 scheduled to update the network OS 12 for each time period. For example, the example illustrated in FIG. 5 indicates that ten terminal devices 1 are scheduled to update the network OS 12 between 16:00 and 17:00 on November 10. The server device 2
When a request for transmitting reservation information is received from the terminal device 1, the stored reservation information is transmitted to the terminal device 1.

When the terminal device 1 receives the reservation information from the server device 2 (n12), the terminal device 1 displays the reservation information on the display unit and displays a message prompting the user to input a time for updating the client OS 12 (see FIG. 6). ) (N13). When the user inputs a time for updating the client OS 12 (n14), the terminal device 1 sets the time to the client OS 1
The time is transmitted to the server device 2 as a reserved time for updating the second data, and this time is stored in a RAM or the like as a reserved time (n15, n16). Then, the process proceeds to n5, where normal processing is performed. When the reservation time for updating the client OS 12 is transmitted from the terminal device 1, the server device 2 increments the number of terminal devices of the reservation time transmitted in the reservation information shown in FIG. ).

In this case, the terminal device 1 is a client OS
Since the version 12 has not been upgraded, it operates on the client OS 12 that is not the latest version. However, even if the terminal device 1 is operated by the client OS 12 which is not the latest version, no operational problem (a problem such as inability to communicate with the server device 2) does not occur, and the terminal device 1 is added with the network OS version upgrade. Only the features that are not available. Therefore, if there is a process that the user wants to execute quickly, the user can update the client OS 12 after performing this process. Further, when the network 3 connecting the terminal device 1 and the server device 2 is a public line network, the client OS 12 is updated (downloaded) during a time period such as late at night when discounts on line usage charges (call charges) are performed. You can also. That is, it is possible to reduce a call charge, which is a cost for updating the client OS 12. Further, since the reservation information is displayed and the user is allowed to input a time for updating the client OS 12, it is possible to suppress concentration of the terminal device 1 for updating the client OS 12 in a certain time zone. Can be. The reason is that if there are many terminal devices 1 that update the client OS 12, the load on the server device 2 will increase,
This is because the time required to download the client OS 12 becomes longer (it takes a longer time to update the client OS 12), and thus the user specifies a time period in which the number of terminal devices 1 that update the client OS 12 is relatively small. As a result, the client OS
It is also possible to distribute the load on the server device 2 without the concentration of the terminal device 1 that performs the update of 12.

Next, referring to FIG.
The operation of the terminal device 1 when the update time of S12 reaches the reserved time will be described. Note that the terminal device 1 is in the sleep mode, and the main body functions are stopped, but the timer monitors the reservation time. When the reservation time comes (n21), the terminal device 1 performs a startup process (n22),
It requests the server device 2 to download the client OS 12 (n23). Thereby, the server device 2
Starts downloading the client OS 12. The terminal device 1 updates the client OS 12 by rewriting the client OS 12 stored in the flash memory with the client OS 12 downloaded from the server device 2 (n24). When the update of the client 12 is completed, the terminal device 1 stops the main body function and returns to the sleep mode (n25).

As described above, in the terminal device 1 according to this embodiment, the client OS can be updated by downloading the latest version of the client OS 12 from the server device 2. Therefore, the update of the client OS 12 can be easily performed without trouble. Moreover, since the version of the client OS 12 is checked when connected to the server device 2, it is possible to reliably check whether the client OS 12 stored in the terminal device 1 is the latest one. it can.

Next, the operation of the terminal device 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal device 1 according to this embodiment. When the terminal device 1 according to this embodiment is connected to the server device (n31), the terminal device 1 transmits the latest version number of the client OS 12 to the server device 2 instead of requesting the server device 2 to check the version of the client OS. (N32). When the latest version number of the client OS 12 is transmitted from the server device 2 (n33), the client OS 1 stores the version number in the flash memory of the main body.
Then, it is determined whether or not the version number matches the version No. 2 (n34). If the two version numbers match, the process proceeds to n5 in the same manner as in the terminal device 1 of the above-described embodiment, and normal processing is performed. If they do not match, the above-described processes after n6 are executed.

That is, the terminal device 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the terminal device of the above-described embodiment only in that the version of the client OS 12 is checked by itself, and the other operations are the same as those of the terminal device of the above-described embodiment. The same processing as that of the device 1 is executed. Thereby, the terminal device 1 according to the present embodiment also has the same effect as the terminal device 1 according to the above-described embodiment.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the network OS can be updated by rewriting the network OS stored in the main unit to the network OS downloaded from the server device.
Hassle-free updating. Further, even if the result of the version check is inappropriate, unless the user inputs the update of the network OS,
Since the update of the network OS is not performed, the update of the network OS can be postponed when there is a process to be executed quickly.

Further, since the version check is performed when connected to the server device, it is possible to reliably check whether the network OS stored in the terminal device is appropriate.

Further, since the time for downloading the network OS from the server device can be specified, the network OS can be updated at a time convenient for the user (time when the terminal device is not used).

Furthermore, by notifying the number of terminal devices requesting the download of the network OS for each time zone as reservation information, it is possible to suppress the concentration of requests for downloading the network OS to the server device at a certain time. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network system to which a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen on a display unit of the terminal device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing reservation information stored in a server device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen on a display unit of the terminal device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 1-Terminal device 2-Server device 3-Network 11-Maintenance OS 12-Client OS

Claims (6)

[Claims] A terminal device connected to a server device via a network transmits a version of a network OS stored in a main body to the server device, and determines whether the version of the network OS is an appropriate version. Requesting a version check request, and receiving an update instruction for receiving an input as to whether or not to update the network OS when a response result from the server device to the version check request means is inappropriate. And a download requesting means for requesting the server device to download an appropriate version of the network OS when the update instruction receiving means receives an input to update the network OS. apparatus. 2. A terminal device connected to a server device via a network, wherein: a version obtaining means for obtaining an appropriate network OS version from the server device;
Version comparing means for comparing the version of the network OS stored in the main body; and receiving an update instruction for receiving an input as to whether or not to update the network OS when the versions do not match in the version comparing means. And a download requesting means for requesting the server device to download an appropriate version of the network OS when the update instruction receiving means receives an input to update the network OS. apparatus. 3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the version check request unit is a unit that is executed when connecting to a server device. 4. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the version check obtaining unit is a unit that executes when connecting to a server device. 5. The update instruction receiving means also receives an input of a time to start updating the network OS, and executes the download request means when the input time has come. The terminal device according to any one of the above. 6. A notifying unit for notifying the server device of a time at which the download request unit is executed, and acquiring the number of terminal devices scheduled to execute the download request unit for each time zone from the server unit. The terminal device according to claim 5, further comprising: reservation information obtaining means.