Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Distributed data processing – Client/server
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-25
2004-08-17
Burgess, Glenton B. (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Distributed data processing
Client/server
C709S202000, C709S217000, C709S218000, C709S219000, C709S224000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06779018
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology to certify the time period to respond to information which is especially provided on-line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various kinds of information are provided through the Internet with the spread of computers. Generally, those kinds of information provided through the Internet used to be provided from a server device to a client device one-directionally. However, there appears such information as to be joined by users through bi-directional communication. With the use of such a bi-directional communication system, a server device can provide information which requires a response of each user such as a quiz.
Here, for example, a hayaoshi-quiz (a game show in which a person who pushes a button first answers first) can be realized by counting the time period it takes for users of client devices to respond to information provided by a server device. Conventionally, such a way has been considered as to obtain the time period between a transmission of information to a client device done by a sever device through the Internet and a reception by the server device of a response input in the client device, i.e., it is only the server device that obtains the time period for response.
However, there may be some differences in the length of the time period between the transmission of information by a server device and the reception of information by a client device depending on the condition of the communication channel, the faculty of the client device or the like. Further, there may be some differences also in the length of the time period between the input of a response in the client device and the reception of the response by the server device depending on the same problem.
It is difficult for a server device to separate the time needed for the process in a client device from the time needed for the communication process on the Internet. Accordingly, it is not appropriate to say that the time period for response measured by a server device equals to the time period needed for a user to respond and there has been unfairness in the measured result.
Further, in the case where the time period for response is measured in the way described above, a response from client devices reaches a server device intensively in a short time. Because of this, there have been such problems as congestion of communication and the system breakdown in the server device owing to the excessively loaded communication channel and the server device in the above-described way.
As discussed above, there has been no system for accurately measuring the time period needed for users to input a response to information sent by a server device from client devices and for the obtained time period being collected by the server device. Due to this, for example, an on-line test with a time limit or a network business transaction that is tight on the certification of time have not been realized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to fairly and accurately certify the time period necessary for inputting a response to information sent through a network.
It is another object of this invention to collect the response to information sent through a network without excessively loading resources such as a network.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the obtained time period certifying system according to the first aspect of this invention comprises a server device for sending information which requires a response and a client device for inputting a response to sent information which is connected to the server device through a network wherein:
the client device comprises:
an information receiving means for receiving information which is sent from the server device through the network;
an outputting means for outputting information which the information receiving means receives;
a response inputting means for inputting a response to information output from the outputting means;
a time period obtaining means for obtaining a time period between the output of information from the outputting means and the input of the response to the response inputting means; and
a time data sending means for sending time data including the time period obtained by the time period obtaining means to the server device through the network,
the server device comprises:
an information sending means for sending information which requires a response and is to be received by the information receiving means of the client device through the network;
a time data receiving means for receiving the time data sent by the time data sending means through the network; and
an obtained time period certifying means for certifying the time period between the output of information and the input of the response based on the time data which the time data receiving means receives.
In the above-described obtained time period certifying system, the time period between the output of information and the input of the response is obtained not in the server device but in the client device. The server device certifies the obtained time period based on the time data which it receives from the client device. Because of this, since the server device can receive the accurate time period between the output of information and the input of the response in the client device, the server device can fairly certify the time period even if there are some differences in the length of the time period for outputting information sent from the server device in the client device or in the length of the time period for sending the data to the server device from the client device depending on the condition of the network or the difference in the faculty of the client device.
In the above-described obtained time period certifying system, the client device may further comprise an encoding means for encoding the time data including the time period obtained by the time period obtaining means and giving the data to the time data sending means. And the server device may further comprise a decoding means for decoding the encoded time data which the time data receiving means receives.
As described above, by encoding the time data to send them to the server device, the time data can be prevented from being improperly altered on the network or the like. Because of this, the server device can further accurately and fairly certify the time period between the output of information and the input of the response in the client device.
In the above-described obtained time period certifying system, the client device may further comprise a scheduling means for adjusting the timing at which the time data sending means sends the time data to the server device.
The above-described obtained time period certifying system may further comprise an intermediate device which is on the network between the server device and the client device and intermediates the sending of the time data from the client device to the server device. In this case, the intermediate device may comprise a means for receiving the time data launched to the network by the time data sending means, a means for sending the time data which the means receives to the server device through the network and a scheduling means for adjusting the timing at which the means sends the time data to the server device.
As described above, due to the client device or the intermediate device comprising a scheduling means, the timings at which the time data receiving means of the server device receives the time data are dispersed if the time data are sent from more than one client devices. Because of this, situations such as congestion on the network and the system breakdown in the server device owing to the excessively loaded network or server device can be prevented.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the obtained time period certifying system according to the second aspect of this invention comprises a server device for sending information which requires a response and a client device for inputting a response to sent information which is
Taura Hisatoshi
Yamashita Hiroki
Barqadle Yasin
Burgess Glenton B.
Justsystem Corporation
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