Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-27
2004-03-02
Kindred, Alford (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C715S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06701331
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a data processing device and a method of processing data, in particular to a data processing device and a method of processing data enabling extension and modification of a data format and various functions of the data processing device to achieve stable data processing.
BACKGROUND ART
Digital data such as a document file, which can be processed by a computer, is recorded in a recording medium according to some kind of format in order to have compatibility. Generally, any kind of format would be subjected to extension so as to allow an addition of a new function, for example. However, there is a problem in that, in some cases, data cannot be read by a former version of regeneration program and cannot be processed after the format extension, depending on how the extension of a format is performed. Further, data in a format different from the expected format may be read into the regenerating program, possibly causing a crash of the regenerating program.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-278262 discloses a digital signal recording/regenerating device, in which an area for storing an identification code is provided in a recording medium storing a digital signal to be regenerated, and the identification code identifies whether the digital signal to be regenerated belongs to a basic function with compatibility or to a dedicated function without compatibility. When the digital signal is regenerated, the digital signal recording/regenerating device first verifies whether or not the digital signal can be regenerated, and then regenerates only signals that can be regenerated. Thus, a manufacturer can freely perform extension of functions while maintaining the compatibility of the digital signal recording/regenerating device.
Data in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) format used in the WWW (World Wide Web), an identifier called a tag designates a process and data to be processed. In other words, the data to be processed is designated by interposing object data to be processed between an open tag <abc> (“abc” refers to a name of a tag) and a close tag </abc>. The data interposed between the two tags is subjected to a process assigned to the tag name of “abc.” A browser for executing a display process of the HTML data is designed such that extension of functions can be done by adding a new tag.
Further, in the browser, when a tag that cannot be interpreted is encountered, its function can be neglected by skip-reading its open and close tags. Thus, it is possible for the browser to process only the data that can be processed.
Such a browser that interprets data written in HTML format to display the data on a screen has a mechanism of extending a function by adding an external program called plug-in. A plug-in corresponds to each extension such as “.mov,” “.avi” or the like attached to the end of a file name to indicate a type of data. If a file of a type that cannot be processed by a browser exists within data in HTML format, the browser examines the extension of the file to start a plug-in corresponding thereof for processing the file.
However, the digital signal recording/regenerating device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-278262 described above has a problem in that a process of an extended function requires a pre-embedded program within the device for executing the process of the extended function, and the execution of the extended function would be impossible if no processing programs exist in the device.
A similar problem lies in a browser interpreting data in HTML format to display the data on a screen.
In a browser using a plug-in, the plug-in is distributed through a route completely different from that of data. Thus, in some cases, a name of an extension of data and a type of the data indicated by the extension do not correspond with each other. If data is regenerated using the plug-in in such cases, data of a type different from that originally expected by the plug-in may be processed. Thus, in the worst possible case, the program of the browser may be crashed.
Further, a plug-in is installed into a browser without consideration of reliability of the plug-in. Therefore, there is a potential risk that a plug-in with low reliability may be embedded, such as a plug-in including a bug, or a plug-in infected with a computer virus.
When a plug-in for data having various functions such as a dynamic image, sound and so forth is taken into consideration, the plug-in must be designed, because of its character as a plug-in, such that it can process any of the functions. This makes a program of the plug-in more complicated compared to a program for processing limited functions only. Thus, there are problems in that a bug tends to get mixed at the time of creation, the creation takes time, verification for operation also takes time, slippage of verification for operation tends to occur and so forth.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a data processing device, performing extension and modification of a format of an input digital data and various functions of a device body, and selectively installing safe software only as a program within a device, to achieve stable data processing.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of processing data, performing extension and modification of a format of an input digital data and various functions of a device body, and selectively installing safe software only as a program within a device, to achieve stable data processing.
A data processing device according to one aspect of the invention reads digital data including object data for processing, an identifier indicating a type of the object data, and an attached program associated with the identifier, for performing a predetermined process for the object data to execute a process for the object data. The data processing device includes a program storing unit for storing an internal program including a processing module associated with at least one identifier to perform a predetermined process for the object data; a digital data reading unit for reading digital data; an attached-program's-presence determining unit connected to the digital data reading unit, for determining presence/absence of an attached program associated with the identifier of the read object data in the digital data; a processing-module's-presence determining unit connected to the digital data reading unit and the program storing unit, for determining presence/absence of a processing module corresponding to the identifier of the read object data in the internal program; and a program selecting/executing unit connected to the attached-program's-presence determining unit, the processing-module's-presence determining unit, the digital data reading unit and the program storing unit, for performing a process for the object data using either one of the attached program or the processing module in response to respective outputs of the attached-program's-presence determining unit and the processing-module's-presence determining unit.
Object data and an attached program for processing the object data are distributed together, and the attached program distributed on the same route as that of the object data is used to process the object data. A process by the attached program matched with the object data avoids a problem of crash of the attached program. Further, the attached program have only to process the object data, so that the attached program is simplified, mixing of bugs at the time of creating the attached program is reduced, shorter operation verification time is enabled, and a risk of mis-verification is reduced. Thus, a stable data processing can be achieved.
Preferably, the attached program and the processing module are respectively provided with version information, the data processing device further including a version information comparing unit connected to the digital data reading unit and the program storing unit, for comparing each of the version informati
Iwasaki Keisuke
Kitamura Yoshihiro
Saiga Hisashi
Sawada Yuji
Yamanoue Masafumi
Conlin David G.
Edwards & Angell LLP
Kindred Alford
Penny, Jr. John J.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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