JP2002215499A - Url switching control method and site charging method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for switching a request from a client to an appropriate server for using service which the server connected by the Internet provides. SOLUTION: An organization site being a window at the time of access from a user is installed. A user authenticating site and a site supplying various services are called from the organization site. At that time, an URL(uniform resource locator) switch program for distributing the request from the user to the appropriate site is set.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for switching a request from a client to an appropriate server when using a service provided by a server connected via the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, various companies have launched sites that provide services such as article sales and ticket reservations. In order to receive services at those sites, the user performs user registration in advance, and at that time, user information such as an address, a name, a payment method, and a credit card number is registered. As a result, at the time of receiving various services, if only user authentication is performed,
There is no need to perform other troublesome inputs. In addition,
There is a conventional technology that proposes a network system suitable for an e-commerce service, such as “Network System, Data Distribution Method, and Computer-Readable Recording Medium Recording Distribution Data” in JP-A-11-96237.

[0003]

Even if the types of services increase, there are procedures required for each service, such as user authentication. If content for user authentication is created for each service one by one, a large cost is required. Further, if the screen layout is different for each type of service, it is inconvenient for the user. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-96237, “Network System,...”, It is necessary to consider even the configuration of the network itself in order to provide electronic commerce services.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems A coordinating site serving as a window for accessing from a user is provided, and a user authentication site and a site providing various services are called from the coordinating site. At that time, a URL switching program for distributing a request from the user to an appropriate site is provided.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the present invention.

Reference numeral 101 denotes a user PC used by a user to transmit a request, and reference numerals 102 to 105 denote sites that provide various services. In the present invention, the terms "site" and "server" are treated as synonyms. The term “site” is a term as viewed from the user side, and the term “server” is a term as viewed from the computer side.

[0007] Reference numeral 107 denotes a grouping site to which the user sends a request. The user does not directly know a site that provides 102 to 105 various services.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a URL switching program for analyzing a request in the collecting site and switching to an appropriate site. The URL is a Uniform Resource
An abbreviation for Locator, with the server name on the Internet,
This is the description method used when specifying the file name in the server, and "http://www.server1.com/file.html"
The format is “Www.server1.com” represents the server name, and “file.html” represents the file name.

Reference numeral 109 denotes a request receiving unit for receiving a request from a user, and reference numeral 110 denotes a URL analyzing unit for analyzing a request from the user and transmitting the request to an appropriate site. . 111 is U
UR referred by the RL analysis unit 110 when switching URLs
This is an L switching definition file. A response transmission unit 112 receives a response from the server and transmits the response to the user.

Reference numeral 113 denotes a WWW server program for receiving a request from a user and transmitting the WWW content of the site 107 itself as a response. Reference numeral 114 denotes WWW content of the coordinating site 107 itself.

FIG. 2 shows the URL switching program 10 in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing 8 in detail. 201 to 204 indicate that the request received by the request receiving unit 109 is
The process of switching URLs according to the RL switching definition file 111 is shown. The URL switching definition file 111 is 205
It is represented in a tabular format such as

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure from when the URL switching program 108 receives a request from the user PC 101 to when it transmits a response to the user PC 101 again.

The request receiving unit 109 receives a request from the user PC (step 301), and the URL analyzing unit 1
10 extracts the server name and the file name from the URL representing the request (step 302). It is searched whether the URL before change in the URL switching definition file 111 has a combination of the server name and the file name extracted in step 302 (step 303). If so, step 304
Then, the URL is switched according to the changed URL in the URL switching definition file 111.

Next, for the server indicated by the URL,
A request is transmitted (step 305), and the response transmitting unit 112 receives the response from the server and transmits the response to the user PC 101 (step 3).
06).

FIG. 4 shows an example of a general HTML file. HTML file is Hyper Text Markup Lang
This is an abbreviation of uage, which is a file that describes the content displayed on a WWW browser. Generally, an HTML file describes not only a character string but also an image file and a screen transition destination when a button in a content is pressed. In the example of FIG. 4, "a.jpe
g ”, the URL to which data is sent when the button is pressed
Is defined as "http://www.site2.com/b.html".

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the user PC 101 to the HTM shown in FIG.
Lists requests that can occur when requesting an L file. A request (htt) for displaying the image file “a.jpeg” as well as the URL (http://www.site1.com/a.html) of the HTML file itself in FIG.
p: //www.site1.com/a.jpeg) and the URL to which data is sent when the button is pressed (http://www.site2.co.
m / b.html) can also occur as a request. Thus, along with the URL directly requested from the user PC 101, there is also a URL requested indirectly.

FIG. 6 is a list of requests generated when a URL is requested at the coordinating site 107 in this embodiment, and FIG. 7 is an example of a URL switching definition file in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows an input / output procedure required for enjoying various services in the various service providing sites 102 to 105 in the present embodiment.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing an example of the screen transition of the coordinating site 107. FIG. URL (www.master.com/index.ht), which is the first request from user PC 101
Screen 901 is displayed upon receiving (ml). When the user ID and password are input on the screen 902, a request “www.master.com/dbaccess.cgi” is originally generated according to FIG. 6, but the item number of the URL switching definition file in FIG. According to 1, "www.auth.com/dbaccess.cg
i ".

In FIG. 9, a request is issued to the authentication site 903 (user ID as an argument at that time).
As a result, a response of authentication OK and personal information or authentication NG is returned to the screen 902.

When the authentication is OK, the screen transits to a screen 904. Here, it is assumed that “article sales” is selected, but the following procedure is the same even when “ticket reservation” or “consultation” is selected.

When "sales of goods" is selected, a request "www.master.com/list.html" is originally generated according to FIG. 6, but item number 2 in the URL switching definition file of FIG. Switches to the request "www.shop.com/list.html".

In FIG. 9, a request is issued to the article sales site 905 (there is personal information as an argument at that time). As a result, a response of a product list and a product unit price is returned to the screen 904. A product list and a product unit price are displayed on a screen 1001. When the number of each product is input, according to FIG. 6, "www.master.com/goods.htm
l ”is generated, but according to the item No. 3 of the URL switching definition file in FIG. 7,“ www.shop.com/good
s.html ".

In FIG. 10, a request is issued to the goods sales site 1002 (the goods and the number are as arguments at that time). As a result, a response of the total amount is returned to the screen 1001. The total amount is displayed on the screen 1003, and a series of goods sales services is completed. Each of the screens 901, 902, 904, 1001, and 1003 is stored in the WWW content 114.
The screen layout unique to the collection site 107 is possible without depending on the type of service such as the sale of goods.

FIG. 11 is a site that provides various services.
Each of 102 to 105 is a list of the number of accesses by site 1104
FIG. List of access counts by site 11
04 is a table in which the number of accesses from the coordinating sites 1101 to 1103 is recorded. The administrator of each of the sites 102 to 105 can charge the administrator of the coordinating sites 1101 to 1103 according to the number of accesses. .

[0025]

According to the present invention, a user can receive various services by transmitting a request only to a grouping site.

The service provider only needs to create contents unique to various services, and a common service such as user authentication can use a dedicated site. The screen layout can be unified for each type of service. Sites that provide various services,
It is possible to charge for the coordinating site according to the number of accesses.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a URL switching program 108 in FIG. 1 in detail.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure from when the URL switching program 108 receives a request from the user PC 101 to when it transmits a response to the user PC 101 again.

FIG. 4 is an example of a general HTML file.

FIG. 5 is a list of requests that can occur when the user PC 101 requests the HTML file of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a list of requests that are generated when a URL is requested in the coordinating site 107 in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an example of a URL switching definition file in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a site for providing various services in the present embodiment.
These are input / output procedures necessary for enjoying the respective services for 102 to 105.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition of the collection site 107.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition of the collection site 107. (Continuation from Fig. 9)

FIG. 11 is a diagram when each of sites 102 to 105 providing various services has a site-specific access count list 1104.

[Explanation of symbols]

101: User PC, 102: User authentication site, 103: Article sales site, 104: Ticket sales site, 105: Consultation site, 107: Summary site, 108: URL switching program, 109: Request receiving unit, 110: URL analyzing unit , 111
... URL switching definition file, 112 ... Response transmission unit, 1
13: WWW server program, 114: WWW contents, 201 to 204: URL switching process, 205: Table showing URL switching definition file, 301 to 305: Each screen of article sales site, 401: Example of general HTML file , 501: List of requests, 601: List of requests generated when a URL is requested, 701: An example of a URL switching definition file, 801: Input / output procedure of each site, 901, 9
02,904,1001,1003… An example of screen transition of the summary site,
903: An example of an authentication site, 905,1002: An example of an article sales site, 1101, 1102, 1103: A collection site, 1104: A list of access counts by site

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A request receiving unit for receiving a request from a user PC, and analyzing the request to obtain a desired WWW
A URL analysis unit for transmitting the request to the server, and a table for converting the requested URL;
A URL switching definition file referred to by the L analysis unit;
Receives a response from the WW server and returns to the user PC
And a response transmitting unit that transmits a response to the URL. 2. The URL switching control method according to claim 1, wherein the WWW server has an access count list recording the access count. 3. A system comprising a user PC, a plurality of sites, and a coordinating site for switching access from the user PC to the site, wherein the site records the number of accesses to the site. And charging a site accessed in accordance with the number of accesses.