JP2003283523A - Connection control method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily connect a desired server each time a connection is requested to the Internet. <P>SOLUTION: A network 1 can be connected from networks 11 and 21 of respective different ISP. A mobile terminal 2 can be connected to the networks 11 and 21. The mobile terminal 2 is installed with network App 31 and 32 capable of transmitting-receiving electronic mail and a connection control App 33 to become a gateway between the App 31 and 32 and POP servers 14 and 23 like a proxy server and further, is provided with hardware connectable with the networks 11 and 21. When there is a connection request from the App 31/32, the server 14/23 is connected by the App 33 and electronic mail saved in the mailbox of the server 14/23 is received. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection control method and a recording medium for automatically setting a connection destination in a network application program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, a portable PC (Personal Compute
r), PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), mobile phones, etc. (hereinafter, these are referred to as "mobile terminals")
With the spread of Internet and the spread of networks, especially wireless networks, it has become possible to use the Internet service by connecting to the Internet from one's own mobile terminal from various places. When operating the same mobile terminal to use the Internet service, the company goes through the company's network through an Internet service provider (hereinafter referred to as “ISP”) with which the company has a contract, and while traveling, the ISP. It is possible to use the internet service via the mobile phone company and at home via another ISP.

At this time, generally, when using the Internet service, even if the same mobile terminal is used,
If SP is different, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configurati
The IP (Internet Protocol) address of the mobile terminal assigned by the on protocol) server changes, and the available SMTP (Simple Mail Tr
ansfer Protocol) server and POP (Post Office P)
The addresses of rotocol) servers and WWW (World Wide Web) proxy servers also change. The difference between the normally assigned IP addresses is such that the mobile terminal automatically responds by using a protocol such as DHCP.

The homepage established by the ISP server can be browsed freely from any ISP.
The SMTP server and the POP server of each have different security levels so that even the person himself / herself cannot access from a mobile terminal to which an IP address other than the IP address assigned by the DHCP server in the ISP is assigned. I am making it. Therefore, due to different ISPs, that is, different IP addresses assigned by the DHCP server, it has been difficult for users to send and receive e-mails via a desired ISP.

For example, in order to receive an e-mail addressed to oneself from a company server or to send an e-mail via the company server on a train on the way,
As shown in, various settings set for each network App (application program) 62 and 63 of the mobile terminal 61, for example, an SMTP server and P
The user had to change the settings such as the OP server address.

[0006]

However, this setting change often leads to network App 62 and 6 changes.
It had to be done every three steps, which was a complicated task. Furthermore, if you make a mistake in the settings, you will not be able to connect to the Internet, so you had to carefully change the settings.

Furthermore, for security reasons of the server,
Without going through the proxy server, the SMTP server and POP server could not be accessed through the firewall. The address of this proxy server changes depending on where it is accessed.

In addition, the networks App 62 and 63
SMTP server, POP server and WW registered in advance
There is an App that changes the settings of the W proxy server.
However, each time the setting was changed, the user had to restart the network App 62 and 63.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-10890, a client PC accesses an e-mail server or a WWW proxy server via a local proxy server, and the local proxy server is now connected to a LAN (Local Area Network). Since the setting information of the client PC is received from the above management process, it is described that the network setting is not required on the client PC side.

However, a management process is required for each LAN, and there is a problem that it cannot be used in the absence of the management process. Further, only the information set in the management process of the LAN can be used. That is, there is a problem in that it is not possible to deal with detailed settings unique to the user, such as connection to an ISP to which the user subscribes individually.

[0011] Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-134508, a user carries a mobile server for acquiring electronic mails from a plurality of accounts, the user reads the electronic mails via the mobile server, and the user himself / herself easily performs electronic mails. The ones that can read and write mail are listed. When acquiring e-mails from a plurality of accounts, the current domain of the user is discriminated, and the acquisition route is changed in comparison with preset information. In other words, the purpose is to centrally manage e-mail for multiple accounts.

However, since the route for obtaining the electronic mail is changed by looking at the domain, it is not a proxy server from the user's point of view, but a server that operates independently. Therefore, there is a problem that the client PC cannot directly operate the original server. For example, even when only the information in the header of a part of e-mail needs to be viewed, the whole e-mail is downloaded from the original server to this server, which is a time-consuming problem. Further, there is a problem that an optional command that this server does not support cannot be used and that it cannot be applied to an application other than an electronic mail reader, for example, WWW.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connection control method and a recording medium that can easily connect to a desired server every time there is a connection request to the Internet.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is, in a connection control method for connecting a movable device to a network, when a connection request is made, the present allocation is made. A step of detecting a first address, a step of retrieving a second address corresponding to the detected first address from a database, and a step of connecting to a server of the retrieved second address. It is a control method.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, when there is a connection request in a recording medium in which a connection control program for connecting a movable device to a network is recorded, the first address currently assigned is detected. A connection control program is recorded, which has a step, a step of retrieving a second address corresponding to the detected first address from a database, and a step of connecting to a server of the retrieved second address. It is a computer-readable recording medium.

In this way, the address of the server corresponding to the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal can be retrieved, and the server with the retrieved address can be accessed. For example, without changing the settings of the network App. When you are in the office, you can send mail via the server of the office, and when you are at home, you can send mail via the ISP that you have a contract with.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. For ease of explanation, the following explanation will be given for the case where the mobile terminal receives an e-mail. However, the same can be applied when sending an electronic mail from a mobile terminal or when browsing a so-called homepage established on a network.

The network indicated by reference numeral 1 is the Internet as an example. In this network 1,
It is possible to connect from networks 11 and 21 of different ISPs. Networks 11 and 21
The mobile terminal 2 can be connected to the. As an example, the network 11 indicates an in-company network in which the user who owns the mobile terminal 2 works, and the network 21 is another network, for example, a mobile phone company network or a so-called hot spot where a network is provided in advance. Network etc. Therefore, the mobile terminal 2 is carried and moved by the user, and
It is connected to the network 1 via 1 or 21.

At least a network App capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail is installed in the mobile terminal 2,
Furthermore, the hardware that can be connected to the networks 11 and 21 is provided.

On the network 11, SMTP for transferring a message such as an electronic mail by the SMTP protocol is used.
Connected to the server 12 are POP servers 13 and 14 that transfer electronic mail from the mailbox to the network App by the POP protocol. Similarly, an SMTP server 22 and a POP server 23 are connected to the network 21.

In the SMTP servers 12 and 22, the computer to be transferred is DNS based on the information of the destination of the electronic mail received from the network App installed in the mobile terminal 2 or another SMTP server.
(Domain Name System) is used to identify and transfer the e-mail. In addition, the received email is S
It is sorted into the corresponding mailbox provided in the MTP servers 12 and 22 and stored in a temporary file.

In the POP servers 13, 14 and 23,
Network Ap installed on mobile terminal 2
Based on the destination information of the email received from p.
After the user is authenticated as the legitimate user of the requested mailbox from the plurality of mailboxes provided in the POP servers 13, 14 and 23, the user is saved in the mailbox. The email is forwarded. POP servers 13 and 14
Are servers that can access the same thing, but have different security level settings. In this example, the POP server 14 is set to have a lower security level than the POP server 13 and corresponds to a server that is accessed from outside the network 11.

Here, in this embodiment, when the portable terminal 2 is moved to change the ISP through which it passes from the network 11 to the network 21, the POP server 13
An example of transferring the e-mail stored in the mailbox to the mobile terminal 2 will be described. Specifically, the electronic mail stored in the mailbox of the POP server 13 of the company network 11 is received via the network 21 such as a mobile phone company or a hotspot.
At this time, since the mobile terminal 2 is connected to the network 1 via the network 21,
An IP address is assigned by the DHCP server (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the portable terminal 2 has a network App31 capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail.
And 32, and the connection control App 33 are pre-installed. The connection control App 33 is a gateway between the network App 31 or 32 and the POP server 13, 14 or 23, like a so-called proxy server. Therefore, in this example, when there is a connection request from the network App 31 or 32,
Always via the connection control App33, the POP server 13
And 14 are connected.

Here, referring to FIG. 3, the connection control App
The 33 algorithm will be described. In step S1, for example, a system call such as “listen” is used to make the portable terminal 2
No. 110 port is monitored. This 110 is PO
This is the initial value of the port number provided exclusively for the P protocol. Then, it waits until there is a connection request (access) from the network App 31 or 32 to the port 110. When a connection request is made to the 110th port, control is passed to step S2.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not the connection request for the 110th port is a request from within the portable terminal 2. If it is determined that the connection request is from the mobile terminal 2, the control proceeds to step S3. If it is determined that the connection request is not from the mobile terminal 2, the control proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the connection is rejected and control returns to step S1. In step S3, the connection is accepted. In step S4, the IP address (first address) currently assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is detected by using a system call such as gethost.

In step S5, the upper digit of the IP address currently assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is the connection control Ap.
It is determined whether or not it is registered in the database of p33 or a predetermined database on the network. If it is determined that it is registered, the control moves to step S6,
If it is determined that it is not registered, the control proceeds to step S12. In step S6, the I currently assigned to the mobile terminal 2 from the database of the connection control App33.
The address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) (second address) of the POP server corresponding to the upper digit of the P address is taken out.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the database of the connection control App 33. In addition, "*" in FIG. 4 represents an arbitrary number. In the line indicated by reference numeral 41, the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is “192.168.0.
* "And the protocol is" pop3 "and there is a connection request," pop.ABC.co.jp "is set as the host server (host).
The address of the POP server indicated by is registered. Therefore, when the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is "192.168.0. *", "Pop.ABC.co.jp" is retrieved as the address of the POP server.

In the line indicated by reference numeral 42, the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is "19".
2.168.0. * ", When the protocol is" smtp "and there is a connection request," smtp.XY "is set as the host server (host).
The SMTP server address indicated by "Z.co.jp" is registered. Therefore, the IP assigned to the mobile terminal 2
If the upper digit of the address is "192.168.0. *", S
“Smtp.XYZ.co.jp” is taken out as the address of the MTP server.

As shown in lines 41 and 42, even if the upper digits of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 are the same, it is possible to connect to the POP server and the SMTP server of different ISPs. . That is,
E-mail can be sent and received from different ISPs.

In the line indicated by reference numeral 43, the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is "192.123.0.
* ", And when the protocol is" pop3 "and there is a connection request," pop.DEF.co.jp "is set as the host server (host).
The address of the POP server indicated by is registered. Therefore, when the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is "192.123.0. *", "Pop.DEF.co.jp" is taken out as the address of the POP server.

In the line indicated by reference numeral 44, the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is "19".
2.123.0. * ", When the protocol is" smtp "and there is a connection request," smtp.DE "is set as the host server (host).
The address of the SMTP server indicated by "F.co.jp" is registered. Therefore, the IP assigned to the mobile terminal 2
If the upper digit of the address is "192.123.0. *", S
“Smtp.DEF.co.jp” is taken out as the address of the MTP server.

As shown in lines 43 and 44, the upper digits of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 are the same, and the ISP server and the SMTP of the same ISP are used.
Can connect to the server. That is, the same ISP
You can send and receive e-mail from.

In addition, the host server (hos
Although the address of t) is registered, a port number may be registered instead of the address of the host server to access the desired port.

In the line of reference numeral 45, the current portable terminal 2
Is connected to the registered URL based on the position information, such as latitude and longitude. In the example of this FIG. 4, “42
When the mobile terminal 2 is located at the position of "**. * '" And "140 ° *. *'" Of the east longitude, "tokyo-local.or.jp" is used as the ISP URL
Is taken out. The position information such as the latitude and longitude is acquired from, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System).

In the line of reference numeral 46, the current portable terminal 2
Is connected to the registered proxy server based on the position information of, for example, latitude / longitude. In the example of FIG. 4, when the mobile terminal 2 is located at the north latitude “35 ° *. * '” And the east longitude “136 ° *. *'”, The proxy server address is “proxy.tokyo-local.or”. .jp ”is taken out. Similarly, the position information such as latitude and longitude is acquired from GPS, for example.

Although not shown, the URL may be connected based on the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2, or the proxy server may be connected based on the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2. May be connected to. Further, the address of the POP server and the address of the SMTP server may be retrieved based on the latitude and longitude of the current position information of the mobile terminal 2.

Then, in step S12, an inquiry is made to a predetermined database on another network.
Alternatively, a dialog is displayed on the screen for the user to enter the address and server name of the POP server. As an example, the dialog shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. This dialog is for registering a POP server, and has an input unit 51 for inputting an address and an input unit 52 for inputting a server name.
And are provided. Further, an OK button 53 for registering the contents after the input is completed and a cancel button 54 for registering nothing are provided.

In this embodiment, the case of receiving an e-mail is explained, so a dialog for registering a POP server is displayed. However, when an e-mail is sent, a dialog for registering an SMTP server is displayed. Alternatively, when it is determined that the address is not registered in the database, a dialog for simultaneously setting both the POP server and the SMTP server may be displayed.

At step S13, the input is completed and OK.
When the button 53 is selected, the server address and the server name input by the user are registered in the database of the connection control App 33. At this time, if the server address is unknown even if the user is requested to input, or the cancel button 5
When 4 is selected, the connection request is closed.

In step S7, a connection request is issued to the POP server having the fetched address or the address input by the user for port 110. In step S8, when the connection is established, the data from the connection source network App 31 or 32 is transferred to the connection destination PO.
It relays to the P server and relays the data from the POP server to the network App 31 or 32. In step S9, it is determined whether the communication has ended. When it is determined that the communication is completed, the control shifts to step S10, and when it is determined that the communication is not completed, the control returns to step S8.

In step S10, the connection from the connection source and the connection to the connection destination are terminated. If the connection source cuts off the connection, the connection to the connection destination is also cut off. Similarly, when the connection destination is cut off first, the connection from the connection source is also cut off.

As described above, the upper digit of the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 is different for each ISP in most cases, and the network App 31 or 32 is used.
Detects the current IP address every time there is a connection request from
The ISP can be switched based on the upper digits of the IP address. Therefore, the IP address of the mobile terminal 2 assigned by the network 11 and the POP server 13
, And the IP address of the mobile terminal 2 and the address of the POP server 14 assigned by the network 21 are automatically registered in the database, the connection destination is automatically switched to the POP server 13 or 14, so that the ISP does not need to be aware. Even POP server 13 or 1
4 can receive e-mail.

Here, another embodiment for performing protocol conversion between the connection source and the connection destination in the connection control App 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. As an example,
A network App31 that only supports authentication of POP3 that sends and receives passwords in plaintext, and a POP server 13 that does not accept plaintext passwords and only accepts authentication of only APOP (Authenticated Post Office Protocol) that encrypts and sends passwords. Between
Another embodiment of the connection control App 33 that performs protocol conversion so as to be accessible will be described. At this time,
As an example, the mobile terminal 2 is connected to the network 11.

First, in step S21, there is a connection request from the connection source network App31, and in response to the connection request, the network App31 and the connection destination POP.
Connect to the server 13. In step S22, POP
The first message (response from the POP server 13) is received from the server 13. In step S23, information generated from the date and time recorded in the received message, so-called time stamp, is stored. Step S2
In 4, the message is transferred to the network App31.

In step S25, the connection control App33
Receives a command from the network App 31 that received the message. In step S26, it is determined whether the command received from the network App 31 is the'USER 'command. If it is determined that the received command is the “USER” command, control proceeds to step S27, and if it is determined that the command is not the “USER” command, control proceeds to step S37.

In step S37, the received command is transferred to the POP server 13. In step S38,
The reply from the POP server 13 is received. Step S3
At 9, the received reply is transferred to the network App 31.

In step S27, the user name is received together with the'USER 'command, and the received user name is stored. In step S28, the network App 31 has a '+
Send'OK 'data.

In step S29, the connection control App33
Receives a command from the network App31.
In step S30, it is determined whether the command received from the network App 31 is the “PASS” command.
If it is determined that the received command is the'PASS 'command, control proceeds to step S31, and if it is determined not to be the'PASS' command, control proceeds to step S40.

In step S40, the received command is transferred to the POP server 13. In step S41,
The reply from the POP server 13 is received. Step S4
In 2, the received reply is transferred to the network App31.

In step S31, the password is received together with the'PASS 'command, the received password and the stored time stamp are linked, and MD (Message
Digest) 5 A hash value is calculated. Calculated MD5
The argument of the'APOP 'command is generated from the hash value and the stored user name. In step S32, the generated argument of the'APOP 'command is transmitted to the POP server 13.

In step S33, the reply from the POP server 13 is received. In step S34, it is determined whether the reply from the POP server 13 is '+ OK' data.
If the reply from the POP server 13 is judged to be '+ OK' data, the control proceeds to step S35, and if it is judged not to be '+ OK' data, the control proceeds to step S43.

In step S35, the reply from the POP server 13 is transferred to the network App31. In step S36, the data transfer is relayed between the network App 31 and the POP server 13.

In step S43, the reply from the POP server 13 is transferred to the network App31. In step S44, the relay of the connection ends.

As described above, the connection control App3 installed in the portable terminal 2 as a gateway between the network App 31 or 32 and the POP server 13, 14 or 23 like a so-called proxy server.
Since the plaintext password is encrypted by 3, the plaintext password does not leak outside the mobile terminal 2.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment of the present invention and the like, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the IP address of the mobile terminal 2 is assigned by the DHCP server.
The DHCP server does not necessarily have to allocate the IP address. The IP address of the mobile terminal 2 may be assigned by the user himself.

In this embodiment, the POP servers 13 and 14 having different security levels are described as physically different servers in the network 11 for the sake of simplicity of explanation, but areas of different security levels are provided in the same server. May be provided.

In this embodiment, the server is switched from the IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 2 and the position information of the mobile terminal. However, for example, IC (Integr
The data recorded on the atedCircuit) card is converted to RF (Radio
Frequency) It may be read by a tag reader and the server may be switched based on the read data.
The address of the connection destination server may be recorded on the IC card, read by the RF tag reader, and the read address may be connected.

In this embodiment, the connection control App 33 is pre-installed in the mobile terminal 2 for ease of explanation, but the connection control App 33 may be provided on the network. In this case, when there is a connection request from the network App 31 or 32, the connection control App 33 provided on the network is always accessed first, and then the desired server is connected.

[0061]

According to the present invention, once the user sets the address of the server of each ISP in each environment, the user can use the setting of each ISP without manually switching the setting. Furthermore, since the current IP address is confirmed for each connection request, it is possible to switch the ISP without having to restart the network App.

According to the present invention, if the connection destination is changed according to the position information other than the IP address, it is possible to obtain the information according to the location of the user with one URL. For example, it is possible to connect to a server in the vicinity based on the position information and display the information in the vicinity.

According to the present invention, since the network App of the portable terminal accesses the ISP via all the connection control App, all the settings on the network App side are set no matter which ISP is used to connect to the Internet. the same,
For example, you can access the appropriate ISP with localhost / 127.0.01.

According to the present invention, in order to connect the network App and the server, a special server for providing information is not required, and the user can use the mobile terminal only for setting. Further, since the operation on the user side is relayed directly to the server, it is possible to deal with the expanded command without any problem.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining ISP switching according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an algorithm of an example of ISP switching according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a database of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of database setting according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining protocol conversion in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining protocol conversion in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining conventional ISP switching.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 11, 21 ... Network, 2 ... Mobile terminal, 12, 22 ... SMTP server, 13, 14, 2
3 POP server

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Junichi Korimoto             3-14-13 Higashi Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Stock             Ceremony Company Sony Computer Science Research             In-house F term (reference) 5K030 GA10 HC01 JT09 LB02                 5K033 AA09 CB02 DA19 EC03

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. In a connection control method for connecting a movable device to a network, when there is a connection request, a step of detecting a currently assigned first address, and a step corresponding to the detected first address A connection control method comprising: a step of fetching a second address from a database; and a step of connecting to the server having the fetched second address. 2. When the second address corresponding to the first address is not registered in the database, the second address corresponding to the first address is registered in the database. The connection control method according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 3. The connection control method according to claim 1, wherein the first address is an IP address. 4. The connection control method according to claim 1, wherein the first address is position information. 5. The connection control method according to claim 1, wherein the second address is an IP address. 6. The connection control method according to claim 1, wherein the second address is a URL. 7. The connection control method according to claim 1, wherein a protocol of data to be transmitted / received is converted between the connected server. 8. A recording medium in which a connection control program for connecting a movable device to a network is recorded, when a connection request is made, a step of detecting the first address currently assigned, and the detected first step. 1 is readable by a computer, wherein a connection control program is recorded, which has a step of retrieving a second address corresponding to the first address from the database, and a step of connecting to the server of the retrieved second address. recoding media. 9. When the second address corresponding to the first address is not registered in the database, the second address corresponding to the first address is registered in the database. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the recording medium is a recording medium. 10. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the first address is an IP address. 11. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the first address is position information. 12. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the second address is an IP address. 13. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the second address is a URL. 14. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein a protocol of data to be transmitted and received is converted between the recording medium and the connected server.