Patents by Inventor Shoji Kodama

Shoji Kodama has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20090265443
    Abstract: This network apparatus includes a confirmation unit for confirming an appliance connected to a network in a certain area at predetermined time intervals, a transfer unit for transferring a content retained in the appliance from the appliance connected to the network to a storage apparatus outside of the area, a setting unit for setting a virtual device of the appliance when the confirmation unit detects that the appliance has been disconnected from the network, and a distribution unit for distributing, when an acquisition request of the content is issued to the appliance disconnected from the network, the content read from the storage to a sending source of the acquisition request with the virtual device as the transmission source of the content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Inventors: Hirotaka Moribe, Shoji Kodama, Yasushi Nagai
  • Publication number: 20090259818
    Abstract: This storage controller providing a volume for storing data transmitted from a host system includes a management unit for managing the data written in the volume with a first block area, or a second block area in the first block area which is smaller than the first block area; a snapshot acquisition unit for acquiring a snapshot of the volume at a prescribed timing; and a transfer unit for transferring the data of the volume acquired with the snapshot of the snapshot acquisition unit to an external device with the first block area or the second block area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Inventors: Katsuo Mogi, Koji Nagata, Shoji Kodama, Ikuya Yagisawa
  • Publication number: 20090248700
    Abstract: This content provision system includes a creation unit for associating the first content data and the second content data, assigning a common content ID to the first content data and the second content data, and creating management information of all content data configured from the first content data and the second content data based on the attribute information of content data, an analysis unit for analyzing hobby information of a user based on reference information for deciding hobby information of a user, a search unit for searching content data that coincides with the analyzed hobby information of a user based on the management information of all content data, and a provision unit for providing to a user content information that coincides with hobby information of a user based on the searched content data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Takashi AMANO, Shoji Kodama
  • Patent number: 7596637
    Abstract: A storage apparatus is configured to detect a connection from a new host system having no logical unit assigned thereto. The storage apparatus assigns, if any new host system is detected, a new logical unit to that new host system. By so doing, it is possible to generate a logical unit and associate it with a relevant host system whenever a storage apparatus is introduced or a new host system is added, without input from a storage apparatus administrator at a management console. It is thus possible to simplify the storage apparatus settings required whenever a storage apparatus is introduced or a new host system is added.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Nonaka, Shoji Kodama, Tetsuya Shirogane
  • Publication number: 20090193219
    Abstract: There is provided a storage subsystem having a virtual volume and a page volume which has a page physical area allocated to the virtual volume. The storage subsystem divides an address space of the virtual volume into a plurality of pages, classifies each of the pages into one of a plurality of states including at least a first state and a second state, and further divide a page which is classified into the second state into a plurality of segments to managed the page classified into the second state. The first state is a state in which a page physical area is allocated to the page from the page volume, and the write data is stored in the page physical area. The second state is a state in which the predetermined pattern data and the segment are managed, in the memory, by correlating with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Yoshinori Ohira, Shoji Kodama, Kenta Shiga, Yoshiaki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 7565501
    Abstract: This storage controller providing a volume for storing data transmitted from a host system includes a management unit for managing the data written in the volume with a first block area, or a second block area in the first block area which is smaller than the first block area; a snapshot acquisition unit for acquiring a snapshot of the volume at a prescribed timing; and a transfer unit for transferring the data of the volume acquired with the snapshot of the snapshot acquisition unit to an external device with the first block area or the second block area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuo Mogi, Koji Nagata, Shoji Kodama, Ikuya Yagisawa
  • Publication number: 20090172046
    Abstract: The risk of a third party referring to or using backup data without authorization upon restoring such backup data in an HDD recorder is mitigated. First authentication information of a user as the HDD owner and second authentication information of an engineer of a repair plant are registered in an online backup service system. The first authentication information is used when backing up data recorded in the HDD to the online backup service system, and the second authentication information is used when restoring the data backed up to the online backup service system. The data backup processing and data restoration processing are executed only when the authentication information is appropriate. Since the user will directly receive an email from the online backup service system regarding who restored which data at what time, such user will be able to audit the data restoration process independently from the person recovering the data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Shoji KODAMA, Kiyotake KUMAZAWA, Naoko IWAMI, Akira YAMAMOTO, Masaaki IWASAKI, Atsuo KAWAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20090171785
    Abstract: A home storage (a first storage device) installed in each home is provided with an area for a user to store data (user area) and an area for storing ads (ad area). The first storage device checks interest and favorite information for the user in the user area, and transmits the interest and favorite information at the same time backup is performed in a second storage device at a remote site. The second storage device selects a suitable ad based on the interest and favorite information from the first storage device and transmits the selected ad to the first storage device. The user views the transmitted ad when viewing content in the first storage device. The user's viewing record for the ads is kept as statistical data, and the second storage device compiles the record, charges a sponsor an ad charge, thereby subsidizing the usage charge for the first storage device regardless of online or offline connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Yoshiki KANO, Akira Yamamoto, Atsuo Kawaguchi, Shoji Kodama, Naoko Iwami, Masaaki Iwasaki
  • Publication number: 20090172141
    Abstract: Provided is a storage center including a storage subsystem for storing content data to be used by the user's home server, and a center server for controlling the storage subsystem. The center server aggregates the content recording reservation requests sent from several home servers, obtains content data from a content server and stores the content data in the storage subsystem at a designated recording start time, and notifies the user's home server that the recording reservation is complete.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Naoko Iwami, Kiyotake Kumazawa, Akira Yamamoto, Masaaki Iwasaki, Shoji Kodama
  • Publication number: 20090125522
    Abstract: Privacy information of a user is protected without hampering convenience when such user is to process a file in an online file storage. Provided is a file sharing system including at least one or more information processing units and a storage apparatus connected to the at least one or more information processing units via the Internet, and for storing files from the at least one or more information processing units in the storage apparatus and sharing the stored files with the at least one or more information processing units. The information processing unit includes a file creation unit for separating, when creating a file in the storage apparatus, privacy information that identifies a user creating the file from information required for creating the file in the storage apparatus, and creating the file in the storage apparatus by using information obtained by converting the separated privacy information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: Shoji Kodama, Kiyotake Kumazawa, Naoko Iwami, Tetsuya Uemura
  • Publication number: 20090125577
    Abstract: A problem of prior art is that normal backup data is lost as a result of taking a backup by overwriting the normal backup data with data that has been changed greatly from a virus infection or the like. This invention provides a computer system having a storage system. The storage system contains a first storage area and a second storage area for storing a copy of data that is stored in the first storage area at one point in time. Only when the differential amount indicating the difference between data stored in the first storage area and data stored in the second storage area is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the storage system deletes the data which is stored in the second storage area and newly stores a copy of the data stored in the first storage area in the second storage area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: Shoji Kodama, Kiyotake Kumazawa
  • Publication number: 20090119395
    Abstract: The server device includes: an allocation unit for allocating a unique identifier to each of first data and second data; a management unit for managing a correspondence between the identifier and a method for accessing the first data or second data identified by the identifier; a presentation unit for presenting the identifier managed by the management unit to the client device; a conversion unit for converting an identifier-specifying request for access to the first data or second data from the client device into a method for accessing the first data or second data corresponding to the identifier using an access method associated by the management unit with the identifier; and a data access unit for requesting access to the first data or second data using the access method converted to by the conversion unit, and sending an access result to the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventor: Shoji Kodama
  • Publication number: 20090112881
    Abstract: Provided is a computer system including: a client computer; a storage system coupled to the client computer via a network; a folder deciding module; and a file storage module, in which each of a plurality of files is stored in one of a plurality of folders; the client computer receives an instruction to store a file; the folder deciding module judges how strongly the plurality of folders are each related to the designated file based on a matching degree between each of the plurality of files stored in the plurality of folders and the designated file; and the file storage module stores the designated file in one of the plurality of folders that has been judged to be most strongly related to the designated file. According to this invention, a created file is stored in a suitable folder so that the file can easily be found by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventor: Shoji Kodama
  • Publication number: 20090112967
    Abstract: To restrict data transmission to a mobile terminal according to a location of the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal requests data to a second computer, the mobile terminal does not log in the second computer. A communication method for a communication system having a first computer and the second computer, the first computer sends location information of the mobile terminal to the second computer, and the second computer controls data which is to be sent to the first computer according to an access right based on a predetermined location information by referring to received location information. Thereby, it can be controlled data sent to the mobile terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventors: Takashi Amano, Shoji Kodama
  • Publication number: 20090106407
    Abstract: Provided are a content transfer system, a content transfer method, and a home server capable of backing up all backup target contents without having to transfer all backup target contents. This content transfer system includes a home storage and an online storage. The home storage transfers identifying information of a backup target content to the online storage and requests the online storage to determine the existence of a content that is identical to the backup target content upon requesting the online storage to back up the backup target content, transfers metadata to the online storage when an identical content exists in the online storage, and transfers the backup target content to the online storage in all other cases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Shoji KODAMA, Kiyotake KUMAZAWA, Naoko IWAMI, Akira YAMAMOTO, Masaaki IWASAKI
  • Publication number: 20090106388
    Abstract: This storage system includes one or more household appliances, a home server storing contents data and management information of the contents data received from the one or more household appliances and pre-set with an unused capacity limit, and an online storage center. When the actual unused capacity in the home server falls below the capacity limit, the home server sends to and stores in the online storage center prescribed contents data and management information of the prescribed contents data among the contents data and management information of the contents data stored in the home server, and deletes the prescribed contents data from the home server while leaving the management information of the prescribed contents data stored in the home server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Naoko Iwami, Kiyotake Kumazawa, Akira Yamamoto, Masaaki Iwasaki, Shoji Kodama
  • Publication number: 20090094428
    Abstract: Upon receiving a primary/secondary switching command from a secondary host system, a secondary storage control device interrogates a primary storage control device as to whether or not yet to be transferred data that has not been remote copied from the primary storage control device to the secondary storage control device is present. In the event that yet to be transferred data is present, the secondary storage control device receives yet to be transferred data from the primary storage control device and updates a secondary volume. The primary storage control device then manages positions of updates to the primary volume due to host accesses to the primary volume occurring at the time of the secondary storage control device receiving the primary/secondary switching command onwards using a differential bitmap table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Inventors: Koji Nagata, Shoji Kodama, Ikuya Yagisawa, Katsuo Mogi
  • Patent number: 7516133
    Abstract: File requests sent to a file server that supports a proprietary file system are selectively performed on a second file system, in addition to being performed on the first file system. The second file system is not proprietary, but rather is designed around a publicly known format. Access to the second file system does not require obtaining permission from the vendor of the first file system; e.g., licensing, payment of royalties, and so on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shoji Kodama
  • Publication number: 20090083837
    Abstract: Provided is a controller in a computer system, the computer system including a plurality of data storage systems, and at least one controller for controlling access to data stored in the plurality of data storage systems, the each controller including: an interface coupled to the network; a processor coupled to the interface; and a storage unit coupled to the processor, in which: the storage unit holds attribute information indicating whether to permit access to the data; and the processor is configured to: receive a writing request of the data from a client computer coupled to the network; judge whether each of the each controller permits the requested writing based on the held attribute information and information of a location where the each controller is installed; and write the data in a data storage system controlled by a controller judged to permit the writing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventors: Yohsuke ISHII, Shoji Kodama
  • Patent number: 7509467
    Abstract: Upon receiving a primary/secondary switching command from a secondary host system, a secondary storage control device interrogates a primary storage control device as to whether or not yet to be transferred data that has not been remote copied from the primary storage control device to the secondary storage control device is present. In the event that yet to be transferred data is present, the secondary storage control device receives yet to be transferred data from the primary storage control device and updates a secondary volume. The primary storage control device then manages positions of updates to the primary volume due to host accesses to the primary volume occurring at the time of the secondary storage control device receiving the primary/secondary switching command onwards using a differential bitmap table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Nagata, Shoji Kodama, Ikuya Yagisawa, Katsuo Mogi