JPH10200579A - Traffic management device and traffic management method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To prevent the inconvenience of wasteful connection waiting time and line usage fee due to Internet line congestion. A traffic management device provided at a secondary provider detects a response time of a connection destination every time a connection request is received from a user, and stores the response time in a response management data table (response management DB). And a response time history (connection destination history) corresponding to the time, day of the week, season, etc. of each connection destination is formed in the response management DB 15. When there is a connection request from the user after the connection destination history is formed, the gateway 13 reads and controls the response management DB 15 so as to read the connection destination history of the connection destination, and controls the current state of the jurisdiction network detected by the traffic management device 14. Is transmitted to the user's terminal device 1 together with the traffic condition of the user. Terminal device 1
Displays the transmitted current traffic status and connection destination history, and is used as a material for determining the continuation or disconnection of the user's line connection.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic management device and a traffic management method suitable for an internet connection device of an internet provider (secondary provider or the like), and more particularly to a traffic management device and a traffic management method in a network controlled by the provider. A traffic management device and a traffic management device that constantly or intermittently monitor the traffic status and notify the user who has made the connection request of the traffic status so that it is possible to easily determine the continuation or disconnection of the connection. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, the Internet infrastructure in Japan is called "NSPIX" which is an Internet interconnection point.
P-1 (Network Service Provider Internet Exchange
Point) at the top of the list, there are more than a dozen primary providers under this primary provider, and about 800
The following providers are located respectively.

[0003] The secondary provider connects to the internal and external Internet lines via the primary provider and the interconnection point "NSPIXP-1", or connects to the Internet line via a proprietary communication network connected between the primary providers. The connection is made.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, an Internet connection device 107 provided in a secondary provider is provided.
Is composed of an access point 110 and a center device 120 connected to the primary provider.

[0005] The access point 110 is composed of a plurality of modems 104 and a plurality of bridges 105 connected to the respective modems 104. In addition, the center device 120 is connected to the WWW server 113 (World
Wide Web), mail server 114 and DNS server 11
5 and a router 116 (or gateway 117) connected to the primary provider.

A user uses a terminal device 101 such as a stationary or laptop personal computer, for example, using a modem 102a or a modem card 102b and an Internet connection device 107 via a public network 103 (PSDN: Packet Switching Data Network). Dial-up IP connection with the access point 110.

[0007] As an example, a communication procedure when a user communicates with the WWW server 113 of the Internet connection device 107 will be described. It is assumed that the user has acquired a connection account and a password from the secondary provider.

This communication procedure is as shown in the time flow chart of FIG. 11. First, the user connects his / her own terminal device 101 to the Internet connection device via the public network 103 using the modem 102a or the modem card 102b. It establishes a connection with the access point 110 at 107 and transmits a “connection request”.

The access point 110 is connected to the bridge 10
5 and a “connection request” from the user to the communication server 111 (communication server) via the local network 106.

The communication server 111 stores an account given to a user in advance in the user management table 1
12, after confirming using the server 113-
Connect to 114. Each of the servers 113 to 114 transmits a “connection request” to the connection destination designated by the user via the router 116 (or the gateway 117).

In this case, the server requested by the user is WW
Since it is the W server 113, the communication server 111 establishes a connection with the WWW server 113 and transfers a "connection request" from the user. WWW server 113,
When a "connection request" is received from the user, a "response" from the connection destination WWW server is returned to the user.

When this "response" is returned, the user
It requests the WWW server 113 to transfer an HTML file (Hyper Text Markup Language). WWW server 11
3 receives this request and returns the HTML file to the user.

When the user returns the HTML file, the user requests the WWW server 113 to transfer the image data in the HTML file. WWW server 113
, Upon receiving this request, returns the image data in the HTML file to the user.

When the transmission request from the user and the return from the WWW server 113 in response to the transmission request are completed, the user issues a “change connection destination” or a “disconnection request” to the WWW server 113. Transmit. Upon receiving the “disconnection request”, the WWW server 113 returns a “response” corresponding to the request to the user side, and the communication line connecting the user and the WWW server 113 is disconnected by the communication server 111.

When the user changes the connection destination, that is, accesses another connection destination, the user designates the connection destination and transmits a "connection request". As a result, a connection is established with the connection destination specified by the user via the communication server 111 in the same manner as described above, and communication is performed.

Here, the above-mentioned interconnection point "NSPIXP"
-1 "is WID, an Internet-related research institution
Since the E project is an interconnection point set up for experiments, the communication speed called the so-called "T1 line" is 1.
A 5 Mbps backbone is provided. For this reason, a bottleneck may occur depending on the time zone or the like due to an increase in communication (data) demand due to an increase in domestic users in recent years. However, this bottleneck is not limited to the problem of the interconnection point “NSPIXP-1”, but the total traffic volume at that time can be determined by connecting a plurality of terminal users to the provider. Occurs when the traffic capacity exceeds

On the other hand, many general users who use the Internet contract with a secondary provider, and through a dial-up IP connection using a general pay telephone line via each access point (AP) of the secondary provider. Generally, they receive an Internet connection service. However, even with this secondary provider, the above-mentioned bottleneck may occur on the line from each access point to the center server during peak traffic.

Such bottlenecks include, from each access point to the secondary provider, between the secondary provider and the primary provider, between the primary provider interconnection point "NSPIXP-1", and the connection destination. (Other side)
Respectively. Further, the occurrence may occur simultaneously during each of the above cases, and the occurrence situation differs depending on the season, day of the week, time zone, and the like.

For example, the communication line between the access point of each secondary provider and the primary provider is particularly crowded from 22:00 pm on the weekend to about 3:00 am the next day. The bottleneck during this time period is due to the fact that from 23:00 to 8:00 a.m. the following day, late-night discount services for private telephone charges and other flat-rate services exclusively for late-night hours are provided. It is considered that users who use the Internet or personal computer communication (personal computer communication) concentrate on the time when the user can use the device at low cost. Also, on weekends, there are many users whose next day is a holiday, so it is considered that the number of users at night increases.

[0020]

However, since the occurrence of such a bottleneck is not notified to the user, the user cannot recognize the location where the bottleneck is currently occurring. For this reason, even if the connection with the access point of the secondary provider can be attempted and the connection request can be transmitted, the connection request from the user is generated when a bottleneck has occurred earlier (upper) from the secondary provider. Cannot be transmitted to the connection destination, and there are many inconveniences that the return from the connection destination is not performed for a long time.

In the case of a bottleneck until the connection to the secondary provider, there are many terminal devices in which a message indicating that the connection cannot be established or a redial instruction is automatically issued.
As a result, the user can recognize a bottleneck before connecting to the secondary provider, but cannot recognize the traffic situation ahead from the secondary provider. Alternatively, when the communication is interrupted by a timeout process performed on the secondary provider side, it is possible to recognize for the first time that connection to the requested connection destination could not be made. A user who connects to the access point of the secondary provider by dial-up IP connection is charged a line usage fee from the time of this connection, and is charged an Internet connection fee from the time of transmitting a connection request to the provider.

For this reason, if the connection request is transmitted from the secondary provider without knowing that the bottleneck has occurred first, the line usage fee until the bottleneck is recognized by the above-described timeout processing, Connection fees and time are wasted on the user.

In the future, the primary provider will be required to
5 Mbps backbone interconnect point “NSPI
XP-1 "and a so-called" T3 line "
5 Mbps backbone interconnect point “NSPI
XP-2 "will be installed, and it is expected that the maintenance of this backbone will reduce the current traffic bottleneck.

However, in addition to the recent increase in general users,
Since services and businesses using the Internet can be provided or enjoyed at a lower cost than those using other infrastructures, the increase in the business using the Internet by companies, video services, interactive services, various broadcasts, and other multi-user services As the number of media services is expected to increase more and more in the future, the alleviation of traffic bottlenecks due to the development of the backbone will be temporary, and there is a concern that bottlenecks will occur as soon as possible.

Also, not all secondary providers can increase the line capacity, so a secondary provider with a low processing capacity or a secondary provider with a low line capacity can increase the backbone of the primary provider even if the backbone of the primary provider increases. There is no corresponding improvement in traffic.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and constantly or intermittently monitors the traffic situation in a network under the jurisdiction of a provider, and provides this traffic situation to a user who has made a connection request. A traffic management device that can easily determine the continuation or disconnection of the connection, prevent inconvenience of needless connection waiting time, and prevent inconvenience of incurring unnecessary line usage fee. The purpose is to provide a traffic management method.

[0027]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a traffic management apparatus according to the present invention detects a current traffic situation in a jurisdiction network and forms traffic information indicating the traffic situation. And a traffic information transmitting means for transmitting the traffic information formed by the traffic detecting means to the user terminal device when a communication line is connected to the user terminal device.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the traffic management method according to the present invention detects a current traffic situation in a jurisdiction network, forms traffic information indicating the current traffic situation, and communicates with a user terminal device. When the line is connected, the traffic information formed by the traffic detecting means is transmitted to the user's terminal device.

Such a traffic management device and method transmits the traffic information formed by the traffic detecting means to the user terminal device when a communication line with the user terminal device is established.

Thus, the current traffic situation can be displayed on the display screen of the terminal device, and the user can determine whether to continue or disconnect the connection or change the connection destination. For this reason, it is possible to prevent unnecessary waiting time and unnecessary communication charges from being added on the user side.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a traffic management device and a traffic management method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0032] The traffic management apparatus and the traffic management method according to the present invention provide an "NS" which is an Internet interconnection point in the Internet infrastructure in Japan.
PIXP-1 (Network Service Provider Internet Ex
change point) and the Internet connection device of the secondary provider located below the primary provider.

In FIG. 1, a user is a terminal device 1 such as a stationary or laptop personal computer.
With the use of the modem 2a or the modem card 2b, the public switched telephone network 3 (PSDN: Packet Switching Data Network or PSTN: P
A dial-up IP connection is established with an access point 5 (AP) of the Internet connection device 4 of the secondary provider via an ublic Switched Telephone Network).

The Internet connection device 4 is composed of an access point 5 and a center device 6. The Internet connection device 4 attempts to connect to the internal and external Internet lines via a primary provider and an interconnection point "NSPIXP-1", or It is designed to connect to an Internet line via a proprietary communication network connected between them.

The access point 5 includes a plurality of modems 7
And a plurality of bridges 8 (or routers) connected to the respective modems 7.

The center device 6 includes a user management database 12 (user management DB) storing information related to user management such as a user account assigned to each user, and a user management database 12 stored in the user management DB 12. A communication server 11 (CC server) that performs user management and the like based on an account; a traffic management unit 14 that manages the traffic volume of a communication line under its jurisdiction; Gateway 13 to supply 14
Management table 15 (response management DB) in which the past traffic history and connection response history are stored, respectively.
And a WWW server 16 (World Wide Web), a mail server 17 and a DNS server 18 (Domain Name Server)
And a router 19 (or gateway) connected to the primary provider.

More specifically, the traffic management unit 14
Includes a timer 25 that outputs time stamp data indicating the current date and time as shown in FIG. 2, a response time measuring unit 26 that measures the current connection response time based on the time stamp data from the timer 25, And a traffic detection unit 29 for monitoring the amount of data packets transmitted in the communication line and outputting the result as traffic data.

The traffic management unit 14 receives the traffic data from the traffic detection unit 29,
5, a database management unit (DB management unit) that stores and controls the time stamp data from the gateway 5 and the connection destination data from the gateway 13 as a traffic history and a connection response history in the response management DB 15, and the traffic stored in the response management DB 15 A periodic update processing unit 27 that periodically updates and updates the history and the connection response history.

Next, the operation of the Internet connection apparatus according to the embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.
It is assumed that the user has obtained a connection account and a password from the secondary provider in advance.

First, a user provided with an account from a secondary provider that provides an Internet connection service,
The terminal device 1 is operated to make a connection request. The terminal device 1
When the connection request is made, the connection request is transmitted in accordance with a communication protocol of a WWW browser (WWW browsing software) or communication software stored in the terminal device.

This connection request is converted into a predetermined signal form by the modem 2 a (or the modem card 2 b) and transmitted to the access point 5 of the secondary provider via the public network 3. As a result, a dial-up IP connection of a physical line is established between the terminal device 1 and the access point 5.

Next, the user operates the terminal device 1 so as to transmit packet data including an account provided by the provider in order to set up a data link. When this operation is performed, the terminal device 1 establishes a so-called RFC166.
The packet data including the account is transmitted to the access point 5 of the secondary provider in order to set up a data link based on PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) specified by 1 or the like.

Upon receiving the packet data from the user, the access point 5 supplies the packet data to the CC server 11 of the center device 6 via the local network 9. After performing mutual confirmation between the user terminal device 1 and the CC server 11, the CC server 11 establishes a connection to the PPP layer shown in FIG.

Next, the CC server 11 refers to the user management DB 12 via the user authentication unit 24 shown in FIG. 2 to check the user account assigned to each user, Transmit the IP address.

In order to make effective use of this IP address, the CC server 11 assigns one of the IP addresses managed by itself to the user every time a dial-up IP connection is made. I have. This IP address is used until the communication line between the user and the provider is disconnected.

The CC server 11 uses the IP address to establish a connection between the user's terminal device 1 and the WWW server 16 up to the IP layer, then performs connection authentication of the TCP layer, and performs TCP connection. To establish. As a result, an end-to-end communication path is set between the terminal device 1 of the user and the gateway 13.
The gateway 13 has at least T
Control up to the CP layer.

In a layer above the TCP layer of the gateway 13, a predetermined communication protocol according to an application level to be used is set.
If W, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
Is Mail, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) is set in the transport layer.

Here, in FIG. 2, the traffic detecting section 29 of the traffic managing section 14 constantly measures the data packet flow rate and supplies this packet flow rate to the response time measuring section 26. The response time measurement unit 26 is supplied with time stamp data from the timer 25. The response time measurement unit 26 calculates the data packet flow rate for each predetermined unit time based on the time stamp data and the data packet flow rate. Is transmitted to the response DB management unit 28 together with the time stamp data as traffic information.

The gateway 13 detects a connection destination of each user accessed within a predetermined unit time as a simultaneous task, and manages the connection destination information via the periodic update processing unit 27 and the response time measuring unit 26 to manage the response DB. The data is transmitted to the unit 28.

The response DB management unit 28 stores the traffic information, the time stamp data and the connection destination information in the response DB.
15 and the ratio of the current data packet flow rate to the maximum data packet flow rate detected by the traffic detection unit 29 is detected.
15 is stored and controlled.

The information stored and controlled in the response DB 15 can be roughly classified into two systems, a traffic history and a connection response history. For convenience of explanation, if the traffic history is stored and controlled in the first storage area 15a of the response DB 15, and the connection response history is stored and controlled in the second storage area 15b of the response DB 15, the response DB management unit 28 For example, the ratio of the data packet flow rate to the maximum capacity is detected every 60 seconds, and this is stored in the first storage area 15a in a time-series manner. Then, based on this, the daily traffic fluctuation and the weekly traffic fluctuation are detected and charted later, and are stored and controlled in the first storage area 15a.

The response DB management unit 28 stores and controls in the response DB 15 the connection destination, date, start time, and time until the response specified by the user as a connection response history.

The periodic update processing unit 27 sends the response D
Based on the information stored and controlled in B15, statistical processing for detecting the access frequency and the traffic volume per day, time, and predetermined time for each connection destination is periodically performed, and the statistical processing is performed via the response DB management unit 28. Update the stored contents of the response DB 15.

The updating of the contents stored in the response DB 15 utilizes a connection request from the user.

That is, when there is a connection request from the user, the gateway 13 controls the traffic management unit 14 to measure the connection response time together. This makes it possible to detect the response time for each connection destination corresponding to connection requests from many users. Then, a database (response DB 15) is formed based on the collected data. Thereby, the function can be added without increasing the traffic on the transmission path.

In the Internet, the address of the target connection destination is often changed. Therefore, the update of the address is periodically detected and the response DB
15 are modified. For example, in the case of this change, the "link" of the destination is often described in the address before the change, and the address of the destination can be detected by following this link. For this reason, the gateway 13 detects a change of the connection destination during a time period when the user access is small, and updates and updates the contents of the response DB 15 for the connection destination with a small connection request from the user. Alternatively, a search for a connection destination may be performed using a search engine or the like. .

When the link is not described despite the change, the gateway 13 deletes the corresponding history from the response DB 15 by the traffic management unit 1.
4 is controlled.

As described above, the Internet connection apparatus detects the current traffic volume and stores and controls the past traffic history and connection response history in the response DB 15, and thus will be described below for the user. Message transmission can be enabled.

That is, when an end-to-end communication path is set between the terminal device 1 of the user and the gateway 13, the gateway 13 updates the latest traffic information constantly detected by the traffic management unit 14. And transmits it to the terminal device 1 of the user.

When the traffic information is transmitted, the terminal device 1 controls the display of the traffic information on the display screen as shown in FIG. 7A, and displays the current communication line connection status to the user. Along with notifying, a selection message for selecting whether or not to continue the line connection such as “Do you want to connect? Yes No” is displayed and controlled.

The user who sees this message clicks "Yes" in the selection message to continue the line connection, and clicks "No" in the selection message to not continue the line connection. When the selection of whether or not to continue the line connection is made by this click, the selection data indicating these is stored in the access points 5 and C of the secondary provider.
The data is transmitted to the gateway 13 via the C server 11.

The gateway 13 disconnects the communication line.
Is transmitted (if "No" is selected), the IP provided to the user is released, and the communication line of the CC server 11 and the gateway 13 connected to the user's terminal device 1 is released. Is released, and a communication line disconnecting process for performing an off-hook process of the access point 5 connected to the dial-up IP is performed.

When the selection data indicating "continuation" of the line connection is transmitted ("Yes"),
Is selected), a display for selecting a connection destination as shown in FIG. 7B is displayed and controlled on the terminal device 1 of the user.

That is, WWW (World Wi-Fi), a hypertext information retrieval system on the Internet
For example, when the selection data indicating “continuation” of the line connection is transmitted, the terminal device 1 of the user uses the WWW browser to transmit the selection data as shown in the time arrow of FIG. Following this, a connection destination URL (Uniform Resource Locater) for specifying the connection destination
Is transmitted. This connection destination URL is transmitted to the gateway 13 via the access point 5 of the secondary provider and the CC server 11.

The URL of the connection destination is specified by http or ft.
Following the specification of resources such as p, server, port number,
This is done by specifying a path. For example, "http
p: // www. [Server] / [Port] / [Path] "
Specify as follows. In the actual connection destination URL, the item of [port] is often omitted.

Next, the gateway 13 communicates with the connection destination UR.
When the L is transmitted, a search is made for the URL history (connection destination history) of the connection destination specified by the user, which is stored in the response DB 15. If there is a URL history corresponding to this, the history closest to the current time and the day of the week is read out of the history, and the connection response history information and the ratio of the current traffic amount to the total traffic amount of the jurisdiction network are obtained. Hypertext format bucket data is formed and transmitted to the user terminal device 1 from the TCP / IP layer based on an upper-layer communication protocol (eg, HTTP) supported by the user's browser.

If the URL history of the connection destination specified by the user is not stored in the response DB 15, the gateway 13 sets the response DB as a new connection destination address.
A connection destination storage area for the connection destination URL is formed on the connection destination 15, and a response time from the connection destination is measured, and the traffic management unit 14 is controlled so as to store the response time.

Next, when the packet data is transmitted, the terminal device 1 of the user operates the WWW as shown in FIG.
Based on the browser, the connection destination and the connection response history of the connection destination are displayed, and the ratio of the current traffic amount to the total traffic amount of the jurisdiction network (current traffic status of the communication line) and whether or not the connection is continued are selected. Display the screen for

The user looks at the connection response history displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 1 and the current traffic status of the communication line, and clicks “Yes” on the display screen to continue the connection and clicks “Yes” on the display screen. Click “No” on the display screen to disconnect.

The terminal device 1 “continues” the connection of the communication line.
Is selected, the selection data indicating this is transmitted to the gateway 13. When the selection data is transmitted, the gateway 13 continues the connection processing within a predetermined time as the user's approval.

When the disconnection of the communication line is selected, the terminal device 1 may change the connection destination. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7C, the terminal device 1 asks "Do you want to change the connection destination?"
A message for changing the connection destination such as "Yes disconnect" and selecting "disconnect" of the communication line connection is displayed and controlled on the display screen.

The user looks at the selection screen displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 1, and clicks “disconnect” on the display screen to disconnect the connection, and clicks the display screen to change the connection destination. Click "Yes" above.

The terminal device 1 disconnects the communication line.
Is selected, the selection data indicating this is transmitted to the gateway 13. When the selection data is transmitted, the gateway 13 transmits the IP provided to the user as described above.
To release the communication line of the CC server 11 and the gateway 13 connected to the terminal device 1 of the user, and disconnect the communication line for performing the off-hook processing of the access point 5 connected to the dial-up IP. Do.

When the change of the connection destination is selected (when “Yes” is clicked), the terminal device 1 shown in FIG.
A display screen for inputting a new connection destination address as shown in FIG.

When the input screen for the connection destination to be changed is displayed, the user inputs a new connection destination URL or a connection destination address in place of the new connection destination URL, and “YES” shown in FIG. 7D.
Click the selection key.

As a result, the terminal device 1 transmits the connection destination address and the like indicating the new connection destination to the gateway 13. When the connection destination address indicating the new connection destination is transmitted, the gateway 13 fetches the connection response history of the new connection destination and the current traffic status of the communication line from the traffic management unit 14 in the same manner as described above. This is transmitted to the terminal device 1 side.

When the connection response history of the new connection destination and the current traffic status of the communication line are transmitted, the terminal device 1 controls the display thereof as described with reference to FIG. , And the above-described display and communication processing are repeatedly performed.

In order to cancel the change of the connection destination, the user clicks the "No" selection key shown in FIG. 7D. When the “No” selection key on the input screen of the connection destination to be changed is clicked, the terminal device 1 shown in FIG.
Returning to the previous screen which is the selection screen for changing the connection destination shown in (c), display control is performed, and the user waits for input.

Next, the response DB 1 such as the connection response history described above
5 will be described in more detail.

In the response DB 15, the second storage area 15b in which the connection response history information is stored is further divided into a connection destination history area, a response time history area, and a Tmp area as shown in FIG. Have been.

In the connection destination history area, the reference address stored in the response time history area and information indicating the response information during measurement temporarily stored in the Tmp area are stored together with the connection destination address. It is supposed to be.

In the response time history area, response time histories corresponding to the respective areas allocated in units of time are stored and controlled.

The Tmp area is used as a buffer for measuring the response time, and the response times are totaled in the response time history area and the response time for a short period of time, for example, about one day, until the transfer is incorporated is stored and controlled. It has become.

In such a response DB 15, a connection request indicating a connection destination designated by the user is sent to the gateway 1
3, the gateway 13 sends the response DB 15
When a corresponding connection destination is searched for in the connection destination storage area in the table, and the corresponding connection destination history # 1 is searched, the response time history # 1 is referred to by referring to the reference history address # 1 assigned thereto. Search for an area in which -1, 2, 3,... Are stored. Further, when the connection start time is “3”, the start time is referred to, address information “3” indicating the closest time is acquired, and the response time history # 1-1, # 2, # 3 is obtained.
Search for the corresponding response time history # 1-3. Alternatively, the address # assigned to the connection destination history # 1
With reference to 1Tmp, the acquired response time history # 1-
3, the response information which is closer to the time at which the connection request from the user was transmitted is defined as the provision information to the user.

If there is no connection destination history, connection destination response information is newly formed as described above, and this is stored and controlled.

Here, when “continuation” is selected on the connection continuation selection screen described with reference to FIG. 7B, the connection from the gateway 13 to the connection destination designated via the WWW server 16 and the router 19 is performed. Routing starts.
At the same time, the periodic update processing unit 27 shown in FIG. When the measurement start instruction is issued, the response time measurement unit 16 detects the connection start time based on the time stamp data supplied from the timer 25, and stores this in an internal buffer.

A connection request from a user is transmitted from a router 19 under the control of the secondary provider to a connection destination designated by the user via a plurality of routers as shown in FIG. From this connection destination, response information corresponding to the user's connection request is transmitted to the user side.

When the response information from the connection destination is transmitted to the gateway 13 via the WWW server 16, the gateway 13 issues a measurement end instruction to the response time measuring unit 26 via the periodic update processing unit 27. Response time measuring unit 26
When the measurement end instruction is issued, detects the response end time based on the time stamp data supplied from the timer 25, and stores this in the internal buffer.

When the connection start time and the response end time are stored in the internal buffer, the response time measurement unit 26
Detects the difference between the connection start time and the response end time as "response time",
This is supplied to the management unit 15.

The response DB management unit 15 stores the response time and the response start time in Tm of the response time storage area of the response DB 15.
The storage is controlled in the p (temporary) area address #tmp, and the connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage area of the response DB 15.

The connection destination information stored and controlled in the connection destination storage area of the response DB 15 is included in the response time storage area.
The address # 1 on the response DB 15 in which the response time history of the own device is stored is given and stored. The address # 1 of the response information stored in the Tmp area is added to the address # 1 and stored in addition to the response time history.

The response information stored in the Tmp area is tabulated and averaged, for example, every hour, and stored in the corresponding time area in the response history storage area indicated by the address # 1.
The storage destination is subdivided as a database, and the periodic update processing unit 27 updates this, for example, every hour.

Further, when the data collection time becomes old, such as one day or one week, the periodic update processing unit 27 performs the tallying process by increasing the tallying unit accordingly. The sections in the response history storage area are divided into hourly, weekly, and monthly units, and the history before one month is sequentially deleted. Therefore, if within one week, 1
The history of response information for each time can be referred to.

Next, a series of functional operations of the Internet connection apparatus will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, in step S1 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the gateway 13 connects the terminal device 1 of the user.
, And the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the gateway 13
Based on the current traffic amount detected by the traffic management unit 14, the ratio (traffic status) of the current traffic amount to the traffic allowable amount in the jurisdiction network is detected, and the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the gateway 13
The traffic condition detected in step S2 and the data packet for displaying the selection screen for allowing the user to determine “continuation” or “disconnection” of the connection based on the traffic condition are transmitted to the communication protocol of the terminal device on the user side. They are formed together and the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, the gateway 13
The data packet formed in step S3 is transmitted to the user side, and the process proceeds to step S5.

The user determines the “continuation” or “disconnection” of the connection by watching the ratio of the traffic amount displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 1 according to the data packet (see FIG. 7A). Then, the selected data is transferred to the gateway 13
In step S5, the gateway 13 determines whether or not the selection data of “continue” or “disconnect” is obtained from the terminal device 1 of the user. If No, the process proceeds to step S21. The process proceeds to step S6 in the case of Yes.

In step S21, the gateway 13
However, for example, it is determined whether or not the connection is terminated by detecting the presence or absence of the selection data from the user within a predetermined time, and it is determined that the connection is not completed when the selection data is obtained within the predetermined time. Returning to step S5, if the selected data is not obtained within the predetermined time, it is determined that the processing is to be ended, and all the routines shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are ended.

Next, in step S6, the connection is continued.
Is obtained, the gateway 13
Determines whether the connection destination URL in the hypertext format has been acquired, and in the case of Yes, the process proceeds to step S7,
If No, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the obtained connection destination U
Since the RL is not in the hypertext format, the gateway 13 changes the communication protocol to the communication protocol specified by the user, and proceeds to step S7.

At step S7, the obtained connection destination UR is obtained.
Since L is in hypertext format, gateway 1
3 obtains the connection destination IP address and proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the gateway 13
The connection destination history in the response DB 15 is searched through the traffic management unit 14, and the connection destination IP is stored in the response DB 15.
It is determined whether or not there is a connection destination history corresponding to the address. Then, in the case of Yes, the process proceeds to step S9,
In the case of, the process proceeds to step S23.

If it is determined in step S8S that the connection destination history of the connection destination specified by the user is not stored in the response DB 15, the gateway 13 adds the connection destination history of this connection destination in step S23. Response D via the traffic management unit 14 to store
B15 is stored and the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S24, since the connection destination history of this connection destination is not stored in the response DB 15, the gateway 13 judges "continuation" or "disconnection" of the connection with the information of "no history". A data packet is formed by packetizing a selection screen for causing the user to make a selection of "change connection destination" and a selection screen for causing the user to determine "change of connection destination", and then proceeds to step S11.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that the connection destination history of the connection destination specified by the user is stored in the response DB 15, the gateway 13 is stored in the response DB 15 in step S9. The connected destination history information is fetched via the traffic management unit 14, and the process proceeds to step S10.

In step S10, the gateway 13
However, together with the connection destination history information, a data packet obtained by packetizing a selection screen for allowing the user to determine “continuation” or “disconnection” of the connection and a selection screen for allowing the user to determine “change of the connection destination” is displayed. Forming and Step S1
Proceed to 1.

In step S11, the gateway 13
Transmits one of the data packets formed in step S10 or step S24 to the user terminal device 1 side, and proceeds to step S12 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

As a result, the display screen of the terminal device 1 prompts the user to select a “continue”, “disconnect” or “change connection destination” selection screen as shown in FIGS. In step S12, the gateway 13 displays the "continue" and "disconnect" messages transmitted by the user who has viewed the selection screen by operating the terminal device 1. It is determined whether a response of "" or "change of connection destination" has been obtained. If Yes, the process proceeds to step S13. If No, the process of step S12 is repeated until one of the responses is obtained.

In step S12, the gateway 13
However, it is determined whether or not the response obtained from the user is a response to instruct “disconnection” of the connection. If Yes, the process proceeds to step S25, and if No, the process proceeds to step S14.

In the step S25, the gateway 13
Releases the IP provided to the user as described above, releases the communication line of the CC server 11 and the gateway 13 connected to the terminal device 1 of the user, and releases the access point 5 connected to the dial-up IP. FIG. 5 shows that the communication line is disconnected and the communication line is disconnected.
And all the routines shown in FIG. 6 are ended.

Next, if it is determined in step S13 that the response from the user is not a response to instruct “disconnect” of the connection, the gateway 13 determines in step S14 that the response from the user is “change connection destination”. It is determined whether or not the response is an instruction response, and in the case of Yes, the process returns to step S5 of the flowchart shown in FIG.
To step S14 and steps S21 to S25
Is performed, and in the case of No, the process proceeds to step S15.

Next, the response from the user is “disconnection” of the connection.
Alternatively, if it does not indicate "change of connection destination", in step S15, the gateway 13 starts measuring the response time from the connection destination specified by the user, and proceeds to step S16.

The response time from the connection destination is measured by the gateway 13 using, for example, a “ping command”.

That is, when a “ping command” is transmitted by designating a connection destination, the connection destination device that has received this command immediately returns a response. For this reason, the gateway 13 measures the time from when the “ping command” is sent to when the response arrives. Thereby, when there is a response from the connection destination, the response time can be measured and the existence of the connection destination can be confirmed.

Next, at step S16, gateway 1
3 transmits the connection destination packet to the connection destination specified by the user, starts routing, and proceeds to step S17.

In step S17, the gateway 13
However, by transmitting the connection destination packet, it is determined whether or not there is a response from the connection destination. If Yes, the process proceeds to Step S26, and if No, the process proceeds to Step S18.

In step S26, since there is a response from the connection destination, the gateway 13 finishes measuring the response time from the connection destination, and proceeds to step S27.

In step S27, the gateway 13
Forms a data packet indicating the measured response time from the connection destination, transmits this to the user terminal device 1, and proceeds to step S28.

In step S28, the gateway 13
However, the measured response time from the connection destination is stored and controlled in the response DB 15 via the traffic management unit 14, and the process returns to step S5 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, and returns to steps S5 to S17 and steps S21 to S28 described above. Execute the routine.

Here, due to the structure of the Internet, connection route control (routing) from the center device 6 of the secondary provider to the subsequent one is not uniquely determined, and the secondary provider is provided within the communication network under its control. If there is no corresponding connection destination, the connection can be made up to the primary provider, but it is not clear which communication path is to be set thereafter. Therefore, when an access request is issued from the center device 6 to the outside of the network under its control, the gateway 1
No. 3 measures the response time in a time unit of, for example, about 10 seconds to 20 seconds.

Next, when it is determined in step S17 that there is no response from the connection destination and the process proceeds to step S18, the gateway 13 detects the current response time being measured, and proceeds to step S19.

In the step S19, the gateway 13
Determines whether or not the current response time detected in step S18 has passed a predetermined time (whether or not a timeout has occurred), and in the case of Yes, it is determined in step S2.
The process proceeds to 0, and in the case of No, the process returns to step S17, and the above-described routine of steps S17 to S19 is repeatedly executed until it is determined that a timeout has occurred in step S19.

In step S20, since it is determined in step S19 that the time-out has occurred, the gateway 13 performs "error processing" for transmitting a communication error message to, for example, the user's terminal device 1 and performs the processing shown in FIGS. All the routines in the flowchart shown in FIG.

As described above, the Internet connection device according to the first embodiment transmits the measurement data based on the connection destination and the response time requested by the user to the response DB.
15 for each hour, each day of the week, each season,
Statistics on traffic volume for each region can be obtained.
For this reason, when there is an access from the user after the next time, the latest traffic information can be provided to the user, and the user can easily determine the continuation or disconnection of the connection. In addition, it is possible to prevent a disadvantage that the connection waiting time is unnecessarily taken, and it is possible to prevent a disadvantage that a wasteful line usage fee is charged.

The gateway 13 checks the contents of the data packet in all the layers involved in the communication control between the contracted user of the secondary provider and the Internet. For this reason, the gateway 13 is provided with a "security function" called a "firewall" for preventing inconvenience that a virus enters the user's terminal device 1 via the Internet, a sexual expression or a violent act against the user via the Internet. A so-called “parental control function”, which is a kind of parental control for presentation, may be provided.

The gateway 13 checks the contents of the data packet up to the application level, and the router 19 checks, for example, three parameters of the data packet to be transmitted, namely, protocol, source, and destination. Is also good. Thereby, the above-mentioned “security function” and “parental control function” can be made more reliable.

For convenience of explanation, the traffic management unit 14, the gateway 13, or each of the servers 113 to 115 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown separately, but their substantial functions are implemented by software. Most are realized above. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide them as hardware. For example, a plurality of software for realizing the above-described functions may be incorporated in the same hardware such as a workstation and used.

The Internet connection apparatus according to the first embodiment employs a terminal-type dial-up IP connection mode. However, this is based on the premise that the Internet connection apparatus goes through a secondary provider. Alternatively, a LAN type dial-up IP connection form or a dedicated line IP connection form may be used.

The functions of the traffic management unit 14 for collecting and analyzing the traffic information described above may be replaced by a LAN (protocol) analyzer. In this case, an existing LAN analyzer may be connected and this information output may be constantly monitored, whereby the functions related to traffic management and elimination of partially unauthorized access packets described above can be substituted.

Further, the terminal device 1 of the user and the secondary provider 4 are connected by a subscriber telephone line, but may be connected by an ISDN line. In this case, instead of the modem 2a (modem card 2b), a terminal adapter (TA) is used.
May be provided.

Further, in the above description of the first embodiment, the router 19 is provided in the input / output stage of the center device 6 on the primary provider side.
May be provided to the gateway 13, and the gateway 13 may be provided at the input / output stage of the center device 6 as shown in FIG. As a result, the router 19 can be substituted for the gateway 13, so that the number of components can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified, and thereby the cost of the Internet connection device can be reduced.

Next, a traffic management device and a traffic management method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the above description of the first embodiment, the traffic management device and the traffic management method according to the present invention are applied to the Internet connection device. However, the second embodiment described below is different from the first embodiment. An apparatus and a method according to the present invention are applied to a broadcast system for providing program information provided by broadcast media with information related to the Internet superimposed thereon.

In the description of the second embodiment, the portions showing the same operations as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the broadcasting system according to the second embodiment includes a broadcasting station 40 that broadcasts by superimposing Internet-related information in a program information, for example, a vertical blanking period (VBI), It is composed of a decoder device 41 connected to the terminal device 1 on the user side and extracting Internet-related information from the program information from the broadcast station 40 and supplying the extracted information to the terminal device 1, and an Internet connection device 4 possessed by a plurality of secondary providers. And a secondary provider group 42.

[0138] The broadcast station 40 selects a plurality of program sources and outputs the selected program sources. During the vertical blanking period of the selected program sources, the broadcast station 40 includes program-related information such as program-related information such as a program summary. A VBI switch 51 for inserting the traffic information detected by the traffic management unit 14 of the Internet connection device 4 of each secondary provider, and a formatter 5 for formatting the information so that it can be inserted in the vertical blanking period.
0 and a program-related information database 53 (related information D) for supplying the program-related information and the like to the formatter 50.
B).

The broadcast station 40 reads out the program related information from the related information DB 53 and performs a switcher 45 operation.
A controller 52 (CTL) for controlling the selection operation of
VBI is added to the program source selected by the switcher 45.
A superimposing circuit 46 for superimposing the program-related information and the like from the switch 51, a modulator 47 for performing predetermined modulation processing on the program source from the superimposing circuit 46 and outputting the same, and a TV tower 48 for broadcasting the program source from the modulator 47.
And periodically collects response information from each site 44 that provides detailed information of the related program information and the like via the Internet connection device 4 of each secondary provider, and
And a message collector 49 for supplying 0 to the message collector.

Next, the decoder device 41 includes an antenna 60 for receiving a program source broadcast via the TV tower 48 of the broadcasting station 40, and a tuner for selecting a desired program source from the program sources received by the antenna 60. 54
A demodulator 55 for performing a predetermined demodulation process corresponding to the modulation process performed on the program source selected by the tuner 54; a television receiver 56 for displaying the program source demodulated by the demodulator 55; have.

The decoder device 41 includes a tuner 54.
A VBI extraction circuit 57 for extracting the program-related information and the like superimposed in the vertical blanking period of the program source selected by the VBI, and a formatting process performed on the program-related information and the like extracted by the VBI extraction circuit 57 A decoder 58 for performing a deforming process corresponding to
An interface unit 59 (I / F) for supplying the program-related information and the like subjected to the deforming process by the decoder 58 to the terminal device 1.

The Internet connection device 4 of each secondary provider in the secondary provider group 42 is connected to the user via the public network (PSDN) 3 and the modem 2a, similarly to the Internet connection device according to the first embodiment. , And a plurality of sites 44 are connected via the Internet 43.

Next, the operation of the broadcasting system according to the second embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

First, in such a broadcasting system, the Internet connection device 4 of each secondary provider is connected to the first
In the same manner as in the first embodiment, the ratio of the current traffic amount to the traffic allowable amount in the network under its control is detected, and the connection destination history corresponding to each connection destination and the response time of each connection destination (each site 44) are determined. Detect each,
These are transmitted to the message collector 49 of the broadcasting station 40 as “traffic information”.

The message collector 49 periodically collects traffic information from the Internet connection devices 4 of the respective secondary providers and supplies the traffic information to the formatter 50.

On the other hand, the controller 52 of the broadcasting station 40
The switcher 45 is selected and controlled so as to select each program source, and the related information DB 53 is read and controlled so as to read the program related information of each program source. The program source selected by the switcher 45 is output to a superimposition circuit 46.
And the program related information read from the related information DB 53 is supplied to the formatter 50.

[0147] The formatter 50 outputs the traffic information collected by the message collector 49 and the related information D.
A predetermined formatting process is performed on the program-related information read from B53, and this is processed by the VBI switch 5.
Feed to 1.

The VBI switch 51 supplies the formatted traffic information and the program-related information to the superimposition circuit 46 at the timing of the vertical blanking period of the program source selected by the switcher 45.

The superimposition circuit 46 superimposes the traffic information and the program-related information during the vertical blanking period of the program source selected by the switcher 45 and supplies the traffic information and the program-related information to the modulator 47.

The modulator 47 performs a predetermined modulation process on the program source on which the traffic information and the program-related information are superimposed, and supplies this to the TV tower 48. As a result, the program source selected by the switcher 45 via the TV tower 48 is broadcast.

Next, the program source broadcast in this manner is received by an antenna 60 provided on the user side and supplied to the tuner 54. The tuner 54 selects a program source desired by the user from the program sources received by the antenna 60 and supplies the selected program source to the demodulator 55 and the VBI extraction circuit 57.

The demodulator 55 performs a demodulation process corresponding to the modulation process performed when each program source is broadcast on the program source selected by the tuner 54, and transmits the demodulated process to the television receiver 56. Supply. Thus, the program source desired by the user can be viewed via the television receiver 56.

On the other hand, the VBI extraction circuit 57 to which the program source selected by the tuner 54 is supplied extracts the traffic information and program-related information superimposed thereon at the timing of the vertical blanking period of the program source. This is supplied to the terminal device 1 via the interface circuit 59.

Thus, the traffic information can be displayed together with the program-related information on the display screen of the terminal device 1 of the user.

The user sees the traffic information displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 1 and recognizes the desired traffic situation of the connection destination. Then, it is determined whether or not to make a connection according to the traffic situation. If the connection is made, the secondary provider is connected via the modem 2a and the public network 3 (PSDN) in the same manner as in the first embodiment. 4 and a desired connection destination is accessed for communication.

As described above, the broadcast system according to the second embodiment superimposes the traffic information detected by each of the secondary providers 4 on the broadcast wave and broadcasts the broadcast information. By displaying the information on the display screen of the terminal device 1, the user who is going to access the desired connection destination can inform the traffic situation of the desired connection destination before attempting to connect to the secondary provider 4. Thus, it is possible to provide a user with information for determining whether or not to make a connection.

Therefore, the connection with the secondary provider 4 can be attempted despite the traffic conditions being congested, and the inconvenience of unnecessary connection waiting time can be prevented. Can be prevented.

[0158] In the broadcasting system according to the second embodiment, access from a user may be accepted at a timing at which congestion is alleviated, and communication may be automatically performed.

In this case, the user operates the terminal device 1 to establish a connection with the secondary provider 4 and designates a desired connection destination to make a reservation. When this reservation is made, the secondary provider 4 monitors the traffic situation of the connection destination specified by the user, and transmits congestion mitigation information indicating congestion mitigation to the broadcasting station 40 when the congestion is alleviated. Broadcasting station 40
Broadcasts superimposed congestion mitigation information during the vertical blanking period, as described above. This broadcast is decoded by the decoder 58 via the antenna 60 on the user side and supplied to the terminal device 1. When the congestion mitigation information is supplied, the terminal device 1 establishes a dial-up IP connection with the secondary provider 4 and performs automatic communication with a connection destination designated by the user. As a result, when the congestion is alleviated, automatic communication with a desired connection destination can be achieved, thereby contributing to effective use of the user's time.

[0160] Further, the service received by the user may be selected according to the traffic situation notified from the broadcast station 40. That is, as a broadcasting service of the broadcasting station 40, for example, “full motion video and audio”
"Movie and audio with dropped frames", "Still images and audio", "Still images and text", "Text only" and "Image only"
Is provided, if the line is not congested, receive the service of "full motion video and audio" .If the line is congested, "video and audio with dropped frames", "still image" And voice, still image and text, text only service, or receive only text first and later receive only image only service. Good.

In the description of the second embodiment, the terrestrial television broadcasting station 4 is used as the broadcasting medium.
However, this may use other broadcasting media such as a satellite wave television broadcasting station or a radio broadcasting station. Specifically, when a satellite wave television broadcasting station is used as a broadcast medium, the traffic information or the like may be inserted into a so-called “data channel” provided in the satellite wave. When a radio broadcasting station is used, the traffic information and the like may be frequency-multiplexed and transmitted. Then, by connecting decoders corresponding to these broadcasting systems to the terminal device 1 on the user side, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Although the traffic information and the like are inserted in the vertical blanking period of the program source, this may be inserted in the horizontal blanking period and broadcast.

Finally, the description of each of the above embodiments is an embodiment of the present invention.
Is within a range that does not deviate from the technical idea according to the present invention, such as transmitting one of the connection destination history or the current traffic information stored in the response DB 15 to the terminal device 1 of the user. It goes without saying that various changes can be made according to the design and the like.

[0164]

The traffic management apparatus and the traffic management method according to the present invention constantly or intermittently monitor the traffic situation in the network under the jurisdiction of the provider, and monitor the traffic situation for the user who has requested the connection. Can be notified.

For this reason, it is possible to make it easy for the user to determine whether the connection is continued or disconnected, and it is possible to prevent a disadvantage that the connection wait time is unnecessarily long. Further, when the line is a pay line, it is possible to prevent a disadvantage that a useless line usage fee is charged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment in which a traffic management device and a traffic management method according to the present invention are applied to an Internet connection device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a secondary provider provided in the Internet connection device.

FIG. 3 is a time arrow for explaining a communication operation of the Internet connection device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the storage contents of a response DB provided in the Internet connection device.

FIG. 5 is a first half flowchart for explaining a communication operation of the Internet connection device.

FIG. 6 is a second half flowchart for explaining the communication operation of the Internet connection device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing display contents displayed on a terminal device on a user side by communication control of the Internet connection device.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a modification of the Internet connection device.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a second embodiment in which the traffic management device and the traffic management method according to the present invention are applied to a broadcasting system.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a conventional Internet connection device.

FIG. 11 is a time arrow for explaining a communication operation of a conventional Internet connection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Terminal device, 2a ... Modem, 2b ... Modem card, 3
... Public line network 4 ... Internet connection device 5 ... Access point
6 center device 7 modem 8 bridge 8 9 local network 13 gateway 11 communication server 12 user management table 14 traffic management device 15 response management table 19 router 16 WWW server 17 ... Mail server, 18 ... DN
S server 24: User authentication unit, 25: Timer, 26: Response time measurement unit 27: Periodic update processing unit, 28: Response DB management unit, 29 ...
Traffic detector 44: site, 45: switcher, 46: superimposing circuit, 4
8 TV Tower 49 Message Collector 50 Formatter 51
... VBI switch 52 ... controller, 53 ... related information database, 5
7 VBI extraction circuit 58 decoder

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Osamu Yoshida 8 Shinsugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Inside Toshiba Multimedia Technology Research Laboratories

Claims (8)

[Claims] The present invention relates to a traffic detecting means for detecting a current traffic situation in a jurisdiction network and forming traffic information indicating the traffic situation, and when a communication line is connected to a user terminal device.
Traffic information transmitting means for transmitting traffic information formed by the traffic detecting means to a user terminal device. 2. The traffic management device according to claim 1, wherein said traffic detection means detects a ratio of a current traffic amount to a total traffic allowable amount of a jurisdiction network, and uses the ratio as said traffic information. 3. The traffic detecting means detects a ratio of a current data flow rate flowing through a jurisdiction network to a maximum data flow rate of a jurisdiction network within a predetermined time, and uses this as traffic information. Item 3. The traffic management device according to Item 2. 4. A response time detecting means for detecting a response time from a designated connection destination when a connection request is made by a user via a terminal device, and a response detected by the response time detecting means. Storage means for storing time in a time series for each connection destination to form a connection destination history, wherein the traffic information transmission means is stored in the current traffic information and / or the storage means 4. The traffic management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connected destination history is transmitted to a user terminal device. 5. The traffic according to claim 4, wherein said response time detection means detects a response time at least for a connection destination of a communication network located in a jurisdiction network and an upper layer of said jurisdiction network. Management device. 6. The storage means stores the traffic information detected by the traffic detection means in time series, and the traffic information transmission means stores the current traffic information and the connection destination history in the storage means. 6. The traffic management device according to claim 4, wherein the traffic information stored in a sequence is transmitted to a user terminal device. 7. The traffic management apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising updating means for updating the storage contents of said storage means at predetermined time intervals. 8. Detecting a current traffic situation in a jurisdiction network and forming traffic information indicating the same, and when a communication line is connected to a user terminal device,
A traffic management method comprising transmitting traffic information formed by the traffic detection means to a user terminal device.