Identification information supervising method, portal information providing apparatus, and ic card

• US 20040148186A1
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Takashi, Hayaashi, Hirofumi, Hagiwara, Kotaro, Goishi, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 10,013,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An identification information centralizing method capable of receiving services provided by a plurality of corporations by using a single item of identification information. Centralized ID information (162) for identifying a customer is assigned by a centralizing corporation. Individual ID information (168) which is uniquely assigned to identify the customer by a plurality of corporations which provide services to a pre-registered customer is registered in a database (160) in such a manner as to be associated with the centralized ID information (162), so that provision of services by a plurality of corporations is made possible by using the single item of centralized ID information (162).

Claims

1. An identification information centralizing method comprising the steps of:

assigning centralized identification information for identifying a customer by a centralizing corporation; and

registering individual identification information which is uniquely assigned in such a manner as to be associated with said centralized identification information so that a plurality of corporations which provide services to a pre-registered customer identify the customer, making it possible to provide services by a plurality of individual corporations by using a single item of centralized identification information.

2. An identification information centralizing method according to claim 1, wherein said centralizing corporation handles authentication as to whether or not the provision of services by said individual corporation should be permitted on the basis of the centralized identification information of the customer who desires the provision of services.

3. An identification information centralizing method according to claim 2, wherein said centralizing corporation issues, to a customer to whom said centralized identification information is assigned, a single card in which the centralized identification information or alternate information which can be uniquely converted into the centralized identification information is electronically recorded, and performs said authentication on the basis of said centralized identification information recorded on said card or the centralized identification information obtained by converting said alternate information recorded on said card.

4. An identification information centralizing method according to claim 1, wherein service identification information for identifying services provided by said individual corporation is registered in such a manner as to be associated with said centralized identification information of said database, and said centralizing corporation obtains the corresponding service information from said individual corporation on the basis of the service identification information registered in said database and distributes the service information to said customer.

5. An identification information centralizing method according to claim 4, wherein customer information regarding said customer, for whom said centralized identification information is registered, is recorded in such a manner as to be associated with the centralized identification information, and the service information obtained from said individual corporation is selected on the basis of said customer information and is distributed.

6. An identification information centralizing method according to claim 5, wherein said customer information contains at least one of area information on the place where said customer lives and history information regarding the services which were received in the past from said individual corporation.

7. A portal information providing apparatus that can communicate with individual servers which are managed correspondingly by a plurality of individual corporations which provide services to a pre-registered customer and a terminal of the customer via a network and that is managed by a centralizing corporation for centralizing the individual corporations, said portal information providing apparatus comprising:

assigning means for assigning centralized identification information for identifying the customer to the customer; and

a database in which the individual identification information which is uniquely assigned correspondingly by said individual corporations in order to identify said customer is registered in such a manner as to be associated with said centralized identification information.

8. A portal information providing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising authentication means for performing authentication as to whether or not the provision of services by said individual corporation should be permitted.

9. A portal information providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said authentication means performs said authentication on the basis of said centralized identification information recorded on a card on which the centralized identification information or alternate information which can be uniquely converted into the centralized identification information is electronically recorded, said card being issued to the customer to whom said centralized identification information is assigned by said centralizing corporation, or on the basis of centralized identification information obtained by converting said alternate information recorded on said card.

10. A portal information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said centralized identification information or said alternate information recorded on said card, read by a card reader connected to a terminal of said customer, is received via the terminal of the customer.

11. A portal information providing apparatus according to claim 7, comprising:

service registration means for registering service identification information for identifying services provided by said individual corporation in such a manner as to be associated with said centralized identification information of said database; and

distribution means for obtaining the corresponding service information from said individual server on the basis of the service identification information registered in said database and for distributing portal information containing the service information to the terminal of said customer.

12. A portal information providing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said database has recorded therein customer information regarding said customer for whom said centralized identification information is registered in such a manner as to be associated with said centralized identification information, and said distribution means selects service information obtained from said individual server on the basis of said customer information and distributes the service information to the customer.

13. A portal information providing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said customer information contains at least one of area information on the place where said customer lives and history information regarding the services which were received in the past from said individual corporation.

14. A program for allowing a computer to function as a portal information providing apparatus according to claim 7.

15. A computer-readable information recording medium having recorded thereon a program according to claim 14

16. An IC card in which a single item of centralized identification information which is associated with a plurality of items of individual identification information which are uniquely assigned to identify a customer by a plurality of individual corporations or alternate information which can be uniquely converted into the centralized identification information is electronically recorded.