Information provision exchange service system and method, program for implementing the method, and storage medium storing the program

• US 20040162904A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Eida, Masataka, Kaneko, Hajime
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An information provision exchange service system that can securely prevent the transmission of information that can be used to identify a user to another party and enable users to provide and exchange information between themselves free from confidentiality concerns. A server checks registered personal information to determine whether or not information that can be used to identify any of the users using a plurality of communication terminals is included in information exchanged between the communication terminals via a communication network, and replaces the information that can be used to identify a user with other information if the information that can be used to identify the user is detected in the information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network.

Claims

1. An information provision exchange service system comprising:

a plurality of communication terminals, each of said communication terminals being allocated to one of a plurality of subscribers;

a communication network that communicably connects the plurality of communication terminals to each other; and

a server that mediates information exchange between said plurality of communication terminals via said communication network,

said server comprising;

a personal information registration device that registers personal information for each of a plurality of users using said communication terminals;

a detection device that checks the registered personal information to determine whether or not information that can be used to identify any of the users of said communication terminals is included in information exchanged between said plurality of communication terminals via said communication network; and

a changing device that is operable when the information that can be used to identify any of the users of said communication terminals is detected in the information exchanged between said communication terminals via said communication network, to replace the information that can be used to identify the user with other information.

2. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection device performs an identification process on information transmitted from said communication terminals and determines whether or not information corresponding to the personal information registered for any of the users of said particular communication terminals is included in the information transmitted from said communication terminals based on results of the identification process.

3. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the information exchanged between said plurality of communication terminals via said communication network includes at least one of voice data and text data; and

the identification process performed by said detection device comprises identifying the at least one of voice data and text data.

4. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said changing device is operable when said detection means detects that information corresponding to the personal information registered for any of the users of said communication terminals is included in the information transmitted from said communication terminals, to replace the information corresponding to the personal information registered for the user with corresponding fictitious personal information.

5. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said server comprises a fictitious personal information registration device that registers fictitious personal information for each of the users, and

wherein said changing device is operable when said detection means detects that information corresponding to the personal information registered for any of the users of said communication terminals is included in the information transmitted from said communication terminals, to determine whether or not fictitious personal information corresponding to the information corresponding to the personal information registered for the user is registered, and said changing device replaces the information corresponding to the personal information with the corresponding registered fictitious personal information if the corresponding fictitious personal information.

6. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 5, wherein, when fictitious personal information corresponding to the information corresponding to the personal information is not registered, said changing device generates fictitious personal information corresponding to the information corresponding to the personal information and replaces the information corresponding to the personal information with the generated fictitious personal information.

7. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said server comprises:

a determining device that determines whether or not the fictitious personal information registered by any of the users and the personal information registered by the user are dissociated; and

a change request device that is operable when said determining device determines that the fictitious personal information registered by the user and the personal information registered by the user are not dissociated, to request a change of at least one of the personal information of the user and the personal information.

8. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server comprises:

a storage device that stores user reference personal information obtained from data acquired by image pickup devices located at a plurality of locations;

a determining device that compares the personal information registered by the users with the user reference personal information and determines whether or not the personal information registered by the users is correct; and

a change request device that is operable when said determining device determines that the personal information registered by any of the users is incorrect, to request a change of the personal information for the user.

9. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server comprises a communication partner setting device that finds and sets a best communication partner from among the plurality of users, for at least one of the users.

10. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the information exchanged between said communication terminals via said communication network includes voice data and text data; and

said server comprises an expression method changing device that changes a method of expression in the voice data or the text data depending on a related one of the users.

11. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server comprises a recording device that records information exchanged between said communication terminals via said communication network.

12. An information provision exchange service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server comprises a charging device that charges each of the users according to a use time or an amount of information exchanged.

13. A server that mediates information exchange between a plurality of communication terminals via a communication network comprising:

a personal information registration device that registers personal information for each of a plurality of users using the communication terminals;

a detection device that checks the registered personal information to determine whether or not information that can be used to identify any of the users using the communication terminals is included in information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network; and

a changing device that is operable when the information that can be used to identify any of the users of said communication terminals is detected in the information exchanged between said communication terminals via said communication network, to replace the information that can be used to identify the user with other information.

14. An information provision exchange service provision method of causing a server to mediate information exchange between a plurality of communication terminals via a communication network, to provide an information provision exchange service for a plurality of users using the communication terminals, the method comprising the steps of:

registering personal information for each of the users;

checking the registered personal information to determine whether or not information that can be used to identify any of the users of the communication terminals is included in information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network; and

replacing the information that can be used to identify any of the users with other information when the information that can be used to identify the user is detected in the information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network.

15. A program for causing a computer to implement an information provision exchange service system provision method of providing an information provision exchange service for users, the program being executable on a server that mediates information exchange between a plurality of communication terminals via a communication network, the program comprising:

a registration module for registering personal information for each of the users using the communication terminals;

a detection module for checking the registered personal information to determine whether or not information that can be used to identify any of the users using the communication terminals is included in information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network; and

a changing module for replacing the information that can be used to identify any of the users with other information when the information that can be used to identify the user is detected in the information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for implementing an information provision exchange service provision method of providing an information provision exchange service for users, the program being executable on a computer that mediates information exchange between a plurality of communication terminals via a communication network, the program comprising:

a registration module for registering personal information for each of the users using the communication terminals;

a detection module for checking the registered personal information to determine whether or not information that can be used to identify any of the users using the communication terminals is included in information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network; and

a changing module for replacing the information that can be used to identify any of the users with other information when the information that can be used to identify the user is detected in the information exchanged between the communication terminals via the communication network.