Information transmission system and method

• US 20050154739A1
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tanikawa, Tadashi, Ikai, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US11/035,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An object is to easily achieve information transmission while maintaining the security. Provided are: a registered user storing device for storing identification information peculiar to a user being inputted from outside as a registered user information; an identification information reading-out device for reading out the identification information from an information storing device presented by a user, in which the identification information is stored; a user authentication device for authenticating whether or not the read-out identification information is stored in the registered user information; a transmission information receiving device receiving and storing the transmission information inputted from the user who is confirmed as a registered user based on the authentication result; an output request receiving device for receiving transmission information output request information which is inputted by another user when the identification information read out from the user by the identification information reading-out device is confirmed as that of the registered user based on the authentication result by the user authentication device; and a transmission information supplying device for outputting the stored transmission information to the user according to the output request information.

Claims

1. An information transmission system, comprising:

a registered user storing device for storing identification information peculiar to an individual user being inputted from outside as a registered user information;

a transmission information receiving device for receiving and storing transmission information which is inputted by a user to be transmitted to another user;

an identification information reading-out device for reading out identification information peculiar to an individual user;

an output request receiving device for receiving transmission information output request information which is inputted by a user along with the read-out identification information; and

a transmission information supplying device for outputting the stored transmission information to a user, when the identification information received along with the transmission information output request information is registered in the registered user information.

2. The information transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information reading-out device reads out identification information peculiar to an individual user from an information storing device carried by the user.

3. The information transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information reading-out device reads out, from a specific body part of a user, identification information peculiar to each user being indicated on the body part.

4. The information transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising a user authentication device for authenticating whether or not identification information read out by the identification information reading-out device is stored in the registered user information, wherein:

the transmission information receiving device receives and stores transmission information which is inputted to be transmitted to another user from a user being authenticated as a registered user by the user authentication device; and

the output request receiving device receives transmission information output request information which is inputted from another user being authenticated as a registered user by the user authentication device.

5. The information transmission system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a time information storing device for storing time information at which identification information is read out along with the identification information, when the identification information read out by the identification information reading-out device is authenticated by the user authentication device as that of a registered user;

an authentication time request receiving device for receiving authentication time request information for requesting information which indicates authentication time state of other user, which is inputted by the another user being authenticated as a registered user by the user authentication device; and

an authentication time output device for extracting user information, specifying the user and recognizable by the another user, which is stored in advance in the registered user information by the registered user storing device along with the stored user authentication time information based on the user identification information stored along with the authentication time information, and outputting it to the another user according to the received authentication time request information

6. The information transmission system according to claim 1, wherein:

the registered user storing device has a group registration function for discriminating identification information of each user into specific groups according to input from outside and storing them as the registered user information, and has a group specifying function for specifying a group to which the identification information read out by the identification information reading-out device according to the registered user information belongs;

the transmission information storing device has a function of storing the transmission information, which is inputted from a user having identification information belonging to a specific group, by relating it to the specific group; and

the transmission information supplying device has a function of outputting the transmission information which is stored by being related to the group to another user according to the transmission information output request information inputted from a user having identification information belonging to a specific group.

7. The information transmission system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a time information storing device for storing time information at which identification information is read out along with the identification information, when the identification information read out by the identification information reading-out device is authenticated by the user authentication device as that of a registered user;

an authentication time request receiving device for receiving authentication time request information for requesting information which indicates authentication time state of other user, which is inputted by the another user being authenticated as a registered user by the user authentication device; and

an authentication time output device for extracting user information of other user for specifying the user and recognizable by the another user, which is stored in advance in the registered user information by the registered user storing device, along with the stored authentication time information of the other user belonging to a specific group to which the another user who has inputted the authentication time request information belongs, based on the identification information of the other user stored along the authentication time information, and for outputting it to the another user according to the authentication time request information inputted by another user having identification information belonging to a specific group based on an authentication result obtained by the user authentication device.

8. The information transmission system according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission information receiving device has a function of receiving inputted identification information for specifying other user as a target for outputting the transmission information from a user who inputs the transmission information along with the transmission information and a function of outputting the transmission information relating to the identification information to the another user;

and

the transmission information supplying device has a function of outputting the transmission information related to the identification information to the another user when the identification information of the user who has inputted the output request information coincides with the specific identification information which is being related at the time of storing the transmission information.

9. The information transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of installed terminals and an information storage server connected through a network, wherein:

the installed terminal comprises, in addition to the identification information reading-our device, the output request receiving device and the transmission information supplying device, a user authentication inquiry device which inquires whether or not a user is a pre-registered user by transmitting the read-out identification information to the information storage server and also receives an authentication result from the information storage server;

the transmission information receiving device receives transmission information for another user, which is inputted by the user being authenticated as a registered user based on an authentication result and transmits the transmission information to the information storage server;

the output request transmitting device receives transmission information output request information for another user, which is inputted by a user being authenticated as a registered user based on an authentication result and transmits the transmission information output request information to the information storage server;

the transmission information supplying device outputs to another user the transmission information outputted from the information storage server according to the transmission information output request information; and

the information storage server comprises;

in addition to the registered user storing device and the transmission information receiving device, a user authentication device for authenticating whether or not the identification information transmitted from the installed terminals is user-registered based on the registered user information and for informing an authentication result to the installed terminals;

a transmission information storing device for receiving and storing transmission information inputted by the registered user, which is transmitted from the installed terminals; and

a transmission information output device for outputting to the installed terminals the stored transmission information for providing it to the registered user according to the transmission information output request information inputted by the registered user, which is transmitted from the installed terminals.

10. The information transmission system according to claim 9, wherein

the installed terminal further comprises:

a time information transmitting device for transmitting, to the information storage server, by relating, time information at which identification information of a user being authenticated as a registered user based on an authentication result obtained from the user authenticating device of the information storage server is read out by the identification information reading-out device, installing area information of the installed terminals, which is stored in advance in the installed terminals, and identification information of the user by relating them;

an authentication time request transmitting device which receives authentication time request information for requesting information indicating an authentication time state of other users, which is inputted from another user being authenticated as a registered user based on an authentication result from the user authenticating device of the information storage server and transmits the authentication time request information to the information storage server; and

an authentication time information supplying device for outputting to the user the information which is outputted from the information storage server according to the authentication time request information, and

the information storage server comprises;

a time information storing device for storing the time information transmitted by the time information transmitting device of the installed terminals, the installed area information, and the identification information by relating them; and

an authentication time output device for extracting the user information for specifying the user and recognizable by another user, which is stored in advance in the registered user information by the registered user storing device based on the user identification information stored along the authentication time information and for outputting it to the installed terminal so as to supply it to the another user along with the stored authentication time information and the installed area information of the installed terminals according to the authentication time request information inputted by the registered user, which is transmitted from the installed terminals.

11. The information transmission system according to claim 9, wherein

the information storage server comprises a plurality of identification information reading-out apparatus connected through the network;

the identification information reading-out apparatus comprises;

an identification information reading-out device for reading out the identification information from an information storing device in which identification information provided by a user, which is peculiar to the user, is stored; and

a time information transmitting device which transmits to the information storage server time information at which the identification information is read out by the identification information reading-out device, installed area information of the apparatus stored in advance in the identification information reading-out device, and identification information of the user by relating them;

the installed terminals comprises;

an authentication time request transmitting device which receives authentication time request information for requesting information indicating an authentication time state of other user, which is inputted from another user being authenticated as a registered user based on the authentication result obtained from the user authentication device of the information storage server, and transmits the authentication time request information to the information storage server; and

an authentication time information supplying device for outputting to the user the information outputted from the information storage server according to the authentication time request information; and

the information storage server comprises;

a time information storing device for storing the time information, the installed area information, and the identification information transmitted from the identification information reading-out device by relating them; and

an authentication time output device for extracting the user information for specifying the user and recognizable by another user, which is stored in advance in the registered user information by the registered user storing device based on the user identification information stored along the authentication time information and for outputting it to the installed terminal so as to supply it to the another user along with the stored authentication time information and the installed area information of the installed terminals according to the authentication time request information inputted by the registered user, which is transmitted from the installed terminals.

12. An information storage server being connected to installed terminals through a network for supervising transmission of transmission information from a user to another user, which is inputted from the installed terminals, wherein

the information storage server comprises:

a registered user storing device for storing identification information peculiar to an individual user as registered user information according to input from outside;

a user authentication device which authenticates whether or not the user identification information read out by an identification information reading-out device provided to the installed terminals is user-registered based on the registered user information, and also informs an authentication result to the installed terminals;

a transmission information storing device for receiving and storing transmission information for another user from the installed terminals, which is inputted by a user being authenticated as a registered user based on the authentication result; and

a transmission information output device which, upon receiving, from the installed terminal, transmission information output request information inputted to the installed terminal by another user who is authenticated as a registered user by the authentication result, outputs the stored transmission information to the installed terminal through the network for providing it to the registered user through the installed terminal according to the transmission information output request information.

13. The information transmission system according to claim 12, wherein the user identification information is identification information peculiar to a user, which is read out from an information storing device carried by a user.

14. The information transmission system according to claim 12, wherein the user identification information is identification information peculiar to each user being read out from a specific body part of a user, which is indicated on the body part.

15. An information transmission method comprising:

an identification information reading-out step in which an identification information reading-out device reads out identification information from an information storing device in which the identification information provided by a user being peculiar to the user is stored;

a user authentication step in which a user authentication device authenticates whether or not the identification information read out in the identification information reading-out step is stored in the registered user storing device in which identification information inputted from outside is stored in advance as registered user information; and

a transmission information receiving step in which transmission information receiving device receives transmission information inputted from a user who is authenticated as a registered user based on an authentication result obtained in the user authentication step and stores it to the transmission information storing device, and in addition, the method comprising;

at least after completing the transmission information receiving step once,

an output request receiving step in which an output request device, when the identification information of another user read out in the identification information reading-out step is authenticated as that of a registered user based on an authentication result obtained by the user authentication step, receives transmission information output request information inputted by the user, subsequently to the identification information reading-out step and the user authentication step; and

a transmission information supplying step in which a transmission information supplying device outputs to the user the transmission information stored in the transmission information storing device according to the transmission information output request information received in the output request receiving step.

16. An information transmission method, comprising:

an identification information reading-out step in which an identification information reading-out device reads out identification information peculiar to an individual user, which is indicated on a body of the user, from a specific body part of the user oneself;

a user authentication step in which a user authentication device authenticates whether or not the identification information read out in the identification information reading-out step is stored in the registered user storing device in which identification information inputted from outside is stored in advance as registered user information; and

a transmission information receiving step in which transmission information receiving device receives transmission information inputted from a user who is authenticated as a registered user based on an authentication result obtained in the user authentication step and stores it to the transmission information storing device, and in addition, the method comprising;

at least after completing the transmission information receiving step once,

an output request receiving step in which an output request device, when the identification information of another user read out in the identification information reading-out step is authenticated as that of a registered user based on an authentication result obtained by the user authentication step, receives transmission information output request information inputted by the user, subsequently to the identification information reading-out step and the user authentication step; and

a transmission information supplying step in which a transmission information supplying device outputs to the user the transmission information stored in the transmission information storing device according to the transmission information output request information received in the output request receiving step.