INFORMATION EXCHANGE SUPPORT DEVICE, INFORMATION EXCHANGE SUPPORT METHOD, AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE SUPPORT PROGRAM

• US 20070208811A1
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueno, Tsuyoshi
• Application Number:
  US10/599,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208811A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

An information exchange support apparatus for determining that an exchange condition of information to be exchanged is met between identified exchanging parties and reliably executing exchange of the information to be exchanged between the exchanging parties is provided.

An information exchange support apparatus 1 includes reception means 101, exchange determination means 102, transmission means 103, and storage means 104. The reception means 101 receives exchange request information containing the information to be exchanged and information identifying the exchanging party from a terminal. The transmission means 103 transmits the information to be exchanged contained in the received exchange request information to the terminal of the exchanging party. The exchange determination means uses the received exchange request information to determine whether or not information exchange is permitted; the exchange determination means determines that information exchange is permitted at least if the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties is already received.

Claims

1. An information exchange support apparatus for supporting exchange of information through a network, the information exchange support apparatus comprising:

a reception unit which receives exchange request information containing information to be exchanged and information for identifying an exchanging party;

an exchange determination unit which determines whether or not information exchange is permitted using the received exchange request information; and

a transmission unit which transmits the information to be exchanged to the exchanging party if the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted,

wherein, if the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties is already received, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

2. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if the types of information to be exchanged contained in the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties match, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

3. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if the types and the contents of information to be exchanged contained in the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties match, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

4. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if the types or the contents of information to be exchanged match a predetermined type or content of information to be exchanged, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

5. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the exchange request information contains information indicating the type of information to be exchanged requested for the exchanging party, and

wherein, if the types of information to be exchanged contained in the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties match the requested type for the exchanging party, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

6. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the exchange request information contains information indicating the type and the content of information to be exchanged requested for the exchanging party, and

wherein, if the types and the contents of information to be exchanged contained in the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties match the requested type and content for the exchanging party, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

7. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the exchange request information contains content report information indicating the content of information to be exchanged contained in the exchange request information, and

wherein, if the content report information matches the content of the received information to be exchanged, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

8. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception unit receives the exchange request information using an electronic mail system or a Web page.

9. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission unit transmits the information to be exchanged using an electronic mail system or a Web page.

10. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a preliminary disclosure unit which preliminarily discloses the information to be exchanged for the exchanging party,

wherein, if consent information indicating exchange consent is received from the mutual exchanging parties after the preliminary disclosure unit preliminarily discloses the information to be exchanged, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

11. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the exchange request information contains preliminary disclosure and consent required/not required information indicating whether or not exchange consent is required, of information to be exchanged of the exchanging party, and

wherein, if the consent required/not required information indicates required, the preliminary disclosure unit preliminarily discloses the information to be exchanged for the exchanging party.

12. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the preliminary disclosure unit discloses the information to be exchanged in a mode in which the exchanging party cannot save all information to be exchanged.

13. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the preliminary disclosure unit discloses the information to be exchanged using an electronic mail system or a Web page.

14. The information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when information exchange is executed at least among three parties, if the exchange request information of all parities are all already received, the exchange determination unit determines that information exchange is permitted.

15. An information exchange support program for causing a computer to function as an information exchange support apparatus according to claim 1.

16. An information exchange support method for supporting exchange of information through a network, the information exchange support apparatus comprising:

a reception step of receiving exchange request information containing information to be exchanged and information for identifying an exchanging party;

an exchange determination step of determining whether or not information exchange is permitted using the received exchange request information; and

a transmission step of transmitting the information to be exchanged to the exchanging party if the exchange determination step determines that information exchange is permitted,

wherein, if the exchange request information from the mutual exchanging parties is already received, the exchange determination steps determines that information exchange is permitted.