SERVER DEVICE AND INFORMATION TERMINAL FOR SHARING INFORMATION

• US 20090171978A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ripplex Inc. (Casio Computer Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ripplex Inc. (Casio Computer Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ota, Tomohisa, Ohnaka, Kunihiko, Naono, Norihiko, Okazaki, Mitsutaka
• Application Number:
  US12/342,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171978A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00

Abstract

A technique for synchronization of the information on multiple information terminal devices is disclosed. The information to be stored is stored in encrypted format in a server unit, and thus the server unit administrator cannot access this information. In the information terminal device where information is to be synchronized, encrypted changed information, where difference information or any set of difference information generated due to changes in the information, is encrypted, and is sent to the server unit. Then the server unit stores this encrypted changed information by correlating a revision number with it. A terminal device receives the revision number correlated with the encrypted changed information, and stores it by correlating it with the difference information or any set of difference information. The information is synchronized by maintaining consistency between information terminal devices, whose information is to be synchronized, by executing “Commit” and “Update” while exchanging the revision number correlated with the encrypted changed information, between the server unit and each information terminal device.

Claims

1. A server device comprising:

a reception device for receiving encrypted change information which shows a change in information stored in a storage device of an information terminal device, the change being caused by a change operation on the stored information, the encrypted change information being encrypted so that the information terminal device can decrypt the encrypted change information; and

a storage device which stores the encrypted change information.

2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the change information is difference information between information stored in a storage device of the information terminal device before the change operation and information stored in a storage device of the information terminal device after the change operation.

3. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the change information is stored in a storage device of the information terminal device after the change operation.

4. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device correlates the encrypted change information with a revision information, the revision information showing an order in which the encrypted change information is received via the reception device.

5. The server device according to claim 4, further comprising a transmission device which transmits the revision information to the information terminal device.

6. The server device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a second reception device for receiving the transmitted revision information which is stored as terminal revision information by an information terminal device;

an calculation device which compares the received terminal revision information with the transmitted revision information, and;

a second transmission device which transmits to the information terminal device the encrypted change information which is correlated with the revision information in the case where an order which shows the terminal revision information is before an order which shows the revision information.

7. The server device according to claim 4, further comprising a transmission device in which the encrypted change information and the revision information which is correlated with the encrypted change are transmitted.

8. The server device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second reception device for receiving the transmitted revision information which is stored as terminal revision information by an information terminal device;

an calculation device which compares the received terminal revision information with the transmitted revision information, and;

a second transmission device which transmits to the information terminal device the encrypted change information which is correlated with the revision information in the case where an order which shows the terminal revision information is before an order which shows the revision information.

9. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the reception device can receive encrypted change information from a plurality of information terminal devices.

10. The server device according to claim 9, wherein the encrypted change information received by the reception device can be decrypted by a common key which is shared by the plurality of information terminal devices.

11. The server device according to claim 9, wherein the encrypted change information which the reception device receives from the plurality of information terminal devices, is encrypted by a pair of a secret key and a public key shared by the plurality of information terminal devices.

12. The server device according to claim 9, wherein the storage device correlates and stores revision information which shows an order of the encrypted change information received by the reception device from one of the plurality of information terminal devices, with the encrypted change information.

13. The server device according to claim 12, further comprising a transmission device which transmits specific revision information among a plurality of the revision information to an information terminal device which is the source of a transmission of the encrypted change information correlated with the specific revision information.

14. The server device according to claim 12, wherein specific revision information among a plurality of the revision information and the encrypted change information which is correlated with the specific revision information are transmitted to an information terminal device which is the transmission source of the encrypted change information.

15. The server device according to claim 10, wherein the common key is excluded from the storage.

16. The server device according to claim 10, wherein the public key is excluded from the storage.

17. An information terminal device comprising:

a key storage device which stores a decryption key;

a reception device which receives encrypted information which can be decrypted by the decryption key, and revision information which shows an order in which the encrypted information is received by a server device;

a decryption device which decrypts the received encryption information, and;

a storage device which correlates the decrypted information with the received revision information.

18. The information terminal device according to claim 17, further comprising:

an encryption device which encrypts change information, the change being caused by a change operation on the information stored in the storage device, the encrypted change information being unable to be decrypted by the server device, and;

a transmission device which transmits the encrypted change information.

19. The information terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the change information is difference information between information stored before the change operation and information stored after the change operation.

20. The information terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the change information is information stored after the change operation.

21. The information terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the key storage device stores a common key shared with another information terminal device, the encrypted change information which is received by the reception device is also received by the another information terminal device, and the decryption device decrypts the received encrypted information using the common key.

22. The information terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the key storage device stores a secret key shared with another information terminal device, the reception device receives encrypted information which is also received by the another information terminal device, and the decryption device decrypts the received encryption information using the secret key.

23. The information terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the key storage device stores a common key shared with another information terminal device, and the encryption device performs encryption using the shared common key.

24. The information terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the key storage device stores a secret key shared with another information terminal device, and the encryption device performs encryption using the secret key and a public key, the secret key and the public key being a pair.

25. The information terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the key storage device stores a secret key shared with another information terminal device, and the reception device receives encrypted information encrypted by the another information terminal device using a public key, the public key and the secrete key being a pair, the secret key being unshared by the another information terminal.

26. An information sharing system comprising a server and a plurality of information terminal devices,

each of the plurality of information devices including:

a storage device which stores information in plain format, an encryption device which encrypts change information which shows a change in information caused by a change operation on the stored information, the change information being encrypted so that the plurality of information terminal devices can decrypt the encrypted change information, a transmission device which transmits the encrypted change information to the server, a reception part which receives the encrypted change information transmitted from another information terminal device among the plurality of information terminal devices via the server device, a decryption device which decrypts the received encrypted change information, and an updating device which updates the stored information in plain format based on the decrypted encrypted change information; and

the server device including;

a reception device which receives encrypted change information transmitted from one of the plurality of information terminal devices, a storage device which stores the received encrypted change information, and a transmission device which transmits the encrypted change information to another of the plurality of information terminal devices other than the information terminal device which transmit the encrypted change information.

27. An information sharing method using a server and a plurality of information terminal devices, each of the plurality of information terminal devices storing information in the plain format, the information sharing method comprising:

generating and transmitting by one of the plurality of information terminal devices change information which shows a change information caused by a change operation on stored information, the change information being encrypted so that each of the plurality of information terminal devices can decrypt the encrypted change information;

receiving by another of the plurality of information terminal devices the encrypted change information transmitted by the information terminal device among the plurality of information terminal devices via the server;

decrypting the received encrypted change information;

updating by the another of the plurality of information terminal devices the stored information based on the decrypted encrypted change information;

receiving the encrypted change information by the server;

storing by the server the received encrypted change information, and;

transmitting by the server the encrypted change information to the another information terminal device among the plurality of information terminal devices.