Information tracing system and information tracing method

• US 5,822,533 A
• Filed: 05/23/1996
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Kazuo, Kamibayashi, Noriyuki, Nakagaki, Juhei, Toju, Yasuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US08/654,051
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.54, 395/200.68, 395/200.32
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

When an information distribution section receives information sent from another information intervention apparatus, a distribution sensing section senses it and records a distribution history in a distribution history holding section. Each information intervention apparatus transmits distribution histories to a tracing center via a history sending section. In the tracing center, a distribution history collection section collects the distribution histories transmitted from the information intervention apparatuses, and stores those into a distribution history holding section. A tracing analysis section 23 analyzes an information distribution route etc. based on the distribution histories stored in the distribution history holding section 22. An analysis result display section 24 displays an analysis result.

Claims

1. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means; and

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means, wherein said plurality of distribution sensing means senses the information distribution by sensing sending of information when it is sent from the first information processing apparatus.

2. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means; and

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means, wherein said plurality of distribution sensing means senses the information distribution by sensing sending of information when it is sent from the first information processing apparatus, and by sensing reception of the information when it is received by the second information processing apparatus.

3. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means;

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means;

editing means for editing information;

edit sensing means for sensing an edit performed by said editing means; and

edit history storing means for storing a history relating to the edit sensed by said edit sensing means,

wherein said transmitting means transmits the history stored in said plurality of distribution history storing means and the history stored in said edit history storing means, and wherein said analyzing means analyzes the distribution route and an alteration of information based on the histories received by said single receiving means.

4. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means;

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means; and

an information label generating means for generating an information label based on distributed information, and wherein said distribution history storing means stores the information label generated by said information label generating means as the history relating to the information distribution.

5. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means; and

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means, wherein said distribution sensing means senses the information distribution when information stored on an information recording medium is distributed, and wherein said plurality of distribution history storing means stores, onto the information recording medium, the history relating to the information distribution and a medium label for the information recording medium together with the information.

6. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means;

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means; and

an history requesting means for requesting said plurality of transmitting means to transmit histories of information, wherein said plurality of transmitting means transmits the histories when so requested by said history requesting means.

7. An information tracing system comprising:

a plurality of distribution sensing means each for sensing information distribution from a first information processing apparatus as an information distribution source to a second information processing apparatus as an information distribution destination;

a plurality of distribution history storing means each for storing a history relating to the information distribution sensed by an associated one of said plurality of distribution sensing means;

a plurality of transmitting means each for transmitting the history stored in an associated one of said plurality of distribution history storing means;

a single receiving means for receiving the histories transmitted from said plurality of transmitting means;

analyzing means for analyzing a distribution route based on the histories received by said single receiving means;

use sensing means for sensing use of information; and

use history storing means for storing a history of the use of information sensed by said use sensing means.

8. The information tracing system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

an analysis result displaying means that displays the analysis result so that it is correlated with the history of the use of information stored in said use history storing means.