Information management system and apparatus using open network environment, and storage medium storing control program of apparatus and capable of being read by computer

• US 6,199,164 B1
• Filed: 01/09/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Fuku, Hirokuni, Nishimoto, Atsushi, Watanabe, Minami
• Primary Examiner(s): WILEY, DAVID ARMAND
• Application Number:
  US09/005,186
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200-202, 709/200, 709/203, 709/217-219, 709/223-225, 709/227-229
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A connection server receives access permission information at the start of the connection of a peer client of the user to an open network, registers the access permission information into a database, and responds the relevant access permission information for a retrieval request from an IP server with reference to the database. By a transmitting request based on the access permission information obtained by the retrieval request to the connection server, the IP server obtains predetermined personal information as special personal information, registers it into the database, and, when providing information adapted to the special personal information is obtained, transmits the providing information to the peer client.

Claims

1. An information management system using an open network environment comprising:

a user apparatus for receiving information including an information providing apparatus for providing the information to said user apparatus; and

a connection managing apparatus for managing information that is necessary to provide the information from said information providing apparatus to said user apparatus and is interconnected by a network environment so that they can communicate with each other,

wherein said user apparatus has a user processing unit for transmitting connection information to said connection managing apparatus when the connection to said network is started and receiving the information from said information providing apparatus, and said information providing apparatus has an information providing processing unit transmitting information to said user apparatus based on the connection information of the user obtained from said connection managing apparatus;

a connection information processing unit for transmitting connection information including a self ID code, a network address, and a password of an information reception channel as said access permission information to said connection managing apparatus when a connection to the open network is started, allowing said connection information to be registered into a database of said connection managing apparatus, transmitting a connection end notification when the connection to said open network is finished, and allowing said connection information to be deleted from said database;

a public personal information processing unit editing public personal information in which each of the self ID code, the kind of providing information, and a reception channel in which the reception of the information is permitted is designated, transmitting said edited public personal information as a part of said access permission information to said connection managing apparatus when the connection to the open network is started, and allowing said public personal information to be registered into said database;

a special personal information processing unit editing a registration format of special personal information according to the kind of said providing information which is sent from said connection managing apparatus in association with the transmission of said public personal information, transmitting said edited registration format in response to a transmitting request of the registration format from said information providing apparatus, and allowing said registration format to be registered into a database of said information providing apparatus; and

a reception display unit receiving the providing information from said information providing apparatus after the registration of said special personal information and displaying said providing information,

a connection management processing unit of said connection managing apparatus comprises;

a connection information managing unit registering said connection information transmitted at the start of the connection of said user apparatus to the open network into said database and deleting the relevant connection information from said database upon receipt of the connection end notification;

a public personal information managing unit for updating and registering said public personal information transmitted from said user apparatus into said database;

a registration format providing unit for transmitting the registration mat of said special personal information which has been predetermined according to the kind of said providing information designated by said public personal information to said user apparatus;

a user retrieval responding unit for responding the personal inmation on the basis of the ID code of the user apparatus designating the access permission, the kind of information to be provided, and a predetermined registered publication permission by referring to said database when a retrieval request of a user who desires the information providing is received from said information providing apparatus; and

a connection information retrieval responding unit for reading out the relevant connection information with reference to said database when a retrieval request of said connection information in which an ID code of a specific user apparatus is designated is received from said information providing apparatus, for recognizing items of a publication permission and items of a publication refusal in said connection information with reference to connection permission inmation in said database, and for responding said connection information by performing a masking process with respect to the items of the publication refusal, and

said information providing processing unit of said information providing apparatus comprises;

a user retrieval requesting unit requesting said connection managing apparatus so as to retrieve the ID code of the user designating the access permission, the kind of information to be provided, and personal information in which a publication is permitted;

a connection information retrieval requesting unit requesting said connection managing apparatus so as to retrieve the connection information of said user apparatus by using a specific ID code obtained by said user retrieval requesting unit;

a special personal information managing unit requesting said user apparatus so as to transmit the special personal information on the basis of the connection information obtained by said connection information retrieval requesting unit and registering said special personal information into the database; and

a providing information managing unit transmitting said providing information to the user apparatus on the basis of the connection information obtained by the operation of said connection information retrieval requesting unit when said providing information adapted to the special personal information in said database is obtained.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the connection information generated and transmitted by said user apparatus has passwords of a plurality of kinds of information reception channels, permission and inhibition of each of said reception channels are designated according to the connection permission information which was separately edited, and said connection managing apparatus performs the masking process of said connection information with reference to said connection permission information.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said user apparatus has an emergency channel displaying the received information onto a display in a real-time manner, a regular confirmation channel storing the received information and reading out and displaying the received information onto the display at every predetermined time period, and a preservation channel storing the received information and displaying the received information onto the display in accordance with a reading operation of the user, passwords of said emergency channel, said regular confirmation channel, and said preservation channel are set in accordance with said connection information and said connection permission information, and a use permission is designated.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said public personal information has inevitable public items in which necessary information and unnecessary information are designated and selective public items such as name, address, telephone number, FAX number, mail address, and the like, and whether said selective public items are opened or not opened is designated by public personal information use permission information which is separately edited.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said public personal information use permission information has an active publication item actively notifying of the public personal information from said connection managing apparatus without waiting for the user retrieval from said information providing apparatus and said active publication item is selectively designated by said public personal information use permission information.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein when the retrieval request of said connection information using the ID code of the specific user apparatus is received from said information providing apparatus, if the relevant connection information doesn'"'"'t exist in said database, said connection managing apparatus performs the masking process to all of items in said connection information and responds, thereby notifying of the absence of said user apparatus on the network.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein when the notification indicative of the absence on the network is received for the retrieval request of the connection information to said connection managing apparatus, said information providing apparatus registers a self network name and the ID code of the user apparatus as connection waiting information into connection waiting information of said connection managing apparatus, and

when the connection information is registered in the database in association with the start of the connection of an arbitrary user apparatus to the open network, said connection managing apparatus refers to said connection waiting information, recognizes said information providing apparatus in a connection waiting state, and retrieves and responds the connection information.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein said user apparatus forms connection notification destination information which designates the information providing apparatus generating the connection information from said connection managing apparatus, transmits said connection notification destination information at the time of the start of the connection to said connection managing apparatus, and registers said connection notification destination information into the database, and

when the registration of the connection information in association with the connection to the open network is received from said user apparatus, said connection managing apparatus refers to the connection notification destination information in said database and responds valid connection information to the information providing apparatus designated as a connection notification destination.

9. An information management system using an open network environment comprising:

a user apparatus for receiving information including an information providing apparatus for providing the information to said user apparatus; and

a connection managing apparatus for managing information that is necessary to provide the information from said information providing apparatus to said user apparatus and is interconnected by a network environment so that they can communicate with each other,

wherein said user apparatus has a user processing unit for transmitting connection information to said connection managing apparatus when the connection to said network is started and receiving the information from said information providing apparatus, and said information providing apparatus has an information providing processing unit transmitting information to said user apparatus based on the connection information of the user obtained from said connection managing apparatus, wherein

said user apparatus registers conference convention information necessary for scheduling a conference as predetermined personal information into a database of said information providing apparatus, and

said information providing apparatus transmits conference guide information to user apparatuses of convention target persons designated based on said conference convention information, collects attendance information, determines details of the conference after said attendance information was collected, and transmits the details of the conference to the user apparatuses of said convention target persons.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a user apparatus of an open network environment which is interconnected to an information providing apparatus; and

a connection managing apparatus managing various information necessary to provide information by the open network environment so that they can communicate with each other and which receives information provided from said information providing apparatus,

wherein said user apparatus has a user processing unit transmitting least access permission information necessary to provide the information to said connection processing apparatus when the connection to the open network is started, allowing the least access permission information to be registered into a database, responding to a transmission request of predetermined personal information defined as special personal information from said information providing apparatus based on said access permission information, allowing the special personal information to be registered into the database, and receiving providing information adapted to said special personal information from said information providing apparatus;

wherein said user processing unit comprises;

a connection information processing unit transmitting connection information as said access permission information including a self ID code, a network address, and a password of an information reception channel to said connection managing apparatus when the connection to the open network is started, allowing said access permission information to be registered into the database of said connection managing apparatus, transmitting a connection end notification when the connection is finished, and allowing said connection information to be deleted from said database;

a public personal information processing unit editing public personal information in which a self ID code, a kind of information to be provided, and a reception channel in which a reception of the information is permitted are designated, transmitting said edited public personal information as a part of said access permission information to said connection managing apparatus when the connection to the open network is started, and allowing the public personal information to be registered into said database;

a special personal information processing unit editing a registration format of the special personal information according to the kind of said providing information which is sent from said connection managing apparatus in association with the transmission of said public personal information, transmitting said edited registration format in response to a transmitting request of the registration format from said information providing apparatus, and allowing the registration format to be registered into the database of said information providing apparatus; and

a reception display unit receiving the information provided from said information providing apparatus after said special personal information was registered and displaying said provided information.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a connection managing apparatus of an open network environment managing various information necessary to provide information to a user apparatus from information providing apparatuses which are interconnected by the open network environment so that they can communicate with each other,

wherein said connection managing apparatus has a connection management processing unit registering least access permission information necessary for information providing transmitted at the time of the start of the connection of said user apparatus to an open network into a database and responding relevant access permission information to a retrieval request from said information providing apparatus with reference to said database;

wherein said connection management processing unit comprises;

a connection information managing unit registering connection information including an ID code, a network address, and a password of an information reception channel transmitted from said user apparatus as said access permission information at the start of the connection to the open network of said user apparatus into the database and deleting the relevant connection information from said database when receiving a connection end notification;

a public personal information managing unit updating public personal information which was transmitted from said user apparatus by designating each of an ID code, a kind of providing information, a reception channel in which a reception of the information is permitted, and other personal information in which a publication is selectively permitted is designated and registering said public personal information into said database;

a registration format providing unit transmitting a registration format of predetermined personal information defined as special personal information to said user apparatus in accordance with the kind of said providing information designated by said public personal information;

a user retrieval responding unit performing, when a retrieval request of a user who desires the information providing from said information providing apparatus is received, responding an ID code of the user apparatus in which the access permission is designated, a kind of information to be provided, and other personal information in which a publication is selectively permitted with reference to said database; and

a connection information retrieval responding unit reading out the relevant connection information with reference to said database when a retrieval request of said connection information in which an ID code of a specific user apparatus is designated is received from said information providing apparatus, recognizing items of publication permission and items of publication refusal by referring to connection information use permission information in said database, executing a masking process with respect to the connection information of the publication refusal, and responding said connection information.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said connection information has passwords of a plurality of kinds of information reception channels, the passwords are automatically formed by a random number process by said user apparatus, different passwords are generated each time said user apparatus is connected to the open network, connection permission information controlling a designation of permission and inhibition of each of said information reception channels which was separately edited and transmitted from said user apparatus has been registered in said database, and when a retrieval request of the connection information is received from said information providing apparatus, the masking process of said connection information is performed with reference to said connection permission information.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when said user apparatus has an emergency channel displaying received information onto a display in a real-time manner, a regular confirmation channel storing the received information and reading out and displaying the received information onto the display at every predetermined period, and a preservation channel storing the received information and displaying onto the display in accordance with a reading operation by a user as said information reception channels, passwords of said emergency channel, said regular confirmation channel, and said preservation channel are set on the basis of said connection information and said connection permission information, and a use permission is designated.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the public personal information registered in said database has inevitable public items in which necessary information and unnecessary information are designated and selective public items such as name, address, telephone number, facsimile number, mail address, and the like, and whether said selective public items are opened or not opened is designated on the basis of public personal information use permission information which was separately edited, transmitted, and registered by said user apparatus.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said selective public items of said public personal information has an active public item to actively notify of an access permission without waiting for a retrieval of the access permission from said information providing apparatus, and said active public item is selectively designated by said public personal information use permission information.

16. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when a retrieval request of said connection information using an ID code of a specific user apparatus is received from said information providing apparatus, if the relevant connection information doesn'"'"'t exist in said database, a masking process is performed to all of items in said connection information and a response is performed, thereby notifying of the absence of said user apparatus on the network.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when the absence on the network is notified in response to the retrieval request of the connection information from said information providing apparatus, a network name of said information providing apparatus and an ID code of said user apparatus are registered as connection waiting information into the connection waiting information in said database, when the connection information is registered in the database in association with the start of the connection of an arbitrary user apparatus to the open network, the information providing apparatus in a connection waiting state is recognized by referring to said connection waiting information and the relevant connection information is retrieved and responded.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein connection notification destination information to designate an information providing apparatus responding the connection information transmitted at the start of the connection to the open network of said user apparatus is registered into said database and, when the registration of the connection information in association with the connection of said user apparatus to the open network is received, said connection notification destination information in said database is referred to and valid connection information is responded to the information providing apparatus designated as a connection notification destination.

19. An information providing apparatus of an open network environment which is interconnected to a user apparatus and a connection managing apparatus managing various information necessary for information providing by the open network environment so that they can communicate with each other and which provides information to said user apparatus,

wherein said information providing apparatus has an information providing processing unit obtaining predetermined personal information defined as special personal information by a transmitting request based on least access permission information which was obtained by a retrieval request to said connection managing apparatus and which is necessary to provide information to said user apparatus, registering said predetermined personal information into a database and, when providing information adapted to said special personal information is obtained, transmitting said obtained information to said user apparatus,

wherein said information providing processing unit comprises:

a user retrieval requesting unit requesting said connection managing apparatus so as to retrieve an ID code of a user who designates an access permission, a kind of information to be provided, and personal information which is selectively opened;

a connection information retrieval requesting unit requesting said connection managing apparatus so as to retrieve the connection information of the user apparatus by using a specific ID code obtained by said user retrieval requesting unit;

a special personal information managing unit requesting said user apparatus so as to transmit special personal information on the basis of the connection information obtained by said connection information retrieval requesting unit and registering said special personal information into the database; and

a providing information managing unit performing, when providing information adapted to said special personal information in said database is obtained, transmitting said providing information to the user apparatus on the basis of the connection information obtained by an operation of said connection information retrieval requesting unit.

20. A computer readable recording medium which is interconnected to an information providing apparatus and a connection managing apparatus managing various information necessary for information providing by an open network environment so that they can communicate with each other and in which a control program of a user apparatus of the open network environment receiving the information providing from said information providing apparatus, comprising:

said recording medium has a user processing module transmitting least access permission information necessary for information providing to said connection managing apparatus at the time of the start of the connection to an open network, allowing said access permission information to be registered into a database, responding to a transmitting request of predetermined personal information defined as special personal information from said information providing apparatus based on said access permission information, allowing said personal information to be registered into the database, and receiving the providing information adapted to said special personal information from said information providing apparatus, wherein

said user processing module comprises;

a connection information processing module transmitting connection information including a self ID code, a network address, and a password of an information reception channel as said access permission information at the time of the start of the connection to the open network, allowing said connection information to be registered into the database of said connection managing apparatus, and transmitting a connection end notification when the connection is finished, thereby deleting said connection information from said database;

a public personal information processing module editing public personal information in which each of a self ID code, a kind of providing information, a reception channel in which a reception of information is permitted, and personal information which is selectively opened has been designated, transmitting said edited public personal information as apart of said access permission information to the open network at the start of the connection to said connection managing apparatus, and allowing said public personal information to be registered into said database;

a special personal information processing module editing a registration format of special personal information according to the kind of said providing information which is transmitted from said connection managing apparatus in association with the transmission of said public personal information, transmitting said edited registration format in response to a transmitting request of the registration format from said information providing apparatus, and allowing said registration format to be registered into the database of said information providing apparatus; and

a reception displaying module receiving and displaying the providing information from said information providing apparatus after said special personal information was registered.

21. A computer readable recording medium in which a control program of a connection managing apparatus of an open network environment managing various information necessary for information providing to a user apparatus from information providing apparatuses which are interconnected by an open network environment so that they can communicate with each other, comprising:

said recording medium has a connection management processing module registering least access permission information which was transmitted at the time of the start of the connection of said user apparatus to an open network and which is necessary for information providing into a database and responding relevant access permission information for a retrieval request from said information providing apparatus with reference to said database, wherein

said connection management processing module comprises;

a connection information managing module registering connection information including an ID code, a network address, and a password of an information reception channel transmitted as said access permission information at the start of the connection of said user apparatus to the open network into the database and deleting the relevant connection information from said database when receiving a connection end notification;

a public personal information managing module updating public personal information which was transmitted from said user apparatus and in which each of an ID code, a kind of providing information, a reception channel in which a reception of information is permitted, and personal information which is selectively opened is designated and registering said public personal information into said database;

a registration format providing module transmitting a registration format of predetermined personal information defined as special personal information in accordance with the kind of said providing information designated by said public personal information to said user apparatus;

a user retrieval responding module, when a retrieval request of a user who desires information providing is received from said information providing apparatus, responding an ID code of the user apparatus in which an access permission is designated and a kind of information to be provided with reference to said database; and

a connection information retrieval responding module, when a retrieving request of said connection information in which an ID code of a specific user apparatus is designated is received from said information providing apparatus, reading out relevant connection information with reference to said database, recognizing items of publication permission and items of publication refusal with reference to the connection permission information in said database, executing a masking process with respect to the items of publication refusal, and responding said connection information.

22. A computer readable recording medium which is interconnected to a user apparatus and a connection managing apparatus managing various information necessary information providing by an open network environment so that they can communicate with each other and in which a control program of an information providing apparatus of the open network environment providing information to said user apparatus, comprising:

said recording medium has an information providing processing module obtaining predetermined personal information defined as special personal information by a transmitting request based on least access permission information which was obtained by a retrieval request to said connection managing apparatus and which is necessary for information providing to said user apparatus, registering said predetermined personal information into a database, and when providing information adapted to said special personal information is obtained, transmitting said providing information to said user apparatus, wherein

said information providing processing module comprises;

a user retrieval requesting module requesting said connection managing apparatus so as to retrieve an ID code of a user in which an access permission is designated, a kind of information to be provided, and personal information which is selectively opened;

a connection information retrieval requesting module requesting said connection managing apparatus so as to retrieve connection information of the user apparatus by using a specific ID code obtained by said user retrieval requesting module;

a special personal information managing module requesting said user apparatus so as to transmit special personal information on the basis of the connection information obtained by said connection information retrieval requesting module and registering said special personal information into the database; and

a providing information managing module performing, when providing information adapted to the special personal information in said database is obtained, transmitting said providing information to the user apparatus on the basis of the connection information obtained by an operation of said connection information retrieval requesting module.