Will information management and disclosure system and method, and program storage medium thereof

• US 6,246,991 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1997
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Araki, Yoshio, Abe, Yukinobu, Ninomiya, Shoichi, Katagiri, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SOUGH, HYUNG SUB
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US08/950,793
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/30, 705/3, 705/4, 705/26, 705/27, 705/28, 705/29, 380/4, 380/23, 380/24, 380/25
• US Class Current: 705/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

A will information management and disclosure system keeps in custody deposit information that includes information about a depositor'"'"'s last word and testament to be unsealed in accordance with unsealing conditions registered in advance by the depositor and disclosed to predetermined recipients, unseals the deposit information under predetermined unsealing conditions. The system comprises a depositor'"'"'s terminal for entering as electronic information the deposit information prepared by the depositor in a rewritable manner, and a host processing system. The host processing system comprises an electronic information depositing part for keeping in custody the entered electronic information in accordance with predetermined depositing conditions, an unsealing part for unsealing the deposit information in accordance with predetermined unsealing conditions, and a recipient-specified delivery part for disclosing the deposit information to recipients designated in advance by the depositor and satisfying predetermined conditions, using predetermined means.

Claims

1. A will information management and disclosure system for keeping in custody deposit information deposited by a depositor and unsealing said deposit information under predetermined unsealing conditions, said deposit information including will information that is unsealed in accordance with unsealing conditions registered in advance by said depositor and/or when said depositor has become unable to express his/her intentions, and disclosed to a predetermined recipient, and said will information management and disclosure system comprises a host processing system and a depositor'"'"'s terminal into which said depositor enters as electronic information said deposit information prepared by said depositor in a rewritable manner, said host processing system comprising:

an electronic information depositing part to keep in custody said entered electronic information in accordance with predetermined depositing conditions, said electronic information depositing part including a memory having an unsealing conditions setting and storing area for setting and storing conditions for unsealing said deposit information;

an unsealing part to unseal said deposit information using a predetermined unsealing electronic key, having a first confirming means for confirming the occurrence of said unsealing conditions, and a second confirming means for confirming that said depositor has become unable to express his/her intentions; and

a recipient-specified delivery part to deliver said deposit information using predetermined means to a recipient who is designated in advance by said depositor and satisfies predetermined conditions,

wherein communications between said host processing system and said depositor'"'"'s terminal, and the processing of information prior to unsealing by said host processing system are carried out by enciphered electronic information,

wherein said unsealing part unseals said deposit information in a case that at least one of the first confirming means and second confirming means confirms the occurrence of the unsealing condition or that the depositor has become unable to express the intention.

2. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1, further comprising communication means between said host processing system and said depositor'"'"'s terminal,

wherein said deposit information prepared by said depositor in a rewritable manner with a view to depositing to said system is entered via said depositor'"'"'s terminal only after a membership contract has been concluded via said communication means between said host processing system and said depositor'"'"'s terminal.

3. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 2 wherein communications take place via the Internet between said host processing system and said depositor'"'"'s terminal.

4. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said depositor'"'"'s terminal comprises authentication means for identifying and authenticating said depositor.

5. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said depositor'"'"'s terminal identifies said depositor via communication means between said depositor'"'"'terminal and host processing system.

6. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said deposited electronic information comprises any of character, image or voice, or multimedia information of any combination of character, image and voice media.

7. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said deposit information is information including at least one of said depositor'"'"'s autobiography and unpublished information prepared before said depositor'"'"'s death.

8. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said deposit information further comprises an authenticating expression for identifying the genuineness of said deposit information as prepared by said depositor.

9. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 8 wherein said authenticating expression comprises at least one of image information on an identification certificate of said depositor, electronic seal information corresponding to said depositor'"'"'s identification seal, image information on said depositor'"'"'s autograph.

10. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 2 wherein said electronic information depositing part comprises a memory storage area to store the content of said contract, the contents of membership registration settings, and said deposit information.

11. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said electronic information depositing part comprises a memory including a maintenance, confirmation and management information storage area for describing the process of storing said deposit information.

12. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 11 wherein said electronic information depositing part comprises a maintenance, confirmation and management information storage area validation means for managing the validity of said maintenance, confirmation and management information storage area.

13. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said electronic information depositing part comprises a memory including an unsealing record storage area for storing a record describing the process of unsealing said deposit information.

14. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said electronic information depositing part comprises a memory including a contract details storage area for describing the details of processing on contract performance in accordance with the contents of said contract.

15. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said first confirming means and said second confirming means comprises management information processing means for receiving and recording management information based on an official certificate or a doctor'"'"'s certificate on the physical condition of said depositor.

16. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein at least one of said first confirming means and said second confirming means comprises a check initiating means for initiating a function for confirming and checking the physical conditions of said depositor to cope with a state where said depositor has not operated said depositor'"'"'s terminal beyond a predetermined period of time.

17. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said electronic key used in said unsealing part comprises at least one of an ID information, a password and password information of said depositor.

18. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said unsealing part has a function to perform fee adjustment for information depositing business and a function to nullify unsealing operation carried out using said electronic key.

19. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said recipient-specified delivery part has a function to select recipients to which said deposit information is disclosed in accordance with designation by said depositor.

20. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said recipient-specified delivery part has a function to select and notify part or whole of said deposit information in accordance with predetermined designation and/or a function to notify the presence/absence of deposit information.

21. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said recipient-specified delivery part has a function to select the mode of delivery to said recipients by judging the environment of said recipients.

22. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein said recipient-specified delivery part has a function to select disclosure means to said recipients.

23. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein a reference information library including judiciary cases and/or cases and/or said depositor'"'"'s posthumous works that are helpful for said depositor to deposit said deposit information, and a function for said depositor to refer to said library via said depositor'"'"'s terminal.

24. A will information management and disclosure system as in claim 1 wherein a members'"'"' mail consultation service through which said depositor can obtain advice helpful in depositing said deposit information.

25. A will information management and disclosure method for keeping in custody deposit information deposited by a depositor and unsealing said deposit information under predetermined unsealing conditions, said deposit information including will information that is unsealed in accordance with unsealing conditions registered in advance by said depositor and/or when said depositor has become unable to express his/her intentions, and disclosed to a predetermined recipient, and said will information management and disclosure method comprising:

entering as electronic information said deposit information prepared by said depositor in a rewritable manner with a view to depositing via a depositor'"'"'s terminal;

a host processing system storing said entered electronic information in accordance with predetermined depositing conditions;

unsealing said deposited information using a predetermined unsealing electronic key in response to confirming the occurrence of said predetermined unsealing conditions, or in response to said depositor becoming unable to express his/her intentions;

delivering said deposit information for disclosure using predetermined means to a recipient designated in advance by said depositor and satisfying predetermined conditions;

communicating between said host processing system and said depositor'"'"'s terminal, and processing information prior to unsealing by said host processing system using enciphered electronic information; and

setting and storing conditions for unsealing said deposit information in a memory of said electronic information depositing part.

26. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein said deposit information prepared by said depositor in a rewritable manner with a view to depositing to the system is accepted by said host processing system through authenticating procedures for identifying said depositor.

27. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein said deposit information includes, together with the contents of said deposit information, an identification expression for identifying the genuineness of said deposit information as prepared by said depositor.

28. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein in said information depositing step, deposit information is stored in relation to the contents of the contract concluded before said depositor deposits information, and

said depositor information is stored in relation to any one or any combinations of unsealing conditions for unsealing said deposit information, a description describing the step of storing said deposit information, a record describing the unsealing of said deposit information, and a record of the processing of contract execution based on the contents of said contract.

29. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein in said unsealing step, deposit information is stored in relation to a record describing fee adjustment processing for said depositing business, and a description describing the validity or invalidity of the storage of said deposit information.

30. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein said delivery step, said deposit information is disclosed to recipients designated in advanced by said depositor, in part or whole as designated in advance by said depositor, in accordance with a method designated in advance by said depositor after the environmental condition of said recipients designated in advance by said depositor is judged.

31. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein said depositor refers to a reference information library containing judicial precedents and/or cases and/or posthumous works provided in said host processing system.

32. A will information management and disclosure method as in claim 25 wherein said depositor uses a members'"'"' mail consultation service provided in said host processing system via said depositor'"'"'s terminal.

33. A program storage medium for storing programs for realizing a will information management and disclosure method that keeps in custody deposit information deposited by a depositor and unseals said deposit information under predetermined unsealing conditions, said deposit information including will information that is unsealed in accordance with unsealing conditions registered in advance by said depositor and/or when said depositor has become unable to express his/her intentions, and disclosed to a predetermined recipient, and said will information management and disclosure method comprising:

entering as electronic information said deposit information prepared by said depositor in a rewritable manner with a view to depositing via a depositor'"'"'s terminal;

a host processing system storing said entered electronic information in accordance with predetermined depositing conditions;

unsealing said deposited information using a predetermined unsealing electronic key in response to confirming the occurrence of said predetermined unsealing conditions, or in response to said depositor becoming unable to express his/her intentions;

delivering said deposit information for disclosure using predetermined means to a recipient designated in advance by said depositor and satisfying predetermined conditions;

communicating between said host processing system and said depositor'"'"'s terminal, and processing information prior to unsealing by said host processing system using enciphered electronic information; and

setting and storing conditions for unsealing said deposit information in a memory of said electronic information depositing part.