Information filtering system and information filtering method

• US 6,687,703 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kindo, Toshiki, Yoshida, Hideyuki, Watanabe, Taisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US10/066,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 709/237, 705/35, 713/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The present mechanism aims to effectively restrict access of a general user to an inappropriate information piece at the judgment of an information manager. In order to pick up a desired information from an information storage medium or an information communication network while excluding inappropriate information, an information manager inputs suitability of information (a teacher signal) to an information presented at a user terminal to a group profile learning unit and prepares a group profile reflecting suitability of the information as specified by the information manager using the teacher signal. At a score calculating unit, a score signal indicating suitability of information is calculated for each information using the group profile, and access of an information user in a group to inappropriate information is restricted.

Claims

1. An information filtering system for filtering information taken out of an information storage medium or an information communication network, said system comprising:

a storage medium in which a group profile has been stored,

wherein said group profile includes at least one key word related to pre-stored information that is adapted to determine whether a user has permission to access information in said storage unit,

means for determining the number of appearances of at least one keyword included in pieces of information that have been determined as “

appropriate”

, and the number of appearances of at least one key word included in pieces of information that have been determined as “

inappropriate”

;

information acquisition means, for taking information out of said storage medium or said information communication network, activated by receipt of an access-requesting signal received from at least one user terminal that is managed by a manager;

score calculating means for obtaining, from said group profile, said “

appropriate”

number of times and said “

inappropriate”

number of times that said at least one key word appears, and for calculating a score signal that quantitatively indicates whether a piece of information in said information storage medium or said information communication network is “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

based upon the number of times said key word(s) appear in “

appropriate” and

“

inappropriate”

information;

access restricting means for determining whether or not to permit access to a piece of information by a user terminal that has sent said access-requesting signal,;

wherein said access restriction is determined by comparing a score signal, calculated by said score calculating means, with a pre-selected threshold;

an access recording means for recording said access-requesting signal when access to a piece of information has been permitted;

learning means, for renewing said “

appropriate”

number of times and “

inappropriate”

number of times as to said at least one key word, registered in said group profile, in accordance with an evaluation result each time said manager acquires a piece of information from said information storage medium or said information communication network in accordance with said access-requesting signal recorded in said access recording means; and

means to input a teacher signal indicative of said evaluation result as to the appropriateness or inappropriateness of said piece of information.

2. The information filtering system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a document profile generating means for extracting at least one key word that is related to at least one piece of information that is adapted to be accessed from said information storage medium or said information communication network.

3. The information filtering system according to claim 1, further comprising means for recording a group of key words generated with respect to said piece of information together with said access-requesting signal in said access recording unit, and means to arrange said learning means to add key words, that are included in said group of key words but are not registered in said group profile, to said group of key words, each time said manager inputs said teacher signal.

4. An information filtering system for filtering information taken out of an information storage medium or an information communication network, said system comprising:

a storage unit in which a group profile has been stored,

wherein said group profile is arranged such that at least one key word corresponds to at least one numerical value, wherein each numerical value is assigned to a different one of said key words, wherein said at least one key word contains a piece of information that is included in pieces of information whose “

appropriateness”

or “

inappropriateness”

have been evaluated by a manager from among pieces of information that have previously been accessed;

score calculating means, for calculating a score signal that quantitatively indicates whether a piece of information is “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

for at least one user terminal, by using said group profile and said key word(s) which feature said piece of information with respect to said piece of information acquainted in accordance with an access-requesting signal from said group under the control of said manager;

access restricting means, for determining whether or not to permit access to a piece of information by a user terminal that has sent said access-requesting signal, comprising means for comparing a score signal calculated by said score calculating means with a pre-selected threshold; and

an access recording unit, for recording said access-requesting signal when access has been permitted in response to said access-requesting signal from said terminal.

5. The information filtering system as claimed in claim 4 further comprising;

means for said manager to take out a piece of information in accordance with said access-requesting signal recorded in said access recording unit, and means to evaluate the “

appropriateness”

or “

inappropriateness”

of permitting access to said piece of information.

6. An information filtering system, comprising:

score calculating means for calculating a score signal to quantitatively evaluate whether a piece of information attempted to be picked up from an information storage medium or an information communication network is “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

for a specified information user or for a group of information users to whom a specified information user belongs; and

access control means for selectively limiting access to the piece of information that is “

inappropriate”

by comparing the score signal with a predetermined threshold,

wherein said access control means is adapted to generate a signal that indicates that a piece of information that is being attempted to be picked up is “

inappropriate” and

that access to said piece of information has been denied.

7. An information filtering method, comprising the steps of:

storing a group profile, including at least one key word related to pre-sorted information contained in a storage medium or in an information communication network that has previously been cleared for access,

determining the number of appearances of said key word(s) in pieces of information that have been determined to be “

appropriate”

, and the number of appearances of said key word(s) in pieces of information that have been determined to be “

inappropriate”

;

retrieving information called for by an access-requesting signal when the access-requesting signal is received from at least one user terminal(s) that are managed by a manager, from said information storage medium or said information communication network;

obtaining, from said group profile, the number of times “

appropriate” and

“

inappropriate”

key words appear in the retrieved information;

calculating a score signal that quantitatively indicates whether a piece of information in said information storage medium or said information communication network is “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

;

determining whether or not access to a piece of information by a user terminal, that has sent said access-requesting signal, is restricted by comparing a calculated score signal with a pre-selected threshold;

recording said access-requesting signal when access to said piece of information has been permitted; and

renewing said “

appropriate”

number of times and “

inappropriate”

number of times as to said key word(s), registered in said group profile, in accordance with an evaluation result each time said manager acquires a piece of information in accordance with said recorded access-requesting signal from said information storage medium or said information communication network, and inputs a teacher signal indicative of said evaluation result as to the “

appropriateness”

or “

inappropriateness”

of permitting access to said piece of information.

8. An information filtering method, comprising the steps of:

storing a group profile including at least one key word related to pre-sorted information taken already through permission to access, the number of appearances of said key words included in pieces of information which have been determined as “

appropriate”

, the number of appearances of said key words included in pieces of information which have been determined as “

inappropriate”

;

retrieving information from said information storage medium or said information communication network as requested by an access-requesting signal when the access-requesting signal is received from at least one user terminal that is managed by a manager;

extracting key words that are contained in a piece of information that has been retrieved;

obtaining, from said group profile, the number of times the extracted key word(s) is associated with “

appropriate” and

“

inappropriate”

information;

calculating a score signal that quantitatively indicates whether a piece of information in said information storage medium or said information communication network is “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

by using the number of times said key word is associated “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

information;

determining whether or not access to a piece of information, requested by a user terminal that has sent said access-requesting signal, is restricted by comparing a calculated score signal with a pre-selected threshold;

recording said access-requesting signal when access has been permitted with respect to a piece of information retrieved in response to said access-requesting signal;

repeatedly determining the number of times that said key word(s) is contained in said “

appropriate” and

“

inappropriate”

piece of information, registered in said group profile; and

evaluating the result each time said manager acquires a piece of information, in accordance with said recorded access-requesting signal, from said information storage medium or said information communication network, and inputs a teacher signal indicative of said evaluation result as to the appropriateness or inappropriateness as to said piece of information.

9. An information filtering method, comprising the steps of:

storing a group profile arranged such that key words that correspond to numerical values are each assigned to each of said key words,

wherein said key words feature a piece of information included in pieces of information whose “

appropriateness” and

“

inappropriateness”

have been evaluated by a manager among pieces of information retrieved in the past;

calculating a score signal that quantitatively indicates whether a piece of information is appropriate or not for a group of user terminals by using said group profile and said key word(s) that feature said piece of information with respect to said piece of information acquainted, in accordance with an access-requesting signal from said group under the control of said manager;

determining whether or not access to a piece of information, that has been requested by a user terminal that has sent said access-requesting signal, is restricted by comparing a score signal, calculated by said score calculating means, with a pre-selected threshold; and

recording said access-requesting signal when access to a retrieved piece of information has been permitted.

10. The method claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

retrieving a piece of information from said information storage medium or said information communication network in accordance with said access-requesting signal recorded in said access recording unit by said manager, and

said manager evaluating the “

appropriateness” and

“

inappropriateness”

of retrieval of said piece of information.

11. The method claimed in claim 9 wherein there are selected a group of key words.

12. An information filtering method, comprising the steps of:

calculating a score signal for quantitatively evaluating whether a piece of information that is being sought to be picked up from an information storage medium or an information communication network is “

appropriate”

or “

inappropriate”

for a specified information user or for a group to which the specified information user belongs; and

selectively limiting access to said sought information by comparing said score signal with a predetermined threshold,

further comprising generating a signal, that indicates that a piece of “

inappropriate”

information has been sought to be accessed, when said access has been limited.