Data processing system for strict management of private information

• US 6,911,906 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 06/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Satou, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US10/671,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20040068555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/933, 340/936, 340/988, 340/989, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/539.1, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/500
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard

Abstract

The data processing system of the present invention is provided with a center server that, upon receiving mobile data and mobile unit identifier from a portable information terminal, transmits edited data that are produced from the mobile data, a server identifier that is the transmission destination, and a mobile unit identifier to the outside by way of a communication network, and is also provided with a separate verification server. The verification server stores private information in advance, and transmits by way of a communication line directly to transmission destinations private information that matches with the mobile unit identifier that is received from the center server, whereby the danger of disclosing private information on the communication network can be reduced.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

portable information terminals that are provided in mobile units for transmitting, to the outside by way of a communication network, mobile data detected by mobile sensors that are provided in said mobile units, and mobile unit identifiers;

a center server for saving in advance server identifiers for specifying transmission destinations of information, and for, upon receiving said mobile data and said mobile unit identifiers from said portable information terminals, transmitting edited data that have been produced from said mobile data by said center server, said server identifiers that are the transmission destinations of said edited data, and said mobile unit identifiers to the outside by way of said communication network; and

a verification server for storing in advance private information that includes said mobile unit identifiers, and for, upon receiving said edited data, said server identifier and said mobile unit identifiers from said center server, transmitting said private information that is specified by matching of the received mobile unit identifiers with mobile unit identifiers that are included in said private information and said edited data to a transmission destination that is specified by said server identifier by way of a communication line.

2. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said mobile data include information of the vehicle position and speed of said mobile unit;

said edited data include information of said vehicle position and said speed;

said private information includes information of a route that is registered by the owner of said mobile unit; and

an information provider server that is the transmission destination that is specified by said server identifier is provided for storing map information in advance, and for, upon receiving said edited data and specified private information from said verification server, transmitting by way of said communication network to the portable information terminal that is identified by the mobile unit identifier that is included in the specified private information, of condition information obtained by writing information of said vehicle position and said speed that has been read from said edited data into said map information, condition information that pertains to said registered route that is included in specified private information.

3. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said mobile data include information on the vehicle position of said mobile unit;

said edited data include information of said vehicle position;

said private information includes information on objects of interest of the owner of said mobile unit such as likes, interests, hobbies, and pastimes; and

an information provider server that is the transmission destination that is specified by a server identifier is provided for storing map information in advance and for, upon receiving said edited data and specified private information from said verification server, reading from said map information location information of sites that deal with said objects of interest that have been read from specified private information and that are within a prescribed distance from said vehicle position that has been read from said edited data; and

transmitting this location information by way of said communication network to the portable information terminal that is identified by the mobile unit identifier that is included in the specified private information.

4. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said mobile data include information of the vehicle position of said mobile unit as well as information on damage such as a theft or an accident that has occurred in said mobile unit;

said edited data include information of said vehicle position and said damage;

said private information includes information of the name of the owner of said mobile unit; and

an information provider server that is the transmission destination that is specified by said server identifier is provided for storing in advance contact information of a prescribed facility that must be contacted in the event of said damage, and for, upon receiving said edited data and specified private information from said verification server, reporting to said prescribed facility information of said vehicle position that has been read from said edited data and information on said names that is read from the specified private information.

5. A verification server for storing private information that includes mobile unit identifiers in advance;

and, upon receiving edited data, server identifiers, and mobile unit identifiers from a center server, transmitting said edited data and said private information that is specified by matching between the received mobile unit identifiers and mobile unit identifiers that are contained in said private information to transmission destinations that are specified by said server identifiers by way of a communication line.

6. A data processing method that is realized by a data processing system that comprises portable information terminals that are provided in mobile units and a center server that is connected to these portable information terminals by way of a communication network so as to allow communication;

the data processing method comprising;

providing the data processing system with a verification server that is connected to said center server by way of said communication network for storing in advance private information that includes mobile unit identifiers of said mobile units;

storing in said center server server identifiers for specifying the transmission destinations of information;

producing edited data from said mobile data upon receiving from said portable information terminals mobile data, which is detected by mobile sensors that are provided in said mobile units, and mobile unit identifiers of said mobile units;

transmitting said edited data, said server identifiers that are the transmission destinations of the edited data, and said mobile unit identifiers to said verification server; and

transmitting by way of a communication line to transmission destinations that are specified by said server identifiers said edited data and private information that is specified by matching between the received mobile unit identifiers and mobile unit identifiers that are contained in said private information upon receiving said edited data, said server identifiers, and said mobile unit identifiers from said center server.

7. A data processing method according to claim 6, wherein:

said mobile data include information of the vehicle position and speed of said mobile unit;

said edited data include information of said vehicle position and said speed;

said private information includes information on a route that is registered by the owner of said mobile unit; and

an information provider server that is the transmission destination that is specified by said server identifier is provided for storing map information in advance;

said information provider server, upon receiving specified private information and said edited data from said verification server, transmitting by way of said communication network to the portable information terminal that is identified by the mobile unit identifier that is contained in the specified private information, of condition information obtained by writing information of said vehicle position and said speed that has been read from said edited data into said map information, said condition information that pertains to said route that was registered and that is included in specified private information.

8. A data processing method according to claim 6, wherein:

said mobile data include information of the vehicle position of said mobile unit;

said edited data include information of said vehicle position;

said private information includes information of objects of interest of the owner of said mobile unit such as likes, interests, hobbies and pastimes;

an information provider server that is the transmission destination that is specified by said server identifier is provided for storing map information in advance;

said information provider server, upon receiving said edited data and specified private information from said verification server, reading from said map information location information of sites that deal with said objects of interest that have been read from the specified private information and that are within a prescribed distance from said vehicle position that has been read from said edited data, and transmitting these location data by way of said communication network to the portable information terminal that is identified by the mobile unit identifier that is contained in the specified private information.

9. A data processing method according to claim 6, wherein:

said mobile data include the vehicle position of said mobile unit as well as information of damage such as a theft or an accident that has occurred in said mobile unit;

said edited data include said vehicle position and said information of damage;

said private information includes information of the name of the owner of said mobile unit; and

an information provider server that is the transmission destination that is specified by said server identifier is provided for storing in advance contact information of a prescribed facility that must be contacted in the event of said damage;

said information provider server, upon receiving said edited data and specified private information from said verification server, reporting to said prescribed facility said vehicle position that has been read from said edited data and said name information that has been read from the specified private information.