Information providing method, information providing system, terminal device, central apparatus and computer memory product

• US 7,519,716 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Otsuka, Masafumi, Fukuichi, Masanao, Akazawa, Yoshiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong; Dohm
• Application Number:
  US10/026,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20030065794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,665 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-225, 709217-219, 709/229, 707/10, 713/200, 713/201, 705/51, 715/511
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

One terminal device accepts provision information to be provided, and furthermore, recipient information relating to a recipient capable of receiving the provision information, and accepts a provision format of the provision information for each recipient. The accepted provision information, recipient information and provision format are transmitted to a central apparatus. In the case where a request of the provision information and the recipient information is transmitted from one of terminal devices, provision information corresponding to the registered provision format is provided to the one of terminal devices based on the received recipient information.

Claims

1. An information providing method for providing provision information which is to be provided and registered in a central apparatus in response to a request from plural terminal devices which are connected to said central apparatus by a communication network, comprising:

accepting, by one terminal device directly connected to said central apparatus, as one set of data provision information, recipient information relating to a recipient who is authorized to receive said provision information, and a provision format of said provision information to be applied to said recipient, the provision format including a portable document format that is non-modifiable and is converted from said provision information at the terminal device and an original format which is modifiable and is not converted from said provision information;

transmitting, by said one terminal device to said central apparatus, the one set of data after said accepting;

registering, in said central apparatus, the one set of data after said transmitting;

receiving, by said central apparatus, a request and recipient information of a recipient who generated the request transmitted from one of the terminal devices; and

providing, by said central apparatus to said one of the terminal devices which transmitted the request and the recipient information, the provision information in the portable document format or the original format corresponding to the provision format based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data, said central apparatus performing an operation of judging whether a request from the one of said terminal devices is transmitted through said network or through another network different from said network;

registering, as part of the one set of data, auxiliary provision information whose information volume is reduced from said transmitted provision information, and wherein said providing includes providing said auxiliary provision information, according to the provision format registered in the one set of data, to the one of said terminal devices based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data when said judging indicates that the one of said terminal devices transmits the request through the other network.

2. An information providing system for providing provision information to be provided, comprising:

a central apparatus in which provision information is registered; and

plural terminal devices which are directly connected to said central apparatus by a communication network, and issue a request for receiving provision information, wherein one terminal device includes a processor performing the following operations of;

accepting by said one terminal device directly connected to said central apparatus, as one set of data, provision information, recipient information relating to a recipient who is authorized to receive said provision information, and a provision format of said provision information to be applied to said recipient, the provision format including a portable document format that is non-modifiable and is converted from said provision information at the terminal device and an original format which is modifiable and is not converted from said provision information; and

transmitting, after said accepting, the one set of data to said central apparatus; and

said central apparatus includes a processor performing the following operations of;

registering the one set of data transmitted from said one terminal device;

receiving a request and recipient information of a recipient who generated the request transmitted from one of said terminal devices; and

providing, to the one of said terminal devices which transmitted the request and the recipient information, the provision information in the portable document format or the original format corresponding to the provision format based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data,

wherein said operation of registering further registering, as part of the one set of data, auxiliary provision information whose information volume is reduced from said transmitted provision information;

said processor of said central apparatus is further performing an operation of judging whether a request from the one of said terminal devices is transmitted through said network or through another network different from said network; and

said operation of providing farther providing auxiliary provision information, according to the provision format registered in the one set of data, to the one of said terminal devices based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data when it is judged that the one of said terminal devices transmits the request through the other network.

3. The information providing system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

said processor of said one terminal device is further performing an operation of accepting, as part of the one set of data, name disclosure information indicating whether or not a name of provider who provides the provision information to be disclosed;

said operation of transmitting further transmitting the name disclosure information as part of the one set of data;

said operation of registering further registering the name disclosure information as part of the one set of data; and

said operation of providing further providing to the one of said terminal devices which transmitted the request and the recipient information, a name of provider based on the recipient information and the name disclosure information registered in the one set of data.

4. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program that when executed causes a computer to provide registered provision information to be provided in response to a request from a computer, according to a method comprising:

causing a first computer to register, as one set of data, provision information, recipient information relating to a recipient who is authorized to receive said provision information, and a provision format of said provision information to be applied to said recipient transmitted from exterior, the provision format including a portable document format that is non-modifiable and is converted from said provision information at the terminal device and an original format which is modifiable and is not converted from said provision information;

causing the first computer to receive transmitted recipient information from a second computer;

causing the first computer to provide to the second computer the provision information in the portable document format or the original format corresponding to the provision format based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data, said central apparatus performing an operation of judging whether a request from the second computer is transmitted through said network or through another network different from said network;

registering, as part of the one set of data, auxiliary provision information whose information volume is reduced from said transmitted provision information; and

wherein said auxiliary provision information is provided, according to the provision format registered in the one set of data, to the second computer based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data when said judging indicates that the second computer transmits the request through the other network.

5. An information providing system for providing provision information to be provided, comprising:

a central apparatus in which provision information is registered; and

plural terminal devices which are connected to said central apparatus by a communication network and issues a reguest for receiving provision information, wherein

one terminal device directly connected to said central apparatus includes;

means for accepting, as one set of data, provision information, recipient information relating to a recipient who is authorized to receive said provision information, and a provision format of said provision information to be applied to said recipient, the provision format including a portable document format that is non-modifiable and is converted from said provision information at the terminal device and an original format which is modifiable and is not converted from said provision information; and

means for transmitting the one set of data to said central apparatus; and

said central apparatus includes;

means for registering the one set of data transmitted from said one terminal device;

means for receiving a reguest and recipient information of a recipient who generated the request transmitted from one of said terminal devices; and

means for providing, to the one of said terminal devices which transmitted the request and the recipient information, registered provision information in the portable document format or the original format corresponding to the provision format based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data,

wherein said means for registering further registering, as part of the one set of data, auxiliary provision information whose information volume is reduced from the provision information transmitted by said transmitting means;

said central apparatus further including means for judging whether a request from theone of said terminal devices is transmitted through said network or through another network different from said network; and

said means for providing further providing the auxiliary provision information, according to the provision format registered in the one set of data, to the one of said terminal devices based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data when it is judged that the one of said terminal devices transmits the request through the other network.

6. The information providing system as set forth in claim 5, wherein

said one terminal device further including means for accepting, as part of the one set of data, name disclosure information indicating whether or not a name of provider who provides the provision information to be disclosed;

said means for transmitting further transmitting said accepted name disclosure information as part of the one set of data;

said means for registering further registering a name disclosure information as part of the one set of data; and

said means for providing further providing, to the one of said terminal devices which transmitted the request and the recipient information, a name of provider based on the recipient information and the name disclosure information registered in the one set of data.

7. A method for providing requested information to authorized recipients, comprising:

receiving at a terminal device, from any user who is authorized to store format information for provision information, the format information for each authorized recipient of the provision information, the format information indicating at least one provision format selected from among at least an original format and a portable document format;

storing, as one set of data in computer-readable storage accessible by said at least one server, the provision information stored in the original format that is modifiable and the portable document format that is non-modifiable and is converted from the provision information at said terminal device and accessible by the authorized recipients, recipient information indicating what in the provision information each of the authorized recipients is authorized to receive, and the format information corresponding to the provision information and the recipient information;

receiving, by the at least one server from a requesting terminal device, a request for at least one item of the provision information and a recipient identifier; and

transmitting, from the at least one server towards the requesting terminal device, requested provision information in the portable document format or the original format corresponding to a registered provision format if the recipient information indicates that permission to access the requested provision information in the registered provision format has been granted to the recipient identifier;

registering, as part of the one set of data, auxiliary provision information whose information volume is reduced from said transmitted requested provision information, and

wherein the at least one server performs an operation of judging whether a request from the requesting terminal device is transmitted through a network or another network different from said network, and

wherein said transmitting includes providing said auxiliary provision information, according to the provision format registered in the one set of data, to the requesting terminal device based on the recipient information registered in the one set of data when said judging indicates that the one of said terminal devices transmits the request through the other network.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one server from a providing terminal device, a provider name for a provider of new provision information; and

accepting, by the at least one server for storage in the computer-readable storage if the provider name is authorized according to the recipient information, the new provision information, authorized recipient information identifying at least one recipient who is authorized to receive the new provision information, and at least one indication of an authorized format in which the new provision information is to be provided to the at least one recipient, the authorized format including at least the original format of the new provision information and the portable document format converted from the new provision information.