Personal information distribution management system, personal information distribution management method, personal information service program, and personal information utilization program

• US 8,255,970 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hatakeyama, Makoto, Gomi, Hidehito, Hosono, Shigeru, Fujita, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): LaForgia, Christian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, KARI L
• Application Number:
  US11/450,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/2, 726/25, 726/26, 726/27, 705/75, 705/25
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A personal information generation apparatus 1 encapsulates personal information together with a transmission policy to generate a personal information capsule which is transmitted to personal information utilization apparatus 2. Personal information utilization apparatus 2 receives and holds the personal information capsule for utilization. In this event, personal information generation apparatus 1 transmits a transmission policy defined by the personal information producer. Personal information utilization apparatus 2 in turn transmits a reception policy defined by a personal information user. Then, personal information generation apparatus 1 and personal information utilization apparatus 2 determine a contractual coverage in regard to personal information to be distributed, and generate contract information. Eventually, the personal information is distributed from personal information generation apparatus 1 to personal information utilization apparatus 2 based on the generated contract information.

Claims

1. A personal information distribution management system comprising:

a personal information service apparatus for providing a personal information capsule which includes personal information and handling conditions for handling said personal information; and

a personal information utilization apparatus for utilizing personal information,

wherein said personal information utilization apparatus includes;

reception condition transmission means for transmitting a reception policy, indicative of reception conditions under which said personal information utilization apparatus receives personal information to, said personal information service apparatus through a communications network,

personal information reception means for receiving the personal information capsule from said personal information service apparatus through the communications network;

checking means for confirming conditions for handling of the personal information included in the personal information capsule which was received by the personal information reception means, in order to confirm limitations related to the utilization of the personal information; and

said personal information service apparatus includes;

selection condition determination means for checking a transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which the personal information is transmitted to said personal information utilization apparatus, against the reception policy received from said personal information utilization apparatus to determine selection conditions for selecting personal information which is provided to said personal information utilization apparatus;

personal information selecting means for selecting personal information in accordance with the selection conditions determined by said selection condition determination means,

capsule generation means for generating a personal information capsule which encapsulates personal information together with the selection conditions;

wherein

said selection conditions include conditions for handling the personal information in accordance with the transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which personal information is transmitted to said personal information utilization apparatus, and wherein the reception policy is received from said personal information utilization apparatus;

said personal information determined in accordance with said selection conditions; and

personal information transmission means for transmitting the personal information capsule generated by said capsule generation means to said personal information utilization apparatus through the communications network.

2. The personal information distribution management system according to claim 1, wherein said personal information utilization apparatus includes:

reception policy storage means for previously storing a reception policy; and

personal information capsule preservation means for preserving the personal information capsule received by said personal information reception means,

wherein said reception policy transmission means transmits the reception policy stored in said reception policy storage means to said personal information service apparatus through the communications network.

3. The personal information distribution management system according to claim 2, wherein said personal information utilization apparatus includes:

availability condition determination means for checking utilization conditions under which said personal information utilization apparatus utilizes the personal information against the selection conditions included in the personal information capsule preserved by said personal information capsule preservation means, and confirms to conditions for selecting available information defined by the personal information service apparatus which transmits said personal information capsule, to determine utilization conditions based on the confirmed conditions for selecting available information;

available information selection means for selecting personal information included in the personal information capsule in accordance with the utilization conditions determined by said availability condition determination means; and

personal information utilization means for utilizing the personal information selected by said available information selection means based on the selection conditions defined by the personal information service apparatus.

4. A personal information service apparatus for providing personal information in a personal information distribution management system for managing distribution of personal information, comprising:

reception condition reception means for receiving a reception policy indicative of reception conditions under which a personal information utilization apparatus which utilizes personal information receives the personal information from a personal information service apparatus through a communications network;

selection condition determination means for checking a transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which personal information is transmitted, to the personal information utilization apparatus, against the reception policy received by said reception condition reception means, to determine selection conditions for selecting personal information, so that said personal information is provided by said personal information service apparatus to said personal information utilization apparatus and so that said personal information available only under the selection conditions is confirmed by the personal information utilization apparatus;

personal information selecting means for selecting a personal information in accordance with the selection conditions determined by said selection condition determination means;

capsule generation means for generating a personal information capsule which encapsulates personal information together with the selection conditions;

wherein

said selection conditions include conditions for handling the personal information in accordance with the transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which personal information is transmitted to said personal information utilization apparatus, and wherein the reception policy is received from said personal information utilization apparatus;

said personal information determined in accordance with said selection conditions; and

personal information transmission means for transmitting the personal information capsule generated by said capsule generation means to said personal information utilization apparatus through the communications network.

5. A personal information distribution management method comprising the steps of:

a personal information utilization apparatus which utilizes personal information transmitting a reception policy, indicative of reception conditions under which said personal information utilization apparatus receives personal information, from a personal information service apparatus which provides personal information through a communications network;

said personal information service apparatus checks a transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which personal information is transmitted to said personal information utilization apparatus, against the reception policy received from said personal information utilization apparatus, to determine selection conditions for selecting personal information, so that said personal information is provided by said personal information service apparatus to said personal information utilization apparatus and so that said personal information available only under the selection conditions is confirmed by the personal information utilization apparatus;

said personal information service apparatus selects personal information in accordance with the determined selection conditions; and

said personal information service apparatus generates a personal information capsule which encapsulates personal information together with the selection conditions;

wherein

said selection conditions include conditions for handling the personal information in accordance with the transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which personal information is transmitted to said personal information utilization apparatus, and wherein the reception policy is received from said personal information utilization apparatus;

said personal information determined in accordance with said selection conditions; and

said personal information service apparatus transmitting the generated personal information capsule to said personal information utilization apparatus through the communications network.

6. A personal information service program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for providing personal information to a personal information utilization apparatus for utilizing the personal information, said program causing a computer to execute:

processing for receiving a reception policy indicative of reception conditions under which said personal information utilization apparatus receives personal information from said personal information service apparatus for utilizing the personal information through a communications network;

processing for checking a transmission policy, indicative of transmission conditions under which personal information is transmitted to said personal information utilization apparatus, against the received reception policy to determine selection conditions for selecting personal information, so that said personal information is provided by said personal information service apparatus to said personal information utilization apparatus and so that said personal information available only under the selection conditions is confirmed by the personal information utilization apparatus;

processing for selecting personal information in accordance with the determined selection conditions;

processing for encapsulating the selected personal information together with the determined selection conditions to generate a personal information capsule; and

processing for transmitting the generated personal information capsule to said personal information utilization apparatus through the communications network.

7. A personal information service program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for providing personal information to a personal information utilization apparatus for utilizing the personal information, said program causing a computer to execute:

processing for entering personal information to be distributed;

processing for entering a policy indicative of provisions related to the distribution of the personal information in accordance with instructions entered by a personal information producer;

processing for generating contract information for concluding a personal information utilization contract with a personal information utilization apparatus which is a destination of personal information, based on the entered personal information and the entered policy indicative of the provisions related to the distribution;

processing for preserving the generated contract information;

processing for encapsulating the personal information together with the contract information to generate a personal information capsule based on the generated contract information; and

processing for transmitting the created personal information capsule to said personal information utilization apparatus through a communications network.

8. The personal information service program according to claim 7, further causing the computer to execute:

processing for previously storing the personal information entered by the personal information producer and storing a policy corresponding to the personal information entered by the personal information producer; and

processing for searching preserved personal information and policies to extract personal information and a policy corresponding to the personal information based on a request.

9. The personal information service program according to claim 7, further causing the computer to execute:

processing for entering a destination of the personal information in accordance with instructions entered by the personal information producer; and

processing for transmitting a personal information capsule to a personal information utilization apparatus which is the entered destination through the communications network.