Apparatus and method for creating a map of a real name word to an anonymous word for an electronic document

• US 20030005312A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,243,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification

Abstract

An anonymous level decision unit decides an anonymous level to anonymize a real name word included in the electronic document. An additional label generation unit generates an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier. A dictionary stores a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word. A map creation unit selects the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary, generates an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term, and correspondingly stores the real name word and the anonymous word. A map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created.

Claims

1. An apparatus for creating a map of a real name word to an anonymous word for an electronic document, comprising:

an anonymous level decision unit configured to decide an anonymous level to anonymize the real name word included in the electronic document;

an additional label generation unit configured to generate an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

a dictionary configured to store a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word; and

a map creation unit configured to select the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from said dictionary, to generate an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term, and to correspondingly store the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said dictionary stores a plurality of anonymous terms corresponding to the real name word, each of the plurality of anonymous terms corresponds to different anonymous levels.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said dictionary stores the anonymous term of a higher abstract degree corresponding to a larger of the anonymous level.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said dictionary stores a larger number of anonymous terms that respectively correspond to different anonymous level for the real name word of a narrower category.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said dictionary stores a normalization numerical value corresponding to the real name word including numerical value data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said anonymous level decision unit decides the anonymous level of the real name word by referring to said dictionary in accordance with a user'"'"'s indication.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said anonymous level decision unit sets the anonymous level for the real name word to a low level when the usage frequency of the real name word is high in the electronic document.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said additional label generation unit generates the additional label corresponding to the real name word by using a random number to uniquely identify the real name word.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said map creation unit multiplies the normalization numerical value with the numerical value data included in the real name word, and adds the additional label corresponding to the real name word to the multiplied value as the anonymous word.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said map creation unit creates the different map in correspondence with each identifier.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the map correspondingly stores the real name word, the anonymous word, the anonymous term and the additional label from which the anonymous word is generated.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein said conversion unit replaces the extracted anonymous word with the corresponding real name word in the anonymous document.

12. A method for creating a map of a real name word to an anonymous word for an electronic document, comprising:

deciding an anonymous level to anonymize the real name word included in the electronic document;

generating an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

storing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word in a dictionary;

selecting the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary;

generating an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term; and

correspondingly storing the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created.

13. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable program code embodied in said product for causing a computer to create a map of a real name word to an anonymous word for an electronic document, said computer readable program code having;

a first program code to decide an anonymous level to anonymize the real name word included in the electronic document;

a second program code to generate an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

a third program code to store a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word in a dictionary;

a fourth program code to select the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary;

a fifth program code to generate an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term; and

a sixth program code to correspondingly store the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created.

14. An apparatus for anonimizing an electronic document, comprising:

an anonymous level decision unit configured to decide an anonymous level to anonymize a real name word included in the electronic document;

an additional label generation unit configured to generate an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

a dictionary configured to store a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word;

a map creation unit configured to select the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from said dictionary, to generate an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term, and to correspondingly store the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a corresponding relationship between the real name word and an anonymous word for the identifier is created;

a real name word extraction unit configured to extract the real name word from the electronic document by referring to the map; and

a conversion unit configured to replace the extracted real name word with the corresponding anonymous word by referring to the map.

15. A method for anonimizing an electronic document, comprising:

deciding an anonymous level to anonymize a real name word included in the electronic document;

generating an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

storing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word in a dictionary;

selecting an anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary;

generating an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term;

correspondingly storing the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created;

extracting the real name word from the electronic document by referring to the map; and

replacing the extracted real name word with the corresponding anonymous word by referring to the map.

16. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable program code embodied in said product for causing a computer to anonimize an electronic document, said computer readable program code having;

a first program code to decide an anonymous level to anonimize a real name word included in the electronic document;

a second program code to generate an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

a third program code to store a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word in a dictionary;

a fourth program code to select the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary;

a fifth program code to generate an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term;

a sixth program code to correspondingly store the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created;

a seventh program code to extract the real name word from the electronic document by referring to the map; and

an eighth program code to replace the extracted real name word with the corresponding anonymous word by referring to the map.

17. An apparatus for unanonimizing an electronic document, comprising:

an anonymous level decision unit configured to decide an anonymous level to anonymize a real name word included in the electronic document;

an additional label generation unit configured to generate an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

a dictionary configured to store a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word;

a map creation unit configured to select the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from said dictionary, to generate an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term, and to correspondingly store the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created;

an anonymous word extraction unit configured to extract each anonymous word from an anonymous document related to an anonymous version of the electronic document by referring to the map; and

a conversion unit configured to add the corresponding real name word to the extracted anonymous word in the anonymous document by referring to the map.

19. A method for unanonimizing an electronic document, comprising:

deciding an anonymous level to anonymize a real name word included in the electronic document;

generating an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

storing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word in a dictionary;

selecting the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary;

generating an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term;

correspondingly storing the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created;

extracting each anonymous word from an anonymous document related to an anonymous version of the electronic document by referring to the map; and

adding the corresponding real name word to the extracted anonymous word in the anonymous document by referring to the map.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable program code embodied in said product for causing a computer to unanonimize an electronic document, said computer readable program code having;

a first program code to decide an anonymous level to anonymize a real name word included in the electronic document;

a second program code to generate an additional label corresponding to the real name word based on an identifier;

a third program code to store a correspondence relationship between the real name word and an anonymous term as an abstract concept of the real name word in a dictionary;

a fourth program code to select the anonymous term corresponding to the real name word based on the anonymous level from the dictionary;

a fifth program code to generate an anonymous word corresponding to the real name word by adding the additional label to the anonymous term;

a sixth program code to correspondingly store the real name word and the anonymous word, whereby a map representing a correspondence relationship between the real name word and the anonymous word for the identifier is created;

a seventh program code to extract each anonymous word from an anonymous document related to an anonymous version of the electronic document by referring to the map; and

an eighth program code to add the corresponding real name word to the extracted anonymous word in the anonymous document by referring to the map.