Personal information protection method, personal information protection system, processing device, portable transmitter/receiver, and program

• US 8,171,556 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Japan Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mieko Ishii
• Inventors: Torigai, Masamichi, Tsukamoto, Yutaka, Fujii, Mikio
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIA, SYED
• Application Number:
  US10/398,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,856 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification

Abstract

A prescribed virtual person was created for allowing a real person (user) in the actual world to pretend to be the virtual person (virtual person) and act as the virtual person when acting on a network and registered in a database 12a of a financial institution 7 for enabling the user to make shopping or the like as the virtual person with an electronic certificate issued by the financial institution 7 for the virtual person when pretending to be the virtual person and acting on the network, and the address of the virtual person necessary as the destination of a purchased article was set to a nearby convenience store. When acting on the network as the virtual person, cookies are rendered easily acceptable as compared with the case of the real person.

Claims

1. A private information protection method protecting private information on a network through a computer system, including:

said computer system performing a step of creating a prescribed virtual person for generating specification data for a virtual person for specifying the virtual person different from specification data for a real person for specifying the real person in the actual world and allowing the real person in the actual world to present specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user and act as the virtual person when the real person acts on the network;

said computer system performing a step of registering information capable of specifying the association between said real person and said virtual person in a prescribed institution having the duty of confidentiality and capable of determining said real person corresponding to this virtual person with information capable of specifying said association when said real person acts on the network as the virtual person and takes illegal action;

said computer system performing a step of issuing an electronic certificate for said virtual person;

said computer system performing a step of setting the address of the destination of an article purchased when said real person acts on the network as said virtual person to a different address from said real person, which is an address existing in the actual world; and

said computer system performing a step of distinguishing a first identification data transmitted from a site for identifying the user when accessing said site as the real person from a second identification data transmitted from the site for identifying the user when accessing the site as the virtual person, and storing said their identification data, and blocking the first identification data from being transmitted to the site even if the first identification data was transmitted from the site before when accessing said site as the virtual person and transmitting the second identification data to said site when the second identification data was transmitted from said site before as well as blocking the second identification data from being transmitted to said site even if the second identification data was transmitted from said site before when accessing said site as the real person and transmitting the first identification data to said site when the first identification data was transmitted from said site before.

2. A private information protection system protecting private information on a network through a computer system, comprising:

a processing unit belonging to said computer system performing processing to create a prescribed virtual person for generating specification data for a virtual person for specifying the virtual person different from specification data for a real person for specifying the real person in the actual world and allowing the real person in the actual world to present specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user and act as the virtual person when the real person acts on the network;

a registration unit registering information capable of specifying the association between said real person and said virtual person in a database of a prescribed institution having the duty of confidentiality and capable of determining said real person corresponding to this virtual person with information capable of specifying said association when said real person acts on the network as the virtual person and takes illegal action; and

a transmission control unit distinguishing a first identification data transmitted from a site for identifying the user when accessing said site as the real person from a second identification data transmitted from the site for identifying the user when accessing the site as the virtual person, and storing said their identification data, and blocking the first identification data from being transmitted to the site even if the first identification data was transmitted from the site before when accessing said site as the virtual person and transmitting the second identification data to said site when the second identification data was transmitted from said site before as well as blocking the second identification data from being transmitted to said site even if the second identification data was transmitted from said site before when accessing said site as the real person and transmitting the first identification data to said site when the first identification data was transmitted from said site before.

3. The private information protection system according to claim 2, wherein said prescribed institution is a financial institution.

4. A private information protection system protecting private information on a network through a computer system, comprising:

a processing unit belonging to said computer system performing processing to create a prescribed virtual person for generating specification data for a virtual person for specifying the virtual person different from specification data for a real person for specifying the real person in the actual world and allowing the real person in the actual world to present specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user and act as the virtual person when the real person acts on the network;

an electronic certificate issuance unit performing processing for issuing an electronic certificate for said virtual person different from that for said real person; and

a registration unit registering information capable of specifying the association between said real person and said virtual person in a database of a prescribed institution having the duty of confidentiality and capable of determining said real person corresponding to this virtual person with information capable of specifying said association when said real person acts on the network as the virtual person and takes illegal action, wherein

said electronic certificate issuance unit performs issuance processing of an electronic certificate on condition that it is registered said virtual person for whom the association between said real person and said virtual person is registered in said prescribed institution,

wherein said computer system further includes a presentation unit presenting to a site specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user when a user, which is said real person, acts on the network as said virtual person,

said processing unit belonging to said computer system performing processing to create a prescribed virtual person generates first specification data for said virtual person only for a first site, repeatedly used by a user every time and the user accesses said first site and generates second specification data for said virtual person only for a second site repeatedly used by said user every time said user accesses said second site,

said presentation unit presents different specification data for said virtual person by presenting to a trader of said first site said first specification data for said virtual person generated through a means for generating said specification data for said virtual person and presenting to a trader of said second site said second specification data for said virtual person generated through said means for generating said specification data for said virtual person, and

said presentation unit differentiates said specification data for said virtual person presented to a first site from said specification data for said virtual person presented to a second site different from this first site.

5. The private information protection system according to claim 4, wherein said electronic certificate is issued by the prescribed institution having the duty of confidentiality registering information capable of specifying the association between said real person and said virtual person and used for certifying that said virtual person is registered in the database of this prescribed institution.

8. The private information protection system according to claim 4, further wherein said computer system further includes:

a proof unit proving that the person in question is registered as said virtual person registered in said prescribed institution, wherein

said proof unit generates data for proof by decoding prescribed information with a secret key for said virtual person, transmits said data for proof to a person to be verified and verifies the person to be verified by encrypting the data for proof received by the person to be verified with a public key.

6. A private information protection system protecting private information on a network through a computer system, comprising:

a processing unit belonging to said computer system performing processing to create a prescribed virtual person for generating specification data for a virtual person for specifying the virtual person different from specification data for a real person for specifying the real person in the actual world and allowing the real person in the actual world to present specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user and act as the virtual person when the real person acts on the network;

an address set unit setting the address of the destination of an article purchased when said real person acts on the network as said virtual person to a different address from said real person, which is an address existing in the actual world,

wherein the address of the destination of an article purchased when acting on the network as said virtual person is the address of a prescribed convenience store; and

a presentation unit presenting to a site specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user when a user, which is said real person, acts on the network as said virtual person, wherein

said processing unit belonging to said computer system performing processing to create a prescribed virtual person generates first specification data for said virtual person only for a first site, repeatedly used by a user every time and user access said first site and generates second specification data for said virtual person only for a second site repeatedly used by said user every time said user accesses said second site,

said presentation unit presents different specification data for said virtual person by presenting to a trader of said first site said first specification data for said virtual person generated through said means for generating said specification data for said virtual person and presenting to a trader of said second site said second specification data for said virtual person generated through said means for generating said specification data for said virtual person, and

said presentation unit differentiates said specification data for said virtual person presented to a first site from said specification data for said virtual person presented to a second site different from this first site.

7. A private information protection method protecting private information on a network through a computer system, including:

said computer system performing a step of performing processing for creating a prescribed virtual person for generating specification data for a virtual person for specifying the virtual person different from specification data for a real person for specifying the real person in the actual world and allowing the real person in the actual world to present specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user and act as the virtual person when the real person acts on the network;

said computer system performing a step of presenting specification data for said virtual person instead of specification data for said real person in response to a request of private information of a user when a user, which is said real person, acts on the network as said virtual person; and

said computer system performing a step of distinguishing a first identification data transmitted from a site for identifying the user when accessing said site as the real person from a second identification data transmitted from the site for identifying the user when accessing the site as the virtual person, and storing said their identification data, and blocking the first identification data from being transmitted to the site even if the first identification data was transmitted from the site before when accessing said site as the virtual person and transmitting the second identification data to said site when the second identification data was transmitted from said site before as well as blocking the second identification data from being transmitted to said site even if the second identification data was transmitted from said site before when accessing said site as the real person and transmitting the first identification data to said site when the first identification data was transmitted from said site before.