JP7253344B2 - Information processing device, information processing method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

In recent years, commercial transactions using virtual currencies such as Bitcoin (registered trademark) have been conducted. In commercial transactions using the virtual currency, a technology called blockchain is used to prevent fraud without requiring centralized management. Blockchain defines multiple transaction data, previous hash value and other information as a "block", and the trust of information in the "block" is determined by a process of consensus building within the network formed by all participants. guarantees sexuality. However, when conducting virtual currency commercial transactions using such blockchain technology, there is a problem that the number of transactions that can be processed per second is small.

In order to deal with such problems, for example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technique called hash graph.

”Technology that surpasses blockchain exists! What is a distributed ledger “Hashgraph”? ”, [Online], [Searched on September 3, 2018], Internet <URL: https://coin-otaku.com/topic/7754>

In the hash graph technology disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, transaction data is recorded with the approval of some randomly selected users, so processing is faster than processing using blockchain technology. become feasible. However, all of these technologies have in common that multiple blocks in which multiple pieces of transaction data are stored in chronological order are linked together, and are still insufficient in terms of suitably retrieving the transaction data stored in the blocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of suitably retrieving transaction data stored in blocks. there is

In order to achieve the above object, the information processing device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes:
Data storage means for storing transaction data, which is the content of the transaction , in data blocks linked by a hash chain constructed in the network based on the occurrence of a transaction between parties ;
the hash chain is stored for each party to the transaction;
The data storage means stores the same transaction data in each data block linked by the hash chain corresponding to the parties of the transaction occurring between the parties .
It is characterized by

The data storage means generates the transaction data in data blocks linked by a special hash chain different from the hash chain, regardless of whether they correspond to the parties of the generated transaction . store in order
You may do so.

search means for searching the transaction data stored by the data storage means from the hash chain or the special hash chain based on a user's request;
generating means for generating a diagram of a mode that satisfies the user's request based on the search results retrieved by the searching means;
display means for displaying the diagram generated by the generating means;
may be further provided.

The search means searches from the special hash chain if the user's request includes a temporal element, and searches from the hash chain if the temporal element is not included.
You may do so.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises:
An information processing method in an information processing device,
Based on the occurrence of a transaction between parties , executing a data storage step of storing transaction data, which is the transaction content of the transaction, in data blocks connected by a hash chain constructed in the network,
the hash chain is stored for each party to the transaction;
In the data storing step, the same transaction data is stored in each data block linked by the hash chain corresponding to the parties of the transaction occurring between the parties .
It is characterized by

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the third aspect of the present invention,
the computer,
Based on the occurrence of a transaction between parties , it functions as data storage means for storing transaction data, which is the transaction content of the transaction, in data blocks linked by a hash chain constructed in the network,
the hash chain is stored for each party to the transaction;
The data storage means stores the same transaction data in each data block linked by the hash chain corresponding to the parties of the transaction occurring between the parties .
It is characterized by

According to the present invention, transaction data stored on blocks can be retrieved favorably.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a flow chart which shows an example of initial registration processing. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of data block registration processing; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a hash chain; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of transactions that have occurred; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of registered contents of hash chains; 9 is a flowchart showing an example of confirmation processing; It is a figure which shows the execution example of a confirmation process when sales total is designated. It is a figure which shows the execution example of a confirmation process when a customer list is designated. It is a figure which shows the example of the content registered of history information. It is a figure which shows the execution example of a confirmation process when transition before and after coupon distribution is designated.

An information processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described using an example in which it is applied to the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. In the information processing system 1, as shown in FIG. terminals 100F and 100G are communicably connected via a network 210 . Terminals 100C to 100E of customers A to C and terminals 100F and 100G of stores 1 and 2 can each function as information processing device 100 (terminals 100C to 100G can also function as information processing device 100). However, in order to facilitate understanding, these will be described separately from the information processing apparatus 100 in this embodiment.

The information processing apparatus 100 is an information terminal such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, or a PC (Personal Computer), and constructs a distributed network 210 such as P2P (Peer to Peer). The information processing system 1 is not limited to a P2P type system, and may be a cloud computing type, for example.

The information processing apparatus 100 receives, from the network 210, transaction data (transaction data) that occurred between the customer and the store, such as the customer A shopping at the store 1, for example. It functions as a hash chain registration device that generates a unique data block, stores the received data, and connects it to an existing hash chain. As described above, since the terminals 100C to 100G may function as the information processing device 100, the information processing device 100 functions as a transaction generation device having a function of generating transaction data and distributing it to the network 210. sometimes. The contents registered by the hash chain registration device are shared by each information processing device 100 via the network 210 . Also, normally, a certain number of transaction data are stored in one data block (a certain number of transaction data are collectively stored in one block), but in this embodiment, for ease of understanding, It is assumed that one transaction data is stored in one data block.

In this embodiment, transaction data generated by a transaction between a customer and a store (generated by any one of terminals C to G functioning as a transaction generation device) is called a data block. It is stored in one unit and managed by a hash chain of each attribute that links the data block in chronological order. For example, transaction data generated between customer A and store 1 is managed by registering the same data as new data blocks in the hash chain of the attribute of customer A and the hash chain of the attribute of store 1. be done.

The information processing device 100 in this embodiment also functions as a data statistics device that sorts and aggregates registration data desired by the user from data blocks included in each attribute hash chain. It should be noted that the function of the data statistics device also includes a function of classifying and totalizing data based on history information, which will be described later.

Specifically, the function of the information processing device 100 in this embodiment as a data statistics device is a function of totaling sales for each store, creating a customer list, etc. based on designation by the user. This is a function that facilitates user recognition and analysis by displaying the collected data in diagrams such as graphs and tables.

Next, the configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the illustrated example, the information processing device 100A is taken as an example, but the information processing device 100B and the terminals 100C to 100G function as the information processing device 100 in the same manner, so description thereof will be omitted. Although illustration is omitted, a functional unit having a function as a transaction generation device may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 100A (hereinafter referred to as the information processing device 100) includes a storage unit 110, a control unit 120, an input/output unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a system bus interconnecting them. (not shown).

The storage unit 110 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The ROM stores a program executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the control unit 120 and data required in advance for executing the program (not shown). Specifically, in this embodiment, a program is installed in advance to make the information processing device 100 function as a hash chain registration device and a data statistics device. RAM stores data that is created or modified during program execution. The storage unit 110 stores a hash chain 111 and history information 112 of each attribute as main information used by the program executed by the control unit 120 .

Each attribute hash chain 111 is a hash chain corresponding to each attribute of customers A to C and stores 1 and 2, and each hash chain is a concatenation of data blocks storing transaction data. The hash chain 111 of each attribute is stored in the storage unit 110 in the data block registration process described later, and is referred to when the hash chain is specified in the confirmation process described later.

History information 112 is a special hash chain in which all transaction data are stored in chronological order. The history information 112 is stored in the storage unit 110 in data block registration processing, which will be described later, and is referred to in confirmation processing, which will be described later, when a hash chain is not specified. Note that the history information 112 in this embodiment is a hash chain in which one piece of transaction data is stored in one data block and linked, and a hash chain in which all transaction data are stored regardless of attributes (data without attributes). hash chain). Note that multiple transaction data may be stored in one data block and concatenated as a hash chain. Note that the history information may be a list stored in chronological order.

The control unit 120 includes a CPU, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the like. Control unit 120 operates according to a program stored in storage unit 110 and executes processing according to the program. The control unit 120 includes an initial registration unit 121, a synchronization processing unit 122, a data block registration unit 123, a data acquisition unit 124, and a graph generation unit as main functional units provided by a program stored in the storage unit 110. a portion 125;

The initial registration unit 121 implements a function of registering initial information necessary to generate a hash chain with new attributes based on user operations on the input/output unit 130 and requests received via the communication unit 140. It is a functional part that Although details will be described later, the initial registration unit 121 has, for example, a function of registering attribute information, the address of customer A, an index value, etc. as initial information necessary to generate a hash chain of attributes of customer A (that is, It has a function of registering the base information of the hash chain, which will be described later).

The synchronization processing unit 122 is a functional unit that realizes a function of synchronizing hash chains of attributes stored in the information processing device 100 and hash chains of attributes stored in other information processing devices 100 . Although details will be described later, the synchronization processing unit 122 has a function of synchronizing with another information processing device 100 before and after transaction data is registered in a data block in the information processing device 100 in a data block registration process described later. are doing. In addition, the synchronization processing unit 122 has a function of synchronizing base information of hash chains with other information processing apparatuses 100 in an initial registration process to be described later.

The data block registration unit 123 is a functional unit that implements a function of adding a data block containing transaction data of a transaction that has occurred to a hash chain of a corresponding attribute among the hash chains 111 of each attribute of the information processing apparatus 100 . be. Although details will be described later, for example, when a transaction is made between customer A and store 1, the data block registration unit 123 stores the content of the transaction (transaction data) in the respective hash chains of customer A and store 1. , has a function to register as a new data block. The data block registration unit 123 also has a function of registering transaction data in the history information 112 .

The data acquisition unit 124 is a functional unit that acquires the contents of the data blocks included in the hash chain 111 of each registered attribute and the data included in the history information 112 based on the user's designation. The data acquisition unit 124 also has a function of rearranging and outputting the acquired data.

Also, the graph generation unit 125 is a functional unit that realizes a function of generating graphs, tables, diagrams, and the like from the data acquired by the data acquisition unit 124 based on the user's designation.

These functional units cooperate to cause the information processing device 100 to function as a hash chain registration device and a data statistics device.

The input/output unit 130 includes a keyboard, mouse, camera, microphone, liquid crystal display, organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and the like, and is a device for inputting/outputting data.

The communication unit 140 is a device for communicating with other information processing apparatuses 100 and terminals C to G via the network 210 .

The above is the configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 . Next, operations of the information processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12. FIG. First, the operation of the information processing device 100 when functioning as a hash chain registration device will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG.

First, the initial registration process shown in FIG. 3 is performed based on the user's operation (input operation) on the input/output unit 130 and requests (registration requests) received from the terminals C to G. FIG. The initial registration process is a process of registering initial information necessary to generate a new attribute hash chain. In this example, in order to facilitate understanding, a case of initial registration of customer A will be described. When starting the initial registration process, the information processing apparatus 100 generates attribute data using the function of the initial registration unit 121 (step S101). Specifically, in step S101, the information of the customer A and the address of the customer A, which are attribute information included in the input operation and the registration request, are stored in the storage unit 110 as information for generating a hash chain of the attributes of the customer A. Register to The information may be registered as the hash chain of attribute A among the hash chains 111 of each attribute. Alternatively, only the address may be registered without registering the attribute information. In this embodiment, the addresses of customers A to C are 01 to 03, and the addresses of stores 1 and 2 are XX and YY.

Next, the information processing apparatus 100 uses the function of the initial registration unit 121 to register the initial value "0" as the index value of the hash chain of the registered attribute of the customer A (step S102). An index value of "0" indicates that the hash chain is in an initial state (a state in which no data block is registered). That is, in the processing of steps S101 and S102, although the data blocks are not linked in a chain, it can be said that a hash chain (base information of the hash chain) in which the data blocks are not registered is generated. In this state, since the data blocks are not connected by a chain, there is a problem that the data can be deleted and the deletion cannot be verified. Therefore, in order to increase the resistance to tampering, a special transaction of 0 coins is generated for the randomly selected hash chain, and the data blocks with the index value of "0" are linked by the chain. good.

After executing the process of step S102, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the content in the other information processing apparatus 100 using the function of the synchronization processing unit 122 (step S103), and ends the initial registration process. Specifically, in step S103, the content of the hash chain (base information of the hash chain) of the attribute of customer A in the information processing apparatus 100 is transferred to the hash chain 111 of each attribute in the storage unit 110 of the other information processing apparatus 100. make a copy. As a result, all the information processing apparatuses 100 share the hash chain of the attributes of the customer A (basic information of the hash chain).

Next, a data block registration process for registering the transaction data in the data block of the hash chain with the corresponding attribute will be described. The data block registration process is executed by receiving transaction data corresponding to the generated transaction. The transaction data is received from one of the terminals C to G, but may be input to the input/output unit 130 as well. In this embodiment, as described above, one data block is created and registered for each transaction. Therefore, the data block registration process is repeatedly executed when there are multiple transactions to be registered. It will be done.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of data block registration processing. In this example, in order to facilitate understanding, data block registration processing (transition from state (A) to state (B) in FIG. 5) when a transaction of customer A purchasing 1000 coins at store 1 occurs. case) will be explained.

When a transaction that the customer A purchases 1000 coins at the store 1 occurs, transaction data corresponding to this is transmitted from the terminal C of the customer A or the terminal F of the store 1 . As a result, the information processing apparatus 100 starts data block registration processing using the function of the data block registration unit 123 . The data block registration process may be started by receiving the same transaction data from both terminal C and terminal F. FIG. If transaction data with different content is received, an error may be output.

When the data block registration process is started, the information processing device 100 first uses the function of the synchronization processing unit 122 to create a target hash chain in the information processing device 100 and a target hash chain in another information processing device 100. It is determined whether or not they are synchronized (step S201). Specifically, in the processing of step S201 in this example, among the hash chains 111 of each attribute, the index value and hash value of the latest data block included in the hash chain of customer A and the hash chain of store 1 include By determining whether or not the index value and hash value of the latest data block are the same as those stored in all other information processing apparatuses 100, it is determined whether or not they are synchronized.

Using the example shown in FIG. 5A, in the hash chain 111 of each attribute of the information processing device 100 (meaning the information processing device 100 that received the transaction data, the same shall apply hereinafter), the customer A The data block with the index value "N-1" is registered as the latest data block in the hash chain, and the data block with the index value "Z-1" is registered as the latest data block in the hash chain of store 1. Registered. As shown in the figure, the data block (m-th data block) of the hash chain in this embodiment includes registration data (transaction data) and the data block at the end (one previous) of the current hash chain ( The point that the hash value (256 bits) of the (m-1th data block) is included is the same as the mechanism of the conventional blockchain. In addition, the data block includes additional data for analysis such as a timestamp indicating the date and time when the registered data was registered in the data block (not shown), which is the same as the conventional blockchain mechanism. be.

In the process of step S201, the index value "N-1" and the hash value of N-1, and the index value "Z-1" and the hash value of Z-1 are stored in all other information processing apparatuses 100. It is determined whether or not they are synchronized by determining whether or not they match what is set. For example, if there is an information processing device 100 that stores the index value “N” and the hash value of N, the hash chain information of the attributes of customer A stored in the information processing device 100 is old. (in the case of the index value "Z" and the hash value of this Z, the hash chain of the attribute of store 1). On the other hand, if there is an information processing device 100 that stores the index value "N-2" and the hash value of N-2, the hash chain of the attribute of customer A stored in the information processing device 100 is is old (in the case of the index value "Z-2" and the hash value of Z-2, the hash chain of the attribute of store 1).

If not synchronized (step S201; No), the information processing apparatus 100 uses the function of the synchronization processing unit 122 to transfer the contents of the latest hash chain to the information processing apparatus 100 in which the hash chain determined to be old is registered. Synchronization processing for copying is executed (step S202). Note that in the process of step S202, the entire hash chain may be copied, or only the missing data block (including the index value and hash value) may be copied.

Returning to FIG. 4, when it is determined that synchronization is performed in step S201 (step S201; Yes), or when the process of step S202 is executed, the information processing apparatus 100 adds the same registered data to the target hash chain. Each stored data block is added (step S203). As described above, when adding a new data block (the mth data block) to the hash chain, the registration data (transaction data) and the data block at the end (one before) of the current hash chain (the The point of storing the hash value (256 bits) of the m-1 data block) in the data block and connecting it to the data block (m-1th data block) at the end (one previous) of the current hash chain is It is the same as the conventional blockchain mechanism.

Specifically, in the process of step S203, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the hash chain of the attribute of customer A, the data block with the index value "N" becomes the data block with the index value "N-1". As well as being linked, in the hash chain of the attribute of store 1, the data block with index value 'Z' is linked to the data block with index value 'Z-1'. Each concatenated data block contains the same transaction data. Specifically, the content indicating that 1000 coins (value: 1000) has been transferred from store 1 (From: XX) to customer 1 (To: 01) is registered. As shown in the figure, "From" and "To" indicate from which direction the value of the coin has moved, and the magnitude of the value indicates the amount of movement of the coin. In this embodiment, it is assumed that there is cash income when coins are transferred from the store to the customer. Also, although the transaction data to be registered is based on coins, it may be based on cash. Further, the data block with the index value "N" in the hash chain of the attribute of the customer A stores the hash value of N-1, and the data block with the index value "Z" in the hash chain of the attribute of the store 1 stores: A hash value of Z-1 is stored. Thus, the information processing apparatus 100 in this embodiment adds the same transaction data to each corresponding hash chain.

Returning to FIG. 4, after executing the process of step S203, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the transaction data added in step S203 in the block as the history information 112 using the function of the data block registration unit 123 (step S204). ). In the illustrated example, the processing of step S204 is executed after the processing of step S203. You may perform the process of step S204 before. As described above, the history information 112 is an attributeless hash chain in which one transaction data is stored in one data block and concatenated. The point that the hash value (256 bits) of the (previous) data block (m-1th data block) and the additional data for analysis are included is the same as the hash chain 111 of each attribute, and the conventional block Similar to how a chain works. In the process of step S203, the same transaction data is added to the hash chain of the attribute of customer A and the hash chain of the attribute of store 1, respectively. Transaction data indicating the purchase is only registered in one data block of the history information 112 .

After executing the process of step S204, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the hash chain of the attribute to which the data block was added in step S203 and the history information 112 in the other information processing apparatus 100 by the function of the synchronization processing unit 122. Thus, after synchronizing the information processing apparatus 100 with the other information processing apparatus 100 (step S205), the data block registration process ends. In the process of step S205, the contents of each hash chain of the attributes of customer A and store 1 in the information processing apparatus 100 and the contents of the history information 112 are combined with the contents of each attribute in the storage unit 110 of the other information processing apparatus 100. Copy to hash chain 111 and history information 112 . In the process of step S205, as in the process of step S202, the entire hash chain may be copied, or only the missing data blocks (including index values and hash values) may be copied (history The same applies to the information 112).

In this way, every time a transaction occurs, the data block registration process shown in FIG. 4 is performed, and the transaction data is registered in the target hash chain. For example, when 10 transactions occur as shown in FIG. 6, the data block registration process shown in FIG. The Rukoto. FIG. 7 shows the registration contents of each hash chain when the data block registration process shown in FIG. 4 is performed 10 times for the 10 transactions shown in FIG. See Figure 11). In the example shown in FIG. 7, hash values and analysis additional data stored in each data block are omitted for easy understanding.

Specifically, the transaction data indicating that customer A purchased 1000 coins at store 1 corresponding to the first transaction in FIG. It is registered in data block (1) in the hash chain of A's attribute and in data block (1) in the hash chain of store 1's attribute. Transaction data corresponding to the second transaction shown in FIG. 6, in which customer A made a purchase of 100 coins at store 1, is obtained by performing the data block registration process shown in FIG. is registered in the data block (2) in the hash chain of the attribute of store 1 and in the data block (2) in the hash chain of the store 1 attribute. Then, the transaction data indicating that customer B purchased 400 coins at store 2 corresponding to the third transaction in FIG. It is registered in the data block (1) in the attribute hash chain and in the data block (1) in the store 2 attribute hash chain. In this way, by performing the data block registration process the number of times corresponding to the number of transactions, each transaction data is linked to the hash chain of the corresponding attribute (the same applies to the fourth and subsequent transactions in FIG. 6). . Also, correspondingly, each transaction data is also registered in the history information 112 (see FIG. 11).

As shown in FIG. 6, this example shows an example in which a coupon is issued to customer A (the sixth transaction shown in FIG. 6), and this transaction data is also shown in FIG. It will be registered in the data block in the data block registration process. In that case, the transaction data indicating that the customer A acquired the coupon in steps S203 and S204 of FIG. 4 should be registered in a new data block. Specifically, in steps S203 and S204, it is determined whether the transaction data is coupon acquisition transaction data, and if the transaction data is coupon acquisition transaction data, that effect is registered. As shown in FIG. 7, in the transaction data for acquiring the coupon, the address of the person who issued the coupon is registered in "From" and the address of the customer who received the coupon is registered in "To". is registered as a coupon. In addition to this, for example, the discount amount and information on products for which the coupon can be used may be included as additional data for analysis. That is, as long as the transaction data includes the fact that it is a coupon and the content that can identify the customer who received the coupon and the person who issued the coupon, other information may be included and registered. In addition, the registration format of transaction data for coupon acquisition, such as registering the discount amount as value content and registering information specifying the coupon as additional data for analysis, as long as the necessary information is included. can be arbitrary.

The above is the operation of the information processing device 100 when functioning as a hash chain registration device. Next, the operation of the information processing device 100 when functioning as a data statistics device will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12. FIG. For ease of understanding, in the following example, 10 transactions shown in FIG. 6 are generated, data registration processing is performed 10 times corresponding to each transaction, and each hash chain is shown in FIG. The following description assumes that the data blocks of are registered.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of confirmation processing. The confirmation process is started based on a user's operation (input operation) on the input/output unit 130 or a request (confirmation request) received from terminals C to G. FIG. The confirmation process acquires the desired data block from the hash chain 111 of each attribute and the history information 112, and displays the total sales for each store, the customer list, etc. as statistical information in graphs, tables, etc. , is a process for facilitating recognition and analysis by the user.

When the confirmation process is started, the information processing apparatus 100 first determines whether or not a hash chain is designated by the function of the data acquisition unit 124 (step S301). In step S301, it is determined whether or not a hash chain is specified by determining whether or not a hash chain is specified by the request type included in the input operation or confirmation request. The request type designates the type of display content desired by the user. Multiple settings. Also, in this embodiment, whether or not to specify a hash chain is set in advance according to the request type. More specifically, the hash chain is specified for request types that do not include a temporal element, and the history information 112 is specified without specifying the hash chain for other request types. The setting of whether or not to designate a hash chain may be changed by an operation by the user, or may be selectable at the time of an input operation or a confirmation request. Therefore, in step S301, it is determined whether or not a hash chain is specified in the request type. If the request type requires a hash chain to be specified in advance, it does not depend on whether or not the hash chain is specified, but on which request type the hash chain is specified. It may be determined whether Also, request types can be newly added, changed, or deleted by the user's operation.

If it is determined in step S301 that a hash chain is specified (step S301; Yes), the information processing apparatus 100 uses the function of the data acquisition unit 124 to extract the target transaction data (target data) is obtained (step S302). In step S302, the target transaction data (target data) is acquired from the hash chain of the attribute specified by the request type included in the input operation or confirmation request. Specifically, a case where the request type included in the input operation or confirmation request is total sales and the specified hash chain attribute is store 1 will be described as an example. Get all transaction data from the data blocks included in the chain.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S301 that no hash chain is designated (step S301; No), the information processing apparatus 100 uses the function of the data acquisition unit 124 to extract the target transaction data (target data) from the history information 112. is obtained (step S303). In step S303, the transaction data for the period specified by the input operation or the request type included in the confirmation request is acquired from the history information 112. FIG. Specifically, all stores whose request types included in input operations and confirmation requests are the first week (for example, January 1st to January 7th) and the second week (for example, January 8th to January 15th) , the transaction data corresponding to the first week and the second week are obtained from among the transaction data in the history information 112 in step S303.

After executing the process of step S302 or step S303, the information processing apparatus 100 rearranges the data acquired in step S302 or step S303 by the function of the data acquisition unit 124 (step S304). Details of the rearrangement performed in step S304 will be described later. This includes processing for classifying transaction data acquired from the hash chain of the specified store by customer (see FIG. 10A).

After executing the process of step S304, the information processing apparatus 100 uses the function of the graph generating unit 125 to generate a diagram such as a graph or table, or both, corresponding to the request type included in the input operation or confirmation request. Output (step S305) and end the confirmation process. Specifically, a case where the request type included in the input operation or confirmation request is total sales and the specified hash chain attribute is store 1 will be described as an example. is generated and output to the input/output unit 130 and the input/output units of the terminals C to G. Specifically, when the user performs an operation (input operation) on the input/output unit 130 and the confirmation process is performed, the confirmation process is performed by outputting to the input/output unit 130 and receiving the confirmation request. If the confirmation request is received, it is output to the input/output unit that sent the confirmation request.

By performing such confirmation processing, a diagram such as a graph or a table corresponding to the type of request desired by the user is displayed, thereby facilitating recognition and analysis by the user.

Next, a specific example when confirmation processing is executed will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example in which sales total is specified as the request type. More specifically, an execution example is shown in which the hash chain of the attribute of the store 1 is specified, and then the request type for total sales is specified and the confirmation process is performed.

When the confirmation process is started, the information processing apparatus 100 determines Yes in step S301 of FIG. Acquire the transaction data included in the data blocks (1) to (3) included in the hash chain of store 1 (address: XX) shown in 7.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B in the processing of step S304 in FIG. By classifying into the transaction data, the coin income and the cash income are sorted, and the value is totaled.

After that, in the process of step S305, as shown in FIG. 9C, the tabulated result is generated as a bar graph for coin income and cash income, and displayed. Although a bar graph is generated in the illustrated example, it is not limited to a bar graph, and may be an arbitrary graph such as a pie chart or a line graph, or may be selected by the user. In the example shown in FIG. 9, cash income is the transfer of 1000 coins (value: 1000) from store 1 (From: XX) to customer 1 (To: 01). (when the coin is moved from the store 1 to the bank), the value may be reduced and treated as an expense.

Also, FIG. 10 shows an example in which a customer list is designated as the request type. More specifically, an execution example is shown in which the hash chains of the attributes of stores 1 and 2 are specified, and then the request type of the customer list is specified and confirmation processing is performed.

In this case, when starting the confirmation process, the information processing apparatus 100 determines Yes in step S301 of FIG. 7, the data blocks (1) to (3) included in the hash chain of store 1 (address: XX) shown in FIG. 7 are acquired, and the hash chain of store 2 (address: YY) shown in FIG. Get the contained data blocks (1)-(6).

Then, in the process of step S304 in FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 10A, the acquired transaction data of stores 1 and 2 are classified and rearranged for each customer. After that, in the process of step S305, as shown in FIG. 10B, a diagram of the customer list is generated so that the customer of the store 1 and the customer of the store 2 can visually recognize and easily understand, indicate. In the illustrated example, a Venn diagram is generated, but a table may be generated for each item, such as customers of store 1 only, customers of store 2 only, and customers of stores 1 and 2, for example.

In this way, the information processing apparatus 100 in this embodiment manages transaction data with hash chains for each attribute, and registers transaction data with the same content in the hash chains of attributes corresponding to each party who has made a transaction. do. Therefore, when using the registered transaction data, such as summarizing sales or creating a customer list, it is sufficient to obtain the data block included in the hash chain of the specified attribute, and specify the storage location of the necessary transaction data. is easy, and the transaction data can be preferably retrieved.

Next, as a specific example when the confirmation process is executed, when the history information 112 is specified, that is, when a request type including a temporal element is specified and no attribute hash chain is specified explain. In the following example, 10 transactions shown in FIG. 6 occur, data registration processing is performed 10 times corresponding to each transaction, and each transaction data is registered in the history information 112 as shown in FIG. It is explained below assuming that

FIG. 12 shows an execution example of confirmation processing when transition before and after coupon distribution is specified as a request type in confirmation processing. More specifically, this is an execution example in which confirmation processing is performed by specifying changes in sales for a group of customers who received coupons and a group of customers who did not receive coupons, one week before coupon distribution and one week after coupon distribution. is shown.

When starting the confirmation process, the information processing apparatus 100 determines No in step S301 of FIG. , and as shown in FIG. 11, the transaction data included in the data block (data blocks (1) to (5)) corresponding to period A and the data block corresponding to period B (data block The transaction data included in (7) to (10) are obtained from the history information 112 as target data. In this example, for ease of understanding, only transaction data indicating coin income at stores 1 and 2 are used (when transaction data other than transactions (1), (3) and (9) are used). ), that is, a case where only transaction data relating to coin income is obtained will be described below as an example.

In the process of step S304 in FIG. 8, the transaction data contained in the acquired data blocks (2), (4) and (5) are analyzed by the customer (customer A) to whom the coupon was distributed and the customer (customer B) to whom the coupon was not distributed. Similarly, the transaction data contained in the acquired data blocks (7) to (8) and (10) are also divided into the customer (customer A) to whom the coupon was distributed and the customer (customers B and C) to whom the coupon was not distributed. classified into Specifically, when a data block indicating that a coupon has been distributed is specified, to which customer the coupon has been distributed is stored (if there are more than one, multiple stores are stored), and the customer who received the coupon is stored. and customers who are not. In addition, since a special transaction has occurred with the person who distributed the coupon to the customer to whom the coupon was distributed, the person who distributed the coupon can be identified by searching the hash chain of the person who distributed the coupon. Then, customers to whom coupons have been distributed (customer A) and customers to whom coupons have not been distributed (customers B and C) may be classified.

In the process of step S304, after classifying the transaction indicating the coin income as to whether or not the coupon is distributed, in the process of step S304, the period A and the period B of the customer who received the coupon (the coupon was distributed) Each average value is calculated from the total sales for each and the total sales for the period A and the period B for the customers who did not receive the coupon. Specifically, in this example, as a customer who received the coupon, from the total value of customer A's sales in period A and period B, 200 sales in period A and 500 sales in period B are calculated as average values, and the coupon As customers who have not received Calculated as an average value. In this example, in order to facilitate understanding, an example is shown in which the average is calculated using only the coin income, but the average of the cash income may also be calculated separately as cash sales. In addition, the median value may be used instead of the average. For example, the sales of the customer group who received the coupon and the customer group who did not are calculated by a predetermined calculation method such that the customer who has more transactions has a higher weight. can be calculated.

After that, in the process of step S305, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the change in sales of the customer group (customer A) who received the coupon and the customer group who did not receive the coupon (customer B, Generate and display a bar graph showing changes in sales for customer C). It should be noted that it is the same as the case shown in FIG. 9 in that it is not limited to the bar graph. In this example, as shown in the figure, for the customer group who received the coupon, sales increased significantly in the period B after the coupon was distributed compared to the period A before the coupon was distributed. As for the customer group that did not receive the coupon, it can be seen that there is no significant change in sales between the period A before the coupon distribution and the period B after the coupon distribution. This allows the user to easily measure the effect of issuing the coupon.

In this way, in the case of a request type that includes a temporal element, by obtaining target data from the history information 112 and rearranging the target data, it is possible to suitably search for transaction data stored in blocks. can. Further, according to this embodiment, the source of target data is changed depending on whether or not a temporal element is included, in other words, whether a hash chain with a predetermined attribute is specified or not. Therefore, target data can be retrieved from different types of hash chains according to the content desired by the user, and transaction data stored in blocks can be retrieved favorably.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, the information processing apparatus 100 does not have to have all the technical features shown in the above embodiments. It may have a configuration of parts. Moreover, at least a part of each of the following modified examples may be combined.

In the above embodiment, the case where the customer makes a purchase using only coins has been described, but this is just an example. For example, when a customer purchases a product at a store, the customer's coin balance may be checked, and if the balance is insufficient, cash may be used in addition to coins to purchase the product. Specifically, before the process of step S203 in FIG. 4, a process of confirming the customer's coin balance may be executed. By referring to it, the customer's coin balance can be confirmed. For example, in the data block registration process when the seventh transaction (customer A purchases 500 coins at store 2) shown in FIG. The balance of customer A can be confirmed by aggregating the transaction data of data blocks (1) to (4) in FIG. Then, if the balance is insufficient, the shortfall can be treated as cash income. In this example, if customer A's coin balance is 300, transaction data indicating that he purchased 500 items with 300 coins and 200 cash should be registered. In this way, by aggregating all the transaction data included in the customer's attribute hash chain, it is possible to easily obtain the customer's balance. Therefore, the transaction data stored on the block can be retrieved favorably.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a transaction between two parties, a customer and a store, was explained, but for example, a transaction among three parties is also possible. Data having common contents may be registered in each data block. Further, the transaction data in the above embodiment may contain information for identifying the purchased product. According to this, it is possible to analyze the best-selling products for each store.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, an example was shown in which the effect of coupon distribution was measured based on the change in sales before and after coupon distribution, but this is just an example. For example, after the coupon is distributed, it is possible to check the usage rate of the distributed coupon by registering transaction data indicating that the customer who received the coupon used the coupon for shopping. Specifically, transaction data indicating that customer A purchased a product for 500 coins using a 50-coin discount coupon is stored in the target hash chain and history information 112 in the processing of step S203 in FIG. All that is necessary is to register it (only the history information 112 may be used). Then, in the process of step 303 in FIG. 8, the transaction data of the customers who used the coupon and those who did not during the period specified by the user after the coupon was distributed can be obtained. In this way, by registering the coupon usage status in the hash chain or the like, it is possible to easily check the usage status. Furthermore, when a plurality of coupons are distributed, it is possible to analyze which coupon has been used by registering the coupon ID that identifies the coupon as additional data for analysis.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the change in sales of the customer group that received the coupon and the customer group that did not receive the coupon were shown, but this is an example. For example, if the coupon is a coupon that can only be used at store 2 (if that effect is registered as additional data for analysis), the sales at stores 1 and 2 during period A and period B, respectively, are calculated. By summarizing, it can be easily understood that customer A normally shops at store 1, but shop at store 2 when the coupon can be used.

In this way, by registering in the history information 112 including information necessary for marketing as additional data for analysis in addition to the transaction data, various utilization becomes possible. That is, it is possible to suitably perform a search including the additional data for analysis and a transaction data search, thereby exerting an effect in marketing.

Although the history information 112 in the above embodiment is a hash chain (hash chain without attributes) in which all transaction data is stored regardless of attributes, and is synchronized with another information processing device 100, an example has been shown. , which is an example. The history information 112 is not limited to being managed by hash chains, and may be stored as a cache in a server communicatively connected via the network 210, for example.

Further, when the above-described functions are realized by sharing the responsibility between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and an application, only parts other than the OS may be stored in the medium.

It is also possible to superimpose a program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS, Bulletin Board System) on a communication network and distributed via the network. These programs may be activated and executed in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the operating system so that the above processing can be executed.

1 information processing system 100A-B information processing device 100C-100G terminal 110 storage unit 111 hash chain of each attribute 112 history information 113 120 control unit 121 initial registration unit 122 synchronization processing unit 123 data block Registration Unit 124 Data Acquisition Unit 125 Graph Generation Unit 130 Input/Output Unit 140 Communication Unit 210 Network

Claims (6)

Data storage means for storing transaction data, which is the content of the transaction , in data blocks linked by a hash chain constructed in the network based on the occurrence of a transaction between parties ;
the hash chain is stored for each party to the transaction;
The data storage means stores the same transaction data in each data block linked by the hash chain corresponding to the parties of the transaction occurring between the parties .
An information processing device characterized by: The data storage means generates the transaction data in data blocks linked by a special hash chain different from the hash chain, regardless of whether they correspond to the parties of the generated transaction . store in order
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by: search means for searching the transaction data stored by the data storage means from the hash chain or the special hash chain based on a user's request;
generating means for generating a diagram of a mode that satisfies the user's request based on the search results retrieved by the searching means;
display means for displaying the diagram generated by the generating means;
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: The search means searches from the special hash chain if the user's request includes a temporal element, and searches from the hash chain if the temporal element is not included.
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by: An information processing method in an information processing device,
Based on the occurrence of a transaction between parties , executing a data storage step of storing transaction data, which is the transaction content of the transaction, in data blocks connected by a hash chain constructed in the network,
the hash chain is stored for each party to the transaction;
In the data storing step, the same transaction data is stored in each data block linked by the hash chain corresponding to the parties of the transaction occurring between the parties .
An information processing method characterized by: the computer,
Based on the occurrence of a transaction between parties , it functions as data storage means for storing transaction data, which is the transaction content of the transaction, in data blocks linked by a hash chain constructed in the network,
the hash chain is stored for each party to the transaction;
The data storage means stores the same transaction data in each data block linked by the hash chain corresponding to the parties of the transaction occurring between the parties .
A program characterized by

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