JP2003186777A - Personal portable apparatus, communication method program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a personal portable apparatus, a communication method, a program and a recording medium superior in security in a peer-to-peer network for transmitting and receiving a large amount of data and capable of avoiding a problem of an infringement of a copy right. <P>SOLUTION: Terminals 1 are connected to a peer-to-peer network 5 provided on a local IP network 6 via a personal portal 2 composed of storages 3 and peer-to-peer agents 4. The terminals 1 store data into the storages 3. The peer- to-peer agents 4 transmit the data stored in the storages 3 to the other peer-to- peer agents 4. The other terminals 1 output data transmitted from their own peer-to-peer agents 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a personal portal device, a communication method, a program, and a recording medium which are excellent in security and can avoid the problem of copyright infringement in a P2P network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, wideband ISDN (Integrated Servo)
vices Digital Network) and ADSL (Asymmetric Digi)
2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of broadband transmission such as tal subscriber line) and optical cable, transmission and reception of large-capacity contents are increasing. The data transmission / reception that is currently performed is one in which data is transmitted from a client to a server once, and the server transfers the data to a destination client, such as e-mail. However, when large-volume contents are transmitted and received by such a method, all the data is transmitted to the server, which puts a load on the server.

Therefore, without going through the server as described above,
Attention is being paid to a network configuration in which clients directly send and receive data. Such a network form is called P2P (Peer to Peer). Examples of what realizes this P2P include music file exchange software called Napster (registered trademark) and file exchange software called Gnutella.

A mechanism for realizing music file exchange with the above-mentioned music file exchange software will be described.
The client (computer, etc.) registers in advance the file information (such as the path name and file name indicating the position of the music file) of the music file that can be disclosed to others among the music files stored in the client in advance. . A plurality of such file names of music files stored by the client and path names of the files are registered in the server. When the client acquires music, it searches the server for the desired music file and acquires the file information of the file. Using the path name included in the file information, the client that stores the file is accessed to acquire the music file.

A mechanism for realizing file exchange with the above Gnutella will be described. A client (computer or the like) sends a search request for a file to be acquired to another client connected to a network including a plurality of clients. The client that receives the search request simultaneously sends the search request to a plurality of other clients connected to the network.
When a search request is transmitted in this way and a file is found, the client that first transmits the search request acquires the file from the client that stores the file.

[0006]

However, in the P2P network as described above, a client directly connects to another client and sends / receives a file, so that the IP address of the client becomes clear. for that reason,
Anyone can access the client computer, and there is a high possibility that a cracker or the like may steal files that you do not want to publish or destroy your computer, programs, or data.

Further, in the P2P network as described above, the file to be exchanged is held by the client who is an individual, and the third party does not manage the file.
Freely exchanging copyrighted files among individuals has become a problem as copyright infringement. Further, the conventional community is mainly text data such as a bulletin board, and no community supporting broadband has been proposed. As described above, the conventional P2P network has problems in terms of security, copyright, and the like. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a personal portal device, a communication method, a program, which is suitable for transmitting and receiving a large amount of data in a P2P network, has excellent security, and can avoid the problem of copyright infringement. The purpose is to provide a recording medium. A further object of the present invention is to provide a community suitable for broadband transmission and reception of large-capacity data.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and the present invention provides a terminal for a plurality of users with a portal for each user, which is composed of a storage and an agent. A personal portal device to be provided, wherein the storage stores data for each user, the agent receives data transmitted from an agent of another user or a terminal of the user,
Further, it is characterized in that the data stored in the storage is transmitted to an agent of the other user or a terminal of the user.

As a result, each user can send and receive data without disclosing personal information such as an IP address, and it is possible to build a P2P network with security suitable for sending and receiving large amounts of data. Becomes

Also, in the present invention according to the above-mentioned invention, index information indicating a characteristic of the data is added to the data, and search condition information indicating a condition for the agent to search the data; Based on the index information of the data stored in the storage,
The data matching the search condition is searched, and the agent transmits the search result to the agent of the other user or the terminal.

This makes it possible to search for other users having the same hobby, groups, and desired data. Since the data to be searched is the data that the user has voluntarily stored in the storage or the data that the user has acquired from the storage of another user, it is possible to acquire information with immediacy.

Also, in the present invention according to the above-mentioned invention, index information indicating a characteristic of the data is added to the data, and search condition information indicating a condition for the agent to search the data; Based on the index information of the data stored in the storage,
Searching for data matching the search condition, storing the search result in the agent, and transmitting the stored search result to the terminal when a request from the user's terminal is received. Is characterized by.

Thus, if the user sets the search condition in advance, the agent can search the data based on the search condition while the user is not connected to the agent. Even in the case of a wide range search, the user does not have to wait for the search result while logged in, and the time can be effectively used.

Further, in the present invention according to the above invention, the data is provided with user identification information for identifying a user who should receive the data, and the agent is identified by the user identification information. And transmitting the data to an agent of a user identified by the user identification information, and the agent of the user identified by the user identification information transmits the data to a terminal of the user identified by the user identification information. And

Further, in the present invention according to the above invention, the storage stores profile information including preference information indicating a preference of the user and user identification information of the user, and the agent stores the profile information. , Receives advertisement data provided with user condition information indicating a condition of a user who advertises a product, and the agent, based on the user condition information and profile information stored in the storage, The agent searches the user who matches the user condition, the agent acquires the user identification information of the user from the profile information of the user who matches the user condition, and the agent acquires the user The advertisement data is transmitted to the agent of the user specified by the identification information, and the agent of the user specified by the user identification information is transmitted. DOO, characterized in that the transmitting to the user terminal specified by the advertisement data the user identification information.

As a result, the advertisement data can be transmitted only to users who are likely to be interested in the product advertised by the advertisement data, and as a result, the advertisement effect of the advertisement can be improved.

Further, in the present invention according to the above invention, access right setting information for setting an access right to the data or the folder is given to the data or the folder storing the data, and the agent is ,
It is characterized in that whether or not to transmit the data to the terminal of the user or the agent of the other user is managed based on the access right setting information.

This makes it possible to limit the access right to the data. If you control the access right to all the data stored in a folder, you can set the access right for each folder. Also, even if the data is stored in the same folder, each data can be set by setting the access right setting information. It is possible to make the access right different for each.

Further, in the present invention according to the above-mentioned invention, the access right setting information given to the folder storing the data joins a group specified by the user and made up of a plurality of users. It is set that only the user who is accessing the folder can access the folder, and the agent stores the data in the terminal of the user or the agent of the other user based on the access right setting information. It is characterized by managing whether to send to.

This makes it possible to set access rights for each folder and group. As an effect, for example, if the data access right is set for each group, it is not necessary to set the access right for each user, so that even if the participation / exit to the group is frequently performed, There is no need to change the access rights every time. Further, for example, when the user participates in a certain group and searches for data in the same group, the agent only needs to search for data in an accessible folder, which improves search efficiency.

Further, in the present invention according to the above invention, in the data, transmission date setting information for setting a date when the data can be transmitted to a terminal of the user and a user who should receive the data are specified. User identification information is added, and the agent transmits the data to the agent of the user identified by the user identification information by the date when it can be transmitted to the terminal of the user. The agent of the user specified by the identification information controls whether to transmit the data to the terminal of the user specified by the user identification information, based on the transmission date setting information of the data. And

As a result, it becomes possible to preliminarily systematically deliver data at a time of low traffic such as late at night, and output the data to the user when a specific deadline is reached, thus making the communication band effective. Can be used for Further, for example, by outputting only the subject of the data even before the set date, there is also an effect of giving the user a sense of expectation for the data.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the agent copies the data stored in the storage to another storage means.

With this, the data stored in the storage can be backed up even if the user does not separately prepare a recording medium for backup. By regularly backing up data, it is possible to prevent the data from being damaged, and the user can save the trouble of managing the backup recording medium.

In the present invention according to the above invention, the agent embeds a digital watermark in the data stored in the storage, and the agent transmits the data in which the digital watermark is embedded to the other agent. It is characterized by doing.

As a result, the source of the data can be clarified, and even copyrighted data can be useful in preventing illegal copying and detecting. Further, since the user himself does not need to prepare special software or the like, the data can be easily transmitted to other users.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the agent detects the data in which the digital watermark is embedded from the storage.

As a result, it is possible to retrieve the data in which the digital watermark is embedded. It becomes possible to detect users who are illegally using the data, and
It can be useful for solving problems such as copyright, which is a problem in the P network.

In the present invention according to the above invention, the agent converts the data stored in the storage into data for streaming output, and the agent converts the converted data into the other agent. It is characterized in that it is transmitted to.

As a result, it becomes difficult to copy data, and even copyrighted data can be used for prevention and detection of illegal copying. Also, since the user does not need to prepare special software,
It is possible to easily send data to other data.

The present invention also provides the above-mentioned invention, wherein the agent stores data stored in the storage, data transmitted to the agent of the other user or data transmitted to the terminal, or agent of the other user. Alternatively, it is characterized by determining whether or not the data received from the terminal is infected with a virus.

Thus, the virus contained in the data stored in the storage and the data transmitted to the user's terminal can be checked, and the user can safely transmit and receive the data.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the personal portal apparatus is connected by a regional IP network.

Further, the present invention is a communication method for providing a user's terminal with a portal for each user consisting of a storage and an agent, wherein the storage stores data for each user, The agent receives data transmitted from an agent of another user or a terminal of the user, stores the data in the storage, and stores the data stored in the storage in the agent of the other user or the use It is a communication method characterized by transmitting to a person's terminal.

The present invention is also a communication program for providing a user's terminal with a portal for each user consisting of a storage and an agent, wherein the storage stores data for each user, The agent receives data transmitted from an agent of another user or a terminal of the user and stores the data in the storage; and an agent of another user of the data stored in the storage. And a step of transmitting to the user's terminal, a communication program that causes a computer to execute.

The present invention is also a communication program for providing a user's terminal with a portal for each user consisting of a storage and an agent, wherein the storage stores data for each user, The agent receives data transmitted from an agent of another user or a terminal of the user and stores the data in the storage; and an agent of the other user that stores the data stored in the storage. A computer-readable recording medium recording a communication program for causing a computer to execute the transmitting step to the user's terminal.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an outline of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the area I
Utilizing the P network 6, the storage 3 and the P2P agent 4
The user is provided with a P2P network 5 that communicates with each other via a personal portal 2 including a. The storage 3 stores data such as contents of a user who connects to the personal portal 2. The P2P agent 4 is a generic term for functions such as content exchange, content search, storage management, and information management regarding users. The personal portal 2 including the storage 3 and the P2P agent 4 is realized by a server (personal portal device, not shown). That is, the P2P of the present embodiment
Unlike the conventional P2P network, the network 5 does not transmit / receive the data stored in the user's terminal between the user's terminals, but transmits / receives the data stored in the server between the servers. By accessing, the data is output to its own terminal.

Although a plurality of personal portals 2 are shown in FIG. 1, the number of personal portals 2 and the servers that implement the personal portals 2 is not limited to 1: 1 and all personal portals 2 are shown. May be realized by one server, or some personal portals 2 may be realized by one server. Also, P
The function of the 2P agent 4 may be realized by a plurality of servers, and the storage 3 of a certain personal portal 2 may be realized.
The data stored in may be distributed and stored in a plurality of servers.

Next, details of this embodiment will be described. Figure 1
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of this embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is a terminal, and the user uses the terminal 1 to access the P2P network 5. In the present embodiment, a user is an individual user who individually connects to the P2P network 5, or a plurality of terminals are P2 via one terminal.
It is a corporate user connected to the P-network 5, a content holder such as a computer or the like in which individual users or corporate users store data. Reference numeral 2 denotes a personal portal, which is a portal (portal) for each user for the terminal 1 to access the P2P network 5. Three
Is a storage, which stores contents and various data for each user. Reference numeral 4 denotes a P2P agent (hereinafter referred to as an agent), which is a general term for functions such as content exchange, content search, storage management, and user information management. Reference numeral 6 denotes a communication network. Here, a case of a regional IP network will be described as an example of the communication network. The P2P network 5 of this embodiment is realized in the regional IP network 6.

As described above, the personal portal 2,
The storage 3 and the agent 4 are realized by the server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of this server. In this figure, 7 is a server. Reference numeral 11 is a communication interface. 12 is a user management unit. 1
3 is a user management information storage unit. Reference numeral 14 is a mail transmission / reception control unit. Reference numeral 15 is a mail storage unit. Reference numeral 16 is a content management unit. Reference numeral 17 is a content storage unit.
Reference numeral 18 is a search unit. Reference numeral 19 is a content search result storage unit. 20 is a mailing list management unit. 21 is a mailing list management information storage unit. Reference numeral 22 is an advertisement content reception unit. Reference numeral 23 is an advertisement content storage unit. Reference numeral 24 is a digital watermark embedding unit. Reference numeral 25 is a content conversion unit. Reference numeral 26 is a content backup unit. 27 is a backup content storage unit.
28 is a virus check unit. 29 is CUG (Clos
ed User Group) Information storage unit. Reference numeral 30 is a CUG information management unit.

Among the above-mentioned units, the output unit 11,
User management unit 12, mail transmission / reception control unit 14, mail timer management unit 16, content management unit 16, search unit 1
The mailing list management unit 20, the advertising content reception unit 22, the electronic watermark embedding unit 24, the content conversion unit 25, the content backup unit 26, the virus check unit 28, and the CUG information management unit 30 correspond to the agent 4. Further, the user management information storage unit 13, the mail storage unit 15, the content storage unit 17, the search result storage unit 1
9, mailing list management information storage unit 21, advertisement content storage unit 23, backup content storage unit 27,
The CUG information storage unit 29 corresponds to the storage 3.

That is, the storage 3 of this embodiment does not mean a mere recording medium as in the conventional case,
In the storage unit of the server 7 of which an example is shown in FIG. 2, the storage area stores data for each user. Further, the conventional agent refers to an agent that has a judgment function and operates autonomously, whereas the agent 4 of the present embodiment is such that content exchange, content search, storage by each unit whose example is shown in FIG. This refers to a generic term for functions such as management and management of information about users, and also has functions that conventional agents do not have.

The user has previously registered as a user in order to use the functions of the storage 3 and the agent 4 (server 7). The user management information storage unit 13 stores profile information as information for managing users. An example of profile information is shown in FIG. As shown in the example in this figure, as profile information, name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, date of birth, gender,
Credit card type, credit card number, credit card expiration date, PP (Personal Portal) -I
D, password, nickname, b-mail address, usable capacity, remaining capacity, preference information, participating CUG, login history, download history, upload history, and the like.
Here, a subset (subset) of this profile information is also referred to as profile information.

The user indicates his / her name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, credit card type, credit card number, credit card expiration date, PP-ID, password, nickname, and preference of the user. Information such as preference information is applied to the administrator of the P2P network 5 (hereinafter referred to as the administrator). At this time, the PP-ID and the password may be set by the user or may be set by the administrator or the like. In addition, the user may use the terminal 1 to send the above-mentioned information to the agent 4 (server 7), or write the above-mentioned information on paper or the like and mail it to the administrator. Good.

The nickname is the name of the user used on the P2P network. In addition, the b-mail address is a unique identifier that is set by the agent 4 (server 7) or administrator and that identifies a user when data is transmitted and received on the P2P network 5.

The usable capacity is the agent 4
(Server 7) or a content storage unit 17 that can be used by the user and is determined by an administrator by an arbitrary method
Capacity. The remaining capacity used out of the available capacity of the content storage unit 17 is called the remaining capacity.

The participating CUG is a CUG in which the user participates, and the CUG identification information such as the CUG name in which the user participates is described therein.
The CUG is a group of users on the P2P network 5 who have common interests and topics. This CUG is classified by the tree structure category as shown in FIG. 4A, and each CUG is classified by the category by index information as shown in FIG. 4B. Shows the characteristics of.

The CUG category will be described. The CUG category is represented by a tree structure as shown in FIG. 4A. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4A, “automobile” and “soccer” are added under the category of “hobby”. There are categories such as. Further, under the item "hobby-automobile", there are categories such as "by manufacturer" and "by type".

The CUG index information will be described. FIG. 4 (B) shows “Automobile-by Maker-A” in FIG. 4 (A).
An example of a CUG belonging to the category "company" and index information of the CUG is shown. Here, it is shown that there are CUGs such as "A company freak" and "A company friend's association" in the category "automobile-by manufacturer-company A". Each CUG is added with index information such as registration date and time registered as a CUG and CUG information indicating what kind of user group the CUG is. Further, index items unique to each CUG, such as “displacement amount”, “delivery year”, and “vehicle model name”, can be additionally set in each CUG. Such CUG index information is:
It exists for each CUG.

The items of the index information described above may be set by the administrator or may be set by the user. For this index information, for example, the CUG information management unit 30 of the agent 4 transmits an item to the user terminal 1 by using a predetermined XML (Extensible Markup Language) format,
It is acquired based on the information input by the user. Figure 4
CUG category information, an example of which is shown in (A) of
Index information for each CUG, an example of which is shown in FIG. 4B, is stored in the CUG information storage unit 29 of the server 7. The CUG category information and the index information for each CUG are collectively referred to as CUG information. The category information and index information are CUG
Not only that, it is also used to show the features of mailing lists and data described later.

The log-in history is information indicating the log-in and log-off history of the user on the personal portal 2, and is updated by the user management unit 13 of the agent 4 (server 7) every time the user logs in and logs off. To be done.

Download is the agent 4
Means that data is transmitted from the device to the terminal 1. The download history is information indicating the history of data download. Further, upload means that data is transmitted from the terminal 1 to the agent 4, and upload history is information indicating a history of data upload. Content management unit 16 of agent 4
Updates their history each time it is downloaded or uploaded by the terminal 1.

The user who has registered the above-mentioned profile information is given the authority to use the functions of the personal portal 2, the storage 3, and the agent 4 provided by the server 7. To use the functions of the storage 3 and the agent 4, the user logs in to the personal portal 2 using the terminal 1. When the user logs in, the agent 4 requests the input of the PP-ID and the password. User management unit 1 of agent 4
3 compares the input PP-ID and password with the PP-ID and password of the profile information stored in the user management information storage unit 13 in advance, and compares both P-ID and password.
If the P-ID and the password match and the user with the same PP-ID and password is not logged in at the same time, the login of the user is permitted. Server 7
Identifies each user's identification at the PP-I acquired at login.
Perform by D.

The user who logs in in this way accesses the personal portal 2 using his / her terminal 1, and the storage 3 and the agent 4 as shown in the following example.
The functions of can be used. A) File transmission / reception B) File storage C) Search D) Data management E) Advertisement distribution F) Rights protection Details of these functions will be described below.

A) File Transmission / Reception A user can transmit data such as contents to other users connected to the P2P network 5. The outline is shown in FIG. This figure shows an example in which the user A transmits his own movie to the user B. Here, for convenience of explanation, the terminal 1 of the user A, which is the source of the content, the storage 3, and the agent 4 are referred to as the terminal 1a.
And the storage 3a and the agent 4a. Further, the terminal 1 and the storage 3, and the storage 3 and the agent 4 of the user B, which is the recipient of the content, will be described as the terminal 1b, the storage 3b, and the agent 4b. As described above, the storage 3b and the agent 4b may be realized by the same server 7 as the storage 3a and the agent 4a, or by a server 7 different from the server 7 that realizes the storage 3a and the agent 4a. Although it may be realized, the function of the agent 7 will be described here, and the description will be made without distinguishing the server 7. The operation of the server in the functions of the storage 3 and the agent 4 will be described later.

User A has previously acquired the b-mail address of the user who wants to send data. The b-mail address is stored in the terminal 1a or the storage 3a (a specific field for the user A in the mail storage unit 15a). According to the instruction of the user A, the terminal 1a connects to the agent 4a, and sends the content (data) stored in the terminal 1a or the storage 3a (specific field for the user A in the content storage unit 17a) to the destination. The agent 4a adds the b-mail address of a certain user B and the b-mail address of the user A who is the sender.
Send to. For this content, the terminal 1a or the agent 4a uses category information indicating a category of the content, index information indicating a feature of the content in the category, information indicating an output condition of the content, and the like by attribute information such as XML. May be given as The attribute information mentioned here refers to all the information attached to the data, and indicates the data for indicating the characteristics of the data or controlling the data. Specifically, the attribute information is, for example, category information, index information, an access control list to be described later, information about a user who transmits the data, information for setting a transmission / reception condition, and the like.

Mail transmission / reception control unit 1 of agent 4a
4a stores the received content in the transmission folder for user A in the mail storage unit 15a (specific field for user A in the mail storage unit 15a). further,
The recipient's b-mail address assigned to the received content is recognized, and the recognized recipient's agent 4b
Send the content to. The mail transmission / reception control unit 14b of the agent 4b that has received the content receives the dedicated folder for the user B in the mail storage unit 15b (a specific field for the user B in the mail storage unit 15b).
The content is stored in.

When the user B connects to the agent 4b using the terminal 1b and transmits a mail reception request to the agent 4b, the mail transmission / reception control unit 1 of the agent 4b.
4b transmits the content stored in the reception folder dedicated to the user B in the mail storage unit 15b to the terminal 1b. The terminal 1b outputs the received content.

The contents to be transmitted to the user may be contents in the form of streaming output which is output from the side where the terminal 1 receives the data, and is output after all the data to be output by the terminal 1 is received. It can be in the form of content. The content transmitted here does not have to be described in a language such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) that can be output by a web browser, and may be a file that can be executed by application software, for example. Good. That is, the content here does not limit the file format or the data format, but is to output to the user image data such as still images and moving images, audio data, text data, data corresponding to any application, etc. All the data in.

In transmitting the content (data) as described above, the agent 4 systematically distributes the content to each agent 4, and transmits (outputs) the content to the terminal 1 of each user at a predetermined time. ) Can be implemented timer delivery. The outline is shown in FIG.

A user who wants to use the timer distribution function,
Using the terminal 1a, the destination b-mail address, the source b-mail address, and the access control list (transmission date setting information) are added to the content to be distributed. The access control list is attribute information for limiting access rights to folders and contents. FIG. 7A shows an example of items (columns) that can be included in the access control. As shown in this figure, items include start date, end date, read authority, write authority, and the like. The start date is an item for setting date and time information of the start of publication that enables the content (data) to be transmitted to the user's terminal 1. Also, end da
te is an item for setting the date and time information of the end of disclosure, in which the content (data) cannot be transmitted to the user's terminal 1.
Also, the read authority is the content (data)
This item sets the user who has the authority to read the. The write-authorized person is an item for setting a user who is authorized to write the content (data).

FIG. 7B is an example of an access control list, in which, for each file or folder, the authority such as reading and writing, the date and time when the data can be disclosed, the date and time when the data cannot be disclosed, and the like are described. ing. Explaining the example of FIG. 7B, "root / user /.../ saemon
The folder "/" is writable only by the owner of the folder, anyone can read it, and the publication deadline of the folder is 2001/12/3/0: 00: It indicates that the date and time is 2001/12/31/0: 00. In addition, the file (data) called "root / user /.../ saemon / bin" can be written and read by anyone, and the publication end date and time of the folder is 2001/12 /
It indicates that it is 1/15: 00. Note that the access control list does not necessarily need to include all the items shown in FIG. 7A, and may include items other than the items shown in FIG. 7A.

When the timer distribution function is used, FIG.
In the example shown in (A), the date and time (publication start date and time information) including at least the item start date and allowing the content to be output to the terminal 1 of each user is set. The terminal 1a sends this content to the agent 4a.

Transmission / reception control unit 14a of the agent 4a
When receiving the content to which the access control list is added, stores the content in the transmission folder for the user A in the mail storage unit 15a and transmits the content to the agent 4b of the destination terminal 1b.
At this time, the mail transmission / reception control unit 14 of the agent 4a
The a systematically performs the content transmission to the destination agent 4b so that the transmission is completed by the publication start date and time set by the value of the item start date. In order to systematically perform this content transmission, for example, content transmission is performed based on the data transmission plan information stored in the mail storage unit 15 or the like in advance. The data transmission plan information is information for setting the amount of data to be transmitted from the agent 4 according to the amount of data to be transmitted and the amount of traffic. It is set to send a lot of data during the time period. This data transmission plan is set by the administrator or the like and stored in the mail storage unit 15 or the like. The mail transmission / reception control unit 14a of the agent 4a
The content is transmitted based on the content transmission plan information. Transmission / reception control unit 14b of the agent 4b
Stores the received content in the receiving folder dedicated to the destination (user B) of the mail storage unit 15b.

When the mail transmission / reception management unit 14b receives a mail reception request from the user's terminal 1b, the mail storage unit 1b.
The content is acquired from the reception folder for the user B in 5b and transmitted to the terminal 1b. At this time, if there is content to which the access control list is added to the reception folder for user B in the mail storage unit 15b, the mail transmission / reception management unit 14b stores the clock inside the agent 4b and the access control list of the content. To determine whether the content can be output.
As a result of the determination, if the content cannot be output, the content is controlled not to be output to the terminal 1b. At this time, it is possible to output only the subject (subject) of the content, even if the content cannot be output to the terminal 1b, or to not output both the subject and the content, depending on the attribute information added to the content. .

The user can also participate in the mailing list. The mailing list here is
A group that simultaneously transmits data of the same content to multiple users who share a common topic. The mailing list management unit 20 has a function of delivering a mail to users participating in the mailing list in response to a request from the user's terminal 1. An example thereof will be described below. The mailing list management information storage unit 21 includes category information having a structure as shown in FIG. 4A, index information for each category as shown in FIG. 4B, and corresponding mailing list information for each category. It stores the mailing list management information, which is a list of participants in the mailing list. The mailing list management information is information such as the mailing list identification information such as the name of the mailing list, the nickname of the organizer of the mailing list, the b-mail address of the organizer, the nickname of the mailing list participant, and the b-mail address of the mailing list participant corresponding to the nickname. Consists of.

When the mailing list management unit 20 receives a data distribution request from the user's terminal 1 to the participants of the mailing list, the mailing list management information storage unit 21.
From the mailing list management information of the specified mailing list in, b of mailing list participants including the organizer
The mail address is acquired, and the acquired b mail address is transmitted to the mail transmission control unit 14. Email transmission control unit 1
Similarly to the above, 4 transmits the data to which the b-mail address of the mailing list participant and the b-mail address of the sender are allotted to the b-mail address of the mailing list participant.

B) File Saving The user can store his or her content (file) in a folder in the content storage section 17 of the storage 3 and use it like a local disk of his or her terminal 1. The outline is shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, a public (Public) folder and a shared (Shar
It is assumed that there are ed) folder and private (Private) folders.

The public folder is P in this embodiment.
This is a folder for storing contents that can be disclosed to all users who are accessing the 2P network 5. The outline is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the music content created by the user A is stored in the public folder, and the user B,
The example which shows the said content to the user C is shown.
In this public folder, an access control list (access right setting information), an example of which is shown in FIG.
Is given. The access control list that sets the access right to the folder has at least items of read authority and write authority. Anyone can access (read and write) the path name that indicates the location of the folder and the folder. Is set. Explaining the example of FIG. 7B, "root / user /.../ c
The folder "hiba /" indicates that everyone can write and read (everyone).

The shared folder is a folder for storing contents that can be disclosed to a specific user among the users who are accessing the P2P network 5 of this embodiment. The outline is shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows an example in which contents stored in a shared folder are shared with a design company (user A), a publishing company (user B), and a printing company (user C), which are collaborative affiliate companies. . An access control list (access right setting information), an example of which is shown in FIG. 7B, is attached to this shared folder. The access control list for setting the access right to a folder has at least items of a read authority and a write authority, and a path name indicating the location of the folder and a CUG that can access (read and write) the folder.
And are set. Note that even a user belonging to an accessible CUG can set an access right for each user by setting the value of the item of the user group of access control to, for example, the writing company (user C) in FIG. Can be set.

The private folder is a folder for storing contents that can be accessed only by the user who can access the storage 3 for each user. The outline is shown in FIG. FIG. 10 shows an example in which user A, user B, and user C store contents in their respective private folders. An access control list (access right setting information), an example of which is shown in FIG. 7B, is attached to this private folder.
The access control list for setting the access right to a folder has at least items of read authority and write authority. Only the path name indicating the location of the folder and the user who owns the folder can access ( (Reading and writing) is set.

Here, for convenience of explanation, the terminal 1, the storage 3, and the agent 4 of the user A will be described as the terminal 1a, the storage 3a, and the agent 4a. Also,
User B's terminal 1, storage 3, agent 4,
The terminal 1b, the storage 3b, and the agent 4b will be described. Further, the terminal 1, the storage 3, and the agent 4 of the user C will be described as the terminal 1c, the storage 3c, and the agent 4c.

Using the terminal 1a of the user A, the content is stored in the public folder for the user A, the shared folder for the user A, or the private folder for the user A in the content storage unit 17a of the agent 4a. To store. At this time, the content management unit 16a recognizes the capacity of the stored content and updates the remaining capacity of the profile information in the user management information storage unit 13. The content stored here is
It does not have to be written in a language such as HTML that can be output by a web browser, and may be a file that can be executed by application software, for example.

Content information stored in the public folder, shared folder, and private folder described above is provided with category information for classifying the content and index information that is information about the content, as shown in FIG. ing. For example, the content management unit 16a of the agent 4 adds the index information by using a predetermined XML format based on the information instructed by the user.
Examples of items (column names) of index information given to contents are, for example, a storage date, a stored user's nickname, and a description of the contents.

User B and user C have their own terminals 1
b, the terminal 1c is used to access the agents 4b and 4c, respectively, and request the contents. Attribute information such as the PP-IDs of the users B and C who instructed the content request and the CUG in which the user participates are attached to the content request. The attribute information may be provided by the agent 4b and the agent 4c, respectively, or may be provided by the terminal 1b and the terminal 1c that transmit the content request, respectively, using XML or the like.

The agents 4b and 4c are
The content request is transmitted to the agent 4a. When the content request is received, the content management unit 16a of the agent 4a compares the attribute information given to the content request with the access control list given to the folder, and the terminal 1b that sent the content request, It is determined whether the terminal 1c has an access right to the content. First, the case where the content request is for the public folder will be described. Agent 4a
The content management unit 16a compares the access control list given to the folder with the attribute information of the content request. Since the access control list of the folder is set so that anyone can access it, it is determined that there is an access right, and the contents stored in the folder can be accessed. The content management unit 16a transmits data for outputting a list of contents stored in the folder and data for outputting content to the agents 4b and 4c that have transmitted the content request. The agents 4b and 4c output a list of contents as icons to the terminals 1b and 1c, and output the contents themselves to the terminals 1b and 1c. It should be noted that even for contents stored in a public folder, the access right can be changed depending on the data or the user who accesses the data, such as making only certain contents unwritable.

Next, the case where the content request is for the shared folder will be described. Agent 4
The content management unit 16a of a compares the access control list of the folder with the attribute information of the content request. As a result, when it is determined that the user has the access right, only the content having the access right among the contents stored in the folder can be accessed.
Here, as described above, the user who is permitted to access the content is a user who belongs to the same CUG as the user who stores the content, a user who stores the content separately, and the like. . For example, when a user belonging to a certain CUG is a collaborative affiliate company such as a design company, a publisher, and a printing company as shown in FIG. 9, the design company and the publisher can both read and write the content. Then, the printing company can set the access right such that the content can only be read. Also, the same C
Even a user belonging to a UG can have access rights (both read and write) to only a specific user.

As described above, it becomes possible for each user to share the data stored in the shared folder, and a large-capacity file that cannot be transmitted by conventional electronic mail or the like can be transmitted through the network. Next, the case where the content request is for the private folder will be described. The content management unit 16a of the agent 4a compares the access control list of the folder with the attribute information of the content request. As a result, if it is determined that the user has the access right, that is, if the user who has instructed to send the content request and the user who stores the content are the same, it is possible to access the content stored in the folder. To do. As a result of the above judgment, if there is no access right to the content, an error is returned.

Content management unit 16 of agent 4a
The a stores the contents stored in the public folder, the shared folder, and the private folder described above, in response to a request from a user who has an access right to the contents, the storage 3b and the storage 3c via the agent 4b and the agent 4c, or Terminal 1b
And can be downloaded to the terminal 1c. That is, the content itself can be copied and registered in the storage 3 or the terminal 1 of each user.

Further, the content management unit 16a of the agent 4a transmits only the data for outputting the content stored in the public folder and the shared folder described above to the terminal 1b and the terminal 1c via the agent 4b and the agent 4c. You can That is,
Content itself is storage 3b, storage 3c
The data for outputting the content is not copied to the agent 4b and the agent 4c.
Since it can be transmitted to the terminal 1b and the terminal 1c via, the user B and the user C can output the content without consuming the capacity of the storage 3 of their own. In addition, the content management unit 16 can prohibit other users from writing or reading the same content while the content stored in the public folder or the shared folder is opened by a certain user. This prohibition of reading or writing can be set by the attribute information given to the content.

The content management unit 16 has a function of not only actually outputting the content itself but also displaying a thumbnail (reduced display) as a preview of the content. Therefore, for example, the content management unit 16
Acquires the content designated by the terminal 1 from the content storage unit 17, and changes the size and the number of colors based on the image data of the acquired content. The image data acquired in this way is converted into a predetermined HTML.
User's terminal 1 using formats such as
Output as a thumbnail image to.

Further, when the content is stored in the storage as described above, the user can add the information indicating the accessible period of the content as an access control list. In that case, the access control list given to the content includes at least items of start date (publication start date) and end date (publication end date) shown in FIG. 7A. To explain the example of FIG. 7B, "root / u
For the folder "ser /.../ saemon /", the release start date (start date) of the folder is 2001/12/3/0: 00:
The release date and time (end date) of the folder is 2001/12/31
It indicates that it is / 0: 00.

When the content management unit 16 receives a request to access the content, the content management unit 16 compares the access control list given to the content with the internal clock of the agent 4 or the like to determine whether or not the access is possible, and accesses the content. The content is output only when possible. In addition, the content management unit 16 monitors the access control list given to the content in the content storage unit 17, and when a content whose accessible period has expired is found, the content management unit 16 stores the content of the user's terminal 1
May be notified to that effect, or the content may be automatically deleted or moved.

Further, the content management section 16 refers to the remaining capacity in the profile information in the user management information storage section 13 to exceed the storage capacity set for each user or each folder, or the remaining capacity has a specific value. If:
The user can be notified of that fact. This notification is
For example, the content may be output when the content exceeding the remaining capacity of the storage 3 is stored, or may be separately notified by e-mail or the like. In addition, the content management unit 16 transmits the content from the terminal 1 to the storage 3 (upload), transmits the content from the storage 3 to the terminal 1 (download), or the like when uploading or downloading the content as described above. The date and time and the processing results such as upload and download are updated as the upload history in the profile information of the user who stores the content and the download history in the profile information of the user who downloaded the content.

C) Search The user can search the contents stored in the storage 3, the CUG, the mailing list, and the like. FIG. 11 shows an outline of searching contents. First,
An example of searching content will be described. The user is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A) of (1), the terminal 1 is used in advance to set conditions for the content (data) that the user wants to search. In the example of FIG. 11, the search condition is “June 1, 2001
It is assumed that the information after the date, the information about the World Cup, and the file type are set under the condition of "html" or "mp3". At this time, the agent 4 or the terminal 1 adds the attribute information (PP-ID, participating CUG, etc.) of the user who has set the search condition.

The search unit 18 of the agent 4 compares the search condition with the index information given to the content, and searches for the content that matches the search condition. The content search location may be, for example, the content storage unit 17 of the own storage 3, a public folder in the content storage unit 17 of the storage 3 of another user, or the content storage unit 17 of the storage 3 of another user.
These are shared folders inside, contents of other regional IP networks, and contents such as the Internet. The user can also limit the content search range to, for example, only the content of users belonging to the same CUG. The user may be logged off from the personal portal 2 while the agent 4 is searching.

The search section 18 of the agent 4 stores the search result in the search result storage section 19 for each search condition. At this time, the information stored in the search result storage unit 19 may be the content itself, for example, a path name or a URL (Un
It may be location information on the network that can acquire contents such as iform Resource Locators). The user
When it is desired to output the searched contents, the search condition is specified using the terminal 1, and the search result request under the search condition is transmitted. In response to the search result request, the output unit 11 of the agent 4 acquires the search result from the search result storage unit 19 and transmits the data for outputting the search result to the terminal 1. The terminal 1 outputs the search result using the received data.

Similar to the above, the user can search the CUG, mailing list and the like. Agent 4
The search section 18 of the CU and the search condition specified by the user
The index information for each CUG stored in the G information storage unit 29 or the search condition designated by the user is compared with the index information for each mailing list in the mailing list management information storage unit 21, and the search result is obtained. It is stored in the storage unit 19. In the above-described search, the user may store the search result in the search result storage unit 19 and output the search result to the terminal 1 at a time convenient for the user, or store the search result in the search result storage unit. It may be transmitted to the terminal 1 and output without being stored in the unit 19.

D) Data Management Data management is performed by outputting data as shown in the following example.
It is a function for deleting and changing. In response to a request from the terminal 1, the user management unit 12 of the agent 4 stores the user's name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, etc. stored in the user management information storage unit 13.
Credit card type, credit card number, credit card expiration date, PP-ID, password, nickname, b-mail address, usable capacity, remaining capacity, preference information, participating CUG (Closed User Group), login history, download history, upload Profile information such as history can be output to the terminal 1. Also, depending on the request from the terminal, name, address, telephone number,
Change or delete values such as e-mail address, date of birth, gender, credit card type, credit card number, credit card expiration date, PP-ID, password, nickname, b-mail address, usable capacity, preference information, etc. You can This output, modification, and deletion may be determined according to the user. For example, name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, gender,
The credit card type, credit card number, credit card expiration date, password, nickname, and preference information values can be changed by general users, but the usable capacity and PP-ID must be changed or deleted only by the administrator. You can do that.

Further, the CUG information management section 30 can create a CUG or delete a CUG created by a user or an administrator in response to a request from the terminal 1. Similarly, any user can join the CUG, or the CUG
You can also delete the users who are participating in.
Similarly, the mailing list management unit 20 determines that the terminal 1
You can create and delete mailing lists in response to requests from In addition, the CUG information management unit 30 uses the terminal 1
It is also possible to define or change the index information item for each CUG in response to a request from the user. Further, the CUG information management unit 30 can set disclosure or non-disclosure of the CUG by attribute information in response to a request from the terminal 1. Similarly, the mailing list management unit 20 can set disclosure / non-disclosure of the mailing list by attribute information in response to a request from the terminal 1.

Further, the user management unit 12 deletes the folder for the user in the storage 3 and the file stored in the folder when the user withdrawal request is received. The user management unit 12 also deletes the profile information of the user. Further, when the mail transmission / reception control unit 14 receives a folder creation request from the terminal 1, it creates a folder in the mail storage unit 15. It is possible to add attribute information to this folder and set the conditions of data to be stored in each folder by the attribute information. For example, the attribute information makes it possible to automatically store data transmitted from a specific user in a specific folder. When the content management unit 16 receives a folder creation request from the terminal 1, the content management unit 16 creates a folder in the content storage unit 17. In this folder,
By giving the access control list (access right setting information), it is possible to set the access right like the public folder, the shared folder, and the personal folder described above.

Also, the content backup unit 26
Data such as content stored in the content storage unit 17 is copied to the backup content storage unit 27 at a specific time such as 12:00 every night. Alternatively, data such as content may be copied to the backup content storage unit 27 in response to a request from the terminal 1. In addition, the virus check unit 28 is configured to upload the content, download the content to the terminal 1, store the content in the storage 3, transmit the content to another agent 4, and transmit the content from another agent 4. When a content is received, a virus check is executed to check whether the content is infected with a computer virus by starting software. Alternatively, in response to a request from the terminal 1, the virus check of the data in the storage 3 is executed.

E) The advertisement distribution agent 4 can distribute the advertisement content only to users who are interested in the product advertised in the advertisement. The outline will be described with reference to FIG. The advertisement content reception unit 22 of the agent 4 receives the advertisement content from the advertiser (hereinafter referred to simply as the advertiser) who requests the distribution of the advertisement content.
Receive advertising content to deliver. The advertisement content is provided with user condition information indicating the characteristics of the advertisement and the characteristics of the user who wants to deliver the advertisement. In addition, this advertisement content corresponds to another agent 4 of the regional IP network to which the agent 4 belongs or another regional IP network,
It shall be transmitted from the Internet or the like. next,
The advertisement content reception unit 22 stores the received advertisement content in the advertisement content storage unit 23.

Further, the user stores preference information regarding his / her interests, preferences, etc. in the user management information storage section 13 as profile information in advance. When the search unit 18 receives a search request for advertisement content from the agent 4 of the advertiser or the terminal 1 of the user, or when the date set in advance by the attribute information is reached, the user management information storage unit 1
The profile information including the user's preference information stored in 3 and the user condition information of the advertising content stored in the advertising content storage unit 21 are compared. When the profile information including the user's preference information and the user condition information of the advertisement content match, the search unit 18 stores the advertisement content in the reception folder for the user of the mail storage unit 15 or the position information of the content. The content (path name, URL, etc.) or the content itself is stored in the search result storage unit 19. The user can use the terminal 1 to output the advertisement content by sending a mail reception request or a search result output request to the agent 4 in the same manner as described above.

F) The right protection agent 4 receives the contents to be disclosed to others.
By embedding a digital watermark or restricting the access right of the content, the right of the content such as copyright can be protected. First, the case of embedding a digital watermark will be described. The electronic watermark mentioned here means embedding data of a level that cannot be perceived by humans in contents such as images and sounds. From the embedded data, it is possible to obtain information such as the source of the content and the copyright holder. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how to embed a digital watermark.

The user uses his or her terminal 1 to upload the content in which the digital watermark is embedded to the agent 4. Digital watermark embedding unit 24 of agent 4
Using application software,
Watermark information indicating the source etc. is embedded in the content. The agent 4 downloads the content in which the watermark information is embedded, to the terminal 1 that has requested the embedding of the digital watermark, stores it in the content storage unit 17, or transmits it to another agent 4.

The watermark information embedded in the content may be one of the items of index information, and the index information may be added to the content. In that case,
When searching for a content, the search unit 18 includes the index information added to the content, including the watermark information embedded in the content in the content search condition,
By comparing with the search condition of the content, it becomes possible to search the content in which the specific digital watermark is embedded. As a result, for example, it is possible to search only the content in which the designated source is embedded as the digital watermark information, and when searching the content whose source is clear, the search efficiency can be improved.

Next, the access restriction of contents will be described. In this case, the content is stored in a folder or the like to which the access control list shown in FIG. 7 is added. The access control lists given here are "reading authority" and "writing authority".
In this item, only the administrator has the authority to write, copy, move, etc., and other general users are set to only read. Explaining the example of FIG. 7B, the folder “root / user /.../ saemon /” can be written only by the owner of the folder, and can be read by all. However, if the owner of the folder is an administrator, such a setting can realize a folder for which only the administrator has the authority to execute writing, copying, moving, and the like. The content stored in this folder is, for example, by the content conversion unit 25,
RealMe using application software
The content itself is stored in a format that cannot be downloaded, such as by being converted to a file format that is output by streaming such as dia format or Windows (registered trademark) Media format. This makes it difficult for general users who are not administrators to copy the content.

In the above-described embodiment, when the data is sent to the mailing list participants, the data sender is supposed to send the data to all the participants, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sender may send the data only to the mailing list organizer, and the mailing list organizer may send the data to all the participants. Further, the user who has the authority to send data to the mailing list participant may be only the organizer of the mailing list.

Further, the above-mentioned functions may be combined and used. For example, as described above, the user who should send the advertising content is searched, and the agent 4 of the searched user is searched.
Moreover, the advertisement content may be systematically transmitted (timer delivery) during a time period of low traffic and the content may not be output until the publication start date and time set by the access control list.

Further, in the present embodiment, the personal portal 2 and the server for realizing the personal portal 2 are not limited to one to one, and all the personal portals 2 may be realized by one server. , Part of the personal portal 2 may be realized by one server. Although the function of the agent has been mainly described above, the operation of the server 7 that realizes the function of the agent as described above will be described below.

FIG. 14A shows a user A and a user B.
It is a figure which shows that the personal portal 2 of is implement | achieved by one server 7. Further, FIG. 14B is a diagram showing that the personal portals 2 of the user A and the user B are realized by different servers 7. In this figure, one server 7 realizes two personal portals 2, but the present embodiment does not limit the number of personal portals 2 that can be realized by one server 7.

For convenience of explanation, the personal portal 2 of the user A will be described as the personal portal 2a and the personal portal 2 of the user B will be described as the personal portal 2b in FIGS. 14A and 14B.
In FIG. 14B, the server 7 that realizes the personal portal 2a of the user A will be described as a server 7a, and the server 7 that realizes the personal portal 2b of the user B will be described as a server 7b.

The operation of the server 7 for searching the CUG in the configuration of FIG. 14A will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the synchronous operation of searching the search result and immediately transmitting it to the terminal 1 will be described. Here, it is assumed that the terminal 1 of the user A transmits a search request with a search condition such as "CUG in the category" Hobby-Automobile-By Maker-Company A "". In the category of this search condition, for example, there is a CUG in which users who like cars of a specific car type of Company A gather. The search unit 18 of the server 7 receives the search request and the search condition via the communication interface 11 (step S10 and step S1 in FIG. 15).
1). Here, the virus check unit 28 may perform a virus check on the search request, search condition, and the like transmitted from the terminal 1.

When the search unit 18 receives the search request, the search unit C
The UG information management unit 30 is instructed to read the CUG information (CUG category information and CUG index information) (step S12 in FIG. 15). When receiving the CUG information read command, the CUG information management unit 30 reads the CUG information from the CUG information storage unit 29 (steps S13 and S14 in FIG. 15). As described above, the CUG information storage unit 29 stores CUG category information and index information for each CUG belonging to each category as CUG information. This CUG information is disclosed according to the attribute condition given to each CUG.
There is a setting such as private, but C is set for each user.
The UG information is not stored, but is stored as information common to all the storages 3 realized by the server 7. The CUG information management unit 30 returns the CUG information to the search unit 18 (step S15 in FIG. 15).

The search unit 18 compares the above-mentioned search condition with the transmitted CUG information, and searches for a CUG within the category indicated by the search condition (step S1 in FIG. 15).
6). Next, the search unit 18 transmits the search result to the terminal 1 of the user A (steps S17 and S18 in FIG. 15). At this time, if there is a CUG that matches the search condition, the index information of the CUG and the like are also transmitted to the terminal 1 of the user A. For example, a list of index information as shown in FIG. 4B is transmitted. Here, the virus check unit 28 sends the search result and CU to the terminal 1.
A virus check of the G index information may be performed.

The user A selects the CUG desired by the user from the transmitted index information and participates in the CUG. In the present embodiment, the participation of a CUG means that the agent 4 who is a candidate for participation notifies the organizer or the like of the CUG of the intention to participate, and the intention of the organizer or the organizer from participating users of other CUGs. After getting approval for participation, etc.,
Participation CUG of profile information of applicant (user)
In this item, the CUG identification information such as the name of the participating CUG is to be entered.

Next, description will be made of an asynchronous operation in which the search result is not immediately sent to the terminal 1 after being searched, but the search result is once stored in the search result storage section 19. Since this operation is partly common with the above-mentioned operation, only different parts will be described in detail. The search request is transmitted from the terminal 1 of the user A in the same manner as described above (step S20, step S2 in FIG. 15).
1). Here, the virus check unit 28 may perform a virus check on the search request, search condition, and the like transmitted from the terminal 1. The search unit 18 uses the CU as described above.
The C information (CUG category information and CUG index information) read from the CUG information storage unit 29 by the G information management unit 30 is compared with the search condition to search for a CUG in the category indicated in the search condition (FIG. 15). Steps S22 to S26). Next, the search unit 18
Stores the search result associated with the search condition in the field for storing the search result of the user A in the search result storage unit 19 (step S27 in FIG. 15). here,
The virus check unit 28 may perform a virus check on the search result stored in the search result storage unit 19.

When the CUG search result request specifying the search condition is received from the terminal 1 of the user A (step S28, step S29 in FIG. 15), the search unit 18 of the server 7 is executed.
Reads out the search result of the specified search condition from the field storing the search result of the user A in the search result storage unit 19 (step S31 in FIG. 15) and transmits the read search result to the terminal 1 of the user A. (Step S32, Step S33 in FIG. 15). Here, the virus check unit 28 may perform a virus check on the search result transmitted to the terminal 1. User A's terminal 1
Output search results.

Next, in the structure of FIG. 14B, C
The operation of the server 7a and the server 7b for searching the UG is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. First, the synchronous operation of searching the search result and immediately transmitting it to the terminal 1 will be described. Since this operation is partly common with the above-mentioned operation, only different parts will be described in detail. Similarly to the above, the search request is transmitted from the terminal 1 of the user A to the server 7a (steps S40 and S41 in FIG. 16). Here, the virus check unit 28a may perform a virus check on the search request, search condition, and the like transmitted from the terminal 1. Similar to the above, the search unit 18a compares the CUG information (CUG category information and CUG index information) read from the CUG information storage unit 29a by the CUG information management unit 30a with the search condition, and indicates the search condition. A CUG in the category is searched (step S42 in FIG. 16).
-Step S46).

As a result of this search, a CU that matches the search condition
When G is not searched, or when it is set in advance by the user A, the administrator, or the like, the search unit 18a
The search condition and the CUG search command received from the terminal 1 of the user A are transmitted to the server 7b (step S in FIG. 16).
47). Here, the virus check unit 28b of the server b
May perform a virus check such as the search condition and the CUG search command transmitted from the server a. Server 7b
The search unit 18b receives the CUG search command and the search condition via the communication interface 11b (step S48 in FIG. 16), and the CUG information management unit 30b reads the CUG information storage unit 29b from the CUG information storage unit 29b as described above. The information (CUG category information and CUG index information) is compared with the search condition, the CUG in the category indicated in the search condition is searched, and the search result is obtained (steps S49 to S53 in FIG. 16).
Next, the search unit 18b transmits the search result to the search unit 18a of the server 7a (step S5 in FIG. 16).
4). Here, the virus check unit 28b of the server b
May perform a virus check on the search result or the like transmitted to the server 7b. The search unit 18a of the server 7a uses the search result of itself and the search unit 18 of the server 7b as described above.
The search result by b is transmitted to the terminal 1 of the user A (steps S55 and S56 in FIG. 16). Here, the virus check unit 28a of the server 7a uses the terminal 1
You may perform virus check of the search result etc. sent to.

Next, an asynchronous operation of storing the search result in the search result storage unit 19 once instead of immediately searching the search result and transmitting it to the terminal 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Since this operation is partly common to the above-mentioned operation, it will be briefly described.
Similarly to the above, the search request is transmitted from the terminal 1 of the user A to the server 7a (step S60 in FIG. 17,
Step S61). Here, the virus check unit 28a of the server 7a may perform a virus check on the search request, search conditions, and the like transmitted from the terminal 1. Similar to the above, the search unit 18a compares the CUG information (CUG category information and CUG index information) read from the CUG information storage unit 29a by the CUG information management unit 30a with the search condition, and indicates the search condition. Search for a CUG in the category (step S62 in FIG. 17).
-Step S66).

As a result of this search, a CU that matches the search condition
When G is not searched, or when it is set in advance by the user A, the administrator, or the like, the search unit 18a
The search condition and the CUG search command received from the terminal 1 of the user A are transmitted to the server 7b (step S in FIG. 17).
67). Here, the virus check unit 28 of the server 7b
b may perform a virus check such as the search condition and the CUG search command transmitted from the server 7a. The search unit 18b of the server 7b receives the CUG search command and the search condition via the communication interface 11b (see FIG. 1).
7 in step S68), similarly to the above, the CUG information (CUG category information and CUG index information) read from the CUG information storage unit 29b by the CUG information management unit 30b is compared with the search condition, and the search condition is set. The CUG in the category shown is searched to obtain the search result, and the search result is transmitted to the search unit 18a of the server 7a (steps S69 to S7 in FIG. 17).
4). Here, the virus check unit 28a of the server 7a
May perform a virus check on the search result or the like transmitted from the server 7b. Search unit 18a of server 7a
Stores the search result associated with the search condition in the field for storing the search result of the user A in the search result storage unit 19a (step S75 in FIG. 17), as described above.

When the CUG search result request specifying the search condition is received from the terminal 1 of the user A (steps S76 and S77 in FIG. 17), the search unit 18 of the server 7a.
a reads the search result of the specified search condition from the field storing the search result of the user A in the search result storage unit 19a (step S78 in FIG. 17), and displays the search result read to the terminal 1 of the user A. It is transmitted (step S79 to step S81 in FIG. 17). Here, the virus check unit 28a of the server 7a may perform a virus check on the search result or the like transmitted to the terminal 1.
The terminal 1 of the user A outputs the search result.

In the operation of FIGS. 16 and 17 described above, the server 7a searches for the CUG by itself and then the server 7b.
Although the CUG search command is transmitted to the server, the search unit 1 of the server 7a is not limited to this.
When 8a receives a CUG search request from the terminal 1 of the user A, first, the server 7b sends a C request to another communicable server 7, such as the server 7b.
Sends a UG search command, and then sends its own CUG information storage unit 2
You may search CUG which matches the search condition from 9.

The trigger for transmitting the CUG search command to the other server 7 described above is an example. For example, when the number of CUGs hitting the search condition is a specific value or less, or when the search result is sent to the terminal 1 For example, it may be a case where a further search request is received from the user who browsed the search result after the output.

Further, the operation of the server 7 described above is the CUG.
It is not applied only to the search of the above, and the same applies to operations such as data transmission of content, content (data) search, mailing list search, and advertisement data distribution. For example, an operation example of the server when data is transmitted from the user A to the user B will be briefly described. In the configuration shown in FIG. 14A, the mail transmission / reception control unit 14 of the server 7 sends the data to the user B from the b-mail address of the transmission destination added to the data transmitted from the terminal 1 of the user A. The data is stored in a specific field (reception folder) for the user B in the mail storage unit 15, and when the mail reception request is received from the terminal 1 of the user B, the data is transmitted. In addition, for example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 14B, the mail transmission / reception control unit 14a of the server 7a uses the b-mail address of the transmission destination added to the data transmitted from the terminal 1 of the user A to obtain the data. Recognizes that the server 7a itself is not the user who provides the personal portal 2a, and transfers the data to the server 7b. The mail transmission / reception control unit 14b of the server 7b determines that the transmission destination of the data is addressed to the user B, stores the data in a specific field (reception folder) for the user B in the mail storage unit 15b, and When the mail reception request is received from the terminal 1 of B, the data is transmitted. in this way,
The server 7 uses other servers 7 as search conditions such as data, CUG, mailing list, and users who should send advertisement data.
By transferring the data to another server 7 after recognizing the transmission destination of the data, the P2P network capable of transmitting and receiving the data between the users is realized.

The CUG information is C for each user.
It is assumed that the UG information is not stored but is stored as information common to all the storages 3 realized by the server 7, but this is not limited to CUG information. The category information of the mailing list, the index information for each mailing list, and the mailing list management information stored in the mailing list management information storage unit 21 are also stored as information common to all the storages 3 realized by the server 7.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the P2P network 5 is realized on the regional IP network 6, but the P2P network 5 is not limited to this.
AN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Netw)
ork) and other communication networks.

The storage 3 (user management information storage unit 13, mail storage unit 15, content storage unit 17, search result storage unit 19, advertisement content storage unit 23, backup content storage unit 27, CUG information storage unit 30)
Is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, a flash memory, a read-only storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a RAM (Random Acces
s Memory) such as volatile memory, or a combination of these.

Each unit may be realized by dedicated hardware, and each unit in FIG. 2 is composed of a memory and a CPU (central processing unit) to realize the function of each unit. The function may be realized by loading the program into the memory and executing it.

Further, a program for realizing the functions of the respective parts in FIG. 2 is recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in this recording medium is read by the computer system and executed. May be. The “computer system” mentioned here includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

The "computer system" is WW.
If the W system is used, the homepage providing environment (or display environment) is also included. The "computer-readable recording medium" means a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-
A portable medium such as a ROM or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" means to hold a program dynamically for a short time like a communication line when transmitting the program through a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or a client in that case holds a program for a certain period of time. Also, the program above
It may be for realizing some of the above-mentioned functions, or may be for realizing the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0124]

As described above, according to the personal portal apparatus, the communication method, the program and the recording medium according to the present invention, a large amount of data can be directly transmitted to the client without the centralized control by the server. it can.
Data is not exchanged directly between the users' terminals, but the agents exchange data stored in the storage, so the IP address of the user's terminal is not revealed to other users. It is possible to realize a P2P network with excellent security. In addition, the data stored in the storage can avoid the problem of copyright infringement by the access control list, the digital watermark, the conversion of the data format, and the like. Further, since index information indicating the characteristics of the CUG or data is added to the CUG or data, the user can easily search for the existence or data of another user who has the same hobby or interest as himself. It is possible to form a community that can send and receive a large amount of data such as moving images and audio, instead of a community centered on text data like a conventional bulletin board.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a server (agent, storage) in the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of profile information in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of index information in the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of content transmission in the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a timer distribution function in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an access control list in the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a public folder in the same embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a shared folder in the same embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a private folder in the same embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a search function in the same embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an advertisement content distribution function in the same embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a digital watermark embedding function in the same embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the function of the agent and the operation of the server in the same embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a function of an agent and an operation of a server in the same embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an agent function and a server operation in the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the function of the agent and the operation of the server in the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Terminal, 2: Personal portal, 3: Storage,
4: P2P agent, 5: P2P network,
6: local IP network, 7: server, 11: communication interface, 12: user management unit, 13: user management information storage unit, 14: mail transmission / reception control unit, 15: mail storage unit,
16: content management unit, 17: content storage unit, 1
8: Search unit, 19: Content search result storage unit, 20:
Mailing list management unit, 21: Mailing list management information storage unit, 22: Advertising content reception unit, 23: Advertising content storage unit, 24: Digital watermark embedding unit, 2
5: content conversion unit, 26: content backup unit, 27: backup content storage unit, 28: virus check unit, 29: CUG information storage unit, 30: CU
G information management department

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G06F 17/30 350 G06F 17/30 350C H04L 12/22 H04L 12/22 H04N 1/21 H04N 1/21 ( 72) Inventor Yasunori Ago 3-19-3 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Tonichi Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Kayoko Kubo, 3-19-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Tohnichi Telegraph Telephone Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Nobuhiro Chiba 3-19-3 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Tohnichi Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Masahide Yasuda 3-19-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo No. Tohnichi Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Takanobu Kudo 3-19-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Tohnichi Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Atsushi Arimoto Tokyo Inner ward, Shinjuku 3-32-1 Tohnichi Honshin Telegraph Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Nozomu Abe F-term inside Tonichi Honsen Telegraph, Ltd. 3-19-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 5B017 AA03 AA06 BA06 BA09 BB06 CA16 5B075 ND20 UU40 5B082 EA11 HA05 5C073 AB01 AB07 AB11 AB17 5K030 GA15 HB01 HB02 HB21 HC01 HD05 KA01 KA06

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A personal portal device for providing a user-specific portal comprising storages and agents to a plurality of user terminals, wherein the storage stores data for each user, The agent receives data transmitted from the agent of another user or the terminal of the user, and further transmits the data stored in the storage to the agent of the other user or the terminal of the user. A personal portal device characterized by the following. 2. The index information indicating the characteristics of the data is added to the data, and the search condition information indicating a condition for the agent to search the data and the data stored in the storage. The data matching the search condition is searched based on the index information, and the agent sends the search result to an agent of the other user or the terminal. Personal portal device. 3. The index information indicating the characteristics of the data is added to the data, and the agent stores search condition information indicating a condition for searching the data and data stored in the storage. Based on the index information, to search for data that matches the search condition, the agent stores the search result in the storage, when receiving a request from the user terminal,
The personal portal device according to claim 1, wherein the stored search result is transmitted to the terminal. 4. The data is provided with user identification information that identifies a user who should receive the data, and the agent is the agent of the user identified by the user identification information. 4. The data is transmitted, and the agent of the user identified by the user identification information transmits the data to the terminal of the user identified by the user identification information. The personal portal device according to any of the above. 5. The storage stores profile information including preference information indicating a preference of the user and user identification information of the user, and the agent stores a profile of a user who advertises a product. Receiving advertisement data provided with user condition information indicating a condition, the agent, based on the user condition information and profile information stored in the storage,
Searching for a user who matches the user condition, the agent acquires the user identification information of the user from the profile information of the user who matches the user condition, the agent, the user The advertisement data is transmitted to the agent of the user specified by the identification information, and the agent of the user specified by the user identification information makes the advertisement data the terminal of the user specified by the user identification information. The personal portal device according to claim 4, wherein the personal portal device is transmitted to the personal portal device. 6. The access right setting information for setting an access right to the data or the folder is given to the data or the folder storing the data, and the agent is based on the access right setting information. 6. The personal portal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to transmit the data to the terminal of the user or an agent of the other user is managed. 7. The access right setting information given to the folder storing the data is applicable only to users who are participating in a group specified by the user and composed of a plurality of users. It is set that the folder is accessible, and the agent manages whether to transmit the data to the terminal of the user or the agent of the other user based on the access right setting information. The personal portal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the personal portal apparatus is a personal portal apparatus. 8. The data is provided with transmission date setting information for setting a date when the data can be transmitted to the terminal of the user and user identification information for identifying a user who should receive the data. The agent transmits the data to the agent of the user identified by the user identification information by the date when the agent can transmit the data to the terminal of the user, and the user identified by the user identification information Agent, based on the transmission date setting information of the data,
8. The personal portal device according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to transmit the data to the terminal of the user specified by the user identification information is controlled. 9. The personal portal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the agent copies the data stored in the storage to another storage means. 10. The agent embeds a digital watermark in the data stored in the storage, and the agent transmits the data embedded with the digital watermark to the other agent. The personal portal device according to any one of 1 to 9. 11. The personal portal device according to claim 10, wherein the agent detects data in which the digital watermark is embedded, from the storage. 12. The agent converts data stored in the storage into data for streaming output, and the agent transmits the converted data to the other agent. The personal portal device according to claim 1. 13. The data stored in the storage by the agent, the data transmitted to the agent of the other user or the terminal, or the data received from the agent of the other user or the terminal, 13. The personal portal device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not it is infected with a virus. 14. The personal portal device is connected by a regional IP network.
The personal portal device according to any one of 1 to 13. 15. A communication method for providing a user's terminal with a portal for each user consisting of a storage and an agent, wherein the storage stores data for each user, and the agent comprises: The data transmitted from the agent of the other user or the terminal of the user is received and stored in the storage, and the data stored in the storage is transferred to the agent of the other user or the terminal of the user. A communication method characterized by transmitting. 16. A communication program for providing a user's terminal with a portal for each user comprising a storage and an agent, wherein the storage stores data for each user, and the agent Receiving data sent from an agent of another user or a terminal of the user and storing the data in the storage; and storing the data stored in the storage in the agent of the other user or the user A communication program that causes a computer to execute the steps of transmitting to a terminal. 17. A communication program for providing a user's terminal with a portal for each user consisting of a storage and an agent, wherein the storage stores data for each user, and the agent stores Receiving data sent from an agent of another user or a terminal of the user and storing the data in the storage; and storing the data stored in the storage in the agent of the other user or the user A computer-readable recording medium recording a communication program that causes a computer to execute the steps of transmitting to a terminal.