JP2005309524A - Application server, presence information provision method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an AP server capable of realizing privacy protection when providing presence information, and enabling the establishment of real-time communication. <P>SOLUTION: This AP server 100 having various communication tools is cooperated with the other cooperation presence server 10, and disclosure condition of a conventional presence server can be registered in a privacy DB 120 on the AP server 100 side and be set. Thereby, a user on a providing side of the presence information can set a user name of a provision destination of the presence information, a range of a provision time or the like. The user can establish the real-time communication by use of the communication tool of the AP server. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an application server that provides presence information, a presence information providing method, and a program, and in particular, an application server that cooperates with another presence server to receive presence information from the presence server and provide the information to a user terminal. , Presence information providing method, and program.

  The presence system is a system for grasping a user's location and state, allowing other people to check the user's state, and facilitating communication (contact) with the user. The information transmitted by such a conventional presence system includes the following information.

First, there is information to manually select the current state of the person and inform the other party. For example, information such as “currently present”, “busy”, “login”, “logout”, and the like.
In addition, there is information to inform the other party by a method of inputting characters by itself, for example, character input information such as “business trip tomorrow” and “meal from now on”.
In addition, there is information that informs the opponent of the scheduled name of the schedule as the current state of himself / herself. For example, information such as “planning meeting from 14:00” and “business trip from Tokyo to 10:00”.
In addition, there is information that informs the other party of the state of the phone as being on the phone. For example, information that can be collected from a telephone set such as “communication”, “calling”, “empty”, “failing”, and the like.
There is also information that informs the other party of the status of collaboration. For example, information such as “in collaboration”.

  As described above, in the presence system, the state of the other party can be known in real time by various methods and means, and has been utilized for various communications.

  Furthermore, in addition to the presence system described above, there is also presence as position information. Position information acquisition technology using satellites such as GPS (Global Positioning System), HEO (Highly Elliptical Orbit), and wireless LAN / BlueTooth (Bluetooth). In UWB (Ultra Wide Band), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), etc., location information acquisition technology using access points, node installation positions, etc. has also appeared. Furthermore, it is possible to know the current position information of the tag holder by carrying a tag product using a small electronic component such as an RFID chip.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional location information presence system. A location information presence server 200 collects and manages location information notified from a user 201 on the side of providing location information. Then, the user 202 receiving the location information provision is configured to obtain the location information of the user 201 by accessing the location information presence server 200.

  Several inventions related to presence systems have been disclosed, and even when the presence information handled by a certain presence service is different from the presence information handled by another presence service, the interconnection between the presence services can be realized. An invention relating to a presence service communication system is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In addition, in the presence system, an invention for restricting the setting of presence information by a presentity (owner of presence information to be distributed) is disclosed. In the present invention, for example, limited presence information (for example, “game score” in the presence information) that cannot be set by the user agent among the presence information is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 2). .
JP 2003-186775 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-13824

  However, in the above-described conventional presence system, the contents of the presence information received by the presence system from other cooperative systems are transparently displayed to the user and cannot be controlled by privacy. In addition, the contents of presence information received from other cooperative systems are displayed transparently to the user without continuation. Furthermore, when presence information is not received for a certain period of time, there is a problem that old presence remains.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an application server and presence information provision that can protect the privacy of a user who provides presence information and can establish real-time communication. It is to provide a method and a program.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and is an application server that cooperates with one or a plurality of presence servers, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides the information to a user terminal. Presence information input means for receiving presence information from the server, presence information registration means for registering presence information received by the presence information input means, type of presence information received from the presence server, and presence information Privacy information registration means for registering presence information provision conditions as privacy information for each user on the providing side, and when providing presence information to the user's terminal, refer to the privacy information and Whether to allow Application server; and a privacy control means for determining.
As a result, in the conventional presence server, privacy is not considered because the provision destination user (the user on the receiving side) arbitrarily sets the disclosure condition of the presence information not on the presence information provider side. However, in the present invention, since the provision condition of presence information can be registered as privacy information on the application server side, it is possible to protect the privacy of the user on the presence information providing side.

The application server of the present invention is characterized in that the privacy information includes at least information on a user name to which presence information is provided and provision permission time.
As a result, it is possible to limit the users to whom presence information is provided (users who receive presence information) and not to provide presence information outside the provision time, thereby enhancing privacy.

The application server of the present invention clears the last update time of the presence information for the user when the presence information of the user is not received from the presence server for a predetermined time or number of days. A means for notifying that information has not been received is provided.
Thereby, presence information is not updated and it can suppress that old presence information is provided.

In addition, the application server of the present invention includes a priority determination unit that determines whether a user who has requested presence information is a user having special authority, and a user who has requested presence information by the priority determination unit has a special request. When it is determined that the user is an authorized user, privacy control means for providing presence information is provided without being limited to the contents of the privacy information.
As a result, maintenance management and the like can be performed for the function of the application server.

The application server according to the present invention is characterized in that one or more types of communication tools are prepared in the application server, and provided with means for providing the communication tools according to a user's selection.
As a result, the user can log in to the application server, select an appropriate communication tool from the displayed presence information, and quickly establish communication with the other party (enabling establishment of real-time communication). That is, the user logs in to the application server, refers to the partner presence information, and activates various services prepared in the application server, thereby promoting service use according to the presence information.

The presence information providing method of the present invention is a presence information providing method in an application server that cooperates with one or more presence servers, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides it to a user terminal. Presence information input procedure for receiving presence information from the server, presence information registration procedure for registering presence information received by the presence information input procedure, type of presence information received from the presence server, and presence information For each user on the providing side, a privacy information registration procedure for registering presence information provision conditions as privacy information, and when providing presence information to a user terminal, refer to the privacy information, and Offer Characterized in that it comprises a privacy control procedure for determining whether to permit.
As a result, in the conventional presence server, the disclosure condition of the presence information cannot be set by the provider of the presence information, and the provider user (the user on the receiving side) can refer to it unconditionally. However, in the present invention, since the provision condition of presence information can be registered as privacy information on the application server side, the privacy protection of the user on the presence information providing side can be performed.

  The computer program of the present invention receives presence information from the presence server in a computer in an application server that cooperates with one or a plurality of presence servers, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides it to a user terminal. Presence information input procedure for registering, presence information registration procedure for registering presence information received by the presence information input procedure, type of presence information received from the presence server and each user on the side providing presence information In addition, a privacy information registration procedure for registering presence information provision conditions as privacy information, and whether to provide presence information with reference to the privacy information when providing presence information to a user terminal. Or Is a program for executing a privacy control procedure for constant.

In the application server of the present invention, the application server cooperates with the presence server, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides it to the user terminal. The application server registers presence information provision conditions as privacy information for each type of presence information received from the presence server and each user on the presence information provision side. When providing the presence information from the application server to the user's terminal, it is determined whether or not the provision of the presence information is permitted with reference to the registered privacy information.
As a result, in the conventional presence server, the disclosure condition of the presence information cannot be set by the provider of the presence information, and the provider user (the user on the receiving side) can refer to it unconditionally. However, in the present invention, since the provision condition of presence information can be registered as privacy information on the application server side, the privacy protection of the user on the presence information providing side can be performed.

In the application server of the present invention, provision time is added as privacy information together with the user name of the presence information provision destination, so that the contents of the presence information cannot be referred to outside the provision time.
As a result, it is possible to limit the users to whom presence information is provided (users who receive presence information) and not to provide presence information outside the provision time, thereby enhancing privacy.

In the application server of the present invention, when the presence information of the user is not received from the presence server for a predetermined time or number of days, the last update time of the presence information for the user is cleared, and the presence information of the user Is notified that the presence information has not been received.
Thereby, presence information is not updated and it can suppress that old presence information is provided.

Further, in the application server of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the user who has requested presence information is a user having special authority, and if it is determined that the user has special authority, Presence information is provided without being limited by the content or provision time. Further, for a user having a special authority, even when the presence information is not received for a predetermined time or number of days, the presence information of the user is not deleted and traceability is enabled.
As a result, maintenance management and the like can be performed for the function of the application server.

In the application server of the present invention, a plurality of types of communication tools are prepared in the application server, and the user can select and use the communication tools after acquiring the presence information.
As a result, the user can log in to the application server, select an appropriate communication tool from the displayed presence information, and quickly establish communication with the other party (enabling establishment of real-time communication). That is, the user logs in to the application server, refers to the partner presence information, and activates various services prepared in the application server, thereby promoting service use according to the presence information.

In the presence information providing method of the present invention, the application server cooperates with the presence server, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides it to the user terminal. The application server registers presence information provision conditions as privacy information for each type of presence information received from the presence server and each user on the presence information provision side. When providing the presence information from the application server to the user's terminal, it is determined whether or not the provision of the presence information is permitted with reference to the registered privacy information.
As a result, in the conventional presence server, the disclosure condition of the presence information cannot be set by the provider of the presence information, and the provider user (the user on the receiving side) can refer to it unconditionally. However, in the present invention, since the provision condition of presence information can be registered as privacy information on the application server side, the privacy protection of the user on the presence information providing side can be performed.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Description of basic concept of application server according to the present invention)
In the application server (hereinafter referred to as “AP server”) according to the present invention, with respect to presence information received from other cooperating presence servers, privacy can be set by the user for the destination of presence information. This prevents anyone from providing unlimited presence information. Further, for the other party who does not provide presence due to privacy, the AP server notifies the user that the information cannot be provided based on the privacy policy by providing an indication that the presence cannot be provided.

  Also, provision time is provided as a privacy setting item so that the presence contents cannot be referred to outside the provision time. In this case, the user is notified that it is outside the provision time.

  If the presence information from the presence server is not received for a certain period of time or number of days, the last update time for the user who does not transmit the presence information is cleared, and the presence of the user (providing presence information) is confirmed. Receiving user).

  Although privacy can be set, presence contents can be referred to by authorized users (display methods can be selected for all users or for each user or category for each user).

  In addition, by linking the presence server with the AP server having various communication tools, the user selects an appropriate communication tool from the displayed presence information by logging in to the AP server, and quickly establishes communication with the other party. (It is possible to log in to the AP server, refer to the partner presence information, and activate various services prepared in the AP server, thereby promoting service use according to the presence information).

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the concept of a presence information service system using an AP server according to the present invention, and illustrates the basic concept of the AP server described above.
As shown in FIG. 1, the presence information service system includes various linked presence servers 10 that link with the AP server 100 with the AP server 100 at the center. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the presence server #A (conference presence server) 11 that collects and provides conference (presence) presence information as the presence server 10, and the presence that collects and provides telephone presence information. In this example, a server #B (telephone presence server) 12 and a presence server #C (position information presence server) 13 that collects and provides presence information of position information are provided.

  In the AP server 100, a privacy database (privacy DB) 120 is provided. In the privacy DB 120, for each presence type (for example, conference, telephone, location information), “privacy information (privacy setting information, for example, , Provision conditions, provision destination user list (presence provision destination user list), provision time, etc.) ”and“ presence information ”are recorded.

  When the AP server 100 provides the presence information to the user 20, the presence type is determined based on the input information (presence information) from the cooperative presence server 10, and the privacy DB 120 is set based on the type of presence information. Search and obtain privacy setting information. Then, presence information is provided according to the privacy information.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the basic operation of the AP server according to the present invention.
In FIG. 2, the cooperative presence server 10 that cooperates with the AP server 100 receives presence information (logged in, on the phone, location information, out of office, etc.) from the presence providing user (user sending the presence information) 21. ) Is acquired and held (arrow a).

  The AP server 100 uses the presence information received from the presence server 10 associated with the AP server 100 in accordance with the privacy setting (privacy information) of the presence information provider registered in the privacy DB 120 (providing presence information). (User who receives) is provided to 22 (arrow line b). In addition, by making it possible for the presence providing user 22 to use various communication tools 130 provided by the AP server 100, real-time communication using presence is provided.

  The presence providing user 22 can refer to various presences in accordance with the provider side privacy of the presence providing side user 21 by logging in to the AP server 100. Further, various communication tools 130 can be activated with reference to the provided presence information. For example, as a communication tool, there are a chat server 131, a mail server 132, a telephone server 133, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of display contents of presence information. An example in which “login state”, “user state”, “phone state”, “collaborating”, and “location information” are set as display items displayed on the terminal of the presence providing user 22 is shown. .
The display content of “login state” is “logged in” or the like, and indicates the login state to the AP server 100.
The display content of “user state” is “at present” or the like, and indicates the “state name selected by the user” detected by the presence server and the scheduled name “schedule registered”.
The display content of “telephone status” is “communication” or the like, and indicates the communication status of the user's telephone detected by the presence server.
The display content of “in collaboration” is “in collaboration” or the like, and indicates the collaboration participation state of the user extracted by the presence server.
The display content of “position information” is, for example, “2004/03/31 13:20, Makuhari, within area, 23F”, and the like, and indicates presence information (position information) received from the presence server.

(Detailed description of specific system configuration and operation)
Next, a specific configuration example and operation of an AP server according to the present invention and a presence information service system using the AP server will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a system configuration example of a presence information service system using an AP server according to the present invention. By coordinating an AP server 100 and another presence server (location information presence server) 13, location information And the provision of a communication tool after displaying positional information.

  In FIG. 4, the location information presence server 13 aggregates and manages the location information of the users 24 and 25 who provide the location information, and transmits it to the AP server 100. The AP server 100 records the location information of the users 24 and 25 and provides presence information according to the privacy registration contents (privacy information) for each presence type of the location information provider.

  The presence providing destination user (user who receives the provision of presence information) 23 requests display of the location information of the users (users 24 and 25 who provide location information) registered in the buddy list and displays them on the screen. If the user 23 knows from the position information that the user 24 is in the room or near the seat, the user 23 can make a telephone contact with the user 24, for example. In this way, it is possible to quickly establish communication with the other party by selecting an appropriate communication tool from the displayed position information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a restriction example of display of position information, and shows an example in which time restriction is provided for providing presence information (position information).
In FIG. 5, the horizontal line indicates the flow of time, and the vertical line indicates the flow of position information transmitted from the position information presence server 13 to the AP server 100. In addition, the location information provider is “Mr. A”, the location information provision destination users are “Mr. B” and “Mr. C”, and the position information provision available time is “8:30 to 17:00”. It is an example.

  The position information of Mr. A is always notified to the position information presence server 13 (detection of position information indicated by reference signs a1 to a6). Further, the AP server 100 receives Mr. A's position information from the position information presence server 13, and sends Mr. A's position information and position information detection time to the terminal of the user (Mr. B, Mr. C) of the position information providing destination. indicate. In addition, from time 17: 00 to 8:30 the next day (out of work hours), it is displayed that “it is not provided hours” (time zone indicated by an arrow line b). For Mr. D, since Mr. A does not permit the provision of position information, Mr. D does not display Mr. A's position information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of a cooperative interface signal between servers.
In FIG. 6, it is the user A that provides the position information. User B is a user who is permitted to provide location information presence by user A, and user C is a user who is not permitted to provide location information presence by user A. It is assumed that user B and user C are logged in to the AP server 100.

  When the location information of the user A is detected and collected by the location information presence server 13 (step S101), the location information presence server 13 notifies the AP server 100 of the location information of the user A (step S102). The AP server 100 records the location information of the user A in the privacy DB 120.

  The user B obtains the latest location information of the user A from the presence screen of his / her terminal to the AP server 100 (step S103). For example, an update button (not shown) on the screen is pressed. The AP server 100 displays the latest information of the user A on the presence screen (step S104).

  Further, the user C acquires the latest location information of the user A from the presence screen of his / her terminal to the AP server 100 (step S105). For example, an update button (not shown) on the screen is pressed. The AP server 100 determines that the user C is a user who is not permitted to provide the presence of the location information of the user A, and displays on the presence screen that the latest information cannot be provided (step S106).

  After that, rushes outside the provision time. Even if it is out of time, the location information of the user A is detected by the location information presence server 13 (steps S111 and S115) and notified to the AP server 100 (steps S112 and S116). If the user B performs an operation for acquiring the latest information to the AP server 100 outside the provision time (steps S113 and S117), an out-of-hours display is performed (steps S114 and S118).

  When the outside of the provision time is canceled, the latest location information of the user A is provided to the user B again (steps S121 to S124).

  In the processing procedure shown in FIG. 6, an example in which the user side requests acquisition of the latest position information from the AP server 100 is shown. However, the AP server 100 sends a notification of user position information to the user side. “Received, so that the latest position information is acquired” may be requested to be reloaded.

Next, a configuration example of the AP server will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an AP server. The input operation unit 101 receives an input operation from an input screen provided to a user and an authorized person (a user having priority), and receives user information as an information control unit. The function to take over to 103 is provided. For the authorized person, priority information is set.

  An information input unit (presence information input unit) 102 provides a function of checking a signal format received from another presence server and taking over user information, presence information, and the like to the information control unit 103. At this time, when a signal format error or the like occurs, the information control unit 103 is notified of an instruction to display a warning message to the AP server maintenance person.

  The information control unit 103 activates the privacy control unit 104 from various information input from other cooperating presence servers, edits the screen of presence information to be provided from the processing result of the privacy control unit 104, and displays a screen display unit. 105 is started. In addition, the privacy control unit 104 is activated from user information input by the user, the user setting privacy contents and the presence information screen are edited from the processing result, and the screen display unit 105 is activated.

The privacy control unit (privacy control means) 104 accesses the privacy DB 120 from user information input from the presence server, performs user check, writes latest presence information, and collects user privacy information. .
In addition, when the user DB is accessed from the user information input from the user terminal and the user check is performed, if priority is set for the user, the user is registered in the provision destination by the user privacy setting (privacy information). Even if not, the presence content can be referred to (however, the privacy setting content is not allowed to be referenced).

  The screen display unit 105 displays the information content edited by the information control unit 103 as a presence on the terminal of the providing user. Further, the contents of the information edited on the screen by the information control unit 103 are displayed on the terminal of the user who is the input person or the authority.

  A privacy DB (presence information registration unit and privacy information registration unit) 120 controls writing and reading of various kinds of presence information and privacy information.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flow of position information providing processing in the AP server, and shows a flow of processing in each processing unit in the AP server 100. In the figure, a signal with a symbol “I” indicates an input signal on the signal receiving side, and a signal with a symbol “O” indicates a reply signal (response signal).

  In FIG. 8, first, “user information” and “presence information” are input to the information input unit 102 from the linked presence server 10 (step S201).

  The information input unit 102 checks the input signal and checks whether the server is allowed to cooperate or the format is normal (step S202). Further, the information input unit 102 sends “user information” and “presence information” to the information control unit 103 (step S203). The information control unit 103 sends “user information” and “presence information” received from the information input unit 102 to the privacy control unit 104. In addition, a processing result performed by the privacy control unit 104 based on the “user information” and “presence information” is received (step S204).

  The privacy control unit 104 accesses the privacy DB 120, checks whether the user is a real user, and collects privacy information (step S205). That is, the privacy control unit 104 sends “user information” and “presence information” to the privacy DB 120, and the information of “real / unknown (check whether the user really exists)” and “privacy information” are sent from the privacy DB 120. Is acquired (step S206). Then, the privacy control unit 104 performs information control in accordance with the set privacy information (step S207).

  Further, the information control unit 103 performs screen editing based on the “privacy information” received from the privacy control unit 104 (step S208), and the screen display unit 105 displays “presence providing destination user information (providing presence information provision). "Allowed user list)" and "presence information" are sent (step S209). The screen display unit 105 transmits “presence information” to the presence providing user and displays it (step S210). For example, the terminal of the presence providing user is instructed to reload the latest presence information and displayed.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the flow of privacy setting and content reference processing in the AP server. In the figure, a signal with a symbol “I” indicates an input signal on the signal receiving side, and a signal with a symbol “O” indicates a reply signal (response signal).

  In FIG. 9, first, a user who wants to set privacy information logs in to the AP server 100 (step S301), and transmits "user information" to the input operation unit 101 of the AP server 100 (step S302). The input operation unit 101 determines whether the user is an authorized user, and transmits “user information” and “priority (if authorized)” information of the user to the information control unit 103 (step S303). . As for this priority, the priority is set to “priority” when the authority is accessed.

  The information control unit 103 sends “user information” and “priority information” to the privacy control unit 104, and receives “presence information” obtained from the processing result of the privacy control unit 104 (step S304).

  The privacy control unit 104 performs a user check based on the “user information” and “priority information” received from the information control unit 103 (step S305). That is, the privacy control unit 104 transmits “user information” to the privacy DB 120, and acquires the “user real / unknown information”, “privacy information”, and “presence information” from the privacy DB 120 (step S306). These pieces of information are sent to the information control unit 103.

  The information control unit 103 edits the screen based on the “privacy information” and “presence information” received from the privacy control unit 104 (step S307), and the screen display unit 105 displays “privacy information” as the presence information result. “Presence information” is sent (step S308). The screen display unit 105 transmits “privacy information” and “presence information” to the user's terminal for display (step S309).

  Then, the user transmits “information of updated contents of privacy information” to the input operation unit 101 (step S311). The input operation unit 101 sends “update content information” received from the user and “priority information” about the user to the information control unit 103 (step S312). The information control unit 103 transmits the “update content information” and the “priority information” received from the input operation unit 101 to the privacy control unit 104, and receives the processing result in the privacy control unit 104 (step S313).

  The privacy control unit 104 receives the “update content information” and the “priority information” received from the information control unit 103, accesses the privacy DB 120 based on the user information, and updates the privacy information. In addition, the “existence / unknown” information and the updated “privacy information” are acquired from the privacy DB 120 (step S314).

  As described above, in the presence service system of the present invention, for example, the user can access the privacy setting URL of the AP server 100 and rewrite the privacy information (privacy setting information).

  In the presence service system of the present invention, the location information providing destination is variable for each user, and the providing destination can be changed at an arbitrary time. For this reason, the privacy DB 120 is accessed each time the user inputs position information, and the position information is provided in accordance with the latest privacy information.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing information provision processing based on user-set privacy, and shows an outline of processing in the privacy control unit 104 when providing presence information. In this example, the presence information is position information.

  In FIG. 10, when the privacy control unit 104 is activated by the information control unit 103, the privacy control unit 104 accesses the privacy DB 120 and collects privacy information (step S401). In this case, the privacy control unit 104 sends “user name” and “presence information” to the privacy DB 120, and from the privacy DB 120, “real / unknown”, “privacy information (providing conditions, provision destination user list (presence)” Information such as “providing destination user list) and providing time)”.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the presence providing user satisfies the providing condition. If the presence providing user does not meet the providing condition, the presence information is not provided (steps S402 and S403).

  Further, it is determined whether or not the provision time condition is met. If the provision time condition is not met, the presence information is not provided (steps S404 and S405).

  When the privacy control unit 104 determines that the presence providing user matches the provision condition and the provision time condition, the privacy control unit 104 informs the information control unit 103 as “display position information” as a result report. ”And“ Presence provider user name (provider user list) ”are sent (step S406).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the information providing process based on the regular time. In the privacy control unit 104, there is no input of presence information for a certain user, and a predetermined time set in advance from the last update time or When the number of days elapses, the presence information about the user is cleared and the position information is unknown. In the example shown in FIG. 11, two days are set as the number of elapsed days for clearing the presence information.

  In FIG. 11, the privacy control unit 104 accesses the privacy DB 120 and collects privacy information at a regular time (step S501). In this case, the privacy control unit 104 sends a “user name” to the privacy DB 120, and from the privacy DB 120, “real / unknown”, “privacy information” (providing conditions, providing user list (presence providing user list)) , Providing time) ".

  Further, it is determined how much the update time has passed since the last update time (step S502). If two days have not passed, it is determined whether the presence providing destination user satisfies the provision conditions (step S502). Step S503).

  Then, the process of the regular time is terminated without performing the presence information clear process (step S504).

  If it is determined in step S502 that the predetermined number of days (two days) has elapsed, the information about the update time in the privacy DB 120 is cleared, the position information is unknown, and the result is sent to the information control unit 103. Report (step S505).

  As described above, the privacy control unit 104 clears the position information of the user (the position information is unknown) when no position information is input for a predetermined time or number of days.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of the privacy DB, and illustrates an example in which position information is registered as presence information. The privacy DB 120 is managed with “user name” as a primary key. The contents include “location information provision condition (provision availability)”, “location information provision destination (location information provision destination user name)” for each user. "," Provision time zone "," Last update time ", and" Location information "are registered. The system initial value is set to “false (not provided)”. The recorded data is individually prepared for location information, telephone calls, and collaboration (indexed by the presence type in the presence information input from the presence server).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a setting example of position information in the privacy DB. In the example shown in FIG. 13, “user name” is the primary key, “providing conditions”, “providing user name”, “starting time (information provision start time)”, “end time (information provision end time)” ”,“ Update time ”, and“ location information ”are registered.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, for example, for the user “Hiroshi Tanaka”, the provision condition is set to “False (not provided)”, and the position information of the user “Hiroshi Tanaka” is not provided to anyone.

  In addition, for the user “Suzukirorou”, the provision condition is set to “True” (provide), and “Prof. Tanaka Hiroshi, Takahashi Shiro, Yamadajiro, Sawada Hanako” is set as the provisioning user name. Also, the start time (information provision start time) is set to 8:30, and the end time (information provision end time) is set to 17:00.

  Therefore, the location information (in front of Shinagawa Station) of the user “Suzukirorou” is provided to the user “Takahiro Hiroshi, Takahashi Shirou, Yamajijiro, Sawada Hanako” between 8:30 and 17:00. In addition, the location information of the user “Takahashi Shiro” is provided to the user “Suzukiro” between 8:30 and 17:00. Also, the location information of “Yamataro” is not provided to anyone.

  As described above, in the conventional presence server, the disclosure condition of the information held on the presence server side is not set on the provider side, and is not set by the provider user, so privacy is not considered, and presence information In the present invention, the presence server and the AP server having various communication tools are linked together, and the AP server side In addition, by providing the provider with the disclosure conditions that the presence server has had in the past, privacy protection and real-time communication can be established.

  As a result, the AP server, which has privacy information and provides various communication tools, can cooperate with other presence servers to enable new communication utilizing presence information and establish more real-time communication. . In addition, presence information can be provided in accordance with privacy by the privacy registration of the presence information provider. In addition, by providing a time zone classification for the privacy registration of the presence information provider, the privacy can be strengthened, and even in the presence information provided in accordance with privacy, it is possible not to provide information outside the provision time. Further, by providing an open API between the AP server and each presence server, it is possible to lead to expansion of new communication in cooperation with the AP server by implementing an open API in various presence servers.

  The AP server 100 described above has a computer system inside. A series of processes related to the above-described process is stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the above-described process is performed by the computer reading and executing this program.

  That is, each process in the AP server 100 is realized by a central processing unit such as a CPU reading the above program into a main storage device such as a ROM or a RAM, and executing information processing and arithmetic processing. Is.

  Here, the computer-readable recording medium means a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Alternatively, the computer program may be distributed to the computer via a communication line, and the computer that has received the distribution may execute the program.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the AP server of the present invention and the presence information service system using the AP server of the present invention are not limited to the above-described illustrated examples. Of course, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  The present invention links the presence server and the AP server having various communication tools, provides presence information by the AP server, protects privacy, and has the effect of enabling establishment of real-time communication. Is useful for AP servers, presence information providing methods, programs, and the like.

It is a figure for demonstrating the concept of the presence information service system using AP server by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the basic operation | movement of AP server by this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display content of presence information. It is a figure which shows the system configuration example of the presence information service system using AP server by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a restriction | limiting of a display of position information. It is a figure which shows the sequence of the cooperation interface signal between servers. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of AP server. It is a figure which shows the flow of a provision process of the positional information in AP server. It is a figure which shows the flow of a privacy setting and content reference process in AP server. It is a flowchart which shows the information provision process based on a user setting privacy. It is a flowchart which shows the information provision process based on a regular time. It is a figure which shows the data structural example of privacy DB. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting of the positional information in privacy DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the presence system of the conventional location information.

Explanation of symbols

10 Presence presence server 11 Presence server #A (conference server)
12 Presence server #B (telephone presence server)
13 Presence server #C (location information presence server)
21, 24, 25 Presence providing user 20, 22, 23 Presence providing destination user 100 AP server 101 Input operation unit 102 Information input unit 103 Information control unit 104 Privacy control unit 105 Screen display unit 130 Various communication tools 131 Chat server 132 Mail Server 133 Telephone server

Claims (7)

An application server that cooperates with one or more presence servers, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides the information to a user terminal;
Presence information input means for receiving presence information from the presence server;
Presence information registration means for registering presence information received by the presence information input means;
Privacy information registration means for registering presence information provision conditions as privacy information for each type of presence information provided from the presence server and each user providing the presence information;
An application server comprising: privacy control means for determining whether or not to permit the provision of presence information by referring to the privacy information when providing presence information to a user terminal. The application server according to claim 1, wherein the privacy information includes at least a user name of a provision destination of presence information and provision permission time information. When the presence information of the user is not received from the presence server for a predetermined time or number of days, the last update time of the presence information for the user is cleared, and notification that the presence information has not been received for the user The application server according to claim 1, further comprising: means for performing the operation. Priority determination means for determining whether the user who has requested presence information is a user having special authority;
When the priority determination means determines that the user who requested the presence information is a user having special authority, privacy control means for providing presence information without being limited to the contents of the privacy information; The application server according to claim 1, comprising the application server. 5. The application server according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of types of communication tools are prepared, and means for providing the communication tools is selected by a user. Application server. A presence information providing method in an application server that cooperates with one or a plurality of presence servers, receives presence information from the presence server, and provides it to a user terminal,
Presence information input procedure for receiving presence information from the presence server;
Presence information registration procedure for registering presence information received by the presence information input procedure;
A privacy information registration procedure for registering presence information provision conditions as privacy information for each type of presence information provided by the presence server and each user on the side providing the presence information;
A privacy control procedure for determining whether or not to permit the provision of presence information by referring to the privacy information when providing presence information to a user terminal. . A computer in an application server that cooperates with one or more presence servers to receive presence information from the presence server and provide it to a user terminal;
Presence information input procedure for receiving presence information from the presence server;
Presence information registration procedure for registering presence information received by the presence information input procedure;
A privacy information registration procedure for registering presence information provision conditions as privacy information for each type of presence information provided by the presence server and each user on the side providing the presence information;
A privacy control procedure for determining whether to permit the provision of presence information with reference to the privacy information when providing presence information to a user terminal.

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