JP4726284B2 - WWW server, method for allowing user terminal to browse friend information, and computer-readable recording medium recording program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a web server that accumulates and manages friend information held by members belonging to a community on the Internet for each friend database, and allows other users to browse under certain conditions.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the prosperous Internet, there are many virtual communities called “communities” where like-minded people gather in various categories. In this community, the majority of its members use communication tools such as email, chat, and electronic bulletin boards. By using these communication tools, members can deepen friendship among members in the community or find new friends.
[0003]
For example, in communication using an electronic bulletin board, a message such as “Recruiting club friends in Shibuya!” Is transmitted from a member computer connected to the Internet to a Web server that provides an electronic bulletin board service. The web server receives this message and posts it on the web together with the contact information of the message sender. Another member views the message published on the web, and sends various responses such as “Let's go together!” To the web server. Members recruit similar friends through such exchange of messages via the Web server and experience various encounters. Information about friends in the community that are gradually gathered for each member in this way, such as friend information such as friend names and their email addresses, is managed by recording them in, for example, an address book on the web provided by the web server. .
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above-mentioned address book on the Web was only allowed to be viewed by each member. For example, even if a friend of a member is permitted to view the friend information by the member, the friend's computer cannot access the web server via the Internet to browse the address book. This can be a major problem in the Internet community where active exchange of opinions and exchanges between members is considered desirable for operation.
[0005]
At the beginning of community management, frequent exchanges are made between users, helping with the rarity, but when exchanges between users progress to a certain extent, these exchanges tend to stagnate. This is thought to be due to the fact that each friend's friend is fixed, and exchanges outside the friend group do not proceed.
[0006]
The present invention has been made paying attention to such a conventional problem, and provides a web server for managing a friend database for each member that promotes exchange between friends held by each member and facilitates community operation. To do.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention for achieving the above object communicates with a user terminal via the Internet, stores and manages personal information of the user's friend in response to a request from the user terminal, and causes the user terminal to browse the personal information of the friend A WWW server, a member database for storing member information of a user, a friend database for storing friend information related to a user's friend in association with the member information, a registration request received from a user terminal, and a friend's individual Information and attribute information relating to the relationship between the user and the friend as the friend information, the friend information registration means for storing the attribute information in the friend database in association with the member information, and the friend stored in the friend database from the user terminal Receives an application request that allows browsing of personal information, and identifies the friend who is allowed to browse by the application request Browsing permission registration means for associating category information indicating a category for designating the attribute information for each information, and storing it in a browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who is the transmission source of the application request; The category information stored in association with the information for identifying the friend in the browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who has received the browsing request from the user terminal and has permitted browsing to the friend who has transmitted the browsing request. The friend information extracting means for extracting the personal information of the friend corresponding to the attribute information specified by the category information from the friend database, and delivering the extracted personal information of the friend to the friend user terminal And a friend information delivery means.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the attribute information includes information indicating a hobby related to a friend.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the attribute information includes information indicating a closeness between a user and a friend.
In the present invention, the browsing permission registration unit generates a password, stores the password in the browsing permission list in association with the category information as information for identifying the friend, and the friend information extraction unit includes: , Receiving a friend's personal information browsing request from a friend user terminal together with a password, referring to the category information stored in the browsing permission list in association with the password, from the friend database, according to the category information The personal information of the friend corresponding to the specified attribute information is extracted.
Further, the present invention is a method for storing and managing personal information of a friend of a user in response to a request from the user terminal by a computer communicating with the user terminal via the Internet, and causing the user terminal to view the personal information of the friend. Then, the computer receives a registration request from the user terminal, stores the personal information of the user's friend and the attribute information related to the relationship between the user and the friend as friend information, and stores them in the friend database. Receiving, from the user terminal, an application request that permits browsing of personal information of friends stored in the friend database, and for each piece of information that identifies a friend who is permitted to browse by the application request, In association with category information indicating a category for which attribute information is specified, in front of the user who is the transmission source of the application request Storing in a browsing permission list corresponding to member information, receiving a browsing request from a friend user terminal, and in the browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of a user who has permitted browsing to a friend who has transmitted the browsing request; Referencing category information stored in association with information for identifying a friend, extracting from the friend database personal information of a friend corresponding to the attribute information specified by the category information, and the extracted friend The step of delivering the personal information to the friend user terminal is executed.
The present invention is also a computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, wherein the program receives a registration request from a user terminal through a computer that communicates with the user terminal via the Internet, and the user's friend's personal Information and attribute information related to the relationship between the user and the friend are used as friend information, associated with the member information of the user, and stored in a friend database, from the user terminal, the friend personal stored in the friend database An application request that permits browsing of information is received, and for each piece of information that identifies a friend who is permitted to browse by the application request, category information indicating a category that specifies the attribute information is associated with the application request. Viewing permission stored in the viewing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who is the sender of In the browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who has received the browsing request from the recording means and the friend user terminal and has permitted browsing to the friend who has transmitted the browsing request, it is stored in association with the information for identifying the friend. The friend information extracting means for extracting the personal information of the friend corresponding to the attribute information specified by the category information from the friend database, and the extracted personal information of the friend. It is made to function as a friend information delivery means delivered to a user terminal.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
=== Basic network configuration ===
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a network configuration including a web server for managing a friend database according to the present invention. As the network, any network such as a LAN line can be adopted as appropriate, but here, the Internet is taken as an example. The web server 10 and the user computer 25 used by a large number of unspecified users are connected to the network via the Internet. The member computer 20 and the user computer 25 may be, for example, a mobile phone with an Internet connection function, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a TV with a Web browsing function, a game machine, or the like in addition to a personal computer. Good.
[0009]
Here, the above member means a registered member of the Internet community provided by the web server 10. The Internet community is a virtual community where like-minded members gather in various categories. In this community, the members develop friendships or find new friends. Communities are set up mainly for each hobby, age group, etc., and it is common to set a certain web page as a common gateway to each community, that is, a portal site, and centrally manage people of various layers .
[0010]
The web server 10 of the present invention attaches various databases, and exchanges HTTP requests / responses to member computers 20 and user computers 25 accessed by specifying URLs. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving HTML documents between the web server 10 and a client computer via the Internet. In the present embodiment, for example, the member computer 20 (client) first transmits a URL (Uniform Resource Locators) of a community site (described in an HTML document) to be displayed as a request to the web server 10. On the other hand, the web server 10 transmits an HTML document constituting the community site that it has to the member computer 20.
[0011]
By such exchange of HTTP requests / responses, for example, appropriate data transmission and reception such as screen data of a web page for inputting / updating friend information is executed. In this way, the web server 10 accumulates the friend information and the like that each member wants to manage in a storage resource such as a hard disk. The friend information of the members imported into their own storage resources is managed for each member and updated as needed. The web server 10 includes a friend database 11, a browsing permission list 12, and a member database 13 as databases for storing and managing member information and friend information desired to be managed by the member. Of course, these databases may be provided in independent storage devices connected to each other as separate databases, or may be appropriately combined or aggregated in one storage device.
[0012]
The friend database 11 is a database that stores and manages friend information delivered from the member computer 20 to the web server 10 in association with a member ID for each member. The friend database 11 is a kind of relational database, for example, and manages a collection of data in the form of a relational table (table). As shown in the “member A friend database 11a” in FIG. 1, the relation table here includes column information of friend ID, personal information such as name, address, and mail address, and attribute information. Each friend's information is related as a row element, that is, a friend record, and a data structure like a list is formed. In this case, the basic key for specifying each friend record is the friend ID.
[0013]
The attribute information in the friend database 11 is various information relating to the relationship between the member and the friend. There are various forms of relationships between individuals, such as friendships through hobbies, company colleagues, or even family members. In the Internet community, there should be many opportunities for people to become friends through hobbies. In this embodiment, it is assumed that this attribute information is classified according to hobbies. Therefore, each alphabet of “a, b, c,...” In the attribute information column in the figure is associated with a hobby name such as baseball, outdoor, fishing, for example. Whether or not each friend is related to this attribute information is indicated as “1” when related, and “0” when not related.
[0014]
When the member computer 20 is accessed to the friend database 11 storing the friend information structured in this way, the friend ID, the attribute information, and the like are described by using, for example, SQL (Structured Query Language) as a simple query language. By inputting a column element, operations such as data retrieval can be performed. Therefore, each friend can be classified into a plurality of categories.
[0015]
The browsing permission list 12 is classified into a password for each person known to each person who is permitted to browse by the member, and to which attribute among the many friend records in the friend database 11 a person corresponding to each password. Category information indicating whether or not the friend record is permitted to be browsed. Each member is stored and managed in association with the member ID. As in the case of the friend database 11 described above, data is managed in the form of a relation table. In the figure, it is illustrated as a relationship table 12a between passwords and corresponding category information. The member database 13 is a database that stores and manages information on members registered as users in the Internet community. The personal information of the member is stored in association with the member ID.
[0016]
=== Operation procedure ===
A procedure in which the Web server 10 that manages the friend database 11 stores and manages the friend information received from the member computer 20 in the friend database 11 and allows other users to view it under certain conditions will be described below. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure example of the web server of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a friend record input / update screen. The web server 10 delivers member authentication screen data (form) including entry fields for a member ID and a login password to the member computer 20 that has accessed the web server 10 by specifying a URL. The Web server 10 that has acquired the member ID and password from the member authentication screen data refers to the member ID and the corresponding password in the member ID table 13a and the member password table 13b of the member database 13.
[0017]
If the member authentication is completed as a result of the inquiry, a friend record input / update screen 30 for newly registering or updating friend information in the friend database 11 is delivered to the member computer 20 according to the request of the member. . The screen 30 includes a member ID field 31, a password field 32, and a process selection field 33 for selecting processes such as addition, change, deletion, and confirmation of friend information. Here, for example, if “add new friend” is selected from the pull-down menu, a message prompting for a new input as shown in the figure “Please tell me about a new friend” is displayed. On the other hand, when change or deletion of friend information is specified, a message such as “Please specify the friend ID or range of the record to be changed (deleted)” is displayed. When “confirm friend information” is selected, a friend record can be browsed by specifying a viewing range in the member's own friend database 11.
[0018]
When new registration of friend information is performed, the screen 30 includes a friend ID column 34 for entering a friend ID to be newly added to the friend database 11, a name column 34a, an address column 35, a contact column 36, an age group column 37, a gender. A column 38 and the like are displayed. The information entered in each of these fields is the personal information of each friend. Further, in this embodiment in which the relationship between a member and a friend is captured by a hobby, a hobby column 39 is provided to specify a hobby related to a friend. Furthermore, a closeness column 39a for specifying closeness between members and friends is also provided. Information entered in the hobby field 39 and the familiarity field 39a is attribute information. The web server 10 acquires the information entered in each of the above fields from the screen data returned from the member computer 20, and creates a friend record for each friend. The friend records are additionally stored sequentially in a columnar data structure in the friend database 11.
[0019]
The friend records sequentially stored in the friend database 11 for each member are not only used by the members themselves, but in the present invention, others are given an opportunity to browse and use with the permission of the members. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a browsing permission application form, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a friend record browsing screen. Assume that a member, “kaorun75”, is requested by an acquaintance to view a friend record stored in the friend database 11 and accepts it. When the member instructs the web server 10 to deliver the viewing permission application form 40 on the web page or the like, the screen of FIG.
[0020]
On this screen 40, a member ID column 41, a password column 42, and a process selection column 43 are arranged. For example, when “add password” is selected in the process selection field 43, a new password and corresponding category information are added to the browsing permission list 12 as a password record. In this case, in addition to the above-mentioned fields, a friend ID field 44, a name field 44a, a contact field 45, and a category information field 46 for specifying a viewing permission range are provided on the screen 40. Is displayed. The web server 10 receives from the member computer 20 a screen 40 of a browsing permission application form in which necessary items are entered in each column. At this time, the web server 10 acquires entry information for each completed column. Then, it is stored in the browsing permission list 12. Of course, when storing the password, a password is automatically generated, and a viewing permission range corresponding to the password is determined from the category information and related to each other.
[0021]
A person (user) who has obtained permission to view from the member obtains the above password via an appropriate route such as e-mail or fax from the member or the Web server 10, or telephone or oral. When the user browses the friend record in the friend database 11, the user computer 25 is made to access the web server 10. The web server 10 exchanges HTTP requests / responses with the accessing user computer 25 and delivers appropriate authentication screen data and the like. On the screen, the user inputs the password to authenticate that the password is registered in the browsing permission list 12 of a specific member (in this case, a member having a member ID “kaorun75”).
[0022]
With this authentication, it is confirmed that the person is officially authorized to browse by a predetermined member, and then the category information associated with the password and stored in the browse permission list 12 is referred to. The browsing range indicated in the category information is designated by SQL, and only the friend records classified in the corresponding category in the friend database 12 owned by the member are extracted. The friend record browsing screen 50 in FIG. 5 shows a situation in which a certain user receives the password authentication as described above, is permitted to browse the friend record, and selects a browseable category.
[0023]
As an example, the authenticated “2ru5 \ u $ 9” is shown in the password display field 51, and the member ID “kaorun75” is shown in the permitted member name field 52. Here, it is assumed that the user has selected “baseball” in the category selection field 53. Then, in the friend record display field 54, a friend record having attribute information “baseball” is selected from the friend records held by the member with the member ID “kaorun75”. The data is appropriately listed and delivered to the user computer 25 as a friend record browsing screen 50. Of course, there is no problem even if the extraction of the friend record corresponding to the category information from the friend database 11 is an extraction involving a plurality of attributes. For example, a browsing permission range such as “male over 40 years old who is involved in baseball and outdoor activities” may be set as category information.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, each member can refer to friend information (friend record) held in the friend database. As a result, at the beginning of community management, frequent exchanges between members helped by the rarity, but as the exchange between users progressed to a certain extent, this exchange also tends to stagnate, The active exchange of opinions and exchanges among members in the Internet community is significantly promoted. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a web server for managing a friend database for each member that promotes exchanges between friends held by each member and smoothes the operation of the community.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a network configuration including a web server of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure example of the web server of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a friend record input / update screen.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a screen example of a browsing permission application form.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a friend record browsing screen;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Web server 11 Friend database 12 View permission list 20 Member computer 25 User computer 40 View permission application form (Web document)

Claims (6)

A WWW server that communicates with a user terminal via the Internet, stores and manages personal information of the user's friend in response to a request from the user terminal, and causes the user terminal to browse the personal information of the friend;
A member database that stores user member information;
A friend database for storing friend information related to the user's friend in association with the member information;
A friend information registration means for receiving a registration request from a user terminal, storing the personal information of a friend and attribute information relating to the relationship between the user and the friend as the friend information, and storing it in the friend database in association with the member information;
The attribute information is received for each piece of information for identifying a friend who is a partner who is permitted to view the application request received from the user terminal, and permits viewing of the personal information of the friend stored in the friend database. Corresponding category information indicating a category to be specified, a browsing permission registration means for storing in a browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who is the transmission source of the application request;
The category stored in association with the information for identifying the friend in the browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who has received the browsing request from the friend user terminal and has permitted browsing to the friend who has transmitted the browsing request. Referring to information, friend information extracting means for extracting personal information of friends corresponding to the attribute information specified by the category information from the friend database;
Friend information delivery means for delivering the extracted personal information of the friend to the friend user terminal;
A WWW server characterized by comprising:   The WWW server according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes information indicating a hobby related to a friend.   The WWW server according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes information indicating intimacy between a user and a friend. The browsing permission registration means includes
Generate a password, store the password in the browsing permission list in association with the category information as information for identifying the friend,
The friend information extracting means includes
A request for browsing personal information of the friend is received together with a password from a friend user terminal, the category information stored in the browsing permission list in association with the password is referenced, and specified by the category information from the friend database. 4. The WWW server according to claim 1, wherein personal information of the friend corresponding to the attribute information is extracted. A method of storing and managing personal information of a friend of a user in response to a request of the user terminal by a computer communicating with the user terminal via the Internet, and causing the personal information of the friend to be browsed by the user terminal. ,
Receiving a registration request from the user terminal, storing the personal information of the user's friend and the attribute information relating to the relationship between the user and the friend as friend information, and storing it in the friend database in association with the member information of the user;
The attribute information is received for each piece of information for identifying a friend who is a partner who is permitted to view the application request received from the user terminal, and permits viewing of the personal information of the friend stored in the friend database. Associating category information indicating a category to be specified and storing it in a browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who is the transmission source of the application request;
The category stored in association with the information for identifying the friend in the browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who has received the browsing request from the friend user terminal and has permitted browsing to the friend who has transmitted the browsing request. Referring to information, extracting from the friend database personal information of a friend corresponding to the attribute information specified by the category information, and delivering the extracted personal information of the friend to the friend user terminal The method characterized by performing. A computer that communicates with the user terminal via the Internet,
A friend information registration unit that receives a registration request from a user terminal, stores the personal information of the user's friend and attribute information related to the relationship between the user and the friend as friend information, and associates it with the user's member information,
The attribute information is received for each piece of information for identifying a friend who is a partner who is permitted to view the application request received from the user terminal, and permits viewing of the personal information of the friend stored in the friend database. A browsing permission registration means for associating category information indicating a category to be specified and storing it in a browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who is the transmission source of the application request,
The category stored in association with the information for identifying the friend in the browsing permission list corresponding to the member information of the user who has received the browsing request from the friend user terminal and has permitted browsing to the friend who has transmitted the browsing request. Refer to information, friend information extraction means for extracting personal information of a friend corresponding to the attribute information specified by the category information from the friend database, and the extracted personal information of the friend to the friend user terminal Friend information delivery means to deliver,
A computer-readable recording medium storing a program that functions as a computer .

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