JP6707159B2 - INFORMATION PROVIDING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROVIDING PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, the concept of IoT (Internet of Things) has been proposed as a mechanism for mutual control by connecting objects to the Internet and exchanging information. In this IoT, the information collected from a huge amount is called big data, and its utilization is expected. For example, data such as power amount information or abnormality history information can be obtained from a smart house. There is a service that processes such data into an appropriate form and provides it to data users such as service developers or maintenance personnel.

In Patent Document 1, the service server transmits the privacy policy set by the service provider to the service using terminal. The service use terminal generates preference processing information according to the preference of the user. Then, the service using terminal processes the privacy policy transmitted from the service server based on the processing information of the preference. According to Patent Document 1, it is possible to efficiently acquire the privacy policy according to the user's preference.

JP, 2005-049772, A U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0127322

In Patent Document 1, the privacy policy, that is, the usage permission information is set by the service provider. In order for the service provider to properly set the license information, it is necessary to understand what kind of risk there is depending on how the information is processed. Therefore, depending on the experience and knowledge of the service provider, appropriate license information may not be set.

An object of the present invention is to easily obtain appropriate license information by setting the license information using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) using a graph or a table.

The information providing device according to the present invention is
In the device information transmitted from the device, the data licensor corresponding to the data to be licensed, which is the object of the license in the device information having a plurality of data types owned by each of a plurality of owners, is set, and A setting unit for each owner, which is set by a data licensor, and which acquires a processing method permitted for the device information as usage permission information,
A providing unit that acquires a provision request for requesting provision of the device information, processes the device information based on the usage permission information, and transmits the processed device information to the request source of the provision request as processing information. Prepared

In the information providing apparatus according to the present invention, the owner-specific setting unit sets the data licensor corresponding to the data to be licensed, and causes the data licensor to set the usage permission information. Therefore, according to the information providing apparatus of the present invention, even when there are a plurality of data licensors for device information, the data licensor can be changed depending on the type of data, and more appropriate license information can be provided. Can be set.

1 is a configuration diagram of an information providing system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a configuration diagram of a device according to the first embodiment. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information providing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the information utilization device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a usage history according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a device information collecting process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a rule storage process by the information providing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a method of setting usage permission information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a display example of a graph displayed on the permission setting screen according to the first embodiment. 6 is a display example of a table displayed on the permission setting screen according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a conversion definition according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the specific example of the processing rule which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a providing process according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the specific example of the provision request which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a usage history according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a usage history reference process according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the operation example of the information provision system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an information providing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of setting usage permission information according to the second embodiment. The figure showing the possibility of information leakage due to some of the air conditioner data types being matched. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an information providing device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a data provision rule setting process according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an application process of a data provision rule according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example of the information providing system according to the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In the description of the embodiments, description of the same or corresponding parts will be appropriately omitted or simplified.

Embodiment 1.
***Description of structure***
The configuration of the information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The information providing system 500 includes a device 20, an information providing device 30, and an information using device 40. The device 20, the information providing device 30, and the information using device 40 communicate with each other via the network 50.

The device 20 is a device having a network communication function. The device 20 transmits operation data such as an operation history of the device 20, that is, device information generated in the device 20, to the information providing apparatus 30. For example, the device 20 is a home appliance compatible with HEMS (Home Energy Management System). The device 20 includes a device such as an air conditioner, a television, or a refrigerator. When the device 20 is one of these home appliances, the device information transmitted to the information providing device 30 is data such as an on/off state, a set temperature, or power consumption. Further, the device 20 may be a device such as a camera or a sensor. If the device 20 is a camera, shooting data captured by the camera is transmitted as device information. If the device 20 is a sensor, device information such as light, electromagnetic waves, flow rate, magnetism, temperature or humidity sensed by the sensor is transmitted. A user 60 is associated with the device 20 as a device owner, and permission of the user 60 is required to use the device information transmitted by the device 20.

The information providing device 30 is a server device and may be composed of a plurality of computers. The information providing device 30 provides a data license function as a service on the Internet. In addition, the information providing apparatus 30 acquires the permission of the user 60 who is the owner of the device 20, collects the device information from the device 20 via the network 50, and then processes the device information by the processing method with the permission. After that, it has a function of providing it to the information utilization device 40. The information providing device 30 is also referred to as a data permission device.
It should be noted that the person who sets the usage permission of the device information may be not only the user 60 but also the data manager 70 who manages the device information in the information providing apparatus 30. Hereinafter, the person who sets the usage permission of the device information will be referred to as the data licenser 701. The data licenser 701 includes the user 60 and the data administrator 70.

The information utilization device 40 is a server device, and may be composed of a plurality of computers. The information utilization device 40 provides a data utilization service as a service on the Internet. The data utilization service provided by the information utilization device 40 is a service that utilizes big data. A specific example of the data utilization service is a service such as a watching system that uses the power consumption of home appliances or a demand response. The information utilization device 40 obtains the data necessary for providing the data utilization service from the information provision device 30.

The network 50 is, for example, the Internet or a network constructed by a dedicated line.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the device 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the information providing device 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the information use device 40 according to the present embodiment. The configurations of the device 20, the information providing device 30, and the information using device 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. In the following description, each of the device 20, the information providing device 30, and the information using device 40 may be referred to as each device of the information providing system 500.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, each of the device 20, the information providing device 30, and the information using device 40 is a computer.
Each device of the information providing system 500 includes hardware such as a processor 910, a storage device 920, an input interface 930, an output interface 940, and a communication device 950. The storage device 920 includes a memory 921 and an auxiliary storage device 922. Note that the hardware such as the processor 910, the storage device 920, the input interface 930, the output interface 940, and the communication device 950 is individually provided in each device of the information providing system 500, but the same hardware is used for simplicity of explanation. Description will be given with reference numerals.

The device 20 includes a data transmission unit 21 and a storage unit 22 as a functional configuration. The storage unit 22 stores the device information 201 to be transmitted to the information providing apparatus 30.
The function of the data transmission unit 21 is realized by software.
The storage unit 22 is realized by the memory 921. Further, the storage unit 22 may be realized by only the auxiliary storage device 922 or the memory 921 and the auxiliary storage device 922. The method of implementing the storage unit 22 is arbitrary.

The information providing device 30 includes a device information receiving unit 31, a license information obtaining unit 32, a rule generating unit 33, a providing unit 330, a reference unit 36, and a storage unit 37 as a functional configuration. The license information acquisition unit 32 includes a setting screen display unit 501, a visualization unit 502, and a method acquisition unit 503. The providing unit 330 includes a data providing unit 34 and a data processing unit 35. The storage unit 37 includes a device information storage unit 371, a rule storage unit 372, and a history storage unit 373.
The functions of the device information reception unit 31, the license information acquisition unit 32, the rule generation unit 33, the data provision unit 34, the data processing unit 35, and the reference unit 36 are realized by software. That is, the functions of the device information reception unit 31, the setting screen display unit 501, the visualization unit 502, the method acquisition unit 503, the rule generation unit 33, the data provision unit 34, the data processing unit 35, and the reference unit 36. Is realized by software.
The storage unit 37 is realized by the memory 921. Further, the storage unit 37 may be realized by only the auxiliary storage device 922 or the memory 921 and the auxiliary storage device 922. The method of realizing the storage unit 37 is arbitrary.

The information utilization device 40 includes a data request unit 41 and a storage unit 42 as a functional configuration.
The function of the data request unit 41 is realized by software.
The storage unit 42 is realized by the memory 921. Further, the storage unit 42 may be realized by only the auxiliary storage device 922 or the memory 921 and the auxiliary storage device 922. The method of realizing the storage unit 42 is arbitrary.
The data transmission unit 21 of the device 20, the device information reception unit 31 of the information providing device 30, the setting screen display unit 501, the visualization unit 502, the method acquisition unit 503, the rule generation unit 33, the data provision unit 34, and the data processing unit. The reference numeral 35, the reference unit 36, and the data request unit 41 of the information utilization device 40 may be referred to as each unit of each device.

The processor 910 is connected to other hardware via a signal line and controls these other hardware. The processor 910 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) that performs arithmetic processing. As a specific example, the processor 910 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

The memory 921 is a storage device that temporarily stores data. The memory 921 is, for example, an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

The auxiliary storage device 922 is a storage device that stores data. The auxiliary storage device 922 is, as a specific example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The auxiliary storage device 922 is an SD (registered trademark) (Secure Digital) memory card, CF (CompactFlash (registered trademark)), NAND flash, flexible disk, optical disc, compact disc, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, DVD (Digital). It may be a portable storage medium such as Versatile Disk.

The input interface 930 is a port connected to an input device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel. The input interface 930 is specifically a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal. The input interface 930 may be a port connected to a LAN (Local Area Network).
The device 20 may be a home appliance, a sensor, or a car, and may not have a keyboard or a mouse. Instead, a touch panel may be mounted on the display.

The output interface 940 is a port to which a cable of a display device such as a display is connected. The output interface 940 is specifically a USB terminal or an HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal. The display is, specifically, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

The communication device 950 communicates with other devices via the network.
The communication device 950 has a receiver and a transmitter. The communication device 950 is wired or wirelessly connected to a communication network such as a LAN, the Internet, or a telephone line. The communication device 950 is specifically a communication chip or a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication device 950 is a communication unit that communicates data. The receiver is a receiving unit that receives data. A transmitter is a transmitter that transmits data.

The auxiliary storage device 922 stores an OS (operating system), a program group, and a file group.
The auxiliary storage device 922 stores programs that realize the functions of the respective units of the respective devices. A program that realizes the function of each unit of each device is also referred to as an information providing program. This program is loaded into the memory 921, read into the processor 910, and executed by the processor 910. Further, at least part of the OS stored in the auxiliary storage device 922 is loaded into the memory 921. The processor 910 executes the information providing program while executing the OS.

Each device of the information providing system 500 may include only one processor 910 or a plurality of processors 910. A plurality of processors 910 may execute programs that implement the functions of the respective units of the respective devices in cooperation with each other.

Information, data, signal values, and variable values indicating the processing results of each unit of each device are stored in the auxiliary storage device 922 of each device, the memory 921, or the register or cache memory in the processor 910.

The program that implements the function of each unit of each device may be stored in a portable recording medium. The portable recording medium is specifically a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
The information providing program product is a storage medium and a storage device in which the information providing program is recorded. The information provision program product refers to a computer-readable program loaded regardless of its appearance.

***Function description***
Next, the function of the device 20 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
The device information 201 is data generated by the device 20. Specifically, the information is information obtained from various sensors of the device 20, or information such as an operation history by the owner of the device 20.
The data transmission unit 21 transmits the device information 201 to the information providing device 30 via the communication device 950.

Next, the function of the information providing device 30 shown in FIG. 3 will be described.
The usage permission information 301 is information indicating a permission regarding the usage of the device information 201 by the data licenser 701. Specifically, the usage permission information 301 is information such as the usage of the data, the data providing destination, the data type, the data range, the processing method, and the reference count.
The processing rule 302 includes a processing method permitted for the device information 201 transmitted from the device 20 as a licensed processing method. The processing rule 302 is information including a data processing method when the device information 201 is provided to the information utilization apparatus 40 as a licensed processing method. Specifically, it is information such as a statistical analysis method such as average, variance or standard deviation, usage of data, destination of data, type of data that can be provided, and data expiration date.
The provision request 303 requests that the device information 201 be processed and provided. Further, the provision request 303 includes the processing method of the device information 201 as the requested processing method. That is, the provision request 303 is information that requests the device information 201 accumulated in the information providing apparatus 30 for the device information 201 that has been processed according to a specific purpose. The processing according to a specific purpose is a required processing method, and specifically, processing such as average, variance, or standard deviation. In the provision request 303, the identifier of the user 60 who is the owner of the device information 201, the identifier or service type of the information utilization apparatus 40 that is the request source, the usage of the data, the type of data to be acquired, the range of the data, and the acquisition It includes information such as the statistical value you want. The range of data is information such as a period if it is time-series data. In the following, the request source of the provision request 303 is a request source that requests provision of the processing information 304. Specifically, the request source is the transmission source of the provision request 303.
The processing information 304 is data obtained by processing the device information 201 according to the processing rule 302. The processing information 304 is the device information 201 processed by the requested processing method included in the provision request 303. Specifically, the processing information 304 is data obtained by subjecting the device information 201 to statistical processing such as average, variance, or standard deviation, or processing for intentionally deleting some data.
The usage history 305 is information indicating a history of using the device information 201 such as a provision date and time, a provision destination, a usage purpose, a data processing method, and a reference count when the processing information 304 is provided in response to the provision request 303. .. The use of the device information 201 means that the device information 201 is processed and provided.

The device information receiving unit 31 receives the device information 201 and stores it in the device information storage unit 371.
The device information storage unit 371 stores the device information 201 received by the device information receiving unit 31.
The license information acquisition unit 32 acquires the license information 301 that represents the license conditions for the device information 201 and the license conditions including the processing method licensed for the device information 201. The license information acquisition unit 32 acquires the license information 301 and outputs it to the rule generation unit 33.
The rule generation unit 33 generates the processing rule 302 based on the usage permission information 301 and stores it in the rule storage unit 372. Specifically, the rule generation unit 33 acquires the usage permission information 301 from the license information acquisition unit 32, and generates the processing rule 302 according to the usage permission. Specifically, the rule generation unit 33 defines in advance a data processing method corresponding to the usage permission, and generates the processing rule 302 according to the definition. A concrete example will be described in the description of the operation.
The rule storage unit 372 stores a processing rule 302 including a processing method licensed for the device information 201 transmitted from the device 20 as a licensed processing method. The rule storage unit 372 stores the processing rule 302 created by the rule generation unit 33.

The providing unit 330 acquires a provision request 303 that requests that the device information 201 is processed and provided, and that includes the processing method of the device information 201 as a requested processing method. Then, when the requested processing method matches the licensed processing method included in the processing rule 302, the providing unit 330 processes the device information 201 by the requested processing method. Then, the providing unit 330 transmits the processed device information 201 as the processed information 304 to the request source of the supply request 303.
Further, the providing unit 330 generates a history of transmitting the processing information 304 to the request source of the provision request 303 as the usage history 305.

The functions of the data providing unit 34 and the data processing unit 35 included in the providing unit 330 will be described below.
The data providing unit 34 receives the provision request 303, acquires the processing information 304 from the data processing unit 35, and stores the history regarding the processing information 304 in the history storage unit 373 as the usage history 305. The data providing unit 34 interlocks with the processing of the device information 201 and saves the usage history 305 of the device information 201.

The configuration of the usage history 305 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The usage history 305 has items of provision date and time, provision destination, usage purpose, data processing method, and reference count. The date and time when the processing information 304 is provided is recorded in the provided date and time. The identifier of the information utilization device 40 that provided the processing information 304 is recorded in the provision destination. The usage purpose records the usage purpose of the provision request 303. The processing performed on the device information 201 is recorded in the data processing method. In the reference count, the reference count for the processed device information 201 is recorded.

The data processing unit 35 acquires the provision request 303 from the data providing unit 34, and extracts the processing rule 302 corresponding to the request from the rule storage unit 372. Next, the data processing unit 35 processes the device information 201 stored in the device information storage unit 371 according to the extracted processing rule 302, and generates the processing information 304. Finally, the data processing unit 35 outputs the generated processing information 304 to the data providing unit 34.

The history storage unit 373 stores the usage history 305 generated by the providing unit 330. The history storage unit 373 stores the usage history 305 generated by the data providing unit 34.

The reference unit 36 acquires the reference request 307 requesting the reference of the usage history 305, and extracts the usage history 305 from the history storage unit 373 based on the reference request 307. The reference unit 36 transmits the extracted usage history 305 to the request source of the reference request 307. For example, the reference unit 36 discloses the usage history 305 stored in the history storage unit 373 to the user 60.

Next, the function of the information use device 40 shown in FIG. 4 will be described.
The information use device 40 provides a service using the processed device information 201, that is, the processed information 304. In the present embodiment, since any service may be used, a functional block that realizes the service will not be described, and only a function necessary for acquiring the processing information 304 will be described.
The data request unit 41 transmits a provision request 303 requesting provision of the device information 201 to the information providing apparatus 30. Then, the data request unit 41 receives the processing information 304 according to the provision request 303.

***Description of operation***
Next, the processing of the information providing method and the information providing program of the information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described. The information providing program causes each device of the information providing system 500 to execute each processing described below.

The device information collecting process S10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The device information collecting process S10 is a process in which the information providing apparatus 30 collects the device information 201 from the device 20.
In step S 101, the data transmission unit 21 of the device 20 transmits the device information 201 to the information providing device 30 via the communication device 950. The data transmission unit 21 may periodically transmit the device information 201 to the information providing device 30. Alternatively, the data transmitting unit 21 may store the device information 201 in the storage unit 22 of the device 20 and transmit the device information 201 having a predetermined data amount to the information providing apparatus 30.
In step S 102, the device information receiving unit 31 of the information providing device 30 receives the device information 201 transmitted from the device 20 via the communication device 950. The device information receiving unit 31 stores the device information 201 in the device information storage unit 371 in association with the owner of the device 20, that is, the information of the user 60 who is the owner of the device information 201. The device information receiving unit 31 of the information providing apparatus 30 may request the device information 201 from the specific device 20 and receive the device information 201 as a response to the request.

Next, the rule storage processing S20 by the information providing device 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The rule storage process S20 is a process in which the rule storage unit 372 stores the processing rule 302 including the processing method licensed for the device information 201 transmitted from the device 20 as the licensed processing method.

In step S201, the permission information acquisition unit 32 acquires the usage permission information 301 regarding the device information 201 of the device 20. The license information acquisition unit 32 acquires the license information 301 set by the data licenser 701. Specifically, the license information acquisition unit 32 displays the license setting screen 702 on the display device of the terminal device of the data licenser 701, and causes the data licenser 701 to set the usage license information 301 on the license setting screen 702.

The usage permission information 301 includes data usage, data provision destination, data type, data range, permission processing method, and reference count.
The data licenser 701 sets the data usage, the data providing destination, the data type, the data range, and the reference count from the setting area provided on the permission setting screen 702. For example, in the data usage application setting area, options for data usage are displayed by pull-down, and the data licensor 701 selects from the options for data usage.

Next, a method of setting the usage permission information 301 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The processing of steps S211 to S214 of FIG. 8 is the detailed processing of step S201 of FIG.
In step S210, the setting screen display unit 501 displays the permission setting screen 702 for setting the processing method permitted for the device information 201 transmitted from the device 20 as the use permission information 301. Specifically, the setting screen display unit 501 displays the permission setting screen 702 as a web page form on the terminal device of the data permitter 701. The permission setting screen 702 has a GUI.

In step S211, the visualization unit 502 acquires the permission target in the device information 201 as the permission target data 705 via the permission setting screen 702. The visualization unit 502 acquires the permission target data 705 using the GUI on the permission setting screen 702. Specifically, the visualization unit 502 acquires the type of data and the range of data in the device information 201 as the permission target data 705 via the permission setting screen 702. As described above, the data licenser 701 sets the type of data and the range of data from the setting area provided on the permission setting screen 702.

In step S212, the visualization unit 502 generates visualization information 703 that visualizes the permission target data 705, and displays the visualization information 703 on the permission setting screen 702. The visualization unit 502 visualizes the permission target data 705 in a graph or a table. Specifically, the visualization unit 502 displays the type of data and the range of data selected by the data licensor 701 using a graph or a table. That is, the visualization information 703 is a graph or a table. When the data range is not selected, the information providing device 30 may display the data within a predetermined range.

FIG. 9 is a display example of a graph displayed on the permission setting screen 702 according to the present embodiment. 10 is a display example of the table displayed on the permission setting screen 702 according to the present embodiment.
For example, it is assumed that the type of data to be licensed is power consumption and that the air conditioner is selected as the device name for identifying the device 20. Further, it is assumed that the data range is from January 2016 to December 2016. At this time, a line graph as shown in the upper part of FIG. 9 is displayed on the permission setting screen 702 as visualization information 703. Further, it is assumed that the type of data to be licensed is an error code, and a data set of an ID (Identifier) identifying the device 20 and a device name is selected. At this time, a table as shown in the upper part of FIG. 10 is displayed on the permission setting screen 702 as visualization information 703. There are a plurality of types of graphs or types of tables, which can be selected by the data licenser 701 on the permission setting screen 702.

In step S213, the method acquisition unit 503 accepts data processing for the visualization information 703 via the permission setting screen 702. The method acquisition unit 503 accepts data processing for the visualization information 703 by using the GUI on the permission setting screen 702.
Specifically, the method acquisition unit 503 accepts data processing performed by the data licenser 701 on the graph or table via the permission setting screen 702. The method acquisition unit 503 processes the graph or table according to the data processing performed on the graph or table by the data licenser 701, and displays the graph or table on the license setting screen 702. The method acquisition unit 503 receives at least one of data filling, data replacement, data unit change, data unit rounding process, and data perturbation process as data processing.

Here, an example of data processing will be described.
(1) Method of filling data: It is "non-disclosure" of data.
(2) Method of replacing data: “Temporary ID conversion” of data. For example, it is selected whether or not the temporary ID is changed each time the data is accessed, and whether the temporary ID is replaced with a fixed value or a random number every time is used as a temporary ID parameter.
(3) Method of changing the unit of the graph: “statisticalization of data: average”. For example, the time axis, which is a display unit of the graph such as 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day, uses the section information for averaging as a parameter.
(4) Unit rounding method: “rounding processing”. For example, a value axis, which is a display unit of a graph such as 10 units, 100 units, or 1000 units, is used as a parameter for rounding processing. The rounding process is a process of making the grain size of the unit coarse. For example, in the case of “rounding by 100 units”, the values are changed as 120→100 and 1560→1500. Similarly, in the case of “rounding by 1000 units”, the values are changed as 120→0, 1560→1000.
(5) Method of adding noise: “Data disturbance”. Specifically, it can be applied only to power data. By selecting the home appliance information included in the power data, it is used as a parameter for determining the noise level.

The lower part of FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a graph in which “averaging processing” is performed every three months as a data processing method. In the lower part of FIG. 9, a line graph in units of one month is represented by a graph of average values in units of three months. Further, the lower part of FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a table to which “non-disclosure” and “temporary ID conversion” are applied as data processing methods.
As described above, the license information acquisition unit 32 sets the license information using the GUI using a graph or a table. The license information acquisition unit 32 visually carries out data processing such as graph shape, redacting data, or replacement, and sets a data processing technique to be applied from the visualized data. That is, since the processing method is selected from the "look" of the graph or table data, the data licensor can specify the expected data processing method.

In step S<b>214, the method acquisition unit 503 acquires the processing method specified based on the data processing for the visualization information 703 as the usage permission information 301. The method acquisition unit 503 notifies the rule generation unit 33 of the usage permission information 301 including the processing method specified by the data licenser 701.

Returning to FIG. 7, the description will be continued.
In step S202, the rule generation unit 33 acquires the usage license information 301 acquired by the license information acquisition unit 32. The rule generation unit 33 generates the processing rule 302 based on the usage permission information 301. A conversion method from the usage permission information 301 to the processing rule 302 is defined in advance as a conversion definition 306. The rule generation unit 33 performs conversion according to the conversion definition 306.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion definition 306 according to the present embodiment.
The conversion definition 306 defines the conversion of the processing rule 302 from the usage permission information 301 as follows. The conversion definition 306 is generated in advance and stored in the storage unit 37. As described above, the usage permission information 301 includes the usage of the data, the data providing destination, the data type, the data range, the processing method, and the reference count.
The purpose of use is to limit the purpose of the provision request 303 within the range of permission. The providing destination limits the request source of the providing request 303 within the range of permission. As for the type of data, the type of data desired to be acquired by the provision request 303 is limited within the range of permission. As for the range of data, the range of data desired to be acquired by the provision request 303 is limited to the range of permission. As for the processing method, the processing method of the provision request 303 is limited within the range of permission. As the reference count, an upper limit of the cumulative reference count of the device information 201 to be licensed is set.

As a specific example, it is assumed that the rule generation unit 33 sets the usage application, the provision destination, the data type, the data range, the processing method, and the reference count in the usage permission information 301 as follows.
For the purpose of use, we have set up a monitoring service and demand response.
Monitoring service A and demand response service B are set as the destinations.
For the data type, power on/off status and power consumption are set.
The data range is set from 2016/1/1 to 2018/12/31.
For the processing method, set hourly average, maximum, and minimum.
1000 is set as the reference count.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a specific example of the processing rule 302 according to the present embodiment. In the case of the specific example described above, the processing rule 302 is as shown in FIG.
Applications 321 are limited to watching services and demand response.
The providing destination 322 is limited to the watching service A and the demand response service B.
For the data type 323, only the power on/off state and power consumption can be referenced.
The data range 324 is 2016/1/1 to 2018/12/31.
The license processing method 325 provides only the average, maximum, and minimum for each hour.
As for the reference count 326, the cumulative reference count is 1000, and the reference count is not available.

Finally, in step S203, the rule generation unit 33 stores the generated processing rule 302 in the rule storage unit 372. The rule generation unit 33 stores the device information 201 in association with the information of the user 60 who owns the device 20 that has transmitted the device information 201. In FIG. 12, the identifier of the user 60 is the user ID “A1000234”, which is associated with the processing rule 302. Further, the processing rule 302 has a configuration that can be specified from the device information 201 stored in the device information storage unit 371. Specifically, the rule storage unit 372 is made into a database so that the processing rule 302 can be searched from information such as the information of the user 60, the type of data, or the range of data.

Next, the providing process S30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the providing process S30, the providing unit 330 acquires the provision request 303 that requests the device information 201 to be processed and provided, and includes the processing method of the device information 201 as the requested processing method 336. Then, when the requested processing method 336 matches the licensed processing method 325 included in the processing rule 302, the providing unit 330 processes the device information 201 by the requested processing method 336. Then, the providing unit 330 transmits the device information 201 as the processing information 304 to the request source of the providing request 303.
In step S301, the data request unit 41 of the information utilization device 40 generates the provision request 303. The data request unit 41 transmits the provision request 303 to the information providing device 30 via the communication device 950.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a specific example of the provision request 303 according to the present embodiment.
The supply request 303 includes information such as a data owner 331, a request source 332, a usage purpose 333, a data type 334, a data range 335, and a requested processing method 336. Specific examples are as follows.
A user ID “A1000234” is set to the data owner 331.
The monitoring service A is set as the request source 332.
A monitoring service is set for the usage purpose 333.
The power consumption is set in the data type 334.
2016/11/28 is set in the data range 335.
The required processing method 336, that is, the statistical value to be acquired is set to an average every hour.

In step S301a, the data providing unit 34 of the information providing device 30 receives the providing request 303 transmitted from the information using device 40 via the communication device 950. The data providing unit 34 outputs the provision request 303 to the data processing unit 35.

In step S 302, the data processing unit 35 searches the rule storage unit 372 for the processing rule 302 corresponding to the provision request 303. In the specific example of receiving the provision request 303 of FIG. 14, the data processing unit 35 searches the rule storage unit 372 for the processing rule 302 related to the “power consumption” data of the user ID “A1000234”.
If there is the corresponding processing rule 302, the process proceeds to step S303.
If the corresponding processing rule 302 does not exist, it means that the corresponding device information 201 does not exist, or the usage permission has not been obtained. Therefore, the data providing unit 34 informs the information using device 40 of the corresponding device. A reply that the information 201 does not exist or that the license is not obtained is returned, and the processing information 304 is not returned.

In the specific example in which the provision request 303 of FIG. 14 is received, the data processing unit 35 acquires the processing rule 302 of FIG. 12 shown below from the rule storage unit 372 by the provision request 303 of FIG.
Applications 321 are limited to watching services and demand response.
The providing destination 322 is limited to the watching service A and the demand response service B.
For the data type 323, only the power on/off state and power consumption can be referenced.
The data range 324 is 2016/1/1 to 2018/12/31.
The license processing method 325 provides only the average, maximum, and minimum for each hour.
As for the reference count 326, the cumulative reference count is 1000, and the reference count is not available.

In step S303, the data processing unit 35 determines whether the acquired processing rule 302 matches the provision request 303. If the processing rule 302 does not match the provision request 303, it means that the data cannot be provided. If the processing rule 302 does not match the provision request 303, the process proceeds to step S305a.

In step S305a, the data providing unit 34 of the providing unit 330 cannot generate the processing information 204 in response to the supply request 303 because the requested processing method 336 does not match the licensed processing method 325 included in the processing rule 302. Generate history. Then, the data providing unit 34 stores, in the history storage unit 373, the use history 305 including the history in which the processing information 204 cannot be generated in response to the supply request 303. At this time, the user 60, who is the owner of the device information 201, may review the license according to the history of disabling the provision. The data providing unit 34 may include the following information in the usage history 305.
The requested date and time is 2016/11/29, that is, the date and time when the data request was made.
The request source is the monitoring service A.
The purpose of use is a monitoring service.
The required processing method that became impossible is the standard deviation every hour.
Further, the data providing unit 34 replies that the processed device information 201 cannot be provided to the information utilizing apparatus 40 that is the request source of the providing request 303.

On the other hand, if the processing rule 302 matches the provision request 303, the process proceeds to step S304.
In step S 304, the data processing unit 35 acquires the device information 201 corresponding to the processing rule 302 from the device information storage unit 371. The data processing unit 35 processes the device information 201 acquired from the device information storage unit 371 according to the processing rule 302 to generate the processing information 304. The data processing unit 35 outputs the processing information 304 to the data providing unit 34.

A case of a specific example of receiving the provision request 303 in FIG. 14 will be described.
At this time, the processing rule 302 was as follows.
Applications 321 are limited to watching services and demand response.
The providing destination 322 is limited to the watching service A and the demand response service B.
For the data type 323, only the power on/off state and power consumption can be referenced.
The data range 324 is 2016/1/1 to 2018/12/31.
The license processing method 325 provides only the average, maximum, and minimum for each hour.
As for the reference count 326, the cumulative reference count is 1000, and the reference count is not available.
This processing rule 302 matches the provision request 303 of FIG. 14 below.
The user ID “A1000234” is set for the data owner 331.
The monitoring service A is set as the request source 332.
A monitoring service is set for the usage purpose 333.
The power consumption is set as the data type 334.
2016/11/28 is set in the data range 335.
The requested processing method 336, that is, the statistic value to be acquired is set to an average every hour.
Therefore, the data processing unit 35 calculates an hourly average value for the device information 201 of 2016/11/28, and sets the calculation result as the processing information 304.

In step S 305, the data providing unit 34 creates the usage history 305 for the device information 201 and stores it in the history storage unit 373. In addition, the data providing unit 34 transmits the processing information 304 to the information using device 40 via the communication device 950. That is, the data providing unit 34 saves the usage history 305 of the device information 201 in association with the processing of the device information 201.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a specific example of the usage history 305 according to the present embodiment.
In the case of the specific example of receiving the provision request 303 of FIG. 14, the usage history 305 is as shown in FIG.
The provision date and time is set to 2016/11/29, that is, the date and time when the provision request is received.
The watching service A is set as the destination.
A monitoring service is set for the purpose of use.
The hourly average is set as the data processing method.
The reference count is set to 1.

Note that, in the specific example of receiving the provision request 303 in FIG. 14, the processing method of the device information 201 is an hourly average, but the processing method is not limited to this. Other statistical methods may be processing methods such as variance, deviation, distribution, or test. Further, the processing method may be an anonymization method of filtering specific data or eliminating or reducing the information for identifying an individual. The anonymization method includes a pseudonym method in which a personal identifier is used as a pseudonym, or an ambiguous method in which information is coarsened by rounding processing.

The usage history reference process S40 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S401, the reference unit 36 of the information providing apparatus 30 receives the reference request 307 of the usage history 305 of the device information 201 from the user 60 who is the owner of the device 20. At this time, the reference unit 36 may perform personal authentication on the user 60. The reference unit 36 may acquire the reference request 307 of the usage history 305 via the input interface 930. Alternatively, the reference unit 36 may acquire the reference request 307 of the usage history 305 via the communication device 950.

In step S402, the reference unit 36 acquires the usage history 305 corresponding to the device information 201 regarding the device 20 of the user 60 from the history storage unit 373. The reference unit 36 presents the acquired usage history 305 to the user 60. The reference unit 36 displays the usage history 305 on the display via the output interface 940. Alternatively, the reference unit 36 transmits the usage history 305 to the request source of the reference request 307 via the communication device 950.
Specifically, the reference unit 36 presents the usage history 305 to the user 60 by displaying the usage history 305 on the display via the output interface 940. Alternatively, the reference unit 36 may transmit the usage history 305 to the user 60 via the communication device 950. The user 60 checks whether the presented usage history 305 is against the assumed usage license.
In step S402a, the reference unit 36 receives the check result by the user 60.
In step S403, the reference unit 36 determines whether the usage history 305 is against the license based on the check result. If the usage history 305 does not violate the usage permission, the confirmation of the usage history 305 ends. If the usage history 305 is against the license, the process proceeds to step S404.

In step S<b>404, the reference unit 36 presents to the user 60 information recommending a review of the usage permission information 301.
Specifically, the reference unit 36 presents to the user 60 by displaying a screen for recommending the review of the usage permission information 301 on the display. When the user 60 reviews the license information 301 based on the information recommending the license information 301 to be reviewed, the license information acquisition unit 32 acquires the new license information 301 from the user 60, and acquires the license information. Update 301.
Further, when presenting the usage history 305, the reference unit 36 may disclose to the user 60 a history that the provision request 303 has been received, but the provision request 303 is not provided because it is against the usage permission, and may prompt the permission.
Further, the reference unit 36 may be used when an audit regarding the use of personal information is carried out in order to comply with the law regarding the protection of personal information. If there is a point in the audit regarding the use of the personal information, the administrator of the information providing device 30 may change the processing rule 302.

Next, with reference to FIG. 17, a series of operation examples of the entire information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described.
In the example of FIG. 17, a home appliance compatible with HEMS is the device 20. The information use device 40 also provides a watching service.
(0) The information providing device 30 displays the permission setting screen 702, which is a GUI for setting the use permission information 301, as a form of a WEB page, for example, on the terminal device of the user 60 who owns the home appliance.
(1) The user 60 registers the usage permission information 301 in the information providing device 30. At this time, the user 60 uses the permission setting screen 702 to set the use permission information 301.
(2) The information providing device 30 creates the processing rule 302 from the usage permission information 301 and stores it. The processing of (1) and (2) corresponds to the processing rule storage processing S20 of FIG.
(3) The device information 201 is transmitted from the home appliance to the information providing device 30 and stored in the information providing device 30. The process (3) corresponds to the device information collection process S10 in FIG.
(4) The watching service requests the information providing device 30 to provide the device information 201.
(5) The information providing device 30 processes the device information 201, records the usage history thereof, and returns the processed information 304. The processes (4) and (5) correspond to the providing process S30 in FIG. (6) The watching service realizes the watching service by utilizing the acquired processing information 304.
(7) Finally, the user 60, who owns the home appliance, confirms with the information providing device 30 the usage history 305 of the device information 201 provided by the home appliance. If there is a problem that there is a use contrary to the assumed license, the user 60 reviews the license. The process (7) corresponds to the usage history reference process S40 in FIG.
After that, the information providing system 500 repeats the cycle of (0) to (7).

The information providing apparatus described in the present embodiment includes a setting screen display unit that displays a permission setting screen for setting a processing method permitted for device information transmitted from a device as usage permission information, and the permission setting screen. Via the device for obtaining permission information in the device information as permission target data, generating visualization information that visualizes the permission target data, and displaying the visualization information on the permission setting screen; and the permission setting screen. A method acquisition unit that receives data processing for the visualization information via the method, acquires a processing method specified based on the data processing for the visualization information as the usage permission information, and a provision request for requesting provision of the device information. Then, the information providing apparatus is provided with: a processing unit that processes the device information based on the usage permission information, and transmits the processed device information as processing information to a request source of the supply request.

Further, in the information providing method described in the present embodiment, the setting screen display unit displays the permission setting screen for setting the processing method permitted for the device information transmitted from the device as the use permission information, and the visualization unit Acquires the object of the license in the device information as the license target data through the license setting screen, generates visualization information that visualizes the license target data, and displays the visualization information on the license setting screen. An acquisition unit receives data processing for the visualization information via the permission setting screen, acquires a processing method specified based on the data processing for the visualization information as the usage permission information, and a providing unit sets the device information. Is an information providing method of acquiring a provision request for requesting provision of the device information, processing the device information based on the usage permission information, and transmitting the processed device information as processing information to a request source of the provision request.

Further, the information providing program described in the present embodiment includes a setting screen display process for displaying a permission setting screen for setting a processing method permitted for device information transmitted from a device as usage permission information, and the permission setting. A visualization process of acquiring a permission target in the device information as permission target data through a screen, generating visualization information that visualizes the permission target data, and displaying the visualization information on the permission setting screen, and the permission setting. A method acquisition process for accepting data processing for the visualization information via a screen, and acquiring a processing method specified based on the data processing for the visualization information as the usage permission information, and a provision request for requesting provision of the device information. Is provided, processes the device information based on the use permission information, and sends the processed device information to the request source of the providing request as the processed information.

***Other configurations***
<Modification 1>
In the present embodiment, the license information acquisition unit 32 displays the license setting screen 702 as a form of a WEB page and allows the data licenser 701 to set the license information 301. However, the license information acquisition unit 32 may cause the data licenser 701 to set the license information 301 by an electronic file of a specific format. Alternatively, the license information acquisition unit 32 may cause the data licenser 701 to set the license information 301 by e-mail.
Further, in the present embodiment, the license information acquisition unit 32 uses the device information 201 to display a table or a graph on the license setting screen 702, and accepts data processing for the displayed table or graph. However, the permission information acquisition unit 32 may display a table or a graph on the permission setting screen 702 by using the sample data instead of the device information 201.

In the present embodiment, the function of each unit of each device is realized by software. However, as a modification, the functions of each unit of each device may be realized by hardware.
That is, each device of the information providing system 500 may include an electronic circuit instead of the processor 910.

The electronic circuit is a dedicated electronic circuit that realizes the function of each unit of each device and the storage units 22, 37, and 42 of each device described above. The electronic circuit is specifically a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, a logic IC, a GA, an ASIC, or an FPGA. GA is an abbreviation for Gate Array. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. FPGA is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array.

The function of each unit of each device may be realized by one electronic circuit, or may be realized by being distributed to a plurality of electronic circuits.

As another modification, the function of each unit of each device may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. That is, a part of the functions of each device of the information providing system 500 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and the remaining functions may be realized by software.

The processor 910 of each device of the information providing system 500 and the electronic circuit are collectively referred to as a “processing circuit”. That is, the function of each unit of each device is realized by the processing circuitry.

The “part” of each part of each device of the information providing system 500 may be read as a “process” or a “procedure” or a “process”. Further, the function of each unit of each device may be realized by firmware.

***Explanation of the effect of this embodiment***
According to the information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to allow the data licensor to set the usage permission information by using the permission setting screen which is the GUI. Therefore, according to the information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily obtain appropriate license information.
Further, the data licensor can select the processing method from the "look" of the graph or table, and thus can obtain the expected output.

Further, according to the information providing system according to the present embodiment, only the processing information processed according to the usage permission is provided, and the device information that is the original data is not provided. Therefore, according to the information providing system of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use of the device information that is the original data. Further, according to the information providing system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to guarantee that the information is reliably handled within the range of the usage permission.

Further, according to the information providing system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a cycle in which the usage permission information for the device information is reviewed according to the usage history for the device information. Further, according to the information providing system according to the present embodiment, by realizing the cycle of revising the usage permission information for the device information according to the usage history for the device information, the owner of the device can feel secure about personal information or privacy information. Can be provided and receive a full service.

Further, according to the information providing system according to the present embodiment, since the history is generated by associating the usage and the processing method of the device information, it is possible to prevent spoofing of the usage history. Therefore, the service provider can use the personal information or the privacy information without infringing the personal information or the privacy-related law, and the range of service provision can be expanded.

Embodiment 2.
In the present embodiment, points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described. The components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

In the first embodiment, the data licenser 701 is assumed to be either the user 60 or the data administrator 70. However, the device information 201 may have a plurality of data types owned by each of a plurality of owners. The data collected from the IoT device is not always the owner of the data, that is, the data licenser 701 is one. For example, an owner of an electric home appliance is a data licenser of information such as an operation history of the home electric appliance or operation data of the home electric appliance. On the other hand, the HEMS administrator becomes a data licensor of information such as device specifications or device internal data. In this way, the information providing apparatus 30a in the case where the data licensor changes depending on the type of data will be described.

***Description of structure***
The configuration of the information providing device 30a according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
18, the difference from the information providing apparatus 30 of FIG. 1 is that the permission information acquisition unit 32 includes an owner-specific setting unit 504.
The owner-specific setting unit 504 sets the data licenser 701 corresponding to the data to be licensed, and causes the data licenser 701 to set the usage permission information 301. When the permission target data is acquired, the owner-specific setting unit 504 may display, on the permission setting screen 702, a display prompting the data licenser 701 corresponding to the permission target data to set the usage permission information 301.

***Description of operation***
A method of setting the usage permission information 301 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The processing from step S221 to step S228 in FIG. 19 is the detailed processing of step S201 in FIG.
In step S221, the owner-specific setting unit 504 determines whether there are multiple owners of the data of the device information 201. The information providing device 30a holds a data set of the type of data and the owner of the data as a schema. As a specific example, a data set 704 as shown in FIG. 10 is provided. In the data set 704 of FIG. 10, the device ID and the device name are data owned by the home appliance owner, and the error code is data owned by the manufacturer. If there are two or more owners of the device information 201, the process proceeds to step S222. If the owner of the device information 201 is one, the process proceeds to step S227.

In step S222, the owner-specific setting unit 504 receives the selection of the data type of the device information 201 for which the usage permission information 301 is set. The owner-specific setting unit 504 may accept selection of a data type from the permission setting screen 702 described in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the selection of the data type may be received by another method, specifically, an electronic file of a specific format or an electronic mail.
In step S223, the owner-specific setting unit 504 sets the data licensor 701 of the selected data type. For example, the owner-specific setting unit 504 may set the user who is accessing the screen as the data licensor 701. Alternatively, the owner-specific setting unit 504 displays on the screen a display prompting the data licenser 701 to set the usage permission information 301 corresponding to the selected data type, and the user who is accessing the screen receives the data permission. The setting of the person 701 may be accepted. Alternatively, the owner-specific setting unit 504 may set the data licensor 701 based on the data set 704.

In step S224, the owner-specific setting unit 504 acquires the usage permission information 301 set by the data licensor 701. As a method of setting the usage permission information 301 by the data licenser 701, the setting of the usage permission information 301 may be accepted through the permission setting screen 702 described in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the setting of the license information 301 may be received by another method, specifically, an electronic file of a specific format or an electronic mail.
In step S225, the owner-specific setting unit 504 determines whether the usage permission information 301 or the processing rule 302 already exists. If it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S226. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S228. In step S<b>228, the owner-specific setting unit 504 displays an error message indicating that the license information 301 has already been set on the data licenser 701.

In step S226, the owner-specific setting unit 504 determines whether or not the target data for which the usage permission is set remains. If the permission target data remains, the process returns to step S222 to repeat the process. If there is no data to be licensed, the process ends.

In step S227, the owner-specific setting unit 504 accepts the setting of the usage permission information 301 according to the type of data. The setting of the usage permission information 301 may be accepted on the permission setting screen 702 described in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the setting of the license information may be received by another method, specifically, an electronic file of a specific format or an electronic mail.

***Explanation of the effect of this embodiment***
According to the information providing apparatus 30a according to the present embodiment, even when there are a plurality of data licensors for device information, the data licensor can be changed depending on the type of data, and more appropriate license information Can be set.

Embodiment 3.
In the present embodiment, points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described. The components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a possibility that information may be leaked when some types of data of the air conditioner are matched.
20, NO. 1 date and time and NO. 2 device serial numbers and NO. 9. By matching the outside air temperature with general weather data, the user's residential area can be estimated. In addition, NO. 1 date and time and NO. 2 device serial numbers and NO. The basic life pattern of the user can be estimated by abutting 6 power on/off.
As described above, when the data is provided to a plurality of providers, the data may be collated and the information may be leaked.

In the present embodiment, an information providing device 30b that prevents information leakage due to data matching will be described.

***Description of structure***
The configuration of the information providing device 30b according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
21, a difference from the information providing apparatus 30 of FIG. 1 is that the storage unit 37 has a data providing rule 308. In addition, the license information acquisition unit 32 includes a condition reception unit 505.
In the data provision rule 308, provision conditions for providing the device information 201, including at least one of the number of data types of the device information 201 and a combination of data types of the device information 201, are set. ing.
The condition receiving unit 505 receives the setting of the providing condition set in the data providing rule 308 before receiving the setting of the usage permission information 301.
The providing unit 330 generates a history of transmitting the processing information 304 to the request source of the provision request 303 as a usage history 305. Then, the providing unit 330 determines whether the processing information 304 matches the data providing rule 308 based on the usage history 305, and if the processing information 304 does not match the data providing rule 308, the processing information 304 is determined. Error message is output without providing.

***Description of operation***
The setting process of the data provision rule 308 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The setting process of the data provision rule 308 is executed in the setting process of the usage permission information 301 in step S201 of FIG. The process of FIG. 22 is the detailed process of step S201 of FIG.

In step S231, the condition receiving unit 505 determines whether to set the data provision rule 308. The user specifies whether or not to set the data provision rule 308. When setting the data provision rule 308, the process proceeds to step S232. If the data provision rule 308 is not set, the process proceeds to step S233.

In step S231, the condition receiving unit 505 receives the setting of the providing condition. The provision condition includes at least one of the number of data types of the device information 201 and the combination of data types of the device information 201. Specifically, provision conditions such as “provided that up to 2 out of 3 types can be provided” or “cannot provide a specific combination” are set. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, a provision condition such as “possible up to two of data items 1, 2, and 9” or “combination of data items 1, 2, and 4” is not available. Is set. The condition reception unit 505 sets the provision condition received from the user in the data provision rule 308.
In step S233, the condition receiving unit 505 receives the setting of the usage permission information 301 according to the type of data. The setting of the usage permission information 301 may be accepted on the permission setting screen 702 described in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the setting of the license information may be received by another method, specifically, an electronic file of a specific format or an electronic mail.

Application processing of the data provision rule 308 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The application process of the data provision rule 308 is executed in the process of step S303 of FIG. The process of FIG. 23 is the detailed process of step S303 of FIG.

In step S331, the data processing unit 35 refers to the past usage history 305 regarding the data requested to be provided by the providing request 303.
In step S332, the data processing unit 35 determines, based on the past usage history 305, whether or not the data is provided according to the present provision request 303 and the data provision rule 308 is met. That is, the data processing unit 35 determines whether or not the type of data to be provided exceeds the upper limit of the type of data that can be provided by the provision by the provision request 303 this time. If it matches the data provision rule 308, the process proceeds to step S333. If it does not match the data provision rule 308, it means that the data cannot be provided, and the process proceeds to step S305a in FIG.

In step S333, the data processing unit 35 determines whether the provision by the provision request 303 this time matches the processing rule 302 other than the data provision rule 308. If it matches the processing rule 302, the process proceeds to step S304 in FIG. If it does not match the processing rule 302, it means that the data cannot be provided, and the process proceeds to step S305a in FIG.

The information providing device 30b may have a blacklist of the destinations to which the data provision rule 308 is applied and a whitelist of the destinations to which the data provision rule 308 may not be applied. In other words, the IP address of the provision destination, such as an in-house department, is set in the white list without fear of information leakage. Further, in the blacklist, there is a risk of information leakage due to a match, for example, an IP address of an outside provider is set.

***Explanation of the effect of this embodiment***
According to the information providing device 30b of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent information leakage due to data matching.

Fourth Embodiment
In the present embodiment, points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described. The components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.
In the operation example of the information providing system 500 of FIG. 17 described in the first embodiment, the configuration in which the user 60, who is the owner of the home appliance, provides the home appliance information to the external data utilization service has been described. In the operation example of the information providing system 500 of FIG. 17, the data licenser 701 of the device information 201 is the user 60, and the user 60 provides the processing information 304 to the external data utilization service.
In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the information providing system 500 controls disclosure of logs of business-use devices and systems. In the present embodiment, the device 20 as the data collection target is a business device, and the data licenser 701 of the business device is the data manager 70. In the present embodiment, an operation example in which the processing information 304 is provided to an in-house person such as a person in charge of maintaining the business-use device will be described.
The device information 201 of the business device may include confidential information about the user or the place of use of the business device. Therefore, the data manager 70 may not want to disclose the information to a department other than a specific department such as a maintenance service even in the company that manages the business equipment.

An operation example of the information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a series of operations for acquiring the usage permission information 301 of the device information 201, utilizing the device information 201, and reviewing the usage permission, based on the above-described specific example.
Note that the configuration of the information providing system 500 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so description will be omitted.

In the operation example of FIG. 24, the business device is the device 20. Further, the information service device 40 is assumed to be a maintenance service for the device 20 in another department in the company that manages the business device.
(0) The information providing device 30 displays the permission setting screen 702, which is a GUI for setting the use permission information 301, as a WEB page form on the terminal device of the data administrator 70 who is the administrator of the device 20, for example. To do.
(1) The data administrator 70 registers the usage permission information 301 in the information providing device 30. At this time, the data administrator 70 sets the use permission information 301 using the permission setting screen 702.
(2) The information providing device 30 creates the processing rule 302 from the usage permission information 301 and stores it. The processing of (1) and (2) corresponds to the processing rule storage processing S20 of FIG.
(3) Operation data of the business device is transmitted as log information from the business device to the information providing device 30 as the device information 201, and is stored in the information providing device 30. The process (3) corresponds to the device information collection process S10 in FIG.
(4) The maintenance service requests the information providing device 30 to provide log information.
(5) The information providing device 30 processes the log information, records the usage history thereof, and returns the processed information 304 of the log information. The processes (4) and (5) correspond to the providing process S30 in FIG.
(6) The maintenance service uses the processing information 304 of the log information to detect the abnormality of the business equipment to perform the maintenance work.
(7) Finally, the data administrator 70 confirms the log information usage history 305 with the information providing device 30. If there is a problem that there is a use contrary to the assumed license, the data manager 70 reviews the license. The process (7) corresponds to the use history reference process S40 in FIG.
After that, the information providing system 500 repeats the cycles (1) to (7).

As described above, according to the information providing system according to the present embodiment, by applying the information providing system 500 to the disclosure control of the log of the business equipment or the system, it can be used for internal control within the company, that is, within the organization. You can

In the first to fourth embodiments, each unit of each device of the information providing system constitutes each device of the information providing system as an independent functional block. However, the configuration of each device of the information providing system is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. The functional block of each device of the information providing system is arbitrary as long as it can realize the functions described in the above embodiments. Each device of the information providing system may be configured by any other combination of these functional blocks or an arbitrary block configuration.
Further, each device of the information providing system may be a system including a plurality of devices instead of one device.

Although the first to fourth embodiments have been described, a plurality of parts of these embodiments may be combined and implemented. Alternatively, one of these embodiments may be implemented. In addition, these embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in any combination.
It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are essentially preferable examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, and uses, and various modifications can be made if necessary. ..

20 device, 21 data transmitting unit, 30, 30a, 30b information providing device, 31 device information receiving unit, 32 license information acquiring unit, 33 rule generating unit, 34 data providing unit, 35 data processing unit, 36 reference unit, 22, 37, 42 storage unit, 40 information utilization device, 41 data request unit, 50 network, 60 user, 70 data administrator, 201 device information, 301 usage permission information, 302 processing rule, 303 provision request, 304 processing information, 305 use History, 306 conversion definition, 307 reference request, 308 data provision rule, 321 and 333 usage purpose, 322 provision destination, 323, 334 data type, 324, 335 data range, 325 permission processing method, 326 reference count, 330 provision Part, 331 data owner, 332 request source, 336 request processing method, 371 device information storage part, 372 rule storage part, 373 history storage part, 500 information provision system, 501 setting screen display part, 502 visualization part, 503 method Acquisition unit, 504 Owner-specific setting unit, 505 Condition receiving unit, 701 Data licenser, 702 Permission setting screen, 703 Visualization information, 704 Data set, 705 Permission target data, 910 Processor, 920 Storage device, 921 Memory, 922 Auxiliary Storage device, 930 input interface, 940 output interface, 950 communication device, S10 device information collection process, S20 rule storage process, S30 provision process, S40 usage history reference process.

Claims (12)

In the device information transmitted from the device, the data licensor corresponding to the data to be licensed, which is the object of the license in the device information having a plurality of data types owned by each of a plurality of owners, is set, and A setting unit for each owner, which is set by a data licensor, and which acquires a processing method permitted for the device information as usage permission information,
A providing unit that acquires a provision request for requesting provision of the device information, processes the device information based on the usage permission information, and transmits the processed device information to the request source of the provision request as processing information. Equipped information providing device. A setting screen display section for displaying a permission setting screen for setting the processing method permitted for the device information as the use permission information;
A visualization unit that acquires the permission target data via the permission setting screen, generates visualization information that visualizes the permission target data, and displays the visualization information on the permission setting screen;
A method acquisition unit that receives data processing for the visualization information from the data licensor via the license setting screen and acquires a processing method specified based on the data processing for the visualization information as the usage permission information. The information providing device according to claim 1. The permission setting screen includes a GUI (Graphical User Interface),
The visualization unit acquires the permission target data by using the GUI on the permission setting screen,
The information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the method acquisition unit receives data processing for the visualization information using a GUI on the permission setting screen. The visualization unit,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the type of data and the range of the data in the device information are acquired as the permission target data via the permission setting screen, and the permission target data is visualized by a graph or a table. The method acquisition unit,
5. The data processing according to claim 2, wherein at least one of data filling, data replacement, data unit change, data unit rounding process, and data perturbation process is accepted as the data processing. The information providing device according to the item. The owner-specific setting unit,
6. When the permission target data is acquired, a display prompting the data licenser to set the usage permission information corresponding to the permission target data is displayed on the permission setting screen. The information providing device according to the item. The information providing device,
A provision condition for providing the device information, wherein the provision condition includes a data provision rule including at least one of the number of data types of the device information and a combination of the data types of the device information. ,
The providing unit is
A history of transmitting the processing information to the request source of the provision request is generated as a usage history, and based on the usage history, it is determined whether or not the data provision rule is met when the processing information is provided, The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the data providing rule is not met, an error message is output without providing the processing information. The information providing device,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a condition receiving unit that receives the setting of the providing condition. The providing unit is
2. A history of transmitting the processing information to a request source of the provision request, wherein a history in which a usage purpose that is a usage purpose of the provision request and the processing method are associated with each other is generated as a usage history. Item 10. The information providing device according to any one of items 8. The providing unit generates a history of transmitting the processing information to a request source of the providing request as a usage history,
The information providing device,
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which has a function of revising the usage permission information based on the usage history. Data corresponding to the license target data that is the license information in the device information transmitted from the device by the owner-specific setting unit and having a plurality of data types owned by each of the plurality of owners. A licensor is set, and the processing method which is set by the data licensor and is licensed to the device information is acquired as usage permission information,
A providing unit acquires a provision request for requesting provision of the device information, processes the device information based on the license information, and transmits the processed device information as process information to a request source of the supply request. Information provision method. In the device information transmitted from the device, the data licensor corresponding to the data to be licensed, which is the object of the license in the device information having a plurality of data types owned by each of a plurality of owners, is set, and A setting process for each owner, which is set by a data licensor, and which acquires a processing method permitted for the device information as usage permission information,
A providing process for obtaining a request for providing the device information, processing the device information based on the license information, and transmitting the processed device information as processing information to a request source of the providing request; An information providing program that is executed by a computer.

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