JPH09319662A - Information processor, information providing system, information managing method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the ability for protecting information from wire tapping or robbery and to reduce the burden in access for a user. SOLUTION: A diary processing system 20 is provided with a position acquisition part 21 for acquiring its own current position information through the measurement of a global positioning system(GPS). In this case, when opening a diary file 25, an information managing part 25 collates the acquired current position information with home location information 26 in the diary file 25 and only when the information is coincident, diary data 24 are displayed on an input/output part. With this system, the diary data 24 can not be accessed at other than his own home and the diary data can be protected from robbery or wire tapping.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a computer and an information management method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Computers are connected by the Internet and many personal computer communication networks, and information is exchanged through these networks. In addition, information is often exchanged using a recording medium such as a floppy disk or an optical disk. Furthermore, portable information terminals (PDA: Personal Digital Asistant) are also used,
A lot of information is loaded on the PDA to be processed.

[0003]

Information transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a network or information stored in a computer connected to the network has a high probability of being eavesdropped by an eavesdropper. In addition, recording media and PD
The information stored in A is also likely to be seen by others due to theft or loss. Therefore, it has been considered to set a password to limit access to the information, encrypt the information, store it, or transmit it.

The password information needs to be managed by the information administrator, and if the information administrator forgets it, the information administrator cannot access the information. In addition, some kind of decryption key is required to decrypt the encrypted information, and it is necessary to pass the information to the sender or to perform encryption according to the decryption key possessed by the sender. Becomes Therefore, unless the sender and the receiver manage the encryption and decryption key information, the information cannot be accessed,
Failure to manage may result in loss of information or permitting eavesdroppers to eavesdrop.

Therefore, in the present invention, information is managed from a viewpoint different from the conventional password information or key information for managing information, the information can be protected more safely, and further, the information can be managed. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and an information management method that reduce the load on the user. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and an information management method capable of restricting access to information or restricting decoding by a method different from the conventional one.

[0006]

Therefore, in the information processing apparatus and the information management method of the present invention, physical information indicating the position (current location) where the information processing apparatus or the user exists is used as password information or key information. I am trying. That is, the information processing apparatus of the present invention is
It is equipped with a position acquisition means capable of acquiring its own current location information, and a management means for managing information using this current location information as password information, or a management means for encrypting and decrypting information using this current location information as key information. It is characterized by having. In addition, the information management method of the present invention includes a step of acquiring the current location information of itself, a step of matching the current location information with pre-registered location information to permit access, or decoding the information using the current location information as a key. And a step of chemical treatment.

As a means for acquiring the current position information of the self, there is a means for acquiring the current position information of the self based on data received from a plurality of satellites, and today, GPS (Global Pos) which is widely used in car navigation systems and the like.
itioning Sysytem). Of course, it is not limited to GPS. In addition, it is possible to obtain a rough current position from the base station position of the mobile communication system, and it is also possible to use the base station position as the current position in an information processing terminal having a PHS function with a relatively small service area. . Further, it is possible to install transmission terminals on roads and buildings and acquire position information from these transmission terminals.

[0008] The present location of the user is neither unique to the information processing terminal nor unique to the user. However, it is obtained by physically moving the user or the information processing terminal to a specific position, and the position information related to the user can be used as password information or key information specifying the user. For example, in the information processing apparatus and the information management method of the present invention,
The location of the user's home, the location of the office, and
It is possible to restrict access to information by using the position of the user's desk as a password or a key. Therefore, the user can access the information by performing the processing in a specific place that is a normal place for the user without storing the password data or the key data, and the load for managing the information is significantly reduced. it can. Also, the sender of information can transmit information that can be accessed only at a specific place. On the other hand, an eavesdropper cannot access the information without going to the location specified as the password or key. For this reason, it is necessary to specify the location and then move to the specified location to access it. Therefore, the position information is very effective as a means for protecting the information from eavesdropping. Further, as the current location information that is the password information or the key information, not only the current location when accessing the information but also location information including time passage such as directions can be adopted, and the information protection function Can be further increased.

Such a function for improving the security of information can be applied to an information providing system connected to a computer network such as the Internet, and the specific information using the position information as a password and the user's position via the computer network. An information providing system having information and a means for receiving the request for providing the specific information may be provided with means for transmitting the specific information only when the positional information of the user matches the positional information of the password of the specific information. In the case of specific information using the position information as a decryption key, the specific information decrypted using the user's position information as a key should be sent. Only when the position information is correct, the correctly decrypted specific information is sent. To be done. As such specific information, information that is kept secretly,
There are various kinds of information such as information restricted to specific users and confidential letters.

The information processing apparatus, information providing system and information management method of the present invention not only protect information,
It can also be used for leisure, sports or games. For example, by using the information processing apparatus and the information management method of the present invention, orienteering and stamp rally,
Alternatively, in a rally or the like, information on the next route or relay point can be provided only at a specific place.
Further, since the information received by accessing from within a specific area can be restricted, it is possible to provide advertisements, store information, etc. related to the area with the same user interface.

The information management method of the present invention can be implemented as a logic circuit or software, and the software can be provided by being stored in a recording medium such as a ROM, a hard disk or an IC card. Further, the position information serving as the password information may be stored in the information processing device, or may be stored in a portable recording medium such as a floppy disk or an optical disk.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a terminal 10 capable of measuring its own location by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites as an example of implementation of the present invention. The accuracy of the position information by the GPS independent positioning is about 100 m in the band and code that are generally open at present, and is corrected using error information obtained from a fixed reference station whose coordinates are clear via a network or the like. The accurate coordinate of the location of the terminal 10 can be obtained with an error of several meters or less by a method called differential GPS (DGPS).

The information processing terminal 10 of this example is a portable terminal having a function of connecting to the Internet, which is one of computer networks, and a CP which is a control unit.
It is mainly composed of U11. An internal bus 16 connected to the CPU 11 has a memory 12 which is an internal storage device including a ROM and a RAM, a display device 13 such as an LCD, an input device 14 capable of inputting a keyboard or a pen, a flash ROM, An external storage device 15 such as a hard disk or a floppy disk, and an expansion bus interface 17 are further connected.
A data communication device 18 is connected to the internal bus 16. The data communication terminal 18 connects the information processing terminal 10 to an access point on the nearby Internet via a public telephone line or a PHS line network, and further,
Data can be exchanged with a service server connected to the Internet according to the TCP / IP protocol. In addition, the GPS survey unit 1 is installed on the internal bus 16.
9 is connected, and this GPS surveying unit 19 uses GPS
A receiver 19a that receives data from a GPS satellite via an external antenna (not shown) connected to the receiving antenna 2 or the external antenna terminal 3, and position information such as coordinate position and time information by analyzing the received data. Further, the computer 19b for calculating the current position is provided, and further, the current position can be calculated with high accuracy by the DGPS calculation using the error information acquired via the Internet.

[Diary Processing] FIGS. 2 and 3 show an example in which the information processing terminal 10 of the present example constitutes a diary processing system which is one embodiment of the present invention. The diary processing system 20 of this example includes a position acquisition unit 21 that acquires current location information by the GPS surveying unit 19, an information management unit 22 that manages information (diary data in this example), and an information management unit 22.
And an input / output unit 23 capable of displaying and updating the diary data. The diary data 24 is stored in a diary file 25 formed in the external storage device 15, and the diary file 25 also stores information 26 indicating the coordinate position of the user's home.

The processing in the diary processing system 20 of this example is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In step 31, the information processing terminal 10 is turned on to be in a ready state, and then in step 32, the input / output unit 23
To instruct the start of diary processing. When the processing is started, the information management unit 22 issues a position information input request in step 33, and the position acquisition unit 21 outputs the G information in step 34.
Current location information is acquired using the PS surveying unit 19. Terminal 1
When the GPS survey cannot be performed directly because 0 is indoors or the like, the terminal 10 may be connected to the outdoor GPS antenna. Alternatively, it is also possible to obtain the current location information immediately before entering the building using the GPS surveying unit 19 and use the current location information. In step 35, the information management unit 22 compares the acquired current location information with the home information 26 in the diary file, and if the current location matches the location of the home, the diary file 25 is opened in step 36 and the user operates the input / output unit 23. To access the diary data 24. On the other hand, if the obtained current location does not match the location of the home, in step 37 a message indicating that the locations do not match is displayed, and the process returns to step 31 to wait for the next process.

As described above, in the diary processing system 20 of this example, the position of the user's home is adopted as the password information, and the current location information acquired by the position acquisition unit 21 is registered in advance as the password information. The location information 26 indicating is compared with the location information 26, and access to the diary file 26 is permitted. Therefore, in the diary processing system 20 of this example, the contents of the diary file 26 are protected as specific information, and the diary file 26 cannot be opened unless the user is at home. Even if the diary file 26 is mounted on the PDA carried by the user, it cannot be accessed at a place other than home, so there is no fear of being read by others, and privacy can be protected. Further, even if the diary file 26 is formed on a recording medium such as a floppy disk or an optical disk, the diary file 26 can be opened only physically at the user's home. Therefore, even if the device is stolen or the PDA or recording medium is lost, the contents written in the diary file 26 cannot be read except at the user's home, so that his / her secret can be secured. On the other hand, since the location information is used as password information, the diary file 2 is always available at home.
6 can be accessed. Therefore, the user does not need to memorize or input the password, and there is no fear that the password is forgotten, the diary file cannot be accessed due to an input error, or the contents of the diary file are destroyed. In this way, by managing the information by using the current location information as the password information, it is possible to surely protect the information. Furthermore, by using the location information as password information, you can save the trouble of entering the password,
You can prevent troubles such as forgetting your password, and
The user can access the information in the usual place. Therefore, the load on the user for managing the information is significantly reduced. The software that realizes the diary processing system of this example can be stored in the same recording medium as the diary file, or can be stored in the external recording device 15 or the memory 12 of the information terminal 10. is there. It is also possible to store the password information on the same recording medium as the software, but it is possible to store specific information such as a diary from a third party by including the password information in the diary file. It can be said that it is desirable from the standpoint of maintaining confidentiality, that is, maintaining confidentiality.

[Rally System] FIGS. 4 and 5 show an example in which the information processing terminal 10 of the present example constitutes a rally system which is one embodiment of the present invention. The rally terminal system 40 of this example controls the position acquisition unit 41 that acquires current location information by the GPS surveying unit 19, the information management unit 42 that manages information (relay point data in this example), and the information management unit 42. In addition, an input / output unit 43 capable of displaying relay point data is provided. Further, the terminal system 40 of this example uses the data communication unit 18 of the information terminal 10 to connect the Internet 4 to the server 46 in which the relay point data is stored.
5 is provided with a network management unit 44 having a function of being accessible via Further, the server 46 of this example is an information providing system, and the relay point file 47 is prepared,
The file 47 stores the information 49 indicating the location of the relay point, which is the password information, and the map data 48 indicating the next relay point, which is the specific information opened only to the one reaching the relay point.

The processing in the rally system 40 of this example is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. After the information processing terminal 10 is turned on in step 51 to be in a ready state, when the user arrives at a position which seems to be a relay point, the user requests the next relay point data from the input / output unit 43 in step 52. To do. In response to this request, the position acquisition unit 41 acquires the current position information using the GPS surveying unit 19 in step 53, and transmits the information from the network management unit 44 to the server 46 via the Internet 45 in step 54.

The server 46 collates the sent current location information of the user with the location information of the location of the relay point file 47, which is password information, and when the current location of the terminal system 40 matches the location information of the password. Only the map data 48 of the next relay point of the relay point file 47, which is the specific information, is transmitted to the terminal system 40 via the Internet 45. On the other hand, if the current location of the terminal system 40 transmitted from the terminal system 40 does not match the location 49 of the relay point, the server does not transmit the map data 48.

The terminal system 40 receives the data transmitted from the server 46 in step 55, and determines in step 56 whether or not the current location is the relay point.
In the case of the relay point, the map data 48 of the next relay point is transmitted from the server 46, and the map data 48 of the next relay point is transmitted to the input / output unit 4
3 is displayed. Based on this map data 48, the user goes to the next relay point and the rally is continued. On the other hand, when the current location of the user is not the relay point, that effect is displayed in step 58, and the state returns to the ready state 51. The user can further search for a relay point and obtain information on the next relay point when the correct relay point is reached.

As described above, also in the rally system of this example, the current location information is used as password information for obtaining the information of the next relay point, and if the relay point is not reached, the information to the next relay point is not available. You are not getting it. Therefore, the user (competitor) cannot bypass the relay point, and on the other hand, if the user reaches the relay point, he can always obtain the information of the next relay point. Therefore, it is possible to realize a rally that anyone can enjoy under fair conditions. Further, in the system of this example, whether or not it is a relay point is automatically determined using GPS, so there is no need for equipment or a supervisor as a relay point, and the relay point can be set freely. You can do it. Further, since the information on the next relay point can be provided using the Internet, the degree of freedom in setting the route is high, and the route can be easily changed according to the conditions such as weather and season.

Further, as the location information 49 of the relay point for collation prepared in the server 46, it is also possible to adopt the position information regarding all or some of the relay points which have passed until reaching the relay point. Is. In this way, it is possible to set not only the current location as the location information but also the passage of time including the route and the location information as the password information. In the rally system, by preparing password information including directions, it is possible to bypass a relay point on the way and eliminate a competitor who accidentally reaches the relay point. Further, by including the past position information in the password information, the amount of data to be collated as a password increases, so that the safety is improved. further,
The system of the present invention does not require a user to input a password, and therefore does not burden the user even if the amount of data increases.

[Decryption System] FIGS. 6 and 7 show an electronic mail processing system 6 as a decryption system according to one embodiment of the present invention by the information processing terminal 10 of this example.
An example in which 0 is configured is shown. The electronic mail system 40 of this example controls the position acquisition unit 61 that acquires the current location information by the GPS surveying unit 19, the information management unit 62 that manages information (e-mail in this example), and the information management unit 62. An input / output unit 63 capable of displaying electronic mail is provided. Furthermore, the terminal system 60 of this example controls the data communication unit 18 to acquire the electronic mail data 65 via the Internet, and the current position information obtained by the position acquisition unit 61 as key information for the electronic mail. A decoding unit 64 for decoding the data 65 is provided.

The processing in the electronic mail system 60 of this example is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. After the information processing terminal 10 is turned on in step 71 to be in a ready state, when the user is at home or in his office, the input / output unit 63 is entered in step 72.
Enter the email decryption request from. In response to this request, the position acquisition unit 61 acquires the current location information using the GPS surveying unit 19 in step 73. If the GPS survey cannot be performed directly because it is inside the building, it is possible to perform processing such as connecting with an external antenna or using position information immediately before entering the building, as described above. When the current location information can be acquired, next, in step 74, a decryption process is performed using the current location information as key information. Step 7
5, it is determined whether or not the mail data 65 can be decrypted.
3 is displayed. If it cannot be decrypted, step 77
At, a decoding error is displayed and the status returns to the ready state.

In this way, by encrypting the data using the position information as the key information, the electronic mail that cannot be decrypted unless the user is at a specific position, for example, the user's home, office, or desk, receives specific information, for example, confidential information. Can be sent as. Therefore, an eavesdropper on the network cannot access the content of the encrypted e-mail even if the e-mail is accessed, so that the content can be kept secret and the e-mail can be sent with confidence. It is also safe if you lose your email. Further, since the electronic mail can be surely decrypted if it is at the position where it is the key information, there is no fear of losing the key information, and the user can save the trouble of managing and surely know the contents of the electronic mail.

As shown in these examples, in the present invention, the current position information obtained by physically moving the user or the information processing terminal to a specific position is used as password information or key information. Thus, the user can access the information without having to store the password or key by performing the process at a particular location, where the user is usually present. Also, the sender of information can transmit information that can be accessed only at a specific place. On the other hand, an eavesdropper cannot access the information without going to the location specified as the password or key. Therefore, it is possible to construct an information management system which has high confidentiality protection against eavesdropping, theft and loss, and which is easy to manage for some users.
Further, as described above, the present invention can be applied to sports and games by using the function that information can be accessed only at a specific position. These systems are ROM
The information processing terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be provided as software that can be stored in an external storage medium or the like.
0 can be added as an add-on or plug-in function.

The above example is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to encrypt and decrypt diary data using the current location information as key information as a diary processing system. It is also possible to add position information to the e-mail as password information and send it. Further, instead of collating the password, it is also possible to store the encrypted information with the position information as a key in the server and send the decrypted information with the sent current location information of the user as a key. .

The means for acquiring the current position information is not limited to the GPS of this example, and as described above, PH
It is also possible to acquire the current location information from the location of the base station of S, and it is also possible to provide a transmission facility for providing the location information on the road or office.

[0029]

As described above, in the information processing apparatus, information management method and storage medium of the present invention, position information is adopted as password information for access or key information for decryption. . Therefore, access to the information is permitted only at a specific position. Therefore, it is possible to improve the ability to resist eavesdropping or falsification of information. On the other hand, since the user can access the information by going to a normal place, the load for protecting the specific information is small. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus, an information management method, and a recording medium that can be easily accessed with a small load for user management, while at the same time safely protecting information against an eavesdropper or theft.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing terminal capable of managing information by using position information of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a diary processing system that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing in the diary processing system shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a rally system that is an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart showing a process in the rally system shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail system that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing in the electronic mail system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ··· GPS antenna 10 ·· Information processing terminal 11 ··· CPU 12 · · Memory 13 · · Display device 14 · · Input device 15 · · External storage device 16 · · Internal bus 18 · · Data communication device (to the Internet Access unit) 19 ... GPS surveying unit 20 ... Diary processing system 21, 41, 61 ... Position acquisition unit 22, 42, 62 ... Information management unit 23, 42, 63 ... Input / output unit 24 ... Diary data 25 .. Diary file 26 .. Home information 44, 66 .. Network management unit 45 .. Internet 46 .. Server connected to the Internet 47 .. Relay point file 48 .. Map data of the next relay point 49 .. Information on the location of relay points 64 ... Decryption unit

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a position acquisition unit capable of acquiring its own current position information; and a management unit managing the current position information as password information. 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a position acquisition unit capable of acquiring its own current position information; and a decoding unit for decoding the information by using the current position information as key information. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position acquisition unit is a unit that can acquire the current location information of the self based on data received from a plurality of satellites. 4. An information providing system connected to a computer network, comprising: specific information using position information as a password; and means for receiving a position information of a user and a request for providing the specific information via the computer network. An information providing system comprising: means for transmitting the specific information only when the positional information of the user matches the positional information of the password of the specific information. 5. An information providing system connected to a computer network, which receives specific information using position information as a decryption key and a user's position information and a request for providing the specific information via the computer network. And a means for transmitting the specific information decrypted using the position information of the user as a key. 6. An information management method comprising: a step of acquiring own current location information; and a step of permitting access by collating the current location information with previously registered position information. 7. An information management method comprising: a step of acquiring own current location information; and a step of decoding the information using the current location information as a key. 8. A recording medium having position information as password information.