Attribute information provision method and attribute information provision system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9946896-B2
Application number	US-201415024527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2014
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A user attribute information provision system processes attribute information of users while preventing a leakage of attribute information. A provision apparatus: selects an apparatus group forming a communication path; generates information registration request in which information of a predetermined user is concealed in data recognizable only to a correspondent of the provision apparatus; and transmits the information registration request to an access destination solving apparatus via the apparatus groups. The access destination solving apparatus: stores the information of the user indicated by the information registration request and information of a correspondent provision apparatus; receives an inquiry request from an inquiry apparatus; and transfers the inquiry request by way of the correspondent provision apparatus as the user to the provision apparatus as the inquiry destination via the provision apparatuses in the communication path, thereby causing the provision apparatus to return the attribute information of the user to the inquiry apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An attribute information provision method, comprising:
by a provision apparatus configured to provide attribute information on a user of a predetermined entity,
selecting a plurality of provision apparatuses from other provision apparatuses on a network as an apparatus group forming a communication path of the attribute information by sequentially repeating data transfer through the provision apparatuses, and generating an information registration request in which information of a predetermined user is concealed in data recognizable only to a correspondent provision apparatus among the other provision apparatuses of the apparatus group; and
transmitting the information registration request via the apparatus group to an access destination solving apparatus configured to manage a communication path between the provision apparatus and an inquiry apparatus that is to use the attribute information, and,

by the access destination solving apparatus,
receiving the information registration request, and storing the information of the user indicated by the information registration request and information of a provision apparatus in the apparatus group that has transmitted the information registration request directly to the access destination solving apparatus and that is a correspondent in a subsequent processing related to the information registration request, into a storage device; and
receiving an inquiry request of a provision apparatus as an inquiry destination for attribute information of a predetermined user from the inquiry apparatus, and transferring the inquiry request by way of the correspondent provision apparatus registered for the user to the provision apparatus as the inquiry destination via the provision apparatuses in the communication path including the correspondent provision apparatus, thereby causing the provision apparatus as the inquiry destination to return the attribute information of the user to the inquiry apparatus via the provision apparatuses in the communication path.

2. The attribute information provision method according to claim 1 , wherein
the access destination solving apparatus performs the processing of storing information in response to the information registration request by:
generating an identifier unique to the information registration request;
storing the identifier unique into the storage device while associating the identifier unique with the information of the user indicated by the information registration request and an identifier indicating the correspondent provision apparatus; and
returning the identifier unique to the information registration request to the correspondent provision apparatus as a response to the information registration request, wherein

each provision apparatus included in the apparatus group forming the communication path acquires the identifier unique to the information registration request from the response to the information registration request, stores, into a storage device, a combination of the unique identifier and the identifier of the correspondent provision apparatus in the communication path to which the provision apparatus belongs when transferring the information registration request, and transfers the response to the correspondent provision apparatus in the communication path, and
upon receiving of the inquiry request from the inquire apparatus, the access destination solving apparatus performs processings of: searching the storage device for the unique identifier registered for the user and the identifier of the correspondent provision apparatus; and transmitting the unique identifier and the inquiry request to the correspondent provision apparatus to transfer the inquiry request by way of the correspondent provision apparatus to the provision apparatus as the inquiry destination via the provision apparatuses in the communication path corresponding to the unique identifier, thereby causing the provision apparatus as the inquiry destination to return the attribute information of the user to the inquiry apparatus via the provision apparatuses in the communication path.

3. The attribute information provision method according to claim 2 , wherein in the processing of storing information in response to the information registration request,
the access destination solving apparatus stores the identifier unique to the information registration request, the information of the user indicated by the information registration request, the identifier indicating the correspondent provision apparatus, and data deletion information included in the information registration request into the storage device while associating them with each other;
anyone of the provision apparatuses generates deletion request data including data deletion information and information of a deletion target user, newly selects an apparatus group forming a communication path, and transmits the deletion request data to the access destination solving apparatus via the selected apparatus group;
the access destination solving apparatus receives the deletion request data, searches information held in the storage device to identify the information of the deletion target user indicated by the deletion request data, the identifier indicating a correspondent provision apparatus for the user, and the deletion information, and when the deletion information held in the storage device and the deletion information included in the deletion request data are identical with each other, deletes the information identified in the search from the storage device, and transmits the identifier unique to the information registration request and a deletion request to the correspondent provision apparatus identified in the search to transfer the deletion request data and the unique identifier to each provision apparatus in the communication path corresponding to the unique identifier; and
each of the provision apparatuses having received the unique identifier and the deletion request data searches for the identifier indicating the correspondent provision apparatus, held in the provision apparatus, and associated with the unique identifier, transmits the unique identifier to the correspondent provision apparatus identified in the search, and then deletes the unique identifier and the identifier of the correspondent provision apparatus in the storage device thereof.

4. The attribute information provision method according to claim 1 , wherein
when generating and transmitting the information registration request, a request-sender provision apparatus that generates and transmits the information registration request performs:
a first processing of generating first data by encrypting the information of the predetermined user being a registration target indicated by the information registration request with a public key of the access destination solving apparatus;
a processing of selecting, from the apparatus group, a first provision apparatus whose correspondent is the request-sender provision apparatus, and a second provision apparatus whose correspondent is the first provision apparatus in the apparatus group; and
a second processing of generating the information registration request by encrypting the first data and identifiers of the second provision apparatus and the access destination solving apparatus, and
transmits the generated information registration request to the first provision apparatus, wherein
the first provision apparatus
receives the information registration request from the request-sender provision apparatus, decodes the identifier of the second provision apparatus included in the second data by applying a private key of the first provision apparatus to the information registration request, and
transmits the first data included in the information registration request to the provis

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Natsuki
• Anzai Kosuke
• Nakahara Katsuaki

Classifications

• G06F21/6245 Primary

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• G06F16/27

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title

• H04L63/0407

  wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00) · CPC title