Data management device, data sharing system and method, and data management program

Abstract

To allow data users to easily find desired data and share the data.SOLUTION: A data management device includes a control unit, the control unit being configured to: in response to a request from a first user terminal to disclose data to be shared, disclose processed data formed by processing the data to be shared; in response to a request from a second user terminal to share the data to be shared, which is original data of the processed data, cause a first user and a second user to have a chat with each other; create a shared storage area accessible only by the first and second users for whom a sharing agreement is acquired; save a copy of the data to be shared in the shared storage area; and permit the second user terminal to access the shared storage area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data management device, a data sharing system and method, and a data management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Several devices for sharing data among multiple users have been proposed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that stores the same user data in multiple user terminals, and when the user data is updated in the user terminal of a certain user (updater), the user data is also updated in the user terminals of other users.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology in which a symbolic link to user data stored in one user's user area is stored in another user's user area, thereby virtually storing the user data in the other user's user area and enabling viewing and editing operations in the same way as if the actual data had been stored. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-168630 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-200643 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When sharing data, a sharing agreement can be obtained between the user who owns the data (hereinafter referred to as the data owner) and the user who will use the data (hereinafter referred to as the data user) via telephone, email, etc.

[0007] However, this is only effective if the data user is aware of the existence of the data and the contact information of its owner, and it is extremely difficult for an unspecified number of data users to find the data they want and request that the data owner share it.

[0008] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and has as its object to enable data users to easily find desired data and share that data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of a data management device according to the present invention is a data management device that manages data sharing between a first user who is the owner of data and a second user who uses the data, and includes a communication interface that communicates with a first user terminal operated by the first user and a second user terminal operated by a second user, and a control unit that controls the data management device. The control unit includes a data processing unit that processes the data to be shared to create processed data and publishes the created processed data in response to a request for disclosure of the data to be shared sent from the first user terminal, a chat management unit that allows a chat to take place between the first user terminal and the second user terminal in response to a request for sharing the data to be shared, which is the original data of the processed data, sent from the second user terminal, and a sharing processing unit that creates a shared memory area accessible only to the first and second users when a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user, saves a copy of the data to be shared or a symbolic link to the data to be shared in the shared memory area, and permits the second user terminal to access the shared memory area.

[0010] One aspect of the data sharing system according to the present invention includes a storage unit having a shared area and one aspect of the data management device according to the present invention.

[0011] One aspect of the data sharing method of the present invention is a data sharing method for sharing data between a first user who is the owner of the data and a second user who uses the data, comprising the steps of: a computer processing the data to be shared to create processed data and publishing the created processed data in response to a request for disclosure of the data to be shared sent from a first user terminal operated by the first user; a computer having a chat between the first user terminal and the second user terminal in response to a request for sharing the data to be shared, which is the original data of the processed data, sent from a second user terminal operated by a second user; and a computer, when a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user, creating a shared memory area that is accessible only to the first and second users, saving a copy of the data to be shared or a symbolic link to the data to be shared in the shared memory area, and permitting the second user terminal to access the shared memory area.

[0012] One aspect of a data management program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute processes by each processing unit included in one aspect of a data management device according to the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to each aspect of the present invention, data users can easily find desired data and share that data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a data sharing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the data management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configuration of the data management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an overall processing procedure of a shared area management process by the data management device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for the public setting process among the entire procedure shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of chat processing among the overall processing procedures shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure for creating a shared area from among the entire process procedures illustrated in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a shared area deleting process from the overall processing procedure illustrated in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a data deletion process from the overall processing procedure shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a data management device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an overall processing procedure of a shared area management process by the data management device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of chat processing among the overall processing procedures shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] [First embodiment] (Configuration example) (1) System 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a data sharing system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The data sharing system 1 provides data sharing among a plurality of users.

[0017] The data sharing system 1 includes, for example, a user A terminal 10A, a user B terminal 10B, a user C terminal 10C, ..., a cloud storage 20, and a data management device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the following, when there is no particular need to distinguish between the user A terminal 10A, the user B terminal 10B, the user C terminal 10C, ..., they will be simply referred to as user terminals 10. The user terminals 10, the cloud storage 20, and the data management device 30 are connected via a network NW.

[0018] Each user terminal 10 is, for example, a PC located in a different company, and is used by a registered user who is registered as a user of the data sharing system 1. In Fig. 1, one user terminal 10 is shown in one company, but each company may have multiple user terminals 10, for example, multiple user A terminals 10A. In other words, each of the user A terminal 10A, user B terminal 10B, user C terminal 10C, ... may be a single terminal, or may be a terminal group including multiple terminals.

[0019] The data sharing system 1 may be configured as a system in a single company. In this case, each user terminal 10 may be located in each branch office of the single company, or in a different department of the single company.

[0020] The data sharing system 1 includes a dedicated storage area for each user terminal 10, which is isolated from other user terminals 10. That is, the data sharing system 1 includes a user A dedicated storage area 11A for the user A terminal 10A, a user B dedicated storage area 11B for the user B terminal 10B, a user C dedicated storage area 11C for the user C terminal 10C, and so on, each of which stores at least one data file 111. These dedicated storage areas for each user terminal 10 may be provided in a cloud storage or in an in-house server corresponding to the user terminal 10. In the example of FIG. 1, the user A dedicated storage area 11A, the user C dedicated storage area 11C, and so on are provided in an individual area 41 of the cloud storage 40, and the user B dedicated storage area 11B is provided in an individual area 12 of the user B server (not shown). Here, the individual areas 12 and 41 are dedicated storage areas for each user terminal 10, which are connected to the network NW and isolated from other user terminals 10. In addition, the individual area 12 is connected to the user B terminal 10B via an in-house LAN or the like. In addition, when there is no particular distinction between the user A dedicated memory area 11A, the user B dedicated memory area 11B, the user C dedicated memory area 11C, ..., they will be simply referred to as the user dedicated memory areas 11 below.

[0021] The cloud storage 20 is a first storage device that includes a public area 21 and a shared area 22.

[0022] The public area 21 is a storage area accessible from any user terminal 10 of registered users without restricting the user terminal 10. The public area 21 includes a processed data storage area 211 that stores processed data 112. The processed data 112 is data that has been processed from a data file 111 stored in the user-dedicated storage area 11. Processing includes, but is not limited to, abstraction (generalization) such as reducing the number of significant digits of data, anonymization such as deleting personal information and information on the source of the data, and the like.

[0023] The shared area 22 includes a plurality of user shared storage areas 221. The user shared storage area 221 is a storage area for storing shared data shared among a plurality of user terminals 10. For example, one of the user shared storage areas 221 is a user A+B shared storage area shared between the user A terminal 10A, which is a data owner, and the user B terminal 10B, which is a data user. Each user shared storage area 221 is an area accessible only to a specific user to be shared. For example, the user A+B shared storage area can be accessed by the user A terminal 10A and the user B terminal 10B, but cannot be accessed by the user C terminal 10C, and even its existence is concealed from the user terminals 10 of users other than the user A and the user B. These user shared storage areas 221 are created for each piece of shared data. Therefore, for example, an area shared by the user A terminal 10A and the user B terminal 10B may include a plurality of user shared storage areas 221.

[0024] The shared data is a copy of the data file 111 to be shared from the data owner's user-only memory area 11. In this way, the processed data memory area 211 stores processed data of the data file 111, and the user shared memory area 221 stores the actual data of the data file 111.

[0025] Here, the individual area 41 is configured in cloud storage 40, which is a second storage device that is physically different from cloud storage 20, which is a first storage device having shared area 22. However, the individual area 41 may be configured in cloud storage 20 in which shared area 22 is configured by logically separating it. Similarly, the individual area 12 may be configured in the individual area 41 of cloud storage 40, or may be configured in cloud storage 20 by logically separating it.

[0026] In response to a public setting request from any of the user terminals 10, the data management device 30 processes the data file 111 to be made public to create processed data 112, and stores the processed data in the processed data storage area 211. In addition, in response to a request for original data sharing negotiation from any of the user terminals 10 that have viewed the processed data 112, the data management device 30 provides a chat between the requesting user terminal 10 and the user terminal 10 of the owner of the data file 111, which is the original data. Furthermore, in response to a sharing request from any of the user terminals 10, the data management device 30 creates a user shared storage area 221 shared by the user terminal 10 of the data owner and the user terminal 10 of the data user in the shared area 22 of the cloud storage 20, and stores the data file 111 to be shared therein.

[0027] (2) Data management device 30 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing an example of a hardware configuration and a software configuration, respectively, of the data management device 30. As shown in FIG.

[0028] The data management device 30 has a control unit 31 having a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and this control unit 31 is connected via a bus 35 to a memory unit having a program memory unit 32 and a data memory unit 33, and a communication interface (hereinafter abbreviated as communication I / F) 34.

[0029] Under the control of the control unit 31, the communication I / F 34 transmits various types of data between the user terminal 10, the private areas 12 and 41, the public area 21, and the shared area 22 using a communication protocol defined by the network NW.

[0030] The program storage unit 32 is configured by combining, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). The program storage unit 32 stores, in addition to middleware such as an OS (Operating System), programs required for executing various control processes according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The data storage unit 33 is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD, which can be written and read at any time, as a storage medium, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The data storage unit 33 includes a setting information storage unit 331, an area information storage unit 332, and a temporary storage unit 333 as storage units necessary for implementing the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The setting information storage unit 331 is used to store user information for each registered user who uses the data management device 30, and target data information for each data file 111 designated as data to be made public from among the data files 111 stored in the user-dedicated memory area 11 of the individual areas 12, 41.

[0033] The user information includes at least a user ID, contact information, and a payment method. The user ID is identification information for uniquely identifying a registered user. Here, the registered user is, for example, a contract user who pays a prescribed usage fee to use the data sharing system 1 including the data management device 30, and can be the user of the user terminal 10. The user ID is a number, a character string recognizable by a person, or a combination of a character string and a number, which is assigned by the data management device 30 when the user registers. The user ID may be a name arbitrarily designated by the user that does not overlap with other registered users. The contact information can be, for example, an email address for sending an invitation email to a chat room. The payment method is payment information such as a payment account or card number for paying the usage fee of the data sharing system 1 and depositing the data usage fee from other users. Furthermore, the user information can include authentication information such as a password for authentication. The user information may also include personal information such as a company name, affiliation, address, name, and telephone number.

[0034] The target data information includes at least a data ID, a user ID, a processing method, and a publication period. The data ID is identification information for uniquely identifying the data file 111 designated by the user as a publication target among the data files 111 stored in each user-dedicated storage area 11. The data ID may be the file name of the data file 111, or may be a number, a human-recognizable character string, or a combination of a character string and a number, which are assigned by the data management device 30 when storing the data file 111 in the individual area 12, 41. The user ID is identification information for identifying the user who is the owner of the corresponding data file 111, and corresponds to the user ID in the above user information. The processing method is information for identifying the processing method of the data file 111 when creating the processed data 112 from the data file 111. The publication period is information for identifying the period during which the processed data 112 created from the data file 111 is stored in the processed data storage area 211 of the publication area 21 and published. These processing method and publication period can be set by the owner of the original data file 111. The processed data ID is identification information for uniquely identifying the processed data 112 stored in the processed data storage area 211 of the public area 21. The target data information may further include the processed data ID. The processed data ID is a number, a human-recognizable character string, or a combination of a character string and a number, which is assigned by the data management device 30 when storing the processed data 112 in the processed data storage area 211. In addition, by making the processed data ID the same as the data ID, the target data information does not need to include the processed data ID.

[0035] The area information storage unit 332 is used to store area information on each of the multiple user shared storage areas 221 between the user terminals 10 created in the shared area 22 of the cloud storage 20. The area information on the user shared storage area 221 includes at least the target data, the area location, the sharing period, the sharer, and the usage fee. The target data is identification information for identifying the data file 111 stored in the user dedicated storage area 11 that will become the shared data stored in the user shared storage area 221, and corresponds to the data ID in the target data information of the setting information storage unit 331. The area location is address information for identifying the storage location of the user shared storage area 221 in question for accessing the user shared storage area 221 in question via the network NW. This may include the IP address of the cloud storage 20, the physical / logical location of the drive letter of the HDD or SSD, the folder name, etc. The sharing period is information indicating the period during which the data file 111, which is the shared data, is shared by the user shared storage area 221 in question. The sharers include a user ID that identifies the data owner and data user who are the sharers of the user shared storage area 221. The usage fee is information indicating the amount to be paid by the data user to the data owner.

[0036] The temporary storage unit 333 is used to temporarily store various data and information that the control unit 31 generates during processing.

[0037] The control unit 31 includes, as processing functions according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a setting information acquisition processing unit 311, a data processing processing unit 312, a chat management processing unit 313, an area management processing unit 314, and a data writing processing unit 315. All of these processing units 311 to 315 are realized by causing a hardware processor of the control unit 31 to execute a program stored in the program storage unit 32, for example.

[0038] The setting information acquisition processing unit 311 performs processing to receive, via the communication I / F 34, setting instructions for user information or target data information sent from each user terminal 10 and transmitted via the network NW. The setting information acquisition processing unit 311 further performs processing to store, in the setting information storage unit 331, the user or target data information included in the received setting instructions.

[0039] The data processing unit 312 performs a process of creating processed data by processing the data file 111 to be made public, which is stored in each user dedicated memory area 11, based on the target data information stored in the setting information storage unit 331. The data processing unit 312 further performs a process of making the created processed data public to registered users of the data sharing system 1 by storing the created processed data as processed data 112 in the public area 21 via the network NW through the communication I / F 34.

[0040] The chat management processing unit 313 performs a process of receiving, via the communication I / F 34, a sharing negotiation request transmitted from the user terminal 10 of the data user who viewed the processed data 112 in the public area 21 and wanted to use the original data, and transmitted via the network NW. In response to the reception of the sharing negotiation request, the chat management processing unit 313 further performs a process of creating a chat room for a chat between the user who will be the data user and the user who is the data owner who owns the data file 111, based on the target data information and user information stored in the setting information storage unit 331, and sending an invitation to the chat room to a contact corresponding to the user ID of the data owner via the network NW using the communication I / F 34. Then, the chat management processing unit 313 performs a process of controlling a chat conducted between the user terminal 10 of the data owner and the user terminal 10 of the data user in this chat room.

[0041] When an agreement to share is obtained in the chat, the area management processing unit 314 performs a process of receiving a sharing request sent from the user terminal 10 of the data owner and transmitted via the network NW via the communication I / F 34. The area management processing unit 314 further performs a process of sending an instruction to create a user shared memory area 221 to the cloud storage 20 via the network NW by the communication I / F 34 in response to the sharing request. As a result, the user shared memory area 221 between the multiple user terminals 10 is created in the shared area 22 of the cloud storage 20. The area management processing unit 314 also performs a process of storing area information related to the created user shared memory area 221 in the area information storage unit 332.

[0042] The data write processing unit 315 performs a process of reading the data file 111 of the data to be shared from the user dedicated memory area 11 of the data owner via the network NW by the communication I / F 34 based on the area information related to the user shared memory area 221 stored in the area information storage unit 332, and storing the data file 111 in the temporary memory unit 333. The data write processing unit 315 further performs a process of writing the data file 111 stored in the temporary memory unit 333 to the corresponding user shared memory area 221 via the network NW by the communication I / F 34.

[0043] (Example of operation) Next, the operation of the data sharing system 1 configured as above will be described.

[0044] The operations of user registration from each user terminal 10, authentication operations when using the data sharing system 1, file operations such as saving and reading data files in the corresponding user-dedicated memory area 11, etc. are known, so their explanation will be omitted. Below, the processing operations of the data management device 30 related to sharing of shared data among multiple user terminals 10 will be explained using the flowcharts shown in Figures 4 to 9.

[0045] First, there will be described the overall processing procedure of the data management device 30. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing procedure of the shared area management process by the data management device 30.

[0046] In step S31, the control unit 31 of the data management device 30, under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311, judges whether or not a public setting instruction transmitted from any of the user terminals 10 and transmitted via the network NW has been received via the communication I / F 34. The user who is the data owner performs authentication from the user terminal 10, selects public setting of the owned data file 111 on the menu screen after authentication, and can perform settings related to public setting on the setting screen that is advanced to. Although not particularly illustrated, the control unit 31 can have a function of a Web server that provides the authentication screen, menu screen, and setting screen as a Web browser screen to the user terminal 10. Then, in response to a predetermined transmission operation on the setting screen of the Web browser, a public setting instruction for the target data is transmitted from the user terminal 10. If it is determined that the public setting instruction has been received, the control unit 31 judges YES in step S31 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S32. If it is determined that the public setting instruction has not been received, the control unit 31 judges NO in step S31 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S33.

[0047] In step S32, the control unit 31 executes a public setting process under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311 and the data processing processing unit 312. This public setting process is a processing operation for acquiring target data information on the data file 111 to be made public, transmitted from the data owner's user terminal 10, processing the relevant data file 111 based on the target data information, and storing the processed data 112 in the processed data storage area 211 of the public area 21, the details of which will be described later. Thereafter, the control unit 31 proceeds to the processing operation of step S33.

[0048] In step S33, the control unit 31, under the control of the chat management processing unit 313, judges whether or not a data sharing negotiation request transmitted from any of the user terminals 10 and transmitted via the network NW has been received via the communication I / F 34. A registered user of the data sharing system 1 performs authentication from the user terminal 10, and can view the processed data 112 stored in the processed data storage area 211 of the public area 21 on a viewing screen that is reached by, for example, selecting viewing of public data on a menu screen after authentication. Then, a user who desires to use the original data of the viewed processed data 112 specifies the processed data 112 on the viewing screen and performs a sharing negotiation operation, whereby a data sharing negotiation request is transmitted from the user terminal 10. If it is determined that a data sharing negotiation request has been received, the control unit 31 judges YES in step S33 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S34. If it is determined that a data sharing negotiation request has not been received, the control unit 31 judges NO in step S33 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S35.

[0049] In step S34, the control unit 31 executes chat processing under the control of the chat management processing unit 313. This chat processing is a processing operation for carrying out a chat between the user terminal 10 of the user who transmitted the data sharing negotiation request and the user terminal 10 of the owner of the data file 111 which is the original data of the specified processed data 112, and the details of this processing will be described later. After that, the control unit 31 proceeds to the processing operation of step S35.

[0050] In step S35, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, determines whether or not a sharing request sent from any of the user terminals 10 and transmitted via the network NW has been received via the communication I / F 34. A data owner who has agreed to share the data file 111 in the chat performs a predetermined sharing request operation on the user terminal 10, and this sharing request is sent from the user terminal 10. If it is determined that a sharing request has been received, the control unit 31 determines YES in step S35 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S36. On the other hand, if it is determined that a sharing request has not been received, the control unit 31 determines NO in step S35 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S37.

[0051] In step S36, the control unit 31 executes a shared area creation process under the control of the area management processing unit 314 and the data writing processing unit 315. This shared area creation process is a processing operation for creating a user shared memory area 221 in the shared area 22 and storing shared data, the details of which will be described later. Thereafter, the control unit 31 proceeds to the processing operation of step S37.

[0052] In step S37, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, judges whether or not there is a user shared storage area 221 whose sharing time limit has passed. That is, the control unit 31 checks the sharing time limit, which is information indicating the period during which the data file 111, which is the shared data, is shared by the user shared storage area 221, included in the area information for each of the area information related to the user shared storage area 221 stored in the area information storage unit 332. If it is judged that there is a user shared storage area 221 whose sharing time limit has passed, the control unit 31 judges YES in step S37 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S38. On the other hand, if it is judged that there is no user shared storage area 221 whose sharing time limit has passed, the control unit 31 judges NO in step S37 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S39.

[0053] In step S38, the control unit 31 executes a shared area deletion process under the control of the area management processing unit 314. This shared area deletion process is a process operation for deleting the user shared memory area 221 whose sharing period has expired, and the details of this process will be described later. After that, the control unit 31 proceeds to the process operation of step S39.

[0054] In step S39, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, judges whether or not there is any processed data 112 whose publication period has passed. That is, the control unit 31 checks the publication period included in each piece of target data information stored in the setting information storage unit 331. If it is judged that there is any processed data 112 whose publication period has passed, the control unit 31 judges YES in step S39 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S3A. On the other hand, if it is judged that there is no processed data 112 whose publication period has passed, the control unit 31 judges NO in step S39 and proceeds to the processing operation of the above step S31.

[0055] In step S3A, the control unit 31 executes a data deletion process under the control of the area management processing unit 314. This data deletion process is a processing operation for deleting processed data 112 whose public period has elapsed from the processed data storage area 211 of the public area 21, and the details of this processing will be described later. After that, the control unit 31 proceeds to the processing operation of the above-mentioned step S31.

[0056] (1) Public setting process FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the public setting processing in step S32 executed by the control unit 31 of the data management device 30.

[0057] Under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311, the control unit 31 first determines in step S321 whether the publication setting received from the user terminal 10 is a publication request. The publication setting includes a publication request requesting to start publication and a publication end request requesting to end the renewal. If it is determined to be a publication request, the control unit 31 determines YES in step S321 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S322. On the other hand, if it is determined to be not a publication request, that is, a publication end request, the control unit 31 determines NO in step S321 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S328.

[0058] In step S322, the control unit 31, under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311, acquires, via the communication I / F , the target data information transmitted from the user terminal via the network NW.

[0059] Then, in step S323, the control unit 31, under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311, stores the acquired target data information in the setting information storage unit 331.

[0060] Next, in step S324, the control unit 31, under the control of the data processing unit 312, reads out the data file 111, which is the target data stored in the user dedicated memory area 11, via the network NW through the communication I / F 34 based on the target data information stored in the setting information storage unit 331. The read out data file 111 is stored in the temporary storage unit 333.

[0061] In step S325, the control unit 31 further processes the data file 111 stored in the temporary storage unit 333 based on the processing method for the target data information stored in the setting information storage unit 331 under the control of the data processing unit 312 to create processed data.

[0062] Then, in step S326, the control unit 31, under the control of the data processing unit 312, stores the created processed data in the processed data storage area 211 of the public area 21 as processed data 112 via the network NW through the communication I / F 34, thereby making it public to the registered user. At this time, the control unit 31 may add a processed data ID that identifies the processed data 112 to the target data information stored in the setting information storage unit 331.

[0063] Then, in step S327, the control unit 31, under the control of the data processing unit 312, deletes the temporarily stored information stored in the temporary storage unit 333 in each processing operation in the public setting processing in step S32. Then, the control unit 31 ends the processing operation of the public setting processing, and proceeds to the processing operation of the above-mentioned step S33.

[0064] In addition, in step S328, which is the processing operation when it is determined that the public setting received in step S321 above is not a public request but a request to end public access, the control unit 31, under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311, deletes the corresponding processed data 112 from the processed data memory area 211 of the public area 21 based on the target data information stored in the setting information storage unit 331 corresponding to the specified data file 111.

[0065] Furthermore, in step S329, under the control of the setting information acquisition processing unit 311, the control unit 31 deletes the target data information corresponding to the specified data file 111 from the setting information storage unit 331. Thereafter, the control unit 31 ends the processing operation of this public setting process, and proceeds to the processing operation of the above-mentioned step S33.

[0066] (2) Chat processing 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the chat process in step S34 executed by the control unit 31 of the data management device 30. Under the control of the chat management processing unit 313, the control unit 31 executes the following processing operations.

[0067] First, in step S341, the control unit 31 creates a chat room and stores information related to the chat room in the temporary storage unit 333. For example, the control unit 31 reads out, from the setting information storage unit 331, target data information of the processed data 112 for which a sharing negotiation request has been received, and user information about the owner of the target data file 111 which is the original data of the processed data 112, and stores them in the temporary storage unit 333. In addition, the control unit 31 secures an area in the temporary storage unit 333 for holding the chat contents.

[0068] Next, in step S342, the control unit 31 transmits a chat screen to be superimposed on or switched to the viewing screen via the communication I / F 34 through the network NW to the user terminal 10 that has made the sharing negotiation request.

[0069] Then, in step S343, control unit 31 transmits an invitation to the chat room to the contact information of the user who is the data owner, via network NW through communication I / F 34, based on the user information stored in temporary storage unit 333.

[0070] Thereafter, in step S344, the control unit 31 determines whether or not an instruction to enter the chat room has been received from the data owner's user terminal 10 via the communications I / F 34. If it is determined that an instruction to enter has not been received, the control unit 31 determines NO in step S344 and repeats the processing operation of step S344. If it is determined that an instruction to enter has been received, the control unit 31 determines YES in step S344 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S345.

[0071] In step S345, the control unit 31 updates the chat screen to indicate that the data owner has entered the chat room.

[0072] Then, in step S346, the control unit 31 transmits the updated chat screen via the communication I / F 34 over the network NW to the user terminal 10 that has made the sharing negotiation request and the user terminal 10 of the data owner.

[0073] After that, in step S347, the control unit 31 acquires, via the communication I / F 34, input information entered on the chat screen that is transmitted from the user terminal 10 of the sharing negotiation requester or the data owner via the network NW. The acquired input information is stored in the temporary storage unit 333.

[0074] In step S348, the control unit 31 judges whether the input information is the end. If it is judged that the input information is not the end, the control unit 31 judges NO in step S348 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S345. If it is judged that the input information is the end, the control unit 31 judges YES in step S348 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S349. By repeating the processing operations of steps S345 to S348 in this manner, a sharing agreement for the data file 111 is negotiated in the chat room between the data owner and the user who wants to use the data.

[0075] In step S349, the control unit 31 deletes the temporarily stored information stored in the temporary storage unit 333 in each processing operation in the chat processing in step S34. Then, the control unit 31 ends this chat processing operation, and proceeds to the processing operation of step S35.

[0076] (3) Shared area creation process FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the shared area creation processing in the above step S36, which is executed by the control unit 31 of the data management device 30.

[0077] First, in step S361, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, the control unit 31 acquires input information on the data file to be shared that was input by the data owner who agreed to the sharing in the sharing request operation via the communication I / F 34. The acquired input information is stored in the temporary storage unit 333. The input information includes, for example, the data file 111 to be shared, the sharing period, the data user, the usage fee, and the like.

[0078] Next, in step S362, the control unit 31, under the control of the region management processing unit 314, creates region information based on the input information stored in the temporary storage unit 333, and stores the region information in the region information storage unit 332. Here, the region information does not yet include the region position.

[0079] Then, in step S363, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, creates a user shared memory area 221, which is a memory area shared between the share source user terminal 10 and the share destination user terminal 10, in the shared area 22 of the cloud storage 20. The control unit 31 can create this user shared memory area 221 by sending an instruction to create the user shared memory area 221 to the cloud storage 20 via the network NW using the communication I / F 34. At this time, the control unit 31 adds an area location, which is address information specifying the storage location of the created user shared memory area 221, to the area information stored in the area information storage unit 332.

[0080] Thereafter, in step S364, under the control of the data writing processing unit 315, the control unit 31 reads the data file 111 to be shared data from the user dedicated memory area 11 as the sharing source via the network NW by the communication I / F 34, and stores it in the user shared memory area 221 as the sharing destination. That is, the control unit 31 first reads the data file 111 to be shared data from the corresponding user dedicated memory area 11 via the network NW by the communication I / F 34 based on the area information stored in the temporary storage unit 333, and stores it in the temporary storage unit 333. Then, the control unit 31 specifies the user shared memory area 221 as the storage destination based on the area information, and writes the data file 111 stored in the temporary storage unit 333 to the corresponding user shared memory area 221 via the network NW by the communication I / F 34.

[0081] Then, in step S365, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, transmits a sharing permission notification to the data user via the network NW by the communication I / F 34. That is, the control unit 31 acquires the contact information of the user from the setting information storage unit 331, and transmits the sharing permission notification to the contact information. The sharing permission notification may include the area location of the user shared memory area 221.

[0082] In step S366, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, determines the usage fee to be paid by the data user and the usage fee to be acquired by the data owner, based on the usage fee in the area information stored in the area information storage unit 332. Each usage fee may be the usage fee in the area information, or a settlement fee by the data sharing system 1 may be added thereto.

[0083] Then, in step S367, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, reads out the user information of the data owner and the data user from the setting information storage unit 331, and performs a payment process for the determined usage fee based on the payment method included in each user information. That is, a billing process is performed for the data user, and a payment process is performed for the data owner. The payment process may be a deduction of the usage fee for the data sharing system 1.

[0084] Thereafter, in step S368, control unit 31, under the control of data write processing unit 315, deletes the temporarily stored information stored in temporary storage unit 333 in each processing operation in the shared area creation processing in step S36. Then, control unit 31 ends the processing operation of this shared area creation processing, and proceeds to the processing operation of step S37.

[0085] (4) Shared area deletion process FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the shared area deleting process in step S38 executed by the control unit 31 of the data management device 30.

[0086] First, in step S381, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, the control unit 31 deletes the user shared storage area 221 whose sharing period has expired via the network NW through the communication I / F .

[0087] Then, prior to deleting the area information related to the deleted user shared memory area 221, in step S382, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, reports, for example by e-mail, to the user who is the data owner of the shared data and the user who is the data user, that the user shared memory area 221 has been deleted. The control unit 31 can acquire, from the setting information storage unit 331, the contact information of the sharer of the area information corresponding to the deleted user shared memory area 221, which is stored in the area information storage unit 332.

[0088] Then, in step S383, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, deletes the area information corresponding to the deleted user shared memory area 221 from the area information storage unit 332. Then, the control unit 31 ends the processing operation of this shared area deletion process, and proceeds to the processing operation of step S39.

[0089] (5) Data deletion process FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data deletion processing of step S3A executed by the control unit 31 of the data management device 30.

[0090] First, in step S3A1, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, the control unit 31 deletes the processed data 112 whose publication deadline has expired via the communication I / F 34 through the network NW.

[0091] Then, prior to deleting the target data information related to the deleted processed data 112, in step S3A2, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, reports, for example by e-mail, to the user who is the owner of the data file 111 that is the source of the processed data 112, that the published processed data 112 has been deleted. The control unit 31 can acquire, from the setting information storage unit 331, the contact information of the owner of the data file 111 corresponding to the deleted processed data 112, which is stored in the area information storage unit 332.

[0092] Thereafter, in step S3A3, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, the control unit 31 deletes the target data information corresponding to the deleted processed data 112 from the area information storage unit 332. Then, the control unit 31 ends the processing operation of this data deletion process, and proceeds to the processing operation of the above-mentioned step S31.

[0093] (Action and effect) As described above, the data management device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a data management device that manages data sharing between a data owner who is a first user and a data user who is a second user, and includes a communication I / F 34 that communicates with a user terminal 10 that is a first user terminal operated by the data owner and a user terminal 10 that is a second user terminal operated by the data user, and a control unit 31 that controls the data management device 30. The control unit 31 includes a data processing unit 312, a chat management processing unit 313, and an area management processing unit 314 and a data writing processing unit 315 as sharing processing units. The data processing unit 312 processes the data file 111, which is data to be shared and stored in the user-only memory area 11 accessible only to the first user, based on setting information regarding the publication of the data file 111, which is data to be shared and is stored in the user-only memory area 11 accessible only to the first user, sent from the user terminal 10 of the first user, to create processed data 112, and publishes the created processed data 112. The chat management processing unit 313 allows a chat to be conducted between the user terminal 10 of the first user and the user terminal 10 of the second user in response to a sharing request for the data file 111, which is the original data of the processed data 112, sent from the user terminal 10 of the second user. When a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user, the area management processing unit 314 creates a user shared memory area 221 accessible only to the first and second users, and the data writing processing unit 315 saves a copy of the data file 111, which is the data to be shared and stored in the user-dedicated memory area 11 of the first user, in the user shared memory area 221. Then, the area management processing unit 314 transmits a sharing permission notice including the area location of the user shared memory area 221 to the user terminal 10 of the second user, thereby permitting the user terminal 10 of the second user to access the user shared memory area 221. Therefore, by publishing the processed data 112 obtained by processing the data file 111, which is the data to be shared, the second user who will be the data user can easily find the desired data and share the data, which promotes effective use of the data. Also, since the actual data of the data file 111 is not published but the processed data 112 obtained by processing it is published, it is possible to prevent the data file 111 from leaking and to make effective use of the data. Furthermore, by providing a chat environment between the first user who is the data owner and the second user who will be the data user, sharing negotiations can be easily carried out.

[0094] Furthermore, in the data management device 30 according to the first embodiment, the area management processing unit 314 of the control unit 31 functions as a fee collection processing unit that mediates between payment of the usage fee from the second user and payment to the first user when a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user. Therefore, by receiving a reward for sharing the data file 111, data owners will be more likely to use the data sharing system 1, which will promote data distribution.

[0095] The area management processor 314 creates the user shared memory area 221 in response to a sharing request from the user terminal 10 of the first user who is the data owner. Therefore, when a sharing agreement has been obtained through chatting, it is possible to determine based on a sharing request from the data owner and start sharing the data file 111.

[0096] [Second embodiment] Next, a data management device 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, after a sharing agreement is reached, the data owner inputs information necessary for data sharing. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the data management device 30 automatically acquires information necessary for data sharing by analyzing the contents of the chat that led to the sharing agreement.

[0097] Here, only the configuration, operation, and effects that differ from those of the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of the similar parts will be omitted.

[0098] (Configuration example) FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a data management device 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0099] In this embodiment, the chat management processing unit 313 in the control unit 31 of the data management device 30 reads and analyzes the chat content stored in the temporary storage unit 333, obtains the information necessary for data sharing, and performs processing to store the area information in the area information storage unit 332.

[0100] At this time, whether or not a sharing agreement has been obtained is also obtained from the chat contents, so a sharing request from the data owner is not required.

[0101] (Example of operation) FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an overall processing procedure of a shared area management process by the data management device 30 according to the second embodiment.

[0102] In the above step S33, if it is determined that a data sharing negotiation request has not been received, the control unit 31 determines NO in step S33, and proceeds to the processing operation of step S37 in this embodiment. On the other hand, if it is determined that a data sharing negotiation request has been received, the control unit 31 determines YES in step S33, and proceeds to the processing operation of step S34, and after the processing operation of step S34 is completed, in this embodiment, the processing operation of step S37 is proceeded to. That is, the processing operations of steps S35 and S36 in the first embodiment are omitted.

[0103] Instead, in the chat processing of step S34, the control unit 31 not only conducts a chat between the user terminal 10 of the user who sent the data sharing negotiation request and the user terminal 10 of the data owner, but also creates a user shared memory area 221 and writes the data file 111, which is the shared data, into it under the control of the area management processing unit 314 and the data writing processing unit 315.

[0104] (1) Chat processing FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the chat processing in step S34 according to this embodiment, which is executed by the control unit 31 of the data management device 30.

[0105] The processing operations of steps S341 to S349 are as described in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, if it is determined in step S348 that the input information is not complete, the control unit 31 determines NO in step S348 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S3410 instead of step S345.

[0106] In step S3410, the control unit 31 analyzes the input information stored in the temporary storage unit 333, that is, the chat contents, under the control of the chat management processing unit 313. The analyzed contents are stored in the temporary storage unit 333.

[0107] Then, in step S3411, the control unit 31, under the control of the chat management processing unit 313, judges whether the analysis contents stored in the temporary storage unit 333 include a statement indicating an agreement to share the data file 111. To facilitate this judgment, for example, the user may be notified in advance that a keyword to be entered when an agreement to share is obtained will be entered. If it is judged that the analysis contents do not include a statement indicating an agreement to share, the control unit 31 judges NO in step S3411 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S345. If it is judged that the analysis contents include a statement indicating an agreement to share, the control unit 31 judges YES in step S3411 and proceeds to the processing operation of step S3412.

[0108] In step S3412, control unit 31, under the control of chat management processing unit 313, extracts information on the sharing period and usage fee required for creating area information from the analysis contents stored in temporary storage unit 333. The extracted information is stored in temporary storage unit 333. Note that creating area information further requires information on the target data and sharers, but information on the data users has already been obtained when the data sharing negotiation request was received in step S33 above, and the target data has also been obtained when the chat room was created in step S341 above.

[0109] Then, in step S3413, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, creates area information based on the input information stored in the temporary storage unit 333, and stores it in the area information storage unit 332, similar to step S362 above.

[0110] Next, in step S3414, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, creates a user shared memory area 221 in the shared area 22 of the cloud storage 20, as in step S363 above, and adds the area location of the created user shared memory area 221 to the area information stored in the area information storage unit 332.

[0111] Thereafter, in step S3415, under the control of the data write processing unit 315, the control unit 31 reads the data file 111 from the source user dedicated memory area 11 and stores it in the user shared memory area 221, similar to step S364.

[0112] Then, in step S3416, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, transmits a sharing permission notification to the data user, in the same manner as in step S365 above.

[0113] In addition, in step S3417, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, the control unit 31 determines the usage fee agreed upon for sharing the data file 111 based on the usage fee in the area information stored in the area information storage unit 332, as in step S366 above.

[0114] Then, in step S3418, the control unit 31, under the control of the area management processing unit 314, performs payment processing for the determined usage fee based on the payment method included in the user information of the data owner and the data user stored in the setting information storage unit 331, similar to the above step S367. Thereafter, the control unit 31 proceeds to the processing operation of the above step S349.

[0115] (Action and effect) As described above, in the data management device 30 of the second embodiment of the present invention, the chat management processing unit 313 analyzes the contents of the chat between the user terminal 10 of the first user who is the data owner and the user terminal 10 of the second user who is the data user, to determine whether or not a sharing agreement has been obtained between the first user and the second user, and the area management processing unit 314 creates a user shared memory area 221 in response to the determination by the chat management processing unit 313 that a sharing agreement has been obtained, and the data writing processing unit 315 stores a copy of the data to be shared stored in the user-only memory area 11 in the user shared memory area 221. Therefore, it becomes possible to automatically determine that a sharing agreement has been obtained from the chat content and start sharing the data file 111. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary for the data owner to perform a special sharing request operation, and therefore it is possible to reduce the trouble for the data owner.

[0116] [Other embodiments] In the first and second embodiments, all user data is stored in the user shared memory area 221, but it is also possible to create a new data file different from the original data by extracting at least a portion of the data from the data file 111 or by processing real data into an anonymized and abstracted (generalized) format to create processed data, and store this as shared data.

[0117] In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the user data in the user-dedicated memory area 11 is copied to the user shared memory area 221, but as in non-patent document 2, the user data may be stored virtually in the user shared memory area 221 by storing a symbolic link to the user data.

[0118] In the first and second embodiments, a user shared memory area 221 is created for each shared data, but a plurality of shared data may be stored in one user shared memory area 221. In this case, deletion of the user shared memory area 221 itself is put on hold until all the shared data in the user shared memory area 221 is deleted.

[0119] In the first and second embodiments, the processed data 112 in the public area 21 can be viewed only by registered users of the data sharing system 1, but it may be made public to non-registered users as well. The data owner may be able to specify whether to make the data public only to registered users or to the general public. When a general user other than a registered user uses the data file 111 that is the source of the processed data, the general user may become a registered user of the data sharing system 1. Alternatively, when the general user does not become a registered user, a temporary user shared memory area 221 may be created to allow the general user to use the data file 111 by paying a higher usage fee than a registered user.

[0120] The order of the processing steps shown in the flowcharts of Figures 4 to 9 and Figures 11 to 12 is an example, and is not limited to this order. For example, the order of steps S342 and S343 in Figure 6 may be reversed. The processing order of each processing step may be changed or the steps may be processed in parallel, as long as there is no discrepancy with the preceding or succeeding processing step.

[0121] In the second embodiment, the chat contents stored in the temporary storage unit 333 are deleted in step S349. However, the chat contents may be stored separately as evidence of the sharing agreement.

[0122] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, in implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted.

[0123] In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments as they are, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of the multiple components disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in each embodiment. Furthermore, components across different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0124] 1. Data sharing system 10...User terminal 10A: User A terminal 10B: User B terminal 10C: User C terminal 11...User-only memory area 11A: User A dedicated memory area 11B: User B dedicated storage area 11C: User C dedicated memory area 12,41…Individual area 20,40…Cloud storage 21…Public area 22…Shared area 30...Data management device 31...Control unit 32...Program memory section 33...Data storage unit 34...Communication interface (communication I / F) 35…Bus 111...Data file 112... Processing data 211... Processing data storage area 221…User shared storage area 311... setting information acquisition processing unit 312...Data processing unit 313…Chat management processing unit 314...Area management processing unit 315...Data writing processing unit 331...setting information storage unit 332…Area information storage unit 333…Temporary storage unit NW…Network

Claims

1. A data management device that manages data sharing between a first user who is an owner of data and a second user who uses the data, comprising: a communication interface for communicating with a first user terminal operated by the first user and a second user terminal operated by the second user; A control unit that controls the data management device; Equipped with The control unit is a data processing unit that processes the data to be shared to create processed data in response to a request for disclosure of the data to be shared sent from the first user terminal, and publishes the created processed data; a chat management processing unit that, in response to a sharing request for the data to be shared, which is the original data of the processed data and is sent from the second user terminal, causes a chat to be held between the first user terminal and the second user terminal; a sharing processing unit that, when a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user, creates a shared storage area accessible only to the first and second users, stores a copy of the data to be shared or a symbolic link to the data to be shared in the shared storage area, and permits the second user terminal to access the shared storage area; A data management device comprising:

2. The data management device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further includes a fee collection processing unit that mediates between payment of a usage fee from the second user and a deposit to the first user when a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user.

3. The shared processing unit includes: an area management processing unit that creates the shared memory area in response to a sharing request from the first user terminal; a data writing processing unit that stores a copy of the data to be shared or a symbolic link to the data to be shared in the shared storage area; The data management device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. the chat management processing unit determines whether the sharing agreement has been obtained between the first user and the second user by analyzing the content of the chat between the first user terminal and the second user terminal; The shared processing unit includes: a region management processing unit that creates the shared memory region in response to the determination by the chat management processing unit that the sharing agreement has been obtained; a data writing processing unit that stores a copy of the data to be shared or a symbolic link to the data to be shared in the shared storage area; The data management device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

5. A storage unit including the shared storage area; A data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A data sharing system comprising:

6. the storage unit includes a first storage device that stores the data to be shared and has a dedicated storage area accessible only to the first user, and a second storage device that is physically different from the first storage device and in which the shared storage area is created; 6. The data sharing system according to claim 5, wherein the data processing unit of the data management device processes the data to be shared stored in the dedicated memory area in response to the disclosure request to generate the processed data.

7. A data sharing method for sharing data between a first user who is an owner of the data and a second user who uses the data, comprising the steps of: The computer a process of processing the data to be shared to create processed data in response to a request for disclosing the data to be shared sent from a first user terminal operated by the first user, and disclosing the created processed data; a process of having a chat session between the first user terminal and the second user terminal in response to a sharing request for the data to be shared, the data being the original data of the processed data, sent from a second user terminal operated by the second user; a process of, when a sharing agreement is obtained between the first user and the second user, creating a shared storage area accessible only to the first and second users, storing a copy of the data to be shared or a symbolic link to the data to be shared in the shared storage area, and permitting the second user terminal to access the shared storage area; The data sharing method comprises:

8. A data management program that causes a computer to execute processing by each of the processing units included in the data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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