Service use management system, service use management method, and service use management program

Abstract

To provide a technique that allows a service to be used by a plurality of users via a network in modes according to restrictions enforced by a service provider and restrictions enforced by groups to which the users belong.SOLUTION: A service use management system includes: a service restriction acquisition unit 12 which acquires the content of service restriction information included in a transaction stored in a block in a distributed ledger corresponding to a service token related to a service for which the use is requested; a user restriction acquisition unit 13 which acquires the content of user restriction information included in a transaction stored in a block in a distributed ledger corresponding to a user token related to a user who made the request; a use range determination unit 14 which determines a range available for the user related to the service; and a resource input / output control unit 15 which controls input / output of resource information stored in a use resource storage unit 9 based on a result determined by the use range determination unit 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for managing the usage patterns of a service that is used by a plurality of users via a network. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various services have been developed on the Internet and are used by many users. In the simplest form, a service provides the same service to all users, but some services change the content of the services provided depending on whether or not there is a fee, the age of the user, etc. Taking a video distribution service as an example, non-paying users can only view old videos that have been available for a certain amount of time, while paying users can also view the latest videos, or younger users can be prevented from viewing videos that include violent scenes.

[0003] In this way, when a service is used in a different manner for each user, the service provider acquires information on the characteristics of each user (chargeable / non-chargeable, age, etc.) in advance at the time of user registration, and performs a process of verifying that the user has the specified characteristics when using the service, and then provides a service tailored to the characteristics. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for authenticating a user when using a service on the Internet, and Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for authenticating a user's attribute information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-068779 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-163706 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, it is troublesome for service providers to handle a large number of users one by one in the above manner. In addition, when users belong to groups such as profit-making companies, non-profit organizations, and families, for example, users belonging to profit-making companies may be prohibited from using services unrelated to work during working hours, and users who are members of a family may be limited to one hour of video service use per day due to educational policies. However, service providers cannot be aware of such restrictions, and must rely on the good sense of each user and the supervision of the group itself to determine whether or not the restrictions are being observed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide technology that enables users to use a service shared by multiple users over a network in a manner that conforms to the restrictions placed on the service provider and the restrictions placed on the user's group of affiliation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the service usage management system according to claim 1 is a service usage management system that manages usage patterns by multiple users of multiple services provided via a network, and includes: a usage resource storage means for storing resource information, which is information regarding resources required for the usage of each of the multiple services; a service restriction information input means for inputting service restriction information, which is information including usage restrictions corresponding to attributes of a user in the service; a user restriction information input means for inputting user restriction information, which is information including usage restrictions corresponding to attributes of the service in the user; a first transaction generation means for generating first transaction information including the service restriction information, which is recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token that is a non-fungible token corresponding to the service; a second transaction generation means for generating second transaction information including the user restriction information, which is recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that is a non-fungible token corresponding to the user; the second transaction information to the second distributed network; a service restriction acquisition means for acquiring, based on a request for use of a predetermined service related to a predetermined user, information on usage restrictions according to attributes of the predetermined user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the first distributed network corresponding to a service token corresponding to the predetermined service; a user restriction acquisition means for acquiring, based on the request for use, information on usage restrictions according to attributes of the predetermined service from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the second distributed network corresponding to a user token corresponding to the predetermined user; a usage range determination means for determining a usage range of the predetermined user in the predetermined service based on the information acquired by the service restriction acquisition means and the user restriction acquisition means; and a resource output control means for controlling the usage resource storage means to output the resource information necessary for use according to a determination result of the usage range determination means.

[0008] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the service usage management system of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the first transaction generation means generates information including information on service attributes in addition to the service restriction information as the first transaction information, the second transaction generation means generates information including information on user attributes in addition to the user restriction information as the second transaction information, the service restriction acquisition means acquires information on the usage restriction content according to the attributes of the specified user from the information recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token corresponding to the specified service, as well as information on the attributes of the specified service used for acquiring information from the user restriction acquisition means, and the user restriction acquisition means acquires information on the usage restriction content for a service having attributes common to the attributes of the specified service from the information recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token corresponding to the specified user, as well as information on the attributes of the specified user used for acquiring information from the service restriction acquisition means.

[0009] In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the service usage management system of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the usage request includes, in addition to information about the specified user and the specified service, information about the usage content desired by the specified user for the specified service, and the usage range determination means determines that the part of the information about the usage content that does not conflict with the information about the usage restriction content acquired by the service restriction acquisition means and the user restriction acquisition means is the available range.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a service usage management method according to claim 4 is a service usage management method for managing usage patterns by a plurality of users for a plurality of services provided via a network, the method including a usage resource saving step of saving resource information which is information on resources required for the usage of each of the plurality of services, a service restriction information input step of inputting service restriction information which is information including usage restriction contents according to attributes of a user in the service, a user restriction information input step of inputting user restriction information which is information including usage restriction contents according to attributes of the service in the user, a first transaction generation step of generating first transaction information including the service restriction information which is recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the service, and a second transaction information including the user restriction information which is recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the user. a second transaction generation step of generating transaction information; an output instruction step of instructing the first distributed network to output the first transaction information and instructing the second distributed network to output the second transaction information; a service restriction acquisition step of acquiring information on usage restrictions according to the attributes of the specified user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the first distributed network corresponding to a service token corresponding to the specified service based on a usage request for a specified service related to the specified user; a user restriction acquisition step of acquiring information on usage restrictions according to the attributes of the specified service from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the second distributed network corresponding to a user token corresponding to the specified user based on the usage request; and a usage range determination step of determining a usage range of the specified user in the specified service based on the information acquired in the service restriction acquisition step and the user restriction acquisition step.and a resource output control step of controlling the used resource storage step so as to output the resource information required for use according to the result of the determination in the use range determination step.

[0011] In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the service usage management method of claim 5, in the above invention, is characterized in that the usage request includes, in addition to information about the specified user and the specified service, information about the usage content desired by the specified user for the specified service, and in the usage range determination step, a part of the information about the usage content that does not conflict with information about the usage restriction content acquired in the service restriction acquisition step and the user restriction acquisition step is determined to be the available range.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, a service usage management program according to claim 6 is a service usage management program that causes a computer to perform service usage management for managing usage patterns by a plurality of users for a plurality of services provided via a network, and includes a usage resource storage function for storing resource information, which is information regarding resources required for usage of each of the plurality of services, a service restriction information input function for inputting service restriction information, which is information including usage restrictions corresponding to attributes of a user in the service, a user restriction information input function for inputting user restriction information, which is information including usage restrictions corresponding to attributes of the service in the user, a first transaction generation function for generating first transaction information including the service restriction information, which is recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token, which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the service, and a user token, which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the user, a second transaction generation function that generates second transaction information including the user restriction information, the second transaction information including the user restriction information being generated by the user restriction information generation function; an output instruction function that instructs the first transaction information to be output to the first distributed network and instructs the second transaction information to be output to the second distributed network; a service restriction acquisition function that acquires information on usage restriction contents according to the attributes of the specified user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the first distributed network corresponding to a service token that corresponds to the specified service based on a usage request for a specified service related to the specified user; a user restriction acquisition function that acquires information on usage restriction contents according to the attributes of the specified service from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the second distributed network corresponding to a user token that corresponds to the specified user based on the usage request; and a usage range determination function that determines the available range of the specified user in the specified service based on the information acquired by the service restriction acquisition function and the user restriction acquisition function.and a resource output control function that controls the used resource storage function so as to output the resource information required for use according to the result of the determination by the utilization range determination function. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantage that a service that is used by a plurality of users via a network can be used by the users in a manner that conforms to the restrictions imposed by the service provider and the restrictions imposed by the group to which the users belong. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a service usage management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 11 is a flowchart showing a utilization range determination process for a utilization request in the service utilization management system according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a service usage management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart showing a utilization range determination process for a utilization request in the service utilization management system according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, examples considered to be the most appropriate embodiments of the present invention will be described, and it goes without saying that the contents of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific examples shown in the present embodiments. Of course, any configuration that achieves the same action and effect, even if it is a specific configuration other than that shown in the embodiments, is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) First, a service usage management system according to the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment includes a service restriction information input unit 1 for inputting service restriction information, which is general restriction information regarding the use of a service, a user restriction information input unit 2 for inputting user restriction information, which is information regarding the usage restriction of a service regarding an individual user, a service token generation unit 3 for generating a service token, which is a non-fungible token corresponding to an individual service, a user token generation unit 4 for generating a user token, which is a fungible token corresponding to an individual user, a service restriction transaction generation unit 5 for generating a service restriction transaction, which is a transaction stored in a block in a distributed ledger corresponding to the service token based on the service restriction information, a user restriction transaction generation unit 6 for generating a user restriction transaction, which is a transaction stored in a block in a distributed ledger corresponding to the user token based on the user restriction information, and a generation unit for generating information included in the service restriction transaction and the user restriction transaction. an output instruction unit 8 that instructs to output a combination of the service token / user token and the electronic signature to a distributed network associated with each of the service tokens / user tokens; a utilization resource storage unit 9 that stores resource information required for using the service; a utilization request receiving unit 10 that receives service utilization request information from a user; a service identification unit 11 that identifies the user and service related to the utilization request; a service restriction acquisition unit 12 that acquires the content of service restriction information included in a transaction stored in a block in the distributed ledger corresponding to the service token related to the service that is the subject of the utilization request;The system includes a utilization range determination unit 14 that determines the utilization range of the service available to the user, and a resource input / output control unit 15 that controls input / output of resource information stored in the utilized resource storage unit 9 based on the determination result of the utilization range determination unit 14.

[0017] The service restriction information input unit 1 is for inputting service restriction information, which is information on general restrictions regarding the use of a specific service. The service restriction information includes information that identifies the service, information on the attributes of the user to be restricted, and information on the specific content of the restriction. For example, the service restriction information includes information such as the following: for a service A, a user with an attribute of being under a certain age is (partially) prohibited from using the service; that the available services differ depending on the attribute of the amount of charge; that with respect to the attribute of social status, if the user is a student, he or she can use all services even without payment; and that a user with an attribute of having received a warning when using the service in the past cannot use all services for a certain period of time. Here, the "user attributes" include general attributes such as gender, race, nationality, age, academic background, work history, and family structure, as well as attributes related to the service, such as the frequency of use of the service, the type of account, whether or not a charge is made and the amount of the charge if a charge is made, and whether or not a problematic behavior is observed when using the service. In this embodiment, the "user attributes" are not limited to characteristics that only a portion of all users have, and may be information that describes the usage restrictions targeted at all users or individual specific users. Furthermore, the specific content of the usage restriction may not only be whether or not all services can be used, but may also be whether or not some services can be used, restrictions on the time of use, and even restrictions on the place of use.

[0018] The user restriction information input unit 2 is for inputting user restriction information, which is information on usage restrictions for services having certain attributes related to a specific user. The user restriction information includes information for identifying the user, information on the attributes of the service to be restricted, and information on the specific content of the usage restrictions. For example, for a specific user B, the use of a service with the attribute of providing games is prohibited from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning, the use of a service with the attribute of learning support is limited to three hours per day, the use of a service with the attribute of supporting business activities is limited to 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., the viewing of videos containing sexual depictions is prohibited for a service with the attribute of providing videos, and the amount of funds transferred per day for a service with the attribute of online banking is limited to a certain amount or less. Here, the "attributes of a service" includes classification based on the purpose and type of the service and attributes related to the person providing the service. In addition, in this embodiment, the "attributes of a service" are not limited to characteristics that only a portion of all services have, and may be information describing usage restrictions for all services or specific services, for example. Furthermore, the specific content of the usage restrictions may not only limit the availability of all services provided by a service having a specified attribute, but may also limit the availability of only some services, or may limit the usage time or time period of usage.

[0019] The service token generating unit 3 and the user token generating unit 4 are for generating service tokens and user tokens, which are non-fungible tokens that have a one-to-one correspondence with individual services or individual users. "Non-fungible tokens" refer to so-called NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), that is, tokens that have unique data and thus cannot be substituted for other tokens, and are issued based on, for example, ERC721, which is the standard for Ethereum (registered trademark). The service tokens and user tokens in this embodiment are issued based on ERC721 or other predetermined standards, and are configured such that transactions, which are information generated for each corresponding token, are stored on the blockchain.

[0020] "Blockchain" is a technology that uses encryption technology to synchronize data between multiple computers that make up a distributed network. Specifically, each block is made up of a collection of information about service tokens and user tokens, such as agreed-upon transaction records, and information for connecting to other blocks (information from the previous block), and a blockchain is made up of multiple blocks that are linked together. Even if data is tampered with on some of the multiple computers, the correct data is selected by majority vote among the other computers, making it extremely difficult to destroy or tamper with data.

[0021] The correspondence between the service token / user token and each service / user is a one-to-one correspondence between the identifier of each token and the identification information of the service user (identification information may be assigned to each service, etc., or it may be the name or name of the service user itself). More directly, the identifier of each token and the identification information of the service, etc. may be the same, or a correspondence may be established between those composed of different character strings, etc. Also, for example, it may be a correspondence with the URL information on the Internet where the service is provided.

[0022] In this embodiment, the blocks constituting the distributed ledger corresponding to each generated token contain transaction records related to the transfer of ownership of each token, as well as transactions generated based on service restriction information for service tokens and user restriction information for user tokens. Each transaction is generated by the service restriction transaction generation unit 5 and the user restriction transaction generation unit 6.

[0023] In addition, each token may be generated by the service token generation unit 3 and the user token generation unit 4 themselves, or may be generated by an external system that is directly or indirectly connected to them by issuing a predetermined command to the external system. The specific format of each token is not limited to one that complies with ERC721, the standard of Ethereum (registered trademark), and may be any format as long as it has non-fungible properties and information such as transaction history is stored on the blockchain.

[0024] The service restriction transaction generation unit 5 and the user restriction transaction generation unit 6 have a function of generating the first and second transactions to be stored in blocks in the distributed ledger, respectively, and correspond to an example of the information generation means in the claims. Specifically, the service restriction transaction generation unit 5 and the user restriction transaction generation unit 6 generate, as the transaction contents, information on the change of the holder name of each token, as information on the service attributes and information on the service restriction information as the first transaction related to the service token, and generate information on the user attributes and information on the user restriction information as the second transaction related to the user token.

[0025] The electronic signature generating unit 7 has a function of generating an electronic signature, which is data that proves that the creation and output of information included in a transaction is in accordance with the intentions of the holder of the service token and the user token. Specifically, the electronic signature generating unit 7 has a function of generating a hash value of each transaction generated by the service restriction transaction generating unit 5 and the user restriction transaction generating unit 6, and generating an electronic signature by encrypting the hash value with a private key held by the holder of each token. Note that a "hash value" is a fixed-length value obtained by performing a certain calculation procedure on the original data. Since the calculation procedure is irreversible, it is considered impossible to restore the original data from the hash value. Also, a "private key" is a number sequence used in the encryption process, and is configured to be decryptable by a corresponding "public key." In this embodiment 1, the service restriction transaction generation unit 5, the user restriction transaction generation unit 6, and the electronic signature generation unit 7 are configured to generate each transaction and electronic signature by themselves, but this is not necessary. The service restriction transaction generation unit 5, the user restriction transaction generation unit 6, and the electronic signature generation unit 7 may have the function of simply instructing an external device to generate a transaction and an electronic signature.

[0026] The output instruction unit 8 is for instructing the first and second distributed networks associated with each token to output each transaction generated by the service restriction transaction generation unit 5 and the user restriction transaction generation unit 6 and the electronic signature generated by the electronic signature generation unit 7. In this embodiment, the output instruction unit 8 is also provided with an output function itself, and specifically, the output instruction unit 8 is directly or indirectly connected to the first and second distributed networks, and is configured in a manner that allows it to output predetermined data to the first and second distributed networks. The first and second distributed networks generate a hash value of the output transaction and compare it with data obtained by decrypting the electronic signature with a public key (= hash value of the transaction). If the two values ​​are different, it is determined that the transaction is not in accordance with the intention of the holder of the target token and rejects the registration, and if the two values ​​match, it is determined that the transaction is by the owner, and the information constituted by the transaction is stored in a block constituting the distributed ledger. The transaction output by the output instruction unit 8 includes information regarding the change of ownership, and by outputting the transaction to the distributed network, this information is stored in blocks constituting the distributed ledger provided on the first and second distributed networks. Note that in the first embodiment, for ease of understanding, the distributed network corresponding to the service token is referred to as the first distributed network, and the distributed network corresponding to the user token is referred to as the second distributed network, to distinguish them, but the two may be separate networks or may be the same network.

[0027] The used resource storage unit 9 is for storing resource information, which is the resource itself required for using the service or data related to the resource, and for appropriately inputting and outputting the resource information according to the control of the resource input / output control unit 15 described later. The specific embodiment of the used resource storage unit 9 is preferably configured similarly to a wallet used for trading virtual currency (cryptocurrency), such as Ethereum (registered trademark). The structure of the wallet may be a so-called "hot wallet" that is always connected to the Internet, or a "cold wallet" that can be connected to the Internet only when necessary, but it is assumed to be configured as being controllable by the resource input / output control unit 15 described later. In addition, the "resource information" means, in the simplest example, the data itself constituting the virtual currency (cryptocurrency) required when using a paid service, or the address information and private key data of the virtual currency (cryptocurrency), but may also be data constituting a token (which may be either fungible or non-fungible) generated specially for using the service, or the address information and private key of the token, or other information such as account information and password required for using the service. Furthermore, resource information does not need to be interpreted as being limited to resources for using all of a specific service, but may also be information that enables the use of multiple services, the use of part of a specific service, or the use of a service with time constraints.

[0028] The usage request receiving unit 10 is for receiving usage request information, which is information related to a service usage request from a user. The usage request information received by the usage request receiving unit 10 is output to the service specifying unit 11 and used to specify the specific content of the usage request.

[0029] The service identification unit 11 is for identifying the user and service related to the usage request. Specifically, the service identification unit 11 has a function of analyzing the usage request information received by the usage request receiving unit 10, identifying the user who is the sender, and identifying the service that the user wishes to use. Information on the service and user included in the usage request information identified by the service identification unit 11 is output to the service restriction acquisition unit 12 and the user restriction acquisition unit 13, respectively.

[0030] The service restriction acquisition unit 12 is for acquiring the contents of the service restriction information included in the transaction stored in the block in the distributed ledger corresponding to the service token related to the service related to the use request. Specifically, the service restriction acquisition unit 12 has a function of accessing the transaction stored in the distributed ledger corresponding to the service token related to the service related to the use request, and extracting the specific contents of the usage restriction related to the user having the attribute (this information is acquired from the user restriction acquisition unit 13 as described later) common to the user related to the use request from the service restriction information related to the service in the transaction. Information on the specific contents of the usage restriction extracted by the service restriction acquisition unit 12 is output to the usage range determination unit 14 and used for the usage range determination process. In addition, the service restriction acquisition unit 12 also has a function of acquiring information on the attributes of the service included in the transaction stored in the block in the distributed ledger corresponding to the service token related to the service related to the use request, and outputting it to the user restriction acquisition unit 13.

[0031] The user restriction acquisition unit 13 is for acquiring the contents of user restriction information included in a transaction stored in a block in the distributed ledger corresponding to a user token related to the user who made the use request. Specifically, the user restriction acquisition unit 13 has a function of accessing a transaction stored in the distributed ledger that corresponds to a user token related to the user who made the use request, and extracting specific contents of usage restrictions in a service having attributes common to the service related to the use request (information related to the conditions acquired by the service restriction acquisition unit 12 is used) from the user restriction information related to the user in the transaction. Information related to the specific contents of the usage restrictions extracted by the user restriction acquisition unit 13 is output to the usage range determination unit 14 and used in the usage range determination process. In addition, the user restriction acquisition unit 13 also has a function of acquiring information related to the attributes of the user included in a transaction stored in a block in the distributed ledger corresponding to a user token related to the user who made the use request, and outputting the information to the service restriction acquisition unit 12.

[0032] The usage range determination unit 14 is for determining the range of availability of the service to the user based on the service restriction information and user restriction information acquired by the user restriction acquisition unit 13. Specifically, the usage range determination unit 14 has a function of determining the range of availability of the service to the user based on the service restriction information, which is information on usage restrictions from the service provider side, and the user restriction information, which is information on usage restrictions from the user side, for the service that is the subject of the usage request. More specifically, the usage range determination unit 14 has a function of determining the range of usage of the target service that is not restricted by both the service restriction information and the user restriction information, and determining the range of availability of the service to the user.

[0033] The resource input / output control unit 15 is for controlling the input / output of information stored in the used resource storage unit 9 based on the judgment result of the utilization range judgment unit 14. Specifically, the resource input / output control unit 15 has a function of outputting resources necessary for using a service stored in the utilized resource storage unit 9 or information related to the resources so that the service can be used with the content according to the judgment result of the utilization range judgment unit 14. For example, if the utilization range judgment unit 14 judges that the service related to the utilization request cannot be used, the resource input / output control unit 15 keeps the utilized resource storage unit 9 closed and does not output any resource information. If the utilization range judgment unit 14 judges that a part or all of the service related to the utilization request can be used, the resource input / output control unit 15 controls the utilized resource storage unit 9 so that the resource information required according to the utilization range is output.

[0034] Next, a use range determination process for a use request in the service use management system according to the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, when the use request receiving unit 10 receives a use request (step S101, Yes), the use request information is analyzed by the service specifying unit 11, and the user and service related to the use request are specified (step S102). The service restriction acquisition unit 12 accesses a transaction in the distributed ledger corresponding to a service token related to the specified service, and acquires information on the attributes of the service (step S103). Then, the user restriction acquisition unit 13 accesses a transaction in the distributed ledger corresponding to a user token related to the user specified in step S102, and acquires, from the user restriction information, use restriction information related to a service that satisfies the attributes of the service acquired in step S103 (step S104). In addition, the user restriction acquisition unit 13 acquires information on the attributes of the user recorded in the accessed transaction (step S105). Thereafter, the service restriction acquisition unit 12 again accesses the transaction in the distributed ledger corresponding to the service token related to the identified service, and this time acquires usage restriction information related to the user who satisfies the user attributes acquired in step S105 from the service restriction information in the transaction (step S106).

[0035] Thereafter, the usage range determination unit 14 determines the range of usage that the identified user can use in the service identified in step S102, based on the usage restriction information in the user restriction information acquired in step S104 and the usage restriction information in the service restriction information acquired in step S106 (step S107), outputs the determination result to the resource input / output control unit 15 (step S108), and terminates all processing.

[0036] Next, advantages of the service usage management system according to the first embodiment will be described. First, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment creates user restriction information in advance for each user who uses a service on the network, which defines the range in which the service can be used for each attribute of the service, and creates service restriction information in advance for each service, which defines the range in which the service can be used for each attribute of the user, and then provides resource information that satisfies both of the usage restrictions defined by both parties. By adopting such a configuration, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment has an advantage that the service can be used only in a manner that satisfies the usage restrictions that both parties have defined, regardless of the user's intention when using the service, and for example, in a group to which the user belongs (such as the company where the user works, the family to which the user belongs, etc.), it is not necessary to monitor whether the user is using the service in a manner that satisfies the usage restrictions.

[0037] In addition, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment is configured so that the service provider sets service restriction information related to usage restrictions for each user attribute. By adopting such a configuration, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment has an advantage that the service provider does not need to set specific usage restrictions for each user individually, and can easily manage usage.

[0038] Furthermore, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment is configured so that the user sets user restriction information related to usage restrictions for each attribute of a service. By adopting such a configuration, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment has an advantage that the user does not need to set usage restrictions for each service individually and specifically, and usage management can be easily performed. In particular, when the usage restrictions on the user side are formulated not by the user himself but by a third party such as a group to which the user belongs (the company he works for, his family, etc.), it is possible to impose usage restrictions without knowing the services used by the user himself individually and specifically, which also has the advantage of protecting the user's privacy.

[0039] Moreover, in the service usage management system according to the first embodiment, both the service restriction information and the user restriction information are configured to be recorded in a distributed ledger provided on the blockchain. In the blockchain, correct data is selected by majority vote among a plurality of computers, so by adopting such a configuration, the service usage management system according to the first embodiment has the advantage that it is extremely difficult to destroy or tamper with both the service restriction information and the user restriction information, and accurate information can be recorded.

[0040] (Embodiment 2) Next, a description will be given of a service usage management system according to embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, components having the same names and reference numerals as those in embodiment 1 will have the same functions as those in embodiment 1 unless otherwise specified.

[0041] In the service usage management system according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the user restriction information input to the user restriction information input unit 16 is generated not by the user himself but by the group to which the user belongs (such as the company he works for or his family), and the usage request information received by the usage request receiving unit 17 includes not only information identifying the user making the usage request and the target service, but also information regarding the usage content of the service desired by the user. The service identification unit 18 identifies the user and service related to the usage request and analyzes the specific usage content requested by the user. The usage range determination unit 19 has the function of determining the range of availability of the target service to the user, taking into consideration the information regarding the specific usage content desired by the user.

[0042] The "group to which the user belongs" for generating the user restriction information input to the user restriction information input unit 16 includes not only general groups such as a company or a school, but also small and voluntary groups such as a neighborhood association in a residential area or a family. If the group to which the user belongs is a company or a school, there are objective circumstances that require the user's use of services to be restricted during working hours or class hours. Furthermore, if the group to which the user belongs is a school or a family, it may be necessary to impose restrictions on the use of certain services on the user from an educational perspective. In the second embodiment, in consideration of the need to restrict the use of services by such groups, the user restriction information is generated by the group to which the user belongs, rather than by the user himself / herself.

[0043] The usage request information received by the usage request receiving unit 17 includes information for identifying a user who wishes to use the service, information for identifying a service to be used, and information for identifying specific usage content of the service desired by the user. For example, if the service to be used is a video distribution service, the usage request information in the second embodiment includes information for identifying specific usage content, such as which video (or what type of video) is to be viewed on the service and how (number of views, viewing time, viewing time zone, etc.), in addition to information for identifying the video distribution service. The specific usage content included in the usage request information may be not only related to a single usage, but also related to multiple usages (in the example of a video distribution service, viewing multiple videos, video A and video B, which are in different genres).

[0044] The service specification unit 18 has a function of analyzing the usage request information to specify the user making the usage request and the service related to the usage request contained in the information, as well as analyzing information related to the usage content to determine what usage content the user is requesting to use for the service. The service and user specification information is output to the service restriction acquisition unit 12 and the user restriction acquisition unit 13, respectively, as in the first embodiment, and information related to the usage content is output to the usage range determination unit 19.

[0045] The usage range determination unit 19 is for determining whether or not the usage request can be used, taking into consideration information on the specific usage content included in the usage request information received by the usage request receiving unit 17. Specifically, the usage range determination unit 19 has a function of determining whether or not the specific usage content included in the usage request information is restricted by the restriction information, while referring to the service restriction information and user restriction information acquired by the service restriction acquisition unit 12 and the user restriction acquisition unit 13, based on information identifying the user and the target service included in the usage request information.

[0046] Next, a use range determination process for a use request in the service use management system according to the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, when the use request receiving unit 17 receives a use request (step S201, Yes), the use request information is analyzed by the service specifying unit 18, and the user, the service, and the specific use content are specified (step S202). The service restriction acquisition unit 12 accesses a transaction in the distributed ledger corresponding to a service token related to the specified service, and acquires information on the attributes of the service (step S203). Then, the user restriction acquisition unit 13 accesses a transaction in the distributed ledger corresponding to a user token related to the user specified in step S202, and acquires, from the user restriction information, use restriction information related to a service that satisfies the attributes of the service acquired in step S203 (step S204). In addition, the user restriction acquisition unit 13 acquires information on the attributes of the user recorded in the accessed transaction (step S205). Thereafter, the service restriction acquisition unit 12 again accesses the transaction in the distributed ledger corresponding to the service token related to the identified service, and this time acquires usage restriction information related to the user who satisfies the user attributes acquired in step S205 from the service restriction information in the transaction (step S206).

[0047] Thereafter, the use range determination unit 19 determines the range of use that the specified user can use in the service specified in step S202 based on the use restriction information in the user restriction information acquired in step S204 and the service restriction information acquired in step S206 (step S207). Furthermore, the use range determination unit 19 determines whether the use content of the service related to the use request specified in step S202 is feasible or not based on the determination result of step S207 (step S208). If it is feasible (step S208, Yes), the use range determination unit 19 outputs the determination result to the resource input / output control unit 15 (step S209), and the resource input / output control unit 15 inputs / outputs resource information for service use required to realize the use content based on the determination result. If it is not feasible (step S208, No), it checks whether the determination process for all the use contents is completed (step S210), and if it is not completed (step S210, No), it returns to step S208 and repeats the same process for the new use content. If completed (Yes at step S210), all processing ends.

[0048] Next, advantages of the service usage management system according to the second embodiment will be described. First, in the service usage management system according to the second embodiment, the user restriction information is generated not by the user himself, but by the group to which the user belongs (such as the company where the user works or a family member). By adopting such a configuration, for example, for users who belong to a commercial company, advantages such as prohibiting the use of services unrelated to work during working hours and preventing overwork by limiting the time for using business services are obtained. In addition, advantages such as limiting the service usage of users who are members of a family according to the educational policy of each family and conversely imposing usage conditions that promote the use of high-quality services are obtained.

[0049] Furthermore, the service usage management system according to the second embodiment is configured so that, with respect to a usage request provided by a user, it does not simply specify the user and the service to be used, but also includes the content of the usage of the service (usage of one hour or more, or use of only a specific part of the service), and the usage range is determined by taking into consideration information regarding the content of the usage in the usage range determination unit 19. By adopting such a configuration, the service usage management system according to the second embodiment has the advantage that it is possible to determine the usage range of the service in a manner that reflects the request of the user himself / herself, even if the user restriction information is generated by someone other than the user himself / herself.

[0050] Although the contents of the present invention have been described above in the first and second embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific configurations described in the embodiments. As long as the functions of the present invention can be realized, various modifications and applications of the above-mentioned embodiments also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a technique for managing the usage patterns of a service used by a plurality of users via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Service restriction information input section 2, 16 User restriction information input section 3 Service token generator 4 User token generation unit 5 Service Restriction Transaction Generator 6 User Restriction Transaction Generation Unit 7 Electronic signature generation section 8 Output instruction section 9 Resource Conservation Department 10, 17 Usage request receiving section 11, 18 Service Specific Section 12 Service Restriction Acquisition Unit 13 User Restriction Acquisition Section 14, 19 Utilization range determination unit 15 Resource Input / Output Control Unit

Claims

1. A service usage management system for managing usage patterns of a plurality of users of a plurality of services provided via a network, comprising: a resource usage storage means for storing resource information which is information regarding resources required for using each of the plurality of services; a service restriction information input unit for inputting service restriction information including usage restriction details according to user attributes in the service; a user restriction information input unit for inputting user restriction information including usage restriction details according to attributes of the service for the user; A first transaction generation means for generating first transaction information including the service restriction information, the first transaction information being recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token that is a non-fungible token in a corresponding relationship with the service; A second transaction generation means for generating second transaction information including the user restriction information, the second transaction information being recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that is a non-fungible token in a corresponding relationship with the user; an output instruction means for instructing the first distributed network to output the first transaction information and for instructing the second distributed network to output the second transaction information; A service restriction acquisition means for acquiring information on usage restrictions according to attributes of a specific user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token that corresponds to the specific service, based on a request for use of the specific service for the specific user; A user restriction acquisition means for acquiring information on usage restrictions according to the attributes of the specified service from information recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that corresponds to the specified user based on the usage request; a usage range determination means for determining a usage range of the predetermined user for the predetermined service based on the information acquired by the service restriction acquisition means and the user restriction acquisition means; a resource output control means for controlling the used resource storage means so as to output the resource information required for use according to a result of the determination by the use range determination means; A service usage management system comprising:

2. the first transaction generating means generates information including information on attributes of a service in addition to the service restriction information as the first transaction information; the second transaction generating means generates, as the second transaction information, information including information on user attributes in addition to the user restriction information; The service restriction acquisition means acquires information on the attributes of the specified service used to acquire information of the user restriction acquisition means in addition to information on the content of usage restrictions according to the attributes of the specified user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token that is in a corresponding relationship with the specified service, and The service usage management system described in claim 1, characterized in that the user restriction acquisition means acquires information regarding the attributes of the specified user used to acquire information from the service restriction acquisition means, in addition to information regarding the usage restrictions for services with attributes common to the attributes of the specified service, from information recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that corresponds to the specified user.

3. The request for use includes information regarding the specified user and the specified service, as well as information regarding the content of use that the specified user desires to make of the specified service, The service usage management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the usage range determination means determines that the part of the information regarding the usage content that does not conflict with the information regarding the usage restriction content acquired by the service restriction acquisition means and the user restriction acquisition means is the available range.

4. A service usage management method for managing usage patterns of a plurality of users of a plurality of services provided via a network, comprising: a utilization resource storage step of storing resource information which is information regarding resources required for utilization of each of the plurality of services; a service restriction information input step of inputting service restriction information including usage restriction details according to attributes of a user in the service; a user restriction information input step of inputting user restriction information, which is information including usage restriction details according to attributes of the service, for the user; A first transaction generation step of generating first transaction information including the service restriction information, the first transaction information being recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token that is a non-fungible token corresponding to the service; A second transaction generation step of generating second transaction information including the user restriction information to be recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that is a non-fungible token in a corresponding relationship with the user; an output instruction step of instructing the first distributed network to output the first transaction information and instructing the second distributed network to output the second transaction information; a service restriction acquisition step of acquiring information on usage restrictions according to attributes of a specific user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the first distributed network corresponding to a service token that corresponds to the specific service based on a request for use of the specific service for the specific user; A user restriction acquisition step of acquiring information on usage restrictions according to attributes of the specified service from information recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that corresponds to the specified user based on the usage request; a usage range determination step of determining a usage range of the predetermined service for the predetermined user based on the information acquired in the service limit acquisition step and the user limit acquisition step; a resource output control step of controlling the used resource storage step so as to output the resource information required for use according to a result of the determination in the use range determination step; A service usage management method comprising:

5. The request for use includes information regarding the specified user and the specified service, as well as information regarding the content of use that the specified user desires to make of the specified service, The service usage management method according to claim 4, characterized in that in the usage range determination step, a portion of the information regarding the usage content that does not conflict with the information regarding the usage restriction content acquired in the service restriction acquisition step and the user restriction acquisition step is determined to be the available range.

6. A service usage management program that causes a computer to perform service usage management for managing usage patterns by a plurality of users of a plurality of services provided via a network, comprising: The computer is a utilization resource storage function for storing resource information which is information regarding resources required for utilization of each of the plurality of services; A service restriction information input function for inputting service restriction information including usage restriction details according to user attributes in the service; a user restriction information input function for inputting user restriction information, which is information including usage restriction details according to attributes of the service, for the user; A first transaction generation function that generates first transaction information including the service restriction information, the first transaction information being recorded in a distributed ledger on a first distributed network corresponding to a service token that is a non-fungible token corresponding to the service; A second transaction generation function that generates second transaction information including the user restriction information to be recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that is a non-fungible token in a corresponding relationship with the user; and an output instruction function for instructing the first distributed network to output the first transaction information and for instructing the second distributed network to output the second transaction information; A service restriction acquisition function that acquires information on usage restrictions according to the attributes of a specific user from information recorded in a distributed ledger on the first distributed network corresponding to a service token that corresponds to the specific service based on a request to use a specific service related to the specific user; and A user restriction acquisition function that acquires information on the content of usage restrictions according to the attributes of the specified service from information recorded in a distributed ledger on a second distributed network corresponding to a user token that corresponds to the specified user based on the usage request; and Based on the information acquired by the service restriction acquisition function and the user restriction acquisition function, a usage range determination function that determines a usage range of the predetermined service for the predetermined user; a resource output control function that controls the used resource storage function so as to output the resource information required for use according to a result of the determination by the utilization range determination function; A service utilization management program characterized by causing the program to execute the above steps.

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