Determination apparatus, determination method, and computer program

Abstract

To further accurately determine the current contract status of a telephone number to be determined.SOLUTION: A determination apparatus comprises a control unit that inquires about the actual carrier that is assigned to a target telephone number, which is the telephone number being inquired, at that time, and determines that the contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time if the initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state is different from the actual carrier.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for obtaining information relating to the current contract status of a telephone number. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the importance of verifying personal information has been increasing in various industries. For example, when opening a new account or registering as a new member, as part of identity verification, it is necessary to verify whether the personal information presented is correct. In response to this trend, technology has been proposed for more accurate identity verification (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-038443 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, currently, it is not always possible to accurately determine whether or not personal information provided by a user is likely to be misused. In particular, since a telephone number can be used as a means of subsequent contact, it is necessary to accurately determine whether or not the telephone number is likely to be misused. When determining whether or not a telephone number is misused, it is necessary to accurately grasp the current contract status of the provided telephone number. In addition to determining whether or not the telephone number is misused, grasping the current contract status of the telephone number may be necessary for other purposes as well.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can more accurately determine the current contract status of a telephone number to be determined. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a determination device that includes a control unit that inquires about the actual carrier, which is the carrier assigned at that time, for a target telephone number, which is the telephone number that is the subject of an inquiry, and determines that the contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time if the initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state is different from the actual carrier.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned determination device, wherein when the initial carrier and the actual carrier are different, the control unit determines that the actual carrier is the carrier assigned to the target telephone number.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned determination device, wherein, when the initial carrier and the actual carrier match, the control unit inquires about contract information, which is information regarding the contract status of the target telephone number, and determines the contract status of the target telephone number based on the obtained contract information.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned determination device, wherein the control unit inquires about the actual carrier from an API service that returns the actual carrier.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a determination method having an inquiry step in which a computer inquires about the actual carrier that is assigned at that time for a target telephone number, which is the telephone number that is the subject of an inquiry, and a determination step in which the computer determines that the contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time if the initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state is different from the actual carrier.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to function as a determination device that includes a control unit that inquires about the actual carrier that is assigned at that time for a target telephone number, which is the telephone number that is the subject of an inquiry, and determines that the contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time if the initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state is different from the actual carrier. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to more accurately determine the current contract status of a telephone number to be determined. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of a determination system 100 according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of a terminal device 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of a determination device 30. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the flow of processing by the determination device 30. [Diagram 5] 1A to 1C are diagrams showing specific examples of screens displayed on the terminal device 10. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of another screen displayed on the terminal device 10. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration example of an information processing device 90 applied to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of a determination system 100 of the present invention. The determination system 100 includes a terminal device 10, an information providing device 20, and a determination device 30. The terminal device 10 and the determination device 30 are communicatively connected via a network 70. The information providing device 20 and the determination device 30 are communicatively connected via a network 70. The network 70 used when the determination device 30 communicates with the terminal device 10 and the network 70 used when the determination device 30 communicates with the information providing device 20 may be the same network or different networks. The network 70 may be a network using wireless communication or a network using wired communication. The network 70 may be configured using, for example, the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The network 70 may be configured by combining a plurality of networks.

[0015] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of a functional configuration of the terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 is configured using information devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, a dedicated device, etc. The terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, an output unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0016] The communication unit 11 is a communication device. The communication unit 11 may be configured as, for example, a network interface. The communication unit 11 performs data communication with other devices via the network 70 in response to the control of the control unit 15. The communication unit 11 may be a device that performs wireless communication or a device that performs wired communication.

[0017] The input unit 12 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), a button, a touch panel, etc. The input unit 12 is operated by a user when inputting a user's instruction to the terminal device 10. The input unit 12 may be an interface for connecting the input device to the terminal device 10. In this case, the input unit 12 inputs an input signal generated in the input device in response to a user's input to the terminal device 10. The input unit 12 may be configured using a microphone and a voice recognition device. In this case, the input unit 12 acquires an acoustic signal generated by the user's speech, performs voice recognition on the words spoken by the user, and inputs character string information of the recognition result to the terminal device 10. The voice recognition process may be executed by the control unit 15. The input unit 12 may be configured in any way as long as it is configured to input a user's instruction to the terminal device 10.

[0018] The output unit 13 outputs information in a form that can be recognized by the user. The output unit 13 may be, for example, an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The output unit 13 may be an interface for connecting the image display device to the terminal device 10. In this case, the output unit 13 generates a video signal for displaying image data and outputs the video signal to the image display device connected to the output unit 13. The output unit 13 may be a device for outputting sound such as a speaker. The output unit 13 may be an interface for connecting an audio output device such as a speaker or a headphone to the terminal device 10. In this case, the output unit 13 generates an audio signal for reproducing audio data and outputs the audio signal to the audio output device connected to the output unit 13. The output unit 13 may be configured as a touch panel integrated with the input unit 12.

[0019] The storage unit 14 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 14 stores data used by the control unit 15. The storage unit 14 stores data required when the control unit 15 performs processing.

[0020] The control unit 15 is configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (main storage device). The control unit 15 functions by the processor executing a program. All or part of the functions of the control unit 15 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor storage device (e.g., an SSD: Solid State Drive), or a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor storage device built into a computer system. The above program may be transmitted via an electric communication line.

[0021] The control unit 15 may execute, for example, an application installed in its own device (terminal device 10). A specific example of such an application is an application provided to the terminal device 10 as a dedicated application for the determination system 100. Another specific example of such an application is a WEB browser application. Such an application may be installed in the terminal device 10 in advance, or may be downloaded each time a determination process is executed. For example, when implemented as a WEB browser application, the terminal device 10 may download and execute the application from a device (for example, the WEB server itself or another server) designated by the WEB server in response to the terminal device 10 connecting to the specific WEB server. The control unit 15 operates according to the program of the application being executed.

[0022] The control unit 15 controls the terminal device 10 in response to a user's operation or information received from the determination device 30. For example, the control unit 15 transmits information input by the user operating the input unit 12 to the determination device 30 by using the communication unit 11. For example, when the communication unit 11 receives information transmitted from the determination device 30 via the network 70, the control unit 15 generates screen data based on the received information and causes the output unit 13 to display the screen data. Such screen data includes images and characters indicating the information transmitted from the determination device 30. For example, when the communication unit 11 receives information transmitted from the determination device 30 via the network 70, the control unit 15 generates voice data based on the received information and causes the output unit 13 to output the voice data.

[0023] The information providing device 20 is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer or a server device. The information providing device 20 includes a storage device that stores information related to telephone numbers. In response to an inquiry about information related to telephone numbers, the information providing device 20 provides part or all of the information stored about the telephone number that is the subject of the inquiry. The information providing device 20 may provide, for example, information about the current carrier of the telephone number that is the subject of the inquiry (hereinafter referred to as "carrier information"). The information providing device 20 may provide, for example, information about the presence or absence of MNP (number portability) of the telephone number that is the subject of the inquiry. The information providing device 20 may provide, for example, information about the current contract status of the telephone number that is the subject of the inquiry (hereinafter referred to as "contract information"). Note that the information providing device 20 does not necessarily need to store the information to be provided. For example, the information providing device 20 may acquire the information that is the subject of the inquiry in real time every time an inquiry is received, and provide the acquired information to the source of the inquiry.

[0024] The information providing device 20 may provide information only in response to an inquiry from a specific information processing device. For example, the information providing device 20 may provide information only in response to an inquiry from only an information processing device having a preregistered global IP. Such a global IP may be specified, for example, when a contract for the provision of information for a fee is concluded. In the determination system 100, the determination device 30 can receive carrier information and contract information from the information providing device 20. For example, the global IP of the determination device 30 is registered in the information providing device 20 as a global IP of an inquirable device. On the other hand, the terminal device 10 cannot receive carrier information and contract information from the information providing device 20. For example, the global IP of the terminal device 10 is registered in the information providing device 20 as a global IP of an inquirable device.

[0025] The information providing device 20 may provide information in response to each inquiry for a fee. For example, the information providing device 20 may incur a fee from the information recipient (e.g., the administrator of the determination device 30) depending on the number of inquiries. The total fee increases depending on the number of inquiries. For example, the total fee may be determined by multiplying the fee per inquiry by the number of inquiries. In this case, the fee per inquiry may change depending on the number of inquiries in a predetermined period.

[0026] Such an information providing device 20 may be, for example, an information processing device that executes a service (hereinafter referred to as a "first service") that returns a current carrier (actual carrier) using an API. The information providing device 20 may further be implemented as an information processing device that executes a service (hereinafter referred to as a "second service") that returns information on the connection status to a radio tower and whether or not there is a contract using an API. The information providing device 20 may be used, for example, as a device that provides current carrier information (actual carrier) and information on the presence or absence of MNP. The information providing device 20 may be used, for example, as a device that executes a service that provides a connection status to a radio tower and contract information (for example, information on the presence or absence of a contract). When a device that provides the first service provides carrier information and information on the presence or absence of MNP, the cost may increase according to the number of inquiries. When a device that provides the second service provides contract information, the cost may increase according to the number of inquiries. The above-mentioned costs may be incurred separately for the first service and the second service. The cost required for the second service may be set higher than the cost required for the first service.

[0027] 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of a functional configuration of the determination device 30. The determination device 30 is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer or a server device. The determination device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0028] The communication unit 31 is a communication device. The communication unit 31 may be configured as, for example, a network interface. The communication unit 31 performs data communication with other devices via the network 70 according to the control of the control unit 33. The communication unit 31 may be a device that performs wireless communication or a device that performs wired communication.

[0029] The storage unit 32 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device, a semiconductor storage device, etc. The storage unit 32 stores data used by the control unit 33.

[0030] The control unit 33 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and a memory. The control unit 33 functions as a response unit 331, an inquiry unit 332, and a determination unit 333 by the processor executing a program. All or part of the functions of the control unit 33 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor storage device (e.g., SSD), or a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor storage device built into a computer system. The above program may be transmitted via an electric communication line.

[0031] The response unit 331 performs a response process to an inquiry sent from the terminal device 10. The response unit 331 receives, for example, information on the inquiry sent from the terminal device 10. The response unit 331 passes the telephone number to be judged (hereinafter referred to as the "target telephone number") included in the inquiry information to the judgment unit 333. The response unit 331 acquires a judgment result regarding the target telephone number from the judgment unit 333. The response unit 331 transmits information indicating the judgment result regarding the target telephone number to the terminal device 10 that originated the inquiry. The response unit 331 may operate as an API driven by an external system, rather than responding to the terminal device 10. In this case, the response unit 331 may receive information on the inquiry from the external system, and return information indicating the judgment result regarding the target telephone number to the external system.

[0032] The inquiry unit 332 makes an inquiry about the target telephone number to the information providing device 20. The inquiry unit 332 first inquires of the information providing device 20 about carrier information of the target telephone number. Then, in response to an instruction from the determination unit 333, the inquiry unit 332 inquires of the information providing device 20 about the contract status of the target telephone number. The inquiry unit 332 outputs the information obtained by the inquiry to the determination unit 333.

[0033] The determination unit 333 determines the current contract status of the target telephone number based on the information obtained by the inquiry unit 332. The determination unit 333 outputs information indicating the determination result to the response unit 331.

[0034] 4 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the process flow of the determination device 30. When the response unit 331 receives an inquiry about the current contract status of a specific telephone number (target telephone number) from the terminal device 10, it instructs the inquiry unit 332 to execute an inquiry about the carrier information of the target telephone number. The inquiry unit 332 inquires about the carrier information of the target telephone number from the information providing device 20 (step S101). The inquiry unit 332 outputs the carrier information received from the information providing device 20 to the determination unit 333.

[0035] The determination unit 333 compares the carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state (hereinafter referred to as the "initial carrier") with the carrier indicated by the carrier information provided by the information providing device 20 (hereinafter referred to as the "actual carrier") (step S102). The actual carrier indicates the carrier assigned to the target telephone number at that time. If the initial carrier and the actual carrier are different (step S102-NO), the determination unit 333 determines that the carrier is the actual carrier and the contract is valid as the current contract state of the target telephone number (step S103). If error information is acquired as a result of the inquiry about the carrier information (step S102-error), the determination unit 333 determines that the carrier is unknown and the contract is unknown as the current contract state of the target telephone number (step S104).

[0036] If the initial carrier and the actual carrier are the same (step S102-YES), the determination unit 333 instructs the inquiry unit 332 to make an inquiry about the contract information of the target telephone number. The inquiry unit 332 inquires about the contract information of the target telephone number from the information providing device 20 (step S105). The inquiry unit 332 outputs the contract information received from the information providing device 20 to the determination unit 333.

[0037] If the contract information obtained as a result of the inquiry indicates that there is a contract for the target telephone number (step S106-contract), the judgment unit 333 judges that the carrier is an actual carrier and the contract is valid as the current contract status of the target telephone number (step S103). If the contract information obtained as a result of the inquiry indicates that there is no contract for the target telephone number (step S106-no contract), the judgment unit 333 judges that the carrier is an initial carrier and the contract is invalid as the current contract status of the target telephone number (step S107). If error information is obtained as a result of the inquiry for the contract status (step S106-error), the judgment unit 333 judges that the carrier is an actual carrier but the contract status is unknown as the current contract status of the target telephone number (step S108).

[0038] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 10. The screen shown in Fig. 5 is a screen displayed, for example, when the terminal device 10 makes an inquiry to the determination device 30 about a target telephone number. An input field (a rectangle displayed to the right of the character string "Phone Number 1") for inputting the target telephone number is displayed on the screen. The user inputs the target telephone number in the input field displayed on the terminal device 10, and then operates the search button. In response to this operation, the terminal device 10 makes an inquiry to the determination device 30 about the target telephone number.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of another screen displayed on the terminal device 10. The screen shown in FIG. 6 is a screen displayed when the terminal device 10 receives a determination result from the determination device 30, for example. Information indicating the determination result is displayed on the screen. For example, the telephone number to be determined is displayed in a column called "Phone Number", the name of the carrier of the current contract is displayed in a column called "Carrier", and information indicating whether the current contract status is valid or invalid is displayed in a column called "Status". Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the name of the country to which the target telephone number is contracted and information regarding the contract may be displayed in columns called "Country Name" and "Message", respectively. Note that the method of using the present system using the displays shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is merely one specific example. For example, the present system may be used for carrier determination and contract status determination when sending SMS by API cooperation.

[0040] 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a hardware configuration example of an information processing device 90 applied to this embodiment. The information processing device 90 includes a processor 91, a main storage device 92, a communication interface 93, an auxiliary storage device 94, an input / output interface 95, and an internal bus 96. The processor 91, the main storage device 92, the communication interface 93, the auxiliary storage device 94, and the input / output interface 95 are communicably connected to each other via the internal bus 96. The information processing device 90 may be applied to, for example, a determination device 30. In this case, for example, the communication unit 31 may be configured using the communication interface 93. For example, the storage unit 32 may be configured using the auxiliary storage device 94. In addition, the control unit 33 may be configured using the processor 91 and the main storage device 92.

[0041] The determination system 100 configured in this way makes it possible to determine the current contract status of the telephone number to be determined with higher accuracy. Specifically, it is as follows. The determination device 30 of the determination system 100 first inquires of the information providing device 20 about information (carrier information) related to the current carrier of the target telephone number. If the current carrier (actual carrier) of the target telephone number is not the carrier (initial carrier) assigned as the initial state to the target telephone number, it is found that MNP has been implemented for the target telephone number. Generally, even if MNP is implemented for a certain telephone number and it is used with a carrier different from the initial carrier, when the contract for that telephone number is terminated, the carrier (actual carrier) assigned to that telephone number returns to the initial carrier in the initial state. Therefore, if the actual carrier obtained by the inquiry is different from the initial carrier, it indicates that MNP has been implemented and has not been terminated. Therefore, if the actual carrier of the target telephone number is different from the initial carrier, it is found that the contract is valid at that time without making an inquiry about the contract information. In this way, it is possible to accurately determine the contract status while reducing the number of inquiries to the information providing device 20.

[0042] By reducing the number of inquiries to the information providing device 20 in this way, it is also possible to reduce costs. The costs that can be reduced are the cost in terms of expenses and the cost of system resources. That is, in the case of a configuration in which the cost increases according to the number of inquiries to the information providing device 20 as described above, it is possible to reduce the cost required for inquiries by reducing the number of inquiries. Also, there are cases in which the cost required for one inquiry for the second service is higher than that for the first service. In such cases, the effect of reducing costs is particularly noticeable as described above. Also, by reducing the number of inquiries, it is possible to reduce the number of processes required for inquiries, thereby reducing the system resources required for inquiries. In this way, in an inquiry to the information providing device 20, it may be possible to make a judgment only by executing the first service without executing the second service, so it is possible to reduce costs as described above.

[0043] Furthermore, if the current carrier (actual carrier) of the target telephone number is the same as the initial carrier, it is unclear whether the target telephone number is under contract without MNP or whether the actual carrier has simply reverted to the initial carrier as the contract has expired. In this case, the determination device 30 inquires of the information providing device 20 about the contract status. Therefore, the determination device 30 can accurately determine the contract status based on the inquiry result.

[0044] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100...determination system, 10...terminal device, 11...communication unit, 12...input unit, 13...output unit, 14...storage unit, 15...control unit, 20...information providing device, 30...determination device, 31...communication unit, 32...storage unit, 33...control unit, 331...response unit, 332...inquiry unit, 333...determination unit

Claims

1. a control unit that inquires about an actual carrier that is a carrier assigned at that time for a target telephone number that is the subject of an inquiry, and determines that a contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time if an initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state differs from the actual carrier; A determination device comprising:

2. 2. The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, when an initial carrier and the actual carrier are different, determines that the actual carrier is the carrier assigned to the target telephone number.

3. The determination device according to claim 1, wherein when the initial carrier and the actual carrier match, the control unit inquires about contract information, which is information regarding the contract status of the target telephone number, and determines the contract status of the target telephone number based on the obtained contract information.

4. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit inquires of the actual carrier to an API service that returns the actual carrier.

5. A query step in which the computer queries the target telephone number, which is the telephone number being queried, for the actual carrier, which is the carrier currently assigned to the target telephone number; A determination step in which, when an initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state is different from the actual carrier, the computer determines that a contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time; The determination method has the following.

6. a control unit that inquires about an actual carrier that is a carrier assigned at that time for a target telephone number that is the subject of an inquiry, and determines that a contract for the target telephone number is valid at that time if an initial carrier assigned to the target telephone number as an initial state differs from the actual carrier; A computer program for causing a computer to function as a determination device comprising the above.

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