Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To make it possible to perform communication between terminals using the address information assigned to a user terminal.SOLUTION: An information processing device 4 comprises: a storage unit 42 which stores terminal identification information being information for identifying a user terminal used by a user who uses a communication service in association with address information assigned to the user terminal for communication via a network provided in the communication service by the user terminal; a reception unit 431 which receives an acquisition request, the request including terminal identification information corresponding to a connection destination terminal 2 specified as the communication target from the connection source terminal 1, and acquiring the address information assigned to a connection destination terminal 2; an acquisition unit 432 which acquires the address information stored in association with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request in the storage unit 42; and a transmission unit 433 which transmits the acquired address information to the connection source terminal 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, telephone calls are made between users via telephone lines using an application for making telephone calls (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-9965 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Telecommunications carriers that provide telephone lines have built communication networks for communication separate from telephone lines. Address information such as IP addresses is assigned to user terminals used by users provided by the telecommunications carriers so that they can communicate via the communication network. Since calls via telephone lines incur telephone charges, there is a demand for inexpensive communication, including telephone calls, by communicating between terminals using the address information assigned to the user terminals.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these points, and has as its object to enable communication between terminals using address information assigned to user terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention has a memory unit that stores terminal identification information, which is information for identifying a user terminal used by a user who uses a communication service, in association with address information assigned to the user terminal so that the user terminal can communicate via a network provided by the communication service; a reception unit that receives an acquisition request from a source terminal, the acquisition request including the terminal identification information corresponding to a destination terminal designated by the source terminal as a communication destination, and being a request to acquire address information assigned to the destination terminal; an acquisition unit that acquires the address information stored in the memory unit in association with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request; and a transmission unit that transmits the acquired address information to the source terminal.

[0007] The information processing device may include a notification unit that transmits information indicating that the address information has been transmitted to the connection source terminal to the connection destination terminal. The terminal identification information may be at least one of a telephone number assigned to the user terminal and a serial number of the user terminal.

[0008] The reception unit may acquire the address information and the terminal identification information of the connection source terminal when receiving the acquisition request, and the information processing device may have a memory control unit that associates and stores the address information acquired by the reception unit with the terminal identification information in the memory unit.

[0009] If the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request is not stored in the memory unit, the acquisition unit may acquire the address information from a management device that manages the address information operated by a provider providing the communication service by requesting the management device to acquire the address information associated with the terminal identification information.

[0010] The information processing device may have a memory control unit that associates the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request with the address information that the acquisition unit acquired from the management device corresponding to the terminal identification information and stores them in the memory unit.

[0011] The information processing device is a device for providing an address provision service that enables the source terminal to communicate with the destination terminal based on the address information by providing the address information to the source terminal, and may have a calculation unit that acquires communication history information indicating the amount of data communication between the source terminal and the destination terminal, and calculates a fee for using the address provision service between the source terminal and the destination terminal based on the data communication amount indicated by the acquired communication history information, and a billing unit that bills at least one of the source terminal and the destination terminal for the fee calculated by the calculation unit.

[0012] At least one of the source terminal and the destination terminal has a specified application installed for using the address provision service, and at least one of the source terminal and the destination terminal communicates using the address information via the specified application, and the calculation unit may acquire the communication history information indicating the amount of data communication between the source terminal and the destination terminal measured by the specified application.

[0013] The calculation unit may calculate a fee for using the address providing service based on the amount of data sent from the source terminal to the destination terminal, as indicated by the acquired communication history information, and the amount of data received by the source terminal from the destination terminal.

[0014] The calculation unit may calculate a fee for using the address providing service based on a communication time between the source terminal and the destination terminal indicated by the acquired communication history information.

[0015] The calculation unit may calculate a fee for the source terminal's use of the address provision service based on the number of times the reception unit receives the acquisition request from the source terminal, and the billing unit may bill the source terminal for the fee for the source terminal's use of the address provision service calculated by the calculation unit.

[0016] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer and includes the steps of receiving from a source terminal an acquisition request including terminal identification information corresponding to a destination terminal designated by the source terminal as a communication destination, the acquisition request being a request to acquire address information assigned to the destination terminal, the terminal identification information being information for identifying a user terminal used by a user who uses a communication service, and acquiring the address information stored in association with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request in a memory unit that stores the terminal identification information of the user terminal in association with address information assigned to the user terminal so that the user terminal can communicate via a network provided in the communication service, and transmitting the acquired address information to the source terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform communication between terminals using address information assigned to user terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a terminal management database. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a processing flow of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a processing flow of an information processing system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system S according to a first embodiment. The information processing system S is a system used to provide an information processing service. The information processing service is a service for realizing communication between multiple terminals via a communication network. The communication network is a network constructed by a telecommunications carrier to perform communication different from communication using telephone lines. The telecommunications carrier provides a communication service that allows communication to be performed using the communication network. The information processing system S has a source terminal 1, a destination terminal 2, a management device 3, and an information processing device 4.

[0020] The source terminal 1 is a terminal used by a user who utilizes an information processing service to request communication with the destination terminal 2, and is, for example, a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc. The destination terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user who utilizes an information processing service to request communication with the source terminal 1, and is, for example, a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc.

[0021] A dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as a "dedicated app"), which is a predetermined application program for providing an information processing service, is installed in the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2, for example. The dedicated app may also be used to provide other services besides the information processing service. The other services include an address providing service. The address providing service is a service that provides address information to the source terminal 1, thereby enabling the source terminal 1 to communicate with the destination terminal 2 based on the address information. The address information is information, such as an IPv6 address, assigned to the user terminal so that the user terminal can communicate via a communication network provided in the communication service.

[0022] Other services include, for example, a shopping service for buying and selling goods between stores and individuals, an auction service for buying and selling goods between individuals, etc. For example, a user of source terminal 1 can use a dedicated app to talk to or send and receive data with a user of destination terminal 2, thereby trading goods, introducing goods for sale, etc.

[0023] The management device 3 is a device, such as a server, that manages the addresses of terminals that use communication services provided by a communication carrier. The management device 3 manages terminal identification information and address information in association with each other. The terminal identification information is information for identifying a user terminal used by a user who uses a communication service, and includes, for example, at least one of a telephone number assigned to the user terminal and a serial number of the user terminal.

[0024] The management device 3 also manages APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) provided to the outside world by the core network of the mobile phone system, which may be formulated by international standardization organizations, such as the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) (registered trademark) Open Gateway (registered trademark).

[0025] The information processing device 4 is a server that provides an address providing service. The information processing device 4 also manages a dedicated application for performing communication using the communication service provided by the management device 3, using address information provided by the address providing service.

[0026] The management device 3 relays communications performed using, for example, a dedicated app. In this case, the management device 3 may encrypt the communications to be relayed. The management device 3 can encrypt the communications to be relayed, for example, using known technology. The information processing device 4 can obtain information managed by the management device 3 by using the API. The processing executed by the information processing system S will be described below.

[0027] First, the source terminal 1 transmits an acquisition request to the information processing device 4, which is a request to acquire address information corresponding to the destination terminal 2 that the source terminal 1 has designated as a communication destination ((1) in FIG. 1). The acquisition request includes terminal identification information corresponding to the destination terminal 2.

[0028] For example, first, the user of the source terminal 1 starts a dedicated application on the source terminal 1 and specifies the terminal identification information of the destination terminal 2 in the dedicated application. The source terminal 1 transmits an acquisition request including the terminal identification information specified by the user to the information processing device 4. Then, upon receiving the acquisition request from the source terminal 1, the information processing device 4 transmits the terminal identification information included in the acquired acquisition request to the management device 3 using an API ((2) in FIG. 1). Note that the information processing device 4 manages a web page for querying address information, and may acquire the acquisition request sent by the source terminal 1 in response to the user of the source terminal 1 inputting the terminal identification information on the web page.

[0029] When the management device 3 acquires the terminal identification information, it transmits address information that it manages in association with the terminal identification information to the information processing device 4 ((3) in FIG. 1). When the information processing device 4 receives the address information from the management device 3, it transmits the address information to the connection source terminal 1 ((4) in FIG. 1). Then, when the connection source terminal 1 acquires address information corresponding to the connection destination terminal 2, it communicates with the connection destination terminal 2 identified by the address information ((5) in FIG. 1). As a result, the connection source terminal 1 and the connection destination terminal 2 communicate using the address information via a dedicated application.

[0030] For example, when the source terminal 1 acquires address information from the information processing device 4, it connects to the destination terminal 2 based on the address information and starts communication with the destination terminal 2. The source terminal 1 may connect to the destination terminal 2 when it acquires address information displayed on a web page in response to the user of the source terminal 1 inputting terminal identification information into the web page.

[0031] In this way, the information processing system S can use the address information assigned to the destination terminal 2 to enable communication between the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2. The configuration of the information processing device 4 will be described below.

[0032] [Configuration of information processing device 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the functional configuration of an information processing device 4 according to the first embodiment. The information processing device 4 includes a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 43. In FIG. 2, arrows indicate main data flows, and there may be data flows not shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, each functional block indicates a configuration in functional units, rather than a configuration in hardware (device) units. Therefore, the functional blocks shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented in a single device, or may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data may be exchanged between functional blocks via any means, such as a data bus, a network, or a portable storage medium.

[0033] The communication unit 41 is a communication interface for connecting to a network, and includes a communication controller for receiving data from an external terminal and an external server.

[0034] The storage unit 42 is a large-capacity storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the like of a computer that implements the information processing device 4, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as a work area for the information processing device 4, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores an OS (Operating System), application programs, and various information referenced when the application programs are executed. The storage unit 42 stores, for example, an API of the GSMA Open Gateway.

[0035] The control unit 43 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) of the information processing device 4, and functions as a reception unit 431, an acquisition unit 432, a transmission unit 433, a notification unit 434, a calculation unit 435, and a billing unit 436 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 42.

[0036] (Transmission process) First, the process of transmitting address information executed by the information processing device 4 will be described. The receiving unit 431 receives, from the source terminal 1, an acquisition request that is a request including terminal identification information indicating the destination terminal 2 designated by the source terminal 1 as a communication destination. For example, the user of the source terminal 1 starts a dedicated app on the source terminal 1 and performs an operation to specify the terminal identification information of the destination terminal 2 in the dedicated app. For example, the user has registered multiple pieces of terminal identification information in the dedicated app, and the dedicated app accepts an operation to specify one of the multiple pieces of terminal identification information. The dedicated app may accept the specification of the terminal identification information by accepting input of the terminal identification information from the user.

[0037] When the terminal identification information is specified, the source terminal 1 transmits an acquisition request including the specified terminal identification information to the information processing device 4. The reception unit 431 receives the acquisition request from the source terminal 1, thereby accepting the acquisition request. When accepting the acquisition request, the reception unit 431 may acquire information indicating the source terminal 1 that has requested acquisition of address information. The information indicating the source terminal 1 is, for example, the user ID of the source terminal 1 in the information processing service, the terminal identification information of the source terminal 1, etc.

[0038] The acquisition unit 432 transmits the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request to a telecommunications carrier that provides a communication service, and acquires address information associated with the terminal identification information from the carrier. For example, in response to the reception unit 431 receiving the acquisition request, the acquisition unit 432 transmits the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request to the management device 3 using an API. Note that the acquisition unit 432 may further transmit information indicating the connection source terminal 1 that requested the acquisition of the address information to the management device 3.

[0039] When the management device 3 acquires the terminal identification information from the information processing device 4, it identifies address information associated with the terminal identification information and transmits the identified address information to the information processing device 4. For example, the management device 3 stores terminal management database information that manages information about user terminals used by users who use communication services.

[0040] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal management database. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the terminal management database stores terminal identification information and address information in association with each other. The management device 3 refers to the terminal management database, identifies address information associated with the terminal identification information acquired from the information processing device 4, and transmits the identified address information to the information processing device 4. If the management device 3 is unable to identify the address information, it transmits error information indicating that the address information could not be identified to the information processing device 4.

[0041] The acquiring unit 432 acquires the address information by receiving the address information from the management device 3. When the acquiring unit 432 receives error information from the management device 3, it may transmit the terminal identification information to another external device (not shown) that stores the terminal identification information and the address information in association with each other, and acquire the address information from the external device. The external device is a device that manages a communication service different from the communication service managed by the information processing device 4.

[0042] Among users of the dedicated app, there are businesses that attempt to transmit information such as advertising information to an unspecified number of users, and the transmission of such advertising information causes problems such as an increased load on the information processing device 4 and the management device 3, and an increased load on the communication network. In response to this, the reception unit 431 may receive a number of acquisition requests from the connection source terminal 1 per unit time that exceeds a predetermined threshold, and may not accept the acquisition requests when the acquisition unit 432 receives error information in response to the acquisition requests at a rate equal to or greater than a predetermined rate. In this way, the information processing device 4 can suppress the transmission of information to an unspecified number of users.

[0043] Transmitting unit 433 transmits the address information of destination terminal 2 acquired by acquiring unit 432 to source terminal 1. Notifying unit 434 notifies destination terminal 2 that the address information of destination terminal 2 has been sent to source terminal 1. For example, notifying unit 434 notifies destination terminal 2 that the address information of destination terminal 2 has been sent to source terminal 1 by transmitting notification information to destination terminal 2 indicating that the address information of destination terminal 2 has been sent to source terminal 1.

[0044] When receiving unit 431 acquires the terminal identification information of connection source terminal 1, notification unit 434 may include in the notification information the terminal identification information of connection source terminal 1. In this way, the user of connection destination terminal 2 recognizes that connection source terminal 1 has acquired the address information of connection destination terminal 2, and can consider whether or not to communicate with connection source terminal 1 before a communication request is received from connection source terminal 1.

[0045] After acquiring the address information, the connection source terminal 1 uses, for example, a dedicated application to transmit a communication start request, which is a request to start communication with the connection destination terminal 2 identified by the address information. When the connection destination terminal 2 receives the communication start request, the connection source terminal 1 and the connection destination terminal 2 communicate using the address information via the dedicated application. In response to receiving the communication start request, the connection destination terminal 2 may accept a selection from the user as to whether or not to start communication with the connection source terminal 1. Then, in response to the connection destination terminal 2 accepting the selection to start communication from the user, the connection destination terminal 2 may start communication with the connection source terminal 1.

[0046] (Billing processing) Next, a description will be given of a process for billing a service usage fee, which is a fee for using the address providing service executed by the information processing device 4. A calculation unit 435 calculates a service usage fee, and a billing unit 436 bills at least one of the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 for the fee calculated by the calculation unit 435.

[0047] Specifically, first, the calculation unit 435 acquires communication history information indicating the amount of data communication between the connection source terminal 1 and the connection destination terminal 2. For example, the calculation unit 435 acquires communication history information indicating the amount of data communication between the connection source terminal 1 and the connection destination terminal 2, measured by a dedicated app for at least one of the connection source terminal 1 and the connection destination terminal 2. The communication history information includes, for example, a communication history with each of one or more connection destination terminals 2 with which the connection source terminal 1 has communicated, as information indicating the amount of data communication during the billing period. The communication history includes, for example, address information of the connection destination terminal 2 with which the connection source terminal 1 has communicated, information indicating a first data amount which is the amount of data transmitted to the connection destination terminal 2, and information indicating a second data amount which is the amount of data received by the connection source terminal 1 from the connection destination terminal 2.

[0048] The calculation unit 435 calculates the service usage fee based on the amount of data communication between the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2, which is indicated by the acquired communication history information. For example, the calculation unit 435 calculates the service usage fee, which is the fee for using the address providing service of the source terminal 1, based on the first data amount and the second data amount indicated by the acquired communication history information.

[0049] For example, the calculation unit 435 calculates the service usage fee corresponding to the source terminal 1 based on the total data amount of the first data amount and the second data amount and a predetermined communication fee per unit data amount. In this case, the calculation unit 435 does not calculate a service usage fee for the destination terminal 2. By doing so, the information processing device 4 can prevent the destination terminal 2 from being charged for the use of the address providing service caused by the source terminal 1. Here, the calculated service usage fee is charged to the user of the source terminal 1 who obtained the address information by using the address providing service, but this is not limited to this.

[0050] The calculation unit 435 may calculate the service usage fees for each of the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 based on the first data amount and the second data amount. For example, the calculation unit 435 may calculate the service usage fee to be charged to the user of the source terminal 1 and the service usage fee to be charged to the user of the destination terminal 2 based on the first data amount and the second data amount between the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 and a predetermined communication fee per unit data amount. For example, the calculation unit 435 may calculate the service usage fee based on the first data amount and the second data amount between the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 and the predetermined communication fee per unit data amount, and divide the calculated service usage fee into the service usage fee to be charged to the user of the source terminal 1 and the service usage fee to be charged to the user of the destination terminal 2 at a predetermined burden rate.

[0051] Furthermore, if the destination terminal 2 has a pay-as-you-go contract, the destination terminal 2 will be indirectly charged for the network usage of the address providing service resulting from the source terminal 1. For this reason, the calculation unit 435 may use the service usage fee corresponding to the source terminal 1 as a resource to apply to the fee to the destination terminal 2, thereby reducing the fee. Furthermore, the calculation unit 435 may apply the service usage fee corresponding to the source terminal 1 to the fee to the destination terminal 2, or may use the resource directly as a cash back to the destination terminal 2, or may grant the resource as points.

[0052] Furthermore, although the calculation unit 435 calculated the service usage fee based on the first data amount and the second data amount indicated by the communication history information, this is not limiting. The calculation unit 435 may calculate the service usage fee based on the communication time between the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 indicated by the acquired communication history information. In this case, the communication history information includes a communication start time, which is the time when the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 started communication using a dedicated app, and a communication end time, which is the time when the communication ended. The calculation unit 435 calculates the communication time between the source terminal 1 and the destination terminal 2 based on the communication start time and communication end time included in the acquired communication history information, and calculates the service usage fee based on the calculated communication time. In this way, the information processing device 4 can appropriately calculate the fee for use, even when, for example, communication with a small amount of communication data, such as a telephone call, is used for a long period of time using a dedicated app.

[0053] Furthermore, the calculation unit 435 may calculate the service usage fee for the source terminal 1 based on the number of times the reception unit 431 has received an acquisition request from the source terminal 1. In this case, the number of times the reception unit 431 has received an acquisition request from the source terminal 1 is associated with the user ID of the source terminal 1 and stored as acquisition request history information in the storage unit 42. In this case, the number of times the reception unit 431 has received an acquisition request from the source terminal 1 may be counted, including acquisition requests when the address of the destination terminal 2 could not be acquired. The calculation unit 435 identifies the number of times the reception request corresponding to the source terminal 1 is received based on the acquisition request history information, and calculates the service usage fee based on the number of times the reception request is received. For example, the calculation unit 435 calculates the service usage fee so that the service usage fee increases as the number of times the reception request is received increases. In this way, the information processing device 4 can increase the service usage fee charged to a business that transmits information to an unspecified number of users, thereby suppressing the transmission of information to an unspecified number of users.

[0054] Furthermore, although the calculation unit 435 calculated the service usage fee based on the communication history information acquired from the dedicated app, this is not limiting. For example, it is conceivable that an address information providing service provider may bill the fees for the use of these communication networks on behalf of a first communication carrier that provides the communication network to which source terminal 1 is connected for communication and a second communication carrier (communication carrier that provides address information) that provides the communication network to which destination terminal 2 is connected for communication. In this case, the calculation unit 435 may acquire communication history information from each communication carrier and, further based on the communication history information, calculate the fees for the use of these communication networks as the service usage fee.

[0055] In this case, the calculation unit 435 acquires, as communication history information, the amount of transmission data Tx1 transmitted from the source terminal 1 to the destination terminal 2 from the first communication carrier that provides the communication network to which the source terminal 1 communicates. The calculation unit 435 also acquires the amount of transmission data Tx2 transmitted from the source terminal 1 to the destination terminal 2, measured by a dedicated application in the source terminal 1. The calculation unit 435 also acquires the amount of transmission data Tx3 transmitted from the source terminal 1 to the destination terminal 2, acquired by the dedicated application from the device driver.

[0056] The calculation unit 435 calculates the packet loss rate LT on the transmitting side based on the following formula (1). LT=1-Tx3 / Tx1 (1)

[0057] Then, the calculation unit 435 calculates the service usage fee Ct to be charged to the user of the source terminal 1 based on the following formula (2), where C1 is the communication fee per unit data amount determined by the first carrier. Ct = (Tx2 / (1-LT))*C1 (2)

[0058] Furthermore, calculation unit 435 acquires, as communication history information, the amount of received data Rx1 that destination terminal 2 has received from source terminal 1, from a second carrier (a carrier that provides address information) that provides a communication network to which destination terminal 2 has a communication connection. Calculation unit 435 acquires the amount of received data Rx2 that destination terminal 2 has received from source terminal 1, measured by a dedicated application of destination terminal 2. Furthermore, calculation unit 435 acquires the amount of received data Rx3 that destination terminal 2 has received from source terminal 1, acquired from a device driver by the dedicated application.

[0059] The calculation unit 435 calculates the packet loss rate LR on the receiving side based on the following formula (3). LR=1-Rx3 / Rx1 (3)

[0060] Then, the calculation unit 435 calculates the service usage fee Cr to be charged to the user of the destination terminal 2 based on the following formula (4), where C2 is the communication fee per unit data amount determined by the second carrier. Cr=(Rx2 / (1-LR))*C2 (4)

[0061] In this way, the information processing device 4 can calculate a service usage fee appropriate for the use of the communication network of each communication carrier, taking into account packet loss during data transmission and reception.

[0062] [Processing of Information Processing System S] Next, the flow of processing in the information processing system S will be described. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the information processing system S according to the first embodiment. This processing starts when the source terminal 1 transmits an acquisition request including terminal identification information to the information processing device 4 (S1). When the receiving unit 431 acquires the acquisition request from the source terminal 1, the acquiring unit 432 of the information processing device 4 uses the API to transmit the terminal identification information included in the acquired acquisition request to the management device 3 (S2).

[0063] When the management device 3 receives the terminal identification information, it refers to the terminal management database and acquires address information associated with the terminal identification information. If the management device 3 acquires the address information, it transmits the acquired address information to the information processing device 4, and if the management device 3 cannot acquire the address information, it transmits error information indicating that the address information could not be acquired (S3).

[0064] The acquisition unit 432 determines whether or not error information has been received from the management device 3 (S4). If the acquisition unit 432 determines that error information has been received (YES in S4), the process proceeds to S5, and if the acquisition unit 432 determines that error information has not been received (NO in S4), the process proceeds to S7.

[0065] In S5, the acquisition unit 432 transmits the terminal identification information to the external device. Then, the acquisition unit 432 acquires, from the external device, address information associated with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request, or error information indicating that the address information could not be acquired (S6).

[0066] In S7, the transmitting unit 433 transmits the address information or error information acquired by the acquiring unit 432 to the source terminal 1. Then, the source terminal 1 determines whether or not it has received the address information (S8). If it determines that it has received the address information (YES in S8), the source terminal 1 connects to the destination terminal 2 based on the acquired address information and starts communication with the destination terminal 2 (S9). If the source terminal 1 determines that it has not received the address information (NO in S8), the processing related to this sequence ends.

[0067] [Advantages of the first embodiment] As explained above, when the information processing device 4 receives an acquisition request from the connection source terminal 1, it transmits the terminal identification information of the connection destination terminal 2 included in the received acquisition request to a provider that provides communication services. Then, the information processing device 4 obtains address information associated with the terminal identification information from the provider, and transmits the obtained address information of the connection destination terminal 2 to the connection source terminal 1. In this way, the information processing device 4 can enable communication between terminals using the address information assigned to the user terminal.

[0068] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment will be described. An information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment has a terminal management database, and differs from the first embodiment in that it identifies address information by referring to the terminal management database. The information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment will be described below. The information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment will be described below. Note that descriptions of parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0069] 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the control unit 43 of the information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment further includes a memory control unit 437.

[0070] The memory unit 42 stores a terminal management database that associates terminal identification information, which is information for identifying user terminals used by users who use the communication service, with address information assigned to the user terminals so that the user terminals can communicate via the network provided in the communication service.

[0071] In the second embodiment, the receiving unit 431 obtains the address information and terminal identification information of the source terminal 1 when receiving an acquisition request. The storage control unit 437 stores the address information of the connection source terminal 1 acquired by the reception unit 431 in association with the terminal identification information in the storage unit 42.

[0072] For example, the storage control unit 437 determines whether the address information and terminal identification information of the connection source terminal 1 acquired by the reception unit 431 are stored in the terminal management database in an associated relationship. If the storage control unit 437 determines that the address information and terminal identification information of the connection source terminal 1 are not stored in an associated relationship, the storage control unit 437 stores the address information and terminal identification information in the terminal management database in an associated relationship. In this way, the information processing device 4 can enrich the terminal management database and reduce the number of times it queries external devices for address information.

[0073] The acquisition unit 432 acquires address information stored in the storage unit 42 in association with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request accepted by the acceptance unit 431. Specifically, in response to the acceptance unit 431 accepting the acquisition request, the acquisition unit 432 refers to the terminal management database stored in the storage unit 42 and acquires the address information associated with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request.

[0074] If the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request acquired by the reception unit 431 is not stored in the terminal management database of the storage unit 42, the acquisition unit 432 acquires the address information from the management device 3 by requesting the management device 3 to acquire address information associated with the terminal identification information in the management device 3 using the API of the GSMA. Furthermore, when the acquisition unit 432 acquires error information from the management device 3 indicating that the address information could not be identified, the acquisition unit 432 acquires the address information from the external device by requesting an external device different from the management device 3 to acquire the address information using the API of the GSMA.

[0075] The memory control unit 437 associates the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request acquired by the receiving unit 431 with the address information acquired by the acquisition unit 432 from the management device 3 or an external device in correspondence with the terminal identification information, and stores them in the terminal management database of the memory unit 42.

[0076] Note that address information may change over time, so the acquisition unit 432 may inquire of the management device 3 or an external device whether the address information associated with the terminal identification information stored in the terminal management database is correct, and acquire the correct address information if the address information is incorrect.

[0077] In this case, when storing terminal identification information and address information in the terminal management database in association with each other, the storage control unit 437 stores the information in association with a registration date and time, which is the date and time when the information is stored, and acquisition source information indicating the acquisition source of the information (the management device 3 or an external device).The acquisition unit 432 then identifies the terminal identification information and the acquisition source information associated with the registration date and time that is a predetermined period before the current date and time, and transmits the terminal identification information to the identified acquisition source information, thereby acquiring the address information associated with the terminal identification information from the acquisition source indicated by the acquisition source information.

[0078] If the address information associated with the identified terminal identification information in the terminal management database differs from the address information acquired from the acquisition source, the storage control unit 437 updates the address information associated with the terminal identification information in the terminal management database to the acquired address information. In this way, the information processing device 4 can keep the contents of the terminal management database correct.

[0079] [Processing of Information Processing System S] Next, the flow of processing in the information processing system S will be described. Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the information processing system S according to the first embodiment. As in the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 4, this processing starts when the connection source terminal 1 transmits an acquisition request including terminal identification information to the information processing device 4 (S11). When the reception unit 431 acquires the acquisition request from the connection source terminal 1, the acquisition unit 432 refers to the terminal management database stored in the storage unit 42, and acquires address information associated with the terminal identification information included in the acquired acquisition request (S12).

[0080] The acquisition unit 432 determines whether or not the address information has been acquired (S13). If the address information has been acquired (YES in S13), the acquisition unit 432 proceeds to S15. If the address information has not been acquired (NO in S13), the acquisition unit 432 transmits the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request to the management device 3 or the external device, and acquires address information associated with the terminal identification information from the management device 3 or the external device (S14). If the management device 3 or the external device has not been able to acquire the address information, the acquisition unit 432 acquires error information from the management device 3 or the external device indicating that the address information has not been acquired. The processes from S15 to S17 are the same as the processes from S7 to S9 shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 4, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] [Advantages of the first embodiment] As described above, when the information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment receives an acquisition request from the connection source terminal 1, it refers to the storage unit 42, acquires address information associated with the terminal identification information of the connection destination terminal 2 included in the received acquisition request, and transmits the acquired address information of the connection destination terminal 2 to the connection source terminal 1. In this way, the information processing device 4 according to the second embodiment can enable communication between terminals using address information assigned to user terminals, similar to the information processing device 4 according to the first embodiment.

[0082] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and resilience."

[0083] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Source device 2. Destination device 3 Management device 4. Information processing equipment 41 Communications Department 42 Storage section 43 Control Unit 431 Reception Department 432 Acquisition Department 433 Transmitter 434 Notification Department 435 Calculation Unit 436 Billing Department 437 Memory Control Unit S Information Processing System

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores terminal identification information, which is information for identifying a user terminal used by a user who uses a communication service, and address information assigned to the user terminal so that the user terminal can communicate via a network provided by the communication service, in association with each other; a receiving unit that receives, from a source terminal, a request including the terminal identification information corresponding to a destination terminal designated by the source terminal as a communication destination, the request being a request to obtain address information assigned to the destination terminal; an acquisition unit that acquires the address information stored in the storage unit in association with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request; a transmitting unit that transmits the acquired address information to the connection source terminal; An information processing device having the above.

2. a notification unit that transmits to the destination terminal information indicating that the address information has been transmitted to the source terminal; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The terminal identification information is at least one of a telephone number assigned to the user terminal and a serial number of the user terminal. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the receiving unit, upon receiving the acquisition request, acquires the address information and the terminal identification information of the connection source terminal; a storage control unit that stores the address information acquired by the reception unit and the terminal identification information in association with each other in the storage unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. When the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request is not stored in the storage unit, the acquisition unit acquires the address information from a management device that manages the address information and is operated by a provider that provides the communication service, by requesting the management device to acquire the address information associated with the terminal identification information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. a storage control unit that stores the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request and the address information acquired by the acquisition unit from the management device in correspondence with the terminal identification information in the storage unit in association with each other; The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. the information processing device is a device for providing an address providing service that provides the address information to the source terminal, thereby enabling the source terminal to communicate with the destination terminal based on the address information, a calculation unit that acquires communication history information indicating the amount of data communication between the connection source terminal and the connection destination terminal, and calculates a fee for use of the address providing service between the connection source terminal and the connection destination terminal based on the amount of data communication indicated by the acquired communication history information; a billing unit that bills at least one of the source terminal and the destination terminal for the fee calculated by the calculation unit; having The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. a predetermined application for using the address providing service is installed in at least one of the source terminal and the destination terminal; At least one of the connection source terminal and the connection destination terminal performs communication using the address information via the predetermined application; the calculation unit acquires the communication history information indicating the amount of data communication between the connection source terminal and the connection destination terminal measured by the predetermined application; The information processing device according to claim 7 .

9. the calculation unit calculates a fee for using the address providing service based on the amount of data transmitted from the source terminal to the destination terminal and the amount of data received by the source terminal from the destination terminal, which are indicated in the acquired communication history information. The information processing device according to claim 8 .

10. the calculation unit calculates a fee for using the address providing service based on the communication time between the source terminal and the destination terminal indicated by the acquired communication history information. The information processing device according to claim 8 .

11. the calculation unit calculates a fee for the use of the address providing service by the source terminal based on the number of times the reception unit has received the acquisition request from the source terminal; The billing unit bills the source terminal for the fee calculated by the calculation unit for the use of the address providing service by the source terminal. The information processing device according to claim 7 .

12. The computer executes receiving, from a source terminal, a request including terminal identification information corresponding to a destination terminal designated by the source terminal as a communication destination, the request being a request to acquire address information assigned to the destination terminal; The terminal identification information is information for identifying a user terminal used by a user who uses the communication service, acquiring the address information stored in association with the terminal identification information included in the acquisition request in a storage unit that stores the terminal identification information of the user terminal and address information assigned to the user terminal so that the user terminal can communicate via the network provided in the communication service in association with the terminal identification information; transmitting the acquired address information to the source terminal; having Information processing methods.

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