Information processing method, information processing apparatus, and program

Abstract

To support appropriate management of a history of an object appearing in a life cycle of a product.SOLUTION: Association information regarding a second entity generated based on a first entity is acquired, the association information including at least first identification information of a 1NFT (Non-FungibleToken) associated with the first entity on a one to-one basis (S201), and the 2NFT associated with the second entity on a one to-one basis, the 2NFT having the association information as metadata, is stored in a distributed ledger (S216).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] One example of a method for assessing the impact of human consumption activities on the environment is the evaluation of the product life cycle (see Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] “Discovering All Environmental Effects: How Life Cycle Assessment with LCA Software Works”, [online], iPoint-systems gmbh, [Retrieved January 10, 2024], Internet <URL:https: / / go.ipoint-systems.com / blog / discovering-all-environmental-effects-how-life-cycle-assessment-with-lca-software-works> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Managing a product's life cycle requires managing the history of the items that appear in the product's life cycle. If the history of the items that appear in the product's life cycle is not managed properly, the product's life cycle will not be properly circulated.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing method and the like that supports appropriate management of the history of items that appear in the life cycle of a product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing method executed by an information processing device having a processor, which acquires request information requesting a second NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is one-to-one mapped to a second object generated based on a first object, displays the second NFT on a display screen, the second NFT having related information about the second object as metadata, including first identification information of the first NFT that is one-to-one mapped to the first object, acquires request information issued in response to an operation on the first identification information displayed on the display screen, requesting related information about the first object, and displays the first NFT on the display screen, the first NFT having related information about the first object as metadata, including related information about a third object that was the source of the first object, the third identification information of the third NFT that is one-to-one mapped to the third object.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention can assist in proper management of the history of items that appear in the product life cycle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the life cycle of a typical product. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a ledger server according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a first explanatory diagram showing an example of exchanging an item and an NFT in an embodiment. [Figure 5]This is a second explanatory diagram showing an example of the exchange of an item and an NFT in an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a first example of a decomposition product in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a second example of a decomposition product in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a regenerated product according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams illustrating examples of components according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a product according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a third example of a decomposition product in the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a first sequence diagram showing the NFT generation process according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a second sequence diagram showing the NFT generation process in the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a first sequence diagram showing the NFT transfer process in an embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a second sequence diagram showing the NFT transfer process in an embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of a display image displaying an NFT in the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a display image displaying an NFT in the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a third example of a display image displaying an NFT in the embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of a blockchain, which is an example of a distributed ledger. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the data structure of transaction data. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing transaction data related to the execution of a smart contract. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing processing related to the execution of a smart contract. [Figure 23]An explanatory diagram showing the structure of an NFT and metadata. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Findings that form the basis of the present invention) The present inventors have found the following problems with the technology relating to the product life cycle described in the "Background Art" section.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the life cycle of a typical product. The product is, for example, a product manufactured by a manufacturer, and specifically, is, but is not limited to, a home appliance or electronic device. The items that appear in the product life cycle are also called resources.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, resources circulate during a product's life cycle, being transferred between multiple organizations. Note that the "product," "disassembled material," "recycled material," and "parts" in the life cycle shown in Figure 1 each correspond to resources that appear in the product's life cycle.

[0013] Specifically, in the life cycle of a product, the product is assembled in an assembly factory and then shipped.

[0014] When a user purchases a product, the product is transported to the user who purchased it and used by the user. When the user discards the product, the product is transported to a disassembly plant where it is disassembled. Through the disassembly process, the product is disassembled into the parts or materials that made up the product (specifically, synthetic resin (also simply called resin), metal, substrate, etc.). These parts or materials are also called disassembled materials.

[0015] The disassembled materials are moved to a recycling plant where they are subjected to recycling processes (specifically, processes such as recovery, sorting, cleaning, crushing, pulverization, dissolution, or purification). Through recycling, the disassembled materials are regenerated into materials (also called regenerated materials) that can be used to manufacture new products. The regenerated materials are moved to a manufacturing plant where they can be used to manufacture new parts. The newly manufactured parts are moved to an assembly plant where they are assembled into products and shipped.

[0016] If a product's life cycle is properly circulated in this way, disassembled materials are generated from the product discarded by the user, recycled materials are generated from the disassembled materials, and the parts generated from the recycled materials are used to manufacture new products. This type of circulation promotes the effective use of resources. Furthermore, if resources are used effectively, the amount of resources required to manufacture new products will decrease, which has the effect of reducing the consumption of energy, such as electricity, required to prepare new resources.

[0017] Managing a product's life cycle requires managing the history of the items (also called resources) that appear in the product's life cycle. Specifically, items that appear in a product's life cycle include the product, disassembled items, recycled items, and parts. If the history of items that appear in a product's life cycle is not managed properly, the product's life cycle will not be properly circulated.

[0018] The present invention provides an information processing method and the like that supports appropriate management of the history of items that appear in the life cycle of a product.

[0019] Below, examples of inventions that can be obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and the effects and the like that can be obtained from these inventions will be explained.

[0020] An information processing method executed by an information processing device having a processor, comprising: acquiring request information requesting a second NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is one-to-one mapped to a second object generated based on a first object; displaying the second NFT on a display screen, the second NFT having, as metadata, related information about the second object, including first identification information of the first NFT that is one-to-one mapped to the first object; acquiring request information issued in response to an operation on the first identification information displayed on the display screen, requesting related information about the first object; and displaying the first NFT on the display screen, the first NFT having, as metadata, related information about a third object that was the source of the first object, including third identification information of a third NFT that is one-to-one mapped to the third object.

[0021] For example, the first item is dismantling member resin #2 (see FIG. 7), the second item is recycled resin #3 (see FIG. 8), the third item is a refrigerator shelf (see FIG. 7), the fourth item is a washing machine bottom frame (see FIG. 9), and the fifth item is dismantling member resin #1 (see FIG. 6).

[0022] An information processing device comprising a processor and a memory connected to the processor, wherein the processor uses the memory to acquire request information requesting a second NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is one-to-one mapped to a second object generated based on a first object, displays the second NFT on a display screen, the second NFT having related information about the second object as metadata, including first identification information of the first NFT that is one-to-one mapped to the first object, acquires request information issued in response to an operation on the first identification information displayed on the display screen, requesting related information about the first object, and displays the first NFT on the display screen, the first NFT having related information about the first object as metadata, the related information about the third object that was the source of the first object, including third identification information of a third NFT that is one-to-one mapped to the third object.

[0023] (1) An information processing method that acquires related information about a second object generated based on a first object, the related information including at least first identification information of a first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is one-to-one associated with the first object, and stores a second NFT that is one-to-one associated with the second object and has the related information as metadata in a distributed ledger.

[0024] According to the above aspect, the related information included in the metadata of the second NFT, which is in one-to-one correspondence with the second object, includes identification information of the first NFT, which is in one-to-one correspondence with the first object from which the second object was generated. Therefore, information that the second object was generated based on the first object (in other words, information that the second object was generated based on the first object) is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as metadata of the NFT. Then, the information processing method uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle. In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0025] (2) The information processing method according to (1), wherein each of the first object and the second object is a resource included in the life cycle of a product.

[0026] According to the above aspect, information that a second object, which is another resource included in the product's lifecycle, was generated based on a first object, which is a resource included in the product's lifecycle, is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as metadata for the NFT.The information processing method then uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of the history information of resources that appear in the product's lifecycle.In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0027] (3) The information processing method described in (1) or (2), wherein the first object is a plurality of first objects, the second object is a single second object, and when acquiring the first identification information, the related information includes at least a plurality of first identification information, which is the related information regarding the single second object generated based on the plurality of first objects and is the first identification information of each of the plurality of first NFTs that are associated one-to-one with the plurality of first objects, and when storing the second NFT in a distributed ledger, a single second NFT that is associated with the single second object and has the related information as its metadata is stored in the distributed ledger.

[0028] According to the above aspect, when there are multiple first objects and a single second object, information that a single second object was generated from multiple first objects (in other words, information that a single second object was generated from multiple first objects) is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as metadata for the NFT. Then, the information processing method uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle. In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0029] (4) The information processing method described in (1) or (2), wherein the first object is a single first object, the second object is a plurality of second objects, and when acquiring the first identification information, a plurality of related information is acquired, which is the related information regarding each of the plurality of second objects generated based on the single first object, and includes at least the first identification information of the first NFT associated with the single first object, and a plurality of second NFTs associated one-to-one with the plurality of second objects, each having the related information as its metadata, are stored in a distributed ledger.

[0030] According to the above aspect, when there is a single first object and multiple second objects, information that multiple second objects were generated based on the single first object (in other words, information that multiple second objects were generated based on the single first object) is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as NFT metadata. Then, the information processing method uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle. In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0031] (5) The information processing method according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the first object and the second object are each a resin, a metal, or a substrate.

[0032] According to the above aspect, for a first object and a second object that are resin, metal, or a substrate, information that the second object was generated from the first object is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as NFT metadata. Generally, products are assigned identification information and are easy to manage based on the identification information, but it can be difficult to assign identification information to resin, metal, or substrates generated by disassembling a product. Therefore, the information processing method uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of the history information of resin, metal, or substrates as objects that appear in the product's lifecycle. In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0033] (6) The information processing method according to (2), wherein the resource is transferred between multiple organizations during the lifecycle, and at least one of the first item and the second item is transferred between the multiple organizations.

[0034] According to the above aspect, for a first object and a second object, at least one of which is transferred between multiple organizations, information that the second object was generated based on the first object is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as NFT metadata.The information processing method then uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle across multiple organizations.In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0035] (7) An information processing method described in any one of (1) to (6), wherein the related information includes identification information that is visibly attached to the exterior of the second object or the container or packaging of the second object.

[0036] According to the above aspect, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history information of objects that appear in the product life cycle by using related information including identification information that is visibly attached to the exterior of the second object or the container or packaging of the second object. In this way, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product life cycle.

[0037] (8) An information processing method according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the related information includes the type of the second object, information indicating the process by which the second object was produced, or the quantity of the second object.

[0038] According to the above aspect, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history information of the objects that appear in the life cycle of a product by using the type of the second object, information indicating the process by which the second object was produced, or related information including the quantity of the second object. In this way, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history information of the objects that appear in the life cycle of a product.

[0039] (9) An information processing method described in any of (1) to (8), wherein, when transferring the second NFT, a determination process is performed to determine whether the second NFT is valid using the related information held by the second NFT, and if the determination process determines that the second NFT is invalid, the second NFT is invalidated.

[0040] According to the above aspect, if the second NFT is determined to be invalid at the time of transfer, the second NFT is invalidated, thereby preventing the transfer of an invalid second NFT. Furthermore, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle using history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger. In this way, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0041] (10) An information processing method described in any of (1) to (8), wherein, when storing the second NFT, a judgment process is performed to determine whether the second NFT is valid using the related information held by the second NFT, and if the judgment process determines that the second NFT is invalid, instruction information is sent to instruct the modification of the related information.

[0042] According to the above aspect, if the second NFT is determined to be invalid when the second NFT is stored, the related information is corrected, thereby preventing the storage of an invalid second NFT. The information processing method supports appropriate management of the history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle using history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger. In this way, the information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0043] (11) The information processing method described in any of (1) to (10), further comprising: sending first display information regarding the second NFT, the first display information including at least the first identification information, to a terminal, thereby displaying the first display information on a display screen of the terminal; and, when a user operates the first identification information displayed on the terminal, sending second display information regarding the first NFT to the terminal, thereby displaying the second display information on a display screen of the terminal.

[0044] According to the above aspect, when an operation is performed on the first identification information in the display information related to the second NFT, the display information related to the first NFT is displayed on the terminal, so the information displayed by the terminal can be transitioned from the display information related to the second object to the display information related to the first object that was the source of the second object. This allows the information processing method to provide related information related to objects that appear in the product's lifecycle while tracing back the product's lifecycle using history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger. In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0045] (12) The information processing method further comprises, when the object from which the third object was generated is unknown, acquiring related information regarding the third object, the related information including information indicating that the object from which the third object was generated is unknown, and storing in the distributed ledger a third NFT that is one-to-one associated with the third object and has the related information as metadata. The information processing method is described in any of (1) to (11).

[0046] According to the above aspect, the related information included in the metadata of the third NFT, which is in one-to-one correspondence with the third object, includes information indicating that the object from which the third object was generated is unknown. Therefore, the information indicating that the object from which the third object was generated is unknown is appropriately stored as history information in the distributed ledger as metadata for the NFT. The information processing method then uses the history information appropriately stored in the distributed ledger to support appropriate management of the history information of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle. In this way, the above information processing method supports appropriate management of the history of objects that appear in the product's lifecycle.

[0047] (13) An information processing device comprising a processor and a memory connected to the processor, wherein the processor uses the memory to acquire related information regarding a second object generated based on a first object, the related information including at least first identification information of a first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is one-to-one associated with the first object, and stores a second NFT that is one-to-one associated with the second object and has the related information as metadata in a distributed ledger.

[0048] According to the above aspect, the same effects as those of the above information processing method are achieved.

[0049] (14) A program that causes a computer to execute the information processing method described in (1).

[0050] According to the above aspect, the same effects as those of the above information processing method are achieved.

[0051] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium.

[0052] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0053] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concepts are described as optional components.

[0054] (Embodiment) In this embodiment, an information processing method and an information processing system that support appropriate management of the history of items that appear in the life cycle of a product will be described.

[0055] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 1 shown in Fig. 2 is an example of a system that supports appropriate management of the history of items that appear in the life cycle of a product.

[0056] 2, the information processing system 1 includes a ledger system 10. The information processing system 1 is connected to a storage device 5 and terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4. The information processing system 1 may further include the storage device 5 or the terminals T1, T2, T3, or T4. Each of the above devices is connected to a network N and is capable of communicating via the network N.

[0057] The ledger system 10 is an information processing system that stores information using a distributed ledger. The distributed ledger of the ledger system 10 stores the generation history of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), which are associated one-to-one with objects in the real world, as well as the transfer history of the NFTs. The NFTs are NFTs that trace the generation or transfer of objects in the real world on the distributed ledger. Objects in the real world include objects (equivalent to resources) that appear in the life cycle of a product.

[0058] Ledger system 10 can execute processes using smart contracts with a distributed ledger. Ledger system 10 can generate NFTs and transfer NFTs using smart contract processes.

[0059] The ledger system 10 includes ledger servers 11, 12, and 13 (also referred to as ledger servers 11, etc.) as a server group that holds a distributed ledger. When at least one of the ledger servers 11, etc. receives transaction data, the transaction data is shared by all of the ledger servers 11, etc. and stored in the distributed ledger. Note that the number of ledger servers included in the server group is not limited to three, and may be two or more than three.

[0060] Ledger server 11 is a computer server that holds and manages a distributed ledger. Ledger server 11 holds the distributed ledger and updates it while synchronizing with other ledger servers (specifically, ledger servers 12 and 13).

[0061] Ledger servers 12 and 13 are similar to ledger server 11 and operate independently of ledger server 11.

[0062] The ledger system 10 may include multiple ledger systems that target different objects. Specifically, the ledger system 10 may include a ledger system for resin, a ledger system for metal, and a ledger system for circuit boards. Here, the ledger system for resin has a distributed ledger that stores the generation history of NFTs that are associated one-to-one with resins and the transfer history of the NFTs. The same applies to metals or circuit boards. The ledger system 10 may also include a ledger system for products, a ledger system for disassembled products, a ledger system for recycled products, and a ledger system for parts.

[0063] The storage device 5 is a storage device that stores data. The storage device 5 can be accessed (specifically, read or written) from the ledger system 10 or terminals T1, T2, T3, or T4 via the network N. There may be one or more storage devices 5. The storage device 5 can store various information, including related information (described below). The information stored in the storage device 5 can be used as metadata for NFTs generated by the ledger system 10.

[0064] Terminal T1 is an information processing device used by users of the disassembly factory. Terminal T1 includes a processor, memory, a user interface, and a communication interface, and can accept information input using the user interface or the communication interface, as well as generate, display, output audio, or transmit and receive information. Terminal T1 may be, for example, a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. Specific processing content of terminal T1 will be described in detail later.

[0065] The configurations of terminals T2, T3, and T4 are the same as that of terminal T1. Terminal T2 is an information processing device used by a user at the recycling factory. Terminal T3 is an information processing device used by a user at the manufacturing factory. Terminal T4 is an information processing device used by a user at the assembly factory. The specific processing contents of terminals T2, T3, and T4 will be explained in detail later.

[0066] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the ledger server 11 in this embodiment.

[0067] The ledger server 11 includes, as functional units, a communication unit 101, a ledger processing unit 102, an execution unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a presentation control unit 105. At least some of the functional units included in the ledger server 11 are realized by a processor (e.g., a CPU) included in the ledger server 11 executing a program using a memory.

[0068] The communication unit 101 is a communication interface communicatively connected to the network N. The communication unit 101 may be a communication interface of a wired communication standard (e.g., Ethernet (registered trademark) or the like), or may be a communication interface of a wireless communication standard (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or the like, or a mobile communication system (3G, 4G, 5G, or the like)). The communication unit 101 is used when the functional units included in the ledger server 11 communicate with other devices.

[0069] The ledger processing unit 102 processes the distributed ledger 111 and transaction data. Specifically, when the ledger processing unit 102 receives transaction data from terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc., it verifies the digital signature included in the received transaction data and controls the storage unit 104 to store successfully verified transaction data in the distributed ledger 111. When storing transaction data in the distributed ledger 111, the ledger processing unit 102 generates a block including the transaction data to be stored, and can control the storage of the generated block in the distributed ledger 111 when consensus is reached between the ledger processing units 102 of the other ledger servers, ledger servers 12 and 13.

[0070] The execution unit 103 executes information processing. The execution unit 103 can execute information processing by executing a smart contract using, for example, the distributed ledger 111. Note that when the execution unit 103 does not use a smart contract, it executes information processing according to normal program code.

[0071] The execution unit 103 executes a process of generating an NFT as the information processing. The NFT is associated one-to-one with an object in real space and has related information about the object associated with the NFT as metadata. The related information includes at least the original NFT of the object associated with the NFT. The related information may further include at least one of the name, quantity (specifically, number, weight, volume, etc.), creator, creation process, appearance ID, or serial number. The metadata will be described in detail later (see FIGS. 6 to 11).

[0072] The correspondence between objects in real space and NFTs may be many-to-one or one-to-many. For example, one trace NFT may be associated with 10 decomposition products. Also, multiple trace NFTs may be associated with one product or decomposition product. Also, different trace NFTs may be associated with one product or decomposition product over different periods, or different trace NFTs may be associated with one product or decomposition product by different organizations.

[0073] The storage unit 104 is a storage device that stores information. The storage unit 104 stores the distributed ledger 111. The storage unit 104 is realized by a non-volatile storage device (such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive)).

[0074] The distributed ledger 111 stores data having a structure in which blocks, each containing one or more pieces of transaction data, are linked in a chain. The one or more pieces of transaction data stored in the distributed ledger 111 include transaction data containing the contract code of a smart contract, transaction data containing instructions for executing a smart contract, or transaction data containing other information.

[0075] The presentation control unit 105 controls the presentation of information about NFTs on terminal T1, etc. For example, the presentation control unit 105 controls the presentation of information about NFTs owned by a demolition factory to terminal T1 of a user of the demolition factory by transmitting the information to the user. Presenting information about NFTs by terminal T1 may include displaying the information on a display screen or outputting the information as sound through a speaker.

[0076] Similarly, the presentation control unit 105 can control information about NFTs owned by a recycling factory to be presented on a terminal T2 of a user of the recycling factory, control information about NFTs owned by a manufacturing factory to be presented on a terminal T3 of a user of the manufacturing factory, or control information about NFTs owned by an assembly factory to be presented on a terminal T4 of a user of the assembly factory.

[0077] We will explain the exchange of objects and NFTs throughout the product lifecycle.

[0078] Figures 4 and 5 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the exchange of an object and an NFT in this embodiment. Figures 6, 7, and 11 are explanatory diagrams of an example of a disassembled object in this embodiment. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a recycled object in this embodiment. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a part in this embodiment. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a product in this embodiment. With reference to these diagrams, we will explain the life cycle in which product #1 used by an end user is disassembled and recycled, and then shipped again as a product (product #5).

[0079] First, a process is performed on product #1 at a disassembly factory (steps S101 to S104). At the time of step S101, product #1 that has been used by an end user is in the disassembly factory. Product #1 is, for example, an air conditioner.

[0080] In step S101, the disassembly factory disassembles product #1 to produce resin #1. Resin #1 is, for example, resin fragments, more specifically, resin fragments produced by crushing an air conditioner cover (see (a) of FIG. 6).

[0081] In step S102, terminal T1 executes a generation process to generate NFT#1 in response to the generation of resin #1 in step S101. NFT#1 is an NFT corresponding to resin #1. NFT#1 includes information about the NFT corresponding to the material that was the source of the generation of resin #1. The generation process of NFT#1 will be described in detail later.

[0082] The term "NFT#1" refers to an NFT whose token ID, which is identification information, is 1. The same applies to other NFTs.

[0083] A specific example of the metadata of NFT#1 is shown in (b) of Figure 6.

[0084] The metadata for NFT #1 shown in (b) of Figure 6 includes relevant information about Resin #1 corresponding to NFT #1, such as the name, weight, creator, original NFT, creation process, and appearance ID of Resin #1.

[0085] The name is information indicating the name given to Resin #1. The name is, for example, a name given by the decomposition factory that produced Resin #1. Note that part of the name may include the type of the object (e.g., resin, metal, or substrate).

[0086] The weight is information indicating the weight of Resin #1. Note that the weight is an example of the quantity.

[0087] The producer is information indicating the producer who produced the resin #1.

[0088] The original NFT is identification information that indicates the NFT corresponding to the object that was the source of the creation of Resin #1, for example, the token ID of the above NFT.

[0089] The production process is information indicating the process by which Resin #1 was produced from the substance that was the source of Resin #1.

[0090] The appearance ID is identification information that is visibly attached to the exterior of Resin #1 or the container or packaging of Resin #1. Specific examples of containers or packaging include boxes, bags, bottles, cans, or jars that contain Resin #1, or sheets or films that encase Resin #1.

[0091] Specifically, the metadata shown in (b) of Figure 6 indicates that the name of Resin #1 is Dismantling Component Resin #1 (also simply referred to as Resin #1), the weight of Resin #1 is 180 kg, the creator of Resin #1 is a disassembly factory, the original NFT of Resin #1 is NFT #999, the creation process of Resin #1 is robot dismantling, and the appearance ID of Resin #1 is Bag #001 (in other words, Resin #1 is contained in a bag with an ID of 001, and so on).

[0092] In step S103 (see FIG. 4), the decomposition plant transfers the resin #1 to the recycling plant. For example, the resin #1 is transported from the decomposition plant to the recycling plant.

[0093] In step S104, terminal T1 executes a transfer process to transfer NFT#1 to the recycling factory in response to the transfer of resin#1 in step S103. The transfer process of NFT#1 will be described in detail later.

[0094] Next, the disassembly factory executes processing for product #2 (steps S105 to S108). At the time of step S105, product #2 that has been used by an end user is in the disassembly factory. Product #2 is, for example, a refrigerator.

[0095] In step S105, the decomposition factory decomposes product #2 to produce resin #2. Resin #2 is, for example, resin fragments, more specifically, resin fragments produced by crushing refrigerator shelves (see (a) of FIG. 7).

[0096] In step S106, terminal T1 executes a generation process to generate NFT #2 in response to the generation of resin #2 in step S105. NFT #2 is an NFT corresponding to resin #2. NFT #2 includes information about the NFT corresponding to the material that was the source of the generation of resin #2. The NFT #2 generation process will be described in detail later.

[0097] A specific example of metadata for NFT#2 is shown in (b) of Figure 7.

[0098] The metadata for NFT #2 shown in (b) of Figure 7 includes relevant information about Resin #2 corresponding to NFT #2, such as the name, weight, creator, original NFT, and creation process of Resin #2.

[0099] Specifically, the metadata shown in Figure 7(b) indicates that the name of Resin #2 is Dismantled Component Resin #2 (also simply referred to as Resin #2), the weight of Resin #2 is 90 kg, the creator of Resin #2 is a dismantling factory, the original NFT of Resin #2 is NFT #998, and the creation process of Resin #2 is manual dismantling (in other words, dismantling by human hands).

[0100] In step S107 (see FIG. 4), the decomposition plant transfers the resin #2 to the recycling plant. For example, the resin #2 is transported from the decomposition plant to the recycling plant.

[0101] In step S108, terminal T1 executes a transfer process to transfer NFT#2 to the recycling factory in response to the transfer of resin#2 in step S107. The transfer process of NFT#2 will be described in detail later.

[0102] Next, at the recycling plant, the resin #3 is processed (steps S111 to S114).

[0103] In step S111, the recycling factory generates resin #3 by performing a recycling process on resin #1 transferred in step S103 and resin #2 transferred in step S107. Resin #3 is, for example, a pellet-shaped resin, more specifically, a pellet-shaped resin generated by mixing resin #1 and resin #2, subjecting them to a heat treatment, and then molding them (see FIG. 8(a)).

[0104] In step S112, terminal T2 executes a generation process to generate NFT #3 in response to the generation of resin #3 in step S111. NFT #3 is an NFT corresponding to resin #3. NFT #3 includes identification information for the NFTs corresponding to resin #1 and resin #2, which are the materials used to generate resin #3 (i.e., identification information for NFT #1 and identification information for NFT #2). The generation process for NFT #3 will be described in detail later.

[0105] A specific example of metadata for NFT#3 is shown in (b) of Figure 8.

[0106] The metadata for NFT #3 shown in (b) of Figure 8 includes relevant information about Resin #3 corresponding to NFT #3, such as the name of Resin #3, the creator, the original NFT, the creation process, and the appearance ID.

[0107] Specifically, the metadata shown in Figure 8(b) indicates that Resin #3 is named Recycled Resin #3 (also simply referred to as Resin #3), is a PP (polypropylene resin), weighs 270 kg, is created by a recycling plant, contains NFTs #1 and #2, is created by washing and adding a heat stabilizer, and has an appearance ID of Bag #003. It also indicates that Resin #1 corresponding to NFT #1 used to create Resin #3 weighs 180 kg, and Resin #2 corresponding to NFT #2 used to create Resin #3 weighs 90 kg.

[0108] In step S113 (see FIG. 4), the recycling factory transfers the resin #3 to the manufacturing factory. For example, the resin #3 is transported from the recycling factory to the manufacturing factory.

[0109] In step S114, terminal T2 executes a transfer process to transfer NFT#3 to the manufacturing factory in response to the transfer of resin#3 in step S113. The transfer process of NFT#3 will be described in detail later.

[0110] Next, processing for the part is carried out at the manufacturing plant (steps S121 to S124, see FIG. 5).

[0111] In step S121, the manufacturing plant manufactures a part using the resin #3 transferred in step S113. The part is, for example, the bottom frame of a washing machine, which is one of the components that will make up the washing machine, which will be a product in the future (see FIG. 9(a)). The part is manufactured by heating and melting the resin #3, and injecting it into a mold to form it.

[0112] In step S122, terminal T3 executes a generation process to generate NFT#4 in response to the manufacture of the part in step S121. NFT#4 is an NFT corresponding to the part. NFT#4 includes identification information for NFT#3, which is an NFT corresponding to resin#3, the original material of the part. The NFT#4 generation process will be described in detail later.

[0113] A specific example of metadata for NFT#4 is shown in (b) of Figure 9.

[0114] The metadata for NFT#4 shown in (b) of Figure 9 includes relevant information about the part corresponding to NFT#4, such as the part name, creator, original NFT, and creation process.

[0115] Specifically, the metadata shown in Figure 9(b) indicates that the name of the part is "washing machine bottom frame," that the part was created by a manufacturing factory, that the original NFT of the part is NFT#3, and that the part was created by molding. It also indicates that the weight of Resin#3 corresponding to NFT#3 used to manufacture the part is 2.7 kg.

[0116] In step S123 (see FIG. 5), the manufacturing plant transfers the parts to the assembly plant. For example, the parts are transported from the manufacturing plant to the assembly plant.

[0117] In step S124, terminal T3 executes a transfer process to transfer NFT#4 to the assembly plant in response to the transfer of the part in step S123. The transfer process of NFT#4 will be described in detail later.

[0118] In step S131, the assembly plant assembles product #5 (for example, a washing machine) using the parts transferred in step S123 (see FIG. 10(a)).

[0119] In step S132, terminal T4 executes a generation process to generate NFT #5 in response to the assembly of product #5 in step S131. NFT #5 is an NFT corresponding to product #5. NFT #5 includes identification information of NFT #4, which is an NFT corresponding to the parts from which product #5 was generated. The NFT #5 generation process will be described in detail later.

[0120] A specific example of metadata for NFT#5 is shown in (b) of Figure 10.

[0121] The metadata for NFT#5 shown in (b) of Figure 10 includes relevant information about the part corresponding to NFT#5, such as the product name, creator, original NFT, creation process, and serial number.

[0122] Specifically, the metadata shown in (b) of Figure 10 indicates that the product name is a washing machine, the product creator is an assembly plant, the product's original NFTs are NFT#4 and NFT#104, etc., the product creation process is machine assembly, and the product's serial number is P12345.

[0123] In step S133 (see FIG. 5), the assembly plant ships product #5, which is then delivered to the end user via, for example, a logistics company or a shipping company.

[0124] When product #5 is delivered to an end user, product #5 is used by the end user. When the end user discards product #5, product #5 is delivered to a disassembly factory. Note that the number of end users who use product #5 is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0125] In step S141, the disassembly factory acquires product #5 that has been discarded by an end user.

[0126] In step S142, the disassembly factory disassembles product #5 to produce resin #6. Resin #6 is, for example, resin fragments, more specifically, resin fragments produced by crushing the bottom frame of a washing machine (see FIG. 11(a)).

[0127] In step S143, terminal T1 executes a generation process to generate NFT #6 in response to the generation of Resin #6 in step S142. NFT #6 is an NFT corresponding to Resin #6. NFT #6 includes identification information for NFT #4, which is an NFT corresponding to Resin #4, the material of Product #5 from which Resin #6 was generated. The generation process of NFT #6 will be described in detail later.

[0128] A specific example of metadata for NFT #6 is shown in (b) of Figure 11.

[0129] The metadata for NFT #6 shown in (b) of Figure 11 includes relevant information about Resin #6 corresponding to NFT #6, such as the name of Resin #6, the creator, the original NFT, the creation process, and the appearance ID.

[0130] Specifically, the metadata shown in (b) of Figure 11 indicates that the name of Resin #6 is Dismantled Component Resin #6 (also simply referred to as Resin #6), the generator of Resin #6 is a disassembly factory, the original NFT of Resin #6 is NFT #4, the generation process of Resin #6 is robotic dismantling of a washing machine (the washing machine corresponding to NFT #5), and the appearance ID of Resin #6 is Bag #011.

[0131] After step S143, similar to steps S103 and S104, transfer of resin #6 and transfer of NFT #6 are performed, and the regeneration, manufacturing, and assembly processes are carried out.

[0132] The process shown in Figures 4 and 5 completes the life cycle of a product.

[0133] Next, the NFT generation process will be described.

[0134] Here, we will explain the generation process of NFT #3 corresponding to Resin #3, which is executed by terminal T2 in step S111, as an example, but the generation process of other NFTs is similar. In this case, Resin #1 or Resin #2 corresponds to the first object, and Resin #3 corresponds to the second object. Each of the first object and the second object may be a resource included in the product life cycle. More specifically, each of the first object and the second object may be resin, metal, or a substrate. At least one of the first object and the second object may be a resource transferred between multiple organizations.

[0135] 12 and 13 are sequence diagrams showing the NFT generation process according to this embodiment. Fig. 13 shows the process when proceeding to No in step S215 of Fig. 12.

[0136] In step S201, terminal T2 acquires related information. The related information includes at least the token ID of the original NFT. The token ID of the original NFT corresponds to the identification information of the NFT (i.e., NFT #1 or NFT #2) corresponding to the entity (i.e., Resin #1 or Resin #2) that was the source of Resin #3's generation. The related information is used as metadata for the NFT generated in the generation process.

[0137] In step S202, terminal T2 stores the related information acquired in step S201 in storage device 5. Specifically, terminal T2 transmits the related information to storage device 5. Storage device 5 receives and stores the transmitted related information.

[0138] In step S203, terminal T2 acquires an address indicating the storage location of the related information stored in step S202. The address may be, for example, a URI, or more specifically, a URL.

[0139] In step S204, terminal T2 generates a pair of a private key and a public key (also called a key pair) for the recycling factory. The key pair includes a private key and a public key that correspond to each other. The relationship between the private key and the public key of one key pair is expressed as "corresponding." The same applies hereinafter.

[0140] In step S205, terminal T2 generates generation request transaction data requesting the generation of an NFT and sends it to ledger system 10. Ledger system 10 receives the transmitted generation request transaction data. The generation request transaction data includes at least the address indicating the storage location of the related information obtained in step S203, the public key of the recycling factory that owns resin #3, and the recycling factory's digital signature (also simply referred to as the signature) (in other words, a signature generated using the recycling factory's private key).

[0141] In step S211, the ledger system 10 verifies the signature of the generation request transaction data in response to receiving the generation request transaction data in step S205. Specifically, the ledger system 10 verifies the signature included in the generation request transaction data using the public key of the recycling factory.

[0142] In step S212, the ledger system 10 determines whether the signature verification in step S211 was successful. If it is determined that the signature verification was successful (Yes in step S212), the process proceeds to step S213; if not, error processing is executed. For convenience, the illustration of the processing to be performed when it is determined that the verification has failed is omitted. The error processing may include processing to output information indicating that the verification has failed, or processing to invalidate the generation request transaction data.

[0143] In step S213, the ledger system 10 stores the creation request transaction data received in step S205 in the distributed ledger 111.

[0144] In step S214, the ledger system 10 verifies the validity of NFT #3, which is the NFT corresponding to Resin #3 (i.e., the NFT to be generated in step S216, which will be described later). Specifically, the ledger system 10 uses the related information included in the generation request transaction data received in step S205 to verify whether the generation of Resin #3 from Resin #1 and Resin #2 is valid in terms of weight, resource type, generation process, etc.

[0145] For example, the ledger system 10 can determine that the weight of resin #3 included in the related information is valid from the perspective of weight if it is within a reasonable range derived from the sum of the weights of resin #1 and resin #2. Furthermore, the ledger system 10 can determine that the type of resin #3 included in the related information is valid from the perspective of type if it is valid as the type of resource generated from resin #1 and resin #2. Furthermore, the ledger system 10 can determine that the type of resin #3 included in the related information is valid from the perspective of the generation process if it is generated properly from resin #1 and resin #2 by the generation process included in the related information.

[0146] In step S215, the ledger system 10 determines whether NFT #3 is valid or not, using the result of verifying the validity of NFT #3 in step S214. If it is determined that NFT #3 is valid (Yes in step S215), the process proceeds to step S216; otherwise (No in step S215), the process proceeds to step S221 (see FIG. 13, described below).

[0147] In step S216, NFT#3 is generated using the generation request transaction data received in step S205. Generating NFT#3 involves storing NFT#3 in the distributed ledger 111, which includes storing transaction data indicating the generation of NFT#3 in the distributed ledger 111. The metadata of NFT#3 includes an address indicating the storage location of related information. The owner of NFT#3 is the recycling factory.

[0148] In step S217, the ledger system 10 transmits the token ID of NFT#3 generated in step S216 to terminal T2. Terminal T2 receives the transmitted token ID. Note that the ledger system 10 may transmit the token ID in response to receiving the generation request transaction data in step S205.

[0149] In step S221 (see FIG. 13), the ledger system 10 transmits instruction information instructing the terminal T2 to modify the generation request transaction data. The terminal T2 receives the transmitted instruction information.

[0150] In step S222, in response to receiving the instruction information in step S221, the terminal T2 acquires the supplementary information and transmits it to the ledger system 10. The ledger system 10 receives the transmitted supplementary information.

[0151] In step S223, the ledger system 10 verifies the validity of the related information in consideration of the supplemental information received in step S222. The verification of the validity of the related information is similar to step S214. After completing step S223, the ledger system 10 proceeds to step S215.

[0152] The processes of steps S214 to S217, S221, and S223 may be executed by a smart contract based on the storage of the generation request transaction data in the distributed ledger 111 in step S213. In this case, the generation request transaction data includes an instruction to execute a smart contract that executes the above process, and the execution unit 103 can execute the above process in accordance with the instruction in response to storing the generation request transaction data in the distributed ledger 111 (step S213).

[0153] The first object may be a plurality of first objects, and the second object may be a single second object. In this case, when terminal T2 acquires the first identification information in step S201, it acquires related information that includes at least a plurality of first identification information, which is related information about a single second object generated based on a plurality of first objects and is the first identification information for each of a plurality of first NFTs that are associated one-to-one with the plurality of first objects. Furthermore, when storing the second NFT in the distributed ledger 111 in step S216, the ledger system 10 stores in the distributed ledger 111 a single second NFT that is associated with a single second object and has the above-mentioned related information as metadata.

[0154] The first object may be a single first object, and the second object may be multiple second objects. In this case, when terminal T2 acquires the first identification information in step S201, it acquires multiple pieces of related information, which are related information regarding each of multiple second objects generated based on the single first object, and which include at least the first identification information of the first NFT associated with the single first object. Furthermore, ledger system 10 stores multiple second NFTs in the distributed ledger 111, which are associated one-to-one with multiple second objects, and each second NFT has the above-mentioned related information as metadata.

[0155] If the object that was the source of the creation of an object is unknown, an NFT may be stored in the distributed ledger 111 using information indicating that the object is unknown. That is, if the object that was the source of the creation of an object (corresponding to a third object) is unknown, terminal T2 acquires related information regarding the third object in step S201. The related information includes information indicating that the object that was the source of the creation of the object is unknown. Furthermore, the ledger system 10 stores a third NFT in the distributed ledger 111 that is associated one-to-one with the third object and has the related information as metadata.

[0156] Next, we will explain the NFT transfer process.

[0157] Here, we will explain the transfer process of NFT#3 corresponding to resin#3 executed by terminals T2 and T3 in step S114 as an example, but the same applies to the transfer process of other NFTs.

[0158] 14 and 15 are sequence diagrams showing the NFT transfer process in this embodiment. Fig. 15 shows the process when proceeding to No in step S307 in Fig. 14.

[0159] In step S301, terminal T2 transmits the token ID of NFT#3 and the public key of the recycling factory to terminal T3. Terminal T3 receives the transmitted token ID and public key.

[0160] In step S302, the terminal T3 transmits the token ID received in step S301 to the ledger system 10. The ledger system 10 receives the transmitted token ID.

[0161] In step S303, the ledger system 10 obtains the public key of the owner (i.e., the recycling factory) of the NFT (i.e., NFT #3) corresponding to the token ID received in step S302 from the distributed ledger 111 and transmits it to terminal T3. Terminal T3 receives the transmitted public key.

[0162] In step S304, terminal T3 verifies the public key received from terminal T2 in step S301. Specifically, terminal T3 determines whether the public key received from terminal T2 in step S301 matches the public key received from the ledger system 10 in step S303.

[0163] In step S305, terminal T3 determines whether the verification of the public key in step S304 was successful. Specifically, if terminal T3 determines that the public key received from terminal T2 in step S301 matches the public key received from the ledger system 10 in step S303 in the public key verification in step S304, it determines that the verification was successful; otherwise, it determines that the verification was unsuccessful. If it determines that the verification of the public key was successful (Yes in step S305), it proceeds to step S306; if not (No in step S306), it executes error processing. Note that the illustration of the processing when it is determined that the verification was unsuccessful is omitted for convenience. The error processing may include processing to output information indicating that the verification was unsuccessful, processing to invalidate NFT#3, etc.

[0164] In step S306, the ledger system 10 verifies the validity of NFT #3. Specifically, the ledger system 10 uses related information included in the metadata of NFT #3 to verify whether the generation of Resin #3 from Resin #1 and Resin #2 is valid in terms of weight, resource type, generation process, etc. The content of the verification process is the same as the verification process in step S214.

[0165] In step S307, the ledger system 10 determines whether NFT #3 is valid based on the result of verifying the validity of NFT #3 in step S306. If it is determined that NFT #3 is valid (Yes in step S307), the process proceeds to step S308; otherwise (No in step S307), the process proceeds to step S321 (see FIG. 15, described later).

[0166] In step S308, terminal T3 generates transfer transaction data for transferring NFT#3 from the recycling factory to the manufacturing factory and transmits it to the ledger system 10. The ledger system 10 receives the transfer transaction data.

[0167] In step S309, the ledger system 10 stores the transfer transaction data received in step S308 in the distributed ledger 111.

[0168] In step S321 (see FIG. 15), terminal T3 generates invalidation transaction data for invalidating NFT#3 and transmits it to the ledger system 10. The ledger system 10 receives the transmitted invalidation transaction data.

[0169] In step S322, the ledger system 10 stores the invalidated transaction data received in step S321 in the distributed ledger 111.

[0170] In step S323, the ledger system 10 invalidates NFT#3 in response to storing the invalidation transaction data in the distributed ledger 111 in step S321. The ledger system 10 invalidates NFT#3, for example, by setting an invalidation flag in the related information of NFT#3. NFT#3 with an invalidation flag set in the related information is treated as an NFT that does not properly correspond to an object, and, for example, transfer processing corresponding to the transfer of an object is prohibited.

[0171] Next, we will explain examples of how NFTs owned by recycling factories, etc. are displayed.

[0172] 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of a display image displaying an NFT in this embodiment. Image 51 shown in FIG. 16 is an example of a display image displaying an NFT owned by a recycling factory after terminal T2 generates NFT#3 (step S112).

[0173] Drawing data for drawing image 51 can be generated by ledger system 10 and sent to terminal T2, for example, when terminal T2 sends a request to ledger system 10 for information on NFTs owned by the recycling factory.

[0174] Image 51 shows a list of NFTs owned by the recycling factory. Image 51 includes image 52, which shows "NFT #3" as an NFT owned by the recycling factory.

[0175] The image 52 also includes a button image 52A for proceeding to display information related to NFT#3.

[0176] When a user operates the button image 52A, terminal T2, in response to receiving the operation, transmits a request for related information of NFT#3 to the ledger system 10. In response to the transmitted request, the ledger system 10 generates drawing data for the related information of NFT#3 and transmits it to terminal T2.

[0177] A user at the recycling factory can learn about the NFTs owned by the recycling factory by viewing image 51 displayed on terminal T2. In addition, the user can transition to a display of information related to the NFT by operating button image 52A.

[0178] Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a display image displaying an NFT in this embodiment. Image 61 shown in Fig. 17 is an example of a display image displayed by terminal T2 when button image 52A in Fig. 16 is operated, and shows related information of NFT #3.

[0179] Drawing data for drawing image 61 can be generated by the ledger system 10 and transmitted to terminal T2 when terminal T2 transmits a request for related information of NFT#3 to the ledger system 10.

[0180] 17 includes an image 62 showing related information. The content of the related information included in the image 62 is the same as that in FIG. 8(b).

[0181] In addition, image 62 includes image 62A containing the string "NFT#1" and image 62B containing the string "NFT#2" as identification information for the NFT that was the basis for generating NFT#3.

[0182] When an operation is performed on image 62A or 62B, the display transitions to displaying related information for the NFT corresponding to the image on which the operation was performed. For example, when an operation is performed on image 62B, the display transitions to displaying related information for NFT#2 corresponding to image 62B. In this case, in response to receiving the above operation, terminal T2 transmits a request for related information for NFT#2 to the ledger system 10. In response to the transmitted request, the ledger system 10 generates drawing data for the related information for NFT#2 and transmits it to terminal T2.

[0183] Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a third example of a display image displaying an NFT in this embodiment. Image 71 shown in Fig. 18 is an example of a display image displayed by terminal T2 when image 62B in Fig. 17 is operated, and shows related information of NFT #2.

[0184] Drawing data for drawing image 71 can be generated by the ledger system 10 and transmitted to terminal T2 when terminal T2 transmits a request for related information of NFT#3 to the ledger system 10.

[0185] 18 includes an image 72 showing related information. The content of the related information included in the image 72 is the same as that in FIG.

[0186] In this way, the ledger system 10 can display display information (corresponding to the first display information) related to NFT#3 (corresponding to the second NFT) on the display screen of terminal T2. Here, the first display information includes at least the identification information (corresponding to the first identification information) of NFT#2.

[0187] In addition, when a user operates the first identification information displayed on terminal T2, display information (corresponding to the second display information) regarding NFT #2 (corresponding to the first NFT) can be sent to terminal T2, thereby displaying the second display information on the display screen of terminal T2.

[0188] (Explanation of distributed ledger systems) The ledger system 10 (also called a distributed ledger system) described above will be explained in detail below.

[0189] A distributed ledger system is a system that stores and maintains information using P2P (peer-to-peer) network technology connected to multiple nodes. A node is an information processing device that performs predetermined processing by using a processor (e.g., a CPU) to execute programs using memory.

[0190] In a distributed ledger system, multiple nodes each hold copies of information in an autonomous and decentralized manner and keep them synchronized. This allows the distributed ledger system to properly store information while substantially preventing tampering, without using a privileged node (such as a centralized server or a server in a client-server model).

[0191] Furthermore, a device attempting to access the distributed ledger only needs to access one of the multiple nodes in the distributed ledger system; in other words, there is no need to access a small number of devices, such as a centralized server. This avoids the concentration of communication or processing load on the centralized server, which can occur in a centralized system. This has the advantage that nodes do not require high specifications for their resources (CPU, memory, etc.), and the communication lines connecting the nodes do not require large communication capacities. This allows the distributed ledger system to be configured using general (or general-purpose) nodes or communication lines, which can contribute to reducing the required computer or communication resources and the costs required for nodes and communication lines.

[0192] Furthermore, a distributed ledger system can store information with high fault tolerance and can also access information with high fault tolerance. Generally, the multiple nodes included in a distributed ledger system are physically or network-distributedly located. If all of the multiple nodes included in a distributed ledger system stop, the distributed ledger system will stop. However, since it is rare for all of the multiple nodes that are physically or network-distributedly located to stop, the distributed ledger system rarely stops. This can be said to be an advantage over a centralized system, where if a centralized server stops, information cannot be stored or accessed.

[0193] With reference to Figures 19 to 23, we will explain the data structure of the distributed ledger, the execution of smart contracts, and the data structure of NFTs.

[0194] FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of a blockchain, which is an example of a distributed ledger.

[0195] A blockchain is a chain of blocks, which are units of record. Each block contains multiple transaction data and the hash value of the previous block.

[0196] Figure 19 shows blocks B1, B2 and B3 contained in the blockchain.

[0197] For example, block B2 contains the hash value of the previous block B1, which is calculated by performing a hash algorithm on the contents of block B1.

[0198] Furthermore, block B3 includes, as the hash value of block B2, a hash value calculated from multiple transaction data included in block B2 and the hash value of block B1.

[0199] In this way, a blockchain is structured so that blocks containing the contents of the previous block as a hash value are connected in a chain, which effectively prevents tampering with the recorded transaction data.

[0200] If past transaction data is changed (in other words, tampered with), the hash value of the block containing that transaction data will be different from the value before the change. In that case, to make the block containing the changed transaction data appear correct, all blocks after that block in the distributed ledger stored on multiple servers would have to be recreated, which is extremely difficult in reality. This feature makes it virtually impossible to tamper with transaction data contained in the blockchain.

[0201] When a node stores transaction data in a blockchain, it generates a block containing the transaction data to be stored and attempts to reach consensus on the generated block by executing processing based on a consensus algorithm with other nodes. The node then controls the storage of the block in the blockchain when consensus is reached. This allows multiple nodes operating in an autonomous and decentralized manner to connect legitimate blocks to the blockchain. As a consensus algorithm, PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance), PoW (Proof of Work), PoS (Proof of Stake), or the like may be used. When Hyperledger Fabric is used as an example of distributed ledger technology, a consensus algorithm does not need to be executed.

[0202] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of the transaction data.

[0203] The transaction data shown in Figure 20 includes a transaction body BP1 and a digital signature BP2 (also simply referred to as a signature). The transaction body BP1 is the data body included in the transaction data. The digital signature BP2 is generated by encrypting the hash value of the transaction body BP1 with the signature key (in other words, the private key) of the creator of the transaction data.

[0204] A node that receives transaction data can verify that the transaction body BP1 is legitimate (in other words, that it has not been tampered with) using the digital signature BP2 included in the transaction data. This makes it virtually impossible to tamper with the data included in the transaction body BP1. Furthermore, by storing successfully verified transaction data in the blockchain, the legitimacy of the transaction data stored in the blockchain can be maintained.

[0205] As described above, transaction data included in the blockchain is stored in a chain using the hash values ​​of the transaction data and the hash values ​​of the blocks. This allows the transaction data included in the blockchain to be stored and maintained substantially without being tampered with. This is an advantage over databases or distributed databases that simply store a collection of data.

[0206] Figure 21 is an explanatory diagram showing transaction data related to the execution of a smart contract. Figure 22 is an explanatory diagram showing processing related to the execution of a smart contract.

[0207] A series of processes related to the execution of a smart contract using a distributed ledger will be described with reference to Figures 21 and 22.

[0208] In step SB1, the node stores transaction data B11, including contract code B12 that describes the processing of the smart contract, in the distributed ledger B10. For example, the node acquires transaction data B11 by receiving the transaction data B11 from an information processing device via communication or by generating the transaction data B11 itself, and stores the acquired transaction data B11 in the distributed ledger B10. Step SB1 is performed before executing the smart contract.

[0209] In step SB2, the node stores transaction data B15, including instructions B16 for executing the smart contract, in the distributed ledger B10. For example, the node receives transaction data B15 from an information processing device via communication and stores the received transaction data B15 in the distributed ledger B10.

[0210] In step SB3, in response to the transaction data B15 including the instruction B16 being stored in the distributed ledger B10 in step SB2, the node reads the contract code B12 from the distributed ledger B10 and executes processing based on the contract code B12. The result of the processing may be included in the transaction data and stored in the distributed ledger B10.

[0211] Through the above series of processes, when the distributed ledger system receives transaction data B15 including instructions B16 for executing a smart contract, it automatically (i.e., without manual intervention) executes the processing in accordance with the instructions B16, enabling highly efficient (i.e., high speed or short processing time). Achieving highly efficient processing has the effect of reducing power consumption. Furthermore, since no manual intervention is required, it is possible to prevent human tampering with information, fraud, or human error. Furthermore, since the results of the processing thus executed are stored in the blockchain, it is virtually impossible to tamper with the results of the processing.

[0212] FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of an NFT and metadata. An NFT is a token stored in a distributed ledger and is a unique token (in other words, a non-fungible token). NFTs are standardized, for example, as ERC (Ethereum Request for Comments) 721, but are not limited to this and may conform to a different standard or may be non-standard (for example, proprietary to an organization). Note that while ERC 721 is a standard for one-of-a-kind tokens, the NFTs described herein do not necessarily have to be one-of-a-kind tokens.

[0213] Figure 23 shows transaction data B21 stored in the distributed ledger. The transaction data B21 stores an NFT. The NFT includes a token ID (i.e., identification information that can uniquely identify the NFT).

[0214] The NFT has metadata. The metadata may be located in a location accessible via a network (e.g., storage device B22). A token URI indicating the location of the metadata is calculated using the NFT's token ID and a predetermined base URI.

[0215] The information managed as an NFT may be included in the transaction data B21 or in the metadata. Including the information managed as an NFT in the metadata has the advantage of reducing the amount of information included in the transaction data B21 (in other words, the information included in the blockchain). In this case, it can be said that the metadata contains the actual information managed as an NFT. When an image is managed as an NFT, a URL indicating the image data of the image may be managed as an NFT.

[0216] In the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. Here, the software that realizes the information processing device of the above embodiments is the following program.

[0217] In other words, this program causes a computer to execute an information processing method that acquires related information about a second object generated based on a first object, the related information including at least first identification information of a first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is one-to-one associated with the first object, and stores a second NFT that is one-to-one associated with the second object and has the related information as metadata in a distributed ledger.

[0218] Although the information processing method according to one or more aspects has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art to the present embodiments, or forms constructed by combining components of different embodiments, may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects. [Industrial Applicability]

[0219] The present invention can be used in a system that promotes effective use of resources. [Explanation of symbols]

[0220] 1. Information Processing Systems 5, B22 storage device 10 Ledger System 11, 12, 13 Ledger Server 51, 52, 61, 62, 62A, 62B, 71, 72 Images 52A Button Image 101 Communications Department 102 Ledger Processing Unit 103 Executive Department 104 Storage section 105 Presentation control unit 111, B10 Distributed Ledger B1, B2, B3 Blocks B11, B15, B21 Transaction data B12 Contract Code B16 Instruction BP1 Transaction Body BP2 Digital Signature N Network T1, T2, T3, and T4 terminals

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device having a processor, Acquire request information requesting a second NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is associated one-to-one with a second entity generated based on the first entity; displaying the second NFT on a display screen, the second NFT having metadata related to the second object, the metadata including first identification information of the first NFT that is in one-to-one correspondence with the first object; acquiring request information issued in response to an operation on the first identification information displayed on the display screen, the request information requesting related information on the first object; displaying, on a display screen, the first NFT having, as metadata, related information about a third object that is the source of the first object, the related information including third identification information of a third NFT that is in one-to-one correspondence with the third object; Information processing methods.

2. The acquisition of the request information requesting the second NFT includes: a fourth NFT that is one-to-one associated with a fourth object generated based on the second object, and that is acquired when an operation is performed on the second identification information of the second NFT that the fourth NFT displayed on the display screen has as metadata; The information processing method according to claim 1 .

3. the second object is generated based on the first object and the fifth object; the associated information regarding the second object includes the first identification information and fifth identification information of a fifth NFT that is one-to-one associated with the fifth object; When the second NFT is displayed on a display screen, if an operation is performed on the first identification information, the first NFT is displayed on the display screen; When the second NFT is displayed on the display screen, if an operation is performed on the fifth identification information, the fifth NFT is displayed on the display screen. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

4. the second object is generated based on the first object and the fifth object; the associated information regarding the second item includes a quantity of the second item, a quantity of the fifth item, and a quantity of the first item; The sum of the quantity of the fifth item and the quantity of the first item is the quantity of the second item. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

5. the related information about the second object includes information about a production process of the second object; The information on the production process of the second object is information indicating that a regeneration process has been performed on the fifth object and the first object.

5. The information processing method according to claim 3 or 4.

6. the second object is a plurality of resins produced by performing a recycling process on the first object, The related information of the second NFT includes appearance identification information that is visibly provided on the exterior of the plurality of resins or the containers or packages of the plurality of resins, The information processing method according to claim 1 .

7. The second identification information of the second NFT is provided to the second NFT after the appearance identification information is provided to the plurality of resins or a container or package of the plurality of resins. The information processing method according to claim 6.

8. The first object is generated by performing a decomposition process on the third object, and the related information held by the first NFT includes information on the decomposition process; The second object is generated by executing a regeneration process on the first object, and the related information held by the second NFT includes information on the regeneration process; The fourth object is generated by executing a molding process on the second object, and the related information contained in the fourth NFT includes information on the molding process. The information processing method according to claim 2 .

9. An information processing device comprising a processor and a memory connected to the processor, The processor uses the memory to: Acquire request information requesting a second NFT (Non-Fungible Token) that is associated one-to-one with a second entity generated based on the first entity; displaying the second NFT on a display screen, the second NFT having metadata related to the second object, the metadata including first identification information of the first NFT that is in one-to-one correspondence with the first object; acquiring request information issued in response to an operation on the first identification information displayed on the display screen, the request information requesting related information on the first object; displaying, on a display screen, the first NFT having, as metadata, related information about a third object that is the source of the first object, the related information including third identification information of a third NFT that is in one-to-one correspondence with the third object; Information processing device.

10. A program that causes a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 1.

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