Digital Heritage Management System

Abstract

Supporting various services related to digital legacy that smoothly substitute the procedures for handling digital legacy without waiting for requests from the bereaved family, and recover and delete digital legacy in accordance with the will of the deceased. 【Solution means】 The system is a digital legacy management system in which a first data terminal 3 operated by the contractor himself / herself communicates with a server device 1 that substitutes the procedures for handling the legacy in accordance with the management contract for the digital legacy requested from the terminal. The server device 1 requests the first data terminal 3 to confirm the survival of the contractor himself / herself as a survival confirmation request. The CPU 1-2 determines the survival status of the contractor based on the response result from the first data terminal 3, and automatically deletes the digital legacy of the deceased registered in the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N when the survival status of the contractor cannot be confirmed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a digital legacy management system in which a first data terminal operated by a contractor himself / herself communicates with a server device that substitutes the procedure for handling legacies in accordance with a management contract for digital legacies requested from the terminal.

Background Art

[0002] In an information society where computer systems are highly developed, it is common for information managed by individuals to be stored in storage resources such as data terminals, storage media, and clouds. Therefore, it is necessary to process the information left by the deceased as a legacy, and it is necessary to carefully consider how to manage digital legacies as a system so that it can be a satisfactory system for both the bereaved family and the deceased. For this reason, when digital legacies and online services are put into practical use and data management (including various data stored in the memory media during the user's lifetime), data deletion, and inheritance to the bereaved family are required, there are various needs for digital legacies.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 discloses that "not limited to the information of individuals within the family who leave their life stories, ending note information assuming the death of the parties, means for smoothing communication within the family, means for daily mutual confirmation of safety for remote families assuming nuclear family formation, genealogy, information related to memorial services for the deceased within the family are daily operationally managed by all family members, and even if there is a generational change within the family, a system that securely stores and manages such information is provided. On the premise that the family uses it, the individual within the family and the management information common to the family are centrally managed by a server via the Internet, and it has functions such as personal history, ending note, genealogy management, further daily safety confirmation within the family, and message function, and all family members can operate these sites daily."

[0004] In addition, Patent Document 2 below discloses that "while each SNS individually determines its handling policy regarding personal information on the SNS, in order to provide a digital legacy management device that smoothly handles information managed by the decedent on the SNS in accordance with the decedent's wishes after the decedent's death, the digital legacy management device includes means for storing information regarding the wishes of the first user regarding the disposal method of information managed by the first user on the SNS after the first user enters a predetermined state including death, means for storing information defining the handling method after the user enters a predetermined state regarding the information managed by the SNS user, means for comparing the conditions regarding the wishes and the conditions regarding the handling, and determining whether disposal of the information managed by the first user on each SNS can be performed in accordance with the conditions regarding the wishes after the first user enters a predetermined state, and means for providing the conditions regarding the wishes of the first user and the result of the determination of whether it is possible to the second user terminal operated by the second user."

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] On the other hand, the legacy management system also needs to cooperate with the processes of safety confirmation, time-limited expiration file processing, step-by-step information disclosure processing, and information sharing processing with the contact person, and should be constructed as a system that comprehensively manages these processes.

[0007] Hereinafter, the problems in the current legacy management system will be pointed out.

[0008] (Rapid Increase and Complexification of Digital Assets) With the spread of the internet, the digital assets owned by individuals, such as social media accounts, cloud services, and online subscription contracts, have become more diverse and increased. This has heightened the importance of managing and organizing digital assets both during and after a user's lifetime.

[0009] Herein lies the fact that, unlike physical property, many digital assets should be managed according to the owner's wishes.

[0010] However, regarding the inheritance or deletion of these assets, if the user's clear intentions are not expressed, the surviving family members will not be able to grasp everything, leading to confusion in the process.

[0011] Furthermore, if passwords for social media and other services are unknown, it becomes difficult for family members to access the deceased's digital assets.

[0012] (Legal and technical challenges in inheriting digital assets) Unlike traditional physical assets (such as watches), digital assets involve contracts with online service providers or social networking service companies. Therefore, legally, there is not a sufficient system in place to manage these assets according to the user's wishes even after the user's death.

[0013] Depending on the service provider, it may be difficult to cancel the service without a death certificate, and there are many cases where the user's wishes and reality do not match.

[0014] In such cases, if a third party is to manage or delete digital assets, the process becomes complicated due to contractual and legal constraints.

[0015] Furthermore, systems and technologies for managing digital assets in accordance with user preferences are limited, and it is anticipated that manual procedures will often be required.

[0016] (The need for automation technology to reduce the burden on users and bereaved families) In the current system, when a user dies, it is a great burden for the family members to grasp all the digital assets and perform deletion or cancellation procedures as needed. To address this, an automated digital asset management system is required.

[0017] Specifically, systems that automate "safety confirmation" to confirm the death of a user, management of digital assets reflecting the user's intentions, deletion, etc. have not yet been sufficiently popular. Therefore, family members have to check each digital asset one by one and manually perform cancellation or deletion.

[0018] (Lack of deletion proof and safety confirmation) In the current system, in many digital asset management services and legacy sorting services, there is no mechanism to prove that deletion has been completed, or the regular safety confirmation function is lacking or insufficient. As a result, there is a problem that family members cannot manage digital assets with confidence. Specifically, there is no mechanism to regularly confirm whether deletion has been completed. In particular, there are requests to indicate many digital assets at what time and in what manner, or to distribute and disclose them individually to all family members, and it has also been pointed out that it is not clear at what timing the disclosure process of digital legacy should be started.

[0019] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to encounter a situation where digital legacy stored in a storage medium cannot be disposed of without obtaining the permission of the provider on the premise of confirming the safety of the contractor, and smoothly substitute for the digital legacy disposal procedure without waiting for a request from the family members, and support various services related to digital legacy that recover and delete digital legacy in accordance with the will of the deceased. The purpose is to provide a digital legacy management system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0020] The digital legacy management system of the present invention that achieves the above object has the following configuration.

[0021] The present invention relates to a digital legacy management system in which a first data terminal operated by a subscriber himself / herself communicates with a server device that substitutes the subscriber himself / herself for handling procedures of digital legacy owned by the subscriber according to a management contract of digital legacy requested from the first data terminal via a predetermined communication medium. The server device includes a survival confirmation request means for making a survival confirmation request to the first data terminal for the subscriber himself / herself, a determination means for determining the survival state of the subscriber from a response result from the first data terminal with respect to the survival confirmation request means, and a control means for controlling a service for substituting handling procedures for the digital legacy according to a previously contracted disposal instruction when the determination means determines that the survival state cannot be confirmed.

Effects of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, on the premise of confirming the safety of the subscriber, even if encountering a situation where digital legacy stored in a storage medium cannot be disposed of without obtaining permission from the provider, the handling procedures of digital legacy can be smoothly substituted without waiting for a request from the bereaved family, and a digital legacy management system can be provided that can support various services related to digital legacy, such as collecting and deleting digital legacy in accordance with the will of the deceased.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] The drawings show specific embodiments of the present invention and include not only essential configurations of the invention but also optional and preferred embodiments. [Figure 1] A block diagram for explaining the configuration of a digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram for explaining the hardware configurations of the first data terminal shown in FIG. 1 and the server device. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the configuration of a program developed in the RAM of the server device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of a digital asset management table stored in an external memory shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] A diagram showing a part of a disposal instruction document subordinate to the asset list ID shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. [Figure 9] A flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. [Figure 10] A flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] <Explanation of System Configuration> 〔First Embodiment〕 FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. In this embodiment, a digital legacy management system in which a first data terminal operated by the contractor himself / herself communicates with a server device that substitutes the contractor himself / herself for the procedure of disposing of the digital legacy owned by the contractor in accordance with the management contract of the digital legacy requested from the first data terminal via a predetermined communication medium is taken as an example.

[0026] The number of connected second data terminals includes the case where a plurality of terminals are connected simultaneously based on the number specified by the contractor himself / herself as the contact information.

[0027] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a server device, which is bidirectionally communicably connected via a network 21 to a first data terminal 3 operated by the principal who has concluded a digital legacy management contract with this system, a second data terminal 4 operated by a related person including a family member, relative, etc. related to the principal, SNS registered by the principal, and contract servers 2-1 to 2-N operated by an operator who has concluded a usage contract for memory resources on a cloud managed by a provider.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the hardware configurations of the first data terminal 3 shown in FIG. 1 and the server device 1. In the server device 1 shown in FIG. 2, reference numeral 1-1 denotes a communication unit, which performs data communication processing according to a predetermined protocol via the network 21. Reference numeral 1-2 denotes a CPU, which activates the BIOS stored in the ROM 1-3 and controls I / O with an input device and an output device. Further, the CPU 1-2 expands various applications and control programs stored in the external memory 1-5 into the RAM 1-4 and executes data processing.

[0029] In the first data terminal 3 shown in FIG. 2, reference numeral 3-1 denotes a communication unit, which performs data communication processing according to a predetermined protocol via the network 21. Reference numeral 3-2 denotes a CPU, which activates the BIOS stored in the ROM 3-3 connected to an internal bus 3-7 and controls I / O with an input device and an output device. Further, the CPU 3-2 expands various applications and control programs stored in the external memory 3-6 into the RAM 3-4 and executes data processing.

[0030] Reference numeral 3-5 denotes a touch panel display, which, in a state where various screens (UI screens) are displayed in response to activation of various applications stored in the external memory 3-6, accepts tap operations and performs screen displays required by SNS services, etc. provided by the external contract servers 2-1 to 2-N. Note that the second data terminal 4 also has the hardware shown in FIG. 2.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a program deployed in the RAMs 1-4 shown in FIG. 2. The same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The CPU 1-2 comprehensively controls I / O processing with each device connected to the internal bus 1-6.

[0032] In FIG. 3, 1-4-1 is a survival confirmation unit that, for example, activates the PBX software “Asterisk (trade name)” installed in the external memory 1-5 and automatically performs a safety confirmation for the registered user via the network 21 or an IP phone line every time the outgoing call setting time is counted. Here, the registered user is a user who operates the first data terminal 3 that requests the digital legacy management service provided by the server device 1. Also, Asterisk (trade name) has an automatic voice generation function, and in this system, it is configured to be able to periodically make a safety inquiry to the first data terminal 3 operated by the contractor. 1-4-2 is a determination unit that executes a process of determining the survival status of the contractor from the voice response result from the first data terminal 3 with respect to the survival confirmation unit 1-4-1.

[0033] Specifically, it is assumed that the voice response result from the first data terminal 3 continues for several days, or a message indicating inability to connect is responded, or a death report is received from a family member, relative, or friend of the contractor who operates the second data terminal 4. Note that the safety confirmation process may be a process of comprehensively determining by combining the above-mentioned multiple cases.

[0034] 1-4-3 is a control unit that, when the determination unit 1-4-2 determines that the survival status cannot be confirmed, substitutes and controls the procedure for the digital legacy for each registered source according to a pre-contracted disposal instruction sheet (stored in the external memory 1-5 so as to be updatable).

[0035] Here, the proxy control includes, as procedures for handling digital heritage, separately requesting a contract cancellation procedure, a data deletion procedure, and a certificate issuance procedure indicating data deletion or account deletion from the provider server storing the digital heritage based on the disposal instruction document. In addition to this, it is configured to be able to incorporate other procedures as options separately.

[0036] Here, the control unit 1-4-3 is also configured to be able to collectively request a contract cancellation procedure, a data deletion procedure, and a certificate issuance procedure indicating data deletion or account deletion from the provider server storing the digital heritage based on the disposal instruction document as procedures for handling digital heritage.

[0037] 1-4-4 is a notification unit and has a function of notifying the second data terminal 4 operated by the contact person registered for the start of disposal of digital heritage by the contractee regularly or at the time of death confirmation. Note that the death confirmation may be configured to be notified from the second data terminal 4.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a digital asset management table stored in the external memory 1-5 shown in FIG. 2. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it is composed of an ID for identifying the registrant, name, contract date, asset list ID, and survival flag. Note that the state where the survival flag is alive (surviving) is denoted as [A] taking the initial letter of Alive, and after death, it is denoted as [D] taking the initial letter of Dead.

[0039] Here, the registrant is given an asset list ID associated with the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N provided by the contracting operator. L(AB-1) corresponds to the asset list ID and increases in number according to the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N used by the contractee.

[0040] Here, as parameters not shown in the figures, for the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N, a sworn statement that enables the performance of procedures for contract cancellation, data deletion, and issuance of a certificate indicating data deletion or account deletion on behalf of the individual is associated and managed. Even if the contractee dies, the above procedures are managed so that they can be executed upon request from the server device 1.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a part of a disposal instruction document subordinate to the asset list ID shown in FIG. 4.

[0042] In this example, for each SNS registered by the contractee, a case where management of account succession requests, account deletion requests, the current account status, the status of issuance of data deletion certificates from the operation server, etc. is unified is shown.

[0043] Note that the items of the disposal instruction document that can be registered in this system are not limited to the above, and the contractee can optionally configure the digital legacy disposal procedures in detail for pre-registration. For example, regarding death notification, for a specific medical institution, when the contractee is hospitalized and dies despite treatment, instead of the confirmation process of the survival confirmation unit 1-4-1, a configuration may be adopted that also includes notification by email (including SMS) from the medical institution.

[0044] Also, when a series of data deletion procedures are completed, the server device 1 is configured to be able to issue an invoice for individually billing the costs required for various procedures, together with a notification of the end of the deletion operation to the second data terminal 4.

[0045] 〔Example of a process for creating a disposal instruction document related to digital legacy〕 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device 1 in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. Note that (1) to (4) indicate each step, and each step is realized by the CPU 1-2 executing a control program stored in the external memory 1-5.

[0046] First, the CPU 1-2 determines whether the user who has sent a connection request to the website provided by the server device 1 is a contractor who operates the first data terminal 3 (1). Here, if the CPU 1-2 determines that the user is a contractor, the CPU 1-2 determines whether the password received from the first data terminal 3 matches the password associated with the contractor registered in the external memory 1-5 (2).

[0047] Here, if the CPU 1-2 determines that the password received from the first data terminal 3 matches the password associated with the contractor registered in the external memory 1-5, the CPU 1-2 performs a process of creating a disposal instruction related to the digital legacy (3). Next, the CPU 1-2 registers the disposal instruction created in step (3) in the external memory 1-5 in association with the user account (4), and ends this process.

[0048] On the other hand, in steps (1) and (2), if the CPU 1-2 determines NO in both cases, this process ends.

[0049] [Example of confirmation process for the safety of the contractor] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the data processing procedure of the server device 1 in the digital legacy management system showing this embodiment. Note that (11) to (17) indicate each step, and each step is realized by the CPU 1-2 executing a control program stored in the external memory 1-5.

[0050] First, according to the safety confirmation schedule exchanged with the contractor, the CPU 1-2 regularly or at each specified date and time, for example, according to the specification such as 12:00 to 14:00 on Sunday, starts the PBX software "Asterisk (product name)", and every time the outgoing call setting time is counted, automatically performs a safety confirmation for the registered user using the network 21 or the IP telephone line (11). Note that the setting of the safety inquiry can be configured to be customizable based on the version and specifications of the PBX software.

[0051] Next, the CPU 1-2 determines whether it has received an audio response replied from the first data terminal 3 via the network 21 (12). If the CPU 1-2 determines that it has not received an audio response, it newly registers the contractor in the list of deceased data stored in the external memory 1-5 (13).

[0052] At this time, in order to prevent misregistration, the CPU 1-2 sends an inquiry about the safety of the contractor to the second data terminal 4 by email to the related persons of the contractor registered in the external memory 1-5 (14).

[0053] Then, the CPU 1-2 receives the safety information of the contractor from the second data terminal 4 and determines whether the contractor is in a living state or a deceased state (15).

[0054] Here, if the CPU 1-2 has received a response from the second data terminal 4 indicating that the contractor is alive, it updates the living data managed in the external memory 1-5 (16) and ends this process.

[0055] On the other hand, in step (15), if the CPU 1-2 has received a response from the second data terminal 4 indicating that the contractor has passed away, it ends this process.

[0056] Note that occasionally, there may be cases where the response is during going out or traveling. Therefore, it may be configured to control to register the contractor in the list of deceased data when the same number of responses exceeds a preset threshold.

[0057] On the other hand, in step (12), if the CPU 1-2 determines that it has received an audio response replied from the first data terminal 3 via the network 21, it updates the audio data stored and managed in the external memory 1-5 (17) and ends this process.

[0058] 〔Example of Digital Heritage Deletion Process〕 FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are flowcharts showing the data processing procedure of the server device 1 in the digital heritage management system according to the present embodiment. Note that (21) to (34) indicate each step, and each step is realized by the CPU 1-2 executing a control program stored in the external memory 1-5.

[0059] First, the CPU 1-2 reads the latest deceased user from the acquaintance information table stored in the external memory 1-5 (21). Next, the CPU 1-2 determines whether the heritage sorting parameter registered for each contractor in the external memory 1-5 is in the OFF state (a flag indicating that the contractor is alive) (22). Here, if the CPU 1-2 determines that the heritage sorting parameter is not OFF (the contractor has passed away), it proceeds to step (24).

[0060] On the other hand, in step (22), if the CPU 1-2 determines that the heritage sorting parameter is OFF, in order to manage the contractor as a deceased person, the CPU 1-2 sets the heritage sorting parameter to ON (23).

[0061] Next, the CPU 1-2 adds the number of providers with which the contractor registered in the external memory 1-5 is contracted and the number of SNS contracts to set a cancellation parameter (24).

[0062] Next, the CPU 1-2 reads the first cancellation parameter and issues a cancellation request on behalf of the contractor to any one of the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N for the provider used by the contractor registered in the external memory 1-5 via the network 21 (25).

[0063] Next, the CPU 1-2 determines whether the response from the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N to the cancellation request is cancellation authentication OK (26). If the CPU 1-2 determines that the cancellation authentication is not OK, it returns to step (25) and repeats the same process.

[0064] On the one hand, in step (26), if the CPU 1-2 determines that the release authentication is OK, the CPU 1-2 updates the content of the disposal instruction based on the deletion status of the authenticated provider or SNS in the disposal instruction registered in the external memory 1-5 (27).

[0065] Next, the CPU 1-2 determines whether all of the release parameters set in step (24) have been processed (28). Here, if the CPU 1-2 determines that not all of the set release parameters have been processed, it returns to step (24) and repeats the deletion process corresponding to the next release parameter.

[0066] On the one hand, in step (28), if the CPU 1-2 determines that all of the set release parameters have been processed, it notifies the relevant person of the second data terminal 4 that the procedures regarding the digital legacy are completed (29).

[0067] Here, it is assumed that the CPU 1-2 is configured to be able to use any of email, SMS, and SNS via the network 21.

[0068] Next, the CPU 1-2 deletes the disposal instruction stored in the external memory 1-5 that has notified the completion notice of the procedure (30).

[0069] Next, the CPU 1-2 executes a process of billing the person operating the second data terminal 4 for the fees generated based on the contract content with the contractor (the deceased).

[0070] Next, the CPU 1-2 obtains the account transactions of the contract bank to determine whether the billed fees have been completed by electronic payment or transfer payment and whether the settlement is OK (32). If the CPU 1-2 determines that the settlement is OK, the CPU 1-2 determines whether specific option processing has been set for digital legacy processing based on the contract content with the contractor (the deceased) (33).

[0071] Here, when the CPU 1-2 determines that no option setting has been made, it ends this process.

[0072] On the other hand, in step (33), when it is determined that an option setting has been made, digital heirlooms without a deletion request are sent to the second data terminal 4 (34), and this process ends.

[0073] Here, digital heirlooms without a deletion request are assumed to include image files and letters as a collection for specific friends by the contractor (the deceased) in advance.

[0074] 〔Effect of the First Embodiment〕 According to this embodiment, on the premise of checking the safety of the contractor, even if it encounters a situation where the disposal of digital heirlooms stored in the storage medium cannot be carried out without the permission of the provider, it can smoothly substitute the disposal procedure of digital heirlooms without waiting for the request from the bereaved family, and support various services related to digital heirlooms, such as recovering and deleting digital heirlooms in accordance with the will of the deceased.

[0075] 〔Second Embodiment〕 In the above embodiment, an example was described in which, in accordance with the disposal instruction document registered in advance by the contractor operating the first data terminal 3, the provider server storing the digital heirloom substitutes for the contract cancellation procedure, data deletion procedure, and certificate issuance procedure indicating data deletion or account deletion. However, when the contractor is an influencer, including an artist, it is also assumed that unpublished works are registered in the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N.

[0076] Therefore, in addition to the contract cancellation procedure, data deletion procedure, and certificate issuance procedure indicating data deletion or account deletion for the provider server storing the digital heirloom, as an optional contract, with the consent of the related person operating the second data terminal 4, the work (digital assets associated with NFT) is put up for auction, and the proceeds obtained by deducting the commission from the winning bid price are transferred to the designated account or donated to the designated corporate account. This process may be added to the procedure.

[0077] 〔Effect of the Second Embodiment〕 According to this embodiment, when a contractor has a contract stating that although it is not publicly disclosed, it can be made public after death, it is possible to support a service that auctions unpublished digital works and disposes of the income of the deceased who won the auction in accordance with the wishes of the deceased.

[0078] Supporting such a service is expected to be a service that gains international support and is useful for international assistance, even in the international community.

[0079] 〔Third Embodiment〕 Hereinafter, an outline of the service processing method of the digital heritage management system by the server device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the service processing method of the digital heritage management system showing this embodiment. Note that (51) to (55) indicate each step, and each step is realized by the CPU 1-2 executing a control program stored in the external memory 1-5.

[0080] First, the CPU 1-2 creates a checklist of digital assets according to the disposal instruction obtained from the first data terminal 3, and gives a setting indicating which data to disclose or which data to keep undisclosed in the disposal instruction (51).

[0081] Next, the CPU 1-2 registers the contact person who operates the second data terminal 4 in the external memory 1-5, selects a contact person from among the presumed heirs, and registers it as a contact point to the system (52).

[0082] Next, as data storage and annual confirmation service, the CPU 1-2 grasps the management status of data and manages it linked to the contractor information. Specifically, it confirms the update of contract status, user ID, and password account information by sending a reminder email every year (53).

[0083] Next, as a post-mortem procedure support service, if the CPU 1-2 determines that a response to the survival confirmation process with the contractor has not been obtained, it shall assume that the contractor has died (as stipulated in the service contract in advance) and execute the data deletion service (54).

[0084] Next, as a report issuance service, while making inquiries to the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N, after all data deletion processes are completed, the CPU 1-2 transmits the report created for the contact person or the bereaved family (55) and ends this process.

[0085] 〔Effect of the Third Embodiment〕 According to this embodiment, among various procedures generated by the death of the contractor who requested the disposal of digital heritage, it is possible to avoid the situation where the digital information stored in the server device 1 provided by the provider is managed as undisposed digital heritage, start the disposal of digital heritage reflecting the contractor's intention at an appropriate timing, and complete the disposal of digital heritage quickly and safely.

[0086] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0087] Also, in the above embodiment, when the contractor accumulates any memory resources as digital information, it is assumed that the digital information automatically registered by the operating system (OS) installed in the data terminal is also included, and after the access to the data terminal stops and a predetermined period has elapsed, it is also possible to construct a system that performs the operation of deleting data as the above-described digital heritage.

[0088] (1) A digital heritage management system in which a first data terminal operated by the contract holder communicates with a server device that substitutes the contract holder in the process of digital heritage according to a management contract of digital heritage owned by the contract holder requested from the first data terminal via a predetermined communication medium. The server device includes a survival confirmation request means for requesting the first data terminal to confirm the survival of the contract holder, a judgment means for judging the survival state of the contract holder from the response result from the first data terminal with respect to the survival confirmation request means, and a control means for controlling a service for substituting the process of the digital heritage according to a previously contracted disposal instruction when the judgment means judges that the survival state cannot be confirmed.

[0089] (2) The control means is characterized by including a notification means for notifying a second data terminal operated by a contact registered for starting the disposal of the digital heritage by the contract holder.

[0090] (3) As a process for the digital heritage, the control means individually requests a provider server storing the digital heritage to perform a contract cancellation process, a data deletion process, and a certificate issuance process indicating data deletion or account deletion based on the disposal instruction.

[0091] (4) As a process for the digital heritage, the control means collectively requests a provider server storing the digital heritage to perform a contract cancellation process, a data deletion process, and a certificate issuance process indicating data deletion or account deletion based on the disposal instruction.

[0092] (5) The control means is characterized by offering a specific digital heritage for auction based on the disposal instruction.

[0093] (6) The control means is characterized by electronically transferring the consideration for a specific digital heritage sold in an auction to an account designated by the second data terminal.

[0094] (7) The control means is characterized by starting a time-limited deletion program and transmitting an instruction to automatically delete the specific digital legacy stored in the server device.

Industrial Applicability

[0095] In each of the above embodiments, although the deletion process of digital legacies has been described in detail, the contracts include online individual contracts (annual contracts) and subscription contracts (monthly payment contracts).

[0096] Also, this system is constructed by the first data terminal 3, the second data terminal 4, the server device 1, and the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N to include a safety confirmation system using Asterisk (trade name), a time-expiring file system, step-by-step information disclosure, and an information sharing function with a contact person. However, it may also be a system combined with hardware resources other than these.

[0097] Thereby, appropriate management and deletion of digital assets based on the customer's intention can be surely performed, without imposing a burden on the family members, and it is possible to provide high reliability and security.

[0098] Also, in this system, the automatic issuance of a deletion certificate is optional by a discretionary contract with the contractor, and it is optional whether to provide it as a service to all contractors.

[0099] Thereby, by proving to the family members and successors that the digital legacy has been surely deleted, the reliability can be improved.

[0100] Specifically, it is also possible to incorporate a service in which the system automatically issues a deletion certificate when the deletion of a file from the memory resources managed by a specific provider is completed according to the instruction book registered in the external memory 1-5 of the server device 1.

[0101] At this time, the deletion certificate records the deleted data and the deletion date and time, and is provided to the bereaved family or successor, proving that the digital assets have been properly processed.

[0102] In addition, the server device 1 shown in this system can also provide a service that manages the subscription contract calendar and automatically cancels the contract so that unnecessary recurring payments do not continue after the user's death.

[0103] Specifically, it manages the subscription-type contracts that the user has subscribed to during their lifetime in a calendar format, and automatically cancels them in cooperation with the confirmation of the user's safety. This prevents unnecessary expenses and reduces the financial burden on the bereaved family.

[0104] Also, as an example of the above periodicity, this system can adopt a calendar that manages the contract status of the subscription-type services that the user has subscribed to.

[0105] Specifically, as a process for displaying a list of contract details, CPU 1-2 executes a process of displaying the user's subscription contract information in a calendar format.

[0106] Next, as a process for coordinating with the confirmation of the user's safety, CPU 1-2 starts a process of automatically canceling the contract when the user's death is confirmed.

[0107] Furthermore, as a process for notifying the completion of cancellation, CPU 1-2 notifies the person in charge of contact or the successor that the cancellation has been completed.

[0108] In the above embodiment, a service process for disposing of digital heritage assuming the memory resources connected to the server device 1 operated by the provider contracting with the contractor has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a system that manages individual digital resources (text information, image files (including calligraphy, paintings, photos, etc.)) requested by the contractor for the memory resources secured through a cloud contract by the server device 1.

[0109] Here, when the start of the disposal of digital heritage is registered with a time limit and the timing of the contractor's death is earlier than the set timing, the contractor may be configured to be able to select a change in the start of the disposal.

[0110] Also, in the digital heritage management system shown in FIG. 1, although not particularly mentioned regarding the management process of the user ID and password used by the contractor's first data terminal 3 and the second data terminal 4 operated by the contact person, a configuration may be adopted in which a password management server device (not shown) that manages the user ID and password is connected to the system shown in FIG. 1.

[0111] Thereby, when the user ID and password for using the provider are transmitted to the server device 1, they are immediately transferred to the user ID and password input to the password management server device for management. When the server device 1 substitutes for the disposal procedure, the user ID set by the contractor (the deceased) registered in the password management server device and the password can be read, and the digital heritage stored in any of the contract servers 2-1 to 2-N can be deleted without problems.

[0112] Here, the password management server device may incorporate a process of accumulating and managing the user ID and password of the contract in simple tabular data and setting the deletion timing of the simple tabular data.

[0113] At this time, a process of performing specific encryption processing between the password management server device and the server device 1 may be incorporated.

Explanation of Signs

[0114] 1 Server device 2-1~2-N Contract servers 3 First data terminal 4 Second data terminal

Claims

1. A digital legacy management system in which a first data terminal operated by the contract holder communicates with a server device that substitutes the contract holder in handling procedures for digital legacy owned by the contract holder according to a management contract for digital legacy requested from the first data terminal via a specified communication medium, wherein the server device has a survival confirmation request means for making a survival confirmation request to the first data terminal for the contract holder; a determination means for determining the survival status of the contract holder from the response result from the first data terminal with respect to the survival confirmation request means; and a control means for controlling a service for substituting the handling procedures for the digital legacy according to a previously contracted disposal instruction when the determination means determines that the survival status cannot be confirmed. A digital legacy management system characterized by comprising the above.

2. The control means is characterized by comprising a notification means for notifying a second data terminal operated by a contact registered for starting the disposal of the digital legacy by the contract holder. The digital legacy management system according to Claim 1.

3. The control means, as a handling procedure for the digital legacy, individually requests a provider server storing the digital legacy to perform a contract cancellation procedure, a data deletion procedure, and a certificate issuance procedure indicating data deletion or account deletion based on the disposal instruction. The digital legacy management system according to Claim 1.

4. The control means, as a handling procedure for the digital legacy, collectively requests a provider server storing the digital legacy to perform a contract cancellation procedure, a data deletion procedure, and a certificate issuance procedure indicating data deletion or account deletion based on the disposal instruction. The digital legacy management system according to Claim 1.

5. The control means is characterized by putting a specific digital legacy up for auction based on the disposal instruction. The digital legacy management system according to Claim 1.

6. The control means is characterized by electronically transferring the consideration for a specific digital legacy sold in an auction to an account designated by a second data terminal. The digital legacy management system according to Claim 1.

7. The digital legacy management system according to claim 6, wherein the control means transmits an instruction to automatically delete the specific digital legacy stored in the server device by starting a time-limited deletion program.

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