Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Abstract

To reduce the time and effort for inputting product information.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a control unit configured to execute: receiving specification of one or more first platforms for managing a supply chain; receiving an input of first information about a first product including information about traceability; referring to information about a rule in transmitting information to each first platform and generating second information corresponding to each first platform, from the first information; and referring to information about a connector corresponding to each first platform and transmitting the second information to each first platform by the corresponding connector or arranging the second information in a transmissible state in a predetermined storage area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] A system for sharing information on traded goods between a vendor company and a customer company has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). According to this system, information can be shared between adjacent companies in the supply chain through a common platform.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to reduce the labor of inputting product information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is receiving a designation of one or more first platforms for managing a supply chain, receiving an input of first information regarding a first product including information related to traceability, referring to information regarding rules for transmitting information to each of the first platforms, and generating second information corresponding to each of the first platforms from the first information, referring to information regarding connectors corresponding to each of the first platforms, and for each of the first platforms, transmitting the second information by a corresponding connector or arranging the second information in a predetermined storage area in a state where the second information can be transmitted, An information processing apparatus including a control unit configured to execute

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a computer receiving a designation of one or more first platforms for managing a supply chain, receiving an input of first information regarding a first product including information regarding traceability, referring to information regarding rules when transmitting information to each of the first platforms, and generating second information corresponding to each of the first platforms from the first information, referring to information regarding connectors corresponding to each of the first platforms, and for each of the first platforms, transmitting the second information by a corresponding connector or arranging the second information in a predetermined storage area in a state where the second information can be transmitted, an information processing method for executing

[0007] Also, another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the processing in the above information processing apparatus, and a storage medium storing the program non-temporarily.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the labor for inputting product information can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) is a system for displaying on products the amount of greenhouse gas emissions converted to CO2 over the entire life cycle of a product from raw material procurement to disposal and recycling. To implement CFP, it is important to record each supplier involved in a product from raw material procurement to disposal and recycling and keep the history traceable. On the other hand, when a supplier supplies products to multiple companies, even if the target products are the same, different platforms may be used for each recipient. In this case, the supplier is required to input the same information into each platform, which is time-consuming. Note that this problem does not occur only in the scenario of collecting carbon footprints. For example, this problem can occur in any scenario where any information related to a product is collected, such as other traceability-related information (e.g., raw material recycling rate, due diligence information, etc.) and other product-related information (e.g., components, identification information, etc.).

[0011] In addition, since the content to be input, the user interface, and the connectors may differ on each platform, the supplier has to make corresponding adjustments for each platform every time information is registered on each platform.

[0012] Therefore, an information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit configured to execute: receiving a designation of one or more first platforms for managing a supply chain; receiving an input of first information regarding a first product including information related to traceability; referring to information regarding rules for transmitting information to each of the first platforms, and generating second information corresponding to each of the first platforms from the first information; referring to information regarding connectors corresponding to each of the first platforms, and for each of the first platforms, transmitting the second information by the corresponding connector or arranging the second information in a predetermined storage area so that the second information can be transmitted.

[0013] The first platform manages at least the relationships between enterprises. Additionally, the first platform may be a platform that manages information about each enterprise or information about the products of each enterprise. Alternatively, the first platform may be a platform that manages the metadata of enterprises. The platform for managing this metadata may be configured to include a server and the terminals of each enterprise or the servers of each enterprise. Multiple enterprises participate in the supply chain. The first product is a product that is about to participate in the first platform.

[0014] The first product may be, for example, materials, single parts, assembly parts, or finished products. The first information of the first product includes information related to traceability. The information related to traceability may include, for example, information related to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the manufacturing process of the first product. The second information is information generated from the first information according to the rules set on the first platform. Here, when there are multiple first platforms, the items to be input may be different for each first platform. Also, for example, the units when inputting mass may be different. Therefore, the control unit generates the second information for each first platform according to the rules of the first platform. These rules may be stored, for example, in the storage unit of the information processing device, provided from an external server, or provided from each first platform. Also, the rules may be composed of, for example, a semantic data model and its conversion formula.

[0015] In addition, the control unit refers to information regarding the connectors corresponding to each of the first platforms. Here, it is conceivable that different connectors are used for each first platform. By way of the connectors corresponding to each first platform, information can be transmitted and received between each of the first platforms. That is, by the control unit acquiring information regarding the connectors corresponding to each first platform, second information can be transmitted to each first platform via the connectors. Also, the second information may be arranged in a predetermined storage area in a state where it can be transmitted by the connectors to each first platform. In this way, the control unit can provide second information regarding the first product to each first platform. Also, the supplier can save the trouble of separately inputting data corresponding to each first platform.

[0016] Note that the information processing apparatus may be a terminal of the enterprise of the first product, or may be a server independent of the platform and providing information acquired from the terminal of the enterprise of the first product to the first platform. Also, as another method, the information processing apparatus may be a server of a platform different from the first platform.

[0017] Also, information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the first platforms and information regarding the connectors corresponding to each of the first platforms may be arranged in the predetermined storage area. In this way, these pieces of information can be acquired promptly. Note that, as another method, these pieces of information may be acquired via a network.

[0018] In addition, in response to there being information insufficient with only the first information for the information requested by the first platform, the control unit may refer to the inventory data corresponding to the first platform, supplement the information insufficient with only the first information based on the information obtained from the inventory data, and generate the second information. Here, it is conceivable that it may be difficult to provide some or all of the data for the items for which input is requested in each first platform. For example, it may be difficult to provide data to other countries due to the laws and regulations of each country. In such a case, inventory data is used as data to replace the actual data. The inventory data is, for example, data corresponding to each item input as the second information, and is, for example, data provided by each first platform. The first information (primary data) is, for example, an actually measured value. On the other hand, the inventory data (secondary data) is a reference value used when an actually measured value has not been obtained. The inventory data may be, for example, data that defines representative values for each item. By supplementing the second information using the inventory data, it becomes possible to input data for all items for which input is requested.

[0019] In addition, in response to there being information insufficient with only the first information for the information requested by the first platform, the control unit may output a warning. By outputting such a warning, it is possible to prompt the user to input the missing information. Also, by outputting a warning when the shortage is supplemented with inventory data, the user can know what data has been supplemented.

[0020] In addition, in response to the first information including third information designated as non-disclosure, the control unit can generate the second information by excluding the third information. The third information designated as non-disclosure is, for example, confidential information. The third information may be information that can be specified by the user. By excluding such third information, it is possible to suppress the disclosure of information that is disadvantageous to the user.

[0021] In addition, in response to the third information being included in the first information, the control unit may refer to the inventory data corresponding to the first platform, supplement the excluded third information with the information obtained from the inventory data, and generate the second information. In this way, the inventory data can also be used as the data to be input instead of the third information.

[0022] In addition, the information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the first platforms includes information regarding the rules for the fourth information that cannot be disclosed according to the location of the terminal that transmits information to each of the first platforms. In response to the fourth information being included in the first information, the control unit can exclude the fourth information and generate the second information. The fourth information is, for example, information whose disclosure is regulated by laws and regulations. For example, in some countries, the disclosure of information to other countries may be regulated. In such cases, by excluding the fourth information and generating the second information, the second information that complies with the rules according to the location can be generated.

[0023] In addition, in response to the fourth information being included in the first information, the control unit may refer to the inventory data corresponding to the first platform, supplement the excluded fourth information with the information obtained from the inventory data, and generate the second information. By supplementing with the inventory data while excluding the fourth information, it becomes possible to generate the second information while ensuring traceability.

[0024] In addition, the information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the first platforms includes information regarding the rules of the unit. The control unit may generate the second information according to the rules of the unit corresponding to the first platform. Since the unit of the data input for each first platform may be different, by performing unit conversion, the second information corresponding to each first platform can be generated.

[0025] Further, the first product may be a product related to a battery. That is, the first product may be a product used when manufacturing a battery. Then, traceability regarding the battery can be ensured.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. Also, the following embodiments can be combined as much as possible.

[0027] <First Embodiment> The system according to the present embodiment is a system that provides information regarding products supplied by a supply chain including a plurality of companies. Information regarding products is typically information regarding traceability.

[0028] First, the structure of the supply chain will be described. In one example, at least some of the companies (intermediate suppliers) included in the supply chain receive parts from one or more upstream companies, use the received parts to produce their own products, and can deliver the produced products to the companies (downstream companies) in the next process. The uppermost upstream company can directly produce its own products and deliver the produced products to the companies in the next process. Some of the companies in the supply chain can deliver the products received from other companies as they are to other companies (i.e., participate in distribution). A plurality of companies repeat this, and in the final process, the final product is obtained.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the supply chain according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1 、Assume a scenario of obtaining products related to automobiles. Specifically, the supply chain shown in FIG. 1 is composed of an OEM company and a plurality of supplier companies. The OEM company is a company that assembles the final product, and the plurality of supplier companies (Companies A to C) are companies that supply parts, materials, assemblies, etc. for manufacturing the final product. Each of the plurality of supplier companies produces a plurality of products and supplies the products to companies located at a lower level. The plurality of companies repeat this process, and in the final step, the final product is assembled.

[0030] In this embodiment, the side that receives the product at a certain level is referred to as the upstream side, and the side that purchases the product and produces a new product is referred to as the downstream side. In this specification, a company located on the upstream side is referred to as an upstream company, and a company located on the downstream side is referred to as a downstream company. Also, the product produced by the upstream company is referred to as an upstream product, and the product produced by the downstream company is referred to as a downstream product. The downstream product includes the upstream product.

[0031] Also, in this embodiment, the levels included in the supply chain are referred to as Tiers. Tier0 is the lowest level that assembles the final product (corresponding to the OEM company), and it transitions upstream as it progresses to Tier1, 2, 3. Depending on the level of interest, the downstream company may become an upstream company. For example, Company B located at Tier2 is a downstream company in relation to Tier3, but is an upstream company in relation to Tier1. Thus, the definitions of upstream companies and downstream companies can change for each level.

[0032] ​FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the relationship between products supplied by a supply chain. Here, the supply relationships of a plurality of products constituting the final product X are represented by a tree diagram. In this example, the final product X is produced by assembling products A1, B1, C1, D1,.... Product A1 is produced by assembling products A11, A12, A13,.... Thus, the relationship between a plurality of products constituting the final product can be represented by a tree diagram in which each product is a node. Hereinafter, a tree diagram regarding a specific final product is referred to as a product tree. In one example, the final product X is a battery mounted on a battery electric vehicle (BEV). In another example, the final product X may be a product related to an automobile, such as an automobile assembly or the like.

[0033] The server device 1 according to the present embodiment collects information on products produced by each company (hereinafter referred to as product information) and information for associating the product information from terminals corresponding to each company (company terminals 2), and generates such a product tree based on these. Further, the product information includes information related to traceability (for example, information related to the emission amount of greenhouse gases, etc., hereinafter referred to as "traceability-related information"), and by tracing the product tree, it is possible to perform tracking such as a carbon footprint. Note that the traceability-related information may include any information that can be a target for ensuring traceability.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing system according to an example of the present embodiment includes a server device 1 and a plurality of company terminals 2. The company terminal 2 is a terminal corresponding to each of a plurality of companies constituting the supply chain. The number of company terminals 2 included in the system can be plural. The server device 1 collects information for generating a product tree from each of the plurality of company terminals 2, and generates a product tree based on this information. Further, the server device 1 can execute processing related to traceability (typically, processing for calculating the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, etc.) based on the generated product tree. Also, the execution result of the processing can be transmitted to the company terminal 2.

[0035] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an outline of the process by which the server device 1 generates a product tree will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the process performed between the company terminal 2 and the server device 1. In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that at an arbitrary hierarchy, there are Company A, which is a downstream company, and Company B, which is an upstream company. It is assumed that Company B produces Product B and supplies it to Company A, and Company A produces Product A using Product B. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, on the product tree, Product B is a child node of Product A.

[0036] To generate a product tree, the company terminal 2 corresponding to each company transmits information about the products produced by the company to the server device 1. In this example, the company terminal 2 corresponding to Company A transmits product information about Product A (referred to as product information A) to the server device 1. Similarly, the company terminal 2 corresponding to Company B transmits product information about Product B (referred to as product information B) to the server device 1. The product information of each company is stored in the server device 1.

[0037] The operation for associating product information stored in the server device 1 is performed by the enterprise terminal 2. In one example, a person in charge of a downstream enterprise logs in from the enterprise terminal 2 to the server device 1 using the account of the downstream enterprise, and selects an upstream product that is the association destination of the downstream product, which is its own product. In this way, the association of product information is performed from the downstream product to the upstream product. The server device 1 associates the product information based on the selection.

[0038] However, when allowing the selection of the product that is the association destination, if all the products included in the supply chain and the information related to those products are presented as options, the confidentiality of the information of the enterprises constituting the supply chain and the information related to the products produced by those enterprises will be compromised. Furthermore, it may not be appropriate to disclose the entire product tree to a single supplier in some cases.

[0039] Therefore, the server device 1 according to the present embodiment causes the downstream enterprise to be pre - granted the access right to the product information of the upstream product in response to the request of the upstream enterprise. The server device 1 permits reference from the downstream enterprise within the scope of the granted right.

[0040] In the example of FIG. 3, the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to enterprise B, which is an upstream enterprise, transmits a request (information) instructing the server device 1 to "grant enterprise A the access right to product information B". When the server device 1 receives a request related to the association from the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to enterprise A, it provides only the list of product information for which enterprise A has been granted the access right and allows selection as the association destination. Also, when there is a request to refer to the product tree from the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to enterprise A, the server device 1 provides the enterprise terminal 2 with a product tree in which information other than that for which enterprise A has been granted the access right is concealed. Thereby, information related to irrelevant enterprises and products can be concealed.

[0041] [Hardware Configuration] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the hardware configuration of each device constituting the system will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment. The server device 1 is configured as a computer having a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication module 13, and an input / output device 14.

[0042] The server device 1 can be configured as a computer having a processor (such as a CPU or GPU), a main storage device (such as a RAM or ROM), and an auxiliary storage device (such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, or a removable medium). The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc. By executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) that meet a predetermined purpose, as described later, can be realized. However, some or all of the modules may be realized as hardware modules by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0043] The control unit 11 is an arithmetic unit that realizes various functions of the server device 1 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 11 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. Also, the control unit 11 may be configured to include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a cache memory, etc.

[0044] The storage unit 12 is a means for storing information, and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 11, data used by the programs, etc. Also, a database is constructed in the storage unit 12, and product information collected from a plurality of enterprise terminals 2 and account information regarding the enterprises are stored in the database. Details will be described later.

[0045] The communication module 13 is a communication interface for connecting the server device 1 to the network. The communication module 13 may be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, and the like. The server device 1 can perform data communication with other computers (for example, other server devices 1 or each enterprise terminal 2) via the communication module 13.

[0046] The input / output device 14 is a means for receiving an input operation performed by an operator and presenting information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output device 14 includes a device for performing inputs such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a device for performing outputs such as a display and a speaker. The input / output device may be integrally configured by, for example, a touch panel display or the like.

[0047] Note that the specific hardware configuration of the server device 1 can be appropriately omitted, replaced, and added according to the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include a plurality of hardware processors. The hardware processors may be configured by a microprocessor, an FPGA, a GPU, or the like. The input / output device 14 may be omitted, or an input / output device other than the illustrated one (for example, an optical drive or the like) may be added. Further, the server device 1 may be configured by a plurality of computers. In this case, the hardware configurations of the respective computers may or may not match.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the hardware configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 according to the present embodiment. The enterprise terminal 2 is configured as a computer having a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication module 23, and an input / output device 24.

[0049] Similar to the server device 1, the enterprise terminal 2 can be configured as a computer having a processor (such as a CPU or GPU), a main memory device (such as a RAM or ROM), and an auxiliary storage device (such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, or a removable medium). However, some or all of the functions (software modules) may be realized as hardware modules by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0050] The control unit 21 is an arithmetic unit that realizes various functions (software modules) of the enterprise terminal 2 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 21 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. Also, the control unit 21 may be configured to include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a cache memory, etc.

[0051] The storage unit 22 is a means for storing information and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 22 stores a program executed by the control unit 21, data used by the program, rule information regarding the rule of input of product information, connector information regarding connectors corresponding to each platform, etc. Details will be described later. will be described later.

[0052] The communication module 23 is a communication interface for connecting the enterprise terminal 2 to a network. The communication module 23 may be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The enterprise terminal 2 can perform data communication with other computers (such as the server device 1) via the communication module 23.

[0053] The input / output device 24 is a means for receiving input operations performed by the operator and presenting information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output device 24 includes a device for performing input such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a device for performing output such as a display and a speaker. The input / output device may be integrally configured by, for example, a touch panel display or the like.

[0054] Note that, similar to the server device 1, the specific hardware configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 can be appropriately omitted, replaced, or added according to the embodiment.

[0055] [Software Configuration] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the software configuration of each device constituting the system will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the software configuration of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control unit 11 is configured to include five software modules: an information collection unit 111, an authority setting unit 112, an association unit 113, an information providing unit 114, and a connector unit 115. Each software module may be realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12 by the control unit 11 (CPU). Note that the information processing executed by the following information collection unit 111, authority setting unit 112, association unit 113, information providing unit 114, and connector unit 115 is synonymous with the information processing executed by the control unit 11.

[0056] The information collection unit 111 is configured to execute a process of receiving product information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 and storing the product information in the storage unit 12. The authority setting unit 112 is configured to receive information (hereinafter, permission information) for setting an access authority for the product information from the enterprise terminal 2. Further, the authority setting unit 112 is configured to execute a process of setting an access authority for the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the received information.

[0057] The linking unit 113 is configured to obtain information for linking product information from the enterprise terminal 2 by interacting with the enterprise terminal 2. Further, the linking unit 113 is configured to execute a process of writing information representing a linking relationship for the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the obtained information. Also, the linking unit 113 is configured to receive a request to assign terminal information and, in response thereto, execute a process of assigning terminal information to the product information stored in the storage unit 12. By reflecting the linking and terminal assignment, a product tree is formed. That is, forming a product tree is constituted by storing linking information and terminal information in the storage unit 12. The linking unit 113 is configured to generate a product tree according to the results of the linking and terminal assignment.

[0058] The information providing unit 114 is configured to execute information processing related to the product tree and output the result of the executed information processing. The information processing related to the product tree may include a process of performing an operation related to traceability on the product tree. Outputting the result of the executed information processing may include a process of providing information related to the generated product tree to the enterprise terminal 2. In one example, the information providing unit 114 is configured to generate information related to the product tree and output the generated information related to the product tree.

[0059] The connector unit 115 includes applications used for communication related to the platform. The communication with the enterprise terminal 2 and the communication between the plurality of server devices 1 may be performed via the connector unit 115. The connector unit 115 may be configured to perform processes related to data communication such as authentication and encryption of communication, for example. Also, the connector unit 115 may be configured to control access to each data based on rules such as laws and contracts, for example. In one example, the connector unit 115 may be an application used for communication related to a platform such as an IDS (International Data Spaces) connector or an EDC (Eclipse Dataspace Connector).

[0060] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 is configured to include a plurality of logical storage areas. Different access authorities can be set for each of the plurality of storage areas, such as an area with access authority granted to Company A, an area with access authority granted to Company B, and an area with access authority granted to both Company A and B. The authority setting unit 112 sets the access authority by storing the product information received from the enterprise terminal 2 in an appropriate storage area. The specific processing method will be described later.

[0061] Also, account information is stored in the storage unit 12. In this embodiment, the operator of each enterprise logs in to the server device 1 using the corresponding enterprise's account via the enterprise terminal 2, and thus the interaction between the server device 1 and the enterprise terminal 2 is performed. The account information is information regarding the accounts corresponding to each enterprise constituting the supply chain. Note that logging in using an account is an example of accessing the server device 1 as the corresponding enterprise. However, the access method to the server device 1 does not have to be limited to such an example and may be appropriately selected according to the embodiment.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the software configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit 21 is configured to include six software modules: a product information generation unit 211, an authority setting unit 212, an association request unit 213, an information acquisition unit 214, a connector unit 215, and a second product information generation unit 216. Each software module may be realized by the control unit 21 (CPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 22. Note that the information processing executed by the following product information generation unit 211, authority setting unit 212, association request unit 213, information acquisition unit 214, connector unit 215, and second product information generation unit 216 is synonymous with the information processing executed by the control unit 21.

[0063] The product information generation unit 211 is configured to generate information (product information) regarding the products of the company corresponding to the company terminal 2. FIG. 8 is an example of the product information generated by the product information generation unit 211. The product information may be input via the operator of the device. In the present embodiment, the product information is configured to have fields of company ID, company name, product ID, and product name. The company ID and the company name are the identifier and name of the company that produces the target product (i.e., the company that uses the company terminal 2). The product ID and the product name are the identifier and name of the target product.

[0064] Furthermore, the product information is configured to include associated related information. The associated related information is information for identifying the upstream products associated with the target product. In the present embodiment, the associated related information includes fields of "upstream product information" and "end flag".

[0065] The upstream product information field is configured to store information for identifying the product information corresponding to the upstream product associated with the target product (i.e., the product that is necessary for producing the target product and is included in the target product). The upstream product information field is used when the server device 1 performs the association between products. Basically, at the stage when the product information is generated, since the target product is not associated with the upstream product, the value indicating the upstream product does not have to be stored in the upstream product information field.

[0066] The terminal flag field is configured to store a flag indicating whether the target product is a leaf node, i.e., a node located at the most upstream (terminal) in the product tree. In this embodiment, since a plurality of enterprise terminals 2 transmit product information, this flag is used to determine whether there is a further product associated with a product in the product tree on the upstream side or no further association occurs (whether the target product is located at the most upstream). That is, the terminal flag field is used when the server device 1 determines the association between products. Basically, at the stage when product information is generated, since the association relationship of the target product is undetermined, "0 (not a terminal at present)" may be stored in the terminal flag field. Finally, in order to generate the product tree, the product information of each enterprise stored in the server device 1 is set to either the state of "being associated with an upstream product" or the state of "the terminal flag is set to '1'".

[0067] Furthermore, the product information is configured to include traceability-related information. In one example, the traceability-related information may include the usage amount of materials (e.g., upstream products) per production volume of the product, information regarding the recycling rate of a predetermined raw material, the emission amount of greenhouse gases (CFP value) emitted when producing the product, due diligence-related information, or a combination thereof. The predetermined raw material may be, for example, lithium, nickel, cobalt, lead, graphite, etc. The recycling rate may be expressed directly or indirectly, such as a combination of the total usage amount and the usage amount of recycled materials. These values are values corresponding to the process of producing the target product. For example, in the case of the example in FIG. 3, the traceability-related information included in product information A stores the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the production activity of product A. The traceability-related information included in product information A does not include information about the process until the upstream product is produced (e.g., the amount of greenhouse gases emitted until the upstream product B is produced).

[0068] Note that the traceability-related information may be appropriately selected according to the embodiment. In one example, the greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint) may include Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 1 may be the direct emissions of greenhouse gases by itself. Scope 2 may be the indirect emissions associated with the use of electricity, heat, and steam supplied by other companies. Scope 3 may be the indirect emissions other than Scope 1 and Scope 2. Also, in one example, the due diligence-related information may be a technical document indicating, for a product containing a target raw material (e.g., cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, nickel, etc.), the amount of the raw material contained in the product and that the responsible mineral procurement obligations such as smelters are fulfilled. In another example, the due diligence-related information may include a score indicating the degree of fulfillment of the above obligations.

[0069] The authority setting unit 212 is configured to specify a downstream company that permits access to the product information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 to the server device 1. FIG. 9 is an example of a screen output by the authority setting unit 212. As shown in the figure, the authority setting unit 212 is configured to receive the specification of a downstream company that permits access to an arbitrary in-house product. FIG. 10 is an example of permission information generated by the authority setting unit 212 based on the input information. The authority setting unit 212 is configured to transmit the permission information to the server device 1 at an arbitrary timing. Note that the access authority may be set in units of product information or in units of items included in the product information ("permission items" in the figure). Thereby, for example, it is also possible to handle partial disclosure such as disclosing the existence of the product but not disclosing specific information regarding the materials used, the amount used, etc.

[0070] Note that the list of companies presented on the screen of FIG. 9 can be a list of companies that have had transaction records with the company in the past. Therefore, the server device 1 stores past transactions for each company. Data related to (transaction data) may be stored, and a list of companies may be generated based on the transaction data. The transaction data may include, for example, an identifier of the target product, an identifier of the company that produced the product, a transaction date, and the like.

[0071] The association request unit 213 is configured to request the server device 1 to associate the product information of its own company transmitted to the server device 1 with an upstream product. In one example, first, the association request unit 213 transmits its own company ID and product ID to the server device 1 and requests the association of the product information corresponding to the product ID. In response, the server device 1 generates a user interface including a list of product information for which access from the target company is permitted (that is, candidates for the association destination), and provides the generated user interface to the company terminal 2. FIG. 11 is an example of a user interface including a list of products for which access from the target company is permitted.

[0072] Note that the list of products presented in FIG. 11 can be a list of products that have had transaction records with the company itself in the past. The server device 1 may further generate the list based on the stored transaction data.

[0073] Subsequently, the association request unit 213 is configured to allow the operator to select an upstream product for association from the list. Further, the association request unit 213 is configured to transmit a pair of the identifier of the product (downstream product) that is the association source and the identifier of the upstream product that is the association destination to the server device 1. The server device 1 can accordingly associate the product information.

[0074] Note that if there is no upstream product associated with the target product, for example, by checking the checkbox shown by the dotted line in FIG. 11, this can be clearly indicated. In this case, the product information is not associated.

[0075] The information acquisition unit 214 is configured to request the server device 1 to provide a product tree and output the information transmitted from the server device 1.

[0076] The connector unit 215 includes applications used for communication. The communication between the enterprise terminal 2 and the server device 1 may be performed via the connector unit 215. The connector unit 215 may be configured to perform processes related to data communication such as authentication and communication encryption. Also, the connector unit 215 may be configured to control access to each data based on rules such as laws and contracts. In one example, the connector unit 215 may be an application used for communication related to platforms such as an IDS (International Data Spaces) connector and an EDC (Eclipse Dataspace Connector). The connector unit 215 acquires a connector type during communication with the server device 1 of each platform and selects a connector corresponding to the acquired connector type. Note that the connector type may be acquired from the server device 1 or may be stored in advance in the storage unit 22.

[0077] The second product information generation unit 216 is configured to convert the product information (hereinafter also referred to as first information) generated by the product information generation unit 211 into product information corresponding to each platform (hereinafter also referred to as second information). The second product information generation unit 216 accepts the designation of a platform. The second product information generation unit 216 generates a user interface including a list of platforms to which the product information is to be transmitted and presents the generated user interface to the operator of the enterprise terminal 2. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the screen output by the second product information generation unit 216. This screen is output after the input of the first product information shown in FIG. 8 is completed. As shown in FIG. 12, the second product information generation unit 216 is configured to accept the designation of a platform to which the second information is to be transmitted for any in-house product. At this time it is also possible to accept the designation of a plurality of platforms.

[0078] In addition, the second product information generation unit 216 acquires information regarding rules (rule information) corresponding to the specified platform. This rule information may be acquired from the server device 1, may be stored in the storage unit 22, or may be acquired from a server device different from the server device 1 of the platform. Further, the rule information may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Furthermore, the rule information may be held in a NAS (Network Attached Storage). Also, the rule information may be composed of, for example, a semantic data model and its conversion formula. Additionally, the rule information may be information regarding rules related to units. For example, information indicating whether to represent mass in "g" or "kg" may be used as the rule information. As yet another method, the rule information may include information regarding an input template. In this case, for example, the first information may be converted into the second information in accordance with the input template of the specified platform. Also, the rule information may be information regarding input items. For example, items to be input to the specified platform may be acquired, and the second information may be generated by extracting those items from the first information. Further, the second product information generation unit 216 may obtain the second information by converting the first information using a conversion formula. This second information is generated for each specified platform. Also, depending on the rules of the platform, it may not be necessary to convert the first information. In this case, the first information is treated as the second information as it is.

[0079] Then, the second product information generation unit 216 is configured to transmit the second information to the server device 1 as product information at an arbitrary timing. This second information is transmitted via the connector unit 215. The server device 1 that receives the second information also receives the second information via the connector unit 115.

[0080] [Details of the process related to the formation of the product tree] Next, the specific contents of the processes performed by the server device 1 and the enterprise terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the process executed by the server device 1 based on a request from the enterprise terminal 2. The processing performed by the server device 1 can be broadly classified into the following four phases. (1) The first phase of receiving product information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 and storing the received product information (2) The second phase of receiving permission information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 and setting access rights to the product information according to the received permission information (3) The third phase of associating product information by interacting with the enterprise terminal 2 (4) The fourth phase of providing information regarding the product tree based on the result of the association

[0081] In the example of FIG. 13, enterprise A is a downstream enterprise and enterprise B is an upstream enterprise. Also, the product produced by enterprise A is product A, and the product produced by enterprise B is product B. Further, the product information corresponding to product A is product information A, and the product information corresponding to product B is product information B.

[0082] In the first phase, the information collection unit 111 of the server device 1 obtains product information from the enterprise terminal 2. Second Product Information Generation Unit 216 In the example of FIG. 13, the server device 1 obtains product information A from the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to enterprise A and obtains product information B from the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to enterprise B. The information collection unit 111 stores product information A in a storage area (hereinafter referred to as storage area A) to which access rights are granted only to enterprise A. Also, the information collection unit 111 stores product information B in a storage area (hereinafter referred to as storage area B) to which access rights are granted only to enterprise B. In this way, the information collection unit 111 stores product information transmitted from an arbitrary enterprise in a dedicated storage area to which access rights are granted only to that enterprise.

[0083] In the second phase, the permission setting unit 112 of the server device 1 receives permission information from the permission setting unit 212 of the enterprise terminal 2 and sets access rights to the product information according to the received permission information. The permission information associates a product with an enterprise that is permitted to access the product information of the product, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0084] In the example of FIG. 13, it is assumed that the authority setting unit 212 has received permission information to permit access from Company A, which is a downstream company, to the product information B of the upstream company. In this case, the authority setting unit 112 copies the product information B stored in the storage area B to a storage area (hereinafter referred to as the storage area AB) to which access authority is granted to both Company A and Company B. As a result, the product information B becomes accessible from both Company A and Company B. If no access authority is set for a specific item included in the product information, that item is excluded from the target of copying to the storage area AB.

[0085] In the following description, a storage area to which access authority is granted only to a specific company is referred to as a "dedicated storage area", and a storage area to which access authority is granted to a plurality of companies is referred to as a "shared storage area".

[0086] The copying of the product information is executed by the server device 1 in response to receiving the permission information from the enterprise terminal 2. That is, the enterprise terminal 2 causes the server device 1 to execute an operation of copying the product information identified by the permission information from the dedicated storage area of the target company to the shared storage area accessible from the downstream company by transmitting the permission information to the server device 1.

[0087] In the third phase, the association unit 113 of the server device 1 receives an association request from the association request unit 213 of the enterprise terminal 2, and performs an association of product information based on the received association request.

[0088] First, the association unit 113 receives an association request from the enterprise terminal 2. The association request is sent from the enterprise terminal 2 of the downstream enterprise. In the example of FIG. 13, it is assumed that the enterprise terminal 2 of enterprise A has sent an association request. The association request includes the enterprise ID and the product ID of the target product. The association unit 113 acquires the product information stored in the storage area accessible from the enterprise, and generates a list of the acquired product information. In the example of FIG. 13, from enterprise A, it is possible to access the product information B stored in the storage area AB. Therefore, in the enterprise terminal 2 of enterprise A, the product information B can be selected as the association destination.

[0089] The association request unit 213 of the enterprise terminal 2 presents the list to the operator and allows the operator to select the product to be associated. In this example, product A and product B are the objects to be associated with each other. For example, for product A, the operator inputs information indicating that the upstream product is product B via the input / output device 24. The association request unit 213 transmits data (association data) for associating the upstream product (product B) and the downstream product (product A) with each other to the association unit 113.

[0090] As described with reference to FIG. 8, the product information is provided with a field (association-related information) regarding the product to be the association destination. The association unit 113 stores, in the association-related information included in the product information A, information corresponding to the product information B (i.e., the upstream product) based on the above-described association data. For example, the association-related information stores the identifier of the upstream product, the identifier of the enterprise that produces the upstream product, and the like.

[0091] Note that a pointer or the like to the product information to be the association destination may be stored in the association-related information. The pointer indicates the address or the like of the product information corresponding to the upstream product. Through the processing described above, a part of the tree structure is formed with the product information of the downstream product as the parent node and the product information of the upstream product as the child node.

[0092] At the end of the product tree, no further linking is performed. In this case, instead of transmitting the linking data, the linking request unit 213 transmits data indicating that the product is at the end of the tree. When the linking unit 113 receives the data, it sets "1" in the end flag field of the corresponding product information. That is, in the third phase, either "the process of setting the upstream product to be linked" or "the process of setting the end flag" is executed.

[0093] In the fourth phase, the information providing unit 114 of the server device 1 generates information regarding the product tree based on the stored product information and outputs the information regarding the product tree. Generating information regarding the product tree can include processes such as generating various types of information related to the product (for example, information related to traceability, an image representing the link relationship between products in a tree diagram, etc.) after links between nodes are formed by linking product information. In order to generate information regarding the product tree, it is necessary that all the linkings between product information are completed and "1" is set in the end flags of all leaf nodes. The information providing unit 114 can appropriately generate the information when such conditions are met.

[0094] As described with reference to FIG. 2, the product tree in this embodiment represents the supply relationship between product information in the supply chain in a tree diagram. The information providing unit 114 can generate an image representing the tree diagram based on the product information.

[0095] Furthermore, when generating information regarding the product tree, the information providing unit 114 integrates the traceability-related information defined in each product information and outputs the result.

[0096] Here, the integration of traceability-related information will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a plurality of products constituting the final product X and the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted in each process of producing these plurality of products. For example, in the process of producing the product A12 in the figure, EA12 Assume that [g] of carbon dioxide is emitted. Also, assume that the product is composed of three upstream products A121 to A123. In this way, the upstream products included in a certain product are also referred to as "included products". Here, the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted until a certain target product is produced can be obtained by repeating the process of passing on the CO2 emissions associated with the upstream product to the downstream product between two adjacent hierarchical enterprises from the uppermost upstream product, which is a leaf node, to the target product.

[0097] In the example of Figure 14, when the target product is A12, the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted until product A12 is produced can be calculated by adding the CO2 emissions corresponding to the included products (upstream products A121 to A123) to the CO2 emissions corresponding to product A12. That is, the integrated CO2 emissions for product A12 are as follows. I A12 =E A12 +E A121 ×U A121 +E A122 ×U A122 +E A123 ×U A123 [g] Here, E A121 , E A122 , E A123 are, respectively, the CO2 emissions per unit amount when producing products A121, A122, and A123. Also, U A121 , U A122 , U A123 are, respectively, the usage amounts of products A121, A122, and A123 used in the production of product A12. This usage amount is an example of the usage amount of materials per production amount of the product included in the above traceability-related information. The CO2 emissions of the final product (the product of the most downstream enterprise) can be obtained by sequentially executing the above calculations from the product of the most upstream enterprise to the final product.

[0098] ​The same applies when the target product is Product A1. When the target product is A1, by integrating the CO2 emissions corresponding to Product A1 and the CO2 emissions corresponding to the included products, Products A11, A12, A13, and A14, it is possible to calculate the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the manufacturing activities until Product A1 is produced.

[0099] The integrated value may be stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the product, or may be included as part of the product information. That is, the product information corresponding to Product A12 is the emission amount E in a single process A12 and the integrated emission amount I A12 and may be retained so as to hold both.

[0100] The integrated traceability-related information is reused when performing integration for downstream products. By executing this process at each level starting from the uppermost stream, the traceability-related information (for example, the cumulative value of CO2 emissions) is sequentially passed on in the downstream direction. Finally, by passing on the traceability-related information to the final product, it is possible to obtain the traceability-related information (for example, the total CO2 emissions) corresponding to the entire period until the final product is produced.

[0101] In this way, when generating information regarding the product tree, the information providing unit 114 may repeatedly execute a process of sequentially integrating the traceability-related information defined in each product information from the uppermost stream to the lowermost stream. In the above example, the CO2 emissions are exemplified as the integration target, but the traceability-related information that is the integration target may be, for example, the recycling rate regarding a predetermined raw material, the score regarding due diligence, etc. When the traceability-related information is a numerical value, the integration may be performed by numerical calculation, and when the traceability-related information is information other than a numerical value (for example, due diligence-related information, etc.), the integration may be merely information collection.

[0102] In another example, the product information may include information indicating the location of the traceability-related information of the corresponding product (hereinafter referred to as "location information". Typically, an address, a pointer, etc.). In this case, the traceability-related information may not be included in the product information. Also, the integration may be to collect the location information included in the product information.

[0103] The information providing unit 114 may output the generated product tree in image format. Also, at the same time, it may output the traceability-related information corresponding to any product.

[0104] FIG. 15 is an example of a screen that outputs a product tree as an image. The illustrated screen includes an image showing the supply relationship of a plurality of products constituting the final product in a tree diagram. Also, by selecting any product, it is possible to view the traceability-related information corresponding to the product, or the integration result of the traceability-related information corresponding to the entire period until the product is produced (for example, the total value of carbon dioxide emissions from the most upstream). Such information can be output via the input / output device 14 of the server device 1 based on the operation of the operator of the server device 1.

[0105] Furthermore, the information providing unit 114 may provide the generated product tree to the enterprise terminal 2 in response to a request from the enterprise terminal 2 (information acquisition unit 214). Note that it may not be appropriate to disclose the entire product tree to a specific enterprise. Therefore, when the information providing unit 114 provides the product tree to the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to a certain enterprise, it may perform processing to make non-disclosed the range for which the enterprise does not have access rights.

[0106] For example, in the example of FIG. 15, assume that the information providing unit 114 has received a request to disclose the product tree from the enterprise terminal 2 corresponding to the enterprise that produces product A12. Here, for the said enterprise It is assumed that access rights are granted only for each of the products A121, A122, and A123. That is, from the said enterprise, access to the said three products and product information other than product A1, which is a downstream product, is not possible. In this case, the information providing unit 114 provides the enterprise terminal 2 with a product tree in which information on products without access rights is not disclosed.

[0107] FIG. 16 is an example of a product tree when products without access rights are not disclosed. In this example, for products that are not disclosed, the product tree is displayed with detailed information (or the existence itself) concealed.

[0108] In addition, in a case where the existence of a product is publicly disclosed but access rights are not granted only for specific items in the corresponding product information, only the said specific items are subject to concealment processing, as indicated by the dotted line in the figure. In the illustrated example, it is shown that the carbon dioxide emissions during the production of product A121 are not publicly available.

[0109] On the other hand, even if there are products (or items) without access rights in the tree, the integration of the traceability-related information described above is executed without being affected. For example, in the illustrated example, although the carbon dioxide emissions of product A121 are not publicly available, it does not affect the process of calculating the total carbon dioxide emissions of product A12.

[0110] [Processing Flow] Next, the flow of the process executed by the enterprise terminal 2 when the enterprise terminal 2 registers its own product information will be described with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the process of registering second information in the platform. This routine is executed triggered by a predetermined input by the operator.

[0111] In step S101, the second product information generation unit 216 receives the designation of the platform which is the transmission destination of the product information. As described with reference to FIG. 12, the second product information generation unit 216 receives the designation of the platform via the operator. Note that the operator can also designate a plurality of platforms. In this case, the second product information generation unit 216 receives the designations of the plurality of platforms.

[0112] In step S102, the second product information generation unit 216 refers to the rule information corresponding to the designated platform. When a plurality of platforms are designated, the rule information is referred to for each platform. Note that the timing for referring to the rule information is not limited to the timing when step S102 is executed, and it may be referred to at any timing before using the rule information.

[0113] In step S103, the product information generation unit 211 receives the input of the product information (first information) of its own company. As described with reference to FIG. 8, the product information generation unit 211 receives the input of the product information (first information) via the operator. The first information is typically the information shown in FIG. 8, but the input items are not limited to this. For example, the input items may be determined according to the designated platform. Also, when inputting the product information, it may be input in an arbitrary input format, or it may be input in an input format corresponding to the designated platform. Also, when a plurality of platforms are designated, it may be input in an input format corresponding to any one of the platforms. Note that the processes of step S101 and step S103 may be executed on one screen. Also, the processes of step S101 and step S103 may be executed by the operator selecting from a list on the screen. Also, the process of step S103 may be executed before the process of step S101.

[0114] The processes from step S104 to step S107 below are designated in step S101 This is repeatedly executed for all platforms. In step S104, the second product information generation unit 216 determines whether there is any shortage in the first information. Since the information required according to the specified platform is different, it determines whether the information required for the specified platform has been input. The information required for each platform is included in the rule information. The second product information generation unit 216 refers to the rule information to determine whether there is any shortage in the first information. If the second product information generation unit 216 makes an affirmative determination in step S104, it proceeds to step S105; if it makes a negative determination, it proceeds to step S108.

[0115] In step S108, the second product information generation unit 216 outputs a warning that the information is insufficient. By outputting this warning, for example, an image indicating that the information is insufficient is displayed on the screen of the input / output device 24 of the enterprise terminal 2. If the operator makes a predetermined input in response to this warning, it may return to step S103 to receive the input of the first information again. Also, the warning may be a warning about generating the second information with the insufficient information remaining. When the process of step S108 is completed, it proceeds to step S105. Note that when the information is insufficient, it may be configured not to generate the second information. Also, the processes of step S104 and step S108 can be omitted.

[0116] In step S105, the second product information generation unit 216 generates the second information. The second product information generation unit 216 refers to the rule information and converts the first information into the second information according to this rule information. The second product information generation unit 216 converts the first information into the second information, for example, by using the conversion formula included in the rule information. The generated second information is passed to the connector unit 215.

[0117] In step S106, the connector unit 215 refers to the connector. The connector unit 215 selects by referring to the connector information stored in the storage unit 22 for the connector corresponding to the platform specified in step S101. When a plurality of platforms are specified in step S101, the connectors are selected by referring to the connectors for each platform.

[0118] In step S107, the connector unit 215 transmits the second information. When a plurality of platforms are specified, the corresponding second information is transmitted for each platform. Instead of the transmission of the second information by the connector unit 215, the second product information generation unit 216 may arrange (store) the generated second information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 22. The second information arranged in the storage unit 22 may be disclosed by the connector unit 215 in response to a request from the server device 1 or another enterprise terminal 2.

[0119] Next, the processes executed by the server device 1 and the enterprise terminal 2 when the enterprise terminal 2 registers its own product information will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram corresponding to the first to third phases described above. This process is executed for each server device 1 that has transmitted the second information.

[0120] In one example, the interaction between the server device 1 and the enterprise terminal 2 starts when an operator of each enterprise logs in to the server device 1 using the account of the corresponding enterprise via the enterprise terminal 2. In this example, it is assumed that the operator of each enterprise logs in to the server device 1 using its own account.

[0121] First, in step S11, the second product information generation unit 216 of the enterprise terminal 2 generates the second information, and the connector unit 215 of the enterprise terminal 2 transmits the generated second information to the server device 1 as product information. The transmitted product information is received by the server device 1 (information collection unit 111). It is stored in the storage unit 12 (step S12). At this time, the information collection unit 111 stores the product information in a storage area to which only the company that produces the corresponding product is granted access rights.

[0122] Next, in step S13, the authority setting unit 212 of the enterprise terminal 2 receives, via the operator, an input of information (permission information) specifying a downstream company that is permitted to access the product information transmitted in step S11. In this step, a user interface screen as described with reference to FIG. 9 may be provided to allow the combination of an arbitrary product and a downstream company that is permitted to access the product information to be specified. The input permission information is transmitted to the server device 1.

[0123] In step S14, the authority setting unit 112 of the server device 1 grants access rights to the target product information based on the received permission information. In this step, as described with reference to FIG. 13, the authority setting unit 112 copies the target product information to a storage area to which access rights are granted to a plurality of companies, thereby granting access rights to any company for any product information. If there is no storage area with appropriate access rights granted, a new storage area may be generated and the process of granting access rights to an appropriate company may be performed.

[0124] Next, in step S15, the association request unit 213 of the enterprise terminal 2 transmits data (association request) for requesting the server device 1 to associate the product information transmitted to the server device 1 with an upstream product. The association request includes the company ID of its own company and the product ID of the target product.

[0125] In step S16, the server device 1 (association unit 113) generates a list of product information for which access from the target company is permitted, and provides a user interface screen including the list to the company terminal 2. In this step, the server device 1 may provide a user interface screen as described with reference to FIG. 11 to the company terminal 2 and allow the combination of an arbitrary product and an upstream product associated with the product to be specified.

[0126] In step S17, the association request unit 213 of the company terminal 2 receives from the operator a specification of a combination of a target product and an upstream product associated with the product. The association request unit 213 generates data (association data) indicating the association between the upstream product and the downstream product, and transmits the generated association data to the server device 1.

[0127] In step S18, the association unit 113 of the server device 1 updates the stored product information based on the association data, and reflects the association content between the product information. The association between the product information may be performed by storing information (identifier, pointer, etc.) regarding the upstream product in the association related information included in the product information of the downstream product.

[0128] Note that when there is no downstream company, the processes of steps S13 to S14 may be omitted. Similarly, when there is no upstream company (when there is no associated destination for the target product), instead of requesting the association between the product information, the process of setting the above-described end flag may be executed. In this case, the processes of steps S15 to S18 described above are omitted.

[0129] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram corresponding to the above-described fourth phase. First, in step S21, the information acquisition unit 214 of the company terminal 2 requests the server device 1 to provide a product tree. The request includes, for example, the identifier of the target product. The target product may be a final product or another product (intermediate product).

[0130] The server device 1 (information providing unit 114) that has received the request generates information regarding the product tree by the above-described processing (step S22). At this time, the information providing unit 114 executes a process of integrating the traceability-related information defined in each product information from the most upstream to the most downstream. The result of the integration may be reflected in each product information.

[0131] Next, in step S23, the server device 1 executes a process of concealing information for which access authority has not been granted based on the access authority possessed by the target company. For example, for a certain company, if the existence of product information of another company itself is not publicly disclosed, the server device 1 may execute a process of concealing the existence of the product information. Also, if only specific items included in the product information are not publicly disclosed, the server device 1 may execute a process of concealing the content of the items. The information regarding the product tree subjected to the concealment process is provided to the enterprise terminal 2 (information acquisition unit 214) and output (step S24).

[0132] As described above, in the present embodiment, the product information input in the enterprise terminal 2 can be respectively converted into second information corresponding to each platform, and this second information can be transmitted to the server device 1. According to such a configuration, it is possible to save the labor of the operator inputting information when registering the product information.

[0133] <Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, when there are items lacking in the first information, inventory data is used to supplement the data and generate second information. The inventory data is data corresponding to each platform and is data used as a substitute for actual data. The inventory data is, for example, data provided by each first platform. The inventory data may be, for example, data that defines representative values for each item. By supplementing the second information using the inventory data, it becomes possible to input data for all items for which input is required. The second product information generation unit 216 may acquire the inventory data from the server device 1 of each platform in advance and store it in the storage unit 22, or may acquire it from the server device 1 of each platform when generating the second information. Further, the inventory data may be provided from a server device different from the server device 1 of each platform.

[0134] FIG. 20 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the hardware configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 according to the present embodiment. The storage unit 22 of the enterprise terminal 2 stores inventory data corresponding to each platform. Since the other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG. 5, the description thereof is omitted.

[0135] Next, the flow of the process executed by the enterprise terminal 2 when registering the product information of its own company by the enterprise terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is a flowchart of the process of registering the second information in the platform. This routine is executed triggered by a predetermined input by the operator. The description of the steps in which the same processes as those in the routine shown in FIG. 17 are executed is omitted.

[0136] In the routine shown in FIG. 21, if a negative determination is made in step S104, the process proceeds to step S201. In step S201, the second product information generation unit 216 supplements the first information by referring to the inventory data. The second product information generation unit 216 refers to the inventory data of the corresponding platform, extracts the data corresponding to the unentered items among the items for which input is required on the target platform, and supplements the first information by adding the extracted data to the first information.

[0137] In step S202, the second product information generation unit 216 outputs a warning regarding the supplementation of the first information with the inventory data. By outputting this warning, for example, an image indicating that the first information has been supplemented is displayed on the screen of the input / output device 24 of the enterprise terminal 2. Note that the process of step S202 can also be omitted.

[0138] As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if there is a shortage in the first information input by the user, it can be supplemented with the inventory data, so that traceability can be ensured in the corresponding platform.

[0139] <Third Embodiment> In the third embodiment, information designated as confidential and information prohibited from disclosure by laws and regulations are not transmitted to the server device 1. Here, the first information may include confidential information. There is a risk that the enterprise may suffer disadvantages by disclosing the confidential information. Also, the first information may include information prohibited from disclosure by laws and regulations. Therefore, for the items containing such information, the information is deleted to generate the second information. Note that for the items from which the information has been deleted, they may be supplemented with the inventory data. Note that the information designated as confidential is an example of the third information. Also, the information prohibited from disclosure by laws and regulations is an example of the fourth information.

[0140] Information designated as confidential and information prohibited from disclosure by laws and regulations are included in, for example, rule information. The designation as confidential may be made, for example, by the operator of the enterprise terminal 2 or based on rules and the like included in the rule information. Also, information prohibited from disclosure by laws and regulations is determined, for example, based on the location of the enterprise terminal 2. The location of the enterprise terminal 2 may be the location of the target enterprise. Information regarding laws and regulations is stored in the storage unit 22 in advance.

[0141] Next, the process flow executed by the enterprise terminal 2 when registering its own product information by the enterprise terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the process of registering second information in the platform. This routine is executed triggered by a predetermined input by the operator. Note that the description of steps where the same process as the routine shown in FIG. 17 is executed will be omitted.

[0142] In the routine shown in FIG. 22, if an affirmative determination is made in step S104, the process proceeds to step S301, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S305. In step S301, the second product information generation unit 216 determines whether or not the first information includes a confidential designation item. The second product information generation unit 216 refers to the rule information and determines whether or not the first information includes items designated as confidential. If an affirmative determination is made in step S301, the process proceeds to step S303, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, the second product information generation unit 216 deletes the information entered in the items designated as confidential.

[0143] In step S303, the second product information generation unit 216 determines whether the first information complies with the regulations of the location of the enterprise terminal 2. The second product information generation unit 216 refers to the rule information and determines, for example, whether the first information contains items prohibited from disclosure by the regulations. If an affirmative determination is made in step S303, the process proceeds to step S105; if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S304. In step S304, the second product information generation unit 216 deletes the information entered in the items that do not comply with the regulations.

[0144] In step S305, the second product information generation unit 216 supplements the first information by referring to the inventory data. The second product information generation unit 216 refers to the inventory data of the corresponding platform and extracts the data corresponding to the items for which input is required on the target platform among the unentered items, and supplements the first information by adding the extracted data to the first information. The unentered items include the items for which information was deleted in step S302 or step S304. Note that the process of step S305 can also be omitted. In this case, the second information may be generated with the unentered items remaining unentered, or the process may end without generating the second information.

[0145] In step S306, the second product information generation unit 216 outputs a warning regarding the supplementation of the first information with the inventory data. By outputting this warning, for example, an image indicating that the first information has been supplemented is displayed on the screen of the input / output device 24 of the enterprise terminal 2. At this time, if information was deleted in step S302, an image indicating that the confidential information has been deleted may be displayed. Also, if information was deleted in step S304, an image indicating that the information was deleted to comply with the regulations may be displayed. Note that the process of step S306 can also be omitted.

[0146] As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the first information input by the user includes confidential information or information that does not comply with laws and regulations, they can be deleted to generate the second information. In addition, since the deleted information can be replenished with inventory data, traceability can be ensured in the corresponding platform.

[0147] <Fourth Embodiment> In the fourth embodiment, the second information is generated by a server device configured to generate the second information. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system when the second information is generated by the dedicated server device 3. In FIG. 23, the first server device 1A, the second server device 1B, and the third server device 1C are server devices 1 of different platforms. The first information is transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 to the dedicated server device 3, and the second information is generated in the dedicated server device 3. Then, the second information is transmitted from the dedicated server device 3 to the first server device 1A, the second server device 1B, and the third server device 1C. When the first server device 1A, the second server device 1B, and the third server device 1C are not distinguished below, they are simply referred to as the server device 1.

[0148] FIG. 24 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the hardware configuration of the dedicated server device 3 according to the present embodiment. The dedicated server device 3 is a dedicated server that transmits the second information to each platform. Note that the dedicated server device 3 may be configured to be capable of performing processes other than transmitting the second information to each platform. The dedicated server device 3 is configured as a computer having a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication module 33, and an input / output device 34. Since these hardware configurations are the same as those of the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, the communication module 23, and the input / output device 24 of the enterprise terminal 2, the description thereof is omitted.

[0149] Note that the specific hardware configuration of the dedicated server device 3 can be appropriately omitted, replaced, and added with components according to the embodiment, similar to the enterprise terminal 2.

[0150] FIG. 25 is a diagram schematically showing the software configuration of the dedicated server device 3 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control unit 31 is configured to include two software modules, a connector unit 315 and a second product information generation unit 316. Each software module may be realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 32 by the control unit 31 (CPU). Note that the information processing executed by the following connector unit 315 and second product information generation unit 316 is synonymous with the information processing executed by the control unit 31.

[0151] The connector unit 315 includes an application used for communication related to the platform. Communication between the dedicated server device 3 and the server device 1 is performed via the connector unit 315. This is acceptable. Further, communication between the dedicated server device 3 and the enterprise terminal 2 may be performed via the connector unit 315, or may be performed without passing through the connector unit 315. Since the configuration of the connector unit 315 is the same as that of the connector unit 215 of the enterprise terminal 2 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0152] The second product information generation unit 316 is configured to receive the product information (first information) generated by the product information generation unit 211 of the enterprise terminal 2 and convert it into product information (second information) corresponding to each platform. The second product information generation unit 316 receives a platform designation from the enterprise terminal 2. At this time, the second product information generation unit 316 generates a user interface including a list of platforms to which the product information is to be transmitted, and transmits the generated user interface to the enterprise terminal 2. As shown in FIG. 12, the second product information generation unit 316 is configured to receive a designation of a platform to which the second information is to be transmitted for any in-house product.

[0153] Further, the second product information generation unit 316 acquires information (rule information) regarding rules corresponding to the designated platform. The second product information generation unit 316 obtains the second information by converting the first information, for example, by a conversion formula. This second information is generated for each platform.

[0154] Then, the second product information generation unit 316 is configured to transmit the second information to the server device 1 at an arbitrary timing. This second information is transmitted via the connector unit 315. The server device 1 that receives the second information also receives the second information via the connector unit 115.

[0155] Regarding the process when the dedicated server device 3 registers the second information, it can be considered in the same way as the flowchart shown in FIG. 17. For example, in step S101, the second product information generation unit 316 receives a designation of the platform that is the transmission destination of the second information. When the platform is designated via an operator on the enterprise terminal 2, information regarding the designated platform is transmitted to the dedicated server device 3. By receiving this information, the second product information generation unit 316 receives the designation of the platform.

[0156] Also, in step S102, the second product information generation unit 316 refers to the rule information corresponding to the designated platform. Further, in step S103, the second product information generation unit 316 receives the product information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 and stores the product information in the storage unit 12. Thereby, the input of the first information is received. Also, in step S104, the second product information generation unit 316 determines whether there is any shortage in the first information.

[0157] Also, in step S105, the second product information generation unit 316 generates the second information. The second product information generation unit 316 converts the first information into the second information using, for example, the conversion formula included in the rule information. The generated second information is passed to the connector unit 315. In step S106, the connector unit 315 selects a connector. The connector unit 315 selects according to the connector information stored in the storage unit 32 for the connector corresponding to the platform designated in step S101.

[0158] In step S107, the connector unit 315 transmits the second information. Instead of the transmission of the second information by the connector unit 315, the second product information generation unit 316 may arrange (store) the generated second information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 32. Also, in step S108, the second product information generation unit 316 outputs a warning that information is insufficient.

[0159] In this way, the dedicated server device 3 can convert the first information into second information according to each platform.

[0160] <Fifth Embodiment> In the fifth embodiment, the server device 1 of the platform generates the second information. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system when the server device 1 generates the second information. In FIG. 26, the first server device 1A, the second server device 1B, and the third server device 1C are server devices 1 of different platforms. Hereinafter, an example of converting the first information into the second information in the first server device 1A will be described. When the first server device 1A, the second server device 1B, and the third server device 1C are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as the server device 1.

[0161] FIG. 27 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the hardware configuration of the first server device 1A according to the present embodiment. The first server device 1A is configured as a computer having a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication module 13, and an input / output device 14. The second server device 1B and the third server device 1C may have the same configuration as the first server device 1A, or may have the same configuration as the server device 1 described in the first embodiment. Since the hardware configuration other than the storage unit 12 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description of the hardware configuration other than the storage unit 12 is omitted.

[0162] The storage unit 12 is a means for storing information and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 11, data used by the program, and the like. Also, a database is constructed in the storage unit 12, and product information collected from a plurality of enterprise terminals 2, account information regarding the enterprise, rule information regarding the rules for input of product information, connector information regarding connectors corresponding to each platform, and the like are stored in the database. The product information and the account information are the same as the product information and the account information stored in the storage unit 12 of the server device 1 of the first embodiment. Also, the rule information and the connector information are the same as the rule information and the connector information stored in the storage unit 22 of the enterprise terminal 2 of the first embodiment.

[0163] Note that the specific hardware configuration of the server device 1 can be appropriately omitted, replaced, and added with components according to the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include a plurality of hardware processors. The hardware processor may be composed of a microprocessor, an FPGA, a GPU, or the like. The input / output device 14 may be omitted, or an input / output device other than the one illustrated (for example, an optical drive or the like) may be added. Also, the server device 1 may be composed of a plurality of computers. In this case, the hardware configurations of the respective computers may or may not match.

[0164] FIG. 28 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the software configuration of the first server device 1A according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control unit 11 includes six software modules: an information collection unit 111, an authority setting unit 112, an association unit 113, an information providing unit 114, a connector unit 115, and a second product information generation unit 116. Each software module may be realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12 by the control unit 11 (CPU). Note that the information processing executed by the following information collection unit 111, authority setting unit 112, association unit 113, information providing unit 114, connector unit 115, and second product information generation unit 116 is synonymous with the information processing executed by the control unit 11.

[0165] Since the information collection unit 111, the authority setting unit 112, the association unit 113, the information providing unit 114, and the connector unit 115 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0166] Note that the product information generation unit 211 of the enterprise terminal 2 according to the present embodiment is configured to obtain first information via the operator of the enterprise terminal 2 and transmit the first information to the first server device 1A at an arbitrary timing. The second product information generation unit 116 is configured to convert the first information received by the information collection unit 111 into product information (second information) corresponding to each platform. The second product information generation unit 116 receives a designation of a platform from the enterprise terminal 2. The second product information generation unit 116 generates a user interface including a list of platforms to which the product information is to be transmitted, and transmits the generated user interface to the enterprise terminal 2. As shown in FIG. 12, the second product information generation unit 116 is configured to receive a designation of a platform to which product information is to be transmitted for any in-house product.

[0167]

[0168] ​Further, the second product information generation unit 116 acquires information regarding rules (rule information) corresponding to the designated platform. This rule information may be acquired from the second server device 1B and the third server device 1C, may be stored in the storage unit 12, or may be acquired from a server device different from the server device 1 of the platform. The second product information generation unit 116 obtains the second information by converting the first information, for example, by a conversion formula. This second information is generated for each platform. Also, when the first product information received by the information collection unit 111 from the enterprise terminal 2 does not satisfy the rules of the first server device 1A, the second information corresponding to the first server device 1A may be generated and stored in the storage unit 12 of the first server device 1A.

[0169] Then, the second product information generation unit 116 is configured to transmit the second information to the second server device 1B and the third server device 1C at an arbitrary timing. This second information is transmitted via the connector unit 115. The second server device 1B and the third server device 1C that receive the second information also receive the second information via the connector unit 115.

[0170] Regarding the processing when the second information is registered by the first server device 1A, it can be considered in the same way as the flowchart shown in FIG. 17. For example, in step S101, the second product information generation unit 116 receives the designation of the platform that is the transmission destination of the second information. When the platform is designated via an operator on the enterprise terminal 2, the information regarding the designated platform is transmitted to the first server device 1A. By receiving this information, the second product information generation unit 116 receives the designation of the platform.

[0171] Also, in step S102, the second product information generation unit 116 refers to the rule information corresponding to the specified platform. Further, in step S103, the information collection unit 111 receives the product information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 and stores the product information in the storage unit 12. Thereby, the input of the first information is received. Also, in step S104, the second product information generation unit 116 determines whether there is any shortage in the first information.

[0172] Also, in step S105, the second product information generation unit 116 generates second information. The second product information generation unit 116 converts the first information into second information by using, for example, the conversion formula included in the rule information. The generated second information is passed to the connector unit 115. In step S106, the connector unit 115 selects a connector. The connector unit 115 selects according to the connector information stored in the storage unit 12 for the connector corresponding to the platform specified in step S101.

[0173] In step S107, the connector unit 115 transmits the second information. Instead of the transmission of the second information by the connector unit 115, the second product information generation unit 116 may arrange (store) the generated second information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 12. Also, in step S108, the second product information generation unit 116 outputs a warning that the information is insufficient.

[0174] In this way, the server device 1 can also convert the first information into second information corresponding to each platform.

[0175] <Sixth Embodiment> In the sixth embodiment, an example of providing second information to a platform (hereinafter also referred to as the "target platform") including a server device that manages product metadata (hereinafter also referred to as product metadata) and an enterprise terminal will be described. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system when providing second information to the target platform. In FIG. 29, the first server device 1A and the second server device 1B are server devices 1 of different platforms, respectively.

[0176] In the sixth embodiment, the server device 1 generates second information in the same manner as in the fifth embodiment. The server device 1 that generates this second information will be hereinafter referred to as the "first server device 1A". On the other hand, the server device 1 that belongs to the target platform and manages product metadata will be hereinafter referred to as the "second server device 1B". Also, the enterprise terminal 2 that transmits the first information to the first server device 1A will be hereinafter referred to as the "first enterprise terminal 2A". Further, the enterprise terminal 2 that belongs to the target platform will be hereinafter referred to as the "second enterprise terminal 2B". In the following, when the first server device 1A and the second server device 1B are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as the server device 1. Also, when the first enterprise terminal 2A and the second enterprise terminal 2B are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as the enterprise terminal 2. Note that the target platform is an example of the first platform.

[0177] A plurality of second enterprise terminals 2B belong to the target platform, and product information of the company's own products is stored in the storage unit 22 of each second enterprise terminal 2B. In the target platform, when acquiring product information, access is made from the second enterprise terminal 2B to the second server device 1B to acquire a URL that can access the product information. Then, by accessing that URL, product information can be acquired from the second enterprise terminal 2B corresponding to that product. In this way, product information is transmitted and received between the second enterprise terminals 2B. The first server device 1A according to the sixth embodiment is configured to perform the same operations as the second enterprise terminal 2B in the target platform.

[0178] The first server device 1A acquires first information from the first company terminal 2A, generates product metadata from the first information according to the rules of the target platform, and stores the product metadata in the storage unit 12. Then, the first server device 1A registers this product metadata in the second server device 1B of the target platform. The first server device 1A also generates second information from the first information according to the rules of the target platform, and stores the second information in the storage unit 12. The first server device 1A also provides the second information in response to a request from the second company terminal 2B of the target platform.

[0179] The first server device 1A in the sixth embodiment has the same hardware configuration and software configuration as the first server device 1A in the fifth embodiment. On the other hand, FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the second server device 1B in the sixth embodiment. The second server device 1B is configured as a computer having a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, a communication module 53, and an input / output device 54. The control unit 51, the communication module 53, and the input / output device 54 of the second server device 1B are similar to the control unit 11, the communication module 13, and the input / output device 14 of the first server device 1A in the sixth embodiment. The storage unit 52 of the second server device 1B is a means for storing information, and is configured by a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 52 stores a program executed by the control unit 51, data used by the program, and the like. A database is also constructed in the storage unit 52, and the database stores the information from the multiple company terminals 2 and the server device 1. The product metadata collected from the database and account information related to the company are stored. The product metadata is metadata related to the product, and includes, for example, a product ID corresponding to each product and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that allows access to the product information of each product.

[0180] The first enterprise terminal 2A and the second enterprise terminal 2B have the same configuration as the hardware configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 shown in FIG. 5. Note that it is not necessary to store rule information in the storage units 22 of the first enterprise terminal 2A and the second enterprise terminal 2B. Also, the specific hardware configurations of the server device 1 and the enterprise terminal 2 can be appropriately omitted, replaced, and added according to the embodiment. Further, the software configuration of the first enterprise terminal 2A is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 7. However, the second product information generation unit 216 can be omitted.

[0181] FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an overview of the processing executed by the server device 1 and the enterprise terminal 2 when directly transmitting second information to the enterprise terminal 2. In FIG. 31, the first server device 1A and the second server device 1B are server devices 1 of different platforms. Also, the second enterprise terminal 2B belongs to the same target platform as the second server device 1B. In this way, when providing second information to the target platform including the second server device 1B and the second enterprise terminal 2B, the first server device 1A directly transmits the second information to the second enterprise terminal 2B. In the example shown in FIG. 31, the processing is performed in order from (1) to (9).

[0182] As shown in (1) of FIG. 31, the second product information generation unit 116 of the first server device 1A receives a platform designation from the first enterprise terminal 2A. The second product information generation unit 116 generates a user interface including a list of platforms to which the product information is to be transmitted, and transmits the generated user interface to the first enterprise terminal 2A. The second product information generation unit 116 is configured to receive a designation of the platform to which the product information is to be transmitted from the first enterprise terminal 2A. As another example, the product information generation unit 211 of the first enterprise terminal 2A may generate a user interface including a list of platforms to which the product information is to be transmitted. The product information generation unit 211 may be configured to acquire the first information via the operator of the first enterprise terminal 2A and transmit it to the first server device 1A at an arbitrary timing. The first server device 1A and the first enterprise terminal 2A communicate via the connector unit 115 and the connector unit 215.

[0183] As shown in (2) of FIG. 31, the information collection unit 111 of the first server device 1A receives the first information transmitted from the first enterprise terminal 2A and stores the first information in the storage unit 12. Thereby, the first information is acquired. As described with reference to FIG. 8, the product information generation unit 211 of the first enterprise terminal 2A receives the input of product information (first information) via the operator. When inputting the product information, it may be input in an arbitrary input format, or in an input format corresponding to the specified platform. Further, it may be input according to the rules of the specified platform. When a plurality of platforms are specified, it may be input in an input format corresponding to any one of the platforms. Note that the specification of the platform and the input of the first information may be executed on one screen. The first information generated by the product information generation unit 211 of the first enterprise terminal 2A is transmitted by the connector unit 215 of the first enterprise terminal 2A to the first server device 1A. The information collection unit 111 of the first server device 1A acquires the first information via the connector unit 115.

[0184] As shown in (3) of FIG. 31, the second product information generation unit 116 of the first server device 1A generates product metadata from the first information. The second product information generation unit 116 of the first server device 1A acquires information (rule information) regarding the rules corresponding to the specified target platform. This rule information may be acquired from the second server device 1B, may be stored in the storage unit 12, or may be acquired from a server device different from the server device 1 of the platform. The product metadata is generated according to the rules of the target platform. The rules for generating the product metadata are included in the rule information. The second product information generation unit 116 generates, for example, a URL accessible to the second information corresponding to the first information, associates it with the product ID, generates product metadata, and stores the product metadata in the storage unit 12.

[0185] As shown in (4) of FIG. 31, the connector unit 115 of the first server device 1A transmits product metadata to the second server device 1B, thereby registering the product metadata in the target platform. In this way, when transmitting the product metadata to the second server device 1B, it is transmitted via the connector unit 115. The product metadata includes a URL accessible to product information and a product ID. The control unit 51 of the second server device 1B stores the received product metadata in the storage unit 52. In this way, in the target platform, the second information corresponding to the first enterprise terminal 2A becomes accessible from the second enterprise terminal 2B.

[0186] Next, when an operator of the second enterprise terminal 2B attempts to acquire product information corresponding to the first enterprise terminal 2A, the control unit 21 of the second enterprise terminal 2B accepts a specification of a product ID via the operator. Then, as shown in (5) of FIG. 31, the control unit 21 of the second enterprise terminal 2B transmits the product ID to the second server device 1B and searches for product metadata corresponding to the product ID. When the control unit 51 of the second server device 1B receives the product ID, it refers to the product metadata stored in the storage unit 52 and extracts the URL corresponding to the product ID. Then, as shown in (6) of FIG. 31, the control unit 51 of the second server device 1B transmits the extracted URL to the second enterprise terminal 2B.

[0187] The control unit 21 of the second enterprise terminal 2B that has acquired the URL from the second server device 1B accesses the acquired URL and requests product information from the first server device 1A, as shown in (7) of FIG. 31. This request is transmitted via the connector of the second enterprise terminal 2B. This request is received by the second product information generation unit 116 of the first server device 1A. When the first server device 1A receives a request for product information from the second enterprise terminal 2B, the connector unit 115 receives it. The connector unit 115 passes the received request to the second product information generation unit 116.

[0188] Upon receiving a request for product information, the second product information generation unit 116 of the first server device 1A acquires information regarding rules (rule information) corresponding to the target platform, as shown in (8) of FIG. 31. This rule information may be acquired from the second server device 1B, may be stored in the storage unit 12, or may be acquired from a server device different from the server device 1 of the platform. The second product information generation unit 116 obtains second information by converting, for example, the first information corresponding to the URL using a conversion formula. Then, as shown in (9) of FIG. 31, the connector unit 115 of the first server device 1A transmits the second information corresponding to the URL to the second enterprise terminal 2B. In this way, when transmitting the second information to the second enterprise terminal 2B, it is transmitted via the connector unit 115. In this manner, the second enterprise terminal 2B is provided with the second information.

[0189] Note that the timing for generating the second information is not limited to after the second enterprise terminal 2B requests product information. For example, the second information can be generated at any time during the period from receiving the first information from the first enterprise terminal 2A to providing the second information to the second enterprise terminal 2B. For example, after receiving the first information from the first enterprise terminal 2A and before generating the product metadata, the second information may be generated from the first information and the rule information. Also, as described in the first embodiment, the second information may be generated in the first enterprise terminal 2A. In this case, the second information may be transmitted from the first enterprise terminal 2A to the first server device 1A and stored in the storage unit 12 of the first server device 1A.

[0190] [Processing Flow] Next, the processing flow executed in the first server device 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. 32 and 33. FIG. 32 is a flowchart of the process of registering product metadata on the target platform. This routine is executed triggered by receiving information regarding the designation of the platform from the first enterprise terminal 2A.

[0191] In step S401, the second product information generation unit 116 receives the designation of the platform that is the destination of the second information. When a platform is designated via an operator on the first enterprise terminal 2A, information regarding the designated platform is transmitted from the first enterprise terminal 2A to the first server device 1A. By receiving this information, the second product information generation unit 116 receives the designation of the platform.

[0192] Also, in step S402, the second product information generation unit 116 refers to the rule information corresponding to the designated platform. Further, in step S403, the information collection unit 111 receives the product information transmitted from the first enterprise terminal 2A via the connector unit 115 and stores the product information in the storage unit 12. Thereby, the input of the first information is received. Note that the processes of step S401 and step S403 may be executed simultaneously. In this case, the designation of the platform and the transmission of the first information are performed simultaneously from the first enterprise terminal 2A. Also, the process of step S403 may be executed before the process of step S401.

[0193] The following processes from step S404 to step S412 are repeatedly executed for all the platforms designated in step S401. In step S404, the second product information generation unit 116 determines whether there is any shortage in the first information. If a negative determination is made in step S404, then in step S405, the second product information generation unit 116 outputs a warning that the information is insufficient. Note that when the information is insufficient, it may be replenished with inventory data as in the second embodiment.

[0194] In step S406, the second product information generation unit 116 determines whether product metadata is necessary. That is, the second product information generation unit 116 determines whether the designated platform is the target platform. If an affirmative determination is made in step S406, the process proceeds to step S407, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S410.

[0195] In step S407, the second product information generation unit 116 generates product metadata. The second product information generation unit 116 refers to the rule information corresponding to the target platform. Then, it generates product metadata according to the rule information. The generated product metadata is passed to the connector unit 115. In step S408, the connector unit 115 selects a connector. The connector unit 115 selects according to the connector information stored in the storage unit 12 for the connector corresponding to the target platform specified in step S401. In step S409, the connector unit 115 transmits the product metadata to the second server device 1B corresponding to the target platform.

[0196] Also, in step S410, the second product information generation unit 116 generates second information. The second product information generation unit 116 converts the first information into the second information by using, for example, the conversion formula included in the rule information. The generated second information is passed to the connector unit 115. In step S411, the connector unit 115 selects a connector. The connector unit 115 selects according to the connector information stored in the storage unit 12 for the connector corresponding to the platform specified in step S401.

[0197] In step S412, the connector unit 115 transmits the second information. When the target platform is specified, the second product information generation unit 116 arranges (stores) the generated second information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 12. If the target platform is specified, the second product information generation unit 116 arranges (stores) the generated second information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 12.

[0198] Next, FIG. 33 is a flowchart of a process for providing second product information to the second enterprise terminal 2B of the target platform. This routine is executed triggered by receiving a request for product information from the second enterprise terminal 2B. In step S501, the second product information generation unit 116 receives a request for product information. This request is a request to transmit product information to the second enterprise terminal 2B. This request is executed by the second enterprise terminal 2B accessing the URL corresponding to the product and performing a predetermined input. This request is received by the connector unit 115 and passed to the second product information generation unit 116, and is received by the second product information generation unit 116.

[0199] In step S502, the second product information generation unit 116 extracts second information arranged in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 12. Here, since the URL accessed by the second enterprise terminal 2B is associated with the product ID, the second product information generation unit 116 extracts the corresponding second information based on this product ID. The extracted second information is passed to the connector unit 115. In step S503, the connector unit 115 selects a connector. The connector unit 115 selects the connector when it received the request in step S501. In step S504, the connector unit 115 transmits the second information to the second enterprise terminal 2B. In this way, the first server device 1A can behave in the same way as the second enterprise terminal 2B in the target platform and provide product information.

[0200] Note that in the flowchart shown in FIG. 32, the second information for the target platform is generated in step S410 and stored in the storage unit 12 in step S412. However, the timing for generating the second information is not limited to this. For example, the second information may be generated in step S502 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 33. That is, the second information may be generated after receiving a request for product information from the second enterprise terminal 2B.

[0201] As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, even in a target platform where the second server device 1B manages product metadata and product information is transmitted and received between enterprise terminals 2, the first information can be converted into the second information and provided. Also, at this time, the second information can be provided via a connector corresponding to the target platform.

[0202] (Other Embodiments) The above embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0203] Also, in the description of the embodiment, the server device 1 stores product information in the database, but the product information may be stored by means other than the database.

[0204] Also, in the description of the embodiment, an example is given in which the server device 1 completes the product tree by executing the first to fourth phases, but the roles of the server device 1 may be distributed and arranged among a plurality of enterprise terminals 2. For example, the product information may be stored in a distributed database using a blockchain infrastructure. In this case, the product information database may be configured by a plurality of enterprise terminals 2. In this case, the processes of each of the above-described phases may be executed using a smart contract. For example, the process in the second phase may be executed triggered by an account of a certain enterprise writing permission information to the database. Also, the process in the third phase may be executed triggered by an account of a certain enterprise writing an association request to the database. It may be done.

[0205] In the description of the embodiment, the phase in which the server device 1 receives product information regarding upstream products and the phase in which the server device 1 receives permission information corresponding to the product information are described separately, but the two may be received simultaneously. Similarly, in the description of the embodiment, the phase in which the server device 1 receives product information regarding downstream products and the phase in which the server device 1 receives an association request corresponding to the product information are described separately, but the two may be received simultaneously.

[0206] Also, in the above embodiment, access control for each company is realized by providing a dedicated storage area and a shared storage area. However, the method for realizing access control does not have to be limited to such an example. Any method may be used for access control.

[0207] Also, in the above embodiment (FIG. 1), a plurality of companies included in the supply chain are described as companies that produce products. However, the companies included in the supply chain do not necessarily have to be companies that produce products. For example, companies that perform product transportation, import, storage, wholesale, etc. may also be included in the companies that make up the supply chain. In one example, some of the plurality of companies may be companies that do not execute manufacturing processes such as trading companies, sales agencies, import agencies, etc., receive products from companies located in a higher layer (upstream companies), and supply the products to companies located in a lower layer (downstream companies).

[0208] Also, in the above embodiment, a supply chain of products related to automobiles is assumed, the OEM manufacturer is described as the most downstream company, and the companies that supply parts, materials, assemblies, etc. are described as suppliers. However, the companies belonging to the supply chain are not necessarily limited to this. The companies at each stage may be appropriately determined according to the products, etc. Also, the manufacturing activities carried out by each company until the final product is obtained may be appropriately determined according to the form of implementation, and may include all activities that can be carried out until the final product is obtained, such as excavation, processing, assembly, transportation, storage, etc.

[0209] In the above embodiment, the server device 1 is configured to execute the information processing of the first to fourth phases. However, the configuration of the server device 1 is not necessarily limited to such an example. In another example, in the server device 1, the information processing of at least any one of the first to fourth phases may be omitted. The server device 1 may be configured to execute any other arbitrary information processing.

[0210] In the above embodiment, an example of the calculation of the CO2 emission amount (CFP value) was shown. The CFP value may be calculated by the following calculation formula. CFP value of TierN-1 = Self-measured CFP value of TierN-1 + Σ k (CFP value of Company k (TierN) × Usage amount u at TierN-1 k ) Here, the "CFP value of TierN-1" indicates the result of integrating the CFP values of the upstream company (Company k (TierN)) and the self-company's CFP value. The self-measured CFP value indicates the CFP value included in the product information of each company. When TierN is the most upstream company, the "CFP value of TierN" is the CFP value included in the product information of the company. Otherwise, the "CFP value of TierN" is the result of integrating the CFP value of the further upstream company (TierN+1) and the CFP value included in the product information of the company. By setting TierN as the most upstream company (end company) and repeating the calculation until N = 1, the CFP value of the Tier0 product (= final product) can be obtained. The CFP value of the Tier0 product (= final product) can be obtained.

[0211] In the above embodiment, the server device 1 may execute the calculation of the recycling rate and due diligence (score) together with or instead of the calculation of the CO2 emission amount (CFP value). The recycling rate may be calculated by the following calculation formula. The recycling rate may be calculated by the following calculation formula. "(Recycling rate of the TierN-1 product for the target substance) = {(Total usage amount at TierN-1) × (Recycling rate at TierN-1) + Σ k (Total usage amount at Company k (TierN) × Recycling rate at Company k (TierN) × Usage amount u at TierN-1 k)}÷{Total usage at Tier N-1 + Σ k ( Total usage at Company k (Tier N) × Usage amount u at Tier N-1 k )} = Recycled material usage at Tier N-1 + Σk (Recycled material usage at Company k (Tier N) × Usage amount u at Tier N-1 k )}÷{Total usage at Tier N-1 + Σk (Total usage at Company k (Tier N) × Usage amount u at Tier N-1 )}」 k )}」 The recycled material usage indicates the usage amount of recycled materials of the target substance. Similar to the CFP value, by calculating sequentially from the uppermost stream company (end company), the recycling rate in the final product for the target substance can be calculated. Also, regarding the due diligence score (DD score), it can be integrated by the same calculation as the above CFP value and recycling rate. In one example, by replacing the above CFP value with the DD score and calculating sequentially from the uppermost stream company (end company), the DD score (integration result) in the final product can be obtained.

[0212] Note that in the above embodiment, the traceability-related information of each company (Tier N-1) except for the uppermost stream company is not stored in the shared memory area between itself and its downstream company, and the integration results of each company (CFP value of Tier N-1, recycling rate in Tier N-1 products for the target substance) may be stored in the shared memory area between each company and its downstream company (Tier N-2). Thereby, the traceability-related information (integration result) in the final product can be obtained without disclosing the traceability-related information of each company itself.

[0213] ​​Also, in the above embodiment, it was assumed that each company placed an order with a single company for a certain material. However, in the above embodiment, the order form of each company does not have to be limited to such an example. At least some of the companies belonging to the supply chain may place orders with a plurality of upstream companies for the same product, and selectively use the obtained upstream products for their own products. For example, in the example of FIG. 14 above, for the Tier1 product A1, the Tier2 products A11_1, A11_2, or A11_3 may be selectively used. In this case, the server device 1 may maintain the association relationship for each used pattern. In the above example, the server device 1 may maintain association information for the Tier1 product A1 in the form of Pattern 1 "Tier2 product A11_1,...", Pattern 2 "Product A11_2,...", and Pattern 3 "Product A11_3,...". Accordingly, the server device 1 may execute the calculation (integration) of the above traceability-related information for each pattern. In this case, as an example, the server device 1 may output the calculation result for each pattern. In another example, the server device 1 may calculate statistical quantities such as the maximum value, minimum value, average value, variance, standard deviation, median, etc. of the calculation result from the calculation result, and output the calculated statistical quantity. The server device 1 may maintain the association relationship for each used pattern. In the above example, the server device 1 may maintain association information for the Tier1 product A1 in the form of Pattern 1 "Tier2 product A11_1,...", Pattern 2 "Product A11_2,...", and Pattern 3 "Product A11_3,...". For the Tier1 product A1, the server device 1 may maintain association information such as Pattern 1 "Tier2 product A11_1,...", Pattern 2 "Product A11_2,...", and Pattern 3 "Product A11_3,...". The server device 1 may maintain the association information such as Pattern 1 "Tier2 product A11_1,...", Pattern 2 "Product A11_2,...", and Pattern 3 "Product A11_3,..." for the Tier1 product A1. Accordingly, the server device 1 may execute the calculation (integration) of the above traceability-related information for each pattern. Accordingly, the server device 1 may execute the calculation (integration) of the above traceability-related information for each pattern. In this case, as an example, the server device 1 may output the calculation result for each pattern. In another example, the server device 1 may calculate statistical quantities such as the maximum value, minimum value, average value, variance, standard deviation, median, etc. of the calculation result from the calculation result, and output the calculated statistical quantity.

[0214] Also, in the above embodiment, the traceability-related information (especially the CFP value) may be composed of primary data, or may be composed of secondary data (inventory data). In this case, the calculation (integration) of the above traceability-related information may include calculating the primary data ratio of the traceability-related information obtained for the final product. The calculation of the primary data ratio may be calculated by simple ratio calculation, or may be calculated by weighted calculation by replacing the CFP value with the primary data ratio of each company in the CFP value calculation formula and sequentially calculating from the most upstream company.

[0215] Moreover, the processes described as being performed by one device may be executed in a distributed manner by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, the processes described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change how each function is realized by a hardware configuration (server configuration).

[0216] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and causing one or more processors included in the computer to read out and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes, for example, any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0217] 1 Server device 2 Enterprise terminal 3 Dedicated server device 21 Control unit 22 Storage unit 23 Communication module 24 Input / output device 211 Product information generation unit 212 Authority setting unit 213 Association request unit 214 Information acquisition unit 215 Connector unit 216 Second product information generation unit

Claims

An information processing apparatus that transmits information related to traceability from a server device or a plurality of corporate terminals belonging to a source system and constituting a supply chain to a server device or a plurality of corporate terminals belonging to a destination system and constituting a supply chain, comprising: Receiving a designation of one or more of the destination systems; Receiving an input of first information regarding a first product including the information related to traceability; Selecting, from among a plurality of predetermined rules, a rule for transmitting information to each of the destination systems, and generating second information corresponding to each of the destination systems from the first information according to the selected rule; Selecting, from among a plurality of predetermined connectors, a connector corresponding to each of the destination systems, and transmitting the second information or arranging the second information in a predetermined storage area in a state where it can be transmitted to the server device or the plurality of corporate terminals belonging to each of the destination systems by the selected connector; An information processing apparatus comprising a control unit configured to execute the above.

2. Information regarding a plurality of rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems and information regarding a plurality of connectors corresponding to each of the destination systems are arranged in the predetermined storage area. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit: In response to the fact that there is information insufficient with only the first information for the information required by the destination system, referring to inventory data corresponding to the destination system; Generating the second information by supplementing the information insufficient with only the first information based on the information obtained from the inventory data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The control unit: When there is information insufficient with only the first information for the information required by the destination system, Outputting a warning in response thereto. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The control unit: In response to the fact that the first information includes third information designated as non-disclosure, excluding the third information and generating the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The control unit: In response to the fact that the first information includes the third information, referring to inventory data corresponding to the destination system. Supplemented with the information obtained from the inventory data for the excluded third information to generate the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems includes information regarding rules for fourth information that cannot be disclosed according to the location of the server device or the plurality of enterprise terminals belonging to the source system. The control unit In response to the fourth information being included in the first information, Excludes the fourth information and generates the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The control unit In response to the fourth information being included in the first information, refers to the inventory data corresponding to the destination system, Supplemented with the information obtained from the inventory data for the excluded fourth information to generate the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems includes information regarding unit rules. The control unit Generates the second information according to the unit rules corresponding to the destination system. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The first product is a product related to a battery. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. An information processing method for transmitting traceability-related information from a server device or a plurality of enterprise terminals belonging to a source system and constituting a supply chain to a server device or a plurality of enterprise terminals belonging to a destination system and constituting a supply chain, A computer Receives the designation of one or more of the destination systems, Receives the input of first information regarding a first product including the traceability-related information, Selects, from among a plurality of predetermined rules, the rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems, and generates second information corresponding to each of the destination systems from the first information according to the selected rules, Selects, from among a plurality of predetermined connectors, the connectors corresponding to each of the destination systems, and transmits the second information or arranges the second information in a predetermined storage area in a state where it can be transmitted to the server device or the plurality of enterprise terminals belonging to each of the destination systems by the selected connectors, An information processing method for executing.

12. In the predetermined storage area, information regarding a plurality of rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems and information regarding a plurality of connectors corresponding to each of the destination systems are arranged. The information processing method according to claim 11.

13. The computer In response to there being information insufficient with only the first information for the information requested by the destination system, refers to the inventory data corresponding to the destination system, Based on the information obtained from the inventory data, supplements the information insufficient with only the first information and generates the second information. The information processing method according to claim 11.

14. The computer In response to there being information insufficient with only the first information for the information requested by the destination system, outputs a warning. The information processing method according to claim 11.

15. The computer In response to the third information designated as non-disclosure being included in the first information, excludes the third information and generates the second information. The information processing method according to claim 11.

16. The computer In response to the third information being included in the first information, refers to the inventory data corresponding to the destination system, Supplements the excluded third information with the information obtained from the inventory data and generates the second information. The information processing method according to claim 15.

17. The information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems includes information regarding rules for the fourth information that cannot be disclosed according to the location of the server device or the plurality of enterprise terminals belonging to the source system. The computer In response to the fourth information being included in the first information, Excludes the fourth information and generates the second information. The information processing method according to claim 11.

18. The computer In response to the fourth information being included in the first information, refers to the inventory data corresponding to the destination system, Supplements the excluded fourth information with the information obtained from the inventory data and generates the second information. The information processing method according to claim 17.

19. The information regarding the rules for transmitting information to each of the destination systems includes information regarding unit rules. The computer Generating the second information according to the rule of the unit corresponding to the destination system The information processing method according to claim 11

20. The first product is a product related to a battery The information processing method according to claim 11

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