Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To promote participation of an enterprise to a platform.SOLUTION: A system comprises a control unit configured so as to execute: receiving registration of a target enterprise as a virtual enterprise from an account of a downstream enterprise located at a downstream side rather than the target enterprise in a supply chain; receiving input of information about a target product of the target enterprise included in products of the downstream enterprise from the account of the downstream enterprise; registering the information about the inputted target product in association with the information about the product of the downstream enterprise; and transmitting communication related to the information about the target product, with the target enterprise as a destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 22

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

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

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-171146 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] The purpose of this disclosure is to encourage companies to participate in the platform. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of this disclosure is, The registration of the target company as a virtual company will be accepted from the account of a downstream company located further down the supply chain than the aforementioned target company, The downstream company's account accepts input of information regarding the target company's target products included in the downstream company's products, The input information regarding the target product is linked to the information regarding the downstream company's product and registered. Sending communications regarding the aforementioned products to the aforementioned target companies, This is an information processing device equipped with a control unit configured to perform the following:

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is that a computer receives registration of a target company as a virtual company from an account of a downstream company located downstream of the target company in the supply chain, and receives input of information regarding a target product of the target company included in a product of the downstream company from the account of the downstream company, and associates and registers the input information regarding the target product with information regarding the product of the downstream company, and sends a notice regarding the information regarding the target product to the target company as the destination. This is an information processing method for performing these operations.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is that a computer receives registration of a target company as a virtual company from an account of a downstream company located downstream of the target company in the supply chain, and receives input of information regarding a target product of the target company included in a product of the downstream company from the account of the downstream company, and associates and registers the input information regarding the target product with information regarding the product of the downstream company for recording, and sends a notice regarding the information regarding the target product to the target company as the destination. This is a program for causing the computer to perform these operations.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a storage medium that stores the above program non-temporarily.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, participation of companies in the platform can be promoted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1]A diagram for explaining an example of a supply chain according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram for explaining an example of the relationship between products supplied by a supply chain. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an overview of the processing performed between an enterprise terminal and a server device. [Figure 4] Hardware configuration diagram of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Hardware configuration diagram of the enterprise terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] Software configuration diagram of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] Software configuration diagram of the enterprise terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] An example of product information generated by a product information generation unit. [Figure 9] An example of a screen output by an authority setting unit. [Figure 10] An example of permission information generated by an authority setting unit based on the input information. [Figure 11] An example of a user interface including a list of products that are candidates for the association target. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the server device. [Figure 13] A diagram for explaining a product tree and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in each process. [Figure 14] An example of a screen outputting a product tree as an image. [Figure 15] An example of a product tree when products without access rights are not disclosed. [Figure 16] A sequence diagram for explaining the processing performed by the server device and the enterprise terminal in the first to third phases. [Figure 17] A sequence diagram for explaining the processing performed by the server device and the enterprise terminal in the fourth phase. [Figure 18] A diagram for explaining an example of the relationship of products in a supply chain. [Figure 19]A diagram showing an example of product information generated by the information collection unit or proxy input unit. [Figure 20] This diagram shows an example of how memory areas corresponding to virtual companies are created in the memory unit. [Figure 21] This diagram shows an example of memory allocation when the memory allocated to a virtual company is allocated to a second company. [Figure 22] A sequence diagram showing an example of the process flow for a server device to register second-product information. [Figure 23] A flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the second product registration process performed on a server device. [Figure 24] A flowchart illustrating an example of the process flow for modifying product information for a second product on a server device. [Figure 25] A flowchart illustrating an example of the process flow for registering product information of a second product as a product of a second company on a server device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Carbon Footprint (CFP) is a system that displays the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout the entire lifecycle of a product, from raw material procurement to disposal and recycling, converted into CO2 equivalents. For this to work, traceability is crucial, which involves recording each supplier involved from the procurement of raw materials to disposal and recycling of the product, and making the history traversable.

[0012] To ensure the traceability of information such as CFP, it is necessary to collect this information not only between adjacent companies but also across the entire supply chain. However, not all companies in the supply chain will immediately join the platform. In conventional systems, if there are companies that do not participate in the platform, the collection of traceability information will be delayed. Moreover, this problem does not occur only when collecting carbon footprints. For example, this problem can occur in any situation where any information related to a product is collected, such as other traceability-related information (e.g., raw material recycling rates, due diligence information, etc.) or other product information (e.g., components, identification information, etc.).

[0013] Therefore, an information processing device, which is one aspect of this disclosure, includes a control unit configured to: register a target company as a virtual company from the account of a downstream company located downstream of the target company in the supply chain; receive input of information about the target company's target products included in the downstream company's products from the downstream company's account; register the input information about the target products linked to the downstream company's product information; and send a message regarding the target products addressed to the target company. In one example, the virtual company may be referred to as a virtual supplier or (virtual) tenant.

[0014] In one aspect of this disclosure, the control unit can register the target company as a virtual company in response to a request from a downstream company. At the time the request from the downstream company is received, the target company is a company that is not registered on the platform (i.e., not participating in the platform). A virtual company is a company that is not participating in the platform but is registered as if it were participating. On the other hand, the downstream company is a company that is already participating in the platform. Therefore, information about the downstream company has already been registered, and the downstream company has been assigned an account by the platform. For example, the downstream company is a company that does business with the target company. Therefore, even if the target company is not participating in the platform, the downstream company is aware of the target company's existence. Therefore, the downstream company may have information that allows it to register the target company on the platform. In one aspect of this disclosure, the information about the target company can be registered on the platform by receiving information about the target company from the downstream company. In this case, since it is unknown whether the target company itself intends to participate in the platform, the target company is registered as a virtual company.

[0015] The target products are those included in the products of downstream companies and are located closer to the leaf nodes in the tree structure than the downstream companies' products. These products may include, for example, materials, individual parts, assembled parts, or finished goods. Furthermore, the target products may be the same products as those of the downstream companies. In this case, for example, the target company may be a company that transports the downstream companies' products. Since the downstream companies also possess information about the target products, they can also provide information about them.

[0016] Furthermore, the control unit registers information about the target product by linking it to information about products of downstream companies. For example, the control unit registers the information so that it is clear that the downstream company's product is located downstream of the target product. By registering the target product in this way, traceability including the target product can be ensured.

[0017] While it is possible to register target companies as virtual entities in this way, more accurate information can be obtained if the target companies officially join the platform. Furthermore, upstream of the target companies It is also possible to register the other company as a virtual company in the same manner. The control unit then sends a message to the target company regarding information about the target product. This message may be sent via data communication such as email over the network, or it may be sent by mail. The target company's address may be included in the information entered by the downstream company.

[0018] The information processing device may also be a server on the platform. Alternatively, the information processing device may be a server independent of the platform that provides information acquired from terminals of downstream companies to the platform.

[0019] Furthermore, the information relating to the target product may include traceability-related information for the target product. Traceability-related information is information necessary to ensure traceability. Typically, traceability-related information is information used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions, raw material recycling rates, or due diligence scores. This ensures traceability throughout the supply chain.

[0020] Furthermore, the aforementioned communication may include a request for confirmation of whether or not the traceability-related information contains errors. Information entered by downstream companies may contain errors. In contrast, if the target company is asked to confirm whether or not the information contains errors, the accuracy of the information can be improved.

[0021] Furthermore, the aforementioned communication may include a request to participate in the platform. If the target company participates in the platform, it will be able to update the information even if there are changes to the traceability-related information of the target product, thereby improving the accuracy of the information.

[0022] Furthermore, the control unit may be configured to further perform the following actions in response to receiving notification from the target company that it accepts participation in the platform: create an account corresponding to the target company, and allocate a storage area containing information about the target product to the created account. Information about the target product is already stored in the storage area before the target company joins the platform. If the target company takes over the information about the target product already stored in the storage area when it joins the platform, it saves the target company the trouble of newly entering traceability-related information.

[0023] The products of the aforementioned target company may be battery-related products. That is, the target company's products may be products used in the manufacture of batteries. For example, the batteries may be those used in electric vehicles. This ensures traceability related to the batteries.

[0024] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are illustrative, and this disclosure is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments. Furthermore, the following embodiments can be combined as much as possible.

[0025] <First Embodiment> The system according to this embodiment is a system that provides information about products supplied by a supply chain involving multiple companies. Product information is typically traceability information.

[0026] First, let's explain the structure of the supply chain. As an example, the supply chain includes At least some companies (intermediate suppliers) may receive parts from one or more upstream companies, use those parts to produce their own products, and deliver the produced products to companies in the next stage (downstream companies). The upstream company may directly produce its own products and deliver the produced products to companies in the next stage. Some companies in the supply chain may deliver products received from other companies directly to other companies (i.e., participate in distribution). Multiple companies repeat this process until the final product is obtained at the final stage.

[0027] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply chain according to this embodiment. The example in Figure 1 assumes a scenario in which products related to automobiles are obtained. Specifically, the supply chain shown in Figure 1 consists of an OEM company and multiple supplier companies. The OEM company is a company that assembles the final product, and the multiple supplier companies (Companies A to C) are companies that supply parts, materials, assemblies, etc., for manufacturing the final product. Each of the multiple supplier companies produces multiple products and delivers these products to a company located one level down in the supply chain. The multiple companies repeat this process, and in the final stage, the final product is assembled.

[0028] In this embodiment, the side that supplies products at a certain level is referred to as the upstream side, and the side that purchases those products and produces new products is referred to as the downstream side. In this specification, companies located on the upstream side are referred to as upstream companies, and companies located on the downstream side are referred to as downstream companies. Furthermore, products produced by upstream companies are referred to as upstream products, and products produced by downstream companies are referred to as downstream products. Downstream products include upstream products.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the layers included in the supply chain are referred to as Tiers. Tier 0 is the lowest layer, which assembles the final product (corresponding to OEM companies). As you progress through Tier 1, 2, and 3, you move towards the upstream side. Depending on the tier you focus on, downstream companies may... They can also become upstream companies. For example, company B, which is located in Tier 2, is a downstream company in relation to Tier 3, but an upstream company in relation to Tier 1. In this way, upstream companies and downstream companies... The definition can vary depending on the hierarchy.

[0030] Figure 2 illustrates an example of the relationships between products supplied by a supply chain. Here, the supply relationships of multiple products that make up 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… In this way, the relationships between multiple products that make up the final product can be represented by a tree diagram in which each product is a node. Hereafter, a tree diagram relating to a specific final product will be referred to as a product tree. In one example, the final product X is a battery installed in an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). In another example, the final product X is a car, a car assembly… Products related to automobiles, such as those listed below, may be included.

[0031] It should be noted that the hierarchical depth of all upstream companies in a supply chain is not necessarily the same. In the example in Figure 2, companies for products A111, A121, A122, A123, B1, C1, and D1 are upstream companies, but among these companies, companies for products B1, C1, and D1 are Tier 1, and companies for products A111, A121, A122, and A123 are Tier 3. In this case, the hierarchical depth of the entire supply chain may be counted based on the deepest upstream company. That is, the hierarchical depth of the supply chain may be defined as the number of layers from the downstream company to the deepest upstream company. In the example in Figure 2, the hierarchical depth of the supply chain may be calculated as "4". Therefore, when the hierarchical depth of the supply chain is specified as 3 or more, the deepest upstream company is 3 layers (Tier 2 in Figure 2). If the above conditions are met, some top-tier companies may be at the second tier (Tier 1 in Figure 2) (naturally). However, the hierarchical depth of all top-tier companies may be 3 or greater.

[0032] The server device 1 according to this embodiment collects information about the products produced by each company (hereinafter referred to as "product information") and information for linking the product information from terminals (corporate terminals 2) corresponding to each company, and generates a product tree based on these. In addition, the product information includes information about traceability (for example, information about greenhouse gas emissions, etc.; hereinafter referred to as "traceability-related information"), and by following the product tree, it is possible to track carbon footprints, etc. Note that the traceability-related information may include any information that may be subject to ensuring traceability.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, an information processing system according to an example of this embodiment includes a server device 1 and a plurality of corporate terminals 2. The corporate terminals 2 are terminals corresponding to each of the multiple companies that constitute the supply chain. The system can include multiple corporate terminals 2. The server device 1 collects information for generating a product tree from each of the plurality of corporate terminals 2 and generates a product tree based on this information. Furthermore, the server device 1 can perform traceability-related processing (typically, processing to calculate carbon dioxide emissions, etc.) based on the generated product tree. It can also transmit the results of the processing to the corporate terminals 2.

[0034] Next, we will explain the overview of the process by which server device 1 generates a product tree using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the overview of the process that takes place between enterprise terminal 2 and server device 1. In the example in Figure 3, it is assumed that there are downstream companies, company A and upstream companies, company B, at any given hierarchy. It is assumed that company B produces product B and delivers it to company A, and company A produces product A using product B. In other words, in the example in Figure 3, product B becomes a child node of product A in the product tree.

[0035] To generate a product tree, each company's corresponding company terminal 2 transmits information about the products it produces to the server device 1. In this example, 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, 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 for each company is stored in the server device 1.

[0036] The operation to link product information stored in server device 1 is performed by corporate terminal 2. In one example, a representative from a downstream company logs into server device 1 from corporate terminal 2 using the downstream company's account and selects the upstream product to which the downstream product (their own company's product) will be linked. In this way, the linking of product information is performed from downstream products to upstream products. Server device 1 links the product information based on the selection.

[0037] However, if all products included in the supply chain and information about those products are presented as options when users are asked to select a product to link, the confidentiality of information about the companies that make up the supply chain, and the products that those companies produce, would be compromised. Furthermore, disclosing the entire product tree to a single supplier may not always be appropriate.

[0038] Therefore, in accordance with this embodiment, the server device 1 grants the downstream company access rights to the product information of the upstream product in advance, in response to a request from the upstream company. The server device 1 allows the downstream company to access the information within the scope of the granted rights.

[0039] In the example shown in Figure 3, enterprise terminal 2, which corresponds to upstream company B, sends a request (information) to server device 1 instructing it to "grant company A access rights to product information B." Server device 1 receives a request related to the linking from enterprise terminal 2, which corresponds to company A. In this case, only a list of product information for which company A has access rights is provided, and company A is allowed to select it as the linked product. Furthermore, when a request to access the product tree is received from company terminal 2 corresponding to company A, server device 1 provides company terminal 2 with a product tree in which information other than that for which company A has access rights is kept confidential. This ensures that information about unrelated companies and products is kept secret.

[0040] [Hardware configuration] Next, the hardware configuration of each device constituting the system will be described using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 1 according to this 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.

[0041] Server device 1 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), main memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), and auxiliary storage (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.). The auxiliary storage contains an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) that match a predetermined purpose, as described later, can be realized. However, some or all of the modules may be realized as hardware modules by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0042] The control unit 11 is a computing 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. The control unit 11 may also be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0043] The memory unit 12 is a means of storing information and is composed of storage media such as RAM, magnetic disks, and flash memory. The memory unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 11, data used by those programs, and so on. A database is also built into the memory unit 12, and this database stores product information collected from multiple corporate terminals 2, as well as account information related to the companies. Further details will be described later.

[0044] The communication module 13 is a communication interface for connecting the server device 1 to a network. The communication module 13 may be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The server device 1 can communicate data with other computers (for example, other server devices 1 or each enterprise terminal 2) via the communication module 13.

[0045] The input / output device 14 is a means of receiving input operations performed by the operator and presenting information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output device 14 includes devices for input such as a mouse and keyboard, and devices for output such as a display and speakers. The input / output device may be integrated with, for example, a touch panel display.

[0046] The specific hardware configuration of server device 1 can be appropriately omitted, replaced, and added depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include multiple hardware processors. The hardware processors may consist of microprocessors, FPGAs, GPUs, etc. The input / output device 14 may be omitted, or input / output devices other than those exemplified (e.g., optical drives) may be added. Also, server device 1 may consist of multiple computers. In this case, the hardware configurations of each computer may or may not be the same.

[0047] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 according to this 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.

[0048] The enterprise terminal 2 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), main memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), and auxiliary memory (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.), similar to the server device 1. However, some or all of the functions (software modules) may be implemented as hardware modules by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0049] The control unit 21 is a computing unit that implements various functions (software modules) of the enterprise terminal 2 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 11 can be implemented by a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 21 may also be configured to include RAM, ROM (Read Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0050] The memory unit 22 is a means for storing information and is composed of storage media such as RAM, magnetic disks, and flash memory. The memory unit 22 stores programs executed by the control unit 21, data used by those programs, and so on.

[0051] 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 communicate data with other computers (for example, server device 1) via the communication module 23.

[0052] The input / output device 24 is a means of receiving input operations performed by the operator and presenting information to the operator. Specifically, the input / output device 24 includes devices for input such as a mouse and keyboard, and devices for output such as a display and speakers. The input / output device may be integrated with, for example, a touch panel display.

[0053] Furthermore, the specific hardware configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 can be modified as appropriate, depending on the embodiment, by omitting, substituting, or adding components, similar to the server device 1.

[0054] [Software Configuration] Next, the software configuration of each device constituting the system will be described using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the server device 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 is configured with five software modules: an information collection unit 111, an authorization setting unit 112, a linking unit 113, an information provision unit 114, and a proxy input unit 115. Each software module may be realized by the control unit 11 (CPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. Note that the information processing performed by the information collection unit 111, authorization setting unit 112, linking unit 113, information provision unit 114, and proxy input unit 115 described below is synonymous with the information processing performed by the control unit 11.

[0055] The information collection unit 111 is configured to receive product information transmitted from the corporate terminal 2 and to store the product information in the storage unit 12. The authorization setting unit 112 is configured to receive information (hereinafter referred to as authorization information) from the corporate terminal 2 for setting access permissions to the product information. Furthermore, the authorization setting unit 112 is configured to perform a process to set access permissions to the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the received information.

[0056] The linking unit 113 is configured to interact with the enterprise terminal 2 and obtain information from the enterprise terminal 2 for linking product information together. Furthermore, the linking unit 113 is configured to perform a process of writing information representing the linking relationship to the product information stored in the storage unit 12 based on the obtained information. The linking unit 113 is also configured to receive a request to add termination information and, in response, perform a process of adding termination information to the product information stored in the storage unit 12. A product tree is formed by reflecting the linking and termination additions. In other words, the formation of a product tree is performed by saving the linking information and termination 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 termination additions.

[0057] The information provision unit 114 is configured to perform information processing related to the product tree and to output the results of the information processing. The information processing related to the product tree may include processing that performs traceability calculations on the product tree. Outputting the results of the information processing may include processing that provides the generated product tree information to the enterprise terminal 2. In one example, the information provision unit 114 is configured to generate information about the product tree and to output the generated information about the product tree.

[0058] The proxy input unit 115 is configured to receive information about an upstream company transmitted from the downstream company's terminal 2 and to perform the process of storing the information about the upstream company in the storage unit 12.

[0059] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 is configured to include multiple logical storage areas. Each of the multiple storage areas can be set with different access permissions, such as an area where access is granted to company A, an area where access is granted to company B, or an area where access is granted to both company A and B. The permission setting unit 112 sets access permissions by storing product information received from the company terminal 2 in the appropriate storage area. The specific processing method will be described later.

[0060] Furthermore, account information is stored in the memory unit 12. In this embodiment, interaction between the server device 1 and the corporate terminal 2 occurs when an operator from each company logs in to the server device 1 via the corporate terminal 2 using the account of the corresponding company. The account information is information about the account corresponding to each company that makes up the supply chain. Note that logging in using an account is one example of accessing the server device 1 as the corresponding company. However, the method of accessing the server device 1 is not limited to this example and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment.

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the software configuration of the enterprise terminal 2 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit 21 is configured with five software modules: a product information generation unit 211, an authorization setting unit 212, a linking request unit 213, an information acquisition unit 214, and an agent application unit 215. Each software module may be implemented by the control unit 21 (CPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 22. The information processing performed by the product information generation unit 211, authorization setting unit 212, linking request unit 213, information acquisition unit 214, and agent application unit 215 described below is synonymous with the information processing performed by the control unit 21.

[0062] The product information generation unit 211 is configured to generate information (product information) about the company's products corresponding to the company terminal 2. Figure 8 shows an example of product information generated by the product information generation unit 211. The product information may also be input via the device operator. In this embodiment, the product information is configured to have the following fields: company ID, company name, product ID, and product name. The company ID and company name are the company that produces the target product (i.e., the company terminal 2 is used by...) This is the identifier and name of the company using the product. The product ID and product name are the identifier and name of the product in question.

[0063] Furthermore, the product information is configured to include linking-related information. Linking-related information is information for identifying the upstream product associated with the target product. In this embodiment, the linking-related information includes the fields "upstream product information" and "termination flag".

[0064] The upstream product information field is configured to store information for identifying product information corresponding to upstream products linked to the target product (i.e., products necessary for producing the target product and included in the target product). The upstream product information field is used when the server device 1 links products together. Basically, at the stage when product information is generated, the target product is not linked to an upstream product, so the upstream product information field does not need to store a value indicating an upstream product.

[0065] The termination flag field is configured to store a flag indicating whether the target product is a leaf node, i.e., the node located at the very top (end) of the product tree. In this embodiment, since multiple corporate terminals 2 transmit product information, this flag is used to determine whether further products are linked upstream of a product in the product tree, or whether no further linking occurs (i.e., whether the target product is located at the top). In other words, the termination flag field is used when the server device 1 confirms the linking of products. Basically, at the stage when product information is generated, the linking relationships of the target products are not yet determined, so the termination flag field may store "0 (not currently the end)". Finally, in order to generate the product tree, the product information of each company stored in the server device 1 is set to one of the following states: "Linking with upstream products has been performed" and "The termination flag is set to "1".

[0066] Furthermore, the product information is configured to include traceability-related information. For example, the traceability-related information may include the amount of material (e.g., upstream product) used per unit of product production, information on the recycling rate of a given raw material, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (CFP value) emitted during the production of the product, due diligence-related information, or a combination thereof. The given 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 amount used and the amount of recycled material used. These values ​​correspond to the processes involved in producing the product in question. For example, in the example in Figure 3, the traceability-related information included in product information A stores the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the production activities of product A. The traceability-related information included in product information A does not include information about the processes leading up to the production of the upstream product (e.g., the amount of greenhouse gases emitted until upstream product B is produced).

[0067] Furthermore, traceability-related information may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. In one example, greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint) may include Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 1 may be direct greenhouse gas emissions by the company itself. Scope 2 may be indirect emissions resulting from the use of electricity, heat, and steam supplied by other companies. Scope 3 may be indirect emissions other than Scope 1 and Scope 3. In another example, due diligence-related information may include technical documentation showing the amount of raw materials contained in the product and whether the company is fulfilling its obligations for responsible mineral sourcing, such as that of smelters, for products containing the target raw materials (e.g., cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, nickel, etc.). In yet another example, due diligence-related information may include a score indicating the degree to which the above obligations are being fulfilled.

[0068] The product information generation unit 211 is configured to acquire such information via the operator of the corporate terminal 2 and transmit it to the server device 1 at any time.

[0069] The authorization setting unit 212 is configured to specify which downstream companies are permitted to access product information sent from the corporate terminal 2 to the server device 1. Figure 9 is an example of a screen output by the authorization setting unit 212. As shown, the authorization setting unit 212 is configured to accept the specification of which downstream companies are permitted to access any of the company's own products. Figure 10 is an example of permission information generated by the authorization setting unit 212 based on the input information. The authorization setting unit 212 is configured to send the permission information to the server device 1 at any time. Access permissions may be set on a per-product information basis, or on an item basis included in the product information ("permitted items" in the figure). This makes it possible to implement partial disclosure, for example, by disclosing the existence of a product, but not disclosing specific information such as the materials used or the amount used.

[0070] The list of companies displayed on the screen in Figure 9 can be a list of companies with which the company has had past transactions. For this reason, the server device 1 may store data on past transactions (transaction data) for each company and generate a list of companies based on this transaction data. The transaction data may include, for example, the identifier of the target product, the identifier of the company that produced the product, and the transaction date.

[0071] The linking request unit 213 is configured to request the server device 1 to link the company's product information, which it has sent to the server device 1, with upstream products. In one example, the linking request unit 213 first sends the company's corporate ID and product ID to the server device 1 and requests the linking of product information corresponding to the product ID. In response, the server device 1 generates a user interface that includes a list of product information that the target company is permitted to access (i.e., candidate linking destinations) and provides the generated user interface to the corporate terminal 2. Figure 11 is an example of a user interface that includes a list of products that the target company is permitted to access.

[0072] The product list shown in Figure 11 can be a list of products with which the company has a history of transactions. Server device 1 may generate this list based on the stored transaction data.

[0073] Next, the linking request unit 213 is configured to allow the operator to select the upstream product to be linked from the list. Furthermore, the linking request unit 213 is configured to send the identifier of the product to be linked (downstream product) and the identifier of the upstream product to be linked as a pair to the server device 1. The server device 1 can then link the product information accordingly.

[0074] If there is no upstream product linked to the target product, this can be clearly indicated by checking the checkbox shown by the dotted line in Figure 11. In this case, no linking of product information will be performed.

[0075] The information acquisition unit 214 is configured to request the server device 1 to provide a product tree and to output the information transmitted from the server device 1. The proxy application unit 215 is configured to execute a process that requests the server device 1 to register information about upstream companies.

[0076] [Details of the process for forming the product tree] Next, we will explain the specific details of the processing performed by server device 1 and enterprise terminal 2. Figure 12 shows an example of the processing flow that server device 1 executes based on a request from enterprise terminal 2. This is the diagram shown. The processing performed by server device 1 can be broadly divided into the following four phases. (1) The first phase involves receiving product information transmitted from the enterprise terminal 2 and storing the received product information. (2) The second phase involves receiving permission information transmitted from the corporate terminal 2 and setting access rights to product information according to the received permission information. (3) The third phase involves linking product information by interacting with the enterprise terminal 2. (4) A fourth phase in which information about the product tree is provided based on the results of the linking.

[0077] In the example in Figure 12, company A is a downstream company and company B is an upstream company. The product produced by company A is called product A, and the product produced by company B is called product B. The product information corresponding to product A is called product information A, and the product information corresponding to product B is called product information B.

[0078] In the first phase, the information collection unit 111 of the server device 1 acquires product information from the product information generation unit 211 of the corporate terminal 2. In the example in Figure 12, the server device 1 acquires product information A from corporate terminal 2 corresponding to company A and product information B from corporate terminal 2 corresponding to company 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 company A. The information collection unit 111 also stores product information B in a storage area (hereinafter referred to as storage area B) to which access rights are granted only to company B. In this way, the information collection unit 111 stores product information transmitted from any company in a dedicated storage area to which access rights are granted only to that company.

[0079] In the second phase, the authorization setting unit 112 of the server device 1 receives authorization information from the authorization setting unit 212 of the corporate terminal 2, and sets access permissions for product information according to the received authorization information. As shown in Figure 10, the authorization information associates a product with a company that is permitted to access the product information of that product.

[0080] In the example shown in Figure 12, it is assumed that the authorization setting unit 112 has received authorization information granting access to product information B of the upstream company from company A, which is a downstream company. In this case, the authorization setting unit 112 copies product information B, which is stored in storage area B, to storage area AB, which is granted access rights to both companies A and B. As a result, product information B becomes accessible to both companies A and B. If access rights are not set for a specific item included in the product information, that item is excluded from being copied to storage area AB.

[0081] In the following explanation, a storage area to which access rights are granted only to a specific company will be referred to as a "dedicated storage area," and a storage area to which access rights are granted to multiple companies will be referred to as a "shared storage area."

[0082] The copying of product information is performed by the server device 1 in response to receiving authorization information from the corporate terminal 2. In other words, the corporate terminal 2 sends authorization information to the server device 1, causing the server device 1 to copy the product information identified by the authorization information from the target company's dedicated storage area to a shared storage area accessible by downstream companies.

[0083] In the third phase, the linking unit 113 of the server device 1 receives a linking request from the linking request unit 213 of the corporate terminal 2, and links the product information based on the received linking request.

[0084] First, the linking unit 113 receives a linking request from the corporate terminal 2. The linking request is sent from the corporate terminal 2 of a downstream company. In the example in Figure 12, it is assumed that the corporate terminal 2 of company A sent the linking request. The linking request includes the company ID and the product ID of the target product. The linking unit 113 retrieves the product information stored in the memory area accessible from that company and generates a list of the retrieved product information. In the example in Figure 12, company A can access product information B stored in memory area AB. Therefore, product information B can be selected as the linking destination on the corporate terminal 2 of company A.

[0085] The linking request unit 213 of the enterprise terminal 2 presents a list to the operator and allows the operator to select the products to be linked. In this example, products A and B are the products to be linked to each other. For example, the operator inputs information indicating that product B is the upstream product for product A via the input / output device 24. The linking request unit 213 sends data (linking data) to link the upstream product (product B) and the downstream product (product A) to the linking unit 113.

[0086] As illustrated in Figure 8, the product information includes fields related to the linked product (linking-related information). Based on the aforementioned linking data, the linking unit 113 stores information corresponding to product information B (i.e., the upstream product) in the linking-related information of product information A. For example, the linking-related information may include an identifier for the upstream product and an identifier for the company that produces the upstream product.

[0087] Furthermore, the linking-related information may include pointers to the product information to which the linking is made. The pointers indicate the address of the product information corresponding to the upstream product. Through the process described above, a part of a tree structure is formed in which the product information of the downstream product is the parent node and the product information of the upstream product is the child node.

[0088] Furthermore, no further linking is performed at the end of the product tree. In this case, instead of sending linking data, the linking request unit 213 sends data indicating that the product is at the end of the tree. Upon receiving this data, the linking unit 113 sets the end flag field of the corresponding product information to "1". In other words, 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.

[0089] In the fourth phase, the information provision unit 114 of the server device 1 generates information about the product tree based on the stored product information and outputs the information about the product tree. Generating information about the product tree may include processes such as generating various information about the product (for example, traceability information, images representing the link relationships between products using a tree diagram, etc.) after links between nodes have been formed by linking the product information together. In order to generate information about the product tree, all linking of the product information together must be completed, and the termination flag of all leaf nodes must be set to "1". The information provision unit 114 can appropriately generate the information when these conditions are met.

[0090] The product tree in this embodiment, as described with reference to Figure 2, represents the supply relationships between product information in the supply chain using a tree diagram. The information provision unit 114 can generate an image representing the tree diagram based on the product information.

[0091] Furthermore, when generating information about the product tree, the information provision unit 114 integrates the traceability-related information defined for each product and outputs the result.

[0092] Here, we will explain the integration of traceability-related information using Figure 13. Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the multiple products that make up the final product X, and the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted in each process of producing these products. For example, in the process of producing 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. Thus, 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 products to the downstream products between two adjacent hierarchical enterprises from the most upstream product, which is a leaf node, to the target product.

[0093] In the example of FIG. 13, 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 material usage amount 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 performing the above calculations from the product of the most upstream enterprise to the final product.

[0094] The same applies if the target product is product A1. If the target product is A1, the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the manufacturing activities leading up to the production of product A1 can be calculated by integrating the CO2 emissions corresponding to product A1 with the CO2 emissions corresponding to the included products, A11, A12, A13, and A14.

[0095] The integrated value may be stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the product, or it may be included as part of the product information. That is, the product information corresponding to product A12 is E, which is the emission amount in the process alone. A12 And the combined emissions are I A12 It is also possible to retain both.

[0096] The traceability information after integration is reused when integrating downstream products. By performing this process at each level, starting from the upstream end, traceability information (e.g., cumulative CO2 emissions) is sequentially passed down downstream. Ultimately, by passing the traceability information all the way to the final product, it is possible to obtain traceability information (e.g., total CO2 emissions) corresponding to the entire period until the final product is produced.

[0097] Thus, when generating information about the product tree, the information provision unit 114 may repeatedly perform a process of sequentially integrating the traceability-related information defined for each product information from the upstream to the downstream. In the above example, carbon dioxide emissions were used as an example of the data to be integrated, but the traceability-related information to be integrated may also be the recycling rate for a given raw material, a due diligence score, etc. If the traceability-related information is numerical, the integration may be performed by numerical calculation, and if the traceability-related information is not numerical (for example, due diligence-related information), the integration may be simply information collection.

[0098] In another example, product information may include information indicating the location of traceability-related information for the corresponding product (hereinafter referred to as "location information," typically an address, pointer, etc.). In this case, traceability-related information does not need to be included in the product information. Furthermore, integration may involve collecting location information included in the product information.

[0099] The information provision unit 114 may output the generated product tree in image format. It may also simultaneously output traceability-related information corresponding to any product.

[0100] Figure 14 shows an example of a screen displaying a product tree as an image. The screen includes an image showing the supply relationships of multiple products that make up the final product using a tree diagram. Furthermore, by selecting any product, users can view traceability-related information corresponding to that product, or the integrated result of traceability-related information covering the entire period until the product is produced (for example, the total value of carbon dioxide emissions from the upstream source). Such information can be output via the input / output device 14 of the server device 1 based on the operation of the server device 1 operator.

[0101] Furthermore, the information provision unit 114 may provide the generated product tree to the corporate terminal 2 (information acquisition unit 214) upon request from the said corporate terminal 2. However, it may not be appropriate to disclose the entire product tree to a specific company. Therefore, when the information provision unit 114 provides the product tree to a corporate terminal 2 corresponding to a certain company, it may perform a process to keep the portion that the company does not have access rights to confidential.

[0102] For example, in the example shown in Figure 13, suppose the information provision unit 114 receives a request for disclosure of the product tree from a company terminal 2 corresponding to a company that produces product A12. Here, suppose that company has been granted access rights only for products A121, A122, and A123. In other words, the company cannot access product information other than these three products and its downstream product A1. In this case, the information provision unit 114 provides the company terminal 2 with a product tree in which information about products for which it does not have access rights is not disclosed.

[0103] Figure 15 shows an example of a product tree when products for which access is not permitted are not disclosed. In this example, for products that are not disclosed, the product tree is displayed with detailed information (or even their existence) hidden.

[0104] In cases where a product's existence is publicly disclosed, but access permissions are denied to specific items within the corresponding product information, confidentiality measures will be applied only to those specific items, as shown by the dotted line in the diagram. The illustrated example indicates that the carbon dioxide emissions generated during the production of product A121 are not publicly disclosed.

[0105] On the other hand, even if there are products (or items) in the tree for which access permissions are not granted, the integration of traceability-related information, as described above, will proceed without being affected. For example, in the illustrated example, the carbon dioxide emissions for product A121 are not publicly available, but this does not affect the process of calculating the total carbon dioxide emissions for product A12.

[0106] [Processing flow] Next, we will explain the flow of processing performed by the server device 1 and the corporate terminal 2 when the corporate terminal 2 registers its own product information, referring to Figures 16 and 17. Figure 16 is a sequence diagram corresponding to the first to third phases described above.

[0107] In one example, the interaction between server device 1 and corporate terminal 2 begins when an operator from each company logs into server device 1 via corporate terminal 2 using the corresponding company's account. In this example, it is assumed that each company's operator logs into server device 1 using their own company's account.

[0108] First, in step S11, the product information generation unit 211 of the corporate terminal 2 acquires its own product information via the operator and transmits the acquired product information to the server device 1. The transmitted product information is received by the server device 1 (information collection unit 111) and 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 access rights are granted only to companies that produce the corresponding product.

[0109] Next, in step S13, the authorization setting unit 212 of the corporate terminal 2 receives input (authorization information) via the operator, specifying the downstream companies that are permitted to access the product information transmitted in step S11. In this step, a user interface screen, as described with reference to Figure 9, may be provided, allowing the user to specify any combination of product and the downstream companies that are permitted to access the product information. The entered authorization information is transmitted to the server device 1.

[0110] In step S14, the authorization setting unit 112 of the server device 1 grants access rights to the target product information based on the received authorization information. In this step, as explained with reference to Figure 12, the authorization setting unit 112 grants access rights to any product information to any company by copying the target product information to a storage area where access rights have been granted to multiple companies. If there is no storage area with appropriate access rights, a new storage area may be created and access rights granted to the appropriate company.

[0111] Next, in step S15, the linking request unit 213 of the corporate terminal 2 sends data (linking request) to the server device 1 requesting that the product information sent to the server device 1 be linked to the upstream product. This linking request includes the company's corporate ID and the product ID of the target product.

[0112] In step S16, the server device 1 (linking unit 113) generates a list of product information that the target company is permitted to access, and provides the corporate terminal 2 with a user interface screen containing this list. In this step, the server device 1 may provide the corporate terminal 2 with a user interface screen as described with reference to Figure 11, and allow the user to specify any combination of product and the upstream product associated with that product.

[0113] In step S17, the linking request unit 213 of the enterprise terminal 2 receives a specification from the operator regarding the combination of the target product and the upstream product associated with that product. The linking request unit 213 generates data (linking data) indicating the association between the upstream product and the downstream product, and sends the generated linking data to the server device 1.

[0114] In step S18, the linking unit 113 of the server device 1 updates the stored product information based on the linking data, reflecting the linking between the product information. The linking of product information may also be performed by storing information about the upstream product (identifier, pointer, etc.) in the linking-related information contained in the product information of the downstream product.

[0115] If no downstream companies exist, steps S13 to S14 may be omitted. Similarly, if no upstream companies exist (i.e., no linked product exists), instead of requesting the linking of product information, the process of setting the termination flag described above may be executed. In this case, steps S15 to S18 described above are omitted.

[0116] Figure 17 is a sequence diagram corresponding to the fourth phase described above. First, in step S21, the information acquisition unit 214 of the enterprise terminal 2 requests the server device 1 to provide a product tree. The request includes, for example, an identifier for the product in question. The product in question may be a final product or another product (an intermediate product).

[0117] Upon receiving the request, the server device 1 (information provision unit 114) generates information about the product tree through the process described above (step S22). At this time, the information provision unit 114 performs a process to integrate the traceability-related information defined in each product information from the upstream to the downstream. The result of the integration may be reflected in each product information.

[0118] Next, in step S23, the server device 1 performs a process to conceal information for which access rights have not been granted, based on the access rights held by the target company. For example, if the existence of a company's product information from another company is not publicly disclosed, the server device 1 may perform a process to conceal the existence of that product information. Also, if only specific items included in the product information are not publicly disclosed, the server device 1 may perform a process to conceal the contents of those items. The concealed information regarding the product tree is provided to the company terminal 2 (information acquisition unit 214) and output (step S24).

[0119] [Details of the process for registering product information from upstream companies] The proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 can acquire and store information about upstream companies from the corporate terminals 2 of downstream companies. However, even if a downstream company wants to link its own products to upstream products, it cannot do so if the upstream products are not registered on the platform. In this embodiment, to address this, information about products of companies not participating in the supply chain is registered based on requests from companies already participating in the supply chain.

[0120] Figure 18 illustrates an example of product relationships in a supply chain. This supply chain is assumed to be formed on a platform. In Figure 18, the supply relationships of the multiple products that make up the final product X are represented by a tree diagram.

[0121] Product A1 has its product information registered on the platform. On the other hand, product information for product A12, which is an upstream product of product A1, is not registered on the platform. Hereafter, product A1, which is downstream, will be referred to as first product A1, and product A12, which is located one level upstream from first product A1, will be referred to as second product A12. The proxy input unit 115 of server device 1 receives a request for registration of second product A12 from the proxy application unit 215 of the corporate terminal 2 of the company that manufactures first product A1. Hereafter, the company that manufactures first product A1 will be referred to as first company, and the company that manufactures second product A12 will be referred to as second company. Second company is a company that does not participate in the platform. The corporate terminal of first company will be referred to as first corporate terminal 2A, and the terminal of second company will be referred to as second corporate terminal 2B.

[0122] The proxy application unit 215 of the first company terminal 2A requests the server device 1 to register the second company (target company) as a virtual company. The proxy application unit 215 of the first company terminal 2A also requests the server device 1 to register the second product A12 on the platform. The requests for registration of the virtual company and the second product A12 may be made simultaneously or at different times. The proxy application unit 215 of the first company terminal 2A transmits information about the second company to the server device 1. This information about the second company includes information necessary for the registration of the virtual company and the second product A12. For example, it includes information that can identify the second company, such as the name, address, and contact information of the second company. It also includes traceability-related information as explained in Figure 8 as information about the second product A12. The information about the first product A1 and the information about the second company will hereinafter also be referred to as second company information.

[0123] The proxy input unit 115 of server device 1 accepts registration of the second company as a virtual company from the first company terminal 2A. The proxy input unit 115 of server device 1 also accepts registration of information regarding the second product A12 from the first company terminal 2A. When the proxy input unit 115 of server device 1 receives the information of the second company from the first company terminal 2A, it registers the information of the second company as a virtual company. Then, it allocates a memory area dedicated to the virtual company.

[0124] Furthermore, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 generates a temporary account for the second company on the platform. Once the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 generates a temporary account corresponding to the second company, it stores the account information in the database built on the storage unit 12. Unlike regular accounts, temporary accounts have restrictions on using the platform's functions. For example, they may not be able to access product information of other companies. Also, for example, they may not be able to display the product tree screen. Also, for example, temporary accounts may only be able to view or modify their own company's product information.

[0125] Furthermore, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 stores the second product information in the storage unit 12 in response to receiving the second product information from the first company terminal 2A. This second product information is stored in association with a temporary account of the virtual company. The first company may not be held responsible for managing the information regarding the second product A12 registered by the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1. For example, the server device 1 may maintain contact information for the second company and update the information by querying the second company at predetermined intervals.

[0126] Furthermore, the second product information may be stored in server device 1 in a manner that allows it to be determined that the second product information was registered in response to a request from the first company. For example, the company ID and company name fields of the second product information may store a company ID and company name that are different from those of the first company, indicating that the first company is the proxy applicant. A proxy applicant refers to a company that applies for the registration of information on products other than its own. For example, if the second product information is registered in response to a request from the first company, the first company may be considered to have applied for the registration of the second product information on its behalf and registered as a proxy applicant. The proxy applicant is not held responsible for the management of the second product information after it has been stored. Alternatively, the company ID and company name corresponding to the second company may be entered in the company ID and company name fields, and a field for storing the company that made the proxy application may be provided to store the company ID and company name of the first company. Alternatively, the company ID and company name fields may be left blank, and a field for storing the company that made the proxy application may be provided to store the company ID and company name of the first company.

[0127] Furthermore, in order to identify product information registered in response to a request from the first company, the product information stored in the server device 1 may be configured to have a proxy input flag field. Figure 19 is a diagram showing an example of product information generated by the information collection unit 111 or the proxy input unit 115. The proxy input flag field is used to determine the product information registered by the server device 1. When the product is registered at the request of a downstream product company, "1" is stored in the proxy input flag field, and when the product is registered at the request of the company itself, "0" is stored in the proxy input flag field. Therefore, when first product information acquired from the first company terminal 2A is stored in the storage unit 12, "0" is stored in the proxy input flag field by the information collection unit 111, and when second product information acquired from the first company terminal 2A is stored in the storage unit 12, "1" is stored in the proxy input flag field by the proxy input unit 115.

[0128] Furthermore, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 will provide the first company with information regarding the second product. Access rights are granted. Figure 20 shows an example of a case where a storage area corresponding to a virtual company is created in the storage unit 12. As explained with reference to Figure 12, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 grants the first company access rights to the second product information by copying the second product information to a storage area to which the first company has been granted access rights (a storage area shared by the first company and the virtual company). For example, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 stores the identification information of the second product A12 in the upstream product information field of the product information of the first product A1. Note that access rights to the second product information may be granted only to the first company. In this way, a storage area corresponding to a virtual company may be allocated.

[0129] Even if the second product A12 is registered on the first platform, it may be difficult to register the upstream products A121, A122, and A123 on the first platform. For example, the first company that produces the first product A1 cannot access information about products A121, A122, and A123. In that case, the first company cannot apply for the registration of products A121, A122, and A123 on behalf of the first company. Also, since the second company does not participate in the first platform, it cannot apply for the registration of products A121, A122, and A123 on behalf of the second company. Therefore, the termination flag of the second product information for the second product A12 is set to "1". Products A121, A122, and A123 become black boxes in the product tree. As second product information, the integrated CO2 emissions I for the second product A12 are A12 If the information is stored, traceability can be ensured.

[0130] Furthermore, after the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 stores the second product information in the storage unit 12 of the server device 1, it sends a notification to the second company terminal 2B informing it that the second product information has been registered. This notification may include a request to confirm whether or not there are any errors in the traceability-related information. The notification may also include information about the temporary account generated for the second company. This notification may be sent via email or other means over the network. Alternatively, it may be sent by mail. The recipient of the notification may be included in the second company information entered by the downstream company. Alternatively, the first company may be asked to contact the second company.

[0131] The operator of the second company terminal 2B logs in to server device 1 from the second company terminal 2B using a temporary account and checks the product information of the second product, which is their company's product. Then, the proxy application unit 215 of the second company terminal 2B retrieves the response entered by the operator and sends the response to server device 1. If there is an error in the product information, the response may include information to correct the product information.

[0132] Furthermore, communication with the second company may include a message encouraging them to join the platform. If the second company decides to join the platform, a participation request is sent from the second company terminal 2B to the server device 1. The participation request includes information about the second company's participation in the platform. Upon receiving the participation request, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 generates a legitimate account corresponding to the second company. Then, it allocates the storage area corresponding to the second product information that was allocated to the virtual company to the second company. Figure 21 shows an example of the storage area when the storage area allocated to the virtual company is allocated to the second company. By allocating the storage area that was allocated to the virtual company to the second company, the effort of newly entering the second product information is eliminated.

[0133] [Processing flow] Figure 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process flow for server device 1 to register second product information. In this example, it is assumed that the interaction between server device 1 and corporate terminal 2 begins when an operator from each company logs into server device 1 via corporate terminal 2 using the corresponding company's account. In the example shown in Figure 22, the first company Assume that the operator is logged into server device 1 using their company account. In addition, assume that the first product information is already stored in server device 1.

[0134] If the operator of the first company wishes to register second product information with server device 1, the operator of the first company inputs second company information into the first company terminal 2A (step S30). The second company information includes information about the second company and information about the second product. Once the input of the second company information is complete, the proxy application unit 215 of the first company terminal 2A transmits the second company information to server device 1 (step S31).

[0135] The transmitted second company information is received by the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 and stored in the storage unit 12 (step S32). The proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 associates the second product information with the first company and stores it in the storage unit 12. At this time, it generates a proxy input flag field and stores "1" in this proxy input flag field. The proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 grants the first company access rights regarding the second product information. The proxy input unit 115 copies the second product information to the storage area to which the first company has been granted access rights.

[0136] Once the second company information is stored in the storage unit 12, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 sends a registration completion notification to the first company terminal 2A (step S33). The registration completion notification is a notification that the registration of the second company information has been completed.

[0137] Furthermore, once the second company information is stored in the storage unit 12, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 sends a confirmation request to the second company terminal 2B (step S33). The confirmation request is a request to confirm the registered information. The confirmation request is received by the proxy application unit 215 of the second company terminal 2B. The confirmation request includes information such as a temporary account for logging into the server device 1 and a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). The application unit 215 uses a temporary account to request the server device 1 to disclose the second information (step S35). In response to this request, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 transmits the second product information corresponding to the temporary account to the second corporate terminal 2B (step S36).

[0138] The second product information is received by the proxy application unit 215 of the second enterprise terminal 2B. The proxy application unit 215 of the second enterprise terminal 2B displays a screen corresponding to the second product information (for example, a screen corresponding to traceability-related information) on the input / output device 24. The operator checks this screen to see if there are any errors. If there are errors, the proxy application unit 215 of the second enterprise terminal 2B accepts correction information from the operator. The proxy application unit 215 of the second enterprise terminal 2B then sends the correction information to the server device 1 (step S37). If there are no errors, a notification to that effect may or may not be sent to the server device 1. The proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 accepts the correction information and corrects the second product information (step S38). Once the correction is complete, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 updates the second product information. The proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 then sends a correction completion notification to the second enterprise terminal 2B (step S39). The correction completion notice is a notification that the corrections to the second product information have been completed.

[0139] Furthermore, in step S34, the confirmation request that the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 sends to the second enterprise terminal 2B includes a request to participate in the platform. If the request to participate is accepted, the operator of the second enterprise terminal 2B inputs information about the acceptance of participation via the input / output device 24 of the second enterprise terminal 2B. In response to this input, the proxy application unit 215 of the second enterprise terminal 2B sends an acceptance notification to the server device 1 (step S40). The acceptance notification is a notification that participation in the platform has been accepted.

[0140] The acceptance notification is received by the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1. Upon receiving the acceptance notification, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 generates a legitimate account corresponding to the second company (step S42). Furthermore, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 allocates a storage area associated with the legitimate account of the second company. This storage area is the same storage area where the second product information was stored in step S32. This eliminates the need for the operator of the second company to re-enter the second product information. Then, the proxy input unit 115 of the server device 1 sends a registration completion notification to the second company terminal 2B (step S43).

[0141] Next, we will explain the processing in server device 1 in detail using Figure 23. Figure 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the registration process for the second product A12 performed in server device 1. This routine is executed when a request for registration of a virtual company is received from corporate terminal 2. It is assumed that the first product information is already stored in server device 1.

[0142] In step S101, the proxy input unit 115 receives a virtual company registration request from the first company terminal 2A. This registration request includes a request to register the second company as a virtual company. In response to the virtual company registration request, the proxy input unit 115 generates a temporary account for the virtual company. It also stores information about the second company in the storage unit 12 in association with the virtual company. In step S102, the proxy input unit 115 receives input of second product information. The second product information is transmitted from the first company terminal 2A. By obtaining the second product information from the first company terminal 2A, the input of the second product information is accepted. In another example, the order of steps S101 and S102 may be reversed. In yet another example, the server device 1 may simultaneously receive the virtual company registration request and the input of second product information as second company information from the first company terminal 2A (i.e., steps S101 and S102 may be executed simultaneously). For example, this information may be entered on a single web page.

[0143] In step S103, the proxy input unit 115 registers the second product information by linking it with the first product information. The proxy input unit 115 registers the first product information and the second product information by linking them together by storing information that identifies the second product in the upstream product information field of the first product information. In step S104, the proxy input unit 115 sends a registration completion notification to the first enterprise terminal 2A.

[0144] In step S105, the proxy input unit 115 sends a confirmation request regarding the second product information to the second company. For example, it sends the confirmation request to the second company terminal 2B using email. This confirmation request includes a request for confirmation of the registered contents of the second product information. This confirmation request may also include a request for confirmation of whether or not there are any errors in the traceability-related information. The confirmation request may also include information regarding the temporary account. The confirmation request may also include a request to participate in the platform. Alternatively, a notification that only the registration of the second product information has been made may be sent. Alternatively, the proxy input unit 115 may print out the above notification or request to be sent by mail to the second company. The order of steps S103, S104, and S105 can be arbitrarily changed. At least some of the processing in steps S103, S104, and S105 may be executed in parallel.

[0145] Figure 24 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow for modifying the product information of the second product A12, which is performed in server device 1. This routine is executed at predetermined intervals in server device 1. Note that the routine shown in Figure 23 has already been executed, and the explanation assumes that the second product information is stored in storage unit 12.

[0146] In step S201, the proxy input unit 115 receives access from the second corporate terminal 2B. The system determines whether or not an access was made. When a request for disclosure of second product information is received from the second corporate terminal 2B, the proxy input unit 115 determines that an access was made from the second corporate terminal 2B. If the determination in step S201 is positive, the system proceeds to step S202; if the determination is negative, the system terminates this routine.

[0147] In step S202, the proxy input unit 115 transmits the second product information, including traceability information, to the second company terminal 2B. In step S203, the proxy input unit 115 determines whether or not it has received correction information from the second company terminal 2B. That is, it obtains information from the second company terminal 2B indicating that there was an error in the second product information. If there was no error in the second product information, it may receive information to that effect. If the determination in step S203 is positive, the process proceeds to step S204; if the determination is negative, the routine terminates.

[0148] In step S204, the proxy input unit 115 receives correction input from the second enterprise terminal 2B. The correction content may be included in the correction information. In this case, the proxy input unit 115 receives correction input according to the correction information. In step S205, the proxy input unit 115 reflects the correction to the second product information. For example, the correction may be reflected by overwriting the second product information. Alternatively, the correction to the second product information may be reflected by separately saving the corrected second product information. In step S206, the proxy input unit 115 sends a correction completion notification to the second enterprise terminal 2B. Note that the process in step S206 can be omitted.

[0149] Figure 25 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow for registering the product information of the second product A12 as a product of the second company, which is performed on server device 1. This routine is executed on server device 1 at predetermined intervals. Note that the routine shown in Figure 23 has already been executed, and the explanation assumes that the second product information is stored in storage unit 12.

[0150] In step S301, the proxy input unit 115 determines whether or not it has received a notification (acceptance notification) from the second company terminal 2B regarding acceptance of participation in the platform. If the determination in step S301 is positive, the process proceeds to step S302; if the determination is negative, the routine terminates. In step S302, the proxy input unit 115 generates a legitimate account corresponding to the second company. The proxy input unit 115 may also treat the temporary account corresponding to the second company as the legitimate account. Then, in step S303, the proxy input unit 115 allocates the memory area that was allocated to the virtual company to the legitimate account generated in step S302. In other words, it transfers the memory area corresponding to the virtual company to the second company.

[0151] As described above, in this embodiment, in a system that collects product information from enterprise terminal 2 and generates a product tree, the upstream second enterprise information can be stored on the platform upon request from the downstream first enterprise terminal 2A. With this configuration, traceability can be ensured even before the second enterprise joins the platform. Furthermore, for the second enterprise, it becomes easier to join the platform because the second product information is already registered. In addition, the server device 1 can omit the process of newly registering the second product information. This makes it easier to manage the storage area.

[0152] (Other embodiments) The embodiments described above are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from its essence. For example, the processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0153] Furthermore, in the description of the embodiment, the server device 1 stores product information in a database, but product information may be stored by means other than a database.

[0154] Furthermore, while the description of the embodiment illustrates a configuration in which the server device 1 completes the product tree by executing the first to fourth phases, the role of the server device 1 may be distributed among multiple corporate terminals 2. For example, product information may be stored in a distributed database using a blockchain platform. In this case, the product information database may be composed of multiple corporate terminals 2. In this case, smart contracts may be used to execute the processing of each of the aforementioned phases. For example, the processing in the second phase may be triggered when an account of a certain company writes permission information to the database. Alternatively, the processing in the third phase may be triggered when an account of a certain company writes a linking request to the database.

[0155] Furthermore, although the description of the embodiment separates the phase in which the server device 1 receives product information about upstream products and the phase in which the server device 1 receives authorization information corresponding to said product information, both may be received simultaneously. Similarly, although the description of the embodiment separates the phase in which the server device 1 receives product information about downstream products and the phase in which the server device 1 receives a linking request corresponding to said product information, both may be received simultaneously.

[0156] Furthermore, although the embodiment is described in which the platform is provided by server device 1, it is not limited to this, and for example, server device 1 may be a server independent of the platform and provide information obtained from enterprise terminal 2 to the platform.

[0157] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, access control for each company is achieved by providing dedicated storage areas and shared storage areas. However, the method of achieving access control is not limited to this example. Any method may be used for access control.

[0158] Furthermore, in the above embodiment (Figure 1), the multiple companies included in the supply chain were 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 transport, import, store, or wholesale products may also be included as companies that constitute the supply chain. For example, some of the multiple companies may be companies that do not perform the manufacturing process, such as trading companies, sales agents, or import agents, and may receive products from companies located one level up (upstream companies) and deliver products to companies located one level down (downstream companies).

[0159] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a supply chain for automobile-related products was assumed, with OEM manufacturers described as the lowest-level companies and companies supplying parts, materials, assemblies, etc., described as suppliers. However, the companies belonging to the supply chain are not necessarily limited to these. The companies at each stage may be determined as appropriate depending on the product, etc. Also, the manufacturing activities carried out by each company until the final product is obtained may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment, and may include, for example, all activities that can be carried out until the final product is obtained, such as excavation, processing, assembly, transportation, and storage.

[0160] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the server device 1 is configured to perform the information processing of the first to fourth phases described above. However, the configuration of the server device 1 is not limited to this example. In another example, at least one of the information processing of the first to fourth phases described above may be omitted in the server device 1. The server device 1 may perform any other information It may be configured to perform a process.

[0161] Furthermore, the above embodiment shows an example of how to calculate CO2 emissions (CFP value). The CFP value may be calculated using the following formula. Tier N-1 CFP value = Tier N-1's own measured CFP value + Σ k (Company k (Tier N) CFP value × amount used in Tier N-1 u k ) Here, "TierN-1 CFP value" represents the result of integrating the CFP value of the upstream company (k company (TierN)) with the company's own CFP value. The company's measured CFP value represents the CFP value included in each company's product information. If TierN is the upstream company, "TierN's CFP value" is the CFP value included in that company's product information; otherwise, "TierN's CFP value" is the result of integrating the CFP value of the even further upstream company (TierN+1) with the CFP value included in that company's product information. By setting TierN as the upstream company (end company) and repeating the calculation until N=1, Tier0 production The CFP value of the product (=final product) can be obtained.

[0162] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the server device 1 may perform calculations of the recycling rate and due diligence (score) together with or instead of calculating the CO2 emissions (CFP value). The recycling rate may be calculated using the following formula. "(Recycling rate for Tier N-1 products for the target substance) = {(Total amount used in Tier N-1) × (Recycling rate in Tier N-1) + Σ k (Total usage at company k (Tier N) × Recycling rate at company k (Tier N) × Usage at Tier N-1 u) k )}÷{Total usage in Tier N-1 + Σ k ( Total usage at company k (Tier N) × Usage at Tier N-1 u k )} = {Amount of recycled materials used in Tier N-1} +Σk(amount of recycled material used at company k (Tier N) × amount used at Tier N-1 u k )}÷{Total in Tier N-1 Total usage + Σk(total usage at company k (Tier N) × usage at Tier N-1 u) k )}" The recycled material utilization amount indicates the amount of recycled material used for the target substance. Similar to the CFP value, the recycling rate in the final product for the target substance can be calculated by calculating it sequentially from the upstream company (end company). Furthermore, the due diligence score (DD score) can be integrated using the same calculation method as the CFP value and recycling rate described above. For example, by replacing the above CFP value with the DD score and calculating it sequentially from the upstream company (end company), the DD score (integrated result) for the final product can be obtained.

[0163] In the above embodiment, each company (Tier N-1) excluding the upstream company has its own traceability Instead of storing related information in a shared storage area between itself and its downstream companies, the integrated results of each company (CFP value for Tier N-1, recycling rate of Tier N-1 products for the target substance) may be stored in a shared storage area between each company and its downstream companies (Tier N-2). This allows each company to... It is possible to obtain traceability-related information (integrated results) for the final product without disclosing the traceability-related information of the business itself.

[0164] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, it was assumed that each company places an order with one company for a certain material. However, in the above embodiment, the ordering format of each company is not limited to this example. At least some of the companies belonging to the supply chain may place orders with multiple upstream companies for the same product and selectively use the obtained upstream products in their own products. For example, in the example in Figure 13 above, Tier 1 product A1 may selectively use Tier 2 products A11_1, A11_2, or A11_3. In this case, the server device 1 will determine the pattern to be used. A linking relationship may be maintained for each line. In the example above, server device 1 is linked to product A1 of Tier 1. Therefore, Pattern 1 is "Tier 2 product A11_1, ...", and Pattern 2 is "product A11_2, ...". And linking information may be stored as in Pattern 3 "Product A11_3, ...". The server device 1 may perform the above-mentioned calculation (integration) of traceability-related information for each pattern. In this case, in one example, the server device 1 may output the calculation results for each pattern. In another example, the server device 1 may calculate statistical quantities such as the maximum value, minimum value, mean, variance, standard deviation, and median from the calculation results and output the calculated statistical quantities.

[0165] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the traceability-related information (in particular, CFP values) may consist of primary data or secondary data (inventory data). Primary data are measured values, and secondary data are reference values ​​used when measured values ​​are not available. In this case, the calculation (integration) of the traceability-related information may include calculating the primary data ratio of the traceability-related information obtained for the final product. The primary data ratio may be calculated by a simple ratio calculation, or it may be calculated by a weighting calculation in which the CFP value in the above CFP value calculation formula is replaced with the primary data ratio of each company and calculated sequentially from the upstream company.

[0166] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by a single device may be divided and executed by multiple devices. Conversely, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is implemented can be flexibly changed.

[0167] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the embodiments above to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-temporary computer-readable storage mediums include, for example, any type of disk such as magnetic disks (floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, optical cards, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0168] 1 Server device 2. Enterprise terminals 11 Control Unit 12 Storage section 13. Communication Module 14 Input / Output Devices 111 Information Gathering Department 112 Permissions Setting Section 113 String attachment part 114 Information Provision Department 115 Proxy Input Section

Claims

1. The registration of the target company as a virtual company will be accepted from the account of a downstream company located further down the supply chain than the aforementioned target company, The downstream company's account accepts input of information regarding the target company's target products included in the downstream company's products, The input information regarding the target product is linked to the information regarding the downstream company's product and registered. Sending communications regarding the aforementioned products to the aforementioned target companies, An information processing device comprising a control unit configured to perform the following:

2. The information relating to the aforementioned product includes traceability-related information for the aforementioned product. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned traceability-related information includes information on at least one of greenhouse gas emissions, recycling rates, and due diligence. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The communication transmitted includes a request for confirmation as to whether or not the traceability-related information is incorrect. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

5. The aforementioned communications sent include an invitation to join the platform, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The control unit, In response to receiving notification from the aforementioned target company that it has accepted participation in the platform, an account corresponding to the aforementioned target company will be created. To the account that was created, a storage area containing information about the target product is allocated, Configured to perform further, The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The products of the aforementioned company are battery-related products. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. Computers The registration of the target company as a virtual company will be accepted from the account of a downstream company located further down the supply chain than the aforementioned target company, The downstream company's account accepts input of information regarding the target company's target products included in the downstream company's products, The input information regarding the target product is linked to the information regarding the downstream company's product and registered. Sending communications regarding the aforementioned products to the aforementioned target companies, An information processing method that performs the following.

9. The information relating to the aforementioned product includes traceability-related information for the aforementioned product. The information processing method according to claim 8.

10. The aforementioned traceability-related information includes information on at least one of greenhouse gas emissions, recycling rates, and due diligence. The information processing method according to claim 9.

11. The communication transmitted includes a request for confirmation as to whether or not the traceability-related information is incorrect. The information processing method according to claim 9.

12. The aforementioned communications sent include an invitation to join the platform, The information processing method according to claim 8.

13. The aforementioned computer, In response to receiving notification from the aforementioned target company that it has accepted participation in the platform, an account corresponding to the aforementioned target company will be created. To the account that was created, a storage area containing information about the target product is allocated, To further execute, The information processing method according to claim 12.

14. The products of the aforementioned company are battery-related products. The information processing method according to claim 8.

15. On the computer, The registration of the target company as a virtual company will be accepted from the account of a downstream company located further down the supply chain than the aforementioned target company, The downstream company's account accepts input of information regarding the target company's target products included in the downstream company's products, The input information regarding the target product is linked to the information regarding the downstream company's product and registered. Sending communications regarding the aforementioned products to the aforementioned target companies, A program to execute.

16. The information relating to the aforementioned product includes traceability-related information for the aforementioned product. The program according to claim 15.

17. The aforementioned traceability-related information includes information on at least one of greenhouse gas emissions, recycling rates, and due diligence. L as described in claim 16.

18. The communication transmitted includes a request for confirmation as to whether or not the traceability-related information is incorrect. L as described in claim 16.

19. The aforementioned communications sent include an invitation to join the platform, The program according to claim 15.

20. To the aforementioned computer, In response to receiving notification from the aforementioned target company that they have accepted participation in the platform: Then, create an account corresponding to the aforementioned target company, To the account that was created, a storage area containing information about the target product is allocated, To further execute The program according to claim 19.

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