Information processing device

Abstract

To allow management of a situation of a transaction of a target product, while ensuring confidentiality of the transaction.SOLUTION: A control unit of an information processing apparatus acquires, for a target product from a target company, designation as to whether to disclose a product number managed by the target company to a company to which product information of the target product is disclosed. When designated not to disclose the product number, the control unit of the information processing apparatus generates a pseudo product number different for every company to which the product information of the target product is disclosed. The control unit of the information processing apparatus outputs the created pseudo product numbers in place of the product number.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a communication system in which a supply chain composed of a plurality of companies and a management server that manages data between the plurality of companies constituting the supply chain are connected via a communication line. In the proposed system, the management server includes a contract database that stores company information of the companies that have concluded a contract and contract unique IDs corresponding to the contracts, a transaction product database that stores product information of the products for which contracts have been concluded, and a transaction condition database that stores individual information on the vendor side and the customer side for each contract unique ID for which a contract has been concluded. The management server is configured to search for individual information on the vendor side and the customer side stored in the transaction condition database using the concluded contract unique ID as a key, and to perform code translation on the individual information on the vendor side and the customer side.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to enable management of the status of transactions of target products while ensuring the confidentiality of transactions of target products.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure acquires a designation as to whether or not to disclose the part number managed by the target company for the target product of the target company to the company that is the disclosure destination of the product information of the target product, If it is specified that the aforementioned product number will not be made public, a different pseudo-product number will be generated for each company to which the product information of the target product is to be made public, Instead of the aforementioned part number, the generated pseudo-part number is output, It includes a control unit configured to perform the following actions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] This disclosure will enable the management of the status of transactions involving the target product while ensuring the confidentiality of those transactions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates an example of the relationships between products supplied through a supply chain. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a server's software configuration. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the table structure of tree information held in a tree information database. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the table structure of part number information held in the part number information database. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the processes executed by the control unit in the server. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Consider a scenario where a product is supplied through a supply chain involving multiple companies. In such a supply chain, it may be necessary to collect product information about the product. Furthermore, at least some of the collected product information may be shared among different companies for purposes such as generating a product tree corresponding to the supply chain. In this case, if the product information to be made public includes the product's part number, there is a risk that highly confidential information, such as the trading relationships of products in the supply chain, may be identified by unintended parties if that part number is made public to multiple companies. For example, by cross-referencing the publicly available part numbers, it may be possible to identify that the same product with the same part number is being supplied from one company to multiple companies. On the other hand, if the product's part number is not made public, it becomes difficult to identify the products being traded between companies. The information processing device related to this disclosure solves these problems.

[0009] The control unit of the information processing device relating to this disclosure obtains a designation from the target company whether or not to disclose the part number managed by the target company to the companies that publish the product information of the target product. If it is designated that the part number should not be disclosed, the control unit of the information processing device generates a different pseudo-part number for each company that publishes the product information of the target product. The control unit then outputs the generated pseudo-part number in place of the actual part number.

[0010] As explained above, in the information processing device relating to this disclosure, when it is specified that the product number of the target product will not be disclosed, a pseudo-product number is generated that differs for each company to which the product information of the target product is disclosed, and the generated pseudo-product number is output. Since a different pseudo-product number is assigned to each company to which the product information of the target product is disclosed, a third party will not be able to identify the status of transactions between companies even if they cross-reference the product numbers. On the other hand, by referring to the pseudo-product number, companies related to the target product can grasp the status of transactions for the target product. Therefore, it is possible to manage the status of transactions for the target product while ensuring the confidentiality of the transaction status of the target product.

[0011] The following describes specific embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configurations, module configurations, functional configurations, etc., described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to those configurations alone.

[0012] <Embodiment> (System Overview) Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration of information processing system 1. Information processing system 1 consists of multiple corporate terminals 100 and a server 200. In information processing system 1, the corporate terminals 100 and the server 200 are interconnected by a network. The network may be a wide area network (WAN), such as the internet, which is a global public communication network.

[0013] First, let's explain an example of a supply chain structure. In the example in Figure 1, the supply chain consists of an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) company and multiple supplier companies. This includes companies A1, A2, B, and C). An OEM company is a company that assembles the final product. A supplier company is, for example, a company that supplies parts, materials, assemblies, etc., for manufacturing the final product. Each supplier company produces multiple products and delivers them to a company located one level down in the supply chain. Multiple companies repeat this process, and in the final stage, the final product is assembled. Note that the structure of the supply chain is not limited to this example. The companies that make up the supply chain may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. In another example, the supply chain includes the export of products. This may include companies that engage in shipping, importing, warehousing, wholesale, etc.

[0014] In this embodiment, the side that receives the product at a certain level is referred to as the upstream side, and the side that purchases the product and produces a new product is referred to as the downstream side. In this specification, a company located on the upstream side is referred to as an upstream company, and a company located on the downstream side is referred to as a downstream company. Also, the product produced by the upstream company is referred to as an upstream product, and the product produced by the downstream company is referred to as a downstream product. The downstream product includes the upstream product.

[0015] Also, in this specification, the levels included in the supply chain are referred to as Tier. Tier0 is the lowest level that assembles the final product (corresponding to the OEM company), and it transitions upstream as it goes to Tier1, 2, 3. Depending on the level of interest, a downstream company may become an upstream company. For example, company B located at Tier2 is a downstream company in relation to Tier3, but an upstream company in relation to Tier1. Thus, the definitions of upstream and downstream companies can vary for each level.

[0016] Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the relationship between products supplied by the supply chain. In Figure 2, the supply relationships of the plurality of products constituting the final product X are shown in a tree diagram. In the example shown in Figure 2, the final product X is produced by assembling products A1, B1, C1, and D1. Also, product A1 is produced by assembling products A11, A12, and A13. Also, product D1 is produced by using product A13. Thus, the relationship between the plurality of products constituting the final product X can be represented by a tree diagram with individual products as nodes.

[0017] In the example of FIG. 2, Company A1 located at Tier1 produces Products A1, B1, and C1 and supplies each product to the OEM company located at Tier0. Company A2 located at Tier1 produces Product D1 and supplies Product D1 to the OEM company located at Tier0. Company B located at Tire2 produces Products A11, A12, and A13 and supplies each product to Company A1 located at Tier1. Company B located at Tier2 supplies Product A13 to Company A2 located at Tier1. Company C located at Tier3 produces Products A111, A121, A122, and A123 and supplies each product to Company B located at Tier2.

[0018] Note that the final product X may be any product. In one example, the final product X may be a battery. The final product X may be, for example, a battery mounted on a vehicle. The battery mounted on the vehicle may be a battery that supplies electricity to a motor that drives the vehicle. The battery mounted on the vehicle may also be a battery used for an auxiliary battery. Further, the final product X may be, for example, a stationary battery.

[0019] (Enterprise Terminal) The enterprise terminal 100 is a terminal related to each supplier company. The enterprise terminal 100 receives input of product information about the products produced by each company. The product information is disclosed to the companies (downstream companies) to which each company supplies products. Here, the product information is information indicating the transaction status of the products produced by each company. The product information is information including an identifier (company ID) for identifying the company, the Tier where the company is located, and an identifier (destination company ID) for identifying the company (destination company) to which the company supplies products. Further, the product information is information including the product number of the product produced by the company. Also, the product information includes information specifying whether to disclose the product number of the product to the company that is the disclosure destination of the product information. The enterprise terminal 100 transmits the product information to the server 200 via a network.

[0020] (Server) Server 200 is a device for managing product information about products produced by each company included in the supply chain. It is assumed that at least some of the companies included in the supply chain can view product information, including part numbers, along with the supply relationships of the multiple products that make up the final product X shown in Figure 2. In this case, by referring to the part numbers in the product information, the company collecting the product information may be able to identify the status of transactions for that product between the company handling the product and other companies. On the other hand, if viewing part numbers is prohibited, it is assumed that companies related to the product (companies that supply or receive the product) will not be able to identify the product, making it difficult to grasp the status of transactions.

[0021] In the example in Figure 2, assume that product information for product A1, including the product code for product A13, is made public to company A2, and product information for product D1, including the product code for product A13, is made public to company A1. In addition, assume that company B assigns the same product code to product A13 and makes that product code public to each company (A1 and A2). In this case, company A1 may find out to company A2 that product A13 is used in product A1 (meaning there is a business relationship between company A1 and company B) through the product code for product A13 included in the product information for product A1. Similarly, company A2 may find out to company A1 that product A13 is used in product D1 (meaning there is a business relationship between company A2 and company B) through the product code for product A13 included in the product information for product D1.

[0022] Therefore, the server 200 obtains a specification from the target company regarding the target product, whether or not to disclose the part number managed by the target company to the company that publishes the product information for the target product. If it is specified that the part number of the target product should not be disclosed to the company that publishes the product information for the target product, the server 200 generates different pseudo-part numbers for each company that publishes the product information for the target product. For example, in the example in Figure 2, if the target product is product A13 and it is specified that the part number managed by company B should not be disclosed, different pseudo-part numbers will be generated for product A13 delivered to company A1 and product A13 delivered to company A2. Then, the server 200 outputs the generated pseudo-part numbers instead of the actual part numbers.

[0023] The server 200 is comprised of a computer having a processor 210, a main memory unit 220, an auxiliary memory unit 230, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 240. The processor 210 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The main memory unit 220 is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory). The auxiliary memory unit 230 is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory). Alternatively, the auxiliary memory unit 230 may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a disk recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD disc, or Blu-ray disc. The auxiliary memory unit 230 may also be removable media (portable storage medium). Here, examples of removable media include, for example, a USB memory stick or an SD card. The communication I / F 240 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board, or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0024] In server 200, the auxiliary storage unit 230 stores the operating system (OS), various programs, and various information tables. Furthermore, in server 200, the processor 310 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 230 into the main memory unit 220 and executes them, thereby realizing various functions (software modules) as described later. However, some or all of the functions in server 200 may be realized by hardware circuits (hardware modules) such as ASICs or FPGAs. Note that server 200 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, but may be composed of multiple computers cooperating with each other. Similarly, the enterprise terminal 100 is also configured to include a computer, just like server 200.

[0025] (Software configuration) Next, the software configuration of server 200, which constitutes information processing system 1, will be explained based on Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a block diagram that schematically shows an example of the software configuration of server 200.

[0026] The server 200 comprises a control unit 201, a communication unit 202, a tree information database 203 (tree information DB203), and a part number information database 204 (part number information DB204). The control unit 201 is configured to perform calculation processing for controlling the server 200. The control unit 201 may be composed of a processor 210. The communication unit 202 is configured to perform operations (sending / receiving data) to connect the server 200 to a network. The communication unit 202 may be composed of a communication interface 240.

[0027] The control unit 201 receives product information from corporate terminals 100 associated with each company included in the supply chain via the communication unit 202. The control unit 201 stores the product information for each company in the tree information held in the tree information DB 203. The tree information DB 203 is configured to hold tree information. The tree information includes product information received from multiple companies included in the supply chain. The tree information DB 203 may be composed of an auxiliary storage unit 230. Figure 4 shows an example of the table configuration of the tree information held in the tree information DB 203.

[0028] The tree information includes a Company ID field, a Tier field, a Destination Company ID field, a Part Number field, and a Public Designation field. The Company ID field stores Company IDs to identify multiple companies included in the supply chain. The Tier field stores information indicating the Tier to which the Company IDs stored in the Company ID field belong. The Destination Company ID field stores the Destination Company IDs to which the Company IDs stored in the Company ID field supply products. The Part Number field stores the part numbers of products that the Company IDs stored in the Company ID field supply to the destination companies. For example, the part numbers included in the information stored in the Part Number field are part numbers assigned by the Company IDs stored in the Company ID field.

[0029] The "Disclosure Specification" field indicates whether or not the part numbers stored in the "Part Number" field should be disclosed to the companies that publish product information. If the part numbers stored in the "Part Number" field should be disclosed to the companies that publish product information, then "Yes" is entered in the "Disclosure Specification" field. In other words, if "Yes" is entered in the "Disclosure Specification" field, the fact that the product corresponding to the part number stored in the "Part Number" field has been delivered to the customer company will be disclosed to the companies that publish product information using that part number. Conversely, if disclosure of the part numbers stored in the "Part Number" field to the companies that publish product information is not permitted, then "No" is entered in the "Disclosure Specification" field. Whether or not to disclose the part numbers stored in the "Part Number" field to the companies that publish product information may be specified collectively for all products produced, or it may be specified for each product. The format of the information indicating "Yes" and "No" can be determined arbitrarily.

[0030] The control unit 201 can understand the supply relationships of multiple products that constitute the final product X in the supply chain by referring to the tree information stored in the tree information DB 203. Furthermore, by referring to the tree information stored in the tree information DB 203, the control unit 201 can determine whether or not the part numbers of each product may be disclosed to the companies that publish product information.

[0031] The part number information DB204 is configured to hold part number information. The auxiliary storage unit 230 may be configured as follows. The auxiliary storage unit 230 is an example of a predetermined storage area. However, the storage location of the part number information DB 204 is not limited to this and may be arbitrarily selected. In another example, at least a part of the part number information DB 204 may be stored in other storage devices such as the main storage unit 220 or a storage device of another computer (e.g., an external server such as a NAS). The part number information shows the correspondence between the part number of each product and the pseudo part number of each product. The part number information is an example of part number management information. The part number information includes information showing the correspondence between the part number of each product and the pseudo part number generated by the server 200. The part number information may also include information showing the correspondence between the part number of each product and the pseudo part number of each product, which is managed on another platform (external platform). Here, the external platform is, for example, a platform that manages the part numbers of products in another supply chain. In one example, the external platform may manage product information of companies included in a supply chain managed by a platform configured by the server 200 (hereinafter also referred to as the local platform). Furthermore, on the external platform, products of companies included in the supply chain managed by the platform may be managed using pseudo-part numbers.

[0032] Figure 5 shows an example of the table structure of part number information held in the part number information DB204. Part number information has a PFID field, a company ID field, a part number field, and a pseudo part number field. The PFID field stores an identifier (PFID) to identify the platform that manages part numbers in the supply chain. When managing part numbers for the local platform, the PFID field of the target record stores the PFID of the local platform. On the other hand, when managing part numbers for an external platform, the PFID field of the target record stores the PFID of the external platform.

[0033] The Company ID field stores the Company ID of the company whose product part numbers are managed on the platform identified by the PFID stored in the PFID field. The Part Number field stores the product part number of the company identified by the Company ID stored in the Company ID field. The Pseudo Part Number field stores the pseudo part number of the product of the company identified by the Company ID stored in the Company ID field. If no pseudo part number is assigned, "None" may be entered in the Pseudo Part Number field. "None" may be represented by any information.

[0034] The control unit 201 receives notification information from an external platform via the communication unit 202. The notification information indicates the correspondence between the product numbers of each product managed on the external platform and the pseudo-product numbers assigned to each product on the external platform. The notification information includes the PFID, company ID, and information indicating the correspondence between the product number and the pseudo-product number. The control unit 201 updates the product number information held in the product number information DB 204 using the received notification information. In other words, by receiving the notification information, the control unit 201 stores data in the PFID field, company ID field, product number field, and pseudo-product number field.

[0035] The control unit 201 generates a pseudo-part number for the target product if the tree information held in the tree information DB 203 does not specify that the part number of the target product be made public. In this case, the control unit 201 may generate different pseudo-part numbers for each company to which the product information of the target product is made public, based on predetermined generation rules. Alternatively, the control unit 201 may generate pseudo-part numbers in a way that avoids duplication by referring to the part number information held in the part number information DB 204.

[0036] In one example, the control unit 201 generates a pseudo-part number for the target product according to a predetermined generation rule. During this process, the control unit 201 determines whether there are any records with the PFID of the external platform that contain the product code of the target product. If the product code of the target product is stored in the product code field for the external platform in the product code information, the control unit 201 obtains the corresponding pseudo-product code. The control unit 201 then generates a pseudo-product code for the target product that does not overlap with the obtained pseudo-product code on the external platform. In this way, the control unit 201 can generate a pseudo-product code for the target product that does not overlap with any previously recorded pseudo-product codes on the external platform.

[0037] Furthermore, any rule can be adopted as the predetermined generation rule. For example, the predetermined generation rule may consist of generating a pseudo-part number from a randomly generated sequence of symbols. In another example, the predetermined generation rule may consist of providing the part number and company ID to a predetermined hash function and adopting the resulting hash value as the pseudo-part number. In yet another example, the predetermined generation rule may consist of generating a pseudo-part number by adding an arbitrary sequence of symbols, such as a sequence of numbers corresponding to the company, to a predetermined string. If the pseudo-part number generated by the predetermined generation rule overlaps with a pseudo-part number on the external platform, the control unit 201 may discard the overlapping pseudo-part number and generate a new pseudo-part number that does not overlap with a pseudo-part number on the external platform by any method, such as using a different generation rule or referring to a list of pseudo-part numbers on the external platform.

[0038] When the control unit 201 generates a pseudo-part number for the target product, it updates the part number information held in the part number information DB 204. In one example, the control unit 201 stores the PFID of its own platform in the PFID field, the company ID of the target company in the company ID field, the part number of the target product in the part number field, and generates a new record in which the generated pseudo-part number is stored in the pseudo-part number field, and adds the generated record to the part number information. In another example, the control unit 201 may generate a new record in the part number information and then store the above values ​​in each field of the generated record. This makes it possible to understand the correspondence between the part number of the target product and the pseudo-part number by referring to the part number information.

[0039] In one example, the control unit 201 may send notification information to an external platform via the communication unit 202. The notification information may be sent at any time, such as when the part number information is updated or at a predetermined time. The notification information indicates the correspondence between the part number of the target product and the pseudo-part number newly generated by the control unit 201. This allows the external platform to assign a pseudo-part number to the target product in a way that does not overlap with the pseudo-part number of the target product on its own platform.

[0040] (Information processing) Figure 6 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit 201 in server 200. The process shown in Figure 6 is for assigning a pseudo-part number to the target product. The process shown in Figure 6 is started when the administrator of server 200 or someone similar enters a command into server 200 to manage the part number of the target product.

[0041] In the process shown in Figure 6, first, in S101, tree information is acquired. Next, in S102, it is determined whether the tree information specifies that the product number of the target product should be made public to the company that publishes the product information. If the determination in S102 is positive, the product number of the target product should be made public to the company that publishes the product information. Therefore, the process shown in Figure 6 is terminated. If the determination in S102 is negative, it is necessary to assign a pseudo-product number to the target product. Therefore, in S103, product number information is acquired. Next, in S104, a pseudo-product number is generated. At this time, the pseudo-product number of the target product is generated in accordance with predetermined generation rules, so as not to overlap with previously generated pseudo-product numbers included in the product number information. As a result, the product information of the target product on the platform in which the server 200 is located is... It is possible to generate different pseudo-part numbers for each company to which the information is published. Furthermore, pseudo-part numbers can be assigned to target products in a way that avoids duplication with pseudo-part numbers of the target product on external platforms.

[0042] Next, in S105, the correspondence between the product number of the target product and the pseudo-product number is stored in the product number information DB204. Then, in S106, the pseudo-product number is output to the company terminal 100 associated with the company that manufactures the target product. This allows the company that manufactures the target product to understand the pseudo-product number. The output of the pseudo-product number also includes disclosing the pseudo-product number of the target product to downstream companies. Next, in S107, notification information is sent to the external platform. Then, the process shown in Figure 6 is completed.

[0043] As explained above, in the information processing system 1, a pseudo-part number different from the actual part number of the target product is generated for each company that publishes the product information of the target product. This makes it difficult to identify the status of transactions of the target product between companies that handle the target product and other companies, while still allowing for the understanding of the transaction status of the target product. In this way, it is possible to manage the transaction status of the target product while ensuring the confidentiality of the transaction status.

[0044] (modified version) In this embodiment, the server 200 is configured to hold information on pseudo-part numbers generated on an external platform and to generate pseudo-part numbers for the target product that do not overlap with pseudo-part numbers already generated on the external platform. In addition, the server 200 is configured to notify the external platform of the generated pseudo-part numbers. That is, the server 200 is configured to cooperate with an external platform. Cooperation with the external platform is not limited to this.

[0045] For example, the server 200 may receive pseudo-part number generation rules from an external platform and generate a pseudo-part number for the target product based on those generation rules. Specifically, the control unit 201 may receive pseudo-part number generation rules from an external platform via the communication unit 202. The control unit 201 may then generate a pseudo-part number for the target product using the same generation rules as those used on the external platform. The generation rules may include, for example, using a predetermined hash function or adding an arbitrary sequence of symbols to a predetermined string. This allows the control unit 201 to assign a pseudo-part number to the target product using the same rules as those used on the external platform. As a result, the format of pseudo-part numbers can be standardized across platforms, making part number management easier. It is preferable that the control unit 201 generates pseudo-part numbers using the generation rules obtained from the external platform so as not to duplicate pseudo-part numbers already generated on its own platform or the external platform.

[0046] In another example, the control unit 201 may transmit a predetermined generation rule to an external platform via the communication unit 202. That is, the control unit 201 may transmit to the external platform a generation rule that is pre-stored in the server 200 and used for generating pseudo-part numbers. This allows the external platform to generate pseudo-part numbers using the same rules as the server 200. As a result, similar to the above, the format of pseudo-part numbers can be standardized across platforms, making part number management easier.

[0047] As for other variations, at least one of the above-mentioned integrations with external platforms may be omitted. Also, the part number information may be configured in any way that allows for the maintenance of the correspondence between part numbers and pseudo-part numbers, and is not limited to the above example. If it is not necessary to maintain the correspondence between part numbers and pseudo-part numbers, the part number information may be omitted.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each company's product information may include information (linking information) indicating the relationship between its target product and at least one of its upstream and downstream products. In this case, the tree information may consist of linking information that is divided and held as product information for each company.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the server 200 is an example of an information processing device. However, the form of the information processing device is not limited to this and can be arbitrarily selected. In another example, at least some of the processing of the server 200 may be performed by each company's terminal. Typically, all of the above processing of the server 200 may be performed by each company's terminal. Accordingly, the information of each company held by the server 200 may be held by each company's terminal. In this case, each company's terminal is an example of an information processing device. The server 200 may be omitted. In yet another example, the server 200 may hold information that can identify product information, and each company's terminal may exchange information peer-to-peer according to the information held by the server 200. In this case, the processing of generating pseudo-part numbers in the above embodiment may be performed by at least one of the server 200 and each company's terminal.

[0050] <Other Embodiments> The embodiments described above are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from its essence. Furthermore, the processes and means described in this disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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. The non-temporary computer-readable storage medium includes any type of disk, such as magnetic disks (floppy disks or hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, or optical cards, and any other type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1. Information Processing System 100... Enterprise terminals 200 Servers 201 ·· Control Unit 202. Communications Department 203. Tree Information Database 204 ·· Part Number Information Database

Claims

1. Regarding the target company's target products, to obtain a designation as to whether or not to disclose the part numbers managed by the target company to the company that publishes the product information for the said target products, If it is specified that the aforementioned product number will not be made public, a different pseudo-product number will be generated for each company to which the product information of the target product is to be made public, Instead of the aforementioned part number, the generated pseudo-part number is output, A control unit configured to perform the following: The generation of the pseudo-part number includes generating the pseudo-part number in accordance with predetermined generation rules, The control unit is further configured to notify an external platform of the predetermined generation rules. Information processing device.

2. The control unit, To generate part number management information showing the correspondence between the aforementioned part number and the aforementioned pseudo-part number, The aforementioned part number management information is stored in a predetermined storage area, Configured to perform further, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. With respect to the target company's target products, obtaining a designation of whether or not to disclose the part numbers managed by the target company to the company that is the recipient of the product information for the target products, If it is specified that the aforementioned product number will not be made public, a different pseudo-product number will be generated for each company to which the product information of the target product is to be made public, Instead of the aforementioned part number, the generated pseudo-part number is output, A control unit configured to perform the following: The control unit is further configured to retrieve a list of pseudo-part numbers already assigned to the target product on an external platform. The generation of the pseudo-part number includes generating the pseudo-part number so as not to overlap with any previously identified pseudo-part numbers included in the acquired list. Information processing device.

4. The control unit is further configured to notify the external platform of the generated pseudo-part number, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

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