Information processing system and information processing method

Abstract

This information processing system has a plurality of information processing terminals connected to each other through a communication network, and processes information about products. The information processing system comprises: a first generation means for generating product certification information for certifying product information which contains one or more pieces of product element information indicating elements related to manufacture of each of the products; a first association means for associating a product ID, which is associated with the product information certified by the product certification information to identify each of the products, with a product identified by the product ID; a first reception means for receiving an output request for the product information on the basis of the product ID; and a first output means for outputting at least a part of the product information related to the output request.

Description

Information processing system and information processing method

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing method.

[0002] In recent years, with the rise in environmental awareness, the industrial sector has been implementing initiatives such as CO2 emissions trading systems, carbon footprint disclosure, and the promotion of clean energy use. As a result, there is a need to understand the total energy consumption and clean energy usage ratio for the manufacturing of individual final products.

[0003] To accurately calculate the total amount of energy used in the manufacture of each final product and the percentage of clean energy used in the manufacture of each final product, it is necessary to accurately grasp information about when, by what equipment, and how the final product was manufactured. Specifically, accurate information is required regarding the amount of energy used in the manufacture of the parts used in the final product (the percentage of clean energy used in that amount; the same applies below), the amount of energy used in manufacturing the manufacturing equipment used to manufacture the product, and the amount of energy used in all the manufacturing equipment (i.e., the production line) that was in operation during the manufacture of the final product.

[0004] However, if the basis for the information on energy usage is unclear or if the information has been (or may be) tampered with, the reliability of the calculated energy usage amount will be lost.

[0005] Regarding the resistance to tampering of information on distributed products and the convenience of verifying the information, there are known technologies, such as a technology that uses a blockchain to manage meta-information related to product quality (e.g., Patent Document 1) and a technology that uses blockchain technology to anonymously acquire product information from product labels (e.g., Patent Document 2). It has also been known for some time that product quality can be guaranteed by having product specifications certified by a certification body and then indicating that the specifications have been certified.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-113279 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-528720

[0007] However, even with the above technology, it is not possible to determine the total amount of energy used for each individual final product. This problem occurs regardless of whether the quality of the final product is guaranteed. For example, if a final product is manufactured in a factory that has multiple production lines with different energy efficiencies, the total amount of energy used will vary depending on which production line the final product was manufactured on. In other words, even if the factory where the final product was manufactured and the manufacturing date and time are known, unless the production line (the combination of manufacturing equipment used in that line) on which each individual final product was manufactured is identified and that information is accurate, it is not possible to determine accurate information about the energy consumption related to the manufacture of each individual final product.

[0008] In addition to the problem of understanding energy consumption, there are also needs to limit the manufacturers of the manufacturing equipment and software used in the production of final products (for example, to require that manufacturing equipment and software from one's own affiliated manufacturer be used as a condition of production, or to eliminate inferior products), and to limit the workers involved in the production of final products and their working conditions (to prevent products from being manufactured under poor working conditions).However, there is also the issue that it is not possible to confirm whether such restrictions are being observed from the quality of the final product.

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a technology that enables viewing of information about a product and each element related to the manufacturing of the product, and that can help ensure the authenticity of the information viewed.

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration as an example: An information processing system that has a plurality of information processing terminals connected to one another via a communication network and processes information related to products, comprising: first generation means that generates product certification information that certifies product information, which is information including one or more product element information indicating each element related to the manufacture of each of the products; first association means that associates the product information certified by the product certification information with a product ID that identifies each of the products and is associated with the product ID; first acceptance means that accepts a first output request that is a request to output the product information based on the product ID; and first output means that outputs at least a part of the product information related to the first output request.

[0011] Note that the term "product" here includes both the final product delivered to the end user and intermediate products that are components of such a final product. Furthermore, "each element related to the manufacturing of the product" includes various pieces of information. Specifically, it can include, for example, information about the manufacturing line used to manufacture the product, information about the date and time the product was manufactured, information about the product manufacturer, manufacturing equipment (including sensor devices, etc.) used to manufacture the product, software used to manufacture the product, operators who manufacture the product, materials used in the product, the amount of energy consumed in manufacturing the product, and CO2 emissions. Furthermore, it can also include information used to acquire this information (e.g., IDs, codes, URL addresses, etc. associated with the content of the information) as well as information itself.

[0012] Furthermore, "certifying product information" includes certifying the content of the product information, the creation date and time (update date and time), the creator of the product information, etc. For example, when the above items are certified by a public certification body, they are certified. In this specification, the terms "certification" and "authentication" both mean guaranteeing the authenticity of an object, but "certification" is primarily used to mean a state, and "authentication" is primarily used to mean an action.

[0013] With the above configuration, it is possible to provide a system that enables users of an information processing network to which multiple terminals are connected to output (view) information about products and each element related to the manufacturing of the products, and also helps ensure the authenticity of the information being viewed. This allows, for example, general consumers to view highly reliable product information (such as energy consumption related to product manufacturing and producers) that has been authenticated based on the information (and its history) from their own terminals, and manufacturers, logistics companies, retailers, etc. can also obtain highly reliable product information from their own terminals.

[0014] The information processing system may process at least one of the product information, the product certification information, and the product ID using a distributed ledger system. With this configuration, the system can be highly resistant to information tampering.

[0015] The product information may also include, as the product element information, information related to energy consumption in the manufacture of the product. Here, the information related to energy consumption may be, for example, the amount of energy consumed, CO2 emissions, or some index calculated using such information. This allows the user to easily grasp information related to energy consumption, such as the total amount of energy consumed and CO2 emissions, for the manufacture of the product.

[0016] The information processing system further includes a second generation means for generating production line certification information that certifies production line information including one or more production element information indicating each element that constitutes a production line related to the production of the product; a second association means for associating a production line ID that is associated with the production line information certified by the production line certification information and identifies each of the production lines, with the production line identified by the production line ID; a second reception means for receiving a second output request that is a request to output the production line information based on the production line ID; and a second output means for outputting at least a part of the production line information related to the second output request, and the product information may include at least the production line ID as the product element information.

[0017] Here, "each element constituting the production line" can include manufacturing equipment (including sensor devices, etc.) related to the production of the product, software related to the production of the product, information on the operators of the production line, the amount of energy consumed to produce one product, the type of energy used on the line, etc. Furthermore, this does not only refer to this information itself, but also to information for acquiring this information (for example, an ID, code, URL address, etc. linked to the content of the information).

[0018] This configuration allows users to easily view reliable information about each element of a product's production line. Furthermore, it is possible to create a system that allows users to refer to the content of the production line information using the production line ID corresponding to the production line information as a key, without including the production line information itself about the production line that produced the product in the content of the product information.

[0019] The production line information may also include, as the production element information, information on at least the type of energy consumed in the production line. The "type of energy" here may refer to, for example, a specific method of generating electricity, or a simple distinction as to whether or not the energy is clean. For a production line that operates using multiple types of energy, information on the ratio of each type of energy may also be included. This allows users to easily understand whether a product was manufactured using so-called clean energy, such as renewable energy.

[0020] The information processing system further includes a third generation means for generating manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information including one or more pieces of specification information for each manufacturing equipment that constitutes the manufacturing line; a third association means for associating the manufacturing equipment information certified by the manufacturing equipment certification information with a manufacturing equipment ID that identifies each individual manufacturing equipment, and the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID; a third reception means for receiving a third output request that is a request to output the manufacturing equipment information based on the manufacturing equipment ID; and a third output means for outputting at least a part of the manufacturing equipment information related to the third output request, and the manufacturing line information may include at least the manufacturing equipment ID as the manufacturing element information.

[0021] Here, the "specifications of the manufacturing equipment" may include information related to the energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment, information about the parts used in the manufacturing equipment, information about the software implemented in the manufacturing equipment, information about the manufacturer of the manufacturing equipment, information about the manufacturing date and time of the manufacturing equipment, etc. Furthermore, in addition to this information itself, information for acquiring this information (for example, an ID, code, URL address, etc. linked to the content of the information) also falls under this category.

[0022] This allows users to easily view information about the specifications of highly reliable product manufacturing equipment. Furthermore, it is possible to build a system that allows users to refer to the content of manufacturing equipment information using the manufacturing equipment ID corresponding to the manufacturing equipment information as a key, without including the manufacturing equipment information itself that the manufacturing line has as the content of the manufacturing line information.

[0023] The manufacturing equipment information may also include, as specifications of the manufacturing equipment, information on the energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment. Here, "energy-saving performance" may include the achievement rate of a predetermined standard, energy consumption efficiency (e.g., energy consumption per product), etc. This allows users to easily understand the level of energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment used to manufacture a product, and ultimately the degree to which the product was manufactured with energy conservation in mind.

[0024] The information processing system further has a control means for controlling each of the manufacturing devices that make up the manufacturing line, and the control means may prevent each of the manufacturing devices that are to be controlled from operating if the specifications of the manufacturing device to be controlled do not match the content certified by the manufacturing device certification information linked to the manufacturing device ID assigned to the manufacturing device, or if each element that makes up the manufacturing line to which the manufacturing device to be controlled belongs does not match the content certified by the manufacturing line certification information linked to the manufacturing line ID assigned to the manufacturing line.

[0025] This makes it possible to prevent the use of a manufacturing line or manufacturing equipment that differs from the authenticated details from being used to manufacture the product, even if there is an unplanned change in specifications or replacement of a manufacturing device on the manufacturing line or in the manufacturing equipment. In other words, the system can be made such that not only is the product information itself tamper-resistant (due to the certification information), but also that the details guaranteed by the certification information are prevented from being unintentionally changed (tampered with).

[0026] The information processing system may further include a fourth reception means for accepting at least the update to the product information on the condition that an updater ID that is linked to the authority to update the product information and that individually identifies the user who performs the update is input, and the fourth reception means may, upon accepting the update, add the updater ID of the user who performed the update and the update time to the product information.

[0027] Here, "update" includes the simple addition of information. "Authority to update" also includes the content of information that can be updated and the timing of updates. With this configuration, users can update information according to their authority to update information, and when updates are made, a record of the update is added to the product information, making it possible to realize a system that is highly resistant to tampering and is also convenient.

[0028] The system may further include a fifth reception means for receiving input of a viewer ID that is linked to at least the viewing authority of the product information and individually identifies the user viewing the product information, and when the fifth reception means receives input of the viewer ID, the first output means may output the product information that can be viewed with the viewing authority linked to the viewer ID.

[0029] Here, "viewing authority" includes the content of information that can be viewed and the time period during which it can be viewed. With this configuration, users can easily view information that corresponds to their viewing authority, while information providers can decide to whom and what information to provide, thereby realizing a convenient system.

[0030] The present invention can also be understood as an information processing method having a plurality of information processing terminals connected to each other by a communication network, and processing information related to products, comprising: a first generation step of generating product certification information that certifies product information, which is information including one or more product element information indicating each element related to the manufacture of each of the products; a first association step of associating the product information certified by the product certification information with a product ID that identifies each of the products and is associated with the product information identified by the product ID; a first reception step of receiving a first output request that is a request to output the product information based on the product ID; and a first output step of outputting at least a portion of the product information related to the first output request.

[0031] The information processing method further includes a second generation step of generating production line certification information that certifies production line information including one or more production element information indicating each element that constitutes a production line related to the production of the product; a second association step of associating a production line ID that is associated with the production line information certified by the production line certification information and identifies each of the production lines, with the production line identified by the production line ID; a second reception step of receiving a second output request that is a request to output the production line information based on the production line ID; and a second output step of outputting at least a part of the production line information related to the second output request, wherein the product information may include at least the production line ID as the product element information.

[0032] The information processing method further includes a third generation step of generating manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information including one or more pieces of specification information for each manufacturing equipment that constitutes the manufacturing line; a third association step of associating the manufacturing equipment information certified by the manufacturing equipment certification information with a manufacturing equipment ID that identifies each individual manufacturing equipment and associates the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID; a third reception step of receiving a third output request that is a request to output the manufacturing equipment information based on the manufacturing equipment ID; and a third output step of outputting at least a part of the manufacturing equipment information related to the third output request, wherein the manufacturing line information may include at least the manufacturing equipment ID as the manufacturing element information.

[0033] The present invention can also be understood as a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the above-described method, or a computer-readable recording medium on which such a program is non-transitoryly recorded.

[0034] The above-mentioned configurations and processes can be combined with each other to constitute the present invention as long as no technical contradictions arise. Furthermore, in this specification, numerals such as "first...," "second...," etc. are used simply to distinguish from other elements and do not indicate any order or priority between elements. Each of the above invention-specifying features does not necessarily have to be realized as a separate feature, and one feature may also serve as multiple invention-specifying features.

[0035] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that enables information about a product and each element related to the manufacturing of the product to be viewed, and that can help ensure the authenticity of the information related to the viewing.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overview of the hardware configuration of a certification authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functional configuration of the certification authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in a storage unit of the certification authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5A is a first explanatory diagram showing an example of a database stored in a storage unit of the certification authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a second explanatory diagram showing an example of a database stored in a storage unit of the certification authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5C is a third explanatory diagram showing an example of a database stored in a storage unit of the certification authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functional configuration of a product manufacturer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of a production line according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functional configuration of a manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functional configuration of an update authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functional configuration of a consumer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an overview of processing performed in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal and the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a first diagram showing the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal and the product manufacturer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed when starting up a manufacturing line of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a second diagram showing the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal and the product manufacturer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal and the renewal authority terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal and the consumer terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a user ID input form generated by the information viewing request receiving unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an ID input form used in Modification 2 of the first embodiment.Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information processing system according to embodiment 2. Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing an overview of the functional configuration of an authentication authority terminal according to embodiment 2.

[0037] <Application Example> An application example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. An information processing system 1 according to this application example is an information processing system that aims to enable consumers to easily view collective information (hereinafter referred to as "product information") on various elements related to the manufacturing of products distributed in the market, and to ensure the authenticity of the information related to the viewing. Examples of elements included in the product information include the total amount of energy consumed in manufacturing the product, the amount of CO2 emissions, the type of energy used in manufacturing the product, the raw materials used in the product, and the source of the raw materials.

[0038] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 according to this application example. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 1 according to this application example includes a consumer terminal 50 owned by a consumer (a purchaser of a product), a product manufacturer terminal 20 managed by a product manufacturer, and a certification authority terminal 10 managed by an organization that certifies product information (hereinafter referred to as "certification authority"), and these are configured to be communicably connected via a communication network N.

[0039] A product manufacturer generates product information for a product that it manufactures using product manufacturer terminal 20 and transmits this information to certification authority terminal 10. The certification authority then authenticates the transmitted product information, generates certification information (hereinafter referred to as "product certification information") that certifies the authenticated product information using certification authority terminal 10, associates this with the authenticated product information, and registers the authenticated product information in a database (DB).

[0040] The certification authority further issues product identification information (hereinafter, the identification information will be referred to as "ID") that is linked to the authenticated product information certified by the product certification information and that identifies each individual product, via the certification authority terminal 10. The issued product ID is transmitted to the product manufacturer terminal 20 via the communication network N.

[0041] The product manufacturer performs a process of associating the issued product ID with each product at the product manufacturer terminal 20, thereby completing the association of a product with the product ID and authenticated product information. Specifically, the association may be performed by imprinting the product ID (for example, as a serial number) on the product or by outputting a label with the product ID printed thereon (the label is affixed to the product). Alternatively, information including the product ID may be encoded into a barcode or QR code (registered trademark), and the code may be attached to the product.

[0042] A consumer uses the product ID (or an encoded code thereof) attached to a product that the consumer has acquired as a key to make a request to view product information on the consumer terminal 50. Specifically, the consumer accesses a portal site provided by the certification authority, inputs the product ID, decodes the code attached to the product, and then transmits the request to view product information to the certification authority terminal 10 via the communication network N.

[0043] When the certification authority terminal 10 receives a viewing request from the consumer terminal 50, it extracts at least a portion of the product information (e.g., CO2 emissions related to the manufacturing of the product, raw materials of the product) from the DB according to the consumer's viewing authority, and transmits it to the consumer terminal 50. Then, the consumer terminal 50, which has acquired the information via the communication network N, generates and outputs a product information viewing screen.

[0044] This allows consumers to easily view at least a portion of the product information of the product they have purchased. Furthermore, the product information is certified by a certification body, ensuring the authenticity of the product information being viewed.

[0045] <Embodiment 1> Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below. However, unless otherwise specified, the components and processes described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0046] (System Overview) The information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment is similar to the information processing system 1 according to the application example. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a certification authority terminal 10, a product manufacturer terminal 20, a manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30, an update authority terminal 40, and a consumer terminal 50, which are communicatively connected via a communication network N. The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment also includes one or more control devices 22 that are communicatively connected to the product manufacturer terminal 20 and control the product manufacturing equipment. Note that there may be a plurality of each of the product manufacturer terminal 20, the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30, the update authority terminal 40, and the consumer terminal 50.

[0047] (Configuration of the authentication authority terminal) First, the authentication authority terminal 10 will be described. The authentication authority terminal 10 can be, for example, a general server computer. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the hardware configuration of the authentication authority terminal 10. As described above, the authentication authority terminal 10 is an information processing terminal managed by the authentication authority, and as shown in Fig. 2, includes as components a processor 91, a memory 92, an input interface (IF) 93, an output IF 94, and a communication IF 95, which are interconnected by a connection bus 90.

[0048] The processor 91 may be any arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

[0049] The memory 92 includes, although not shown, a main storage device such as a flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), or ROM (Read Only Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), flash memory, USB memory, or SD (Secure Digital) memory card. The memory 92 stores information such as programs executed by the processor 91, data processed by the processor 91, operation setting information, and various DBs (described below). The programs stored in the memory 92 are executed by the processor 91, which controls each component of the authentication authority terminal 10, thereby realizing each functional unit that fulfills a predetermined purpose.

[0050] Examples of the input IF 93 include various input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, camera, and microphone. Examples of the output IF 94 include various output devices such as a display, speaker, and printer. A touch panel display can also be used as both the input IF 93 and the output IF. The communication IF 95 can have an appropriate configuration depending on the connection method (wired or wireless, connection standard, etc.) with the communication network N to be connected.

[0051] (Functional Configuration of Authentication Authority Terminal 10) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the authentication authority terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the authentication authority terminal 10 includes functional units, such as an authentication request receiving unit 101, a certification information generating unit 102, an ID issuing unit 103, an information viewing request receiving unit 104, an information update receiving unit 105, an input unit 107, an output unit 108, a storage unit 109, and a communication unit 110.

[0052] The authentication request receiving unit 101 receives an authentication request for product information, a collective information of manufacturing element information indicating each element constituting the product's manufacturing line (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturing line information"), and information on the specifications of each manufacturing device installed in the manufacturing line (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturing device information"), as will be described later. Specifically, the authentication request is received by receiving the product information, manufacturing line information, and manufacturing device information related to the authentication request from the product manufacturer terminal 20 and the manufacturing device manufacturer terminal 30 via the communication network N.

[0053] The certification information generation unit 102 generates each piece of certification information: product certification information that certifies product information related to authentication, production line certification information that certifies production line information related to authentication, and manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information related to authentication. That is, in this embodiment, the certification information generation unit 102 is configured to serve as the first generation means, second generation means, and third generation means according to the present invention. By generating the certification information, the content and authenticity of the product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information are guaranteed by the certification organization.

[0054] The ID issuing unit 103 issues various IDs. Specifically, it issues IDs such as a user ID for individually identifying a user of the information processing system 1, a product ID for individually identifying a product, a manufacturing line ID for individually identifying a manufacturing line, and a manufacturing device ID for individually identifying a manufacturing device.

[0055] The user ID issued by the ID issuing unit 103 is associated with update authority (whether information can be updated, the scope of updates, and the time when updates can be made) and viewing authority (the scope of information that can be viewed, and the time when it can be viewed) for the product information, manufacturing line information, and manufacturing equipment information stored in the DB described below.

[0056] Furthermore, the product ID issued by the ID issuing unit 103 is associated with product information certified by product certification information, and it is possible to access the corresponding product information based on the product ID. The same applies to the manufacturing line ID and manufacturing equipment ID, and authenticated manufacturing line information and manufacturing equipment information are associated with each other.

[0057] The information viewing request receiving unit 104 receives a request to view authenticated product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information. For example, the information viewing request receiving unit 104 receives a request to view the corresponding information from any of the terminals connected via the communication network N, using the product ID, production line ID, and manufacturing equipment ID as keys, and requests transmission of a user ID. Then, the information corresponding to the viewing authority set for the user ID is transmitted to the terminal that made the viewing request via the communication unit 110, which will be described later. The specific processing at this time will be described later. In this embodiment, the information viewing request receiving unit 104 is configured to also serve as the first receiving means, second receiving means, third receiving means, and fifth receiving means according to the present invention.

[0058] The information update receiving unit 105 accepts updates to the product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information stored in the DB upon input of the user ID of a user authorized to update at least one of these information. For example, the information update receiving unit 105 receives an update request for each piece of information corresponding to a product ID, production line ID, or manufacturing equipment ID from any terminal connected via the communication network N, using the product ID, production line ID, or manufacturing equipment ID as a key, and requests transmission of the user ID. The information update receiving unit 105 then transmits an information update user interface (UI) corresponding to the update authority set for the user ID to the terminal that requested the update. Upon receiving an information update via the information update UI, the information update receiving unit 105 updates the information in the DB and adds the update date and time and the user ID of the person who made the update to the DB. In other words, in this embodiment, the information update receiving unit 105 corresponds to a fourth receiving means according to the present invention. Note that the term "update" here includes not only overwriting (rewriting) information but also adding information.

[0059] The input unit 107 is realized by the above-mentioned input IF 93, and transmits various input signals input via various input devices to the processor 91. The output unit 108 is realized by the above-mentioned output IF 94, and outputs various information via an output device such as a display. The communication unit 110 is realized by the communication IF 95, and communicates information with other terminals in the system via the communication network N.

[0060] The storage unit 109 is realized by the memory 92 described above, and stores various types of information. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information held by the storage unit 109. As shown in Fig. 4, the storage unit 109 stores various DBs, such as an authenticated product information DB, an authenticated manufacturing line DB, an authenticated manufacturing equipment DB, a user ID DB, a product ID DB, a manufacturing line ID DB, and a manufacturing equipment ID DB.

[0061] The authenticated product information DB stores product information received from the product manufacturer terminal 20 and for which certification information has been generated. Fig. 5A shows an example of the authenticated product information DB. As shown in Fig. 5A, the authenticated product information DB includes, for example, a product ID, the ID of the production line that produced the product, a manufacturer ID (information that identifies the product manufacturer), information on energy consumption related to the production of the product, and information on the date of production.

[0062] The authenticated production line DB stores production line information received from the product manufacturer terminal 20 and for which certification information has been generated. Fig. 5B shows an example of the authenticated production line information DB. As shown in Fig. 5B, the authenticated production line information DB includes, for example, a production line ID, IDs of the manufacturing devices included in the production line, IDs of the control devices that control the production line, IDs that identify the operators of the production line, and information on the types of energy used in the production line.

[0063] The authenticated manufacturing equipment information DB stores manufacturing equipment information received from the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 and for which certification information has been generated. Fig. 5C shows an example of the authenticated manufacturing equipment information DB. As shown in Fig. 5C, the authenticated manufacturing equipment information DB includes, for example, the manufacturing equipment ID, the type (model) of the manufacturing equipment, the ID of the software installed in the manufacturing equipment, the energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment, and the manufacturer ID (information identifying the manufacturing equipment manufacturer).

[0064] The user IDDB, product IDDB, production line IDDB, and production equipment IDDB store information that pairs the ID issued by the ID issuing unit 103 with the corresponding user, product, production line, and production equipment.

[0065] (Product Manufacturer Terminal) Next, the product manufacturer terminal 20 will be described. The product manufacturer terminal 20 is a terminal managed by the product manufacturer, and is connected to other terminals in the system via a communication network N as shown in Figure 1, and is also connected to control devices 22a, 22b, ..., 22n provided in each of the multiple production lines 21a, 21b, ..., 21n. In the following, unless it is necessary to distinguish between the multiple production lines and control devices, they will be simply referred to as the production line 21, the control device 22, etc.

[0066] The product manufacturer terminal 20 can use a general server computer or the like, similar to the certification authority terminal 10. That is, although not shown, similar to the certification authority terminal 10, the product manufacturer terminal 20 has a hardware configuration including a processor, memory, input IF, output IF, and communication IF.

[0067] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the product manufacturer terminal 20. As shown in Fig. 6, the product manufacturer terminal 20 includes functional units such as a product information generation unit 201, a production line information generation unit 202, a product ID association unit 203, a production line ID association unit 204, an information view request unit 205, an information update request unit 206, an input unit 207, an output unit 208, a storage unit 209, and a communication unit 210.

[0068] The input unit 207, output unit 208, and communication unit 210 are the same as those of the certification authority terminal 10, and the memory unit 209 is also the same as the memory unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10 except that it does not hold a database such as an authenticated product information database, so explanations of these will be omitted.

[0069] When a product manufacturer manufactures a new product, the product information generation unit 201 generates product information for that product. Examples of the content of the product information have been described above, so a detailed description will be omitted. When the generated product information is to be certified by a certification body, the product manufacturer terminal 20 transmits the product information to the certification body terminal 10 via the communication unit 210.

[0070] When a product manufacturer constructs a new production line 21, the production line information generation unit 202 generates production line information for the production line. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of production elements included in the production line 21. As shown in FIG. 7, examples of production element information for the production line 21 include multiple production apparatuses 23a, 23b, ..., 23n involved in the production of the product, multiple sensor devices 24a, 24b, ..., 24n, a control device 22 that connects these production apparatuses and sensor devices and controls the production apparatuses 23a, 23b, ..., 23n, and a line operator 25 for the production line 21. Note that, hereinafter, multiple production apparatuses and sensor devices will be simply referred to as production apparatuses 23, sensor devices 24, etc., unless it is necessary to distinguish between them.

[0071] The control device 22 may be, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The control device 22 controls the manufacturing device 23, and as will be described later, collects information on each manufacturing element in the manufacturing line 21, and if the information does not match the information certified by the certification body, it issues an error and performs processing to prevent the manufacturing device 23 from operating.

[0072] In generating the production line information, if production equipment information including information on the specifications of the production equipment 23 included in the production line 21 is required, the required information is acquired via the communication unit 210, the input unit 207, etc. For example, if the production equipment 23 is a ready-made product manufactured by a production equipment manufacturer, the production equipment information may be acquired by querying the certification authority terminal 10 (or the production equipment manufacturer terminal 30) for production equipment information related to the relevant production equipment via the communication unit 210 using the production equipment ID as a key. Alternatively, if the production equipment 23 is proprietary to the product manufacturer, the production equipment information may be acquired by, for example, displaying a UI by the output unit 208 that prompts the user to input production equipment information and accepting the information input from the user via the input unit 207.

[0073] The product ID associating unit 203 performs a process of associating a product ID issued by the authentication authority terminal 10 with each individual product identified by the product ID. That is, the product ID associating unit 203 corresponds to the first associating means of the present invention. Specifically, the association between the product, the product ID, and the authenticated product information is completed by, for example, imprinting the product ID (or a code encoding information including the product ID) on each individual product or outputting a label on which the product ID is printed. Therefore, when a product ID is actually assigned to a product, information to that effect may be sent to the authentication authority terminal 10, and the information in the authenticated product information DB may be updated, thereby associating the product ID with the product.

[0074] The production line ID associating unit 204 performs processing to associate the production line ID issued by the authentication authority terminal 10 with each individual production line identified by the production line ID. That is, in this embodiment, the production line ID associating unit 204 corresponds to the second associating means according to the present invention. Specifically, for example, the product manufacturer assigns a production line ID to each individual production line, thereby completing the association between the production line, the production line ID, and the authenticated production line information. Therefore, when a production line ID is actually assigned to a production line, information to that effect may be sent to the authentication authority terminal 10, which updates the information in the authenticated product information DB, thereby associating the production line ID with the product.

[0075] The information viewing request unit 205 requests viewing of at least one of product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information that has been authenticated by the authentication authority terminal 10 and that is associated with the certification information and stored in the storage unit 109 of the authentication authority terminal 10. Specifically, an information viewing request is sent to the authentication authority terminal 10, and the information viewing request receiving unit 104 receives a request to view information associated with a product ID, production line ID, or manufacturing equipment ID using the ID as a key. Note that by entering a user ID (and the corresponding password) when requesting information viewing, the user can view the information within the scope of the authority associated with the user ID.

[0076] The information update request unit 206 performs processing to update information in at least one of the authenticated product information DB and the authenticated production line information DB stored in the storage unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10. Specifically, for example, the information update request unit 206 uses a product ID or a production line ID as a key to send an information update request to the certification authority terminal 10, and registers the information to be updated by receiving a UI for updating the information.

[0077] (Manufacturing Equipment Manufacturer Terminal) Next, we will explain the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30. The manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 is a terminal managed by the manufacturing equipment manufacturer, and is connected to other terminals in the system for communication via a communication network N as shown in FIG.

[0078] The manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 can use a general server computer or the like, similar to the certification authority terminal 10. That is, although not shown, similar to the certification authority terminal 10, the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 has a hardware configuration including a processor, memory, input IF, output IF, and communication IF.

[0079] Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30. As shown in Fig. 8, manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 includes functional units such as manufacturing equipment information generation unit 301, manufacturing equipment ID association unit 302, information browsing request unit 303, information update request unit 304, input unit 307, output unit 308, storage unit 309, and communication unit 310.

[0080] The input unit 307, output unit 308, and communication unit 310 are the same as those of the certification authority terminal 10, and the memory unit 309 is also the same as the memory unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10 except that it does not hold a database such as an authenticated product information database, so explanations of these will be omitted.

[0081] When a manufacturing equipment manufacturer manufactures a new piece of manufacturing equipment, the manufacturing equipment information generation unit 301 generates manufacturing equipment information for the new manufacturing equipment. The manufacturing equipment information is a collection of information related to the specifications of the manufacturing equipment, and includes, for example, the type (model) of the manufacturing equipment, information related to the energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment, information about the parts and raw materials used in the manufacturing equipment, information about the software implemented in the manufacturing equipment, and information about the manufacturer of the manufacturing equipment. When the generated manufacturing equipment information is to be certified by a certification body, the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 transmits the manufacturing equipment information to the certification body terminal 10 via the communication unit 310.

[0082] The manufacturing equipment ID associating unit 302 performs a process of associating a manufacturing equipment ID issued by the certification authority terminal 10 with each individual manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID. That is, in this embodiment, the manufacturing equipment ID associating unit 302 corresponds to a third associating means according to the present invention. Specifically, the association between the manufacturing equipment, the manufacturing equipment ID, and the authenticated manufacturing equipment information is completed by, for example, imprinting the manufacturing equipment ID (or a code encoding information including the manufacturing equipment ID) on each individual manufacturing equipment or outputting a label on which the manufacturing equipment ID is printed. Therefore, when a manufacturing equipment ID is actually assigned to a manufacturing equipment, information to that effect may be sent to the certification authority terminal 10, which updates the information in the authenticated manufacturing equipment information DB, thereby associating the manufacturing equipment ID with the product.

[0083] The information viewing request unit 303 requests viewing of at least one of product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information that has been authenticated by the authentication authority terminal 10 and that is associated with the certification information and stored in the storage unit 109 of the authentication authority terminal 10. Specifically, an information viewing request is sent to the authentication authority terminal 10, and the information viewing request receiving unit 104 receives a request to view information associated with a product ID, production line ID, or manufacturing equipment ID using the ID as a key. Note that by entering a user ID (and the corresponding password) when requesting information viewing, the user can view the information within the scope of the authority associated with the user ID.

[0084] The information update request unit 304 performs processing to update at least the information in the certified manufacturing equipment DB stored in the storage unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10. Specifically, for example, the information update request unit 304 uses the manufacturing equipment ID as a key to send an information update request to the certification authority terminal 10, and registers the information to be updated by receiving a UI for updating the information.

[0085] (Update Authorization Holder Terminal) Next, the update authority holder terminal 40 will be described. The update authority holder terminal 40 is a terminal managed by a user who has been granted at least the authority to update product information, and is communicatively connected to other terminals in the system via the communication network N as shown in FIG. 1 . Here, the users who have been granted the authority to update product information are, for example, businesses involved in product distribution, such as distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. Products reach consumers via these businesses, but during this process, the condition of the product may change, or it may become necessary to add information about the product's location. Therefore, the update authority holder terminal 40 has the function of updating such information in the authenticated product information DB.

[0086] A general-purpose computer system can be used as the update authority terminal 40. That is, although not shown, similar to the certification authority terminal 10, the update authority terminal 40 is equipped with a processor, memory, input IF, output IF, communication IF, etc. as a hardware configuration.

[0087] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the update authority holder terminal 40. As shown in Fig. 9, the update authority holder terminal 40 includes the following functional units: an information viewing request unit 401, an information update request unit 402, an input unit 407, an output unit 408, a storage unit 409, and a communication unit 410.

[0088] The input unit 407, output unit 408, and communication unit 410 are the same as those of the certification authority terminal 10, and the memory unit 409 is also the same as the memory unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10 except that it does not hold a database such as an authenticated product information database, so explanations of these will be omitted.

[0089] The information viewing request unit 401 requests viewing of product information that has been authenticated at least by the authentication authority terminal 10 and that is associated with the certification information and stored in the storage unit 109 of the authentication authority terminal 10. Specifically, an information viewing request is sent to the authentication authority terminal 10, and a request to view information associated with the product ID is made using the product ID as a key through the reception process of the information viewing request reception unit 104. Note that by inputting a user ID (and the corresponding password) when making the information viewing request, the information can be viewed within the scope of the authority associated with the user ID.

[0090] The information update request unit 402 performs processing to update at least the information in the authenticated product information DB stored in the storage unit 109 of the authentication authority terminal 10. Specifically, for example, the information update request is sent to the authentication authority terminal 10 using a product ID as a key, and a UI for updating the information is provided, thereby registering the information to be updated. For example, a transport company, as a business operator authorized to update product information, adds information such as the route and CO2 emissions during transport to the product information in the authenticated product information DB when transporting a product.

[0091] (Consumer Terminal) Next, the consumer terminal 50 will be described. The consumer terminal 50 is a terminal carried by a general consumer, and is communicatively connected to other terminals in the system via a communication network N as shown in FIG. 1 . A general-purpose terminal can be used as the consumer terminal 50, and in this embodiment, an example in which the consumer terminal 50 is a smartphone will be described. However, the consumer terminal 50 may be a mobile information terminal other than a smartphone, or may be a desktop computer, a smart display, or the like. In any case, the consumer terminal 50 also has a processor, memory, input IF, output IF, communication IF, and the like as hardware configuration.

[0092] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the consumer terminal 50. As shown in Fig. 10, the consumer terminal 50 has the following functional units: an information browsing request unit 501, an input unit 507, an output unit 508, a storage unit 509, and a communication unit 510. The input unit 507, the output unit 508, and the communication unit 510 are the same as those of the certification authority terminal 10, and the storage unit 509 is also the same as the storage unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10 except that it does not hold a DB such as an authenticated product information DB, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] The information viewing request unit 501 requests viewing of product information that has been authenticated at least by the authentication authority terminal 10 and that is associated with the certification information and stored in the storage unit 109 of the authentication authority terminal 10. Specifically, an information viewing request is sent to the authentication authority terminal 10, and the information viewing request receiving unit 104 performs a reception process to request viewing of the information associated with the product ID using the product ID as a key.

[0094] When requesting to view information, by entering a user ID (and the corresponding password), the information can be viewed within the scope of the authority associated with the user ID. Note that general consumers who have acquired a product are not usually assigned a user ID, but even without a user ID, they can view basic information about the product.

[0095] For example, if information including a product ID is encoded as a QR code (registered trademark) and attached to a product, the consumer terminal 50 may take a picture of the code with a camera serving as the input unit 507, decode the information including the product ID, and automatically transmit an information viewing request to the authentication authority terminal 10 to obtain (a basic portion of) the product information corresponding to the product ID, which is then displayed on a display serving as the output unit 508. With this mechanism, even an ordinary consumer who has no knowledge of the mechanism of the information processing system 1 can view basic product information simply by scanning the code attached to the product with a camera, thereby improving consumer convenience.

[0096] (Information Processing Flow) Next, the information processing flow performed in the information processing system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 17. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing performed in the information processing system 1. As shown in FIG. 11, the information processing system 1 executes the following steps: a step of authenticating manufacturing equipment information and associating it with a manufacturing equipment ID (S101); a step of authenticating manufacturing line information and associating it with a manufacturing line ID (S102); a step of operating a manufacturing line at a product manufacturer to manufacture products (S103); a step of authenticating product information and associating it with a product ID (S104); a step of determining whether a request for updating information stored in the DB has been made to the authentication authority terminal 10 (S105); a step of accepting the information update (S106); a step of determining whether a request for viewing information stored in the DB has been made to the authentication authority terminal 10 (S107); and a step of outputting information related to the viewing request (S108). The processing flow performed in each step will be described in more detail below.

[0097] FIG. 12 shows a subroutine of step S101 in the flowchart of FIG. 11 , illustrating the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal 10 and the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 12 , when a manufacturing equipment manufacturer newly manufactures a manufacturing equipment, the manufacturing equipment information generation unit 301 of the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 generates manufacturing equipment information (S201). The manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 then transmits an authentication request for the generated manufacturing equipment information to the certification authority terminal 10 via the communication unit 310 (S202). The certification authority terminal 10 then receives the request via the authentication request reception unit 101, and an operator on the certification authority side authenticates the manufacturing equipment information and registers it in the authenticated manufacturing equipment information DB (S203). The certification authority terminal 10 then generates manufacturing equipment certification information in the certification information generation unit 102 that certifies the manufacturing equipment information related to the authentication request (S204), and the ID issuance unit 103 issues a manufacturing equipment ID associated with the manufacturing equipment certification information (S205). The issued manufacturing equipment ID is transmitted to the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 via the communication unit 110 (S206), and the manufacturing equipment ID associating unit 302 of the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 associates the manufacturing equipment ID with the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID (S207). By executing the above series of processes, the subroutine of step S101 is temporarily terminated.

[0098] FIG. 13 shows a subroutine of step S102 in the flowchart of FIG. 11 , illustrating the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal 10 and the product manufacturer terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 13 , when a product manufacturer installs a new production line, the production line information generation unit 202 of the product manufacturer terminal 20 generates production line information (S301). The product manufacturer terminal 20 then transmits an authentication request for the generated production line information to the certification authority terminal 10 via the communication unit 210 (S302). The certification authority terminal 10 then receives the request via the authentication request reception unit 101, and an operator on the certification authority side authenticates the production line information and registers it in the authenticated production line information DB (S303). The certification authority terminal 10 then generates production line certification information in the certification information generation unit 102 that certifies the production line information related to the authentication request (S304), and the ID issuance unit 103 issues a production line ID associated with the production line certification information (S305). The issued production line ID is transmitted to the product manufacturer terminal 20 via the communication unit 110 (S306), and the production line ID associating unit 204 of the product manufacturer terminal 20 associates the production line ID with the production line identified by the production line ID (S307). By executing the above series of processes, the subroutine of step S102 is temporarily terminated.

[0099] 14 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step S103 in the flowchart of FIG. 11, illustrating an example of the flow of processing performed by the control device 22 when starting up the production line 21 (before the production line starts operating) at a product manufacturer. As shown in FIG. 14, the control device 22 acquires each piece of production element information for the production line 21 under its control (S401). Note that the production element information has already been explained, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here. For example, the control device 22 acquires, via a communication IF or an input IF, IDs identifying the production equipment 23 and sensor devices 24 connected to the control device 22, information (ID) of the line operator on the day, and the like.

[0100] Next, the control device 22 uses the production line ID of the production line 21 under its control as a key to refer to production line information related to that production line ID stored in the storage unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10 (S402). At this time, the control device 22 may access the certification authority terminal 10 via the product manufacturer terminal 20, or may directly inquire about information from the certification authority terminal 10. Furthermore, in addition to the production line information, the control device 22 may also refer to production device information of each manufacturing device 23 included in the production line 21.

[0101] Next, the control device 22 determines whether the content of each manufacturing element of the manufacturing line 21 acquired in step S401 matches the content of the manufacturing line information associated with the manufacturing line certification information (S403). If it determines that the two pieces of information match, it operates the manufacturing line 21 under its control (specifically, each manufacturing device 23 included in the manufacturing line 21) to manufacture the product (S406).

[0102] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S403 that the contents of the two pieces of information do not match, the control device 22 issues an error message (S404) and suspends operation of the production line 21. In this case, for example, the line operator 25 changes each production element of the production line 21 so that it matches the production line information associated with the production line certification information (S405), and then the process returns to step S401 and repeats the subsequent steps. In this way, the contents of each production element of the production line 21 match the contents of the production line information associated with the production line certification information, allowing the production line to operate. Execution of the above series of processes ends the subroutine of step S103.

[0103] FIG. 15 shows a subroutine of step S104 in the flowchart of FIG. 11 , illustrating the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal 10 and the product manufacturer terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 15 , when a product manufacturer manufactures a new product, the product information generation unit 201 of the product manufacturer terminal 20 generates product information (S501). The product manufacturer terminal 20 then transmits an authentication request for the generated product information to the certification authority terminal 10 via the communication unit 210 (S502). The certification authority terminal 10 then receives the request via the authentication request reception unit 101, and a certification authority worker authenticates the product information and registers it in the authenticated product information DB (S503). The certification authority terminal 10 then generates product certification information in the certification information generation unit 102 that certifies the product information related to the certification request (S504), and the ID issuance unit 103 issues a product ID associated with the product certification information (S505). The issued product ID is transmitted to the product manufacturer terminal 20 via the communication unit 110 (S506), and the product ID associating unit 203 of the product manufacturer terminal 20 associates the product ID with the product identified by the product ID (S507). After the above series of processes are executed, the subroutine of step S104 is temporarily terminated.

[0104] Returning to the explanation of the process flow in Fig. 11, in step S105, the certification authority terminal 10 (specifically, the information update receiving unit 105) determines whether there is a request to update the certified product information, certified manufacturing line information, and certified manufacturing equipment information stored in the storage unit 109. The process flow when there is a request to update information will be described below. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the exchange of information and the process flow between the certification authority terminal 10 and the update authority terminal 40.

[0105] Here, we will explain an example in which a product is assigned a code containing encoded information including a product ID. When a business operator involved in product distribution wishes to update product information, the code attached to the product is read using a code reading means (e.g., a camera) serving as the input unit 407 of the update authority terminal 40 (S601). The encoded information is then decoded by the information update request unit 402, and based on this, a request for a user ID input form is sent to the certification authority terminal 10 (S602). Upon receiving the input form request, the information update acceptance unit 105 of the certification authority terminal 10 generates a user ID input form corresponding to the product ID included in the code (S603) and sends it to the update authority terminal 40 (S604). Upon receiving the form, an input form for the user ID and password is displayed on the output unit 408 of the update authority terminal 40. When the user ID is entered into the form via the input unit 407 of the update authority terminal 40 (S605), the user ID (and password) information is sent to the certification authority terminal 10 via the communication unit 410 (S606). In the certification authority terminal 10 that has received the user ID, the information update acceptance unit 105 generates an input form for update information corresponding to the authority of the transmitted user ID (S607) and transmits the input form to the update authority terminal 40 (S608). In the update authority terminal 40 that has received the update information input form, the output unit 408 displays the input form. Then, when update information is input via the input unit 407 of the update authority terminal 40 (S609), the update information is transmitted to the certification authority terminal 10 via the communication unit 410 (S610). In the certification authority terminal 10 that has received the update information, the information update acceptance unit 105 updates the authenticated product information stored in the storage unit 109 (S611), and the series of processes related to the subroutine of step S106 is completed.

[0106] Although an example of information update processing performed by (the information update request unit 402 of) the update authority terminal 40 has been described above, similar processing can also be performed by (the information update request unit 206 of) the product manufacturer terminal 20 and (the information update request unit 304 of) the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30. Furthermore, although product information has been described above as an example, similar processing can also be performed for manufacturing line information and manufacturing equipment information.

[0107] Returning to the flow of Fig. 11, in step S107, the certification authority terminal 10 (specifically, the information viewing request receiving unit 104) determines whether there is a request to view the certified product information, certified manufacturing line information, and certified manufacturing equipment information stored in the memory unit 109. The following describes the processing flow when there is a request to view information. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the exchange of information and the processing flow between the certification authority terminal 10 and the consumer terminal 50.

[0108] In this example, a product is assigned a code containing encoded information, including a product ID. When a consumer who has purchased a product wishes to view product information, the code attached to the product is read using a code reading means (e.g., a camera) serving as the input unit 507 of the consumer terminal 50 (S701). The encoded information is then decoded by the information access request unit 501, and based on this, a request for a user ID input form is sent to the authentication authority terminal 10 (S702). Upon receiving the request for the input form, the information access request receiving unit 104 of the authentication authority terminal 10 generates a user ID input form corresponding to the product ID included in the code (S703) and sends it to the consumer terminal 50 (S704). Upon receiving the form, the output unit 508 of the consumer terminal 50 displays a user ID and password input form. FIG. 18 shows an example of a user ID and password input form.

[0109] When a user ID (and password) is entered into the form via the input unit 507 of the consumer terminal 50 (S705), the user ID (and password) information is transmitted to the authentication authority terminal 10 via the communication unit 510 (S706). In the authentication authority terminal 10 that has received the user ID, the information viewing request receiving unit 104 extracts product information corresponding to the authority of the transmitted user ID from the storage unit 109 (S707) and transmits the information to the consumer terminal 50 (S708). In the consumer terminal 50 that has received the product information, the output unit 508 displays a viewing screen for the product information (S709), and the series of processes related to the subroutine of step S108 is completed.

[0110] In the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, even if the send button is pressed without inputting a user ID and password, information that can be viewed even by unauthorized users is displayed, as shown in Fig. 18. This allows even users without a user ID, such as general consumers, to view basic information within the product information.

[0111] Furthermore, while an example of information viewing processing performed by the consumer terminal 50 (the information viewing request unit 501 and the output unit 508) has been described above, similar processing can also be performed by the product manufacturer terminal 20 (the information viewing request unit 205 and the output unit 208), the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30 (the information viewing request unit 303 and the output unit 308), and the update authority terminal 40 (the information viewing request unit 401 and the output unit 408). Furthermore, while product information has been described as an example above, similar processing can also be performed for manufacturing line information and manufacturing equipment information. That is, in this embodiment, any of the output units 208, 308, 408, and 508 can correspond to the first output means, second output means, and third output means of the present invention, depending on the terminal that made the output request and the content of the information related to the output request.

[0112] 11, if the determination in step S107 is NO, or after completing the processing in step S108, the authentication authority terminal 10 returns to step S105 and repeats the subsequent processing until a predetermined termination condition is met. However, the processing flow described up to this point is only an example, and a routine may be configured that does not include some or all of the processing in steps S101, S102, S103, S105, S106, etc.

[0113] As described above, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment enables users of an information processing network connected to multiple terminals to output (view) information about products and each element related to the manufacturing of the products, and contributes to ensuring the continuous authenticity of the information being viewed. In other words, highly reliable information can be obtained regarding the authenticity of not only the provider and content of the information being viewed, but also the reliability of the information connections, including the provider and content authenticity of the information on which and references the information being viewed (and further, the basis and reference information going back from that information). This allows, for example, general consumers to view highly reliable product information (such as energy consumption and producers related to product manufacturing) from their own terminals, whose underlying information (and its history) has also been authenticated. Manufacturers, logistics companies, retailers, and others can also obtain highly reliable product information from their own terminals.

[0114] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, when the production line 21 is started up, the control device 22 checks whether the contents of each production element of the production line to which the production equipment under its control belongs are identical to the contents of the authenticated production line information, and if they are not identical, the production equipment is not operated. This makes it possible to prevent the production of products using a production line or production equipment that differs from the authenticated contents in the event of an unplanned specification change or replacement of a production device in the production line or production equipment. In other words, it is possible to provide a system that not only provides resistance to tampering with the product information itself (by the certification information), but also prevents unintentional changes (tampering) to the contents guaranteed by the certification information.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the production location is the same, production line information is generated and managed for each of the multiple production lines 21. This allows the user to understand the difference in the amount of energy consumed in the manufacturing process for each product, even if the final products are of the same quality, if the energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment differs or the breakdown of the types of electricity used differs even in the same factory.

[0116] Furthermore, by adding information about line operators as a manufacturing element included in the production line information, it becomes possible to determine whether products have been manufactured using illegal working conditions, such as forced labor or unfair child labor.

[0117] (Variation 1) In the above-described first embodiment, the authenticated product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information (i.e., associated with certification information) are configured to be stored as a DB in the storage unit 109 of the certification authority terminal 10, but this configuration is not necessarily required. For example, the product information and production line information associated with certification information in the certification authority terminal 10 may be configured to be stored as a DB in the storage unit 209 of the product manufacturer terminal 20. Similarly, the manufacturing equipment information associated with certification information in the certification authority terminal 10 may be configured as a DB in the storage unit 309 of the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30.

[0118] In such a case, when a request to view or update information is received from each terminal, the certification authority terminal 10 may act as an intermediary to enable access to the corresponding product information, production line information, and manufacturing equipment information using the product ID, production line ID, and manufacturing equipment ID as keys.

[0119] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, an encoded code containing product ID information is attached to a product, and reading this code provides access to an input form for viewing or updating product information. However, information can also be viewed or updated in other ways. For example, a common input form for ID input may be published online in advance, and by accepting an ID input from this input form, information according to authority and / or an information update form may be displayed. An example of such a common ID input form is shown in FIG. 19.

[0120] (Variation 3) In the above embodiment, the information viewing request accepting unit 104 is configured to serve as the first accepting means, the second accepting means, the third accepting means, and the fifth accepting means. However, the authentication authority terminal 11 may be configured to include accepting units corresponding to the first accepting means, the second accepting means, the third accepting means, and the fifth accepting means. The information viewing request accepting unit 104 may accept output requests related to multiple pieces of information (simultaneously), or may accept output requests related to each piece of information individually. Similarly, the certification information generating unit 102 is not limited to serving as the first generating means, the second generating means, and the third generating means, but may include individual generating units corresponding to each of these means.

[0121] <Embodiment 2> Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 20 and 21. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 2 according to this embodiment. Note that, hereinafter, the same components and processes as those in the information processing system 1 of embodiment 1 will be designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted. As shown in Figure 20, the information processing system 2 according to this embodiment differs from the information processing system 1 of embodiment 1 in that the certification authority terminal 11, product manufacturer terminal 20, manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30, and update authority terminal 40 are connected to a blockchain network BCN, and the consumer terminal 50 and the certification authority terminal 11 are connected via a general-purpose communication network N.

[0122] In the information processing system 2 of this embodiment, a blockchain system, which is one type of distributed ledger technology, is used to manage product IDs, product information, product certification information, manufacturing line IDs, manufacturing line information, manufacturing line certification information, manufacturing equipment IDs, manufacturing equipment information, and manufacturing equipment certification information.

[0123] A blockchain system is a system that has multiple node devices connected to a blockchain network where information is managed peer-to-peer (P2P), and the multiple node devices distribute and share (hold and manage) various types of information. Since blockchain systems are a well-known technology, a detailed description will be omitted.

[0124] In this embodiment, the certification authority terminal 11, the product manufacturer terminal 20, the manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30, and the update authority terminal 40 each correspond to a node device in the blockchain network BCN. Other information processing terminals may also be included as node devices. In the information processing system 2 according to this embodiment, the certification authority terminal 11 does not have a database, and various information such as product information, manufacturing line information, and manufacturing equipment information is distributed and stored in the memory units of each terminal serving as a node device. Specifically, for example, the product information according to this embodiment is stored in the form of a block that stores a timestamp when the content was generated (or updated) in each node device, a hash value determined by a hash function according to the content of the information and indicating the content of the previous block, the content of the product information, and product certification information that certifies the (originally generated) product information. The product information stored in the block may be a key (e.g., an ID) linked to the main body of information in which each product element information is separately stored.

[0125] Each block is created sequentially, linked to the block created immediately before. That is, when product information is updated, a new block is created linked to the previous block, containing a timestamp at that time, a hash value of the information before the update, the updated product information, and product certification information.

[0126] Because such a blockchain is created in each node device, when information is updated, the fact and appropriateness of the update are always visible to participants in the system.

[0127] Figure 21 shows a functional block diagram of the certification authority terminal 11 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 21, the certification authority terminal 11 according to this embodiment has functional units similar to those of the certification authority terminal 10 according to embodiment 1, but does not include an information update reception unit 105. In the information processing system 2 according to this embodiment, information can be updated and viewed from the product manufacturer terminal 20, manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 30, and update authority terminal 40 by reading and updating information directly from the blockchain network BCN. That is, in this embodiment, the node devices constituting the blockchain network BCN correspond to the first reception means, second reception means, third reception means, fourth reception means, and fifth reception means according to the present invention.

[0128] On the other hand, consumer terminals 50 that do not generate or update information processed by the information processing system 2 are separated from the blockchain network BCN, and are provided with information managed by the blockchain network BCN via the certification authority terminal 11. The flow of a request to view information in this case is almost the same as in the first embodiment, except that the certification authority terminal 11 does not extract the information related to the request from a database in its own memory, but instead obtains it from the blockchain network BCN and provides it to the consumer terminal 50.

[0129] According to the information processing system 2 of this embodiment, by using a blockchain system, a stable system that is resistant to system downtime can be constructed because a database is not required. Furthermore, if any unauthorized information is updated (tampered with), this fact can be easily detected, making the system highly resistant to tampering.

[0130] <Others> The above examples are merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Various modifications and combinations of the present invention are possible within the scope of its technical concept. For example, in the above embodiment, the control device 22 may be directly connected to the communication network N (or the blockchain network BCN) without going through the product manufacturer terminal 20.

[0131] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, product IDs identifying individual products are issued individually in response to a request for authentication of each piece of product information. However, it is naturally conceivable that multiple (numerous) products with the same product information to be certified will be manufactured. In such a case, it would be inefficient to perform authentication and issue a product ID for each piece of product information one by one. Therefore, for product information with the same content to be certified, the authentication authority terminal may issue multiple product IDs associated with the single piece of product information to be certified and transmit these to the product manufacturer terminal in advance. This eliminates the need to request the issuance of a product ID each time a product with the same product information is manufactured, resulting in a highly convenient system. However, in this case, if a product manufacturer misuses a product ID, the reliability of the system will be significantly impaired. Therefore, a mechanism to ensure reliability is required, such as by only targeting truly reliable product manufacturers (e.g., by receiving certification as a reliable manufacturer).

[0132] Furthermore, the information processing system may be configured such that the product ID issuing unit is provided in the product manufacturer terminal, and the product ID associating unit is provided in the certification authority terminal. That is, the product manufacturer assigns an ID (such as a serial number) for each product to the product it manufactures (at this stage, the product and ID do not correspond to product certification information), and then the certification authority authenticates the product information in response to a request from the product manufacturer terminal, and the certification authority terminal generates product certification information and associates it with the (declared) product ID. The same applies to the manufacturing line ID and manufacturing equipment ID.

[0133] <Supplementary Note 1> An information processing system (1, 2) having a plurality of information processing terminals connected to each other via a communication network, and processing information related to products, comprising: a first generation means (102) that generates product certification information that certifies product information, which is information including one or more product element information indicating each element related to the manufacturing of each of the products; a first association means (203) that associates the product information certified by the product certification information with a product ID that identifies each of the products and is associated with the product information identified by the product ID; a first reception means (104) that receives a first output request that is a request to output the product information based on the product ID; and a first output means (108, 208, 308, 408, 508) that outputs at least a part of the product information related to the output request.

[0134] <Supplementary Note 2> The information processing system according to Supplementary Note 1, characterized in that at least one of the product information, the product certification information, and the product ID is processed using a distributed ledger method.

[0135] <Supplementary Note 3> The information processing system according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the product information includes, as the product element information, at least information related to energy consumption involved in the production of the product.

[0136] <Supplementary Note 4> The information processing system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, further comprising: a second generation means (102) that generates production line certification information that certifies production line information including one or more pieces of production element information that indicate each element that constitutes a production line related to the production of the product; a second association means (204) that associates a production line ID that is associated with the production line information certified by the production line certification information and identifies each of the production lines, with the production line identified by the production line ID; a second reception means (104) that receives a second output request that is a request to output the production line information based on the production line ID; and a second output means (108, 208, 308, 408, 508) that outputs at least a part of the production line information related to the output request, wherein the product information includes at least the production line ID as the product element information.

[0137] <Supplementary Note 5> The information processing system according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the production line information includes, as the production element information, information relating to at least the type of energy consumed in the production line.

[0138] <Supplementary Note 6> The information processing system according to Supplementary Note 4 or 5, further comprising: a third generation means (102) that generates manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information including one or more pieces of specification information for each manufacturing equipment that constitutes the manufacturing line; a third association means (302) that associates the manufacturing equipment information certified by the manufacturing equipment certification information with a manufacturing equipment ID that identifies each of the manufacturing equipment, and the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID; a third reception means (104) that receives a third output request that is a request for output of the manufacturing equipment information based on the manufacturing equipment ID; and a third output means (108, 208, 308, 408, 508) that outputs at least a part of the manufacturing equipment information related to the output request, wherein the manufacturing line information includes at least the manufacturing equipment ID as the manufacturing element information.

[0139] <Supplementary Note 7> The information processing system according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the manufacturing equipment information includes at least information relating to energy-saving performance of the manufacturing equipment as specifications of the manufacturing equipment.

[0140] <Supplementary Note 8> The information processing system according to Supplementary Note 6 or 7, further comprising a control means (22) for controlling each of the manufacturing devices constituting the manufacturing line, wherein the control means does not operate each of the manufacturing devices to be controlled if the specifications of the manufacturing device to be controlled do not match the details certified by the manufacturing device certification information linked to the manufacturing device ID assigned to the manufacturing device, or if each element constituting the manufacturing line to which the manufacturing device to be controlled belongs does not match the details certified by the manufacturing line certification information linked to the manufacturing line ID assigned to the manufacturing line.

[0141] <Supplementary Note 9> The information processing system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8, further comprising a fourth reception means (105) that accepts at least the update to the product information on the condition that an updater ID that is linked to the authority to update the product information and that individually identifies the user who performs the update is input, and when the fourth reception means accepts the update, adds the updater ID of the user who performed the update and the update time to the product information.

[0142] <Appendix 10> An information processing system described in any of Appendices 1 to 9, characterized in that it has a fifth reception means (104) that receives input of a viewer ID that is linked to at least the viewing authority of the product information and individually identifies the user viewing the product information, and when the fifth reception means receives input of the viewer ID, the first output means outputs the product information that can be viewed with the viewing authority linked to the viewer ID.

[0143] <Supplementary Note 11> An information processing method having a plurality of information processing terminals connected to each other by a communication network, and processing information related to a product, comprising: a first generation step (S503) of generating product certification information that certifies product information, the product information being information including one or more product element information indicating each element related to the manufacture of each of the products; a first association step (S507) of associating the product information certified by the product certification information with a product ID that identifies each of the products and is associated with the product information identified by the product ID; a first reception step (S703, S707) of receiving a first output request that is a request to output the product information based on the product ID; and a first output step (S709) of outputting at least a part of the product information related to the output request.

[0144] <Supplementary Note 12> The information processing method according to Supplementary Note 11, further comprising: a second generation step (S304) of generating production line certification information that certifies production line information including one or more pieces of production element information indicating each element that constitutes a production line related to the production of the product; a second association step (S307) of associating a production line ID that is associated with the production line information certified by the production line certification information and identifies each of the production lines, with the production line identified by the production line ID; a second reception step (S108) of receiving a second output request that is a request to output the production line information based on the production line ID; and a second output step (S108) of outputting at least a part of the production line information related to the output request, wherein the product information includes at least the production line ID as the product element information.

[0145] <Supplementary Note 13> The information processing method according to Supplementary Note 12 further comprises: a third generation step (S204) of generating manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information including one or more pieces of specification information for each manufacturing equipment constituting the manufacturing line; a third association step (S207) of associating the manufacturing equipment information certified by the manufacturing equipment certification information with a manufacturing equipment ID that identifies each of the manufacturing equipment and is associated with the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID; a third reception step (S108) of receiving a third output request that is a request for output of the manufacturing equipment information based on the manufacturing equipment ID; and a third output step (S108) of outputting at least a part of the manufacturing equipment information related to the output request, wherein the manufacturing line information includes at least the manufacturing equipment ID as the manufacturing element information.

[0146] 1, 2... Information processing system 10, 11... Certification authority terminal 20... Product manufacturer terminal 21, 21a, 21b, 21n... Manufacturing line 22, 22a, 22b, 22n... Control device 23, 23a, 23b, 23n... Manufacturing equipment 24, 24a, 24b, 24n... Sensor device 25... Line operator 30... Manufacturing equipment manufacturer terminal 40... Update authority terminal 50... Consumer terminal 90... Bus 91... Processor 92... Memory 93... Input IF 94... Output IF N... Communication network BCN... Blockchain network

Claims

1. An information processing system having a plurality of information processing terminals connected to each other via a communications network and processing information relating to products, comprising: a first generation means for generating product certification information that certifies product information, which is information including one or more product element information indicating each element related to the manufacture of each of the products; a first matching means for matching the product information certified by the product certification information with a product ID that identifies each of the products and matches the product identified by the product ID; a first receiving means for receiving a first output request, which is a request to output the product information based on the product ID; and a first output means for outputting at least a portion of the product information related to the first output request.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the product information, the product certification information, and the product ID is processed using a distributed ledger system.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the product information includes, as the product element information, at least information regarding energy consumption involved in the production of the product.

4. The information processing system of claim 1, further comprising: a second generation means for generating manufacturing line certification information that certifies manufacturing line information including one or more manufacturing element information indicating each element that constitutes the manufacturing line related to the production of the product; a second matching means for matching the manufacturing line information certified by the manufacturing line certification information with a manufacturing line ID that identifies each individual manufacturing line, and the manufacturing line identified by the manufacturing line ID; a second receiving means for receiving a second output request, which is a request for output of the manufacturing line information based on the manufacturing line ID; and a second output means for outputting at least a portion of the manufacturing line information related to the second output request, wherein the product information includes at least the manufacturing line ID as the product element information.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the production line information includes, as the production element information, at least information relating to the type of energy consumed in the production line.

6. The information processing system according to claim 4, further comprising: a third generation means for generating manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information including one or more pieces of specification information for each manufacturing equipment that constitutes the manufacturing line; a third matching means for matching the manufacturing equipment information certified by the manufacturing equipment certification information with a manufacturing equipment ID that identifies each of the manufacturing equipment and the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID; a third receiving means for receiving a third output request, which is a request for output of the manufacturing equipment information based on the manufacturing equipment ID; and a third output means for outputting at least a portion of the manufacturing equipment information related to the third output request, wherein the manufacturing line information includes at least the manufacturing equipment ID as the manufacturing element information.

7. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein the manufacturing equipment information includes at least information related to the energy saving performance of the manufacturing equipment as specifications of the manufacturing equipment.

8. The information processing system of claim 6, further comprising a control means for controlling each of the manufacturing devices that constitute the manufacturing line, wherein the control means does not operate each of the manufacturing devices to be controlled if the specifications of the manufacturing device to be controlled do not match the contents certified by the manufacturing device certification information linked to the manufacturing device ID assigned to the manufacturing device, or if each element constituting the manufacturing line to which the manufacturing device to be controlled belongs does not match the contents certified by the manufacturing line certification information linked to the manufacturing line ID assigned to the manufacturing line.

9. The information processing system of claim 1, further comprising a fourth reception means for accepting at least the update to the product information, on condition that an updater ID which is linked to the authority to update the product information and which individually identifies the user who performs the update, is input, and when the fourth reception means accepts the update, it adds the updater ID of the user who performed the update and the update time to the product information.

10. The information processing system of claim 1, further comprising: a fifth reception means for receiving input of a viewer ID that is linked to the viewing authority of the product information and individually identifies the user viewing the information; and when the fifth reception means receives input of the viewer ID, the first output means outputs the product information that can be viewed with the viewing authority linked to the viewer ID.

11. An information processing method having a plurality of information processing terminals connected to each other by a communications network, and processing information relating to a product, comprising: a first generation step of generating product certification information that certifies product information, the information including one or more product element information indicating each element related to the manufacture of each of the products; a first matching step of matching the product information certified by the product certification information with a product ID that identifies each of the products and is associated with the product information identified by the product ID; a first reception step of receiving a first output request, which is a request for output of the product information based on the product ID; and a first output step of outputting at least a portion of the product information related to the first output request.

12. The information processing method described in claim 11, further comprising: a second generation step of generating manufacturing line certification information that certifies manufacturing line information including one or more manufacturing element information indicating each element that constitutes a manufacturing line related to the production of the product; a second matching step of matching a manufacturing line ID that is associated with the manufacturing line information certified by the manufacturing line certification information and identifies each of the manufacturing lines, with the manufacturing line identified by the manufacturing line ID; a second reception step of receiving a second output request that is a request for output of the manufacturing line information based on the manufacturing line ID; and a second output step of outputting at least a portion of the manufacturing line information related to the second output request, wherein the product information includes at least the manufacturing line ID as the product element information.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12, further comprising: a third generation step of generating manufacturing equipment certification information that certifies manufacturing equipment information including one or more pieces of specification information for each manufacturing equipment that constitutes the manufacturing line; a third matching step of matching the manufacturing equipment ID that is associated with the manufacturing equipment information certified by the manufacturing equipment certification information and identifies each of the manufacturing equipment with the manufacturing equipment identified by the manufacturing equipment ID; a third reception step of receiving a third output request that is a request for output of the manufacturing equipment information based on the manufacturing equipment ID; and a third output step of outputting at least a portion of the manufacturing equipment information related to the third output request, wherein the manufacturing line information includes at least the manufacturing equipment ID as the manufacturing element information.

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