Reliability authorizing method, reliability authorizing device, and reliability authorizing system

Abstract

A reliability authorizing device determines whether to authorize a service transfer based on reliability of a partner device or a partner user when one user of one device authenticates other user of other device to exchange the service between devices connected to a network. A partner-reliability collecting unit collects reliability of the partner device or the partner user. A partner-reliability providing unit provides the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected by the partner-reliability collecting unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a network structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a structure of a service use terminal shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a structure of a service providing device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a structure of a service mediating device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a table image of a service-level-data table according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a table image of a service-use-data table according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a sequence of a service-level confirming process according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a table image of a user-level-data table according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the sequence of a service-level confirming process according to the second embodiment.

Claims

1. A reliability authorizing method of determining whether to authorize a service transfer based on reliability of a partner device or a partner user when one user of one device authenticates other user of other device to exchange the service between devices connected to a network, the reliability authorizing method comprising: collecting reliability of the partner device or the partner user; andproviding the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected at the collecting.

2. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 1, further comprising: notifying a requested level for the reliability of the partner device or the partner user;determining whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected at the collecting satisfies the requested level; andauthorizing, when it is determined that the reliability of the partner device or the partner user satisfies the requested level, the service transfer.

3. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected at the collecting, whereinthe determining includes determining whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user stored at the storing satisfies the requested level.

4. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 3, further comprising: performing a future estimation of the reliability based on the reliability of the partner device or the partner user stored at the storing.

5. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 1, further comprising: recollecting the reliability of the partner device or the partner user;redetermining whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user recollected at the recollecting satisfies the requested level; andservice-transfer-continuation authorizing, based on a result of redetermination by the level-satisfaction redetermining unit, including authorizing the service transfer when the requested level is satisfied; andnot authorizing the service transfer when the requested level is not satisfied.

6. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 1, wherein the partner device is a service use device that uses the service.

7. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 1, wherein the partner device is a service providing device that provides the service.

8. The reliability authorizing method according to claim 1, wherein the reliability includes reliability data that is self-declared by a user of the partner device;performance data of the partner device that is automatically collected; andreliability data that is provided by a third organization.

9. A reliability authorizing device that determines whether to authorize a service transfer based on reliability of a partner device or a partner user when one user of one device authenticates other user of other device to exchange the service between devices connected to a network, the reliability authorizing device comprising: a partner-reliability collecting unit that collects reliability of the partner device or the partner user; anda partner-reliability providing unit that provides the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected by the partner-reliability collecting unit.

10. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 9, further comprising: a requested-level notifying unit that notifies a requested level for the reliability of the partner device or the partner user;a level-satisfaction determining unit that determines whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected by the partner-reliability collecting unit satisfies the requested level; anda service-transfer authorizing unit that authorizes, when the level-satisfaction determining unit determines that the reliability of the partner device or the partner user satisfies the requested level, the service transfer.

11. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 9, further comprising: a partner-reliability storage unit that stores the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected by the partner-reliability collecting unit, whereinthe level-satisfaction determining unit determines whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user stored by the partner-reliability storage unit satisfies the requested level.

12. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 11, further comprising: a future-reliability estimating unit that performs a future estimation of the reliability based on the reliability of the partner device or the partner user stored by the partner-reliability storage unit.

13. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 9, further comprising: a partner-reliability recollecting unit that recollects the reliability of the partner device or the partner user;a level-satisfaction redetermining unit that redetermines whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user recollected by the partner-reliability recollecting unit satisfies the requested level; anda service-transfer-continuation authorizing unit that, based on a result of redetermination by the level-satisfaction redetermining unit, authorizes the service transfer when the requested level is satisfied, and does not authorize the service transfer when the requested level is not satisfied.

14. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 9, wherein the partner device is a service use device that uses the service.

15. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 9, wherein the partner device is a service providing device that provides the service.

16. The reliability authorizing device according to claim 9, wherein the reliability includes reliability data that is self-declared by a user of the partner device;performance data of the partner device that is automatically collected; andreliability data that is provided by a third organization.

17. A reliability authorizing system that determines whether to authorize a service transfer based on reliability of a partner device or a partner user when one user of one device authenticates other user of other device to exchange the service between devices connected to a network, the reliability authorizing system comprising: a first device that includes a partner-reliability collecting unit that collects reliability of the partner device or the partner user; anda reliability authorizing device that includes a partner-reliability providing unit that provides the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected by the partner-reliability collecting unit to a second device that exchanges the service with the first device.

18. The reliability authorizing system according to claim 17, wherein the second device includes a requested-level notifying unit that notifies a requested level for the reliability of the partner device or the partner user; andthe reliability authorizing device further includes a level-satisfaction determining unit that determines whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user collected by the partner-reliability collecting unit satisfies the requested level; anda service-transfer authorizing unit that authorizes, when the level-satisfaction determining unit determines that the reliability of the partner device or the partner user satisfies the requested level, the service transfer.

19. A reliability authorizing system that determines whether to authorize a service transfer based on reliability of a partner device or a partner user when one user of one device authenticates other user of other device to exchange the service between devices connected to a network, the reliability authorizing system comprising: a first device that includes a requested-level notifying unit that notifies a requested level for the reliability of the partner device or the partner user;a second device that includes a partner-reliability collecting unit that collects reliability of the partner device or the partner user; anda reliability authorizing device that includes a level-satisfaction determining unit that determines whether the reliability of the partner device or the partner user satisfies the requested level; anda service-transfer authorizing unit that authorizes, when the level-satisfaction determining unit determines that the reliability of the partner device or the partner user satisfies the requested level, the service transfer.