Access control method, server device and system

The present invention relates to a technique for controlling access to data stored in a network resource.

Access control for information is an indispensable technology for suppressing the use of information for purposes other than the intended purpose. Conventionally, access control to a data file is expressed by a triad of a subject (Subject), an access target (Object), and an operation (Operation). This triad means that the subject of access controls access to the object of access (Object) when performing a certain operation (Operation). The result of evaluating the above-mentioned triad for the access request (hereinafter referred to as the access control value) is two values of whether access is permitted or not permitted. That is, it is either a value of 1 or 0.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique relating to conditional access permission, which not only determines whether access is permitted or not permitted in response to an access request, but also permits access if certain conditions are met. It is also disclosed that if the conditions evaluated in a conditional permission require that the other conditions be satisfied, the other conditions can be recursively evaluated.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-184264</text></patcit>

<p> As mentioned above, the prior art can evaluate conditional permissions. However, even if it is conditional, it is evaluated with two values, whether it is allowed or not. On the other hand, when accessing the data stored in the network resource, permission by an intermediate value such as 50% is permitted in addition to the binary value is required. For example, in a virtual world, you may be able to see inside a building with 50% clarity, or you may want to show a product in 30% the normal size, but with or without traditional permission. This is because it cannot be realized by binary control.</p><p> Therefore, in view of the above problems, in the present invention, the network server to which a plurality of user client terminals are connected can provide response information from data stored in network resources or access request information to the data based on access control values. It is an object of the present invention to provide changing access control methods, computer programs, and access control server devices, and systems.</p>

<p> According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of access control for changing access control conditions for data stored in a network resource by a network server to which a plurality of user client terminals are connected. The access control method includes an access control value having a finite number of integer values in response to an access from the user to the data stored in the network resource, and is prepared in advance to control the access from the user. The plurality of access control rules are searched based on at least one of the information of the user or the information of the data. The access control value is determined from the searched access control rule, and the response information from the data or the access request information to the data is changed based on the access control value.</p><p> "Data stored in network resources" includes contents such as documents on the Web, avatars in a virtual world, buildings, animals, and the like. The "access control value having a finite number of integer values" may be a decimal value between 1 and 0 or an integer value. Hereinafter, a finite number of integer values are expressed as multiple values. The "access control rule" defines what kind of access right the access entity has to the target.</p><p> According to another aspect of the present invention, the access control value can be used as an increase / decrease probability to increase / decrease the response information from the data or the access request information to the data as continuous information. "Continuous information" is information having continuous values such as height and weight. Further, the access control value can be used as a discrete probability, and the response information from the data or the access request information to the data can be changed from continuous information to discrete information. "Discrete information" is information having discontinuous values such as dice. Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the access control rule may include a location subject to access control.</p><p> Further, the present invention can be provided as yet another aspect of a computer program executed on a computer or an access control system in which the computer program is installed.</p><p> In any form of the present invention, since the access control value can take a finite number of integer decimal values or integer values, various controls can be performed as compared with the conventional access control by 0 and 1. Further, by making the response information from the data or the access request information to the data continuous or discrete information, more various control is possible. Further, by including the location of the access control target in the access control rule, it is possible to provide different access control depending on the location even in one access control target.</p>

<p> According to the present invention, by performing access control to the data stored in the network resource using an access control value that can take multiple values, an access control method and access control that are more flexible than the conventional method. A server device and a system can be provided.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an access control system 1 to which the present invention is applied. Terminals 200a, 200b ... 200x (hereinafter, simply referred to as a client terminal because it is not necessary to distinguish between terminals 200a and 200x) are client terminals on the user side and are connected to a network 300 represented by the Internet or an intranet. It is possible to send and receive to and from the server 100 (hereinafter referred to as the server). By operating the client terminal 200a, the user can chat with the user of the client terminal 200x via the network 300 and the server 100 in the virtual world. You can also access the content on the server 100. The number of servers in this configuration is not necessarily one, and may be distributed within the network.

An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a virtual world will be described. FIG. 2 shows a basic system configuration diagram of a client terminal and a server in an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a virtual world. The server has an avatar motion control unit 101, an access control calculation unit 102, a rendering strategy determination unit 103, a rendering information generation unit 104, an access control rule database 110 (hereinafter, the database is referred to as a DB), and an avatar object DB 111. The access control rule DB110 stores an access control rule table and an access control value table. In addition, each table can be made independent. Further, the client terminal has an avatar motion control unit 201 and a rendering engine 205.

The avatar motion control units 101 and 201 control the movement and motion of the avatar. For example, when an avatar tries to move to a certain point, the avatar motion control unit 101 and 201 controls that the avatar cannot move if there is another avatar at that point. The avatar motion control units 101 and 201 are located on both the server and the client, but either one may be used. It can also be installed on both the server and the client to share control. When the main control is performed by the client terminal, the load on the server can be lightened, and when the control is performed by the server, the load on the client terminal can be lightened. The access control calculation unit 102 acquires the access control value of the access control rule from the access control rule table of the access control rule DB 110, and calculates the access control value. The rendering strategy determination unit 103 determines the rendering result based on the access control value obtained by the access control calculation unit 102 and the access control rule acquired by the access control calculation unit. Rendering refers to a technique for converting information about an object or a figure given as numerical data into an image by calculation, or a technique for converting a pre-recorded sound into a voice. The rendering information generation unit 104 creates rendering information to be transmitted to the client terminal from the result determined by the rendering strategy determination unit 103. The rendering engine 205 visualizes and voices the rendering information created by the rendering information generation unit 104, and outputs the result on an output unit (not shown) of a personal computer or the like used by each user.

The access control calculation unit 102 is an example of a search processing unit and a control value determination processing unit, the rendering strategy determination unit 103 and the rendering information generation unit 104 are examples of an information conversion processing unit, and the rendering engine 205 is an output conversion processing unit. This is an example. The access control rule DB110 is an example of an access control rule storage unit. Each storage unit is not limited to the DB on the hard disk, and may be an external storage device such as a memory, a magnetic tape, or a flexible disk. The hardware configuration of the server and client terminal will be described later.

Next, the access control process will be described. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of access control processing. Describe in advance an access control rule having an access control value that can take multiple values for the access subject and the target. In the virtual world, the subject is the avatar, and the objects are the avatar, animals, buildings, places, and so on. The access control rules will be described later. The process starts when the subject accesses the target. Access means that the subject performs some action on the target, for example, the subject sees or talks to the target. Access information from the subject to the target is transmitted from the avatar operation control unit 201 of the client terminal to the avatar operation control unit 101 of the server (step S31). From the transmitted access information, the access control calculation unit 102 searches the access control rule table of the access control rule DB110 (step S32). From the rule acquired in step S32, the access control function is acquired by the same calculation unit, and the access control value is determined from the function (step S33). From the access control rule acquired in step S32 and the access control value calculated in step S33, the appearance of the target, the access method, etc. are controlled (step S34), and the result obtained in step S34 is generated as rendering information. It is converted into information in part 104 and transmitted to the client terminal (step S35). The transmitted information is imaged and voiced by the rendering engine 205 of the client terminal, and the result is output by an output unit (not shown) of a personal computer or the like.

An access control rule (also called ACLRULE) defines what kind of access right an access entity has to an object. In general, an access control rule is represented by three elements: a subject, an object, and a permission. This triplet value, that is, the access control value, can only take two values, 0 or 1, in other words, True or False. For example, when the access control rule is &lt;S1, O1, readable&gt;, it means that the subject S1 (for example, the user) can read the target (for example, the directory). This access control value is 0 or 1, so it either allows a full read or does not allow a read at all.

On the other hand, the access control rules in the embodiment of the present invention also have in common that the access subject defines what kind of access right the object has. However, it differs in that the target of the access control can be placed in a certain place where the rule is set, and that the access control value can be a decimal value from 0 to 1 or a multi-value of 1 or more. Further, since the access control value can take multiple values, the access control value can be divided. Therefore, the access control rule in one embodiment of the present invention includes the main body, the target, the permitted contents, the positions of two points (P1, P2) that determine the location of the access control target, and whether or not the access control value can be divided (P1 and P2). It is represented by a 7-set of Dividable P) and access control values. Since the access control value can be a function whose access control value is determined not only by numbers but also by access conditions, etc., it is used as an access control function (ACL_func) in the access control rule.

The seven items of the access control rule are described below. 1) Determine the location to be accessed with P1: P2 2) P2: Determine the location to be accessed with P1 3) Subj: Access control subject 4) Obj: Access control target 5) Action: Access control permission 6) ACL_func: Access control function 7) DividableP: Flag of whether access control value can be divided

Identifiers such as object IDs indicating 2D and 3D objects are registered in Subj and Obj. In Action, operations such as reading, writing, and viewing, and methods for changing response information from the target and access request information to the target are registered. The method of changing the response information from the target and the access request information to the target is specifically to change the size of the object that the avatar is looking at or change the access speed of the avatar to the object. The details will be described later. ALC_func registers an access control function or a numerical value, and returns a multi-valued access control value as a result. ALC_func means that 1 means that access is permitted and 0 means that access is not permitted, as in the case of conventional access control. When the access control value is 1 or more, it means the access permission as in the case of 1.

Information on the location to be accessed is defined in P1 and P2. Location information is represented by coordinates, vectors, and the like. When expressed in coordinates, it is expressed in (x, y) coordinates in a two-dimensional space and (x, y, z) coordinates in a three-dimensional space. By defining the information of the location to be the access control target, the access control rule can be defined not only for the target but also for each location. That's because even a single object can require different controls within an object. For example, in the object of the building, the first floor can be entered by everyone, but the second floor can be entered only by the owner of the building. Further, the range of the access control target can be set in a place different from the subject and the target. If you want to define location-independent access control rules, for example, access control rules for objects, you can distinguish them by putting special values in P1 and P2.

The access control rule is stored in the access control rule table of the access control rule DB110, and the seven items constituting the access control rule described above and the access control ID are typical items. The configuration in the case of a three-dimensional space is shown below. [Access control rule DB110] (Access control rule table) Subject Target X coordinate 1 Y coordinate 1 Z coordinate 1 X coordinate 2 Y coordinate 2 Z coordinate 2 Permission details -Allowed value function Split flag Avata control ID In addition, the item of the access control upper limit value to the target can be defined in the access control rule table. The access control upper limit value means the upper limit of the sum of the access control values for the avatar. Similarly, the item of the access limit upper limit of the object can be defined in the object table. Details will be described later.

The coordinates of P1 are represented by (X coordinate 1, Y coordinate 1, Z coordinate 1), and the coordinates of P2 are represented by (X coordinate 2, Y coordinate 2, Z coordinate 2). The location subject to access control is a rectangular parallelepiped represented by two points, P1 and P2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a rectangular parallelepiped represented by two points P1 and P2. Assuming that the points in the rectangular parallelepiped space are (x, y, z), the X coordinate 2 &lt;x &lt;X coordinate 1, the Y coordinate 2 &lt;y &lt;Y coordinate 1, and the Z coordinate 2 &lt;z &lt;Z coordinate 1. The relationship between the subject, the object, and the rectangular space is as follows: 1) the subject is in the space, 2) the object is in the space, 3) the subject and the object are in the space, and 4) the subject and the object are outside the space. There are four cases.

The partition flag of the access control rule table, that is, the Dividable P of the access control rule will be described. DividableP is a flag of whether or not the access control value can be divided. If Yes, the access control value can be explicitly divided and transferred to another avatar in the process of the avatar's activity. it can. The avatar control ID is an item for associating with the access control value table of the access control rule DB110 described later. The avatar ID or its group ID, or the object ID or its group ID is registered in the item subject of the access control rule table. The same applies to the items in the access control rule table. These IDs are collectively given the following identifiers.

There is an avatar object DB111 with an avatar ID and its group ID, and an object ID and its group ID. It also has a group ID because access control rules may be set for a group rather than a specific entity or target. However, the avatar ID and the object ID do not always have the group ID. The group ID is an ID assigned to each category such as 20s and 30s. The typical items that make up the avatar object DB111 are shown below. [Avatar Object DB111] (Abata table) Avata ID Group ID (Object table) -Object ID Group ID

A SQL (Structured Query Language) expression is used to search for access control rules in step S32 of Fig. 3. In the search conditions At least one of the user's information and the data stored in the network resource is used. In the present embodiment, the user information indicates an avatar identifier and location information relating to the avatar, and the data information indicates an object or avatar identifier and location information relating to the object or avatar. Access control rules can be obtained by issuing SQL expressions to the access control rule table of access control rule DB110 and the avatar object DB111. High-speed search is possible by using identifiers to represent subjects and objects, and coordinates to represent spaces. For example, when a certain avatar a exists at the coordinates (x, y, z), to search the access control rule of the coordinates (x, y, z) related to the avatar a, issue the following SQL expression. .. [SQL1] SELECT ALL FROM user table, avatar access control table WHERE Avata ID ='a' AND Subject = Group ID AND X coordinate 1 &lt;x ANDx &lt;X coordinate 2 AND Y coordinate 1 &lt;y ANDy &lt;Y coordinate 2 AND Z coordinate 1 &lt;z ANDz &lt;Z coordinate 2 As a result, it is possible to efficiently obtain a set of access control rules for the space including the spatial position (x, y, z) where the avatar a exists.

There are three patterns for determining the access control value in step S33 in FIG. One is when the access control function of the access rule is a mathematical expression. In the case of a mathematical formula, the mathematical formula is calculated and the obtained value is used as the access control value. However, if the access control function is a number, that value is used as the access control value. The second is the case of transferring / enjoying access control values between avatars, that is, dividing, synthesizing, and transferring. If splitting, the split flag must be Yes.

The case where the access control value is divided by the avatar 1 and transferred to the avatar 2 when the adjacent avatars 1 and 2 access a target in the division processing flow will be described as an example. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a division processing flow. First, when the user of avatar 1 gives an instruction to divide the access control value through an input unit such as a keyboard and transfer it to avatar 2, the conditions of avatar 1 and the target identifier and avatar 2 and the target identifier are satisfied. Is issued to the access control rule table of the access control rule DB110 and the avatar object DB111, and the access control rule that matches the conditions is acquired (step S50). It is determined whether the access control rule of avatar 1 and the access control rule of avatar 2 P1, P2, Obj, and Action acquired in step S50 match (step S51). If they do not match, an access control rule of avatar 2 having the same contents as the access control rule of avatar 1 is created in the access control rule table of the access control rule DB110 (step S52). However, the subject is avatar 2 and the permission value function is 0. If they match or do not match, the access control rule for Avata 2 is created, and then the access control value after division is calculated (step S53). How to divide the access control value is determined by the user of the avatar 1 of the division source. The access control values of avatar 1 and avatar 2 newly obtained in step S53 are registered in the access control value table of the access control rule DB110. The typical items that make up the access control value table are shown below. An access control value table is created when the access control values are divided, combined, or transferred, or when one access control value is used as a representative value when a plurality of avatars described below access the same target.

[Access control rule DB110] (Access control value table) Avata ID Access control value Access control ID The access control ID is used to associate the information in the original access control rule table with the information in the newly created access control value table. The value of the access control ID is arbitrary, and for example, the created order can be used as the value. When the access control value table is created, the access control ID of the original access control rule is updated. The response information from the target and the access request information to the target are changed according to the access control values in the access control value table created in this way. Similarly, when the access control value is synthesized, a new access control value is registered in the access control value table.

The third is a case where one access control value is used as a representative value when a plurality of avatars access the same target. For example, the maximum value, the minimum value, the average value, or the like of the access control values in a plurality of avatars is a representative value. The SQL expression when multiple avatars obtain the access control value of the representative value when looking at a certain avatar b is shown below. Here, the representative value is the average of the access control values of a plurality of avatars. The access control target is the space including the spatial position (x, y, z) where the avatar b exists. [SQL2] SELECT AVG (permitted value) FROM avatar table, avatar access control table WHERE Avata ID ='b' AND X coordinate 1 &lt;x AND x &lt;X coordinate 2 AND Y coordinate 1 &lt;y AND y &lt;Y coordinate 2 AND Z coordinate 1 &lt;z AND z &lt;Z coordinate 2 The representative value obtained above is registered in the access control value table for each avatar, and the access result is changed using it.

The access control upper limit value for objects and avatars will be described. The upper limit of the access control value is defined in the access control value table of the access control rule DB110. For example, if the upper limit of the access control value of an object is 100, a maximum of 100 avatars can access the object. As mentioned above, access control values can be split, synthesized, and transferred, so for example, avatar A with an access control value of 0 receives an access control value of 0.3 from avatar B and 0.7 from avatar B. By doing so, you will be able to access with your own access value set to 1. Further, the avatar A can be made accessible only to the avatar A by having the access control value transferred from all the other avatars having the access control value and setting its own access control value to 100. In this way, it is possible to restrict access.

The method of changing the response information from the target and the access request information to the target will be described. There are roughly two methods, one is to change the information as continuous information by using the access control value as the increase / decrease probability, and the other is to change the information into discrete information by using the access control value as the discrete probability. The method of changing the information as continuous information by using the access control value as the increase / decrease probability is, for example, when the access control value to a certain avatar is 0.6, the increase / decrease probability is set to 60% and the size of the avatar is reduced by 60%. It is to be. In addition, using the access control value as the discrete probability to change it into discrete information means, for example, in a space with a plurality of exhibits, when the access control value to the space is 0.6, the discrete probability is set to 60%. , 60% of the exhibits in the space can be seen.

A specific method of changing the information as continuous information by using the access control value as the increase / decrease probability will be described below. One method is to blur the entire display of the target according to the access control value. For example, it is used when the object can be seen with 70% sharpness when the access control value is 0.7. Specifically, it can be realized by taking the average value of one pixel in the display screen with the peripheral pixel values and replacing it with that value. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between one pixel and the pixels around it. In FIG. 6, assuming that the pixel values of cells 0, 1, ..., 8 are p0, p1, ..., p8, the new value q0 of p0 can be obtained by the equation (4).<maths num="1"><img file="JP2009134653A_D0001.tif" /></maths> a is a normalized variable, which is a variable that changes according to the sharpness. According to this method, the amount of communication between the client terminal and the server can be suppressed by making the screen into a mosaic shape.

As another method, there is a method of changing the display size and color of the target according to the access control value. For example, it is used when the display size of the target is set to 70% when the access control value is 0.7. Specifically, it can be realized by reducing the target according to the access control value. It is also possible to perform processing such as making a black-and-white screen. These methods also lead to a reduction in the amount of communication as well as the appearance of blurring the entire display.

Further, a specific method of changing the information as continuous information by using the access control value as the increase / decrease probability will be described below. One method is to increase or decrease the amount of objects to be displayed according to the access control value. For example, it is used when 70% of the target can be seen when the access control value is 0.7. Specifically, it can be realized by rewriting the information of the object that should be in the space and sending it from the server to the client terminal. By reducing the number of objects to be displayed, the amount of communication and the load of client processing can be reduced accordingly. All three methods mentioned above are methods to change the response information from the target.

Next, a method of changing the access request information to the target will be described. Specifically, there is a method of limiting the operation of the avatar that accesses the target object. For example, when the access control value is 0.7, the walking speed of the avatar is set to 70% of the normal speed. Specifically, the operation speed can be slowed down by inserting a delay time between unit operations. As a result, the time it takes to access the object can be increased.

An embodiment of the present invention in which access control rules can be set for each location will be described in more detail with reference to examples. &lt;Rules freely set within the scope of access control&gt; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the floor plan of a house in a building in a virtual world. A case where different access control rules are set for each room for a visitor avatar in a building in a virtual world will be described with reference to FIG. At this time, the access control rule is as follows for the living room. Since the access control value is not divided, Dividable P and avatar control ID are omitted. 1) P1: (x1, y1, z1) 2) P2: (x2, y2, z2) 3) Subj: Visitor Avata 4) Obj: Building 5) Action: see, blur the target 6) ACL_func: 1.0

P1 and P2 are coordinate points representing the living space. Similar access control rules are registered for corridors, dining kitchens, and bedrooms. Since the living room has an ACL_func of 1.0, the visitor avatar can be seen with 100% clarity. On the other hand, ACL_func of corridors, dining kitchens, and bedrooms are 0.8, 0.5, and 0.1, respectively, as shown in the figure, so visitors can only see 80% of corridors, 50% of dining kitchens, and 10% of bedrooms. Avata cannot be seen. By doing this, it is possible to control access such as wanting to show the living room freely, not wanting to access the bedroom very much but wanting to open the door to see if there are people, and the dining kitchen in the middle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail by means of three access control functions. &lt;Function that attenuates with distance&gt; As an example of the access control function, a function that attenuates with a distance will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing access control in a situation where avatar 1 is looking at avatar 2 in a virtual world. Avata 2 exists in the space consisting of P1 and P2, and this space is the target of access control. The position of avatar 1 is (x, y, z). At this time, it is assumed that the access control rule is registered as follows. Since the access control value is not divided, Dividable P and avatar control ID are omitted. 1) P1: (x1, y1, z1) 2) P2: (x2, y2, z2) 3) Subj: Avata 1 4) Obj: Avata 2 5) Action: see, blur the target 6) ACL_func: Equation (1)<maths num="2"><img file="JP2009134653A_D0002.tif" /></maths> The access control value ACL_func can be obtained by substituting the coordinates of P1 and P2 into ALC_func1 as shown in Eq. (2) below.<maths num="3"><img file="JP2009134653A_D0003.tif" /></maths>

In this example, the value of ALC_func, that is, the access control value, means the sharpness when avatar 1 to avatar 2 are viewed (Action: see). When the access control value is 0.5, it means that Avata 2 can be seen with a sharpness of 50%. In this example, the fact that avatar 1 to avatar 2 can be seen with a sharpness of 50% is expressed by a method of blurring the space in which avatar 2 exists. That is, the access control value becomes the sharpness of the space. Since the access control value in this example is inversely proportional to the distance, the sharpness of the space of P1 and P2 decreases as the distance increases. However, since the access control value takes a value between 0 and 1, it is set to 1 when it is 1 or more.

&lt;Function that takes a random value for the distance&gt; As an example of the second access control function, a function that takes a random value will be described. A function that takes a random value is a function that sets the access control value of each position in the location specified in the access control rule to a random value from 0 to 1. For example, when a function that takes a random value is applied to a document on the Internet, the access control rules are as follows. Since the access control value is not divided, Dividable P and avatar control ID are omitted. 1) P1: (x1, y1, z1) 2) P2: (x2, y2, z2) 3) Subj: All users 4) Obj: Document 5) Action: see, change the shade of the target 6) ACL_func: Equation (3)<maths num="4"><img file="JP2009134653A_D0004.tif" /></maths> Figure 9 shows the result of applying a function that takes a random value to a document on the Internet. By applying this function, the access control value can be changed for each character in the document. In other words, based on the character density of 1 when the access control value is 1, it means that the character density is 50% of the standard when the access control value is 0.5, and the character when the access control value is 0. The density of is 0% of the standard, so it cannot be seen. It is also possible to automatically summarize the document by applying it to the document in this way and adding shades of characters. This function can be used not only for content on the Web but also for virtual worlds. For example, a bulletin board on a virtual world. Another way to use it is to control whether the object is visible or invisible depending on the viewing angle of the main avatar in the virtual world.

&lt;Access control function that is relatively determined by the environment in which the avatar exists&gt; As an example of the third access control function, an access control function that is relatively determined by the environment in which the avatar exists will be described. The access control function that is relatively determined by the environment in which the avatar exists in the virtual world is a function that adds the access control values of the avatar that meet a certain condition and uses it as the access control value of the avatar. For example, the sum of access control values given to avatars within a radius of 10 m of avatar a is used as the access control value of avatar a (normalize to 1 when the sum is 1 or more). Can be done. For example, in a virtual world, there is an amusement park where five avatars must gather to enter. At this time, an access control value of 0.2 is given to each avatar, and the access control rules in that case are as follows. Since the access control value is not divided, Dividable P and avatar control ID are omitted. 1) P1: (x1, y1, z1) 2) P2: (x2, y2, z2) 3) Subj: All Avata 4) Obj: Amusement park 5) Action: enter 6) ACL_func: Equation (4)<maths num="5"><img file="JP2009134653A_D0005.tif" /></maths>P1 and P2 are coordinate points that represent the space of the amusement park. ACL_func is a function that adds the access control values of avatars who meet the conditions to the access control values of avatars themselves. A certain condition is, for example, a condition such as avatars holding hands or avatars having a conversation. Five avatars who satisfy these conditions gather, and as a result of adding the access control values of each avatar, when the access control value reaches 1.0, the amusement park can be entered. With this function, it is possible to control that access is not possible unless multiple avatars are gathered.

Specific examples such as the following can be obtained by combining the access control function, the division / transfer of the access control value, the representation of the access target by a point, the access method to the target, and the appearance of the target, which are the features of the embodiment of the present invention. Is possible.

Specific examples 1 to 5 in which the present invention is applied to a virtual space will be described. [Specific example 1] In a building existing in the virtual world, by setting the access control value = 1 for a public room, anyone can enter, but it can be said that no other place can be entered. However, although you can't enter the room, you can make it look vaguely according to the sharpness of the room, which is determined by the access control value. This is useful for checking the contents before purchasing a product or service. This is because the service / product provider does not need to create a sample version at any time.

[Specific example 2] In museums that exist in the virtual world, paid visitors can have access to all exhibits, and other avatars can have access to only some of the exhibits. The number of exhibits that can be seen is determined by the access control value, and if the access control value is 0.7, 70% of the exhibits can be seen. By doing so, paid visitors can see all the exhibits, but free visitors can only see some of the exhibits. Figure 10 shows the inside of the museum as seen by paying visitors, and Figure 11 shows the inside of the museum as seen by free visitors. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, paid visitors can see all the exhibits, and free visitors can only see some of the exhibits. In addition to distinguishing between seeing and not seeing the exhibits, it is also possible to make the exhibits look vague according to the sharpness caused by access control, as in [Specific Example 1] above.

[Specific example 3] When the capacity avatar of the virtual store talks to the customer avatar, a voice (chat) can be heard 1 meter square, but it can be heard otherwise. Also, by using a function that attenuates according to the distance, it is possible to make the speaking voice smaller as the distance from the speaking avatar increases.

[Specific example 4] It is assumed that there is an avatar with access authority of 0,1.2,1.8 when the event venue in the virtual world cannot be entered without access authority of 1 or more. Until this point, avatars with 0 access privileges cannot enter. Therefore, an avatar whose access authority is 0 can set its own access authority to 1.0 by having other avatars transfer the access authority of 0.2 and 0.8 from each other. By doing so, the access authority of all three people will be 1.0, and they will be able to enter. In this way, even if you do not have access authority, you can enter by having your companion divide the access authority.

[Specific example 5] The event provider of the virtual world sets the access authority for a certain amount, for example, 1000 people, and distributes it to Avata. The avatar may distribute it to other avatars. Avata with this access can participate in the event. In addition, the avatar may have a plurality of access rights by himself / herself. In this way, access rights can be used as real-world tickets. Also, in this case, since the maximum amount of access rights is fixed, it is possible to accurately estimate the maximum event participants (capacity planning).

A case where the present invention is applied to contents such as documents on the Web will be described. In this case as well, as in the case of the virtual world, intermediate access such as 30% can be seen instead of binary control that all can be accessed or all cannot be accessed. When the present invention is applied to contents such as documents on the Web, the basic system configuration of the client terminal and the server is slightly different from that in the virtual world. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a basic system configuration of a client terminal and a server when the present invention is applied to contents such as documents on the Web. The avatar motion control units 101 and 201 in FIG. 2 are changed to the transmission / reception units 106 and 206, and the avatar object DB 111 is changed to the user content DB 112. In addition, the user content DB 112 stores information on the user and the target content. A specific example in which the present invention is applied to contents such as documents on the Web will be described below.

[Specific example 1] Suppose there is paid content that allows you to read books on the Web called an online library. A user who has become a member by paying money may have an access right to read the entire book, and a non-member may have an access right to read only a part of each book. The part that can be read is determined by the access limit value, and if the access limit value is 0.1, 10% of the total can be read. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing screens of members and non-members of paid contents. FIG. 13 shows the screen of a member for a certain book in the upper figure and the screen of non-members in the lower figure. As shown in the above figure, members can read everything, but non-members can read only the amount determined by the access control value as described above, and as shown in the figure below, they cannot read from the middle. It ends up. In addition, for books such as photo books, it is possible to make them look vague to users other than members by using the access control value as the sharpness. With these functions, it is possible to use it for checking the contents before purchase by publishing only a part of the contents of the paid contents. In addition, the content creator can save the trouble of preparing the content to be provided to users other than the members.

[Specific example 2] It can also be used when a user browses video content on the Web. If the access control value is 0.3, it can be used for viewing a movie with 30% clarity and for watching 30% of the movie showing time. As a result, it can be used for content check before purchase, and can be viewed without preparing a video for audition for non-members of the content. It can be used not only for videos but also for music distribution contents.

[Typical hardware configuration example of server and client terminal] FIG. 14 shows the information processing apparatus 400 as a typical hardware configuration example of the server and the client terminal described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. An example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 400 is shown below. The information processing unit 400 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1010, a bus line 1005, a communication I / F 1040, a main memory 1050, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) 1060, a parallel port 1080, a USB port 1090, a graphic controller 1020, and a VRAM 1024. , Voice processor 1030, I / O controller 1070, and 1100 input means such as keyboard and mouse adapter. A storage means such as a flexible disk (FD) drive 1072, a hard disk 1074, an optical disk drive 1076, or a semiconductor memory 1078 can be connected to the I / O controller 1070.

An amplifier circuit 1032, a speaker 1034, and a microphone 1035 are connected to the voice processor 1030. A display device 1022 is connected to the graphic controller 1020.

The BIOS 1060 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 1010 when the information processing device 400 is started, a program that depends on the hardware of the information processing device 400, and the like. The FD (Flexible Disk) drive 1072 reads a program or data from the flexible disk 1071 and provides it to the main memory 1050 or the hard disk 1074 via the I / O controller 1070.

As the optical disk drive 1076, for example, a DVD-ROM drive, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or a CD-RAM drive can be used. In this case, it is necessary to use the optical disk 1077 corresponding to each drive. The optical drive 1076 can also read programs or data from optical disc 1077 and provide it to main memory 1050 or hard disk 1074 via the I / O controller 1070.

The computer program provided in the information processing apparatus 400 is stored in a recording medium such as a flexible disk 1071, an optical disk 1077, or a memory card and provided by a user. This computer program is installed and executed in the information processing apparatus 400 by being read from a recording medium via the I / O controller 1070 or downloaded via the communication I / F 1040. The operation of the computer program acting on the information processing device to perform the operation is the same as the operation of the device described above, and is therefore omitted.

The computer program described above may be stored in an external storage medium. As the storage medium, in addition to the flexible disk 1071, the optical disk 1077, or the memory card, an optical magnetic recording medium such as MD or a tape medium can be used. In addition, a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk library provided in a dedicated communication line or a server system connected to the Internet is used as a recording medium, and a computer program is provided to the information processing device 400 via the communication line. You may.

In the above example, the information processing device 400 has been mainly described, but the information described above is described by installing a program having the functions described in the information processing device on a computer and operating the computer as the information processing device. It is possible to realize the same function as the processing device. Therefore, the information processing apparatus described as one embodiment in the present invention can also be realized by a method and a computer program thereof.

The device of the present invention can be realized as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. A typical example of a combination of hardware and software is a computer system having a predetermined program. In such a case, when the predetermined program is loaded and executed in the computer system, the program causes the computer system to perform the processing according to the present invention. This program consists of instructions that can be expressed in any language, code, or notation. Such instructions may be one or both of the system performing a particular function directly, or (1) converting to another language, code, or notation, and (2) replicating to another medium. It allows you to do it after it has been done. Of course, the present invention includes not only such a program itself, but also a program product including a medium on which the program is recorded. The program for performing the functions of the present invention can be stored in any computer-readable medium such as a flexible disk, MO, CD-ROM, DVD, hard disk device, ROM, MRAM, RAM or the like. Such programs may be downloaded from or replicated from other computer systems connected by a communication line for storage on a computer-readable medium. The program may also be compressed or divided into multiple pieces and stored on a single or multiple recording media.

Although the present invention has been described above in accordance with the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In addition, the effects described in the embodiments of the present invention merely list the most preferable effects arising from the present invention, and the effects according to the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments or examples of the present invention. It is not something that is done.

<figref num="1">It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the system to which this invention is applied.</figref><figref num="2">It is a figure which shows the basic system configuration of a client terminal and a server in embodiment which applied this invention to a virtual world.</figref><figref num="3">It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which changes the result according to the access control value.</figref><figref num="4">It is a figure which shows the rectangular parallelepiped represented by two points of P1 and P2.</figref><figref num="5">It is a figure which shows the division processing flow.</figref><figref num="6">It is a figure which shows the relationship between 1 pixel and the pixel around it.</figref><figref num="7">It is a figure which shows the floor plan of a house in a building in a virtual world.</figref><figref num="8">It is a figure which shows the access control in the situation where avatar 1 is looking at avatar 2 in a virtual world.</figref><figref num="9">The result of applying a function that takes a random value to a document on the Internet is shown.</figref><figref num="10">It is a figure which shows the inside of a museum as seen from a paying visitor.</figref><figref num="11">It is a figure which shows the inside of a museum as seen from a free visitor.</figref><figref num="12">It is a figure which shows the basic system configuration of a client terminal and a server when this invention is applied to the content such as a document on the Web.</figref><figref num="13">It is a figure which shows the member of a paid content and the screen other than a member.</figref><figref num="14">It is a figure which shows the typical hardware configuration of a server and a client terminal in one Embodiment of this invention.</figref>

Code description

1 Access control system 100 servers 101,201 Avata motion control unit 102 Access control calculation unit 103 Rendering Strategy Decision Department 104 Rendering information generator 110 Access control rule DB 111 User Object DB 200 client terminal 205 rendering engine