Abstract: The system control apparatus for equipment for causing equipment to collaboratively operate includes: equipment profile management means for managing an equipment profile that is metadata representing the electrical properties of the equipment; control scenario management means for managing a control scenario in which is described metadata that states an operation to be fulfilled by the equipment; equipment detection means for detecting control-targeted equipment; electrical status monitoring means for monitoring an electrical status related to transfer of electrical power caused by equipment interconnections; equipment selection means for selecting equipment for use on the basis of the metadata described in the control scenario and the equipment profile; and control execution means for controlling the selected equipment.

Abstract: The system control apparatus for equipment for causing equipment to collaboratively operate includes: equipment profile management means for managing an equipment profile that is metadata representing the electrical properties of the equipment; control scenario management means for managing a control scenario in which is described metadata that states an operation to be fulfilled by the equipment; equipment detection means for detecting control-targeted equipment; electrical status monitoring means for monitoring an electrical status related to transfer of electrical power caused by equipment interconnections; equipment selection means for selecting equipment for use on the basis of the metadata described in the control scenario and the equipment profile; and control execution means for controlling the selected equipment.

Abstract: There is provided an evaluation object pattern determining apparatus capable of determining local patterns to be evaluated. The apparatus is for use in a pattern evaluating system storing patterns of a LSI chip as CAD data, picking out coordinates of local patterns whose process margin is small from the CAD data by way of simulation and assisting observation of the local patterns produced in a fabrication line. The apparatus includes a risk level map creating section for creating risk level maps in which risk areas are disposed. The risk area is assigned with a risk level obtained by digitizing that the risk area is an area whose process margin is smaller than other areas. The apparatus also includes a superimposition processing section for superimposing the coordinates of the local patterns with the risk level map to pick out the coordinates of the local patterns located within the risk area.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to enable simplifying the information management with respect to the product including the production, distribution, operation and recycle to allow effective production, operation and recycle in accordance with the situation. In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides an apparatus for each of products or parts constituting the products, the apparatus has a memory for storing the information with respect to the attribute and situation of the product and parts. The situation is updated based on thus obtained information from a sensor or communication process by a process for recognizing an object's situation. This situation is shared with other products address parts as well as other equipment through the communication process, and allowing recognition by a process for recognizing an object's situation, warning to outside, or performing processing by cooperating with suitable other equipment or apparatuses.

Abstract: There is provided an evaluation object pattern determining apparatus capable of determining local patterns to be evaluated. The apparatus is for use in a pattern evaluating system storing patterns of a LSI chip as CAD data, picking out coordinates of local patterns whose process margin is small from the CAD data by way of simulation and assisting observation of the local patterns produced in a fabrication line. The apparatus includes a risk level map creating section for creating risk level maps in which risk areas are disposed. The risk area is assigned with a risk level obtained by digitizing that the risk area is an area whose process margin is smaller than other areas. The apparatus also includes a superimposition processing section for superimposing the coordinates of the local patterns with the risk level map to pick out the coordinates of the local patterns located within the risk area.

Abstract: Distributed information integrating method and apparatus for collecting data requested by a program at a data request side, integrating the collected data and supplying the integrated data to the request-side program irrespective of the existence of a processing device storing the data and a transmission medium. An event linking data table 232 stores the name of data to be collected in response to an occurring event and a transmission destination of the collected data. Filtering processing 222 refers to the event linking data table 232 in response to an event occurring on a self processing device and a message event received through a transmission medium to collect the data stored in the self processing device, and transmits the collected data to a transmission destination. A data integration management table 233 sets the items of data to be integrated while dividing the items for every data name of the collection data.

Abstract: In providing services in an environment in which apparatuses constituting a system change dynamically, flexible control of access control is performed for the apparatuses whose access rights and service providing policies are different or have not been set beforehand. In a distributed system where computers each having a function of storing data and processing a program and a communication facility perform data exchange through a communication medium, and thereby perform processing, control of limiting an access to the system etc. is performed as a shared session that is established by synthesizing access rights and service providing policies owned by the apparatuses, and accesses to the apparatuses and provision of services are performed through the shared session, whereby the access rights and the services to be provided are controlled according to a configuration of apparatuses constituting the system.

Abstract: A system allows a user to select a service on a device and request a service executing function of a server to carry out the service. An authentication function authenticates the user and searches the functions of devices required in the requested service within the authority given to the user. The function acquires and registers the right to use in a device-configuration managing function through a right-to-use managing function. An adaptor delivering function delivers specifications for setting connections between functions required for execution of the service and a group encryption key generated by a key-generating function to devices. Device coordinating functions set device-embedded functions based on the received specifications. The functions conduct cipher communication with other devices using the key and carry out the service.

Abstract: A mediation server acquires information on a regular basis from an information provider terminal unit. Upon receiving a request from a user terminal unit, the mediation server discloses information to the user terminal after converting the information into dummy information so that computer-assisted name identification cannot be applied to combination of respective items of attributes of an information provider and respective items of information on the information provider that are not permitted to be disclosed. When permission for disclosure is given to a user from the information provider, the mediation server provides related information for restoring the dummy information to the original status so that the user can perform computer-assisted name identification.

Abstract: A service providing system connected to clients comprises an acquisition unit for acquiring first data that indicates a clients' operating status; a prediction unit for predicting the failure of facilities owned by the clients based on the first data; and an output unit for outputting second data indicating resources for restoring the facilities based on the result of damage prediction.

Abstract: In distributed system for operating devices in association with one another, a device responsible for determining whether or not an access is permitted, and criteria for determination are hidden from accessing device or user, and flexible access control is provided among devices without need for previously defining accessible devices or user's identifiers. Communication process opens data communications which are interactions between devices to permit indefinite number of other devices to monitor data. A behavior monitoring process acquires interaction within particular device or between other devices in system for storage in behavior log table. Access control process matches the behavior log table with access control policy to determine whether or not device should be associated with target device from which process request is received, or with a target device to which a process program of the particular device attempts to access.

Abstract: Access to restricted areas or devices are controlled by based on collecting information about the surrounding environment in connection with those restricted areas or service devices. Generally, one refers to service devices and access to service devices. Area access control can be viewed as being provided by a service device (e.g., an automated door or gate), access to which permits entry to (or exit from) a controlled area. Information about the surrounding environment includes, but is not limited to, the presence or absence of particular individuals, the presence or absence of other service devices, the location and/or proximity of other service devices, the location of the user requesting access to the service device, and so on. Based on knowledge of the surrounding environment, service access to the device can be permitted or denied.

Abstract: When conducting encryption key update, each of the network device successively causes transition among an initial state in which only data encrypted using an old encryption key used before the update can be transmitted and received, a state in which both data encrypted using the old encryption key and data encrypted using a new encryption key used after the update can be transmitted and received, but operation concerning transmission and reception of data encrypted using the new encryption key is not confirmed, a state in which both data encrypted using the old encryption key and data encrypted using the new encryption key can be transmitted and received, and operation concerning transmission and reception of data encrypted using the new encryption key is already also confirmed, and a final state in which only data encrypted using the new encryption key can be transmitted and received. The encryption key is thus updated.

Abstract: A distribution system having plural elements including one or more computation devices holds distributed common data without distinction between master data and duplicate data upon entrance or withdrawal of the elements. Coincidence among the common data is obtained by majority rule. In the majority rule, a significance level is defined for each common data, and the significance level is utilized as a weight in majority rule for coincidence among the common data.

Abstract: A guidance system which may include: a position direction obtaining unit which obtains a current position and moving direction of an operation device; a destination information obtaining unit which obtains destination information; a route information generating unit which generates route information to the destination from the current position by use of map information; an output device management unit which manages an installation position of the output device; an output device selecting unit which selects one output device from the plurality of output devices, on the basis of information of the current position, moving direction and installation position of the output device; a selected output device presenting unit which presents an information that specifies the selected output device to the operation device; and an information display instructing unit which displays the generated route information displayed on the selected output device in accordance with the information to be specified.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a distributed system in which processors incorporated in machines and objects are mutually linked in operation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a distributed system in which each device can establish a link with a suitable device according to changes in the environment and conditions, independently from the system configuration controlled by a server. In order to achieve the above object, each device provided by the present invention obtains information on surrounding devices through a sensor 131 or communication processing 112, recognizes the environment around it through environment recognition processing 111, and stores the environmental information in an environment management table 123. By employing link control processing 113, each device shares conditional information stored in a profile 122 and a policy 124 of each device through the communication processing 112.

Abstract: For a group consisting of a plurality of users, data of users who constitute the group is acquired. Thereafter, the users are made to stay in a certain area by determining a user having high importance in the group based on the user data acquired and by providing adequate data to a user having high importance, and then data related to the group is provided. With the arrangement, for a case where a plurality of intended persons are to simultaneously receive data such as advertising and such intended persons form a group, it is possible to effectively notify data in an adequate method.

Abstract: In a distributed system having a plurality of equipment that are interconnected over transmission medium and that include one or more arithmetic units, any of the plurality of equipment notifies a person to be notified about a function of the any of the equipment in accordance with an adaptive communication method in which the notification method is determined by the following steps. A first step that any of the plurality of equipment obtains environment information of that equipment and another equipment if necessary and a second step that any of the equipment determines the notification method depending on the environment information obtained by the first step and a contents of information concerning the function of any of the equipment.

Abstract: When an information providing service is carrying out while using utilizing peripheral equipments, it makes clear that which equipment is providing a service to oneself, as keeping anonymity.

Abstract: A distributed system in which a plurality of devices are coupled to each other through a network, includes a service scenario which describes functions necessary to provide a service and relations between the functions in general description; a context which serves as a criterion for selecting devices to be used in providing the service; an extraction unit which extracts devices necessary for the service based on the service scenario; a detection unit which detects devices located in a site where the service can be provided to a service requester; and a service execution unit which executes the service for the service requester by linking the devices detected based on the context.