Abstract: A server apparatus receives a device ID indicating one electrical home appliance among one or more electrical home appliances and a gateway ID indicating that the one electrical home appliance belongs to a same owner, a same group, or a same home as the one or more electrical home appliances, determines whether or not the one electrical home appliance is a newly connected electrical home appliance, using a management database that manages device IDs indicating the one or more electrical home appliances and the gateway ID, and when it is determined made that the one electrical home appliance is a newly connected electrical home appliance, provides an information device, which is associated with the gateway ID and which differs from the one electrical home appliance, with notification information for confirming whether or not it is to be permitted to collect the log information from the one electrical home appliance.

Abstract: An information providing method and apparatus a) transmits a request via a network, for recommended driving information for a first user to be received and displayed on a display of the first user, b) receives from the network driving data from a plurality of vehicles about how a plurality of users drive their vehicles including the first user, c) extracts a similar user from among the plurality of users who drives a vehicle with a predetermined similarity to how the first user drives a vehicle, and determines recommended driving information of the similar user from the similar user's driving history, d) transmits over the network to the first user the recommended driving information of the similar user, and e) displays on a display of the first user the recommended driving information of the similar user.

Abstract: A skin state determination method includes: acquiring a first measurement result including data obtained by a spectral camera measuring the skin of a user at a first time point, second time points before the first time point being different from each other; estimating, on the basis of the first measurement result, a first estimation result including at least one of a skin moisture content or hidden blemish conditions of the user at the first time point; and determining a skin state of the user on the basis of the first estimation result and second estimation results based on second measurement results, each of the second measurement results including data obtained by the spectral camera measuring the skin of the user at each of the second time points.

Abstract: A server apparatus receives a device ID indicating one electrical home appliance among one or more electrical home appliances and a gateway ID indicating that the one electrical home appliance belongs to a same owner, a same group, or a same home as the one or more electrical home appliances, determines whether or not the one electrical home appliance is a newly connected electrical home appliance, using a management database that manages device IDs indicating the one or more electrical home appliances and the gateway ID, and when it is determined made that the one electrical home appliance is a newly connected electrical home appliance, provides an information device, which is associated with the gateway ID and which differs from the one electrical home appliance, with notification information for confirming whether or not it is to be permitted to collect the log information from the one electrical home appliance.

Abstract: A battery data management method for use in a battery data management system including an electric vehicle and a plurality of authentication servers each including a distributed ledger includes: obtaining, by the electric vehicle, first sensor information about a battery attached to the electric vehicle; generating, by the electric vehicle, first transaction data including the ID of the battery and the first sensor information; obtaining the first transaction data by one authentication server included in the plurality of authentication servers; and recording a block including the first transaction data into the distributed ledger by the one authentication server.

Abstract: A control method includes: obtaining first transaction data that includes a first variable indicating first information on a first contract made between a first user and a second user, and a second variable set to a predetermined value indicating second information is undetermined; storing the first transaction data into the distributed ledger; executing storing processing of reading out the second variable, and storing it into a rewritable storage in a server; obtaining second transaction data that includes a third variable indicating third information on a second contract made between the first user and a third user, and a change command for changing the second variable, based on the third variable; storing the second transaction data into the distributed ledger; and executing change processing of changing, according to the change command, the second variable from the predetermined value, after the second transaction data is stored into the distributed ledger.

Abstract: A control method is executed by one device among devices included in a management system. Each of the devices includes a distributed ledger and stores: a parent smart contract including an automatic generation function of automatically generating a new smart contract; and a management function of selecting and managing one of child smart contracts generated by the devices. The control method includes: generating a first child smart contract; transmitting first transaction data including the generated first child smart contract to a different device and storing the first transaction data into the distributed ledger of the one device; receiving second transaction data including a second child smart contract generated by the different device and storing the second transaction data into the distributed ledger of the one device; and managing one child smart contract in association with the parent smart contract through execution of the management function.

Abstract: A control method includes: obtaining first transaction data that includes first information on a first contract made between a first user and a second user; storing the first transaction data obtained into the distributed ledger; obtaining second transaction data that includes second information on a second contract made between the first user and a third user; storing the second transaction data obtained into the distributed ledger; obtaining third transaction data using the first information and the second information, when one of the first transaction data and the second transaction data is associated with a remaining one of the first transaction data and the second transaction data, the third transaction data including third information on a third contract made between the second user and the third user; and storing the third transaction data obtained into the distributed ledger.

Abstract: A control method includes: storing, into a distributed ledger, first transaction data that includes a first variable indicating an authorizer, the first variable being set to a predetermined value indicating that the authorizer is undetermined; executing storing processing of storing the predetermined value into a rewritable storage; obtaining second transaction data that includes a change command for changing the first variable to identification information of a third user; storing the second transaction data into the distributed ledger; executing change processing of changing, according to the change command, the first variable stored in the storage; obtaining third transaction data that includes a fulfillment command for executing fulfillment processing of fulfilling a first contract; storing the third transaction data into the distributed ledger; and executing the fulfillment processing according to the fulfillment command when the first variable stored in the storage is determined to be other than the pr

Abstract: A management device includes: a manager that maintains management information by obtaining an identifier of a battery device and an item of position information indicating a position of the battery device a plurality of times and, each time the identifier and the item of position information are obtained, recording the identifier and the item of position information in the management information in association with each other; a determiner that determines whether a same identifier is associated with a plurality of items of position information different from each other at one point in time; and an outputter that outputs information for disabling authentication of the battery device when the determiner determines that the same identifier is associated with the plurality of items of position information, and causes a start process of a vehicle to stop based on a failure of authentication after the information is output.

Abstract: An information presenting method according to the present disclosure includes: acquiring instruction information indicative of a preferred taste of a user with respect to a food product; calculating a first feature quantity indicative of a feature of a taste indicated by the instruction information; calculating, from a food product data base which stores a temporal change in a content of each of one or more components for each of one or more food products, progress information indicative of a temporal change in a second feature quantity indicative of a feature of the taste of each of the food products, extracting a food product for which a distance between the first feature quantity and the progress information is equal to or less than a reference value; and presenting the extracted food product.

Abstract: An information notification method for providing information from a server device to a plurality of devices connected to a network, including: reading notification information stored in association with information indicating a particular action of a user; acquiring operation histories of the plurality of devices; estimating, based on operation histories of one or more devices owned by the user among the plurality of devices, a no-operation period during which the user is unlikely to operate the one or more devices; determining, based on current operation state of the one or more devices, whether the particular action has been performed outside the no-operation period; and transmitting, when outcome of the determining is affirmative, the notification information associated with the particular action to a destination device among the one or more devices owned by the user. The destination device provides the user with the notification information.

Abstract: An information management method collects log information of one or more home electrical apparatuses corresponding to service providers. Display screen data is generated which indicates a status of the log information. The display screen data includes groups of information which each contain information on an apparatus, a service provider corresponding to the apparatus, and log information output from the apparatus. Provision of the log information of each group is individually selectable. The display screen data is provided via a network to a display terminal that performs access to a server device. Information is received from the display terminal, which indicates that selection on whether or not provision of the log information is performed. Provision of the log information is not performed on the selected group when a determination is made that refusal of provision of the log information on the selected group is performed.

Abstract: A control method for an information processing apparatus including a processor includes: obtaining information about an amount of an item stored in a storage structure; determining whether the information about the amount of the item satisfies a first condition or not, the first condition indicating that the amount of the item is less than or equal to a given amount; and, when the first condition is satisfied, displaying, on a display, a screen including: information about the item; information related to the amount of the item, indicating that the amount of the item is less than or equal to the given amount; and a purchase suggestion for a product corresponding to the item.

Abstract: An information providing method for providing a user who uses a device with information via a mobile owned by the user, the method generating the information to be provided to the user, in accordance with: lifestyle information obtained by a lifestyle information obtaining unit receiving the lifestyle information from the device used by the user, the lifestyle information being information on a state of operation of the device; and location information obtained by a location information obtaining unit receiving the location information indicating a location to which the user traveled.

Abstract: An information notification method for providing information from a server device to a plurality of devices connected to a network, including: reading notification information stored in association with information indicating a particular action of a user; acquiring operation histories of the plurality of devices; estimating, based on operation histories of one or more devices owned by the user among the plurality of devices, a no-operation period during which the user is unlikely to operate the one or more devices; determining, based on current operation state of the one or more devices, whether the particular action has been performed outside the no-operation period; and transmitting, when outcome of the determining is affirmative, the notification information associated with the particular action to a destination device among the one or more devices owned by the user. The destination device provides the user with the notification information.

Abstract: A first camera robot includes: a camera that captures an image of surroundings; an image recognizer that detects one or more subjects from within a captured image; a controller that selects an operation pattern of the first camera robot based on an attribute of one or more subjects detected, and causes the robot to operate according to the selected operation pattern; a communicator that transmits, to another camera robot, instruction information for causing the other robot to operate according to the selected operation pattern; and a shutter that outputs an image obtained by capturing the one or more subjects while the first camera robot and the other robot are operating according to the selected operation pattern.

Abstract: A control method includes: receiving first information pertaining to a first contract from a first terminal used by a first user who is one of two parties who have agreed to the first contract; when consent of a party aside from the two parties is required to validate the first contract, identifying a second user as the party aside from the two parties with reference to a ledger storing information pertaining to a past contract, and transmitting the first information to a second terminal operated by the second user; obtaining second information in which a confirmation result indicating whether the second user consents to the first contract and a digital signature of the second user are added to the first information; and confirming the second information, and when the confirmation result indicates consent, setting the first contract as a valid contract and storing the second information in the ledger.

Abstract: A control method is executed by a first server among a plurality of servers in a system including the plurality of servers and a generating device that generates record information about usage records for users belonging to one group when a service provided by a business operator is used on a group basis. The method includes: obtaining, from the generating device, first record information about a first usage record of a service by a first user belonging to the one group; determining whether the first record information obtained is permitted under a rule based on contract content, stored in the first server, of a contract entered into by the first user and the business operator; and forwarding first transaction data including a determination result to a plurality of second servers and storing a first block including the first transaction data in a distributed ledger managed by the first server.

Abstract: First information including first contract information indicating contract content of a first contract and a provisional contract flag indicating that the first contract information is a provisional contract is received from a first terminal used by a first user who is one of two parties that have agreed to the first contract, and is stored into a ledger. The first contract information obtained from the ledger is transmitted to a second terminal used by an auditor who inspects the first contract information. A check result indicating approval or disapproval of the first contract information by the auditor is received from the second terminal. When the check result indicates approval of the first contract information, second information including the first contract information and a definitive contract flag indicating that the first contract information has been adopted as a definitive contract is obtained and stored into the ledger.