JP7563244B2 - Information management system and information management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information management system and an information management method.

Patent Document 1 discloses a parts selection support system that allows multiple users to obtain parts information from multiple suppliers in a timely manner. The parts selection support system of Patent Document 1 stores parts information from suppliers in a management computer managed by an intermediary, a third party other than the supplier and the user. When a user inputs a parts format from the user's terminal when creating a parts list, the parts selection support system of Patent Document 1 searches for specified parts information from a supplier-specific parts information storage area and user-specific parts information storage area of the management computer connected via a communication line such as the Internet, and displays the information on the user's terminal.

JP 2012-252678 A

If a supplier can no longer supply a product due to a quality defect or other reason, it may seem possible to procure a replacement product if there is information indicating the contents of the product. However, product information indicating, for example, the raw materials of paint supplied by a supplier is generally highly confidential. Therefore, it is difficult to widely disclose a supplier's product information. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult to procure a replacement product if a supplier can no longer supply a product.

The present invention provides an information management system and method that allows manufacturers to efficiently procure alternative products while protecting suppliers' confidential information as much as possible when a product they use becomes unavailable.

The information management system of the present invention includes a memory unit that stores product information on a plurality of products supplied by a plurality of suppliers, a determination unit that, when a notification is received from a manufacturer using a first product of a first supplier among the plurality of suppliers indicating that the first product is no longer available, determines one or more second products among the plurality of products that are highly similar to the first product, and an authority control unit that performs control to grant access authority to the product information on the first product to one or more second suppliers, different from the first supplier, that supply the second product.

The information management method of the present invention stores product information on multiple products supplied by multiple suppliers in a storage unit, and when a notification is received from a manufacturer using a first product of a first supplier among the multiple suppliers indicating that the first product is no longer available, determines one or more second products from the multiple products that are highly similar to the first product, and performs control so as to grant access rights to the product information on the first product to one or more second suppliers, different from the first supplier, that supply the second product.

By granting the second supplier, who is the supplier with the minimum necessary access authority, access authority to the minimum confidential information required to prepare a substitute product, it is possible to minimize disclosure of confidential information. In addition, by granting access authority to product information related to the first product to the second supplier, who supplies a second product that is highly similar to the first product, it is possible to efficiently prepare a substitute product. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to efficiently procure a substitute product while protecting the supplier's confidential information as much as possible when a product used by a manufacturer becomes unavailable.

In addition, preferably, the similarity is a value calculated based on a constituent ratio of raw materials of the product.
With this configuration, the similarity can be calculated with high accuracy. Then, the second product is determined using the similarity calculated with high accuracy, so that the second supplier who can more easily prepare a substitute product can be more reliably determined. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to more efficiently procure substitute products.

In addition, preferably, the similarity is a value calculated based on characteristic information related to at least non-disclosure data, which is not disclosed even if access authority is granted, among product information of the product.
With this configuration, even if there is data that is not disclosed at all in the product information, it is possible to determine products that are somewhat similar to the first product. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to determine suppliers that supply substitute products that are somewhat similar to the first product, even if there is data that is not disclosed at all.

In addition, preferably, the characteristic information is information related only to the non-disclosure data.
The undisclosed data is likely to be dominant data for the product. Therefore, by configuring the characteristic information to relate only to the undisclosed data, the characteristic information is likely to be information that more accurately indicates the characteristics of the product. Therefore, by calculating the similarity using the characteristic information, products that are more similar to the first product can be determined with more accuracy. As a result, the present invention makes it possible to determine a supplier that supplies a substitute product that is more similar to the first product even if there is data that is not disclosed at all.

Also, preferably, the product is a paint, and the similarity is a value calculated based on color information of the paint that includes at least a material related to the undisclosed data of the paint.
With this configuration, even if the composition of the raw materials of the paint is not disclosed, it is possible to calculate the similarity with a certain degree of accuracy from the color information. Therefore, when a paint becomes unavailable, the present invention makes it possible to determine a supplier that can supply a substitute paint that is somewhat similar to the paint.

The present invention provides an information management system and information management method that, when a product used by a manufacturer becomes unavailable, allows the manufacturer to efficiently procure a replacement product while protecting the supplier's confidential information as much as possible.

FIG. 1 illustrates an information management system according to a first embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of product information stored in a storage unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an information management system according to a first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing an information management method executed by the information management system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of product information stored in a storage unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an information management system according to a second embodiment. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a similarity by a similarity calculation unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an information management method executed by an information management system according to a second embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate. In addition, in each drawing, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information management system 1 according to a first embodiment. The information management system 1 includes a manufacturer device 10, a supplier device 20, an information management device 100, and a storage unit 50. The information management device 100 is communicatively connected to the manufacturer device 10 and the supplier device 20 via a wired or wireless network 2. The network 2 may be, for example, the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

The storage unit 50 is, for example, a database (DB). The information management device 100 manages the information stored in the storage unit 50. Specifically, the information management device 100 stores information in the storage unit 50. The information management device 100 also allows the stored information to be viewed as necessary. The storage unit 50 may be physically integrated with the information management device 100. The storage unit 50 may be built into the information management device 100. The storage unit 50 may also realize a website (web server) that allows the stored information to be viewed from outside.

The manufacturer device 10 functions as an information processing device such as a computer. The manufacturer device 10 is managed by the manufacturer that produces the product (finished product, etc.). The manufacturer device 10 may be a server, a terminal, or may have both server and terminal functions. One or more manufacturer devices 10 may be provided for each manufacturer. Furthermore, if there are multiple manufacturers, there may be multiple manufacturer devices 10.

The supplier device 20 functions as an information processing device such as a computer. The supplier device 20 is managed by a supplier who produces products to be used in the products and supplies them to the manufacturer. In other words, the manufacturer procures products from the supplier. The products are, for example, parts, paint, lubricants, and steel plates, but are not limited to these. The supplier device 20 may be a server, a terminal, or may have both server and terminal functions. Note that one or more supplier devices 20 may be provided for each supplier. If there are multiple suppliers, there may be multiple supplier devices 20.

The supplier device 20 transmits product information, which is information about products supplied by the supplier managing the supplier device 20, to the information management device 100. The information management device 100 stores the received product information in the memory unit 50. As a result, the memory unit 50 stores the product information.

The product information may indicate the specifications of the corresponding product. For example, the product information may indicate the raw materials of the corresponding product. For example, the product information may indicate the composition ratio of the raw materials of the corresponding product. Note that the product information includes confidential information. Therefore, the product information is not disclosed to anyone outside the corresponding supplier during normal times when the corresponding product can be supplied. Furthermore, the information included in the product information may be determined as appropriate based on instructions from the manufacturer that receives the supply of the corresponding product.

Similar to the supplier device 20, the manufacturer device 10 may transmit manufacturer information, which is information about the manufacturer that manages this manufacturer device 10, to the information management device 100. In this case, the information management device 100 stores the received manufacturer information in the memory unit 50. As a result, the memory unit 50 stores the manufacturer information. The manufacturer information may include, for example, information about products produced by the corresponding manufacturer.

The manufacturer device 10 can access the information stored in the storage unit 50 via the network 2 in response to the operation of the manager of the manufacturer who manages the manufacturer device 10. The manufacturer device 10 may access the information stored in the storage unit 50 using, for example, a web browser. In this case, the manufacturer device 10 transmits a signal (request for viewing) to the information management device 100 to request viewing of the information. The request for viewing may include, for example, identification information (such as an IP address) of the manufacturer device 10 and identification information of the information to be accessed. In response to the request for viewing, the information management device 100 transmits the accessed information to the manufacturer device 10 via the network 2. This allows the manager of the manufacturer device 10 to view information of other companies. Note that even in this case, the manufacturer device 10 cannot access confidential information to which it does not have access rights. In other words, the manager of the manufacturer device 10 cannot view confidential information to which it does not have access rights. Therefore, the manufacturer device 10 cannot access confidential information of the supplier without access rights.

In the same manner, the supplier device 20 can access information stored in the storage unit 50 via the network 2. This allows the administrator of the supplier device 20 to view information of other companies. Note that even in this case, the supplier device 20 cannot access confidential information to which it does not have access rights. In other words, the administrator of the supplier device 20 cannot view confidential information to which it does not have access rights. Therefore, unless the supplier device 20 has access rights, it cannot access product information of other suppliers other than the corresponding supplier.

Furthermore, when it becomes impossible to supply a product used in a product produced by the corresponding manufacturer, the manufacturer device 10 transmits a supply impossible notification to the information management device 100 via the network 2. The supply impossible notification will be described later. Examples of cases in which a product cannot be supplied include when a defect occurs in the quality of the product, when a supplier is unable to procure raw materials for the product, or when a disaster strikes the factory of the supplier that produces the product.

When the information management device 100 receives the supply inability notification, it grants the supplier who supplies a product similar to the product that can no longer be supplied access rights to the product information of the product that can no longer be supplied. This will be described in detail later. This allows the supplier's supplier device 20 to access the product information of the product that can no longer be supplied. The supplier's administrator can then use the supplier device 20 to view the product information (confidential information). Note that in this case, the manufacturer related to the manufacturer device 10 that sent the supply inability notification may also be granted access rights to the product information of the product that can no longer be supplied.

Here, since the memory unit 50 stores confidential information of the supplier, it is preferable that the administrator of the information management device 100 cannot understand the contents of the confidential information even when operating the information management device 100. To this end, it is preferable that the administrator of the information management device 100 specializes in a field that is completely different from the technical field related to the confidential information. Alternatively, the information management device 100 may manage the information in the memory unit 50 so that the confidential information cannot be viewed even when operating the information management device 100.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating product information stored in the storage unit 50 according to the first embodiment. The storage unit 50 stores product information about multiple suppliers. The storage unit 50 also stores product information indicating products supplied by each of the multiple suppliers. Thus, the storage unit 50 stores product information about multiple products supplied by multiple suppliers.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of product information when the product is paint. Figure 2 also illustrates product information for three paints, paint A, paint B, and paint C. For each product, the product information includes the corresponding product's identification information (product ID), the identification information of the supplier that supplies the product (supplier ID), and raw material data that indicates the raw materials of the product. In the example of Figure 2, paint A is supplied by supplier X. Paint B is supplied by supplier Y. Paint C is supplied by supplier Z. In the product information, "paint A" may indicate the identification information of paint A. This also applies to other paints. In the product information, "supplier X" may indicate the identification information of supplier X. This also applies to other suppliers.

The raw material data also indicates the raw materials of each product and the composition ratio of the raw materials in the product. In the example of FIG. 2, the raw material data indicates material a, material b, material c, material d, and material e. If the product is a paint, the material may correspond to, for example, a pigment, a resin, an additive, or a solvent. For example, "material a" may indicate the type of pigment. In the example of FIG. 2, in paint A, the composition ratio of material a is 10%, the composition ratio of material b is 8%, the composition ratio of material c is 7%, the composition ratio of material d is 6%, and the composition ratio of material e is 5%. In the example of FIG. 2, in paint B, the composition ratio of material a is 10%, the composition ratio of material b is 8%, the composition ratio of material c is 6%, the composition ratio of material d is 6%, and the composition ratio of material e is 5%. Also, in the example of Figure 2, in paint C, the composition ratio of material a is 10%, the composition ratio of material b is 8%, the composition ratio of material c is 5%, the composition ratio of material d is 6%, and the composition ratio of material e is 4%.

The product information also includes a status indicating whether or not the corresponding product has been adopted by the manufacturer. In the example of FIG. 2, the status of the product information for paint A indicates "in use." In other words, paint A supplied by supplier X has been adopted by the manufacturer, and therefore the manufacturer is procuring paint A. On the other hand, the status of the product information for paint B and paint C indicates "candidate for adoption." In other words, paint B supplied by supplier Y and paint C supplied by supplier Z are not currently adopted by the manufacturer. Note that when the status indicates "candidate for adoption," the status may also indicate a candidate ranking. The candidate ranking may be determined according to the similarity degree described below.

In addition, the product information for a product that is a "candidate for adoption" may include a similarity score that indicates the degree of similarity between the corresponding product and the product "in adoption." The similarity score is calculated based on raw material data. Similarity scores will be described later.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the information management system 1 according to the first embodiment. The information management device 100 has a hardware configuration including a CPU 101 (Central Processing Unit), a ROM 102 (Read Only Memory), a RAM 103 (Random Access Memory), an I/O 104 (Input/Output), and a UI 105 (User Interface). The manufacturer device 10 and the supplier device 20 may also have these hardware configurations.

The CPU 101 functions as a processing device (processor) that performs control processing and arithmetic processing. The ROM 102 functions as a storage that stores the control program and arithmetic program executed by the CPU 101. The ROM 102 may include a database. The storage unit 50 may be realized by the ROM 102. The RAM 103 functions as a memory that temporarily stores processing data and the like. The I/O 104 is a communication device and an input/output device that inputs data and signals from the outside and outputs data and signals to the outside. The UI 105 is composed of an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a display. The UI 105 may be configured as a touch panel in which the input device and the output device are integrated. The UI 105 may also have a microphone and a speaker.

The information management device 100 has, as its components, an information acquisition unit 110, an information storage unit 112, an access processing unit 120, a similarity calculation unit 130, a supply failure notification receiving unit 140, a determination unit 150, and an authority control unit 160. One or more of the components of the information management device 100 may be realized by a device other than the information management device 100 (e.g., a manufacturer device 10). Furthermore, each component of the information management device 100 is not limited to being realized by a single physical device, and may be realized by multiple devices, for example, by cloud computing or the like. In other words, the information management device 100 may be physically composed of multiple devices. The same applies to other embodiments described below.

These components can be realized by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in the ROM 102. The information management device 100 may record necessary programs on any non-volatile recording medium and install the programs as necessary. Each component of the information management device 100 is not limited to being realized by software as described above, but may be realized by hardware such as some kind of circuit element. Each component of the information management device 100 may be realized by a user-programmable integrated circuit such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or a microcomputer. In this case, the integrated circuit may be used to realize a program composed of each of the above components. The above also applies to other embodiments described later.

The information acquisition unit 110 acquires product information. The information acquisition unit 110 receives the product information via the I/O 104. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the product information from the supplier device 20 via the network 2. The information acquisition unit 110 may also acquire manufacturer information from the manufacturer device 10 via the network 2.

The information storage unit 112 stores the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 in the memory unit 50. Specifically, the information storage unit 112 stores the product information in the memory unit 50. At this time, the information storage unit 112 may perform processing (e.g., encryption) on the product information, which is confidential information, so that the information cannot be viewed on the device that has accessed the information unless the device has access authority. The information storage unit 112 may store viewable information (e.g., manufacturer information) that is not confidential information in the memory unit 50. At this time, the information storage unit 112 may perform processing to make the viewable information viewable when accessed from an external device.

When information stored in the memory unit 50 is accessed from another device (such as the supplier device 20), the access processing unit 120 performs processing to make the information viewable on that device. Below, we will explain the case where access is made from the supplier device 20, but the same applies to the case where access is made from other devices.

Specifically, the access processing unit 120 acquires a viewing request from the supplier device 20 via the network 2. The access processing unit 120 receives the viewing request via the I/O 104. If the information corresponding to the viewing request (information to be viewed) is viewable information, the access processing unit 120 transmits the information to be viewed to the supplier device 20 of the identification information (IP address, etc.) included in the viewing request so that the information can be viewed on the supplier device 20. The access processing unit 120 transmits the information via the I/O 104. As a result, the supplier device 20 receives the information (viewable information) and displays the information on a display, etc.

On the other hand, if the information corresponding to the viewing request is confidential product information, the access processing unit 120 determines whether the supplier device 20 (the supplier managing the device) corresponding to the identification information included in the viewing request has access authority to the product information (confidential information). The access authority may be granted by the authority control unit 160, which will be described later. Then, if the supplier device 20 (the supplier managing the device) has access authority to the product information (confidential information), the access processing unit 120 transmits the product information to the supplier device 20 corresponding to the identification information included in the viewing request, in the same way as in the case of access to viewable information.

On the other hand, if the supplier device 20 (the supplier managing the device) does not have the authority to access the product information (confidential information), the access processing unit 120 does not transmit the product information to the supplier device 20 corresponding to the identification information included in the viewing request. In other words, the access processing unit 120 prohibits the supplier device 20 from accessing the product information (confidential information). The access processing unit 120 may then transmit information to the supplier device 20 indicating that the supplier device 20 does not have the authority to access this information.

The similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity between the product that is a candidate for adoption and the product currently being adopted. Specifically, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity using the raw material data of each candidate product for adoption and the raw material data of the product currently being adopted. Therefore, the similarity indicates the degree of similarity between the raw material data of each candidate product for adoption and the raw material data of the product currently being adopted. The similarity calculation unit 130 stores the calculated similarity in the similarity item of the product information related to the corresponding product stored in the memory unit 50.

There are various possible methods for the similarity calculation unit 130 to calculate the similarity. For example, the similarity calculation unit 130 may calculate the similarity using Euclidean distance or cosine similarity. Alternatively, the similarity calculation unit 130 may calculate the similarity using the following method.

For example, the similarity calculation unit 130 may calculate, as the similarity, the proportion of items (types of materials) in the raw material data for which the composition ratios of each material match between the candidate product and the product being used. In other words, the similarity calculation unit 130 may calculate, as the similarity, the proportion of items in which the composition ratios of each material match between the candidate product and the product being used, with respect to all items in the raw material data. Specifically, the similarity calculation unit 130 determines, for each material in the raw material data, whether the composition ratio in the candidate product matches the composition ratio in the product being used, and counts the number of materials (items) with matching composition ratios. Then, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates, as the similarity, the proportion of the number of materials (items) with matching composition ratios with respect to the total number of materials (items) in the raw material data.

The example in FIG. 2 will be used for explanation. It is assumed that the number of items in the raw material data is 10 in total. First, the case of calculating the similarity between paint A being used and paint B, which is a candidate for use, will be explained. The composition ratio of material a in paint B is the same as the composition ratio of material a in paint A. Similarly, the composition ratios of materials b, d, and e in paint A and paint B are the same. On the other hand, the composition ratio of material c in paint B is not the same as the composition ratio of material c in paint A. It is assumed that the composition ratios of the other five materials are the same in paint A and paint B. In this case, the number of materials (items) whose composition ratios are the same in paint A and paint B is 9. Therefore, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity of paint B as 9/10×100=90[%].

Next, a case will be described where the similarity between paint A being used and paint C being a candidate for use is calculated. The composition ratio of material a in paint C is the same as the composition ratio of material a in paint A. Similarly, the composition ratios of materials b and d in paint A and paint B are the same. On the other hand, the composition ratio of material c in paint B does not match the composition ratio of material c in paint A. Similarly, the composition ratio of material e in paint B does not match the composition ratio of material e in paint A. In addition, the composition ratios of the other five materials are assumed to be the same in paint A and paint B. In this case, the number of materials (items) whose composition ratios are the same in paint A and paint B is eight. Therefore, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity of paint C as 8/10×100=80%.

When calculating the similarity using raw material data, materials that should be emphasized when determining whether the paints are similar may be weighted. For example, if material a is a material that should be emphasized but the composition ratio of material a does not match, when counting the number of materials (items) with matching composition ratios, "material a" may be counted as "-1 item" rather than "0 items." Also, if material b is a material that should be emphasized even more than material a but the composition ratio of material b does not match, when counting the number of materials (items) with matching composition ratios, "material b" may be counted as "-2 items" rather than "0 items." This allows the similarity to be lowered compared to when a material that should be emphasized does not match in its composition ratio and that material is counted as "0 items."

Alternatively, the similarity calculation unit 130 may calculate the similarity by, for example, calculating the Euclidean distance D, which has the component ratio of each material. Specifically, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the difference between the component ratio in the product being used and the component ratio in each candidate product for use, for each material. The similarity calculation unit 130 then calculates the square root of the sum of the squares of the differences calculated for each material to calculate the Euclidean distance D. The similarity calculation unit 130 may then calculate a similarity that is higher as the Euclidean distance D is smaller. For example, the similarity calculation unit 130 may set the similarity to 1/(1+D). In this case, it can be said that the closer the similarity is to 1, the higher the similarity is.

The example of FIG. 2 will be used for explanation. The number of items of raw material data is 10 in total. The composition ratios of the five materials other than materials a to e are the same for paint A, paint B, and paint C. First, a case of calculating the similarity between paint A being used and paint B, which is a candidate for use, will be explained. The difference between the composition ratio of material a in paint B and the composition ratio of material a in paint A is 0. Similarly, the differences between the composition ratios of materials b, d, and e in paint A and paint B are each 0. On the other hand, the difference between the composition ratio of material c in paint B and the composition ratio of material c in paint A is 1%. The difference between the composition ratios of the other five materials is 0 between paint A and paint B. Therefore, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the Euclidean distance D between paint A and paint B as √{1 ² }=1. In this case, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity of paint B as 1/(1+D)=0.5.

Next, a case of calculating the similarity between the paint A being used and the paint C being a candidate for use will be described. The difference between the composition ratio of material a in paint C and the composition ratio of material a in paint A is 0. Similarly, the differences between the composition ratios of materials b and d in paint A and paint B are each 0. On the other hand, the difference between the composition ratio of material c in paint B and the composition ratio of material c in paint A is 2%. Also, the difference between the composition ratio of material e in paint B and the composition ratio of material e in paint A is 1%. Note that the difference between the composition ratios of the other five materials is 0 between paint A and paint B. Therefore, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the Euclidean distance D between paint A and paint C as √{2 ² +1 ² }=2.24. In this case, the similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity of paint B as 1/(1+D)=0.31.

When calculating the similarity using raw material data, weighting may be applied to materials that should be emphasized when determining whether paints are similar. For example, if material a is a material that should be emphasized, the Euclidean distance may be calculated after multiplying the square of the difference in the composition ratio of material a by a weighting coefficient of 1 or more.

The supply impossible notification receiving unit 140 receives the supply impossible notification. Specifically, the supply impossible notification receiving unit 140 receives the supply impossible notification from the manufacturer device 10. The supply impossible notification receiving unit 140 receives the supply impossible notification via the I/O 104. Here, the supply impossible notification indicates that it has become impossible to supply a product used in a product being produced by the manufacturer. The supply impossible notification may be sent from the manufacturer device 10 by an administrator operating the manufacturer device 10. Alternatively, in cases such as when a defect is found in a product during a certain production process, the manufacturer device 10 may automatically send the supply impossible notification without the administrator's operation.

The supply unavailable notification includes information indicating the product that can no longer be supplied. The supply unavailable notification may include identification information of the product that can no longer be supplied. The supply unavailable notification may also include identification information of the supplier that supplied the product. The supply unavailable notification may be generated by an administrator's operation. Alternatively, the supply unavailable notification may be generated automatically by the manufacturer device 10 automatically identifying the product that can no longer be supplied.

When a supply inability notification is received, the determination unit 150 determines products similar to the product that cannot be supplied. That is, the determination unit 150 determines products (similar products; second products) that are highly similar to the product that cannot be supplied from the supplier (first supplier) (unsupplied product; first product). Specifically, the determination unit 150 determines the product that cannot be supplied from the supply inability notification. Using the product information stored in the memory unit 50, the determination unit 150 determines that the product that is most similar to the adopted unsupplied product among the products that are candidates for adoption is a similar product. Furthermore, the determination unit 150 may determine the supplier that supplies the similar product.

When a supply failure notification is received, the authority control unit 160 controls so as to grant access authority to product information related to the supply failure product at least to a supplier (second supplier) that supplies a highly similar product (similar product). Note that the supplier that produces the similar product (second supplier) is different from the supplier that produces the supply failure product (first supplier). The authority control unit 160 also grants access authority to product information related to the supply failure product, including confidential information, to a supplier (alternative supplier) that supplies a similar product determined by the determination unit 150. This makes it possible for the alternative supplier to prepare a substitute for the supply failure product, as described below.

Here, it is preferable that the access authority granted by the authority control unit 160 is temporary. In other words, when preparation of a replacement product is completed, the authority control unit 160 may revoke the access authority granted to the replacement supplier. This makes it possible to protect the supplier's confidential information as much as possible. Furthermore, the authority control unit 160 may grant access authority not only to the replacement supplier, but also to the manufacturer.

When the authority control unit 160 exercises control so as to grant access rights to confidential information to an alternative supplier, the access processing unit 120 permits access to product information including confidential information in response to a request from the alternative supplier's supplier device 20 to view product information related to a product that cannot be supplied. The access processing unit 120 then transmits the product information to the supplier device 20 of the alternative supplier so that it can be viewed on the supplier device 20 of the alternative supplier. The alternative supplier can use the product information to prepare an alternative product.

A specific example of the processing of the determination unit 150 and the authority control unit 160 will be described using the example of FIG. 2. Suppose that paint A, which has been adopted, can no longer be supplied by supplier X. In this case, the supply unavailable notification receiving unit 140 receives a supply unavailable notification indicating paint A. The determination unit 150 refers to the similarity of the product information and determines that paint B is the paint most similar to paint A. In other words, the determination unit 150 determines that paint B is a similar product. The authority control unit 160 grants supplier Y, which supplies paint B, the authority to access product information related to paint A.

This allows supplier Y to prepare a substitute for paint A by referring to product information on paint A from supplier X, which is a product currently being adopted and cannot be supplied. For example, supplier Y can refer to product information on paint A to determine which materials have different composition ratios in the raw materials for paint B that it produces and the raw materials for paint A. In other words, supplier Y can determine the difference between the raw materials for paint B that it produces and the raw materials for paint A. Supplier Y can then produce a substitute for paint A by compensating for the difference. In other words, supplier Y can produce a substitute for paint A by adjusting the composition ratio of the raw materials for paint B. Specifically, supplier Y can produce a substitute by adjusting the composition ratio of materials in paint B that have a different composition ratio from paint A to the composition ratio in paint A.

Now consider granting access rights to product information on paint A to supplier Z, who supplies paint C, which is less similar to paint A than paint B, which is most similar to the paint A currently being used. There are more materials whose composition ratios differ between paint C and paint A than between paint B and paint A. Therefore, it is highly likely that it will be more difficult for supplier Z to compensate for the difference between the raw materials of paint C that it produces and the raw materials of paint A than it is for supplier Y to compensate for the above-mentioned difference. Therefore, it is highly likely that it will be more difficult for supplier Z to produce a substitute for paint A than it is for supplier Y to produce a substitute for paint A. Therefore, even if supplier Z is granted access rights to product information on paint A, it is extremely unlikely that supplier Z will be able to supply a substitute more efficiently than supplier Y can supply a substitute.

Therefore, by granting access rights to product information about the unsupplyable product to a supplier (second supplier) that supplies a similar product (second product) that is highly similar to the unsupplyable product (first product), it becomes possible to efficiently prepare a substitute product. Note that if the product information of the product being adopted is not disclosed to the alternative supplier in the first place, the alternative supplier will not know how to produce a substitute product. Therefore, by granting access rights to product information about the product being adopted to the alternative supplier, the alternative supplier can easily produce a substitute product.

In addition, in the first embodiment, when a product used by a manufacturer becomes unavailable, a supplier (second supplier) that supplies a similar product (second product) is granted access rights to product information related to the unavailable product. This allows the minimum number of suppliers who require access rights to be granted access rights to the minimum amount of confidential information required to prepare a substitute product. Therefore, disclosure of confidential information can be minimized. Therefore, the information management system 1 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to efficiently procure a substitute product while protecting the confidential information of the supplier as much as possible when a product used by a manufacturer becomes unavailable. In other words, it becomes possible to strike a balance between protecting confidential information and procuring a substitute product.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the similarity is a value calculated based on the composition ratio of the raw materials of the product. This allows the similarity to be calculated with high accuracy. Then, since a similar product (second product) is determined using the accurately calculated similarity, it is possible to more reliably determine (select) an alternative supplier (second supplier) that can more easily prepare a substitute. This makes it possible to more efficiently procure a substitute.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an information management method executed by the information management system 1 according to the first embodiment. The process in Figure 4 is mainly executed by the information management device 100. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires product information as described above (step S102). The information storage unit 112 stores the information acquired in the process of S102 in the memory unit 50 as described above (step S104). The similarity calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity between the product that is a candidate for adoption and the product currently being adopted as described above (step S106). The processes in S102 to S106 can be executed each time product information is transmitted from the supplier device 20.

The supply unavailable notification receiving unit 140 receives the supply unavailable notification as described above (step S112). Note that the processing from S112 onwards is not executed unless the product being adopted becomes supply unavailable. The determination unit 150 uses the supply unavailable notification as described above to determine the supply unavailable product (step S114). The determination unit 150 determines similar products that are highly similar to the supply unavailable product as described above (step S116). The authority control unit 160 grants access authority to product information related to the supply unavailable product to alternative suppliers that supply similar products as described above (step S118).

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the information used to calculate the similarity is different from that in the first embodiment. Note that the configuration of the information management system 1 according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 1, and therefore the description will be omitted.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating product information stored in the memory unit 50 according to the second embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the memory unit 50 stores product information on multiple products supplied by multiple suppliers. Also, as in Figure 2, Figure 5 illustrates product information on three paints: paint A, paint B, and paint C. Also, as in the example of Figure 2, in the example of Figure 5, for each product, the product information includes the corresponding product identification information (product ID), the supplier identification information (supplier ID), raw material data on the corresponding product, and the status on the corresponding product.

In the above-described first embodiment, none of the contents of the raw material data of the product information are black-boxed (concealed, undisclosed, or unknown). In other words, all of the contents of the raw material data of the product information can be viewed as long as there is access authority. Therefore, all items of the raw material data can be used when calculating the similarity. And, the supplier device 20 of a supplier that has access authority to the product information can access all of the contents of that product information. In other words, a supplier that has access authority can view all of the contents of that product information.

In contrast, the product information according to the second embodiment includes non-disclosed (black boxed) data. In other words, the product information according to the second embodiment includes disclosed data that can be viewed if one has access rights to the product information, and non-disclosed data that cannot be viewed even if one has access rights to the product information. In this specification, "non-disclosed" means that it cannot be viewed even if one has access rights. The non-disclosed data itself (such as a value indicated by the non-disclosed data) may be included as data in the product information but may be completely concealed by encryption or the like. Alternatively, the non-disclosed data itself may not even be included as data in the product information. In this case, the value corresponding to the non-disclosed data in the product information is blank. For example, the non-disclosed data may indicate "Null" or "Blank" in the product information.

In the example of Figure 5, for each product information, the composition ratios of materials a and b in the raw material data correspond to disclosed data. On the other hand, for each product information, the composition ratios of materials c, d, and e in the raw material data correspond to undisclosed data. In the example of Figure 5, for paint A, the composition ratio of material a is 10%, and the composition ratio of material b is 8%. On the other hand, for paint A, the composition ratios of materials c, d, and e correspond to undisclosed data and are therefore unknown. Note that for paint A, the composition ratios of materials other than materials a to e correspond to disclosed data.

In the example of Figure 5, the composition ratio of material a in paint B is 10%, and the composition ratio of material b is 7%. On the other hand, the composition ratios of materials c, d, and e in paint B correspond to non-disclosed data and are therefore unknown. Note that the composition ratios of materials other than materials a to e in paint B correspond to disclosed data.

In the example of Figure 5, the composition ratio of material a in paint C is 9%, and the composition ratio of material b is 7%. On the other hand, the composition ratios of materials c, d, and e in paint C correspond to non-disclosed data and are therefore unknown. Note that the composition ratios of materials other than materials a to e in paint C correspond to disclosed data.

Suppliers tend to conceal important aspects of their products. Therefore, the undisclosed data is likely to relate to important aspects of the product. In other words, the undisclosed data is likely to relate to dominant aspects of the product that affect the product's specifications and performance.

Also, similar to embodiment 1, in embodiment 2, product information of a product that is a "candidate for adoption" may include a similarity indicating the degree of similarity between the corresponding product and a product that is "in adoption." Here, the product information in embodiment 2 may include a similarity calculated based on disclosed data and a similarity calculated based on undisclosed data. Similarity will be described later.

Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the information management system 1 according to the second embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the information management device 100 has a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an I/O 104, and a UI 105 as a hardware configuration.

The information management device 100 also includes, as its components, an information acquisition unit 110, an information storage unit 112, an access processing unit 120, a characteristic information acquisition unit 210, a similarity calculation unit 230, a supply failure notification receiving unit 140, a determination unit 150, and an authority control unit 160. Note that components other than the characteristic information acquisition unit 210 and the similarity calculation unit 230 have substantially the same functions as those in the first embodiment, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The characteristic information acquisition unit 210 acquires characteristic information indicating characteristics related to each product. Here, the characteristic information is information that is at least related to the non-disclosed data. As described above, the non-disclosed data is highly likely to be an important item in the corresponding product. Therefore, the characteristic information may be information that is related only to the non-disclosed data. In the following explanation, a case will be described in which the characteristic information is information that is related only to the non-disclosed data.

The characteristic information may be provided by a supplier who supplies a product related to each product information. In this case, when acquiring product information, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire characteristic information corresponding to the product information. Then, the information storage unit 112 may store the characteristic information in the memory unit 50 in association with the corresponding product information. In this case, the characteristic information acquisition unit 210 may acquire the characteristic information from the memory unit 50. Alternatively, the characteristic information may be acquired using an object provided by the supplier and used to generate the characteristic information. In this case, the characteristic information acquisition unit 210 may acquire the characteristic information by analyzing the object.

When the product is a paint, the characteristic information is, for example, color information of the paint (characteristic paint) produced from materials in an item related to non-disclosed data of the paint corresponding to certain product information. The color information may indicate, for example, RGB values (the respective values of R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue)). Here, the characteristic information is, for example, color information of the paint generated with the composition ratio of the materials in the item related to the non-disclosed data. For example, the paint related to the characteristic information (color information) is generated so that each of the materials in the item related to the non-disclosed data is composed in a composition ratio that is not disclosed.

For example, in the example of FIG. 5, for paint A, the composition ratio of material c is RAc%, the composition ratio of material d is RAd%, and the composition ratio of material e is RAe%. The values of RAc, RAd, and RAe are not disclosed to anyone other than the product's supplier. In this case, paint A' (characteristic paint) related to the characteristic information corresponding to the product information of paint A is generated so that the ratio of the composition ratios of materials c, d, and e is RAc:RAd:RAe. Paint A' may also be generated so that the composition ratio of material c is RAc%, the composition ratio of material d is RAd%, the composition ratio of material e is RAe%, and the remainder is solvent. In other words, the composition ratio of the solvent at this time is 100-(RAc+RAd+RAe) [%]. The same applies to paint B and paint C.

When a supplier provides product information, the supplier may provide color information (RGB values) of a characteristic paint (paint A' in the above example) corresponding to the paint related to the product information as characteristic information. In this case, the supplier device 20 may associate the product information with the color information and transmit them to the information management device 100. As a result, the information storage unit 112 stores the product information and color information in association with each other in the memory unit 50. The characteristic information acquisition unit 210 can then acquire (extract) the color information from the memory unit 50 as characteristic information.

The supplier may also provide a color image (such as a color sample) showing the color tone of the characteristic paint. In this case, the characteristic information acquisition unit 210 may acquire color information as characteristic information by analyzing image data obtained by photographing the color image with a camera or the like. Alternatively, the characteristic paint itself may be provided by the supplier. In this case, the characteristic information acquisition unit 210 may acquire color information as characteristic information by analyzing image data obtained by photographing the characteristic paint with a camera or the like. Alternatively, the Munsell symbol of the characteristic paint may be acquired from the supplier. In this case, the characteristic information acquisition unit 210 may acquire color information as characteristic information by converting the Munsell symbol into RGB values.

The similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the similarity between the product that is a candidate for adoption and the product currently being adopted. Here, the similarity calculation unit 230 according to the second embodiment calculates the similarity using characteristic information. That is, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the similarity using characteristic information on each candidate product for adoption and characteristic information on the product currently being adopted. The similarity calculation unit 230 stores the calculated similarity in the similarity item of the product information on the corresponding product stored in the storage unit 50. As described above, the characteristic information is information on non-disclosed data, and the non-disclosed data is likely to be related to dominant items that affect the specifications and performance of the product. Therefore, the similarity appropriately indicates the degree of similarity between the raw material data of each candidate product for adoption and the raw material data of the product currently being adopted.

There are various possible methods for the similarity calculation unit 230 to calculate the similarity. For example, the similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the similarity using Euclidean distance or cosine similarity. Alternatively, the similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the similarity using the following method.

Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating similarity by the similarity calculation unit 230 according to the second embodiment. Figure 7 shows color information of paint (characteristic paint) produced from materials in the non-disclosure data item for the product information of paint A, paint B, and paint C illustrated in Figure 5. The RGB values of characteristic paint A' corresponding to paint A are R: 255, G: 250, B: 251. The RGB values of characteristic paint B' corresponding to paint B are R: 255, G: 250, B: 249. The RGB values of characteristic paint C' corresponding to paint C are R: 251, G: 240, B: 241.

The similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the sum of the differences (absolute values) between the RGB values of the characteristic paint for the candidate product and the RGB values of the characteristic paint for the product currently in use as the similarity. In this case, the closer the calculated value is to 0, that is, the smaller the calculated value is, the higher the similarity will be. An example of FIG. 7 will be used below for explanation.

First, we will explain how to calculate the similarity between paint A currently being used and paint B, which is a candidate for use. The R value in the color information of characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, is 255, and the R value in the color information of characteristic paint B', which corresponds to paint B, which is a candidate for use, is 255. Therefore, the difference in the R value in the color information between characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, and characteristic paint B', which corresponds to paint B, which is a candidate for use, is 0.

The G value in the color information of characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, is 250, and the G value in the color information of characteristic paint B', which corresponds to paint B, which is a candidate for use, is 250. Therefore, the difference in the G value in the color information between characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, and characteristic paint B', which corresponds to paint B, which is a candidate for use, is 0.

Furthermore, the value of B in the color information of characteristic paint A' corresponding to paint A currently being adopted is 251, and the value of B in the color information of characteristic paint B' corresponding to paint B, a candidate for adoption, is 249. Therefore, the difference in the value of B in the color information between characteristic paint A' corresponding to paint A currently being adopted and characteristic paint B' corresponding to paint B, a candidate for adoption, is 2.
Therefore, the similarity calculation section 230 calculates the similarity of paint B to paint A as 0+0+2=2.

Next, we will explain how to calculate the similarity between paint A currently being used and paint C, which is a candidate for use. The R value in the color information of characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, is 255, and the R value in the color information of characteristic paint C', which corresponds to paint C, which is a candidate for use, is 251. Therefore, the difference in the R value in the color information between characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, and characteristic paint C', which corresponds to paint C, which is a candidate for use, is 4.

The G value in the color information of characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, is 250, and the G value in the color information of characteristic paint C', which corresponds to paint C, which is a candidate for use, is 240. Therefore, the difference in the G value in the color information between characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being used, and characteristic paint C', which corresponds to paint C, which is a candidate for use, is 10.

Furthermore, the value of B in the color information of characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being adopted, is 251, and the value of B in the color information of characteristic paint C', which corresponds to paint C, a candidate for adoption, is 241. Therefore, the difference in the value of B in the color information between characteristic paint A', which corresponds to paint A currently being adopted, and characteristic paint C', which corresponds to paint C, a candidate for adoption, is 10.
Therefore, the similarity calculation section 230 calculates the similarity of paint C to paint A as 4+10+10=24.

The similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the similarity as a value that increases as the total value of the differences in the RGB values decreases. For example, if the total value of the differences in the RGB values is S, the similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the similarity as 1/(1+S). In this case, the closer the similarity is to 1 (i.e., the larger it is), the higher the similarity is. In this case, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the similarity of paint B as 1/(1+2)=0.33. The similarity calculation unit 230 also calculates the similarity of paint C as 1/(1+24)=0.04.

Alternatively, the similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the similarity by, for example, calculating the Euclidean distance D in a three-dimensional color space having the R value, G value, and B value of the color information (RGB value) as components. Specifically, as described above, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the difference between the RGB value of the characteristic paint for the candidate product and the RGB value of the characteristic paint for the product currently being used. The similarity calculation unit 230 then calculates the Euclidean distance D by calculating the square root of the sum of the squares of the differences calculated for each material. The similarity calculation unit 230 then calculates a similarity that is higher as the Euclidean distance D is smaller. For example, the similarity calculation unit 230 may set the similarity to 1/(1+D). In this case, it can be said that the closer the similarity is to 1, the higher the similarity is.

7, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the Euclidean distance between the characteristic paint A' corresponding to the paint A and the characteristic paint B' corresponding to the paint B as √{0 ² +0 ² +2 ² }=2. In this case, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the similarity of paint B as 1/(1+2)=0.33.

Furthermore, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the Euclidean distance between the characteristic paint A' corresponding to the paint A and the characteristic paint C' corresponding to the paint C as √{4 ² + 10 ² + 10 ² } = 14.7. In this case, the similarity calculation unit 230 calculates the similarity of the paint C as 1/(1 + 14.7) = 0.064.

The similarity calculation unit 230 may calculate the similarity using the composition ratio of materials for items related to the disclosed data of the raw material data, as in the first embodiment. As described above, the non-disclosed data is highly likely to be related to the dominant items in the product that affect the specifications and performance of the product. Conversely, the disclosed data is highly unlikely to be related to the dominant items in the product that affect the specifications and performance of the product. Therefore, the similarity calculated using the disclosed data is highly likely to be inaccurate in determining the similarity between the product being adopted and the product that is a candidate for adoption. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the similarity calculated using the disclosed data does not need to be used when the determination unit 150 determines similar products.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an information management method executed by the information management system 1 according to the second embodiment. The process in Figure 8 is mainly executed by the information management device 100. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires product information (step S202), as in the first embodiment. The information storage unit 112 stores the information acquired in the process of S202 in the memory unit 50, as in the first embodiment (step S204).

The characteristic information acquisition unit 210 acquires characteristic information corresponding to the product information as described above (step S206). The similarity calculation unit 230 uses the characteristic information as described above to calculate the similarity between the product that is a candidate for adoption and the product currently being adopted (step S208). Note that the processes of S202 to S208 may be executed each time product information is transmitted from the supplier device 20.

The supply failure notification receiving unit 140 receives the supply failure notification as in the first embodiment (step S212). Note that the process from S212 onwards is not executed unless the product being adopted becomes supply failure. The determination unit 150 uses the supply failure notification to determine the supply failure product as in the first embodiment (step S214). The determination unit 150 determines similar products that are highly similar to the supply failure product as in the first embodiment (step S216). At this time, the determination unit 150 determines similar products that are highly similar to the supply failure product using the similarity calculated using the characteristic information on the non-disclosure data. The authority control unit 160 grants access authority to product information on the supply failure product to alternative suppliers that supply similar products as in the first embodiment (step S218).

Here, when the authority control unit 160 performs control to grant the alternative supplier access authority to the confidential information, similar to embodiment 1, the access processing unit 120 allows access to the product information including the confidential information in response to a request from the supplier device 20 of the alternative supplier to view product information related to the unavailable product. Then, similar to embodiment 1, the access processing unit 120 transmits the product information to the supplier device 20 of the alternative supplier so that the product information can be viewed on the supplier device 20 of the alternative supplier. The alternative supplier can use the product information to prepare an alternative product.

Here, a specific example will be described using the example in FIG. 5. Suppose that paint A, which has been adopted, can no longer be supplied by supplier X. In this case, the supply-unavailable notification receiving unit 140 receives a supply-unavailable notification indicating paint A. The determining unit 150 refers to the similarity of the product information (similarity calculated using non-disclosed data) and determines that paint B is the paint most similar to paint A. The authority control unit 160 grants supplier Y, which supplies paint B, the authority to access product information related to paint A.

This allows supplier Y to prepare a substitute for paint A by referring to the product information on paint A, which is a product that is being adopted and cannot be supplied. Here, in the second embodiment, since the product information includes non-disclosed data, the substitute supplier cannot grasp the composition ratio of all of the raw materials of paint A. However, the substitute supplier can at least grasp the difference between the composition ratio of the materials of the items related to the disclosed data of paint A and the composition ratio of the materials of the corresponding items in paint B. Therefore, the substitute supplier can produce a substitute for paint A by adjusting the composition ratio of the raw materials of paint B to compensate for the difference. Specifically, supplier Y can produce a substitute closer to paint A than paint B by adjusting the composition ratio of materials in paint B that have a different composition ratio from paint A for the items related to the disclosed data of the product information to the composition ratio in paint A.

As described above, the alternative supplier cannot grasp the composition ratio of the material of the item related to the non-disclosed data of paint A, and therefore cannot grasp the difference in the composition ratio of the material of the item related to the non-disclosed data between paint A and paint B. Here, as described above, the non-disclosed data is likely to be related to the dominant item that determines the specifications and performance of the product, so the characteristic information is also likely to be related to the characteristics of the important materials of the paint. The characteristic information of the non-disclosed data of paint A and paint B is similar. Therefore, paint B can be said to be a product similar to paint A to a certain extent. By adjusting the composition ratio of the disclosed data, the alternative supplier can produce a substitute product that is even more similar to paint A. In this way, by calculating the similarity based on at least the characteristic information related to the non-disclosed data, it is possible to determine a product that is somewhat similar to the unsupplied product even if there is data that is not disclosed at all. Therefore, it is possible to determine (select) a supplier that supplies a substitute product that is somewhat similar to the unsupplied product even if there is data that is not disclosed at all.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the undisclosed data is likely to be dominant data for the product. Therefore, by configuring the characteristic information to relate only to the undisclosed data, the characteristic information is likely to become information that more accurately indicates the characteristics of the product. Therefore, by calculating the similarity using the characteristic information, it is possible to more accurately determine products that are more similar to the product being adopted (unsupplyable product). This makes it possible to determine (select) a supplier that supplies a substitute product that is more similar to the unsupplyable product, even if there is data that is not disclosed at all.

Unlike the first embodiment, it is unlikely that the substitute produced in the second embodiment will have a completely identical material composition ratio to the product currently in use. However, the method of the second embodiment is particularly effective in cases where a substitute that is somewhat similar to the currently in use product is immediately required, even if it is slightly different.

As described above, the similarity is a value calculated based on the color information (characteristic information) of a paint (characteristic paint) that contains at least a material related to the non-disclosed paint data. Therefore, even if the composition of the paint's raw materials is not disclosed, it is possible to calculate the similarity with a certain degree of accuracy from the color information. Therefore, if a paint is no longer available, it is possible to determine (select) a supplier that can supply a substitute paint that is somewhat similar to the paint.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the order of the steps in the above-described flowchart can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, one or more steps in the flowchart can be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 150 is configured to determine the product having the highest similarity to the product being adopted (unsupplyable product) as a similar product, but is not limited to such a configuration. The determination unit 150 may determine two to three products in descending order of similarity to the unsupplyable product as similar products. Alternatively, the determination unit 150 may determine one or more products having a similarity to the unsupplyable product equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value as similar products. In other words, the determination unit 150 is configured to determine one or more similar products having a high similarity to the unsupplyable product. In this case, the determination unit 150 may be configured to determine one or more suppliers that supply one or more similar products.

In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 150 is configured to determine similar products and alternative suppliers that supply similar products, but the configuration is not limited to this. The determination unit 150 may only determine similar products. In other words, the determination unit 150 does not need to determine alternative suppliers that supply similar products. In this case, a user or the like may determine an alternative supplier based on the similar products determined by the determination unit 150. In this case, the product identification information and supplier identification information in the product information do not need to be confidential information. The user or the like may then determine an alternative supplier by referring to the product identification information and supplier identification information in the product information stored in the memory unit 50.

In the example of FIG. 5, some of the composition ratios of the raw material data are non-disclosure data, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the non-disclosure data, the materials themselves may be non-disclosure. That is, in the example of FIG. 5, by viewing each product information, the composition ratios of materials c, d, and e of each paint are unknown, but it is clear that each paint contains at least materials c, d, and e as raw materials. In contrast, the non-disclosure data may include not only the composition ratios but also the types of materials themselves. In this way, it is possible to increase the confidentiality of the types of materials themselves. In other words, if a supplier does not wish to disclose the raw materials of a product, even if the product becomes unavailable, it is possible to increase the confidentiality of the product information by not disclosing the types of materials.

In the above example, the program can be stored and supplied to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. The non-transitory computer readable media includes various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of the transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can supply the program to the computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information management system 2 Network 10 Manufacturer device 20 Supplier device 50 Memory unit 100 Information management device 110 Information acquisition unit 112 Information storage unit 120 Access processing unit 130 Similarity calculation unit 140 Supply unavailability notification receiving unit 150 Determination unit 160 Authority control unit 210 Characteristics information acquisition unit 230 Similarity calculation unit

Claims (6)

A storage unit that stores product information relating to a plurality of products supplied by a plurality of suppliers;
a determination unit that, when a notification is received from a manufacturer that uses a first product of a first supplier among the plurality of suppliers, indicating that the first product is no longer available for supply, determines one or more second products among the plurality of products that have a high similarity to the first product;
an authority control unit that performs control so as to grant an access authority to the product information related to the first product to one or more second suppliers that supply the second product and are different from the first supplier;
An information management system having: The similarity is a value calculated based on a composition ratio of raw materials of the product.
The information management system according to claim 1 . The similarity is a value calculated based on characteristic information related to at least non-disclosure data of the product information of the product that will not be disclosed even if an access authority is granted.
3. The information management system according to claim 1 or 2. The characteristic information is information related only to the non-disclosed data.
The information management system according to claim 3. The product is a paint,
The similarity is a value calculated based on color information of the paint that includes at least a material related to the non-disclosure data of the paint.
5. The information management system according to claim 3 or 4. storing product information relating to a plurality of products supplied by a plurality of suppliers in a storage unit;
when a notification is received from a manufacturer using a first product of a first supplier among the plurality of suppliers indicating that the first product is no longer available for supply, determining one or more second products among the plurality of products that have a high similarity to the first product;
exercising control to grant access to the product information relating to the first product to one or more second suppliers, different from the first supplier, that supply the second product;
A computer-implemented information management method.

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