Information processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, information processing system, attribute identification method, and recording medium

An information processing system in which one or more user terminals including a first user terminal installed at a place of a social group and a second user terminal, and an information processing apparatus are connected to each other via a communication network,

• wherein the first user terminal is assigned a unique terminal ID uniquely identifying the first user terminal, and transmits, to the information processing apparatus, the information pertaining to the first user terminal and including the unique terminal ID,
• the information processing apparatus comprises:
• a social group attribute information storage that stores social group attribute information that associates a unique terminal ID with attribute information pertaining to the social group where the first user terminal assigned with the unique terminal ID is installed;
• and
• a hardware processor that
• obtains information pertaining to the first user terminal and including the unique terminal ID and information of an IP address assigned for the first user terminal to connect to the communication network, the obtained information having been transmitted from the first user terminal,
• obtains the IP address used when the second user terminal accesses a website, and
• identifies a social group attribute of a user of the second user terminal based on a relation between the unique terminal ID and the IP address included in the information pertaining to the first user terminal and the relation between the unique terminal ID and the attribute information related to the social group stored in the social group attribute information storage by obtaining attribute information pertaining to the social group associated with the same unique terminal ID as the unique terminal ID corresponding to the obtained IP address.

A method of identifying an attribute of a user of a second user terminal in an information processing apparatus connected to one or more user terminals including a first user terminal installed at a place of a social group and the second user terminal, via a communication network, the method including:

• obtaining information pertaining to the first user terminal and including a unique terminal ID uniquely identifying the first user terminal and information of an IP address assigned for the first user terminal to connect to the communication network, the information having been transmitted from the first user terminal;
• obtaining the IP address used when the second user terminal accesses a website,
• obtaining social group attribute information from a social group information storage storing social group attribute information in which attribute information pertaining to the social group where the first user terminal is installed is associated with the unique terminal ID, and
• identifying a social group attribute of a user of the second user terminal based on a relation between the unique terminal ID and the IP address included in the information pertaining to the first user terminal and the relation between the unique terminal ID and the attribute information related to the social group stored in the social group attribute information storage by obtaining attribute information pertaining to the social group associated with the same unique terminal ID as the unique terminal ID corresponding to the obtained IP address.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer functioning as an information processing apparatus to perform:

• obtaining information pertaining to a first user terminal including a unique terminal ID uniquely identifying the first user terminal and information of an IP address assigned for the first user terminal to connect to the communication network, the obtained information having been transmitted from the first user terminal installed at a place of a social group,
• obtaining the IP address used when a second user terminal accesses a website,
• obtaining social group attribute information from a social group information storage storing social group attribute information in which attribute information pertaining to the social group where the first user terminal is installed is associated with the unique terminal ID, and
• identifying a social group attribute of a user of the second user terminal based on a relation between the unique terminal ID and the IP address included in the information pertaining to the first user terminal and the relation between the unique terminal ID and the attribute information related to the social group stored in the social group attribute information storage by obtaining attribute information pertaining to the social group associated with the same unique terminal ID as the unique terminal ID corresponding to the obtained IP address.