System, apparatus, and computer program for protecting personal attributes information

A terminal apparatus including:

• a personal attributes information generating and managing means to generate and manage customer's attributes information containing profile information which includes customer's e-mail address, name, and address information or preference information which includes information about customer's liking;
• and
• a primary personal attributes information protecting means to modify changeable items of said customer's attributes information to be transmitted to a destination across a network in such a manner as to make different changes for different destinations,
• wherein said primary personal attributes information protecting means modifies said customer's attributes information, subject to preset conditions of modifying personal attributes information.

A terminal apparatus including:

• a personal attributes information generating and managing means to generate and manage customer's attributes information containing profile information which includes customer's e-mail address, name, and address information or preference information which includes information about customer's liking;
• a secondary personal attributes information protecting means to protect said customer's attributes information, according to conditions set on using said customer's attributes information for restricted use;
• said secondary personal attributes information protecting means comprising:
• a means for setting conditions on using personal attributes information to manage conditions of using said customer's attributes information for restricted use by a recipient of the information, set conditions on using said customer's attributes information, and attach the conditions to said customer's attributes information to be transmitted to a destination across a network;
• a means for judging if personal attributes information received from the external is usable by the conditions set on using the information, attached thereto;
• and
• a means for managing others' attributes information to store and manage said others' attributes information to be used conditionally, received from the external, and restrict the use of said others' attributes information, according to the judgment made by said judging means.

A terminal apparatus including:

• a receiving means for receiving a person's attributes information from another terminal, the information containing profile information which includes the person's e-mail address, name, and address information or preference information which includes information about the person's liking;
• and
• a means for judging if received person's attributes information is usable by the conditions set on using the information, attached thereto;
• and
• a means for managing others' attributes information to store and manage received said person's attributes information to be used conditionally and restrict the use of said person's attributes information, according to the judgment made by said judging means.

A terminal apparatus including:

• a content managing means to manage content received from the external and content created by the terminal user separately;
• and
• a personal content protecting means to protect content, according to conditions set on using the content for restricted use;
• said personal content protecting means comprising:
• a means for setting conditions on using personal content to manage conditions of using content created by the terminal user for restricted use of the content by its recipient, set conditions on using the content, and attach the conditions to the content to be transmitted to a destination across a network;
• and
• a means for judging if received content is usable by the conditions set on using the content, attached thereto,
• wherein said content managing means restricts the use of received content to be used conditionally, according to the judgment made by said judging means.

A center apparatus including:

• a secondary personal attributes information protecting means to protect customer s attributes information, according to conditions set on using the customer's attributes information for restricted use;
• said secondary personal attributes information protecting means comprising:
• a means for setting conditions on using personal attributes information to manage conditions of using personal attributes information to be transmitted to a destination for restricted use by a recipient of the information, set conditions on using the personal attributes information, and attach the conditions to the personal attributes information to be transmitted to a destination across a network;
• a means for judging if customer's attributes information received from the external is usable by the conditions set on using the information, attached thereto;
• and
• a means for managing others' attributes information to store and manage said customer's attributes information to be used conditionally, received from the external, and restrict the use of said customer's attributes information, according to the judgment made by said judging means.

A center apparatus including:

• a receiving means to receive customer's attributes information transmitted from a terminal apparatus;
• a means for judging if the received customer's attributes information is usable by the conditions set on using the information, attached thereto;
• and
• a means for managing others attributes information to store and manage received said customer's attributes information to be used conditionally, and restrict the use of said customer's attributes information, according to the judgment made by said judging means.

A computer program for controlling a computer of a terminal apparatus which includes a personal attributes information generating and managing means to generate and manage customer's attributes information, said computer program causing the computer to perform the steps of:

• determining whether a particular destination to which said customer's attributes information will be transmitted is recorded as a trustworthy destination within said customer's attributes information;
• unless the destination is recorded as a trustworthy destination, selecting an e-mail address not in use out of a plurality of e-mail addresses recorded within said customer's attributes information or generating a new e-mail address of the customer for temporary use;
• replacing the e-mail address in current use within said customer's attributes information by the selected e-mail address or the newly generated e-mail address;
• if the destination is recorded as a trustworthy destination, searching for an e-mail address of the customer included in the customer's attributes information transmitted to the same destination in the past;
• and
• replacing the e-mail address in current use within said customer's attributes information by the thus searched out e-mail address.