Patent Publication Number: US-2010131769-A1

Title: Delivery confirmation system, portable terminal, and computer program product

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a delivery confirmation system, a portable terminal, and a computer program product. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As proof of receipt by the recipient of a shipment, a form which contains the recipient&#39;s addresses and is signed by the recipient or stamped with the recipients&#39; seal has been conventionally used. However, the authenticity of the information contained in the proof of receipt is not high. In addition, it is difficult to authenticate delivery time period, location, and recipient&#39;s sign or seal on the form. 
     For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-263647 describes a technique that attaches a digital signature, a digital certificate, and an image of a user&#39;s handwritten signature to an electronic document to send. 
     In the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-263647, a digital signature is made on the body of an electronic document, and an image of the user&#39;s handwritten signature is added to the electronic document. Accordingly, it can be verified whether the electronic document has not been tampered with. With the image of the user&#39;s handwritten signature, a recipient can receive the electronic document in much the same way when the recipient receives a document with a conventional handwritten signature or seal. 
     However, the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-263647 does not allow the recipient to make sure that the image of the handwriting has not been tampered with, because the digital signature confirms only the body of the electronic document. Furthermore, the location and time at which the electronic document has been prepared cannot be certified. Therefore, if the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-263647 is applied to proof of receipt of a shipment and a digital signature and an image of handwriting of the recipient are attached to an electronic form, the time and location of delivery of the shipment cannot be certificated by the digital signature and the image of the handwriting and the authenticity of the image of the signature handwritten by the recipient cannot be verified. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, a main object of the present invention to provide a delivery confirmation system that enables the delivery time period, the delivery location, and the recipient of a shipment to be confirmed by using electronic form data whose authenticity is ensured. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a delivery confirmation system including a portable terminal and a server. The portable terminal, includes: communication section to send and receive data to and from the server; a time obtaining section to obtain current time; a location obtaining section to obtain a current location of the portable terminal; an input section to input receipt confirmation information indicating that a recipient of a shipment has received the shipment; and a control section to cause a digital signature to be attached to electronic form data, and to cause the communication section to send the electronic form data with the digital signature to the server, the electronic form data including the receipt confirmation information input through the input section when the shipment is received, the current time obtained by the time obtaining section when the shipment is received, and the current location obtained by the location obtaining section when the shipment is received. The server includes: a communication section to send and receive data to and from the portable terminal; and a control section to verify authenticity of the electronic form data with the digital signature received from the portable terminal through the communication section. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal connected to a server. The portable terminal includes: a communication section to send and receive data to and the server; a time obtaining section to obtain current time; a location obtaining section to obtain a current location of the portable terminal; an input section to input receipt confirmation information indicating that a recipient of shipment has received the shipment; and a control section to cause a digital signature to be attached to electronic form data, and to cause the communication section to send the electronic form data with the digital signature to the server, the electronic form data including the receipt confirmation information input through the input section when the shipment is received, the current time obtained by the time obtaining section when the shipment is received, and the current location obtained by the location obtaining section when the shipment is received. 
     According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product readable by a computer and encoding instructions for executing a computer process, the computer being used for a portable terminal connected to a server. The computer process includes: sending and receiving data to and from the server by a communication unit; obtaining current time by a timer unit; obtaining a current location of the portable terminal from GPS; inputting receipt confirmation information indicating that a recipient of a shipment has received the shipment; and causing a digital signature to be attached to electronic form data, and causing the communication unit to send the electronic form data with the digital signature to the server, the electronic form data including the receipt confirmation information when the shipment is received, the current time obtained by the timer unit when the shipment is received, and the current location when the shipment is received. 
     According to the present invention, there can be provided a delivery confirmation system that enables the delivery time period, delivery location, and the recipient of a shipment to be confirmed by using electronic form data whose authenticity is ensured. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a system configuration diagram generally illustrating an exemplary configuration of a delivery confirmation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure of electronic form information stored in a database depicted in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a collection portable terminal and a delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a server certificate acquiring process performed by the management server in  FIG. 1  and a server of a certificate authority; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a terminal certificate acquiring process performed by the collection portable terminal (delivery portable terminal) depicted in  FIG. 1  and a server of the certificate authority; 
         FIG. 7A  is a diagram illustrating a process flow in the entire delivery confirmation system depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7B  is a diagram illustrating the process flow in the entire delivery confirmation system depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a shipping order registration process performed by a CPU of a Web server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary shipping order registration page displayed on a display section of a sender&#39;s personal computer (PC) depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a collection form data preparation process performed by a CPU of the management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart of a collection form data download process performed by a CPU of the collection portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12A  is a flowchart of a collection confirmation input process performed by the CPU of the collection portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12B  is a flowchart of the collection confirmation input process performed by the CPU of the collection portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary collection form screen displayed on the collection portable terminal and the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary collection confirmation signature screen displayed on the collection portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a flowchart of a digital signing process performed by the CPU of the collection portable terminal and the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary collection form printed on the collection portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a flowchart of a collection form data upload process performed by the CPU of the collection portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 18A  is a flowchart of a collection form verification process performed by the CPU of the management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 18B  is a flowchart of the collection verification process performed by the CPU of the management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 19  is a flowchart of a digitally signed data verification process performed by the CPU of the management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a flowchart a delivery form data preparation process performed by the CPU of the management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a flowchart of a delivery form data download process performed by the CPU of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a flowchart of a delivered shipment confirmation process performed by the CPU of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 23A  is a flowchart of a delivery confirmation input process performed by the CPU of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 23B  is a flowchart of the delivery confirmation input process performed by the CPU of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary collection confirmation signature screen displayed on the display section of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 25  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary receipt confirmation signature screen displayed on the display section of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 26  is a flowchart of a delivery form data upload process performed by the CPU of the delivery portable terminal depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 27  is a flowchart of a delivery form verification process performed by the CPU of the management server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 28  is a flowchart of a shipping status tracking page providing process performed by the CPU of the Web server depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 29  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary first shipping status tracking page displayed on the sender&#39;s PC or the recipient&#39;s PC depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 30  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary second shipping status tracking page displayed on the sender&#39;s PC or the recipient&#39;s PC depicted in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 31  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a Web server depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of the present invention will described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Configurations of the embodiment will be described first. 
     (Configuration of Delivery Confirmation System  100 ) 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a general configuration of a delivery confirmation system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the delivery confirmation system  100  includes a management server  1 , a World Wide Web (Web) server  2 , a collection portable terminal  3 , a delivery portable terminal  4 , a sender&#39;s personal computer (PC)  5 , and a recipient&#39;s PC  6 . 
     The management server  1  and the Web server  2  are provided in a dispatch center and are interconnected through a corporate network N 1  such as a Local Area Network (LAN) so that data can be sent and received between them. The corporate network N 1  is connected onto the Internet N 2  through a router R or the like. The management server  1  and the Web server  2  are capable of sending and receiving data to and from the sender&#39;s PC  5 , the recipient&#39;s PC  6 , and a certificate authority&#39;s server (not shown) through the Internet N 2 . In order to ensure security, the management server  1  preferably sends and receives data to and from devices on the Internet N 2  through a firewall. 
     The collection portable terminal  3  and the delivery portable terminal  4  are carried by a pickup person who collects shipments from senders and a delivery person who delivers shipments to recipients, respectively. The collection portable terminal  3  and the delivery portable terminal  4  are disconnected from the corporate network N 1  during collection and delivery. When the pickup person or the delivery person comes back to the dispatch center, the collection or delivery portable terminals  3  and  4  can be connected to the corporate network N 1  through cradles (not shown) or the like. No restrictions are put on the number the collection portable terminals  3 , the number of the delivery portable terminals  4 , the number of the senders&#39; PCs  5 , and the number of the recipients&#39; PCs  6 . 
     (Configuration of Management Server  1 ) 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the management server  1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the management server  1  includes a CPU  11 , a Random Access Memory (RAN)  12 , a Read Only Memory (ROM)  13 , an input section  14 , a display section  15 , a storage section  16 , a communication section  17 , a scanner section  18 , and a timer section  19 , which are interconnected through a bus  101 . 
     The CPU  11  reads out a system program stored in the ROM  13 , loads the system program into a work area provided on the RAM  12 , and controls the components of the management server  1  according to the system program. The CPU  11  also reads various processing programs from the ROM  13 , loads the programs in a work area, and executes various processes, including a collection form verification process and a delivery form verification process, which will be described later. 
     The RAM  12  temporarily stores various programs read by the CPU  11  from the ROM  13 , input data or output data, and parameters. 
     The ROM  13  stores the system program to be executed by the CPU  11 , programs for executing various processes, and data required for execution of the programs. The programs are stored in the ROM  13  in the form of computer-readable program codes. The CPU  11  sequentially performs operation according to the program codes. 
     The input section  14  includes a keyboard including cursor keys, numeric keys, various function keys, and other keys and a pointing device such as a mouse and outputs an instruction signal input by key operation on the keyboard and mouse operation to the CPU  11 . 
     The display section  15  is implemented by a display such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), or an organic Electro-Luminescence (EL) display, and displays various screens according to instructions indicated by display signals provided from the CPU  11 . 
     The storage section  16  is implemented by a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or the like. The storage section  16  contains a database  161 . The database  161  contains electronic form information for use in the delivery confirmation system  100 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary data structure of record (electronic form information) stored in the database  161 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , each record stored in the database  161  includes information such as management information, sender information, collection information, recipient information, delivery information, a collection form data digital signature, and a delivery form data digital signature. 
     The management information includes a reception date, a form number, and a name of contents. The reception date is the date on which the shipping order has been received from the sender. The form number is the number uniquely assigned to the order of shipping of the shipment placed by the sender. The name of contents is the description of the contents of the shipment to ship. The term “shipping” as used herein refers to both collection and delivery shipment. 
     The sender information includes the name of the sender, telephone number, postal code, street address, desired collection time and date, e-mail address of the sender. 
     The collection information includes GPS location information, GPS time information, a collection confirmation signature, and sender-input information. The GPS location information is obtained using the Global Positioning System (GPS) during collection of the shipment and indicates the location in which the shipment has been actually collected. The GPS time information is obtained using the GPS during collection of the shipment and indicates the time at which the shipment has been actually collected. The collection confirmation signature is collection confirmation information input by the sender during collection of the shipment and indicates that the sender has confirmed the collection. The sender-input information is any information input by the sender during the collection of the shipment. 
     The recipient information includes information such as the name of the recipient of the shipment, telephone number, postal code, street address, desired delivery time and date, and e-mail address of the recipient. 
     The delivery information includes GPS location information, GPS time information, a receipt confirmation signature, and recipient-input information. The GPS location information is obtained using the GPS when the shipment has been delivered (handed over) and indicates the location where the shipment has been actually delivered (handed over to the recipient). The GPS time information is time information obtained using the GPS when the shipment has been delivered (handed over) and indicates the time at which the shipment has been actually delivered (handed over to the recipient). The receipt confirmation signature is receipt confirmation information input by the recipient when the shipment has been delivered and indicates that the shipment has been received by the recipient. The recipient-input information is any information input by the recipient when the shipment has been delivered. 
     The collection form data digital signature is digital signature data attached to electronic form data for collection (hereinafter referred to as collection form data) on the collection portable terminal  3 . 
     The delivery form data digital signature is digital signature data attached to electronic form data for delivery (hereinafter referred to as delivery form data) on the delivery portable terminal  4 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , the communication section  17  is implemented by a modem, a router, or a terminal adapter (TA) and controls sending and receiving of data to and from external devices such as the Web server  2 , the collection portable terminal  3 , the delivery portable terminal  4 , and the sender&#39;s PC  5  through the corporate network N 1  and the Internet N 2 . 
     The scanner section  18  includes a barcode reader or a barcode scanner which reads a barcode provided on a form such as a collection form. 
     The timer section  19  is implemented by a real time clock (RTC) or the like, keeps track of current time and date, and outputs the current and date to the CPU  11 . 
     (Configuration of Web Server  2 ) 
       FIG. 31  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the Web server  2 . As shown in  FIG. 31 , the Web server  2  includes a CPU  21 , a RAM  22 , a ROM  23 , an input section  24 , a display section  25 , a storage section  26 , a communication section  27 , and a timer section  29 , which are interconnected though a bus  201 . 
     The ROM  23  stores a system program to be executed by the CPU  21 , programs for implementing functions of the Web server, and programs for executing processes, including a shipping order registration process and a shipping status tracking page providing process. The storage section  26  stores various kinds of page data (such as HyperText Markup Language (HTML) files) for displaying Web pages such as shipping order registration page. The CPU  21  executes processes, including the shipping order registration process and the shipping status tracking page providing process in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM  23  to provide Web pages such as a shipping order registration page (see  FIG. 9 ) and a shipping status tracking page (see  FIGS. 29 and 30 ) on the Internet. 
     The other components are similar to those described with respect to the management server  1  and therefore repeated description of the components will be omitted. 
     (Configuration of Collection and Delivery Portable Terminals  3  and  4 ) 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the collection portable terminal  3  and the delivery portable terminal  4 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the collection portable terminal  3  includes a CPU  31 , a RAM  32 , a ROM  33 , a security chip  34 , an input section  35 , a display section  36 , a GPS receiver  37 , a communication section  38 , a printing section  39 , and a scanner section  301 , which are interconnected through a bus  302 . The delivery portable terminal  4  includes a CPU  41 , a RAM  42 , a ROM  43 , a security chip  44 , an input section  45 , a display section  46 , a GPS receiver  47 , a communication section  48 , a printing section  9 , and a scanner section  401 , which are interconnected through a bus  402 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the collection portable terminal  3  and the delivery portable terminal  4  have an identical configuration. Therefore the components of collection portable terminal  3  will be described below and detailed description of the components of the delivery portable terminal  4  will be omitted. 
     The CPU  31  reads out a system program stored in the ROM  33 , loads the system program in a work area provided on the RAM  32 , and controls the components of the collection portable terminal  3  in accordance with the system program. The CPU  31  also reads various process programs stored in the ROM  33 , loads the prop in a work area, and executes processes, including a collection confirmation input process, which will be described later. 
     The RAM  32  temporarily stores various programs, read by the CPU  31  from the ROM  33 , input or output data, and parameters. 
     The ROM  33  stores the system program and various other programs executed by the CPU  31  and data required for executing the programs. The programs are stored in the ROM  33  in the form of computer-readable program codes. The CPU  31  sequentially performs operation according to the program codes. 
     The security chip  34  is a specialized device for generating and storing a private key and a public key. The security chip  34  is not accessible to external programs, ensuring the security of data saved inside the security chip  34 . The security chip  34  attaches a digital signature to input data using the stored private key using public-key cryptography and outputs the data to the CPU  31 . 
     The input section  35  includes a ten-key pad, cursor keys, power on/off keys, and function buttons and outputs an operation signal to the CPU  31  in response to a key or button depression signal. The function buttons include a collection form download button for instructing the collection portable terminal  3  to download collection form data from the management server  1  and a collection form upload button for instructing the collection portable terminal  3  to upload collection form data to the management server  1  (on the delivery portable terminal  4 , a delivery form download button for instructing the delivery portable terminal  4  to download delivery form data from the management server  1  and a delivery form upload button for instructing the delivery portable terminal  4  to upload delivery form data to the management server  1 ). 
     The input section  35  includes a touch screen that covers the display screen of the display section  36  and detects the coordinates of a location tapped with a special stylus pen in accordance with a coordinate detection method such as an electromagnetic induction, magnetostriction, or pressure-sensitive method, and outputs the detected coordinates to the CPU  31  as a location signal. 
     The display section  36  is implemented by a display such as an LCD or an organic EL display and displays various screens in accordance with instructions of display signals input from the CPU  31 . 
     The Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver  37  includes a GPS antenna, not shown. The GPS antenna receives GPS signals transmitted from a number of GPS satellites in low-earth orbit. The GPS antenna receives GPS signals from at least three GPS satellites, obtains the absolute current location (latitudes and longitude) of the collection portable terminal  3  and the current time on the basis of the received GPS signals, and outputs the current location and time to the CPU  31 . 
     The communication section  38  is an interface for connecting to a cradle, not shown, on the corporate network N 1  and sends and receives data to and from external devices such as the management server  1  and the Web server  2  connected to the corporate network N 1  through the cradle. 
     (Configuration of Sender&#39;s PC  5  and Recipient&#39;s PC  6 ) 
     Each of the sender&#39;s PC  5  and recipient&#39;s PC  6  is a computer terminal including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input section, a display section, and a communication section (which are not shown) and has Web browser capability. 
     (Generation of Server and Terminal Certificates) 
     Operation of the delivery confirmation system  100  will be described below. 
     The operation of the delivery confirmation system  100  is based on the prerequisite that the management server  1 , the collection portable terminal  3 , and the delivery portable terminal  4  have acquired and stored their respective digital certificates certifying the authenticity of its own public key from a certificate authority (CA). The digital certificate of the management server  1  is referred to as server certificate, the digital certificates of the collection portable terminal  3  and the delivery portable terminal  4  are referred to as terminal certificates. The certificate authority has a digital certificate (referred to as CA certificate) which is officially certified by another certificate authority and certifies the authenticity of its own public key. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a server certificate acquiring process performed by the management server  1  and the certificate authority&#39;s server (not shown). The process on the management server  1  is executed by the CPU  11  in cooperation with a program. 
     First, certificate information is input through the input section  14  (step S 1 ). The certificate information is information required for applying for a digital certificate and includes information such as the corporation or organization name and the street address of the entity that owns the management server  1 . 
     Then, private and public keys used for public-key cryptography are generated on the management server  1  (step S 2 ). Then, certificate request data including the certificate information and the public key is sent to the certificate authority&#39;s server through the communication section  17  (step S 3 ). 
     When the certificate request a sent from the management server  1  is received at the certificate authority&#39;s server, the certificate authority&#39;s server attaches the digital signature of the certificate authority to the received certificate request data, specifically the certificate information and the public key of the management server  1 , to generate the server certificate for the management server  1  (step S 4 ). The digital signature of the certificate authority is obtained by inputting the certificate request data into a hash function to calculate a hash value and encrypting the calculated hash value with the private key of the certificate authority. The server certificate is data including the certificate information and public key of the management server  1  and the digital signature of the certificate authority. If the value of the digital signature of the certificate authority decrypted with the public key of the certificate authority matches the hash value calculated by inputting the certificate information and public key of the management server  1  into the hash function, it means that the certificate authority certifies the certificate information and public key of the management server  1 . The certificate authority verifies the validity of the certificate information and, if and only if it is valid, generates the server certificate. 
     When the server certificate is generated, the certificate authority sends the generated server certificate to the management server  1  (step S 5 ). 
     The management server  1  receives the server certificate sent from the certificate authority&#39;s server through the communication section  17  and stores the server certificate in the storage section  16  (step S 6 ). 
     The certificate authority&#39;s server stores the generated server certificate of the management server  1 . In response to a request for the terminal certificate from an external requester, the certificate authority&#39;s server sends the server certificate of the management server  1  to the external requester. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a terminal certificate acquiring process performed by the collection portable terminal  3  or the delivery portable terminal  4  and the certificate authority&#39;s server. 
     The same process is also performed by the delivery portable terminal  4 . The operation on the collection portable terminal  3  will be described and detailed description of operation on the delivery portable terminal  4  will be omitted. The operation on the collection portable terminal  3  (delivery portable terminal  4 ) is executed by the CPU  31  (CPU  41 ) in cooperation with a program. 
     First, certificate information is input through the input section  35  (step S 11 ). The certificate information is information required for applying for a digital certificate and includes the company name or organization name of and street address the entity that owns the collection portable terminal  3 . 
     Then, private and public keys used for public-key cryptography are generated by the security chip  34  and stored in the collection portable terminal  3  (step S 12 ). Then certificate request data including the certificate information and the public key is sent to the certificate authority&#39;s sever through the communication section  38  (step S 13 ). 
     When the certificate authority&#39;s server receives the certificate request data from the collection portable terminal  3 , the certificate authority&#39;s server attaches the digital signature of the certificate authority to the received certificate request data, specifically the certificate information and the public key, to generate a terminal certificate for the collection portable terminal  3  (step S 14 ). The digital signature of the certificate authority is obtained by inputting the certificate request data into a hash function to calculate a hash value and encrypting the calculated hash value with the private key of the certificate authority. The terminal certificate is data including the certificate information and public key (certificate request data) of the collection portable terminal  3  and the digital signature of the certificate authority. If the value of the digital signature of the certificate authority decrypted with the public key of the certificate authority matches the hash value calculated by inputting the certificate information and public key of the collection portable terminal  3  into the hash function, it means that the certificate authority certifies the certificate information and public key of the collection portable terminal  3 . The certificate authority verifies the validity of the certificate information and, if and only if it is valid, generates the terminal certificate. 
     When the terminal certificate is generated, the certificate authority&#39;s server sends the generated terminal certificate to collection portable terminal  3  (step S 15 ). 
     When the collection portable terminal  3  receives the terminal certificate sent from the certificate authority&#39;s server through the communication section  38 , the collection portable terminal  3  transfers the terminal certificate to the management server  1  through the communication section  38  (step S 16 ). 
     When the management server  1  receives the terminal certificate sent from the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  17 , the terminal certificate is associated and stored with the terminal ID of the collection portable terminal  3  in the storage section  16  (step S 17 ). 
     The certificate authority&#39;s server stores the generated terminal certificate of the collection portable terminal  3 . In response to a request for the terminal certificate from an external requester, the certificate authority&#39;s server sends the terminal certificate to the external requester. 
     (Process Flow Between Components of the Delivery Confirmation System  100 ) 
     Processing performed by the components of the delivery confirmation system  100  in the process from the placement of shipping order by a sender the delivery of the shipment to the recipient and the confirmation of the delivery will be described with reference to  FIGS. 7A to 30 . 
       FIGS. 7A to 7B  illustrate a general process flow in the delivery confirmation system  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a shipping order registration page is accessed from the sender&#39;s PC  5  (step T 1 ). The URL of the shipping order registration page is made available to the public. 
     When the URL of the shipping order registration page is accessed from the sender&#39;s PC  5 , a shipping order registration process is started on the Web server  2  (step T 2 ). 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart of the shipping order registration process performed by the Web server  2  at step T 2  of  FIG. 7A . The shipping order registration process is executed by the CPU  21  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  23  in response to access to the URL of the shipping order registration page. 
     In the shipping order registration process, page data for displaying the shipping order registration page is first read from the storage section  26  and is sent to the sender&#39;s PC  5  through the communication section  27  (step T 101 ). 
     When the page data for displaying the shipping order registration page is received at the sender&#39;s PC  5  from the Web server  2 , the shipping order registration page  501  is displayed on the display section of the sender&#39;s PC  5  and a shipping order is input as illustrated in  FIG. 7A  (step T 3  of  FIG. 7A ). 
       FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary shipping order registration page  501  displayed on the sender&#39;s PC  5 . As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the shipping order registration page  501  displays an input field  501   a  for inputting items such as a name of contents to ship, sender information, and recipient information, and a shipping order button  501   b  for instructing the sender&#39;s PC  5  to issue a shipping order according to the input information. When information is input in the input field  501   a  of the shipping order registration page  501  and the shipping order button  501   b  is pressed through the input section of the sender&#39;s PC  5  such as the keyboard or mouse, the input information (shipping order data) is sent to the Web server  2 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 8 , when the shipping order data sent from the sender&#39;s PC  5  is received by the communication section  27  (YES at step T 102 ), the input items contained in the shipping order data are verified (step T 103 ). For example, verification is made as to whether there is an error item such as an item yet to be filled in or an item containing data of a wrong data type. 
     If there is an error item in the shipping order data (NG at step T 103 ), instruction data is sent from the communication section  27  to the sender&#39;s PC  5  to display the error item and a prompt to re-input information (step T 104 ) and the process returns to step T 102 . If there is no error item in the shipping order data (OK at step T 103 ), the shipping order data is transferred through the communication section  27  to the management server  1  and new electronic form information is registered in the database  161  (step T 105  of  FIG. 8  and step T 4  of  FIG. 7A ). Specifically, a new record is added to the database  161  in the management server  1 , a form number is assigned to the record, and the name of contents, sender name, and recipient information in the shipping order data are entered in the new record. Then the shipping order registration process will end. 
     The Web server  2  performs the shipping order registration process each time the Web server  2  receives a request to access the shipping order registration page from the sender&#39;s PC  5 . 
     When a predetermined time for initiating a collection form data preparation process is reached (YES at step T 5  of  FIG. 7A ), the management server  1  starts the collection form data preparation process (step T 6  of  FIG. 7A ) as illustrated in  FIG. 7A . 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart of the collection form preparation process executed by the CPU  11  of the management server  1  at step T 6  of  FIG. 7A . The collection form data preparation process is executed by the CPU  11  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  13 . 
     Prestored in the ROM  13  are the collection form data preparation process start time, a collection time period (collection start time and ending time), the start time of a delivery form data preparation process, which will be described later, and a delivery time period (delivery start time and ending time). The collection form data preparation process is associated with shipment collection and is scheduled to be executed before the start of the collection. The delivery form data preparation process is associated with delivery and is scheduled to be executed before the start of the delivery. Collection and delivery is performed one or more times a day. 
     In the collection form data preparation process, electronic form sets of information (records) that indicates uncollected shipments and desired collection time and date in the next collection time period are extracted from the database  161  (step T 201 ). Electronic form information indicating an uncollected shipment is specifically a record having a collection item with no data filled in. 
     Then, the extracted electronic form information is sorted according to the street address and the desired collection time and date in the sender information (step T 202 ). The sorted electronic form information is divided into units, each of which is equivalent to the number of packets that can be collected by one pickup person, thereby generating sets of collection form data (step T 203 ). The collection form data includes management information, sender information, recipient information, and collection information required for collection of shipments, out of the electronic form information. At this point of time, the items of collection information are blank so that data can be input later. The collection form data is temporarily stored in the RAM  12 . 
     Then, the process waits for the collection portable terminal  3  to be connected (step T 204 ). 
     When the start of the collection time period is reached, the pickup person places the collection portable terminal  3  on a cradle, not shown, and presses a collection form download button. Then a collection form data download process (see  FIG. 11 ) is started as illustrated in  FIG. 7A  (step T 7  of  FIG. 7A ). The collection form data download process will be described later. 
     Returning to  FIG. 8 , when the download request from the collection portable terminal  3  is received at the communication section  17  (YES at step T 204 ), reference is made to the RAM  12  to see whether there is collection form data (step T 205 ). If it is determined that there is collection form data in the RAM  12  (YES at step T 205 ), a response indicating the presence of the collection form data is sent to the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  17  (step T 206 ) and a set of collection form data is read from the RAM  12  and sent to the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  17  (step T 207 ). The process then proceeds to step T 209 . The collection form data sent is deleted from the RAM  12 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that there is not collection form data in the RAM  12  (NO at step T 205 ), a response indicating the absence of the collection form data is sent to the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  17  (step T 208 ) and then the process proceeds to step T 209 . 
     At step T 209 , determination is made on the basis of the output from the timer section  19  as to whether the collection ending time has been reached. If it is determined that the collection ending time has not been reached (NO at step T 209 ), the process returns to step T 204 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the collection ending time has been reached (YES at step T 209 ), the collection form data preparation process will end. 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart of a collection form data download process executed by the CPU  31  of the collection portable terminal  3  at step T 7  of  FIG. 7A . The collection form data download process is executed by the CPU  31  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  33 . 
     First, a request to download collection form data is sent from the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  38  to the management server  1  (step T 301 ). 
     Then, the process waits for a response from the management server  1 . If a response from the management server  1  is not received at the communication section  38  for a period longer than a predetermined period of time (NO at step T 302 ), an error message is displayed on the display section  36  indicating that no response has been sent form the management server  1  (step T 303 ) and the collection form data download process will end. No response will be sent from the management server  1  for example when the management server  1  is not in operation because of some failure or the management server  1  has not executed the collection form preparation process. 
     When a response from the management server  1  is received, at the communication section  38  (YES at step T 302 ), determination is made on the basis of the received response as to whether there is collection form data in the management server  1  (step T 304 ). If it is determined that there is not collection form data in the management server  1  (NO at step T 304 ), a message is displayed on the display section  36  indicating that there is not collection form data in the management server  1  (step t 305 ) and the collection form data download process will end. 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that there is collection form data in the management server  1  (YES at step T 304 ), the collection form data sequentially sent from the management server  1  is downloaded through the communication section  38  and stored in the RAM  32  (step T 306 ). Upon completion of the download, a message indicating the completion of download of the collection form data is displayed on the display section  36  (step T 307 ) and then the collection form data download process will end. 
     After the completion of the collection form data download process, a collection confirmation input, process is performed on the collection portable terminal  3  as illustrated in  FIG. 7A  (step T 6  of  FIG. 7A ). 
       FIGS. 12A and 12B  are flowcharts of the collection confirmation, input process executed by the CPU  31  of the collection portable terminal  3  at step T 6  of  FIG. 7A . The collection confirmation input process is executed by the CPU  31  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  33 . 
     First, a list of sender information is displayed on the display section  36  based on the downloaded collection form data (step T 401  of  FIG. 12A ). The screen displayed at step T 401  contains, in addition to the list of sender information in the collection form data, a form processing button for instructing the collection portable terminal  3  to perform form processing for collecting the shipment from a sender selected from the list. 
     When sender information is selected and the form processing button is pressed through the input section  35  (YES at step T 402 ), current location information is obtained from the GPS receiver  37  and determination is made as to whether the current location is within a predetermined distance from the street address in the sender information (step T 403 ). If it is determined that the current location obtained from the GPS receiver  37  is not within the predetermined distance from the street address in the sender information (NO at step T 403 ), a message, for example “The address of the sender is not near your current location. Check the sender information.”, is displayed indicating that the sender address is not near the current location (step T 404 ) and then the process returns to step T 401 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that the current location obtained from the GPS receiver  37  is within the predetermined distance from the street address in the sender information (YES at step T 403 ), a collection form screen  361  is displayed on the display section  36  (step T 405 ). 
       FIG. 13  illustrates an exemplary collection form screen  361  displayed at step T 405 . As depicted in  FIG. 13 , collection form data  361   a , a collection confirmation button  361   b , and a return button  361   c  are displayed on the collection form screen  361 . The collection confirmation button  361   b  is used for instructing the collection portable terminal  3  to proceed to a collection confirmation signature screen  362  (see  FIG. 14 ). The return button  361   c  is used for instructing the collection portable terminal  3  to return the display on the display section  36  to the sender information list screen. The pickup person shows the collection form screen  361  to the sender and asks the sender to check the collection form data to be sure that the data is correct. If no mistakes are found in the collection form data, the pickup person receives the shipment from the sender, presses the collection confirmation button  361   b  through the input section  35 , and asks the sender to enter a confirmation signature. 
     If the collection confirmation button  361   b  on the collection form screen  361  is not pressed (NO at step T 406  of  FIG. 12A ) but the return button  361   c  is pressed (YES at step T 407 ), the process returns to step T 401 . When the collection confirmation button  361   b  on the collection form screen  361  is pressed (YES at step T 406 ), a collection confirmation signature screen  362  is displayed on the display section  36  (step T 408 ). 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an exemplary collection confirmation signature screen  362  displayed on the display section  36  at step T 408 . As depicted in  FIG. 14 , a collection confirmation signature field  362   a , a sender input field  362   b , and an OK button  362   c  are displayed on the collection confirmation signature screen  362 . The collection confirmation signature field  362   a  is an area where the sender inputs a collection confirmation signature in handwriting with a stylus pen or the like. The sender input field  362   b  is an area where the sender optionally inputs any graphics or characters by hand. The OK button  362   c  is pressed after the input of information, including the signature, has been finished, in order to proceed to the next process. 
     When the OK button  362   c  in the collection confirmation signature screen  362  is pressed through the input section  35  (YES at step T 409 ), determination is made as to whether an input has been made in the collection confirmation signature field  362   a . If it is determined that no input has been made in the field (NO at step T 410 ), a message prompting to enter a collection confirmation signature, for example “Signature has not been made on the collection confirmation signature field. Write your signature.” is displayed on the display section  36  (step T 411 ) and then the process returns to step T 408 . 
     if it is determined that an input has been made in the collection confirmation signature field  362   a  (YES at step T 410 ), current location information and current time information are obtained from the GPS receiver  37  (step T 412  of  FIG. 12B ), the obtained current location information and current time information are added to collection information in the collection form data as GPS location information and GPS time information, respectively, and the data input in the collection confirmation signature field  362   a  and data input in the sender input field  362   b  are added to the collection form data as the collection confirmation signature in the collection information and sender-input information, respectively (step T 413 ). 
     Then, the collection form data to which the collection information has been added is used as input data to perform a digital signing process (step T 414 ). 
       FIG. 15  is a flowchart of the digital signing process. The digital signing process is executed by the CPU  31  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  33 . 
     First, a hash function is used to calculate a hash value from input data (here, the collection form data) (step A 1 ). 
     Then, the hash value is transferred to the security chip  34 , where the hash value is encrypted with the private key of the collection portable terminal  3  (step A 2 ). The encrypted hash value is the digital signature data. 
     The input data is combined with the digital signature data and stored in the RAM  32  (step A 3 ). Then the digital signing process will end. 
     The combination of the collection form data and the digital signature data is called digitally signed collection form data. 
     Returning to  FIG. 12B , after the digital signing process has been completed, the collection form D is printed by the printing section  39  on the basis of the digitally signed collection form data (step T 415 ). 
       FIG. 16  illustrates an exemplary collection form D printed at step T 415  of  FIG. 12B . The collection form D contains collection form data D 1 , collection confirmation data D 2 , and a barcode image D 3  representing digital signature data. Data in the sender input field optionally input by the sender during the collection is not, printed on the collection form D. The collection form D is attached to the collected shipment. 
     Steps T 401  to T 141  are repeated until digitally signed collection form data is generated for all available collection form data or an instruction to end collection input through the input section  35  to end the collection. When the collection ends (YES at step T 416 ), the collection confirmation input process will end. 
     After the collection ends, the pickup person returns to the dispatch center with the collection portable terminal  3  and hands over the collected shipments to the dispatch center personnel. Then the pickup person places the collection portable terminal  3  on a cradle, not shown, and presses the collection form upload button on the input section  35 . Upon depression of the collection form upload button on the collection portable terminal  3  placed on the cradle, a collection form data upload process is started as illustrated in  FIG. 7  (step T 9  of  FIG. 7 ). 
       FIG. 17  is a flowchart of a collection form data upload process executed by the CPU  31  at step T 9  of  FIG. 7A . The collection form data upload process is executed by the CPU  31  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  33 . 
     First, determination is made as to whether the RAM  32  contains collection form data (including digitally signed collection form data). If it is determined that the RAM  32  does not contain collection form data (NO at step T 501 ), a message such as “NO collection form has been found” is displayed on the display section  36  indicating that there is not collection form data (step T 502 ), and then the collection form data upload process will end. 
     If it is determined that the RAM  32  contains collection, form data (YES at step T 501 ), an upload request is sent through the communication section  38  to the management server  1  and the collection form data stored in the RAM  32  is sent to the management server  1  (step T 503 ). The collection form data sent is then deleted from the RAM  32 . 
     Then, determination is made as to whether the RAM  32  contains additional collection form data. If it is determined that the RAM  32  contains additional collection form data (YES at step T 504 ), the process returns to step T 503  and the next collection form data is sent through the communication section  38  to the management server  1 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the RAM  32  does not contain collection form data (NO at step T 504 ), the collection form data upload process will end. 
     When the upload request from the collection portable terminal  3  is received through the communication section  17  as illustrated in  FIG. 7A , a collection form verification process is started in the management server  1  (step T 10 ). 
       FIGS. 18A and 18B  are flowcharts of the collection form verification process executed by the CPU  11  of the management server  1  at step T 10  of  FIG. 7A . The collection form verification process is executed by the CPU  11  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  13 . 
     First, collection form data is obtained from the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  17  (step T 601 ). Then, determination is made as to whether a digital signature is attached to the received collection form data. If it is determined that no digital signature is attached (NO at step T 602 ), the process proceeds to step T 616 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that a digital signature in attached to the received collection form data (YES at step T 602 ), a digitally signed data verification process is performed using the collection form data as input data (step T 603 ). 
       FIG. 19  is a flowchart of the digitally signed data verification process. The digitally signed data verification process is executed by the CPU  11  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  13 . 
     First, the input data is separated into body data and digital signature data and both data are stored in the RAM  12  in association with each other (step A 11 ). 
     Then, the digital signature data is decrypted with the public key of the collection portable terminal  3  to obtain a first hash value (step A 12 ). As has been described earlier, the terminal certificate of the collection portable terminal  3  is stored in the storage section  16  and the public key is obtained from the terminal certificate. 
     The second body data is input into a hash function to calculate a second hash value (step A 13 ). The first and second hash values are compared with each other (step S 14 ). 
     If the first and second hash values match (YES at step A 14 ), the result that the verification of the authenticity of the collection form data has been successful (which means that the collection form data is the same as it was when it was digitally signed, and has not been tampered with) is output (step A 15 ), then the digitally signed data verification process will end. On the other hand, if the first and second hash values do not match (NO at step A 14 ), failure of the verification of authenticity of the collection form data (which means that the collection form data is not the same as it was when it was digitally signed, and has been tampered with) is output (step A 16 ) and then the digitally signed data verification process will end. 
     Returning to  FIG. 18A , after completion of the digitally signed data verification process, determination is made on the basis of the result of the verification process as to whether the authenticity of the received collection form data has been successfully verified (step T 604 ). If it is determined that the verification of the authenticity of the received collection form data has failed (NO at step T 604 ), a message such as “Verification of the collection form data has failed.” is displayed on the display section  15 , indicating the failure of the verification of the authenticity of the collection form data (T 605 ), then the process proceeds to step T 616  of  FIG. 18B . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that the authenticity of the received collection form data has been successfully verified (YES at step T 604 ), a message such as “Scan the collection form attached to the collected shipment No. xxx.” is displayed to prompt the pickup person to scan the form attached to the collected shipment (step T 606 ). When the collection form D has been scanned by the scanner section  18  (YES step T 607 ), determination is made as to whether the value obtained by the scanner section  18  matches the value of the digital signature data attached to the collection form data (step T 608  of  FIG. 18B ). If the value obtained by the scanner section  18  matches the value of the digital signature data, it indicates that the collection form data matches the collected shipment. This proves that the digital signature data used for the verification of the collection form data has not been tampered with. 
     If it is determined that the value obtained by the scanner section  18  does not match the value of the digital signature data of the collection form data (NO at step T 608 ), a message such as “The collected shipment and the collection form do not match.” is displayed, indicating that the collection form data does not match the collected shipment (step T 609 ). If, for example, the pickup person has mistakenly scanned the collection form D of a wrong shipment and then reattempts scanning the collection form D of a correct shipment using the scanner section  18  (YES at step T 610 ), the process returns to step T 608 . If scanning is not reattempted (NO at step T 610 ), the process proceeds to step T 616 . 
     If it is determined that the value obtained by the scanner section  18  matches the value of the digital signature data of the collection form data (YES at step T 608 ), the database  161  is searched for a record with the form number that matches that of the received collection form data and the record found is updated with the received collection form data (step T 611 ). Specifically, the management information, sender information, collection information, recipient information, and collection form data digital signature (the digital signature data of the collection form data) included in the received collection form data are written in the found record. 
     Determination is made as to whether the sender information in the record found includes an e-mail address and, if it does (YES at step T 612 ), an e-mail for giving notice of the URL of a shipping status tracking page (see  FIGS. 29 and 30 ) is generated and is sent to the e-mail address in the sender information through the communication section  17  (step T 613 ), then the process proceeds to step T 614 . The shipping status tracking page is a Web page that allows the sender and the recipient to check the shipping status of the shipment. The URL includes for example information for identifying the storage location of the found record in the database  161 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the recipient information in the found record does not include an e-mail address (No at step T 612 ), the process proceeds to step T 614 . 
     At step T 614 , determination is made as to whether the recipient information in the found record contains the e-mail address and, if it does (YES at step T 614 ), an e-mail for giving notice of the URL of the shipping status tracking page is generated and sent to the e-mail address of the recipient information through the communication section  17  (step T 615 ), then process proceeds to step T 616 . On the other hand, if the recipient information in the found record does not contain the e-mail address (NO at step T 614 ), the process proceeds to step T 616 . 
     At step T 616 , determination is made as to whether a request for transmission of the next collection form data has been received from the collection portable terminal  3  through the communication section  17  and, if it is determined that a request for transmission of the next collection form data has been received (YES at step T 616 ), the process returns step T 601 . On the other hand, if it is determined that a request for transmission of the next collection form data has not been received and the communication session with the portable terminal  3  has ended (NO at step T 616 ) the collection form verification process will end. 
     The collection form verification process described above is performed each time an upload request is received from the collection portable terminal  3 . 
     When predetermined start time of a delivery form data preparation process is reached (YES at step T 11  of  FIG. 1A ), the delivery form data preparation process is executed on the management server  1  (step T 12 ). 
       FIG. 20  is a flowchart of a delivery form data preparation process executed by the CPU  11  of the management server  1 . The delivery form data preparation process is executed by the CPU  11  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  13 . 
     In the delivery form data preparation process, electronic form information (a record) containing information that indicates an undelivered state and the desired delivery time and date that is in the next delivery time period is first extracted from the database  161  (step T 701 ). Electronic form information indicating an undelivered state is a record that does not have data written in the delivery information fields. 
     Then, the extracted electronic form information is sorted according to the street address and desired delivery time and date in the recipient information (step T 702 ), the sorted electronic form information is divided into units, each of which is equivalent to the number of shipments one pickup person can deliver, thereby generating sets of delivery form data (step T 703 ). The delivery form data includes management information, sender information, recipient information, collection information, delivery information, and collection form data digital signature required to delivery, out of the digital form information. At this point of time, the items of delivery information are blank so that data can be input later. 
     Then, the process waits for the delivery portable terminal  4  to be connected. 
     When the start time of the delivery time period is reached, the delivery person places the delivery portable terminal  4  on a cradle, not shown, and presses a delivery form download button. Then a delivery form data download process (see  FIG. 21 ) is started as illustrated in  FIG. 7A  (step T 13  of  FIG. 7A ). The delivery form data download process will be described later. 
     Returning to  FIG. 20 , when a download request from the delivery portable terminal  4  is received by communication section  17  (YES at step T 704 ), reference is made to the RAM  12  to see whether there is delivery form data (step T 705 ). If it is determined that there is delivery form data in the RAM  12  (YES at step T 705 ), a response indicating the presence of the delivery form data is sent to the delivery portable terminal  4  through the communication section  17  (step T 706 ) and a set of delivery form data is read from the RAM  12  and sent to the delivery portable terminal  4  through the communication section  17  (step T 707 ). The process then proceeds to step T 709 . The delivery form data sent is deleted from the RAM  12 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that there is not collection form data in the RAM  12  (NO at step T 705 ), a response indicating the absence of the delivery form data is sent to the delivery portable terminal  4  through the communication section  17  (step T 708 ), then the process proceeds to step T 709 . 
     At step T 709 , determination is made on the basis of an output from the timer section  19  as to whether the delivery period ending time has been reached and, if it is determined that the delivery period ending time has been reached (NO at step T 709 ), the process returns to step T 704 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the delivery period ending time has not been reached (YES at step T 709 ), the delivery form data preparation process will end. 
       FIG. 21  is a flowchart of a delivery form download process executed by the CPU  41  of the delivery portable terminal  4  at step T 13  of  FIG. 7A . The delivery form data download process is executed by the CPU  41  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  43 . 
     First, a download request is sent to the management server  1  through the communication section  48  (step T 801 ). 
     Then, the process waits for a response from the management server  1 . If no response from the management server  1  is received at the communication section  48  for a period longer than a predetermined period of time (NO at step T 802 ), an error message is displayed on the display section  46  indicating that no response has been returned from the management server  1  (step T 803 ), then the delivery form data download process will end. No response will be sent from the management server  1  for example when the management server  1  is not in operation because of some failure or the management server  1  has not executed the delivery form data preparation process. 
     When a response from the management server  1  is received at the communication section  48  (YES at step T 802 ), determination is made on the basis of the received response as to whether there is delivery form data in the management server  1  (step T 804 ). If it is determined that there is not delivery form data in the management server  1  (NO at step T 804 ), a message is displayed on the display section  46  indicating that there is not delivery form data in the management server  1  (step T 805 ), then the delivery form data download process will end. 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that there is delivery form data in the management server  1  (YES at step T 804 ), the delivery form data sequentially sent from the management server  1  is downloaded through the communication section  48  and is stored in the RAM  42  (step T 806 ). Upon completion of the download, a message indicating the completion of download of the delivery form data is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 807 ), then delivery form data download process will end. 
     After the completion of the delivery form data download process, a delivered shipment confirmation process is performed on the delivery portable terminal  4  as illustrated in  FIG. 7A  (step T 14  of  FIG. 7A ). 
       FIG. 22  is a flowchart of the delivered shipment confirmation process executed by the CPU  41  of the delivery portable terminal  4 . The delivered shipment confirmation process is executed by the CPU  41  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  43 . 
     First, a message such as “Scan the barcode on the collection form attached to the shipment.” is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 901 ). After the barcode image D 3  on the collection form attached to the shipment is scanned by the scanner section  401  (YES at step T 902 ), the value obtained by the scanner section  401  is compare with the value of the collection form digital signature data of each set of delivery form data stored in the RAM  42  to determine whether the RAM  42  stores delivery form data whose collection form digital signature data value matches the value obtained by the scanner section  401  (step T 903 ). 
     If it is determined that the RAM  42  does not contain delivery form data whose collection form digital signature data value matches the value obtained by the scanning (NO at step T 903 ), a message such as “The shipment is not listed in the delivery form data.” indicting that there is not delivery form data that matches the scanned shipment is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 904 ), then the process proceeds to step T 906 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that the RAM  42  contains delivery form data with the collection form digital signature data value that matches the value obtained by the scanning (YES at step T 903 ), at indicating that there is a corresponding shipment (called shipment tag) is added to the matching delivery form data (step T 905 ). Then, determination is made as to whether all sets of delivery form data stored in the RAM  42  have tags added (T 906 ). 
     If it is determined that all delivery form data stored in the RAM  42  have shipment tag added (YES at step T 906 ), a message such as “All shipments corresponding to the delivery form data have been confirmed.” is displayed on the display section  46  indicating that all shipments corresponding to the delivery form data have been confirmed (step T 907 ), then the delivered shipment confirmation process will end. 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that there is delivery form data without a shipment tag (NO at step T 906 ), determination is made as to whether an instruction to discontinue the scanning has been input through the input section  45  (step T 908 ). If it is determined that an instruction to discontinue the scanning has not been input through the input section  45  (NO at step T 908 ), the process returns to step T 901 . If it is determined that an instruction to discontinue the scanning has been input through the input section  45  (YES at step T 908 ), delivery form data without a shipment tag is extracted from the RAM  42  and variable N is assigned to the form number of the extracted delivery form data (step T 909 ). Then, a message such as “The shipment with form number N has not been found. Contact the person in charge.” is displayed indicating that there is no shipment with the form number N (step T 910 ), then the delivered shipment confirmation process will end. 
     After completion of the delivered shipment confirmation process, a delivery confirmation input process is performed on the delivery portable terminal  4  as depicted in  FIG. 7B  (step T 15  of  FIG. 7B ). 
       FIGS. 23A and 23B  are flowcharts of the delivery confirmation input process executed by the CPU  41  of the delivery portable terminal  4  at step T 15  of  FIG. 7B . The delivery confirmation input process is executed by the CPU  41  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  43 . 
     First, of recipient information based on the downloaded delivery form data is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 1001  of  FIG. 23A ). The screen (not shown) displayed at step T 1001  displays, in addition to the list of the recipient information from the delivery form data, a form processing button for instructing the delivery portable terminal  4  to perform form processing for the delivery to a recipient selected from the list. 
     When recipient information is selected and the form depression button is pressed through the input section  45  (YES at step T 1002 ), current location information is obtained from the GPS receiver  47  and determination is made as to whether the current location is within a predetermined distance from the street address in the recipient information (step T 1003 ). If it is determined that the current location obtained from the GPS receiver  47  is not within the predetermined distance from the street address in the recipient information (NO at step T 1003 ), a message such as “The address of the recipient is not near your current location. Check the recipient information.” is displayed on the display section  46 , indicating that the current location is not near the recipient&#39;s street address (step T 1004 ), then the process returns to step T 1001 . 
     If it is determined that the current location obtained from the GPS receiver  47  is within the predetermined distance from the recipient&#39; address in the recipient information (YES at step T 1003 ), a collection form screen  461  is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 1005 ). The collection form screen  461  is similar to the screen described with respect to  FIG. 3  and therefore detailed description of the screen will be omitted. 
     If the collection confirmation button  461   b  on the collection form screen  461  is not pressed (NO at step T 1006 ) but the return button  461   c  is pressed (YES at step T 1007 ), the process returns to step T 1001 . When the collection confirmation button  461   b  on the collection form screen  461  is pressed (YES at step T 1006 ), a collection confirmation signature screen  462  is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 1008 ). 
       FIG. 24  illustrates an exemplary collection confirmation signature screen  462  displayed on the display section  46  at step T 1008 . As depicted in  FIG. 24 , the collection confirmation signature screen  462  displays a collection information field  462   a , a collection confirmation signature field  462   b , a sender input field  462   c , and a receipt confirmation signature button  462   d . The collection information field  462   a  is an area where the GPS location information and GPS time information which are collection information contained in the delivery form data are displayed. The collection confirmation signature field  462   a  is an area where a collection confirmation signature input by the sender with a stylus or the like during the collection is displayed. The sender input field  462   c  is an area where any graphics characters optionally input by the sender during the collection are displayed. The receipt confirmation signature button  462   d  is a button to be pressed to display a receipt confirmation signature screen  463  (see  FIG. 25 ) for inputting a receipt confirmation signature. 
     When the receipt confirmation signature button  462   d  on the collection confirmation signature screen  462  is pressed through the input section  45  (YES at step T 1009 ), the receipt confirmation signature screen  463  is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 1010 ). 
       FIG. 25  illustrates an exemplary receipt confirmation signature screen  463 . As depicted in  FIG. 25 , the receipt confirmation signature screen  463  displays a receipt confirmation signature field  463   a , a recipient input field  463   b , and an OK button  463   c . The receipt confirmation signature field  463   a  is an area where the recipient input a receipt confirmation signature in handwriting with a stylus or the like. The recipient input field  463   b  is an area where the recipient optionally input any graphics and characters in handwriting. The OK button  463   c  is a button to be pressed to complete the input of data including the signature to proceed to the next process. 
     When the OK button  463   c  on the receipt confirmation signature screen  463  is pressed through the input section  45  (YES at step T 1011 ), determination is made as to whether the receipt confirmation signature field  463   a  is filled in. If it is determined that the field is not filled in (NO at step T 1012 ), a message prompting to enter a receipt confirmation signature, for example, “Signature has not been made on the receipt confirmation signature field. Write your signature.” is displayed on the display section  46  (step T 1013 ) and then the process returns to step T 1010 . 
     If it is determined that the receipt confirmation signature field  463   a  is filled in (YES at step T 1012 ), current location information and current time information are obtained from the GPS receiver  47  (step T 1014  of  FIG. 23B ), the obtained current location information and current time information are added to the delivery information in delivery form data as GPS location information and GPS time information, respectively, and the data input in the receipt confirmation signature field  463   a  and the data input in the recipient input field  453   b  are added to the delivery form data as the receipt confirmation signature in the delivery information and recipient-input information, respectively (step T 1015 ). 
     Then, a digital signing process is performed using the delivery form data containing the delivery information as input data (step T 1016  of  FIG. 23B ). The flow of the digital signing process is similar to the process described with respect to  FIG. 15  and therefore detailed description of the digital signing process will be omitted here. The digital signing process at step T 10161  is performed by using the delivery form data to which the delivery information is added as input data. The private key of the delivery portable terminal  4  is used for encrypting the hash values. The combination of delivery form data and digital signature data is referred to as digitally signed delivery form data. 
     Steps T 1001  through T 1016  are repeated until the digitally signed delivery form data for all available delivery form data is generated or a delivery end instruction is input through the input section  45  to end the delivery. When the delivery ends (YES at step T 1017 ), the delivery form confirmation input process will end. 
     After the delivery has ended, the delivery person returns to the dispatch center with the delivery portable terminal  4 , places the delivery portable terminal  4  on a cradle, not shown, and presses the delivery form upload button on the input section  35 . Upon depression of the delivery form upload button on the delivery portable terminal  4  on the cradle, a delivery form data upload process is started (step T 16  of  FIG. 7B ). 
       FIG. 26  is a flowchart of the delivery form data upload process executed by the CPU  41  of the delivery portable terminal  4  at step T 16  of  FIG. 7B . The delivery form data upload process is executed by the CPU  41  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  43 . 
     First, determination is made as to whether the RAM  42  contains delivery form data (including digitally signed delivery form data). If it is determined that the RAM  42  does not contain delivery form data (NO at step T 1101 ), a message such as “No delivery form has been found.” is displayed on the display section  46  indicating there is no delivery form data (step T 1102 ), then the delivery form data upload process will end. 
     If it is determined that the RAM  42  contains delivery form a data (YES at step T 1101 ), an upload request is sent to the management server  1  through the communication section  48  together with the delivery form data stored in the RAM  42  (step T 1103 ). The delivery form data sent is deleted from the RAM  42 . 
     Then determination is made as to whether the RAM  42  contains additional delivery form data and, if it does (YES at step T 1104 ), the process returns to step T 1103 , where the next delivery form data is sent to the management server  1  through the communication section  48 . If it is determined that the RAM  42  does not contain additional delivery form data (NO at step T 1104 ), the delivery form data upload process will end. 
     When the upload request from the delivery portable terminal  4  is received through the communication section  17  as depicted in  FIG. 7B , a delivery form verification process is performed on the management server  1  (step T 17  of  FIG. 7B ). 
       FIG. 27  is a flowchart of the delivery form verification process executed by the CPU  11  of the management server  1  at step T 17  of  FIG. 7B . The delivery form verification process is executed by the CPU  11  in cooperation with a program stored in the ROM  13 . 
     First, delivery form data is obtained from the delivery portable terminal  4  through the communication section  17  (step T 1201 ). Then, determination is made as to whether a digital signature is attached to the received delivery form data and, if the digital signature is not attached (NO at step T 1202 ), the process proceeds to step T 1211 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that a digital signature is attached to the received delivery form data (YES at step T 1202 ), a digitally signed data verification process is performed by using the delivery form data as input data (step T 1203 ). The digitally signed data verification process is similar to the process described with respect to  FIG. 19  and therefore detailed description of the process will be omitted here. The public key obtained from the terminal certificate of the delivery portable terminal  4  stored in the storage section  16  is used for decrypting the digitally signed data. 
     After completion of the digitally signed data verification process, determination is made on the basis of the result of the process as to whether the authenticity the delivery form data has been successfully verified (step T 1204 ). If it is determined that the verification of the authenticity of the delivery form data has failed (NO at step T 1204 ), an error message like “The verification of authenticity of the delivery form data has failed.” is displayed on the display section  15  (step T 1205 ) and then the process proceeds to step T 1211 . 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that the authenticity of the delivery form data has been successfully verified (YES at step T 1204 ), the database  161  is searched for a record with the same form number as that of the received delivery form data and the record found is updated with the received delivery form data (step T 1206 ). Specifically, the management information, sender information, collection information, recipient information, collection form data digital signature, delivery information and delivery form data digital signature (digital signature data of delivery form data) contained in the delivery form data is written into the found record. 
     Then, determination is made as to whether the sender information in the found record includes an e-mail address and, if it does (YES at step T 1207 ), an e-mail for giving notice of the URL of a shipping status tracking page (see  FIGS. 29 and 30 ) is generated and sent to the e-mail address contained in the sender information through the communication section  17  (step T 1208 ). Then the process proceeds to step T 1209 . The shipping status tracking page is a Web page that allows the sender and the recipient check the shipping status. The URL includes for example information for identifying the storage location of the found record in the database  161 . On the other hand, if it is determined that sender information in the found record does not include an e-mail address (NO at step T 1207 ), the process proceeds to step T 1209 . 
     At step T 1209 , determination is made as to whether the recipient information in the found record includes an e-mail address and, if it does (YES at step T 1209 ), an e-mail for giving notice of the URL of the shipping status tracking page is generated and sent to the e-mail address in the recipient information through the communication section  17  step T 1210 ) and then the process proceeds to step T 1211 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the recipient information in the found record does not include an e-mail address (NO at step T 1209 ), the process proceeds to step T 1211 . 
     At step T 1211 , determination is made as to whether a request to send the next delivery form data from the delivery portable terminal  4  has been received at the communication section  17 . If it is determined that request to send the next delivery form data has been received (YES at step T 1211 ), the process returns to step T 1201 . If it is determined that a request to send the next delivery form data has not been received and the communication session with the delivery portable terminal  4  has ended (NO at step T 1211 ), the delivery form verification process will end. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7B , when the URL of the shipping status tracking page provided from the management server  1  is accessed on the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6  (steps T 18 , T 19 ), a shipping status tracking page providing process is performed on the Web server  2  (step T 20 ). 
       FIG. 28  is a flowchart of the shipping status tracking page providing process executed by the CPU  21  of the Web server  2  at step T 20  of  FIG. 7B . 
     First, based on the URL specified from the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6 , inquiry is made to the database  161  at the management server  1  about the electronic form information associated with the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6  (step T 1301 ). 
     At the management server  1 , the database  161  is searched for the electronic form information identified by the specified URL. If the specified electronic form information is not found, a response indicating that the electronic form information specified has not found is sent back to the Web server  2 . If the specified electronic form information is found and the electronic form information includes delivery information and delivery form digital signature data, a response indicating that the shipment has been delivered and verified is sent back to the Web server  2 . If the electronic form information does not contain delivery information and delivery form digital signature data but contains collection information and collection form digital signature data, a response indicating that the shipment has been collected and verified is sent back to the Web server  2 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 18B and 27 , the URL is provided to the sender or the recipient only if the shipment consigned by the sender has been collected and verified or the shipment has been delivered to the recipient and verified. Otherwise, a response indicating that the corresponding electronic form information does not exist is sent back to the Web server  2  even if the electronic form information has been found. 
     Then, determination is made on the basis of the response from the management server  1  as to whether the electronic form information identified by the URL indicates that the shipment has been collected and verified (step T 1302 ). If it is determined that the electronic information identified by the URL indicates that the shipment has been collected and verified (YES at step  1302 ), the electronic form information is obtained from the management server  1  and page data for displaying a first shipping status tracking page is generated based on the obtained electronic form information (step T 1030 ). The generated page data is sent to the accessing sender&#39;s PC  5  or recipient&#39;s PC  6  through the communication section  27  (step T 1304 ), then the shipping status tracking page providing process will end. 
       FIG. 29  illustrates an exemplary first shipping status tracking page  700  displayed on the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6 . The first shipping status tracking page  700  is displayed for example when the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6  accesses the shipping status tracking page in the period between the time the URL of the shipping status tracking page is provided at step T 10  of  FIG. 7A  and the end of the delivery form verification process at step T 17 . As illustrated in  FIG. 29 , the shipping status tracking page  700  displays information required for checking the collection status, extracted from the electronic form information. Specifically, specifics of digitally signed collection form data D 11 , an image of a collection confirmation signature D 12 , and an image of an input in recipient input field D 13 . The sender can check the information about the shipping that the sender consigned for any errors or check to see that none of the signature and information the sender wrote during the collection has been tempered with. The recipient can check the information about the shipping consigned by the sender and see that the shipment has been collected. The first shipping status tracking page  700  displays a “File download” button B 1 . The sender and the recipient can press the button B to download digitally signed collection form data, the CA certificate of the certificate authority, and the terminal certificate of the collection portable terminal  3  used for the collection to the sender&#39;s PC  5  and the recipient&#39;s PC  6 , respectively, to verify the authenticity of the data for themselves. 
     Returning to  FIG. 28 , if it is determined that the electronic form information identified by the URL indicates that the shipment has not been collected or verified (NO at step  1302 ), then determination is made as to whether the electronic form information identified by the URL indicates that the shipment has been delivered and verified (step T 1305 ). If it is determined that the electronic form information identified by the URL indicates that the shipment has been delivered and verified (YES at step  1305 ), the electronic form information is obtained from the management server  1  and page data for displaying a second shipping status tracking page is generated based on the obtained electronic form information (step T 1306 ). The generated page data is sent to the accessing sender&#39;s PC  5  or recipient&#39;s PC  6  through the communication section  27  (step T 1307 ) and then the shipping status tracking page providing process will end. 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that the electronic form information identified by the URL indicates that the shipment has not been delivered and verified (NO at step  1305 ), page data notifying that the specified shipping does not exist, such as “The shipping specified by the URL does not exist.”, is read out from the storage section  26 , and is sent to the accessing sender&#39;s PC  5  or recipient&#39;s PC  6  through the communication section  27  (step T 1308 ), then the shipping status tracking page providing process will end. 
       FIG. 30  illustrates an exemplary second shipping status tracking page  701 . As illustrated in  FIG. 30 , the second shipping status tracking page  701  displays information required for checking collection or delivery of a shipment, extracted from the electronic form information. Specifically, the second shipping status tracking page  701  displays specifics of digitally signed delivery form data D 21 , an image of a collection confirmation signature D 22 , an image of an input in the sender input field D 23 , an image of a receipt confirmation signature D 24 , and an image of an input in the recipient input field D 25 . The sender can check the page to see whether the shipment has arrived at the recipient location, whether the information about the consigned shipment is correct, whether none of collection time and date, location and the signature and other items the sender wrote during the collection have been tampered with. The recipient can check the page to see whether none of delivery location, time and date, receipt confirmation signature and other items have been tempered with. A “File download” button B 2  is displayed on the second shipping status tracking page  701 . The sender and recipient can press the button B 2  to download the digitally signed delivery form data, the CA certificate of the certificate authority, the terminal certificate of the collection portable terminal  3  used for the collection, and the terminal certificate of the delivery portable terminal  4  used for the delivery to the sender&#39;s PC  5  and recipient&#39;s PC  6 , respectively, to verify the authenticity the data. 
     Having described above, in the delivery confirmation system  100 , a collection portable terminal  3  attaches a digital signature to collection form data including collection confirmation information input by the sender through the input section  35  at the time of collection of a shipment and the current time and location obtained through the GPS receiver  37 , and sends the digitally signed collection form data to the management server  1 . The management server  1  uses the public key the collection portable terminal  3  to verify the authenticity of the digitally signed collection form data received from the collection portable terminal and, if the verification is successful, updates the database  161  storing electronic form information with the collection form data the authenticity of which has been successfully verified. 
     Consequently, the database  161  stores the collection form data including the authenticated collection time period, collection location, and collection confirmation information input by the sender. Therefore, these items of authenticated information can be used later to check the collection time and location, and collection confirmation information input by the sender. 
     Furthermore, a delivery portable terminal  4  in the delivery confirmation system  100  attaches a digital signature to delivery form data including receipt confirmation information input by the recipient through the input section  45  at the time of delivery of a shipment and the current time and location obtained through the GPS receiver  47 , and sends the digitally signed delivery form data to the management server  1 . The management server  1  uses the public key of the delivery portable terminal  4  to verify the authenticity of the digitally signed delivery form data received from the delivery portable terminal  4  and, if the verification is successful, updates the database  161  storing electronic form information with the delivery form data the authenticity of which has been successfully verified. 
     Consequently, the database  161  stores the delivery form data including authenticated delivery time and location and the receipt confirmation information input by the recipient. Therefore, these items of authenticated information can be used later to check the delivery time period and location, and delivery confirmation information input by the recipient. 
     Moreover, each of the collection portable terminal  3  and delivery portable terminal  4  includes a security chip inaccessible to external programs. The private key to be used for digital signature is stored in the security chip and is used for attaching the digital signature to collection form data and delivery form data. Therefore, the security of the private key, collection form data and delivery form data can be ensured. 
     The management server  1  stores the terminal certificate of the collection portable terminal  3  including the public key of the collection portable terminal  3 . When the management server  1  receives digitally signed collection form data from the collection portable terminal  3 , the management server  1  separates the digitally signed collection form data into the body data and the digital signature data. The management server  1  decrypts the digital signature data by using the public key of the collection portable terminal  3  to obtain a first hash value and inputs the body data into a hash function to calculate a second hash value. The management server  1  then can compare the first hash value with the second hash value to verify the authenticity of the collection form data. Similarly, the management server  1  stores terminal certificate of the delivery portable terminal  4  including the public key of the delivery portable terminal  4 . When the management server  1  receives digitally signed delivery form data from the delivery portable terminal  4 , the management server  1  separates the delivery form data into the body data and the digital signature data. The management server  1  decrypts the digital signature data by using the public key of the delivery portable terminal  4  to obtain first hash value and inputs the body data to a hash function to calculate a second hash value. The management server  1  then can compare the first hash value with the second hash value to verify the authenticity of the delivery form data. 
     The delivery confirmation system  100  also includes the Web server  2  that generates and makes available on the Internet a shipping status tracking page, which is a Web page for providing authenticated, digitally signed electronic form data (collection form data or delivery data) to the sender or recipient of a shipment. Accordingly, the sender and the recipient of the shipment can readily check the Web page to see whether the shipment has been collected, whether the shipment has arrived at a dispatch center, or whether the shipment has been delivered to the recipient. 
     Since the URL of the shipping status tracking page is provided to the sender&#39;s PC  5  and the recipient&#39;s PC  6 , the sender and the recipient can readily check the page on the Web to see whether the shipment has been collected, whether the shipment has been delivered, and the like. 
     The Web server  2  receives on the shipping status tracking page a request to download authenticated digitally signed electronic form data (collection form data or delivery form data) sent from the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6 , and sends the authenticated digitally signed collection form data, delivery form data, terminal certificate, or other data in response to the download request. Therefore the sender or the recipient can download collection form data or the delivery form data to the sender&#39;s PC  5  or the recipient&#39;s PC  6  to verify the authenticity of the data for themselves. 
     Since the collection confirmation information and the receipt confirmation information are input through a handwriting touch screen, the collection confirmation information and the receipt confirmation information can be input in much the same way as a conventional handwritten signature is made for confirm collection and receipt. 
     The embodiment described above is a preferable example of the delivery confirmation system  100  according to the present invention and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. 
     For example, the input section in the present embodiment includes a touch screen and the sender and the recipient input their collection and receipt confirmation signatures in handwriting on the touch screen during collection or receipt of a shipment. However, collection confirmation information indicating the sender&#39;s confirmation of collection of the shipment and the receipt confirmation information indicating the recipient&#39;s confirmation of receipt of the shipment are not limited to handwritten signatures and the input section is not limited to a touch screen. For example, the input section may be input means that allows input of information such as images of the sender and recipient, digital seals, finger prints, or irises of the sender and recipient by which the sender and recipient can be identified. 
     While the management server  1  and the Web server  2  in the embodiment described above are provided separately from each other, the function of the Web server  2  may be included, in the management server  1 , thereby implementing the management server  1  and the Web server  2  as a single server. 
     Electronic form data (collection, form data and delivery form data) containing information identifying the times, locations, and the pickup person and delivery person are digitally signed at the time of collection and the delivery to confirm both collection and delivery in the embodiment described above. However, either one of collection and the delivery may be confirmed in this way in an alternative embodiment of the system. 
     While the collection portable terminal  3  and the delivery portable terminal  4  in the embodiment described above are connected onto the corporate network N 1  through a cradle to send and receive data to and from the management server  1 , the method of data communication between them is not limited to this. For example, the collection and delivery portable terminals  3  and  4  may directly send and receive data to and from management server  1  by radio communication or through a data communication cable such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. 
     Other details of configurations and operations of the components of the delivery confirmation system  100  can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
     The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-299307 filed on Nov. 25, 2008 including description, claims, drawings, and abstract are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Although various exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. Therefore, the scope of the invention is intended to be limited solely by the scope of the claims that follow.