Patent ID: 12251704

PREFERRED MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

First Embodiment

The following describes a first embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

First, referring toFIG.1, the following describes an overview of a service (referred to below as “the present service”) to which a shredder system (seeFIG.2described below) according to the present invention is applied.

FIG.1is a diagram illustrating an overview of an example of the present service that can be implemented through a shredder system according to an embodiment of the present invention, versus a conventional service.

The present service is, for example, provided to a user K who works in an office or the like and who is in a position to manage a worker H. Specifically, for example, the present service is offered to recover information fixed on a medium P that should not be discarded due to its nature and to provide the recovered information to the user K, in a situation in which the worker H has shredded the medium P using a shredder without permission and the information fixed on the medium P has been destroyed.

Conventionally, confidential information is printed or otherwise fixed on a medium P such as paper for use in an office or the like. When the medium P is no longer needed, therefore, a shredder technology is used to shred the medium P, and thus make the confidential information indeterminable in order to prevent a non-related party from determining and appropriating the confidential information fixed on the medium P. The shredder technology allows for protection of privacy and prevention of information leakage by shredding the medium P, but is characterized by the fact that it is extremely difficult to recover the shredded medium P. As such, a shredder is used for the purpose of protecting privacy or preventing information leakage, but not infrequently, is also intentionally used for the purpose of destroying information by someone who does not want the medium P to be recovered.

Specifically, in a case where a medium P has printed thereon information about a contract with a client and somehow makes against the worker H (for example, proves the worker's failure) in an office or the like, the worker H may want to keep the medium P from coming to the attention of the user K, who is his/her supervisor. The following therefore considers a case where the worker H destroys the medium P on purpose. In this case, however, the medium P is treated as do-not-discard, because the medium P contains information about a contract with a client, and is therefore an important document to the office or the like (especially to the user K). For example, assume that the worker H himself/herself has accidentally soiled the medium P. In order to avoid being accused by the user K of soiling the medium P, the worker H attempts to conceal his/her failure by destroying the medium P that proves his/her failure. That is, the worker H shreds the soiled medium P using a shredder that is not capable of information recovery to erase the medium P from existence. As a result of the medium P being thus destroyed, the information printed or otherwise fixed on the medium P is also destroyed. With the conventional technology, the user K has no way to notice that the medium P (i.e., the information fixed on the medium P) has been destroyed by the worker H. The medium P is therefore found to have been destroyed only when someone tries to reuse the information printed on the medium P at a later date, making the problem worse.

Furthermore, not infrequently, one can shred a medium P not on purpose but by mistake, although not shown. As mentioned above, the shredder technology is characterized by the fact that it is extremely difficult to recover the shredded medium P. A careful confirmation is therefore necessary as to whether or not it is really all right to discard the medium P before the medium P is fed into a shredder. However, in an office or the like where a large amount of medium are handled, it is complicated and difficult due to time constraints to accurately confirm whether or not it is really all right to discard the medium P each time a medium P is fed into a shredder. It is therefore not uncommon to feed into a shredder a medium P that should be treated as do-not-discard due to its nature and destroy information fixed thereon by mistake.

To solve the problems of the conventional technology shown on the left side ofFIG.1, the present service shown on the right side ofFIG.1makes it possible to recover the information fixed on the medium P even after the medium P has been shredded using a shredder1. Specifically, for example, even if the worker H feeds the medium P into the shredder1on purpose or by mistake, a series of processes described below is performed. Specifically, the medium P is scanned by a scanner device11provided within the shredder1before being shredded, and thus the information fixed on the medium P is read. The read information is transmitted to and stored in a server2, which is described below with reference toFIG.2. Thus, the information fixed on the medium P that has been fed into the shredder1is saved in the server2before the medium P is shredded. The medium P is sent to a cutting unit12and shredded after the information fixed thereon has been read by the scanner device11. The user K searches for and extracts the information of the medium P stored in the server2using a supervisor terminal3. As described above, the user K can recover the information destroyed as a result of the worker H feeding the medium P into the shredder1.

In the foregoing, an overview of the present service to which the shredder system according to the present invention is applied has been described with reference toFIG.1.FIG.2is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of the shredder system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The shredder system illustrated inFIG.2includes the shredder1, the server2, and the supervisor terminal3. The shredder1, the server2, and the supervisor terminal3are connected to each other via a predetermined network N such as the Internet. No particular limitations are placed on the form of the network N, and examples of usable networks include Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, a local area network (LAN), and the Internet.

The shredder1is, for example, installed in an office or the like and is operated by the worker H and others.

The server2is, for example, an information processing device that is managed by a system administrator (not shown) under the supervision of the user K. The server2executes various processes while communicating with the shredder1and the supervisor terminal3as appropriate. No particular limitations are placed on who performs duties as the system administrator. For example, the user K himself/herself may perform the duties as the system administrator.

The supervisor terminal3is an information processing device that is installed in the office or the like and operated by the user K. Specifically, the supervisor terminal3includes, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet.

Referring now toFIG.3, the following describes an example of a hardware configuration of the shredder1that forms the shredder system described above.FIG.3is a perspective view of an example of an external configuration of the shredder in the system configuration of the shredder system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG.3, the shredder1is placed on a plane (XY plane) formed by an X axis and a Y axis shown inFIG.3. Accordingly, an X axis direction is referred to below as a “length direction”, a Y axis direction as a “width direction”, an upward direction along a Z axis inFIG.3as an “up direction”, and a downward direction along the Z axis inFIG.3as a “down direction”.

As shown inFIG.3, the shredder1includes the scanner device11, the cutting unit12, a housing unit13, and a top panel unit14. The top panel unit14is attached to an upper portion of the housing unit13. The top panel unit14has a feed opening15for feeding a medium P. The scanner device11is provided within the housing unit13and is located right under the feed opening15provided in the top panel unit14. The scanner device11reads information printed or otherwise fixed on a medium P and converts the read information into digital image data. Specifically, the scanner device11reads information fixed on a medium P with an automatic document feeder (not shown) transferring the medium P. The scanner device11then converts the read information into digital image data and outputs the converted information to an external destination.

The cutting unit12is provided within the housing unit13and is located under the scanner device11. The cutting unit12shreds the medium P that has been transferred thereto by the scanner device11(automatic document feeder) with fine blades.

Specifically, the medium P is fed into the shredder1through the feed opening15, and then sent to the scanner device11. The information fixed on the medium P is read by the scanner device11, converted into digital image data, and then transmitted to the server2. Thereafter, the medium P is transferred from the scanner device11to the cutting unit12and shredded.

Referring now toFIG.4, the following describes an example of a hardware configuration of the server2that forms the shredder system described above.FIG.4is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the server in the shredder system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The server2includes a central processing unit (CPU)21, read only memory (ROM)22, random access memory (RAM)23, a bus24, an input/output interface25, an input unit26, an output unit27, a storage unit28, a communication unit29, and a drive30.

The CPU21executes various processes in accordance with programs recorded in the ROM22or programs loaded from the storage unit28into the RAM23. Data necessary for the CPU21to execute the various processes, for example, is also stored in the RAM23as appropriate.

The CPU21, the ROM22, and the RAM23are connected to each other via the bus24. The input/output interface25is also connected to the bus24. The input unit26, the output unit27, the storage unit28, the communication unit29, and the drive30are connected to the input/output interface25.

The input unit26includes, for example, a keyboard and receives input of various information. The output unit27includes, for example, a speaker and a display such as a liquid crystal display. The storage unit28includes, for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and stores therein various data. The communication unit29communicates with other devices (for example, the shredder1inFIG.3) via the network N including the Internet.

A removable medium31including, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory is attached to the drive30as appropriate. A program retrieved from the removable medium31by the drive30is installed in the storage unit28as needed. The removable medium31can store therein the various data stored in the storage unit28in the same manner as in the storage unit28.

Although not shown, the supervisor terminal3inFIG.2may have basically the same configuration as the hardware configuration of the server2shown inFIG.4. Description of the configuration of the supervisor terminal3is therefore omitted.

Referring now toFIG.5, the following describes functional configurations of the shredder1, the server2, and the supervisor terminal3having the hardware configurations shown inFIGS.3and4.FIG.5is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the server shown inFIG.4.

The shredder1includes the scanner device11and the cutting unit12. The scanner device11of the shredder1includes a reading unit111, a main control unit112, and a communication unit113as functional blocks. The main control unit112includes an acquisition unit121and a transmission control unit122.

The CPU21of the server2includes an information acquisition unit201, an information management unit202, an information retrieving unit203, and a display control unit204as functional blocks. An acquired information DB40is provided in an area of the storage unit28of the server2.

A series of operations is initiated, for example, by the worker H or someone else feeding a medium P into the feed opening15provided in the top panel unit14of the shredder1. Once the medium P has been fed through the feed opening15of the shredder1, the medium P is transferred to the scanner device11. The reading unit111of the scanner device11reads information printed or otherwise fixed on the medium P. The acquisition unit121of the main control unit112acquires the information of the medium P read in the reading unit111by converting the information into digital image data. The transmission control unit122of the main control unit112executes control for transmitting the information of the medium P acquired in the form of digital image data to the server2via the communication unit113. After the information has been read in the reading unit111of the scanner device11, the medium P is sent to the cutting unit12of the shredder1and shredded.

The information acquisition unit201of the server2acquires the information (digital image data) transmitted from the shredder1via the communication unit29. The information management unit202manages the information acquired by the information acquisition unit201by storing, in the acquired information DB40, the information in a manner such that the information is identifiable as that of the medium P so that the information can be retrieved as information of the medium P.

When the user K wishes to refer to the information of the medium P, the user K gives an information retrieving instruction by accessing the server2via the supervisor terminal3.

Upon receiving the information retrieving instruction from the supervisor terminal3, the information retrieving unit203of the server2searches the acquired information DB40for the information of the medium P. Specifically, the information retrieving unit203obtains the information retrieving instruction sent from the supervisor terminal3via the communication unit29. The information retrieving unit203then retrieves the information of the medium P out of the acquired information DB40via the information management unit202.

Note here that the information management unit202may store, in the acquired information DB40, the information of the medium P in association with various metadata. The user K may therefore use metadata as a keyword to give an instruction for retrieving the information of the medium P.

Specifically, in a case where the information of the medium P is about a contract, for example, the shredder1may generate metadata “contract” through, for example, character recognition when reading the information of the medium P and output the metadata in association with the information (digital image data) of the medium P. In this case, when the user K wishes to retrieve information about a contract, the user K can enter “contract” as a keyword to smoothly search and extract the information of the medium P associated with the metadata “contract” out of information of various medium P stored in the acquired information DB40.

In another case, for example, the date when the information of the medium P is read by the shredder1is associated with the information of the medium P as metadata. In this case, when the user K wishes to retrieve the information of the medium P retrieved by the shredder1on “Xth day of Oth month”, the user K can enter “Xth day of Oth month” to smoothly search and extract the information of the medium P associated with the metadata “Xth day of Oth month” out of the information of the various medium P stored in the acquired information DB40.

The display control unit204of the server2executes control for displaying the information of the medium P retrieved by the information retrieving unit203on the supervisor terminal3via the communication unit29.

The supervisor terminal3acquires the information of the medium P through an acquisition unit thereof, not shown, and displays the information on a display thereof, not shown.

In the foregoing, examples of the functional configurations of the shredder1, the server2, and the supervisor terminal3have been described with reference toFIG.5.

Second Embodiment

In the shredder1according to the first embodiment described above, the scanner device11is provided within the housing unit13of the shredder1. Upon a medium P being fed through the feed opening15, information fixed thereon is read by the scanner device11(automatic document feeder), converted into digital image data, and then sent to the server2. Meanwhile, the medium P is transferred to the cutting unit12located under the scanner device11and shredded. That is, according to the first embodiment, the reading of the information fixed on the medium P and the shredding of the medium P are performed as a series of processes. As such, the first embodiment only allows for information storage and recovery, and does not prevent physical medium P from being shredded. A second embodiment may therefore have a configuration in which a medium P fed through a feed opening15is retained in a predetermined location for a certain period of time after information fixed thereon has been read by a scanner device11(automatic document feeder) and before the medium P is transferred to a cutting unit12. The following describes a specific example of the second embodiment with reference toFIG.6.

FIG.6is a perspective view of an example of an external configuration of a shredder in a system configuration of a shredder system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which differs fromFIG.2. As shown inFIG.6, a shredder1is placed on a plane (XY plane) formed by an X axis and a Y axis shown inFIG.6. Accordingly, as described above with reference toFIG.3, an X axis direction is referred to as a “length direction”, a Y axis direction as a “width direction”, an upward direction along a Z axis inFIG.6as an “up direction”, and a downward direction along the Z axis inFIG.6as a “down direction”.

The shredder1according to the second embodiment includes a retention container16and a shredding device20as shown inFIG.6. The retention container16includes the scanner device11, a housing unit17, and a top panel unit18. The shredding device20includes the cutting unit12, a housing unit13, and a top panel unit14. In the retention container16, the top panel unit18is attached to an upper portion of the housing unit17. The top panel unit18has a feed opening19for feeding a medium P. The scanner device11is provided within the housing unit17and is located right under the feed opening19in the top panel unit18. In the shredding device20, the top panel unit14is attached to an upper portion of the housing unit13. The top panel unit14has the feed opening15for feeding a medium P. The cutting unit12is located under the feed opening15. The cutting unit12shreds a medium P fed through the feed opening15with fine blades.

A series of operations is initiated, for example, by the worker H feeding a medium P into the feed opening19provided in the top panel unit14of the retention container16. Once the medium P has been fed through the feed opening19of the retention container16, the medium P is transferred to the scanner device11. A reading unit111of the scanner device11reads information printed or otherwise fixed on the medium P. An acquisition unit121of a main control unit112acquires the information of the medium P read in the reading unit111by converting the information into digital image data. A transmission control unit122of the main control unit112executes control for transmitting the information of the medium P acquired in the form of digital image data to a server2via a communication unit113. After the information has been read in the reading unit111of the scanner device11, the medium P is transferred by the automatic document feeder to a retention unit (not shown) provided within the housing unit17and retained for a certain period of time.

An information acquisition unit201of the server2acquires the information (digital image data) transmitted from the retention container16via a communication unit29. An information management unit202manages the information acquired by the information acquisition unit201by storing, in an acquired information DB40, the information in a manner such that the information is identifiable as that of the medium P so that the information can be retrieved as information of the medium P.

After being retained for a certain period of time in the retention unit provided within the housing unit17, the medium P is taken out from the retention unit and fed into the feed opening15provided in the shredding device20. The medium P is then sent to the cutting unit12and shredded.

When the user K wishes to refer to the information of the medium P, the user K gives an information retrieving instruction by accessing the server2via a supervisor terminal3.

Upon receiving the information retrieving instruction from the supervisor terminal3, an information retrieving unit203of the server2searches the acquired information DB40for the information of the medium P. Specifically, the information retrieving unit203obtains the information retrieving instruction sent from the supervisor terminal3via the communication unit29. The information retrieving unit203then retrieves the information of the medium P out of the acquired information DB40via the information management unit202.

A display control unit204of the server2executes control for displaying the information of the medium P retrieved by the information retrieving unit203on the supervisor terminal3via the communication unit29.

The supervisor terminal3acquires the information of the medium P through an acquisition unit thereof, not shown, and displays the information on a display thereof, not shown.

In the foregoing, a specific example of the second embodiment has been described with reference toFIG.6. As described above, the shredder1may have a configuration in which the scanner device11and the cutting unit12are provided in different housings to give the medium P a certain period of time after the information fixed thereon has been read and before the medium P is shredded. This configuration allows, for example, the user K to retrieve the information of the medium P using the supervisor terminal3and determine whether or not it is all right to discard the medium P based on the nature of the medium P while the medium P is retained in the retention container16after the information fixed on the medium P has been read. As a result, if the medium P is determined to be treated as do-not-discard, the medium P is taken out from the retention container16before being transferred to the shredding device20, so that the medium P is not shredded. As described above, the configuration that gives the medium P a certain period of time after the information fixed thereon has been read and before the medium P is shredded allows the user K to achieve both recovery of information and recovery of the physical medium P.

In the foregoing, embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and encompasses changes such as modifications and improvements to the extent that the object of the present invention is achieved.

For example, the hardware configurations shown inFIGS.3,4, and6are merely examples of configurations for achieving the object of the present invention, and no particular limitations are placed thereon.

For example, in the second embodiment described above, the shredder1is described as having a configuration that includes the retention container16having a function of reading information fixed on a medium P and the shredding device20having a function of shredding the medium P. However, the configuration of the second embodiment is not limited as such. That is, the retention container16and the shredding device20may be provided in the same housing.

For another example, in the second embodiment described above, the medium P is transferred to the shredding device20after being retained in the retention container16for a certain period of time, but no particular limitations are placed on how to transfer the medium P. For example, the medium P may be transferred manually by the user K or someone else, or may be transferred automatically.

The functional block diagram shown inFIG.5is merely an example, and no particular limitations are placed thereon. That is, as long as the information processing device has functions for executing the series of processes described above as a whole, functional blocks to be used for implementing such functions are not particularly limited to the example shown inFIG.5.

Furthermore, the functional blocks are not limited to being in the locations shown inFIG.5and may be in any locations. Furthermore, one functional block may be implemented solely by hardware, may be implemented solely by software, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software.

In a configuration in which the processes in the respective functional blocks are executed by software, programs that form the software are installed in a device such as a computer via a network or a recording medium. The computer may be any computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Furthermore, the computer may be, for example, any computer capable of executing various functions through various programs installed therein, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a general-purpose personal computer.

The recording medium containing the programs may be, for example, any removable medium that is distributed separately from the body of a device in order to provide the programs to each user, or any recording medium that is incorporated in the body of a device in order to be provided to each user along with the device.

The information fixed on the medium P is not particularly limited to being outputted as digital image data as in the foregoing embodiments. That is, the information of the medium P may be outputted as text data rather than image data. In this case, the user K may use at least a portion of the text data as a keyword to give an instruction for retrieving the information of the medium P. Specifically, for example, when the user K wishes to retrieve contract-related information, the user K enters “contract” as a keyword. As a result, information of any medium P containing the keyword “contract” is found and extracted out of information of various medium P stored in the acquired information DB40. This configuration, in which information of each medium P is outputted as text data, advantageously enables information of a medium P associated with a certain keyword to be smoothly found and extracted.

However, text data is also disadvantageous in that information therein can be easily rewritten. Specifically, for example, a non-related party with a fraudulent purpose can easily rewrite information about a contract with a client outputted as text data and output the information by fixing the information onto another medium. As described above, the configuration in which information of each medium P is outputted as text data is advantageous in that information can be easily found and extracted, but is also disadvantageous in that the information can be easily rewritten.

In this respect, digital image data is advantageous in that information included therein tends to be relatively difficult to modify, and thus the information is less editable. In a situation in which information fixed on a medium P is, for example, about a contract with a client, and is so important that editing thereof is impermissible, therefore, the information fixed on the medium P is more admissible as evidence and more preferable if the information is outputted as digital image data than if the information is outputted as text data.

In other words, the shredder system to which the present invention is applied may take various different embodiments as long as the shredder system has the following configuration. That is, a shredder system according to an aspect of the present invention includes:an information processing device (for example, the server2inFIG.2);a shredder (for example, the shredder1inFIG.3) configured to shred a medium (for example, the medium P inFIG.3) having information fixed thereon; anda scanner device (for example, the scanner device11inFIG.3),the scanner device (for example, the scanner device11inFIG.3) being configured to read the information fixed on the medium (for example, the medium P inFIG.3) at a predetermined time before the medium is shredded by the shredder (for example, the shredder1inFIG.3),the information processing device includingan information acquisition section (for example, the information acquisition unit201inFIG.5) configured to acquire the information read by the scanner device (for example, the scanner device11inFIG.3) andan information management section (for example, the information management unit202inFIG.5) configured to manage the information acquired by the information acquisition section (for example, the information acquisition unit201inFIG.5) in a recoverable manner. According to this configuration, the information fixed on the medium (for example, the medium P inFIG.3) is read by the scanner device (for example, the scanner device11inFIG.3) at a predetermined time before the medium (for example, the medium P inFIG.3) is shredded by the shredder (for example, the shredder1inFIG.3), and then is acquired by the information acquisition section (for example, the information acquisition unit201inFIG.5) of the information processing device and managed in a recoverable manner by the information management section (for example, the information management unit202inFIG.5). That is, this configuration makes it possible to prevent information destruction, because the information fixed on the medium is acquired before the medium is shredded and managed in a recoverable manner.

The information acquisition section (for example, the information acquisition unit201inFIG.5) acquires the information as image information. Since the information fixed on the medium (for example, the medium P inFIG.3) is acquired as image information, this configuration makes it possible to prevent the information from being altered. That is, this configuration helps increase the reliability of the information.

Furthermore, the information processing device further includes a provision section (for example, the information retrieving unit203inFIG.5) configured to recover and provide the information. According to this configuration, the provision section (for example, the information retrieving unit203inFIG.5) recovers and provides the information fixed on the medium (for example, the medium P inFIG.3). That is, this configuration makes it possible to recover information fixed on a medium that has been fed into a shredder.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

1: Shredder2: Server3: Supervisor terminal201: Information acquisition unit202: Information management unit203: Information retrieving unit204: Display control unit