Patent ID: 7228561

Claim:
An open information based access control method for use in a system which comprises a plurality of devices connected to each other, each of said plurality of devices including one or a plurality of processors incorporated therein, each processor having a function of executing a predetermined information process and a communication function, said method comprising the steps of: receiving data in a first device and reading destination information from said data thereby to determine whether or not said data is one-to-one communication basis; determining, in said first device, when said first device receives said data, whether or not said data received in said first device is broadcast to other devices, and presenting said data received in said first device from said first device to other devices when said data received in said first device is said one-to-one communication basis; determining in a second device of said plurality of devices, to which said data is presented, whether or not said data presented in said second device is an access request to any device, and presenting said data presented in said second device to other devices when said data is an access request; determining, in said first device, when said data received in said first device is broadcast to said other devices, whether or not said data received in said first device is data presented from another device; and determining, in said first device, if said data received in said first device is not data presented from another device other than said first device, whether or not to permit said access request to said first device based on said data received in said first device and thereafter to present said data received in said first device to said other devices; and determining, in said first device, whether or not said data received in said first device is an access request to said first device, and thereafter whether or not to permit said access request based on a predetermined condition when said first device receives data presented from another device.