Association search system, search handling device, database, and non-transitory computer readable medium

Abstract

When a user inputs a search condition, an agent sends, to a database of each organization to which the user does not have an access right, a search request including the search condition and the ID of a cooperation participant member having an access right to the database of the organization. A proxy of each organization causes the search device to search for a chain of links that connect between a data element that meets the search condition in the search request from the agent and a data element that represents the cooperation participant member in the search request, and returns to the agent information on a cooperation participant member that may have access to the data element that meets the search condition on the basis of the search result.

1 . A search handling device comprising:
 a registered user storage section that stores access right information that indicates which of a plurality of databases each registered user has an access right to, the registered user having an access right to at least one of the plurality of databases and being registered in the search handling device;   a search request transmitting section that transmits a search request to each of the plurality of databases in response to input of a search condition being received from a user as a search requesting entity, the search request including identification information on the registered user having an access right to the database and the search condition; and   a search result providing section that provides the user as the search requesting entity with information on the registered user having a link that is traceable via one or more chains of links to a data element that suits the search condition on a basis of response information from each of the plurality of databases to the search request.   
     
     
         2 . A database comprising:
 a graph storage section that stores information on a graph in which data elements are defined as nodes and relationships among the data elements are defined as links, the data elements including a user element that represents a user having an access right to the database;   a search request acquiring section that acquires from a search handling device a search request including identification information on a registered user having an access right to the database and a search condition input by a user as a search requesting entity;   a data search section that searching the graph storage section for a data element that suits the search condition in the acquired search request;   a chain investigating section that investigating the graph storage section for a chain of the links that connect between a node for a data element that suits the search condition retrieved by the data search section and a node for a user element that represents the registered user included in the search request; and   a responding section that specifies, among the registered users having an access right to the database, the registered user linked to the node for the data element that suits the search condition through the chain of links on a basis of a result of the investigation performed by the chain investigating section, and responds to the search handling device with response information that represents the specified registered user.   
     
     
         3 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as:
 a registered user storage section that stores access right information that indicates which of a plurality of databases each registered user has an access right to, the registered user having an access right to at least one of the plurality of databases and being registered in the search handling device;   a search request transmitting section that transmits a search request to each of the plurality of databases in a case where input of a search condition is received from a user as a search requesting entity, the search request including identification information on the registered user having an access right to the database and the search condition; and   a search result providing section that provides the user as the search requesting entity with information on the registered user having a link that is traceable via one or more chains of links to a data element that suits the search condition on a basis of response information from each of the plurality of databases to the search request.   
     
     
         4 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to function as:
 a graph storage section that stores information on a graph in which data elements are defined as nodes and relationships among the data elements are defined as links, the data elements including a user element that represents a user having an access right to the database;   a search request acquiring section that acquires from a search handling device a search request including identification information on a registered user having an access right to the database and a search condition input by a user as a search requesting entity;   a data search section that searches the graph storage section for a data element that suits the search condition in the acquired search request;   a chain investigating section that investigates the graph storage section for a chain of the links that connect between a node for a data element that suits the search condition retrieved by the data search section and a node for a user element that represents the registered user included in the search request; and   a responding section that specifies, among the registered users having an access right to the database, the registered user linked to the node for the data element that suits the search condition through the chain of links on a basis of a result of the investigation performed by the chain investigating section, and responds to the search handling device with response information that represents the specified registered user.