US 8271315

US Patent 8271315: Personal Information Utilization System for Commodity-Based Identification

Title: Personal information utilization system and personal information utilization program for commodity based identification

Assignee: Keysoft Inc.

Inventors: Yoshimitsu Kagiwada

Filing Date: November 5, 2002

Issue Date: September 18, 2012

Abstract: The patent aims to enhance customer service quality by enabling the sharing and utilization of customer personal information across various industries. It describes a system comprising a personal information storage means, a communication means, and an information processing means. The personal information storage means stores not only personal information of individuals (information disclosing persons) but also commodity provision information related to services or goods provided to them. The processing means is configured to receive personal information from an information search side terminal, verify it against stored data, identify the information disclosing person, and then transmit their associated commodity provision information back to the search terminal. An alternative embodiment allows searching by commodity provision information to identify associated individuals and return their personal information. The system also incorporates disclosure limits for personal information, allowing individuals to control their privacy.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

US Patent 8271315 contains two independent claims: Claim 1 and Claim 2.

Independent Claim 1: Personal Information Utilization System
This claim describes a system designed to help a "second commodity provider" (e.g., a furniture store) identify potential customers based on past purchases from a "first commodity provider" (e.g., a housing vendor).

In plain language, the system works as follows:

• It has a central storage area (personal information storage means) that holds people's personal details and records of items or services ("first commodity provision information") they've received from various businesses ("first commodity provider").
• A computer processor manages this storage and communication.
• The system receives information about a product or service ("second commodity provision information") from a different company ("second commodity provider") that is looking for customers. This information includes details about a product similar to what the first provider offers (e.g., knowing someone bought a house implies they might need furniture).
• The system then compares this incoming "second commodity provision information" with its stored "first commodity provision information."
• If there's a match (meaning the "second commodity provision information" partially or completely aligns with stored "first commodity provision information"), the system identifies individuals ("specifically identified information disclosing person") who received the matching product or service from the "first commodity provider."
• Finally, the system retrieves a portion of the personal information of these identified individuals and sends it to the "second commodity provider's" terminal. This helps the second provider find customers who have a demonstrated need for their products or services based on past purchases from other providers.

Independent Claim 2: Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Medium with Program
This claim is directed to a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (like a hard drive or SSD) that, when run, performs the steps of a similar personal information utilization method.

In plain language, this means:

• A computer program exists on a storage device.
• When this program is executed, it carries out a series of steps:
  • It receives "second commodity provision information" from a "second commodity provider" (a company searching for customers).
  • It compares this "second commodity provision information" with existing "first commodity provision information" (records of what people have purchased from other companies).
  • Based on this comparison, it identifies individuals who are associated with the matching "first commodity provision information."
  • It retrieves personal information for these identified individuals from a database.
  • It then transmits at least some of this personal information to the "second commodity provider."
• Essentially, this claim covers the software aspect that enables the same functionality described in Claim 1, allowing for cross-industry customer identification based on shared (with consent) purchase history.

CAFC 2026 Dockets for US8271315:

A targeted search for US patent 8271315 in the CAFC 2026 dockets did not yield specific litigation directly associated with this patent number as of April 26, 2026. General searches for CAFC 2026 dockets show various patent-related cases, but none explicitly mention US8271315. Accessing detailed CAFC docket information often requires specific systems like PACER, which were not directly utilized in this general web search.