JP2002352154A - Rental system for home information appliance, rental shop server, and method and program for rental service - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide rental fee charging, corresponding to the used time of a rental home information appliance and version upgrade via the Internet according to the rental state of built-in software. SOLUTION: A rental shop server 40 is provided with a means for accessing an information household electric appliance 20 rented to a customer, acquiring the usage time of the electrical appliance 20 and charging a rental fee according to the acquired used time, a means for managing the version of the built-in software 21 provided in the rented appliance 20 as customer data, and a means for acquiring the latest version information of the software from a maker server 60, comparing the latest version with the version of the customer data and performing version upgrading of the built-in software 21 of the electric appliance 20 via the Internet, in the case the latest version is different from the version of the customer data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rental system for information home appliances, a rental shop server, a rental service method, and a rental service program.
In particular, a rental system for information home appliances, a rental shop server, a rental service method, and a rental service program for performing a rental procedure, paying a rental fee, upgrading software incorporated in the information home appliance through a network such as the Internet. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, home appliances such as televisions, audio equipment, game machines, and electronic musical instruments are mainly purchased.
Information processing products such as personal computers are used by users by purchasing or renting. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information home appliances that combine a conventional home appliance with a computer and that can access the Internet and the like have attracted attention. This information home appliance has a home appliance function and an information processing function using built-in software, and it is expected that not only purchase but also rental use will increase.

On the other hand, for information processing products such as personal computers currently used for rental,
The rental fee is determined according to the rental period,
Since the frequency of use is not taken into consideration, there is a feeling of being expensive for a user who does not use much. In addition, JP-A-6-230
In the high-priced computer software rental method described in Japanese Patent No. 847, and the information rental system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-66050, when software of a host machine accessed through a communication line is used, the use of the software Although it is disclosed that the usage fee is charged by time, it is not related to the rental of the product itself, and for users who use the rented product less frequently, there is a feeling that the fixed rental fee according to the period is expensive. There is no change. In the rental of home information appliances, the frequency and time of using the built-in software vary greatly from user to user, and there is room for improvement in applying a uniform rental fee to those users.

[0004] Further, information home appliances have an information processing function in addition to the home appliance function, and the built-in software for the information processing function is usually upgraded from time to time by a manufacturer. However, since the user continues to use the software version at the start of rental regardless of the latest version, there is a problem that the function of the rental product is relatively deteriorated and the rental product is not suitable for long-term rental.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a rental system for information home appliances, a rental shop server, a rental service method and a rental service program which solve the above problems.

[0006]

A first information home appliance rental system according to the present invention comprises a user terminal, an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, and a maker server provided in a software developer or the like. And a rental shop server provided in a rental company, and a rental system for information home appliances provided with the Internet for interconnecting them, wherein the user terminal is configured such that the rental shop server opens on the Internet. Has a means of accessing a homepage of a rental shop, and ordering a rental order for an information home appliance. The information home appliance rented to a customer detects the use status of the own device and records it in an internal storage device. And a built-in software, wherein the maker server is provided with the information home appliance. Means for registering and updating software information, and means for transmitting the latest version information to the rental shop server when the software is upgraded, wherein the rental shop server sends a rental order from the user terminal. Means for receiving and performing delivery arrangement and delivery confirmation of the information home appliance, means for accessing the information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain the recorded usage status, and usage time based on the obtained usage status. Means for calculating and charging a rental fee according to the usage time, means for managing the version of the built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer, and when the latest version information is transmitted from the maker server. Compare this latest version with the version managed for each customer, If you have had Tsu, and a means to upgrade the built-in software of the relevant information home appliances via the Internet.

A second information home appliance rental system according to the present invention includes a user terminal, an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, and a rental company. A rental shop server, and a rental system for information home appliances including the Internet for interconnecting the rental shop servers, wherein the user terminal is a homepage of a rental shop opened by the rental shop server on the Internet. And a means for ordering a rental order for an information home appliance, wherein the information home appliance rented to the customer has an information processing function of the home appliance function of its own device and the information processing function of the built-in software. Means for detecting the usage status of the device and recording it in an internal storage device; The maker server has means for registering and updating software information of the information home appliance, and means for transmitting the latest version information to the rental shop server when the software is upgraded. The rental shop server receives a rental order from the user terminal, and arranges and confirms delivery of the information home appliance, and accesses the information home appliance rented to a customer to store the recorded information home appliance. Means for acquiring the usage status, calculating the usage time and the first rental fee corresponding to the usage time from the obtained usage status, and setting a second rental fee predetermined according to the rental period and the first rental fee. Means for charging the total charge of the rental fee as a rental fee, and a built-in software of the information home appliance. Means for managing the version of the wear for each customer, and when the latest version information is transmitted from the maker server, the latest version is compared with the version managed for each customer, and if different, Means for upgrading the built-in software of the corresponding information home appliance via the Internet.

[0008] A third information home appliance rental system according to the present invention is the first or second information home appliance rental system according to the first or second information home appliance rental system, wherein the rental shop server acquires the usage status of the information home appliance. It is characterized in that it is performed periodically at predetermined intervals.

In a fourth information home appliance rental system according to the present invention, in the first, second or third information home appliance rental system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rental shop server may be configured to perform the upgrade before performing the version upgrade. It is characterized in that the user terminal is inquired about whether or not to execute the version upgrade, and the version is upgraded when the execution request is received from the user terminal.

[0010] The first rental shop server of the present invention comprises: an information home appliance rented from a rental agent to a customer; a maker server provided by a software developer; a rental shop server provided by the rental agent; A rental shop server in a system including the Internet for interconnecting these,
Means for accessing the information home appliance rented to the customer to obtain the usage time of the information home appliance, charging the rental fee according to the obtained usage time, and being built in the rented information home appliance. Means for managing the software version as customer data, acquiring the latest version information of the software from the manufacturer server, and comparing the version of the customer data with the version of the customer data, the built-in software of the information home appliance is Means for upgrading the version via the Internet.

[0011] A second rental shop server of the present invention includes an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer and the like, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, A rental shop server in a system including the Internet for interconnecting these,
Accessing the information home appliance rented to the customer to obtain the usage time of the software built in the information home appliance, calculating the first rental fee according to the obtained usage time, and according to the rental period Means for charging a total of a predetermined second rental fee and the first rental fee as a rental fee, and means for managing a software version incorporated in the rented information home appliance as customer data. Acquiring the latest version information of the software from the maker server, and upgrading the built-in software of the information home appliance via the Internet when the version is different from the version of the customer data. .

[0012] A third rental shop server according to the present invention is the first or second rental shop server according to the present invention, wherein the use status of the information home appliance is obtained periodically at predetermined intervals. Features.

A first information home appliance rental service method according to the present invention includes an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided in a software developer, etc., and a rental provided in the rental company. A rental service method for an information home appliance in a system including a shop server and the Internet interconnecting the shop server, wherein the information home appliance rented to a customer detects a use state of the own device and stores an internal storage. A first step of recording in the device; a second step in which the rental shop server accesses the information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain the recorded usage status; Use time and rental according to the use time obtained from the use situation acquired in step 2 A third step of calculating and charging money, a fourth step in which the rental shop server manages the version of the built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer, and registering and updating software information of the information home appliance. A fifth step in which the managing maker server transmits the latest version information to the rental shop server when software is upgraded; and when the rental shop server receives the latest version information from the maker server. A sixth step of comparing the latest version with the version managed for each customer and, if different, transmitting a version upgrade execution instruction and software to be upgraded to the applicable information home appliance; and , The information home appliance is the rental shop service. And a seventh step of performing a version upgrade process of the software are built in accordance with an instruction from the server.

According to a second rental service method for information home appliances of the present invention, an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, etc., and a rental provided for the rental company are provided. A method for renting an information home appliance in a system including a shop server and the Internet for interconnecting the same, wherein the information home appliance rented to a customer has a home appliance function of its own device and software embedded therein. A first step of detecting the use status of the information processing function among the information processing functions and recording the information in an internal storage device; and accessing the information home appliance rented to a customer by the rental shop server and recording the information. A second step of acquiring the used usage status, and the rental shop server Calculating the usage time and the first rental fee corresponding to the usage time from the usage status acquired in the step, and totaling the predetermined second rental fee and the first rental fee according to the rental period. A third step in which the rental shop server manages the version of the built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer.
And a fifth step in which the maker server for registering and updating software information of the information home appliance transmits latest version information to the rental shop server when software is upgraded, and the rental shop server. However, when the latest version information is transmitted from the maker server, the latest version is compared with the version managed for each customer, and if the versions are different, the version is updated to the corresponding information home appliance. The method includes a sixth step of transmitting the command and the software to be upgraded, and a seventh step of performing a version upgrade process of software installed in the information home appliance in accordance with an instruction from the rental shop server.

[0015] A first rental service program of the present invention comprises an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer or the like, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, A rental service program applied to a rental shop server in a system including the Internet for interconnecting these, and obtains the usage time of the information home appliance by accessing the information home appliance rented to a customer, Means for charging a rental fee according to the obtained use time, means for managing the version of the software incorporated in the rented information home appliance as customer data, and obtaining the latest version information of the software from the maker server. , Version of the customer data If different compared to the information appliances means to upgrade via the Internet internal software, as causes a computer to function as.

[0016] A second rental service program of the present invention comprises an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, and the like. A rental service program applied to a rental shop server in a system including the Internet for interconnecting these, wherein the customer accesses an information home appliance rented to a customer and uses software embedded in the information home appliance. The time is acquired, the first rental fee is calculated according to the acquired usage time, and the total fee of the second rental fee and the first rental fee predetermined according to the rental period is charged as the rental fee. Means to be built into the rented information home appliance Means for managing the software version as customer data, acquiring the latest version information of the software from the maker server, and comparing the version of the customer data with the version of the customer data, the built-in software of the information home appliance is The computer functions as means for upgrading via the Internet.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. A user terminal 10, an information home appliance 20, which is a rental product, a network 30, a rental shop server 40, a delivery company It is configured to include a server 50, a maker server 60, a credit company server 70, and the Internet 80 interconnecting these.

The user terminal 10 is an information processing device such as a personal computer used by the user, a mobile phone, or the like, and has a means for accessing the Internet 80.

The information home appliance 20 is a rental product used by a user, includes built-in software 21, and has a means for accessing the Internet 80 and a means for recording the use status. Here, the information home appliance integrates the home appliance function of a conventional home appliance such as a television, an audio device, a game device, and an electronic musical instrument with a computer operated by software 21 such as a built-in application program, and the Internet or the like. Means a product that allows various services to be used. The usage status is, for example, the use start date and time and the use end date and time when the information home appliance 20 is used. The definition of use is simply that the information home appliance 20 is turned on. Instead, the use state is set when at least one of the home appliance function and the information processing function is operated, and the information home appliance 20 has a function of detecting that each function is being used. For example, in the case of an information home appliance of an audio device, a state in which software such as a built-in application program is activated corresponds to a state in which the information processing function is being used during playback or recording while the home appliance function is being used. Each time the use status such as the use start date and time and the use end date and time is stored in a storage unit (not shown) provided therein.

The network 30 is a communication network installed in a home by a power line, a wireless or wired LAN, or the like.

The rental shop server 40 is an information processing apparatus such as a server provided by a rental company of information home appliances, and establishes a rental shop homepage on the Internet 80. The rental shop server 40 includes a shop rental information registration / update unit 41, a version upgrade processing unit 42, a use time database 43, a rental information database 44, and a software version database 45.

The rental information registering / updating unit 41 receives a rental request or a return request of the information home appliance via the Internet 80 from the user terminal 10 and registers and updates the rental information database 44 with the rental information database 44. Means for exchanging delivery / return information with the credit card 50, means for generating payment information and transmitting it to the credit company server 70, and periodically obtaining the usage status of the rented information home appliance 20 by each user. Means for calculating the usage time and the rental fee.

The version upgrade processing section 42 is provided for the maker server 6 when the software version is upgraded.
0, a means for notifying the user terminal 10 of the information home appliance 20 incorporating the notified software that the version has been upgraded, and a version upgrade execution instruction for the corresponding information home appliance 20. There is provided a transmitting unit and a unit for registering a software update fee in the rental information database 44 after the execution of the version upgrade.

The usage time database 43 stores, for each user, the usage status (date and time of use and date and time of use) of the information home appliance 20 of each user which is periodically acquired by the rental information registration / update unit 41.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the rental information database 44 stores a management number, a rental product name in correspondence with personal information such as a customer name, an e-mail address, payment credit card information, a telephone number, and an address. , A rental product network address, a scheduled rental end date, a rental start date, a rental end date, a use time, a rental charge, a software update charge, a use time, a charge update date, and the like.

Software version database 45
Stores the built-in software version of each customer and rental information home appliance as shown in FIG. 6, and the latest version information of each software for each product as shown in FIG. The rental shop server 40 is controlled by a rental service program stored in a storage unit (not shown), and the rental service program controls the operation of each unit of the rental shop server 40.

The delivery company server 50 is an information processing device such as a server provided for the delivery company, manages delivery information and pick-up information of rental products, and notifies the rental shop server 40 of delivery completion information and pick-up completion information. There is a means to do. The maker server 60 is an information processing device such as a server provided for an information home appliance manufacturer, a software maker, a software developer, or the like, manages software information of the information home appliance, and stores a rental shop when the software is upgraded. A means for transmitting version upgrade information to the server 40 is provided. The credit company server 70 includes means for executing payment by a credit card of the user of the rented information home appliance 20.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention in the rental processing. FIG.
Is a diagram showing an example of rental information stored in the rental information database 44. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention in the version upgrade process. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the latest version management data for each software used for each product stored in the software version database 45. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of version management data for each software stored in the rental product of each user stored in the software version database 45.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention in the rental process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6.

Referring to FIG. 2, the user who is the orderer accesses the homepage established on the Internet 80 by the rental shop server 40 from his / her user terminal 10 (step A1). The rental information registration / update unit 41 of the rental shop server 40 transmits the rental contract information screen to the user terminal 10 (Step A)
2). The user inputs information regarding the rental procedure from the user terminal 10 and transmits the information to the rental shop server 40. The information to be input at this time is, among the contents shown in FIG. 3, personal information such as customer name, e-mail address, credit card information for payment, telephone number, address, etc. and rental information. It is. If the user is currently using another rental product, the personal information registered previously can be referred to by inputting the ID number at the time of accessing the homepage, so that the input of the personal information becomes unnecessary (step A3).

The rental information registration / updating unit 41 generates a user rental information screen as shown in FIG. 3 by assigning a management number based on the information input from the user terminal 10,
Transmit to the user terminal 10. However, at this point, FIG.
The rental product network address, rental start date, rental end date, usage time, rental fee, software update fee, usage time, charge update date, etc. are not displayed. When the user checks the contents on the user terminal 10 and transmits the rental order to the rental shop server 40, the rental information registration / update unit 41 registers the rental information in the rental information database 44 (step A).
4).

Next, the rental information registration / update unit 41
Information such as the user's name, address, telephone number, management number, and information home appliance name is generated as delivery information, and the delivery information is transmitted to the delivery company server 50, and the rental information home appliance 2
0 to the user's home (step A
5). The delivery company delivers the rental information home appliance 20 to the user's home, inputs delivery completion information to the delivery company server 50, and the delivery company server 50 transmits the delivery completion information to the rental shop server 40. The delivery completion information includes the delivery date along with the user name, management number, information home appliance name, and the like (step A6).

Upon receiving the delivery completion information from the delivery company server 50, the rental information registration / update section 41 of the rental shop server 40 sets the delivery date on the rental start date of the corresponding user and product stored in the rental information database 44. While registering, the software version database 45 shown in FIG. 5 in which the latest version information of each software for each product is registered in advance, and the version of the built-in software of the corresponding product is stored in the software version database 45 shown in FIG. register. Since the built-in software 21 of the information home appliance 20 is delivered in the latest version, the software version of the product rented to the user matches the latest version shown in FIG. 5 at the time of delivery (step A).
7).

The user who has received the information home appliance 20 from the delivery company installs and starts up the product, accesses the rental shop homepage from the user terminal 10 via the Internet 80, and
Network address of rental shop server 40
(Step A8). The rental information registration / updating unit 41 of the rental shop server 40 stores the user terminal 1
When the network address of the information home appliance 20 is received from 0, it is registered in the product address column shown in FIG. 3 of the corresponding user and product stored in the rental information database 44 (step A9).

The rental information registering / updating unit 41 acquires the product address stored in the rental information database 44, and periodically accesses the information home appliance 20 rented to each user via the Internet 80 and the network 30. , And obtains the usage status of the information home appliance 20 recorded in the information home appliance 20 (the use start date and time, the use end date and time, etc.), and stores it in the usage time database 43 together with the obtained date. Then, the rental information registration / update unit 41 refers to the usage time database 43 and extracts the difference between the current acquisition date and the previous acquisition date, that is, the usage status data from the previous acquisition date to the current acquisition date. In addition to calculating the usage time, a rental fee is calculated by multiplying the usage time by a predetermined fee for each product per one hour of usage, and the usage time and the rental fee are stored in the rental information database 44. The usage time and rental fee of the rental information are updated as shown in FIG. 3 in addition to the stored values of the corresponding user, product usage time, and rental fee column. At this time, the latest acquisition date, such as the usage time and the fee update date, are also rewritten and stored (step A10).

Next, when the user wants to end the rental of the information home appliance 20, the user accesses the rental shop homepage via the Internet 80 from the user terminal 10 and inputs information relating to the rental end procedure (step A11). The rental information registration / updating unit 41, which has received the input of the rental end, accesses the information home appliance 20, obtains the final usage status of the information home appliance 20 recorded therein, and uses the usage time of the rental information database 44. After updating the rental fee, the billed rental fee and the software update fee are displayed on the homepage (step A12).

The rental information registration / update unit 41
With reference to the rental information database 44, product pickup request information including the user's name, address, product name, and the like is generated and transmitted to the delivery company server 50 (step A13). The delivery company receives the rental product from the user, and inputs the delivery request information and the delivery completion information including the product delivery completion date to the delivery company server 50. The delivery company server 50 sends the delivery completion information to the rental shop server 40. It transmits (step A14).
The rental information registering / updating unit 41 registers the product pick-up completion date on the rental end date of the corresponding user's rental information database 44, and refers to the rental information database 44 to obtain the rental fee, software update fee, and credit card of the corresponding user. Generates user billing information including information, etc.
0 is transmitted (step A15). The credit company server 70 performs a payment process based on the received user billing information (step A16).

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention in the version upgrade processing will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The information home appliance manufacturer or the software manufacturer registers and updates the latest version information of the software by the manufacturer server 60 (step B1 in FIG. 4), and the latest version information of each software is transmitted from the manufacturer server 60. It is transmitted to the rental shop server 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the latest version information stores the latest version for each software used by each product. The manufacturer transmits the latest version information when the software is upgraded (step B2).

The version upgrade processing unit 42 of the rental shop server 40 that has received the latest version information updates the latest version information of the maker shown in FIG. Note that the version upgrade processing unit 42 registers the latest version of the software at that time in the software version database 45 at the time of starting the system, and thereafter, every time there is a version upgrade,
The latest version information is transmitted from the maker server 60 and is automatically updated. Then, the version upgrade processing unit 42
Compares the updated latest manufacturer's version information shown in FIG. 5 with the user's rental product version information shown in FIG. 6 and extracts software that needs to be upgraded (step B3).

The version upgrade processing section 42 transmits the extracted version upgrade information to the user terminal 10. At this time, the upgrade processing unit 42 acquires, for example, the mail address of the user terminal 10 registered in the rental information database 44, and transmits the upgrade information to the user terminal 10 by e-mail (step B4). The user who received the version upgrade information
Access the rental shop homepage from the user terminal 10 and request a version upgrade (step B
5).

The version upgrade processing section 42 of the rental shop server 40 transmits a command to execute the software version upgrade to the information home appliance 20 (step B6). The information home appliance 20 upgrades the version of the software and transmits completion information of the upgrade to the rental shop server 40 (step B).
7). In performing this version upgrade, in step B6, the version upgrade processing unit 4
2 may access the maker server 60 to download the latest version of the corresponding software, and transmit the downloaded software to the information home appliance 20 together with a version upgrade execution command. The execution instruction, the address of the maker server 60 to which the download request of the software is requested, the name of the software, and the like may be transmitted to the information home appliance 20, and the information home appliance 20 may download the software and upgrade the version.

The version upgrade processing section 42 accesses the information home appliance 20 to obtain version information of the upgraded software (step B8), and stores the version information of the corresponding user shown in FIG. Is updated (step B9). The version upgrade processing unit 42
Transmits version upgrade completion information and software update fee information to the user terminal 10 (step B1).
0). The user terminal 10 displays version upgrade completion information and software update fee information, and the user confirms that the version has been upgraded (step B1).
1). Further, the version upgrade processing unit 42 registers the update fee in the software update fee column shown in FIG. 3 corresponding to the user and the product stored in the rental information database 44 (step B12).

In the embodiment of the present invention described above, when at least one of the home appliance function and the information processing function of the information home appliance 20 is operated, the use time is calculated, and the use time is calculated. It has been described that the rental fee is determined according to the rental fee. However, the rental fee may be determined according to the rental period for the home electric appliance function, and the usage fee may be determined for the information processing function. In this case, the information home appliance 20 detects and records only the information processing function, that is, the operation time of the built-in software as the use state, and does not detect the operation of the home appliance function. Also, in the rental shop server 40, the rental fee shown in FIG. 3 is divided into a portion corresponding to the period and a portion corresponding to the use time, registered in the rental information database 44, and the total fee of these rental fees is charged as the rental fee. .

In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the rental fee is determined according to the usage time of the information home appliance 20, but the rental fee is determined according to the usage time or the rental fee is determined. The user may be allowed to select whether to determine according to the period. In this case, when the user terminal 10 accesses the homepage of the rental shop on the Internet 80, the user is allowed to select on the screen whether the charge is based on the usage time or the rental period, and the rental shop server 4
A value of 0 causes the rental information database 44 to register whether the fee calculation is based on the rental period or the usage time for each user, and does not acquire the usage time of the information home appliance 20 for the user whose fee is calculated based on the rental period. Shall be. By doing so, for example, there is an effect that it is possible to select a more advantageous rental fee depending on the usage situation of the user, for example, a user who uses the rental product less frequently can select a fee system based on the usage time.

Also, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, it has been described that a fee such as a rental fee or a software update fee is paid at the end of the rental.
For example, the rental shop server 40 may periodically request the credit company server 70 for payment processing, such as at the end of each month. Further, the payment processing is not limited to credit, and may be other payment processing such as debit from a user deposit account of a payment institution such as a financial institution.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the actual usage time of the rental product is managed and the rental fee is set according to the usage time, there is an effect that a rental service according to the characteristics of the information home appliance can be provided.

Also, the software installed in the rented product is upgraded from the rental shop server via the Internet each time the version is upgraded, so that the user is automatically upgraded after the rental. The latest software has the effect of using the latest functions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of one embodiment of the present invention in a rental process.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of rental information stored in a rental information database 44.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the embodiment of the present invention in a version upgrade process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of latest version management data for each software used for each product, stored in a software version database 45.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of version management data for each software stored in a rental product of each user stored in a software version database 45.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 User terminal 20 Information home appliance 21 Built-in software 30 Network 40 Rental shop server 41 Rental information registration / update unit 42 Upgrade processing unit 43 Usage time database 44 Rental information database 45 Software version database 50 Delivery company server 60 Maker server 70 Credit company Server 80 internet

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A user terminal, an information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental agent, a maker server provided for a software developer, etc., a rental shop server provided for the rental agent, and these are interconnected. A rental system for information home appliances provided with the Internet, wherein the user terminal accesses a homepage of a rental shop established by the rental shop server on the Internet and places a rental order for information home appliances. The information home appliance rented to a customer has means for detecting the use status of the own device and recording it in an internal storage device, and built-in software. Means for registering and updating software information of the information home appliance; Means for transmitting the latest version information to the rental shop server when the version is upgraded, wherein the rental shop server receives a rental order from the user terminal, and performs a delivery arrangement and a delivery confirmation of the information home appliance. Means for accessing the information home appliance rented to the customer to obtain the recorded usage status; and calculating the usage time and the rental fee according to the usage time from the obtained usage status and charging. Means for managing the version of the built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer, and when the latest version information is transmitted from the maker server, the latest version and the version managed for each customer And if they are different, install the built-in software of Means for upgrading information via the Internet. 2. A user terminal, an information home appliance rented from a rental agent to a customer, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental agent, and these are interconnected. A rental system for information home appliances provided with the Internet, wherein the user terminal accesses a homepage of a rental shop established by the rental shop server on the Internet and places a rental order for information home appliances. The information home appliance rented to the customer detects the usage status of the information processing function among the home appliance function of the own device and the information processing function by the built-in software, and stores the information in the internal storage device. Recording means, and built-in software, wherein the manufacturer server Means for registering and updating the software information of the home electric appliance, and means for transmitting the latest version information to the rental shop server when the software is upgraded, wherein the rental shop server Means for receiving a rental order and performing delivery arrangement and delivery confirmation of the information home appliance; means for accessing the information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain the recorded usage status; and The usage time and the first rental fee corresponding to the usage time are calculated from the situation, and the total fee of the second rental fee and the first rental fee predetermined according to the rental period is charged as the rental fee. Means, means for managing the version of the built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer, When the latest version information is transmitted from the maker server, the latest version is compared with the version managed for each customer, and if different, the built-in software of the corresponding information home appliance is sent to the Internet. Means for upgrading information via an electronic home appliance. 3. The information home appliance rental system according to claim 1, wherein the use status of the information home appliance by the rental shop server is periodically obtained at a predetermined interval. Information home appliances rental system. 4. The information home appliance rental system according to claim 1, wherein the rental shop server inquires of the user terminal whether to execute the version upgrade before performing the version upgrade. An information home appliance rental system, which upgrades the version when an execution request is received from the user terminal. 5. An information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, and the Internet for interconnecting these. A rental shop server in a system provided with: a means for accessing an information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain a usage time of the information home appliance, and charging a rental fee according to the obtained usage time; Means for managing the version of the software contained in the rented information home appliance as customer data, and obtaining the latest version information of the software from the maker server, and comparing with the version of the customer data, if different Then, the built-in software of the information home appliance is Rental shop server, characterized in that it comprises a means for upgrading through Netto. 6. An information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, and the Internet for interconnecting these. A rental shop server in a system provided with the information processing apparatus, comprising: accessing an information home appliance rented to a customer to acquire a use time of software built in the information home appliance; and performing a first rental according to the acquired use time. Means for calculating a charge, charging a total charge of a second rental charge predetermined in accordance with the rental period and the first rental charge as a rental charge, and a built-in rental information home appliance. Means for managing software versions as customer data; Means for acquiring the latest version information from the maker server and upgrading the built-in software of the information home appliance via the Internet when the version is different from the version of the customer data. Rental shop server to do. 7. The rental shop server according to claim 5, wherein the acquisition of the usage status of the information home appliance is periodically performed at a predetermined interval. 8. An information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, and the Internet for interconnecting these. A rental service method for an information home appliance in a system comprising: a first step in which the information home appliance rented to a customer detects a use condition of the own device and records it in an internal storage device; A second step in which a server accesses the information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain the recorded usage status; and a usage time and a usage time based on the usage status obtained by the rental shop server in the second step. A third step of calculating and charging a rental fee according to the usage time; A fourth step in which the shop server manages the version of the built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer; and the maker server which registers and updates the software information of the information home appliance when the software is upgraded A fifth step of transmitting the latest version information to the rental shop server; and when the rental shop server receives the latest version information from the maker server, the latest version and the version managed for each customer. A sixth step of transmitting a version upgrade execution instruction and software to be upgraded to a corresponding information home appliance when the information home appliance is different, and the information home appliance is operated by an instruction from the rental shop server. The built-in software And a seventh step of performing a version-up process. 9. A home information appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, and the Internet for interconnecting these. A rental service method for an information home appliance in a system provided, wherein the information home appliance rented to a customer uses the information processing function among the home appliance function of the own device and the information processing function by built-in software. A first step in which the rental shop server accesses the information home appliance rented to a customer and acquires the recorded usage status; and The rental shop server determines the usage time and the usage time based on the usage status obtained in the second step. Calculates a first rental fee according to the use time of the first rental fee, and a second rental fee predetermined according to the rental period and the first rental fee.
A third step of charging the total rental fee as a rental fee, a fourth step in which the rental shop server manages a version of built-in software of the information home appliance for each customer, and a software of the information home appliance. A fifth step of transmitting the latest version information to the rental shop server when the software is upgraded, wherein the manufacturer server for registering and updating information transmits the latest version information from the manufacturer server; When transmitted, the latest version is compared with the version managed for each customer, and if they are different, a version upgrade execution instruction and software to be upgraded are transmitted to the corresponding information home appliance. Sixth step, the information A seventh step of performing a version upgrade process of software installed in the home appliance in accordance with an instruction from the rental shop server. 10. A home information appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for a rental company, and the Internet for interconnecting these. A rental service program applied to a rental shop server in a system provided with the system, comprising: accessing an information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain a usage time of the information home appliance; and a rental fee according to the obtained usage time. Means for charging the software version incorporated in the rented information home appliance as customer data, obtaining the latest version information of the software from the maker server, and comparing with the version of the customer data. The information A rental service program for causing a computer to function as means for upgrading the built-in software of home appliances via the Internet. 11. An information home appliance rented to a customer from a rental company, a maker server provided for a software developer, a rental shop server provided for the rental company, and the Internet for interconnecting these. A rental service program applied to a rental shop server in a system provided with the system, comprising accessing an information home appliance rented to a customer to obtain a usage time of software built in the information home appliance, and obtaining the obtained usage time. Means for calculating a first rental fee according to the above, and charging a total fee of a second rental fee and the first rental fee predetermined according to a rental period as a rental fee, The version of the software built into the product is Acquiring the latest version information of the software from the maker server, and upgrading the built-in software of the information home appliance via the Internet if the version is different from the version of the customer data. A means of doing, a rental service program to make the computer function as a.