JP2998785B2 - User registration system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for registering a user who has purchased an electronic device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "personal computer"), and more particularly to a system for automatically registering online and reducing telephone charges. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when a personal computer is sold, a postcard for applying for user registration is attached to the personal computer so that various services can be provided to a personal computer purchaser, that is, a user after the purchase. Is common. When a user intends to apply for registration, necessary information, that is, registration information, such as a name and an address, is entered in a user registration postcard attached to a personal computer, and mailed.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned user registration method using a postcard, since it takes time and effort, all users who have purchased a personal computer have not registered.

[0004] From such a viewpoint, an object of the present invention is to provide a user registration system that can automatically perform user registration online.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a user registration system capable of minimizing telephone charges during user registration.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a user registration system for registering information necessary for user registration in a host computer when an electronic device having a communication function is purchased and the electronic device is first started up. The electronic device includes a modem that enables communication through a telephone line, and an access point table that stores all access points that can be connected to the host computer through the telephone line. At the time of the first start-up, a program for executing a predetermined user registration operation in the built-in control unit is stored, and at the time of the first start-up, the user registers at least the name and address required for user registration When inputting information, the control unit searches the access point table based on the address. By connecting to the host computer by a telephone line by selecting one of the access points via the access point, to be stored in the host computer the user registration information inputted online, the control unit, the Predetermined
Starting the electronic device as a registered user registration operation
To determine if this is the first startup
When the first startup is determined,
Inputting the user registration information;
In front of the one access point based on the address
Searching from the access point table;
By telephone line via the access point found
Connected to the host computer, and entered the user
Sending user registration information online
Thus , a user registration system is obtained.

[0007]

Preferably, in the step of searching the access point table, the control unit searches for an access point nearest to the user based on the address.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the user registration system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of system operation.

In FIG. 1, a user who has purchased a personal computer 1 connects his telephone line 7 to a modem 5 attached to the personal computer and starts up the personal computer 1. When the personal computer 1 is started up, the control unit 4 performs the operation of the flowchart of FIG.
A program for this operation is stored in a storage device such as a ROM attached to the personal computer 1 in advance.

[0011] First, the control unit 4, it is determined whether the first time or start-up of the in step S _1, step S ₁ ~S ₅ if the second and subsequent start-up is completed without executing. If this is the first startup, the information required for user registration is displayed on the display attached to the personal computer, and the user is prompted to enter information.

As information necessary for user registration, at least a user's name, address, telephone number, and the like are required. Information specific to the personal computer, such as the model name of the personal computer, is input in advance and stored in a storage device such as an attached ROM.

The user uses the keyboard 2 to enter information necessary for user registration (step S ₂ ). When the information on all the column labeled is input, the control unit 4 causes the check if there are any deficiencies in the input information to the user, if there is no defect in the input information, the process proceeds to Step S _3.

In step S ₃ , the nearest access point 6 is searched from the access point table 3 based on the input address. An access point is a place where a modem or the like that can be connected via a telephone line to a host computer in which user registration information is stored (for example, a sales office of a personal computer manufacturer or a sales company), and is usually represented by a telephone number. . Since such access points exist all over the country, all the access points are stored in the access point table 3. On the other hand, at least one host computer, and in some cases, several host computers may be arranged for each region.

[0015] The control unit 4 includes a nearest access point 6.
When you search for, and access to the access point 6 via the modem 5 is connected to the host computer 8 via a telephone line from the access point 6 (step S _4). Then, the user registration information input by the user is transmitted to the host computer 8. The host computer 8, the user registration (Step S ₅₎ is performed by the user registration information transmitted is stored in the storage device.

By the way, regarding the call charge, the user only has to pay the charge up to the nearest access point 6.
Since the charge from the access point 6 to the host computer 8 is borne by the service provider, the burden of telephone charges on the user can be minimized.

The present invention is not limited to a personal computer,
It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to an electronic device such as a word processor having a communication function.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, the user registration is automatically performed when predetermined information is input when the purchased personal computer is first started up. User registration becomes possible.
In addition, since access to the access point for user registration is performed with respect to the access point closest to the user, telephone charges can be minimized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a user registration system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the user registration system shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Personal computer 2 Keyboard 3 Access point table 4 Control part 5 Modem 6 Access point 7 Telephone line 8 Host computer

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 17/60 H04M 11/00 303 JICST file (JOIS)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A user registration system for registering information necessary for user registration in a host computer at the first startup of an electronic device having a communication function after the purchase of the electronic device having a communication function. A modem that enables communication through a line, and an access point table that stores all access points that can be connected to the host computer through a telephone line,
At the time of the first start-up, a program for causing a built-in control unit to execute a predetermined user registration operation is stored, and at the time of the first start-up, a user including at least a name and an address necessary for user registration is stored. When the registration information is input, the control unit searches the access point table based on the address, selects one access point, and connects to the host computer via a telephone line via the access point, thereby inputting the input information. the user registration information to be stored in the host computer online, the controller
Is, as the predetermined user registration operation,
Whether the launch of the electronic device is the first launch
The step of determining and the first startup is determined
At times, prompts the user to enter the user registration information
Step and the one based on the entered address
Access point of the above access point table
Searching for the access point, and searching for the access point.
Connected to the host computer via telephone line
And send the entered user registration information online.
User registration system and executes a step of Shin. 2. The user registration system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores the access point table in the access point table.
In the search step, based on the address
A user registration system for searching for an access point closest to the user.