JP4394305B2 - Office environment proposal method, server device, office environment proposal system, and program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an office environment proposing method, a server device, an office environment proposing system, and a program, and more particularly to an office environment proposing method, a server device, an office environment proposing system, and a program suitable for improving the usage status of equipment used in the office. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In many offices, large office equipment such as a copying machine is used. There are various types of office equipment depending on the processing capability. In order to achieve high work efficiency in the office, it is necessary to select a model and quantity suitable for the office environment such as the number of employees, work contents, and work volume.
[0003]
However, the office environment is not always constant. In other words, the office environment changes because factors such as the increase in the number of employees, the expansion of work associated therewith, and the increase in work volume can occur. Even if the office environment changes in this way, if the equipment is used under the same conditions as before, the balance between the processing capacity and the work amount may be lost, and the work efficiency may be affected. However, it is difficult for office employees to objectively grasp the processing capacity and usage of equipment, and even if it is possible, it is difficult to find a specific solution. Therefore, a proposal from a device manufacturer or the like is desired.
[0004]
Conventionally, a method in which a person in charge such as an equipment manufacturer goes to a customer's office to grasp the environment of each office and make a proposal has been the mainstream. However, when the number of customers is large, it is difficult to grasp in detail the office environment of all customers. In addition, it is difficult to quickly respond to changes in the customer's office environment due to time constraints in grasping the situation of all customers.
[0005]
On the other hand, a system that is attached to a copying machine or the like and notifies consumption information such as the number of used sheets to a copying machine manufacturer via a telephone line has been established. Information collected by such systems was used to calculate maintenance fees and to detect equipment malfunctions, but was not used to improve the office environment. . Moreover, it was impossible to collect information indicating the office environment and user requests.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an office environment proposal method, a server device, an office environment proposal system, and a program that support easy and effective improvement of the office environment.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve the above object, an office environment proposal method according to a first aspect of the present invention includes:
  Equipment used in the officeAn office environment proposal method that provides proposal information related to the office environment of the office by a server connected via a communication network,
  The server is
  Usage status information acquisition step for acquiring usage status information indicating the usage status of the device via the communication network;
  An environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information of the office;
  When the acquired environmental information is changed, an average of the usage status in offices of similar environments is obtained from a database in which the usage status information acquired from a plurality of offices and the environmental information are stored in association with each other. By comparing the usage status information acquired from the office providing the proposal information, the office environment of the office isAnalysis steps to analyze,
  Proposal information indicating a proposal according to the analysis result by the analysis in the analysis step,Retrieve from the database that has stored the standard text of the proposal,Proposed information presentation step to present to the office user via a communication network;
  TheExecuteIt is characterized by that.
[0008]
According to such a configuration, it is possible to analyze consumption information of equipment used in the office, for example, a copying machine, and to present a proposal for improving the office environment, for example, via the Internet. Appropriate proposals can be provided in consideration of the state of equipment use in the office.
[0009]
  In the above office environment proposal method,
  The analysis step acquires information indicating a recycling rate of a device used in an office providing the proposal information from a product information database in which product information including a recycling rate is stored for each product of the device, and the recycling It is desirable to include information indicating the rate and analyze it compared to the office in the similar environment.
[0010]
  The above office environment proposal method further includes
  The server is
  A selection proposal collecting step for causing the user of the office to select desired proposal information as an adoption candidate proposal from among the proposal information presented in the proposal information presentation step, and collecting information specifying the selected proposal information; ,
  A proposal selection step for selecting proposals to be adopted by classifying the proposal information collected in the selection proposal collection step by quantity,
  A selection proposal presenting step for presenting the proposal information selected in the proposal selection step to a user of the office via the communication network;
  TheDo moreIt is desirable.
[0011]
  In the above office environment proposal method,
  AboveStatus of useThe information includes at least information indicating the degree of consumption of the consumable member used in the device, information indicating the amount of resources consumed by the device, information indicating the quantity of the device, and information indicating the operating time of the device.MuIt is desirable.
[0012]
According to the configuration as described above, for example, the consumption information (number of used sheets, power consumption, etc.) of a device such as a copying machine is transmitted to the server device of the manufacturer of the copying machine via a public line or the like. However, it accepts opinions regarding the office environment from copier users via the Internet, for example. Then, the office environment is evaluated by analyzing the received opinion and the usage status information of the device used by the person who sent the opinion, so that the demands of the office user and the current device usage status are taken into account. Appropriate evaluation can be made.
[0013]
In addition, since proposals for evaluation can be recruited from, for example, users of the office (floor) and those from the manufacturer of the copier, a wide range of proposal opinions can be collected.
[0014]
Furthermore, by allowing the office user to select the collected proposal opinions in, for example, a voting format, it is possible to select the proposal opinions in accordance with the current situation. Then, since the selected proposal opinions can be presented, for example, to the responsible person who has the decision-making authority in the office, the proposal can be efficiently adopted and the adopted proposal can be realized quickly. Can do.
[0015]
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention2The server device according to the viewpoint of
  With equipment used in the officeCommunication networkServer connected via,
  SaidEquipmentUsage status indicating usage statusinformationA usage status information acquisition unit that acquires from the device via the communication network;
  Environmental information acquisition unit for acquiring environmental information indicating the environment of the office via the communication network;
  A usage information database that stores the acquired usage information in association with offices and devices;
  An environmental information database for storing acquired environmental information in association with offices and devices;
  At least a product information database that stores product information including information indicating a recycling rate for the device;
  If there is a change in the acquired environmental information, the usage status information and the product information of a similar environment are acquired from the usage status database and the product information database based on the environmental information, and an average of the usage status Office environment by comparing the usage information acquired for the office in which the environmental information has been changed.An analysis unit for analyzing
  A proposal information database that stores proposal information about the office environment;
  in frontProposal information indicating a proposal according to the analysis result by the analysis section,Obtained from the proposal information database;A suggestion presenting unit for presenting to the terminal of the user of the office via the communication network;
  It is characterized by providing.
[0016]
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention3The program related to,
  ComputerIn,
  A function for acquiring usage status information indicating the usage status of a device used in an office from the device via a communication network,
  A function of acquiring environmental information indicating the environment of the office via the communication network;
  A function to store the acquired usage status information and environmental information in a database in association with offices and devices,
  When there is a change in the acquired environmental information, the usage information of the similar environment is acquired based on the environmental information, and information indicating the recycling rate of the used device is recycled for the device. By obtaining the average usage status from the database that stores product information including information indicating the rate, and comparing it with the usage status information acquired for the office where the environmental information has changed, the office environment The ability to analyze,
  A function for obtaining proposal information indicating a proposal according to an analysis result from a database for storing proposal information on the office environment, and presenting the proposal information to a terminal of a user of the office via the communication network;
  RealizedIt is characterized by making it.
[0017]
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention4The office environment proposal system according to
  Connected to the equipment installed in the office,Usage status indicating usage statusCollect informationStatus of useAn information collecting device;
  ThroughA terminal connected to a communication network and operated by a user of the office;
  A server device connected to the communication network;
  An office environment proposal system comprising:
  AboveStatus of useThe information collection deviceStatus of useSending information to the server device via the communication network;
  The terminal is an office environment input by a user of the office.BorderShowenvironmentSending information to the server device via the communication network;
  The server device
Receiving means for receiving the usage status information transmitted by the usage status information collection device and the environment information transmitted by the terminal via the communication network;
  A customer information database that stores usage information and environmental information received by the receiving means in association with offices and devices;
  Received by the receiving meansIf there is a change in the environmental information, based on the environmental information, the usage status information acquired from the office of the environment similar to the office is acquired from the customer information database, and the average is obtained. Analyze the office environment of the office by comparing with the usage status of the officeAnalytical means;
  in frontProposal soliciting means for recruiting proposals according to the task information by presenting the task information indicating the result of the analysis by the analyzing means via the communication network;
  Proposal information for controlling the connection means, receiving proposal information applied via the communication network in response to the recruitment by the proposal soliciting means, and presenting the received proposal information to the terminal via the communication network Presenting means,
  It is characterized by that.
[0018]
  In the office environment proposal system,
  AboveStatus of useThe information includes at least information indicating the degree of consumption of the consumable member used in the device, information indicating the amount of resources consumed by the device, information indicating the quantity of the device, and information indicating the operating time of the device. ,
  The server includes at least information indicating a recycling rate of the device.ProductAccumulate informationProductinformationThe databaseIt is desirable to further comprise
  in this case,
  The analyzing means is provided on the device indicated in the usage status information received by the receiving means.Indicates the recycling rateInformationProductinformationThe databaseAnd obtain the acquired informationIncluding the aboveanalysisTo doIs desirable.
[0019]
In the office environment proposal system,
The proposal information presenting means presents the proposal information in a format selectable to a user of the terminal,
The terminal preferably transmits, to the server device, adoption candidate proposal information that designates the proposal information selected by the user of the terminal among the proposal information presented by the proposal information presenting means as the adoption candidate proposal.
In this case, the server device
Receiving the adoption candidate proposal information transmitted by the terminal, and by classifying the received adoption candidate proposal information by quantity, proposal selection means for selecting the adoption target proposal;
It is desirable to further include adoption target proposal presenting means for presenting proposal information selected by the proposal selection means as adoption target proposals to the terminal via the communication network.
[0020]
In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is:
A computer is caused to function as a server device constituting the office environment proposal system.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an information collecting / providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a copying machine is taken as an example of a target device, and information is collected from a company that has installed the copying machine.
[0023]
As shown in the figure, an information collecting / providing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a public network 2, a communication network 3, a center 100, a plurality of companies 200-1 to 200-n, and a plurality of copying machines. 300-1 to 300-n, transmission apparatuses 400-1 to 400-n associated with the copying machines 300-1 to 300-n, and terminals 500-1 to 500n.
[0024]
The public line network 2 is a normal telephone line network, and transmits information transmitted by a transmission device to be described later.
[0025]
The communication network 3 is a network for connecting a plurality of information terminals such as the Internet, for example, a public line network, a dedicated line, a cable television (CATV) network, a cable broadcasting network, a mobile communication network, a wireless communication, for example. Consisting of a network and the like, it transmits information between information terminals. In the present embodiment, the Internet is adopted as the communication network 3 and is hereinafter referred to as the Internet 3.
[0026]
The center 100 is a server operated by a business entity that manufactures and sells the copying machine 300. Information is collected from transmission apparatuses 400-1 to 400 -n, which will be described later, via the public network 2 and provided to the terminals 500-1 to 500 -n via the Internet 3.
[0027]
The configuration of the center 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the center 100.
[0028]
The center 100 includes an information collecting unit 110 that collects information roughly and an information providing unit 120 that provides information.
[0029]
First, the configuration of the information collection unit 110 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the information collection unit 110 includes an information collection control unit 10, a communication unit 11, and a usage status information database 12.
[0030]
The information collection control unit 10 is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and by executing predetermined operation programs stored in a memory (not shown), each unit of the information collection unit 110 is configured. And execute the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.
[0031]
The communication unit 11 is a communication device such as a modem, a TA (Terminal Adapter), a router, and the like. The communication unit 11 is connected to the public line network 2 and receives information indicating the usage status of the copier 300 from the transmission device 400 described later. Receive.
[0032]
The usage status information database 12 is composed of a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, for example, and accumulates usage status information as shown in FIG. 3 received by the communication unit 11 from each transmission device 400. As shown in FIG. 3, in the usage status information, information indicating the number of sheets used, the usage rate of each operation mode, the operation time, and the like is recorded for each copying machine 300.
[0033]
Next, the configuration of the information providing unit 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the information provision unit 120 includes an information provision control unit 20, a communication unit 21, a customer information database 22, a content creation unit 23, a proposal information database 24, a product information database 25, and an input. Part 26.
[0034]
The information provision control unit 20 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The information provision control unit 20 executes a predetermined operation program stored in a memory (not illustrated), thereby allowing each unit of the information provision unit 120 to be executed. To control the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
[0035]
The communication unit 21 is a communication device such as a modem, a TA (Terminal Adapter), and a router, for example, and is connected to the Internet 3 and provides information to a terminal 500 described later.
[0036]
The customer information database 22 is composed of a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, for example, and accumulates attribute information indicating customer attributes. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that attribute information is accumulated for each predetermined individual belonging to each company 200. An example of information stored in the customer information database 22 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the attribute information is classified for each department, and the floor area of each department and the industry code indicating the industry of the department are registered in advance. In addition, information indicating a job title, for example, is also registered as personal attribute information.
[0037]
The content creation unit 23 is for creating web page data indicating the information provided by the information providing unit 120 to the terminal 500. For example, the content creation unit 23 controls information provision of a program constituting an operation mechanism such as CGI (Common Gateway Interface). This is realized by the execution of the unit 20. The content creation unit 23 creates web page data in a file format that can be transmitted and received via the Internet 3, such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
[0038]
The proposal information database 24 is composed of, for example, a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and a proposal file in which a fixed sentence indicating a predetermined proposal item obtained by a usage situation analysis process described later is described in, for example, an HTML format. Has accumulated as.
[0039]
The product information database 25 is composed of, for example, a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and stores performance information of each type of copying machine handled by the copying machine manufacturing and sales company operating the center 100 as shown in FIG. ing. In the product information database 25, performance information of optional equipment attached to each model is also stored. Information indicating the recycling rate for each model is also recorded.
[0040]
The input unit 26 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and is mainly used to add, correct, and delete contents stored in the customer information database 22, the proposal information database 24, and the product information database 25. . For example, it is used when adding new customer information to the customer information database 22 or adding product information of the product and corresponding proposal information to the product information database 25 or the proposal information database 24 as new products are released. .
[0041]
Next, the configuration of the copying machine 300 and the transmission device 400 installed in each company 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the copying machine 300 and the transmission apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment.
[0042]
The copier 300 includes a control unit 30, a paper sensor unit 31, an operating time acquisition unit 32, and a power consumption calculation unit 33.
[0043]
The control unit 30 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and controls each unit of the copier 300, and a paper sensor unit 31, an operation time acquisition unit 32, and a power consumption calculation unit 33, which will be described later. Is transmitted to the transmitting apparatus 400.
[0044]
The paper sensor unit 31 counts the amount of paper used in the copying machine 300, such as the number of documents, the number of copies for each operation mode, the amount used for each paper cassette that holds copy paper.
[0045]
The operating time acquisition unit 32 includes, for example, a timer circuit and measures and records the operating time of the copying machine 300. When the copying machine 300 has various operation modes for power saving, the operation time for each operation mode is recorded.
[0046]
The power consumption calculation unit 33 calculates and records the amount of power consumed by the operation of the copier 300 in conjunction with the operation time acquisition unit 32.
[0047]
As illustrated, the transmission device 400 includes a control unit 40, a reception unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a transmission unit 43.
[0048]
The control unit 40 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and controls each unit of the transmission device 400 by executing a predetermined operation program stored in a memory (not shown). 7 is executed.
[0049]
The receiving unit 41 receives usage status information transmitted from the copying machine 300.
[0050]
The storage unit 42 is composed of, for example, a rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device, and accumulates usage status information of the copier 300 received by the receiving unit 41 for a predetermined period.
[0051]
The transmission unit 43 is connected to the public network 2 and transmits information stored in the storage unit 42 to the center 100.
[0052]
In the present embodiment, for simplicity of explanation, a case where one copying machine 300 is connected to one transmission device 400 will be described. However, a plurality of copying machines within the company 200 (or the same floor) are described. When 300 is present, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of copying machines 300 are connected to one transmission device 400. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the copier 300 and the transmission device 400 are configured separately, but the copier 300 may have a function of the transmission device 400.
[0053]
The terminal 500 is configured by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, for example, and includes at least a control unit, a storage unit, an input unit, an output unit, and a communication unit (all not shown). The terminal 500 is connected to the Internet 3 by a communication unit. The storage unit stores a browser program that interprets web page data indicating various web pages provided via the Internet 3, and the communication unit executes the web page data when the control unit executes the browser program. Is received and output to the output unit.
[0054]
Next, the operation of the information collecting / providing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, processing when transmitting / accumulating usage status information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0055]
For each operation, each copying machine 300 transmits information indicating the usage status as shown in FIG. 3 to the transmission device 400, and the transmission device 400 accumulates the received information in the storage unit 42 (step S101). At this time, the copier 300 transmits the signal detected by the paper sensor unit 31 and the operation time acquisition unit 32 by the control unit 30 and information indicating the operation of the power consumption calculation unit 33 to the transmission device 400.
[0056]
It is assumed that the transmission device 400 transmits the information accumulated in the storage unit 42 to the center 100 at regular intervals. Accordingly, the transmitter 43 transmits the information stored in the storage unit 42 to the center 100 at a preset time (steps S102: YES, S103).
[0057]
When the transmission of information by the transmission unit 43 is completed, the control unit 40 clears the information stored in the storage unit 42 and waits for the next information reception from the copier 300 (step S104).
[0058]
On the other hand, in the center 100, the communication unit 11 of the information collecting unit 110 receives the usage status information transmitted from each transmission device 400 in step S103 and accumulates it in the usage status information database 12 (steps S105 and S106). At this time, the received status information database 12 stores the received information for each customer.
[0059]
Next, request acceptance processing by the center 100 of the information collection / provision system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0060]
In the present embodiment, a website for presenting the company's information on the Internet 3 is established by the manufacturing and sales company of the copier 300, and the information providing unit 120 creates and provides the website. Shall. Also, anyone can access this website via the Internet 3 using the terminal 500 or the like, but a page (hereinafter referred to as “customer-only page”) that can be accessed only by authorized users of the copier 300 is included in the site. It shall be prepared.
[0061]
First, it is determined whether or not an access request to the customer-dedicated page has been made (step S201). Here, for example, text or an image linked to the customer-specific page is arranged on the top page (homepage) of the website, and it is determined whether or not these are selected by a click operation or the like.
[0062]
When there is no access to the customer-dedicated page, other general pages are presented (step S202).
[0063]
On the other hand, in the case of access to a customer-specific page, the information provision control unit 20 transmits a page including an identification number input screen as shown in FIG. 9 to the access request source terminal 500. When predetermined identification information such as a login name, a password, and a company ID is input from the terminal 500, a customer authentication process is performed based on these (step S203). Here, the information provision control unit 20 determines whether the customer is a legitimate customer by comparing the identification information input from the terminal 500 with the customer ID stored in the customer information database 22. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the display linked to the registration page for an unregistered person to register is also arrange | positioned on this page.
[0064]
If the identification information input from the terminal 500 does not exist in the customer information database 22 or the combination of identification information is incorrect in the customer authentication process in step S203, the customer is not authenticated and an error message is displayed. Processing such as providing a page and other general pages is performed (step S204: No, step S202).
[0065]
On the other hand, when it is determined that the customer is a legitimate customer (step S204: Yes), processing for providing individual information to the customer is performed. Note that the center 100 identifies a communication partner in each session by creating and transmitting identification information such as a cookie for identifying the terminal 500 being accessed. In this case, for example, information indicating the user ID transmitted from the terminal 500 in step S203 is used as the identification information. Therefore, the “terminal 500” in this process indicates the terminal 500 that has accessed the center 100 in step S201.
[0066]
Here, a menu page displaying a list of customer-specific pages as shown in FIG. 10 is transmitted (step S205). As shown in FIG. 10, on this menu page, a display indicating the name of the provided customer-specific page is arranged so as to be selectable by, for example, hypertext. That is, URL information that designates the page is assigned to each display as invisible information, and the corresponding URL information is transmitted to the center 100 by selecting the display.
[0067]
When the “office environment proposal” item shown in the lower part of FIG. 10 is selected (step S206: Yes), a page (“office environment proposal” page) for sending a request as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the terminal. 500 (step S207). If another item is selected from the menu page (step S206: No), the process proceeds to step S202, and the corresponding other page is transmitted.
[0068]
Here, the page transmission processing in step S207 will be described in detail. First, when the communication unit 21 of the center 100 receives a URL designating the “office environment proposal” page from the terminal 500, the information provision control unit 20 reads the relevant information from the customer information database based on the identification information (user ID). Information regarding the area used by the user in the office, such as the number of departments to which the user belongs and the floor area, is acquired. The information provision control unit 20 controls the content creation unit using the acquired information, and creates an “office environment proposal” page as shown in FIG.
[0069]
As shown in the figure, the “office environment proposal” page displays information such as the acquired floor area and the number of employees in a text box so that it can be corrected. Thereby, for example, when the office environment changes due to an increase in the number of employees or floor expansion, the information in the text box is appropriately corrected.
[0070]
In the “office environment proposal” page, a blank text box for inputting an arbitrary request for the office environment is arranged. Here, for example, it is assumed that a defect in the office environment, its cause, various requests, and the like are input.
[0071]
The page data indicating the “office environment proposal” page created in this way is transmitted from the communication unit 21 to the terminal 500 via the Internet 3.
[0072]
The user operates the terminal 500 and inputs correction items and requests on the displayed “office environment proposal” page (the information input here is hereinafter referred to as “request information”). When the “Send” button is pressed, the input information is sent to the center 100 via the Internet 3.
[0073]
When the center 100 receives the request information from the terminal 500 (step S208), the received information is stored in the record of the user in the customer information database 22 (step S209), and the process proceeds to the office environment analysis process (step S300). The process is terminated.
[0074]
This office environment analysis process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0075]
First, when the information provision control part 20 analyzes the received request information and the registration information (the number of employees, floor area, etc.) at the time of presentation in step S207 is corrected (step S301: Yes), a customer information database 22 is accessed to correct the record (step S302).
[0076]
After the correction on the database is completed or when the information is not corrected (step S301: No), the usage status information database 12 is accessed based on the user ID of the user and installed on the floor (department) of the user. The usage status information of the device being used is acquired (step S303). At this time, information indicating the recycling rate of the device indicated in the usage status information is acquired from the product information database 25.
[0077]
Next, the information provision control unit 20 is based on information about the user's office environment (number of employees, floor area, etc.) registered in the customer information database 22, and the user of another user in a similar office environment. For each item, the ID is acquired, the usage status information of these users is acquired from the usage status information database 12 based on the acquired user ID, and the information indicating the recycling rate of the used product is acquired from the product information database 25. The average value is calculated. Here, the “similar office environment” is assumed to be the same type of business, and the employee scale approximates. This is because the usage status of the copying machine 300 differs depending on the type of business.
[0078]
Then, the user's office environment is evaluated by comparing the usage status information of the user acquired in step S303 with the calculated average value (step S304).
[0079]
Here, each piece of information of the user is evaluated in three stages, for example, “less” if it is 70% or less than the average value, “more” if it is 130% or more, and “standard” otherwise. And the information provision control part 20 acquires the comment information corresponding to the said item and evaluation result from the proposal information database 24 about the item whose evaluation result was not "standard".
[0080]
Next, the information provision control part 20 produces the page which shows the analysis result in step S304 (step S305). FIG. 13 shows a display example of the analysis result page. As shown in the figure, the attributes to be analyzed are shown (company name, type of business, employee scale, etc.), and the comparison rate and comments are displayed for the items whose evaluation is not “standard” by the analysis in step S304. Further, a text box for inputting a solution for the presented evaluation is arranged.
[0081]
The information provision control unit 20 sets the analysis result page created in step S305 so that only the person in the department to which the user belongs can be viewed (step S306). In this case, for example, in the authentication process in step S203, a customer menu page provided with a link to the analysis result page is created and presented only when the identification information of the subject person is input. As a result, only the related person (office related person) of the analysis target department (floor) can be browsed. As a result, proposals can be recruited from all parties in the office being analyzed.
[0082]
The information provision control unit 20 further displays an e-mail as shown in FIG. 14 indicating that the analysis result page can be browsed in order to encourage browsing by the browsing target person (that is, a person in the same department as the user). Is transmitted to the target person (step S307), and the process is terminated.
[0083]
Next, the proposal information collection process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0084]
The information provision control unit 20 presents the analysis result page created in step S305 limited to the parties related to the manufacturer / manufacturer (manufacturer) of the copier 300 (step S401). Here, the related parties are, for example, the head office of the company, domestic offices, overseas offices, sales companies, affiliates, and the like. In this case, as in the case of the customer-dedicated page, the accessible person is limited by providing the related person-dedicated page on the website opened by the center 100. In addition, for example, it may be possible to browse only for the maker-related persons by presenting it on a dedicated network in the company. Various proposals can be widely recruited by presenting the analysis result page not only to the office staff but also to the maker staff.
[0085]
When the proposal information is received from the analysis result page presented in steps S306 and S401 (step S402: Yes), and the number of proposals reaches a predetermined number, the information provision control unit 20 proposes the proposal information indicating each received proposal information A proposal list page as shown in FIG. 16 is created (step S403).
[0086]
As shown in the figure, the proposal list page shows, for example, the proposal name (title), summary, and proposer of the received proposal. The display of the proposal name is described in, for example, a hypertext format, and is linked to the corresponding proposal information page. Also, voting check boxes corresponding to each item are arranged. The voting process using this check box will be described later.
[0087]
The information provision control unit 20 presents the created proposal list page so that only the related person (office related person) of the department (floor) subjected to analysis can be viewed by the same method as in step S306 ( Step S404). Thereby, the office person can browse the proposal for improvement of his / her office environment.
[0088]
At the same time, the information provision control unit 20 urges browsing of the proposal information by sending an e-mail indicating that the proposal information is presented to the relevant office personnel (step S405).
[0089]
Next, the proposal selection process using the voting check box arranged on the proposal list page will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0090]
The person concerned in the office browses the proposal list page presented in step S404, browses each proposal information from the list, and checks the check box corresponding to the proposal that seems to be suitable for improving the office environment. When the “vote” button is pressed, information (for example, URL) specifying the checked proposal item is transmitted to the center 100 (step S501).
[0091]
The information provision control unit 20 aggregates the information specifying the transmitted proposal items (step S502), and narrows down proposals that are candidates for adoption based on the quantity (step S503). That is, a predetermined number of proposals with a large number of votes are selected.
[0092]
Next, the information provision control unit 20 creates an adoption candidate proposal page indicating the selected proposal (step S504). Further, the information provision control unit 20 presents the created employment candidate proposal page so that only a predetermined party can view it (step S505). In this case, the predetermined party is, for example, a person responsible for the decision in the relevant department (based on information indicating “title” in the customer information database 22) among the above-mentioned office persons and the request in step S208. Among the persons who transmitted the information and the persons related to the manufacturer, for example, those who are in a department capable of implementing the proposal. In this case, the browsing restriction method is the same as that described above.
[0093]
At the same time, the information provision control unit 20 transmits an e-mail indicating that the adoption candidate proposal page is presented to the target person in order to prompt the target person who has been permitted to read in step S505 (step S506), and ends the process. To do.
[0094]
Thereafter, for example, the person in charge of the department described above determines whether or not to adopt the proposal shown on the adoption candidate proposal page. In this case, the proposal item shown on the adoption candidate proposal page presented to the person in charge of the relevant department may be displayed in a selectable manner in a hypertext format or the like, and the proposal decided to be adopted may be selected from the screen. . Here, when a proposal item is selected, information designating the proposal may be transmitted to the center 100 and further forwarded to a manufacturer side department or the like that can implement the proposal. As a result, proposals that have been decided to be adopted can be quickly realized and contribute to the sales activities of the manufacturer.
[0095]
In the above embodiment, the center 100 collects usage status information of the copying machine 300, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the usage status information collected by other means may be stored in the center 100 and the stored information may be analyzed.
[0096]
In the above-described embodiment, a copying machine is taken as an example of a product to be analyzed. In this case, the method of transmitting the usage status information to the center 100 is arbitrary. For example, the usage status information may be input on a web page presented by the center 100. According to such a configuration, the present invention can be employed even when the configuration for automatically transmitting the usage status information of the target product to the center as in the above embodiment cannot be employed.
[0097]
Note that the information processing apparatus for realizing the center 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be realized by using a normal computer system, not a dedicated system. For example, by installing the program from a medium (flexible disk, CD-ROM, etc.) storing a program for executing any of the above in a general-purpose computer, an information providing site for executing the above-described processing is configured. be able to.
[0098]
Further, means for supplying the program to the computer is arbitrary. For example, you may supply via a communication line, a communication network, a communication system. As an example, the program is posted on a bulletin board (BBS) of a communication network, and the program is superimposed on a carrier wave and distributed via the network. Then, the above-described processing can be executed by starting this program and executing it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS.
[0099]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, proposals for improving the office environment can be easily and widely collected and presented to office users.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information collecting / providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the center shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information transmitted by the transmission device illustrated in FIG. 1;
4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a customer information database shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a product information database shown in FIG.
6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the copier and the transmission device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining usage status information transmission / storage processing according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining request acceptance processing according to the embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a diagram showing a display example of an identification information input page transmitted in the request reception process shown in FIG.
10 is a diagram showing a display example of a menu page transmitted in the request reception process shown in FIG.
11 is a diagram showing a display example of a request transmission page transmitted in the request reception process shown in FIG.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining office environment analysis processing according to the embodiment of the present invention;
13 is a diagram showing a display example of an analysis result page transmitted in the office environment analysis process shown in FIG. 12. FIG.
14 is a diagram showing a display example of an e-mail transmitted in the office environment analysis process shown in FIG.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining proposal information collection processing according to the embodiment of the present invention;
16 is a diagram showing a display example of a proposal list page presented in the office proposal information collection process shown in FIG.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining proposal selection processing according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Information collection and provision system
2 Public network
3 Internet
100 center
200-1 to 200-n companies
300-1 to 300-n copier
400-1 to 400-n transmitter
500-1 to 500-n terminal

Claims (10)

An office environment proposal method for providing proposal information related to an office environment of the office by a server connected to a device used in the office via a communication network,
The server is
Usage status information acquisition step for acquiring usage status information indicating the usage status of the device via the communication network;
An environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information of the office;
When the acquired environmental information is changed, an average of the usage status in offices of similar environments is obtained from a database in which the usage status information acquired from a plurality of offices and the environmental information are stored in association with each other. Analyzing the office environment of the office by comparing with the usage information acquired from the office providing the proposal information ;
Proposal information presenting proposal information indicating a proposal according to the analysis result of the analysis in the analysis step from a database storing the standard text of the proposal contents, and presenting the proposal information to the office user via a communication network Steps,
The office environment proposal method characterized by performing . The analysis step acquires information indicating a recycling rate of a device used in an office providing the proposal information from a product information database in which product information including a recycling rate is stored for each product of the device, and the recycling Analyzing against the similar environment office, including rate information,
Office environment the proposed method of claim 1, wherein the this. The server
A selection proposal collecting step for causing the user of the office to select desired proposal information as an adoption candidate proposal from among the proposal information presented in the proposal information presentation step, and collecting information specifying the selected proposal information; ,
A proposal selection step for selecting proposals to be adopted by classifying the proposal information collected in the selection proposal collection step by quantity,
A selection proposal presenting step for presenting the proposal information selected in the proposal selection step to a user of the office via the communication network;
Further office environment the proposed method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that to perform. The usage status information indicates at least information indicating the degree of consumption of the consumable member used in the device, information indicating the amount of resources consumed by the device, information indicating the number of the devices, and operating time of the devices. including the information,
The office environment proposing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . A server connected to equipment used in the office via a communication network,
Usage information indicating a usage status of the device, the usage status information acquisition unit that acquires from the device via the communications network,
Environmental information acquisition unit for acquiring environmental information indicating the environment of the office via the communication network;
A usage information database that stores the acquired usage information in association with offices and devices;
An environmental information database for storing acquired environmental information in association with offices and devices;
At least a product information database that stores product information including information indicating a recycling rate for the device;
If there is a change in the acquired environmental information, the usage status information and the product information of a similar environment are acquired from the usage status database and the product information database based on the environmental information, and the average of the usage status And analyzing the office environment by comparing with the usage information acquired for the office whose environmental information has changed ,
A proposal information database that stores proposal information about the office environment;
The suggestion information indicating a proposed according to the analysis result by the pre-Symbol analyzer, and the suggestion information retrieved from the database, via the communication network, proposed presentation section for presenting a terminal of a user of the office,
A server device comprising: On the computer,
A function for acquiring usage status information indicating the usage status of a device used in an office from the device via a communication network,
A function of acquiring environmental information indicating the environment of the office via the communication network;
A function to store the acquired usage status information and environmental information in a database in association with offices and devices,
When there is a change in the acquired environmental information, the usage information of the similar environment is acquired based on the environmental information, and information indicating the recycling rate of the used device is recycled for the device. By obtaining the average usage status from the database that stores product information including information indicating the rate, and comparing it with the usage status information acquired for the office where the environmental information has changed, the office environment The ability to analyze,
A function for obtaining proposal information indicating a proposal according to an analysis result from a database for storing proposal information on the office environment, and presenting the proposal information to a terminal of a user of the office via the communication network;
A program characterized by realizing . A usage status information collection device connected to a device installed in the office and collecting usage status information indicating the usage status of the device;
Is connected to a communication network, a terminal operated by a user of the office,
A server device connected to the communication network;
An office environment proposal system comprising:
The usage status information collection device transmits the collected usage status information of the device to the server device via the communication network,
The terminal environment information indicating an office environment the user has entered the office, the transmitted to the server device through the communication network,
The server device
Receiving means for receiving the usage status information transmitted by the usage status information collection device and the environment information transmitted by the terminal via the communication network;
A customer information database that stores usage information and environmental information received by the receiving means in association with offices and devices;
If there is a change in the environment information received by the receiving means , based on the environment information, obtain usage status information acquired from the office of the environment similar to the office from the customer information database, and obtain an average, Analyzing means for analyzing the office environment of the office by comparing with the usage status of the office where the environmental information has changed ,
By presenting assignment information indicating the result of analysis by pre SL analyzing means through the communication network, and Proposals means to recruit proposed in accordance with the assignment information,
Proposal information for controlling the connection means, receiving proposal information applied via the communication network in response to the recruitment by the proposal soliciting means, and presenting the received proposal information to the terminal via the communication network Presenting means,
An office environment proposal system characterized by this. The usage status information indicates at least information indicating the degree of consumption of the consumable member used in the device, information indicating the amount of resources consumed by the device, information indicating the number of the devices, and operating time of the devices. Including information,
The server further includes a product information database that stores product information including information indicating at least a recycling rate of the device,
It said analyzing means obtains information indicating the recycling rate about the device that the receiving means is shown on the usage information received from said product information database, performs the analysis, including the obtained information,
The office environment proposal system according to claim 7, wherein: The proposal information presenting means presents the proposal information in a format selectable to a user of the terminal,
The terminal transmits, to the server device, adoption candidate proposal information that designates the proposal information selected by the user of the terminal among the proposal information presented by the proposal information presenting means as the adoption candidate proposal,
The server device
Receiving the adoption candidate proposal information transmitted by the terminal, and by classifying the received adoption candidate proposal information by quantity, proposal selection means for selecting the adoption target proposal;
The proposal selection means for presenting the proposal information selected as the proposal for adoption by the proposal selection means to the terminal via the communication network,
9. The office environment proposal system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the system is proposed.   A program that causes a computer to function as a server device constituting the office environment proposal system according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

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