JP2002049680A - Management system for rental commodity - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system that calculates rental charges according to usage conditions of a rental commodity without time and effort. SOLUTION: The management system for the rental commodity consists of a rental commodity 1 that has a sensor 13 to detect the usage conditions of the commodity and a server 2 that has a calculator 23 to calculate the rental charges based upon the usage conditions of the rental commodity 1, which are detected by the sensor 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rental merchandise management system, and more particularly, to a management system for detecting a use status of a rental merchandise and calculating a rental fee based on the detection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Rental costs for conventional rental products are generally determined by the rental period. However, since the degree of consumption of rental products differs depending on the frequency of use during the rental period, it is reasonable to calculate the rental cost according to the usage status of the rental product, such as the number of uses and the usage time, not the rental period, It was a request from the user.

[0003]

However, a recording means for recording the use status such as the use time and the number of times of use of the rental product is provided in the rental product, and the rental fee is calculated from the usage status recorded at the user's house. The thing is
It took a lot of time and effort and was not realistic.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and has as its object to provide a management system for calculating a rental fee according to a use situation of a rental product without spending time and effort. It is assumed that.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a user with
It is an object of the present invention to provide a management system capable of controlling the operation of a rental product with selected software.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a management system capable of detecting a malfunction of a rental product and instructing a user to cope with the malfunction via a communication line.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a rental product provided with a detecting means for detecting a use situation, and a rental product connected to the rental product via a communication line and detected by the detecting means are provided. A server provided with a calculating means for calculating a rental fee based on a use situation.

[0008] From the viewpoint of promptly informing the user of the rental fee, it is preferable that the rental product further includes a display unit for displaying the rental fee calculated by the calculation unit.

From the viewpoint of smoothly calculating the rental fee, it is preferable that the usage status of the rental product is transmitted from the rental product to the server when requested by the server and at regular intervals.

From the viewpoint of ease of detection and the like, it is preferable that the detecting means detects the use time and / or the number of use of the rental product.

[0011] From the viewpoint of responding to a user's desire to control the rental product using the improved new operation control software, the rental product further includes a storage means, and is provided from the server in response to a request from the user. The software for controlling the operation of the transmitted product is stored in the storage unit, and the operation of the rental product is controlled by the software, and the calculation unit adds the cost for transmitting the software to the rental cost. You may make it.

If the storage means of the software is not provided in the rental product, the server is provided with operation control software, and an operation control signal is transmitted from the server to the rental product. While controlling the operation of the rental product, the calculation means may add the cost for using the software to the rental cost.

[0013] From the viewpoint of allowing the user to appropriately cope with a malfunction of the rental product, the rental product further includes a detecting means for detecting the malfunction of the product and a second display means. , Said server,
A database storing a method of coping with the malfunction of the product, wherein when the malfunction of the product is detected by the detection unit, the method of coping is read out from the database and displayed on the second display unit of the rental product. Is also good.

Here, the server is connected to a terminal of a repair company via a communication line, and an input means for a user to input information is further provided on the rental product. The server may transmit the detected content of the defective product operation to the terminal of the repair agent from the server, and may transmit the user information input from the input unit to the terminal via the server.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present inventor has realized that when realizing an ideal rental form in which rental expenses are calculated in accordance with the use condition of rental goods, how much time and labor is required for calculating rental expenses. As a result of intensive examination or suppression,
It takes a lot of time and effort if the rental product is provided with a detecting means for detecting the usage status, and a detection signal from the detecting means is received by a server via a communication line and the rental fee is calculated based on the detection signal. The present inventor has found that the rental fee can be calculated without any problem.

That is, a major feature of the rental merchandise management system according to the present invention is that a rental merchandise is provided with a detecting means for detecting a use state of the rental merchandise, and the rental merchandise is connected to the server via a communication line and provided on the server. The calculation means calculates the rental fee based on the use status of the rental product detected by the detection means.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the management system of the present invention. The rental product 1 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, a control unit 12, a detection unit 13, and a storage unit 1.
4, display means 15. The server 2 includes a transmission / reception device 21, a control unit 22, a calculation unit 23, and a storage unit 24. The usage status of the rental product 1 is detected by the detecting unit 13.
It is detected by. Here, the detecting means 13 is not particularly limited as long as it detects the use situation of the rental product 1, and in the case where the rental product 1 is a home appliance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “home appliance”). It is preferable to detect the use time and the number of times of use. For example, if the rental product is a microwave oven, it is preferable to detect the number of times of use and the use time. If the rental product is a refrigerator, it is better to detect the use time and the number of times the door is opened and closed. .

The data detected by the detection means 13 is sent to the storage means 14 via the control means 12. The stored data is sent from the storage unit 14 to the server 2 via the transmission / reception unit 11 at regular intervals. The transmission / reception means 11 may be integrated into the rental product 1,
As a separate entity, it may serve as a so-called LAN station. If the transmitting / receiving means 11 is to act as a LAN station, the rental product 1 and the transmitting / receiving means 11
The means for communicating with may be either wired or wireless. When using wireless communication, for example, "Bluetooth" which is short-range wireless communication with a short wavelength can be suitably used.

It is practical to set the data transmission period to the server 2 during a rental payment settlement period. For example, when the rental fee is settled every month, the data stored in the storage unit 14 may be transmitted to the server 2 every month.
When the rental contract ends in the middle of a month or the like, the server 2 may make a request at an appropriate time and transmit the data stored in the storage unit 14 to the server 2.

The data indicating the status of use sent from the rental product 1 to the server 2 is sent to the calculation means 23 via the transmission / reception means 21 and the control means 22 of the server 2, where the rental fee is calculated. The rental fee is calculated based on the usage status of the rental product 1. The calculation method is in accordance with the contract content at the time of rental determined by the type of the rental product 1 or the like. For example, in the case of a product for which the usage time is detected as the usage status, the rental cost is calculated by multiplying the unit time per unit time by the usage time. In the case of a product that detects the use time and the number of times of use, the rental fee is obtained by multiplying the charge per use by the number of uses, and multiplying the unit price per unit time by the use time.

The rental cost calculated by the calculating means 23 is
It is sent to the storage means 24 via the control means 22 and stored. Then, for example, when the rental fee is settled, the rental fee data may be transmitted to the user's account opening bank, and the rental fee may be deducted from the account. In this way, it is possible to grasp the usage status of the rental product, calculate the rental fee, and settle the payment via the communication line, which requires much less labor and time than the conventional rental product management system. can do. If the user's account balance is small and the rental fee cannot be settled, the rental item may be deactivated by a signal from the server so that the rental fee can be collected smoothly.

The rental fee calculated by the calculating means 23 may be transmitted to the rental product 1 and displayed on the display means 15 provided for the rental product 1. According to such a configuration,
Users can know the rental fee when they want to know,
The rental product 1 can be used systematically. There is no particular limitation on the transmission time of the rental fee to the display means 15, and for example, there are a time when the rental fee is settled and a time when there is a request from the user. Here, the display means 15 may be integrated with the rental product 1 or may be installed separately from the rental product 1 at a different position. It is not necessary to use a dedicated display means, and an existing display device such as a facsimile, a mobile phone, or a television may be used instead.

Next, another embodiment of the management system of the present invention is shown in FIG. The management system of FIG. 2 is characterized in that the operation of the rental product 1 is controlled by the operation control software transmitted from the server 2. The rental product 1 includes a control unit 12 and an input / output device 1 for selecting and inputting software to be used by a user.
8. Sensor 19 for detecting the operating state of the rental product 1
Transmitting / receiving means 11 for receiving a signal such as software transmitted from the server 2, a demodulator 16 for demodulating the signal
a, a decoder 17a, and a storage unit 14. And
The software stored in the storage means 14 is transferred to the control means 12
Are sequentially read and the operation is controlled while detecting the operation state of the rental product 1 by the sensor 19. The cost of using the software is added to the rental fee. According to such a configuration, the user can select the software for operating the rental product from among a large number of software including the latest software, and operate the rental product with the optimal software. Can be.

For example, taking a washing machine as an example of a rental product, a user can only wash from several types of washing courses previously provided in the washing machine such as "standard", "speed washing", and "solid washing". I could not choose a course.
Of course, control software developed after the launch of the washing machine could not be used. On the other hand, in the management system of the present invention, the size and amount of laundry,
The software suitable for the user can be selected from a large number of software combining various factors such as type, material, color, degree of dirt, and required time. In addition, the cost for using the software is added to the rental fee at the server and charged to the user, so that the settlement processing procedure is simplified.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a control flowchart of a rental product in such a management system. In step S11, the user operates the input / output unit to connect the rental product to the server. In step S12, a software selection screen is displayed on the input / output means. FIG. 4 shows a display example of the screen at this time. In the screen display of FIG. 4, a list outlining the control contents of the software is displayed together with the usage fee. Then, the selection procedure is completed when the user operates the mouse pointer MP to quickly click the number portion of the software desired to be used on the screen of FIG. 4 (step S13). A software selection signal input by the user is transmitted to the server (step S1).
4). When the selected product is received by the rental product (step S15), it is stored in the rental product storage means (step S16). And step S1
At 7, the operation of the rental product is controlled based on the software.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the management system of the present invention. The management system shown in FIG. 5 differs from the management system shown in FIG. 2 in that the rental product 1 does not have a storage means for storing software, and the server 2 has the software, and the server 2 has the software via a communication line. One feature is that an operation control signal is transmitted from the second to the rental product 1 to control the operation of the rental product 1. In the rental product 1 in FIG. 5, when a user selects and inputs desired software, an operation control signal is transmitted from the selected software held by the server 2 to the rental product 1 via a communication line. The transmitted operation control signal reaches the control unit 12 through the transmission / reception unit 11, the demodulator 16a for demodulating the signal, and the decoder 17a. Then, the operation of the rental product 1 is controlled. On the other hand, the state of the rental product 1 is detected by the sensor 19. The detection data is fed back to the software of the server 2 through the control unit 12, the encoder 17b, the modulator 16b, and the transmission / reception unit 11, and an operation control signal is transmitted to the rental product 1 based on the data. By repeating the transmission and reception of the operation control signal and the detection data, the rental product is controlled. For example, in the case where the rental product 1 is a washing machine, the sensor 19 detects the input weight of the laundry and the weight is sent to the server 2. The server 2 calculates the amount of washing water, washing time, dehydration time, etc. based on the detected weight,
These are appropriately transmitted to the washing machine as operation control signals to control the operation. In addition, the cost for controlling the rental product by the software selected by the user is added to the rental fee. According to such a configuration, similarly to the management system of FIG. 2, it is possible to select from a large number of software including the latest software, and to operate the rental product with the optimal software. Further, the cost is added to the rental fee at the server and charged to the user, so that the settlement processing procedure is simplified. Furthermore, in this management system, since the server sends an operation control signal to the rental product to control the rental product,
There is no need for the rental product to have storage means for storing software.

Next, a management system according to the present invention which can cope with a malfunction of a rental product will be described. A major feature of this management system is that it detects malfunctions in rental products and displays to the user how to deal with them.
That is, the rental product includes a detection unit and a second display unit for detecting a product operation failure, and the server includes a database storing a method for dealing with the product operation failure, and the detection unit detects the product operation failure. Is read out from the database and displayed on the second display means provided for the rental product. According to such a configuration, the operation can be recovered by the user even if an operation failure occurs in the rental product.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of this management system. When the operation failure of the rental product 1 is detected by the detection unit 111, the detection signal is sent to the control unit 1
2 and the transmission / reception means 11 and transmitted to the server 2 via the communication line. The detection signal received by the server 2 is sent to the control unit 22 through the transmission / reception unit 21, where the countermeasure is read from the database 25 according to the type of the detection signal. The detection means 111 is stored in the database 25.
, That is, a countermeasure is stored for each operation failure. For example, in FIG. 6, the detection means number "1"
Is a water supply error detection device, and it is stored that a water tap should be opened as a countermeasure against the water supply error. Similarly, a countermeasure is stored for each operation failure such as a drainage error or a dehydration rotation error. Such a countermeasure read out from the database 25 is transmitted from the control unit 22 to the rental product 1 through the transmission / reception unit 21 via the communication line.
Then, the transmitted coping method is the rental product 1,
The second display means 1 passes through the transmitting / receiving device 11 and the control means 12
The user is notified via 12. Second display means 1
Twelve specific display contents are, for example, in the case of the water supply error described above, "Does the faucet open?"
And so on.

By the way, the malfunction of the rental product is not only caused by a user's operation error or misuse, but also by a mechanical or electrical failure. For example, when the water level sensor outputs a signal other than the normal value, there is a possibility that the water level sensor has failed or the wiring has been opened and short-circuited. When an upper lid lock error is detected, there is a possibility that a part for locking is broken.
In such a case, even if the display for urging the user to confirm the operation as described above is performed, the operation cannot be recovered. The countermeasures stored in the database are created based on the assumption of a highly probable cause of operation failure. Does not always recover immediately. In such a case, which cannot be handled by the user, there is no other choice but to request a repair contractor to repair the rental product.

In such a case, in order to smoothly repair the rental product, a server is connected to a terminal of a repair company via a communication line, and input means for a user to input information. Provided in the rental product, if the product malfunction is not resolved, while transmitting the detected product malfunction content from the server to the terminal of the repair agent, the user information input from the input means, What is necessary is just to transmit to the said terminal via a server.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the management system. In addition to the configuration of the management system shown in FIG. 6, an input means 113 for a user to input information such as a desired repair date and time is provided in the rental product 1, and a communication line is established between the server 2 and the terminal 3 of the repair company. It is configured to be connected via If the operation failure of the rental product 1 is not resolved even by the confirmation work by the user, the contents of the detected operation failure are transmitted from the server 2 to the terminal 3 of the repair company.
Send to The transmitted malfunction information is transmitted to the transmitting / receiving means 3
1 to the control means 32 and the display means 33
Is displayed. The repairer can guess the cause of the failure of the rental product 1 to some extent from the displayed operation failure, and can prepare equipment and replacement parts necessary for repair in advance. This allows for efficient repair. In addition, if the user inputs information such as the desired date and time of repair from the input means 113 provided for the rental product 1, the input information is sent to the terminal 3 of the repair company together with the contents of the malfunction via the server 2. Since the information is sent and displayed on the display means 33, a repair schedule is set in consideration of the time convenience of the user. If necessary, the user can be inquired of the status of the malfunction from the input means 34 of the terminal 3 of the repair company.

The server 2 in such a management system
8 is shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of control when a malfunction of a product is detected by the detection means. If an operation failure of the rental product is detected in step S21, a method for coping with the detected operation failure is read from the database of the server in step S22, and the response method is transmitted to the rental product in step S23.
In step S24, as a result of the user confirming the driving operation in accordance with the displayed coping method of the rental product, when the malfunction is eliminated, the control returns to the normal control. On the other hand, if the malfunction still does not disappear, it is determined in step S25 whether or not the user has requested repair from the rental merchandise input means. If there is a repair request from the user, the contents of the malfunction of the product are transmitted to the terminal of the repair company (step S2).
7). On the other hand, if there is no repair request from the user, it is determined whether or not the specific time has elapsed (step S26). If the operation failure of the rental product is not resolved within the specific time, the operation failure content of the product is transmitted to the repair agent. (Step S27).

[0033]

According to the rental merchandise management system of the present invention, a rental merchandise provided with a detecting means for detecting a use situation, and a rental merchandise connected to the rental merchandise via a communication line and detected by the detecting means. And a server having a calculating means for calculating the rental cost based on the above, it is possible to calculate the rental cost according to the use situation of the rental product without spending time and effort.

If the rental means is provided with a display means for displaying the rental cost calculated by the calculation means, the user can be quickly informed of the rental cost.

If the usage status of the rental product is transmitted from the rental product to the server when a request is made from the server and at regular intervals, the rental fee can be calculated smoothly.

If the detecting means detects the use time and / or the number of uses of the rental product, the use condition can be detected more easily.

The rental product further includes a storage means, and software for operation control of the product transmitted from the server in response to a request from the user is stored in the storage means, and the operation of the rental product is controlled by the software. If the calculation means adds the cost for using the software to the rental fee, the software suitable for the user can be selected from a large number of software including the improved new software. In addition, the cost for using the software is added to the rental fee at the server and charged to the user, so that the settlement processing procedure is simplified.

Also, the server has software for operation control, and an operation control signal is transmitted from the server to the rental product to control the operation of the rental product. By adding to the cost, in addition to the above-mentioned effect that the software suitable for the user can be selected from a large number of software, a unique effect that storage means for storing the software in the rental product is unnecessary. Is also obtained.

The rental product further comprises a detecting means for detecting a product malfunction, and a second display means, and the server further comprises a database storing a method for dealing with the product malfunction, and the detecting means detects the product malfunction. Then, by reading the coping method from the database and displaying it on the second display means of the rental product, when a malfunction occurs in the rental product, the user can appropriately cope with the malfunction. become.

Here, if the server is connected to the terminal of the repair company via a communication line, and input means for the user to input information is further provided on the rental product, and the malfunction of the product is not solved, If the detected product malfunction is transmitted from the server to the terminal of the repair company and the information of the user input from the input means is transmitted to the terminal via the server, the repair company can display the displayed operation. The cause of the failure of the rental product can be estimated to some extent from the content of the defect, and equipment and replacement parts necessary for the repair can be prepared in advance, so that the repair can be performed efficiently.
If the user inputs a desired date and time of repair, a repair schedule can be set in consideration of the user's time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a management system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the management system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the management system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an example of a software selection display screen.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the management system of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the management system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the management system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the management system in FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rental goods 2 Server 3 Terminal 13 Detecting means 14 Storage means 15 First display means 23 Calculating means 25 Database 111 Product malfunction detecting means 112 Second display means 113 Input means

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A rental product provided with a detecting means for detecting a use situation, and a calculation which is connected to the rental product via a communication line and calculates a rental fee based on the use situation of the rental product detected by the detecting means. And a server provided with the means. 2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein said rental product further includes first display means for displaying a rental fee calculated by said calculation means. 3. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the use status of the rental product is transmitted from the rental product to the server when requested by the server and at regular intervals. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means detects a use time and / or the number of use of the rental product.
The management system according to any of the above. 5. The rental product further includes a storage unit, and operation control software transmitted from the server in response to a request from a user is stored in the storage unit, and the operation of the rental product is performed by the software. 5. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit adds a cost for using the software to the rental fee. 6. The server has operation control software, transmits an operation control signal from the server to the rental product, and controls the operation of the rental product. The management system according to claim 1, wherein a cost for use is added to the rental cost. 7. The rental product further includes a detection unit that detects a product malfunction, and a second display unit, and the server includes a database that stores a method of dealing with the product malfunction, and The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when a malfunction of the product is detected, a countermeasure is read out from the database and displayed on the second display unit of the rental product. 8. The rental server, wherein the server is connected to a terminal of a repair company via a communication line, and the rental product further includes an input unit for a user to input information. 8. The management according to claim 7, wherein the server transmits the detected content of the malfunction of the product to the terminal of the repair agent from the server, and transmits information of the user input from the input unit to the terminal via the server. system.