JP2002056323A - Time-rental office facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a customer to perform desk work in the comfortable work environment where security is taken into consideration without carrying his computer and storage medium for an outing. SOLUTION: This office facility is provided with one or multiple compartment spaces R each capable of being occupied by a customer for a fixed time, and each compartment space is provided with a desk 10, a chair 11, and a customer computer 20 to be used by the customer. This computer has no specific operating system and no application program, an operating system and an application program are written on the computer from a program server as required, and they are written and erased each time the computer is utilized by the customer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a time-lending simple office, and more particularly, to a time-lending office facility having a function of securing a work space and operating a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Attempts have been made to lend a computer installed in a street corner store to a customer who does not carry a computer when going out.

[0003]

According to the above attempts,
The time rental computer installed is not a small portable computer, but a desktop type equivalent to the one installed at the office or home can be used, so that the user is burdened with operation even when going out Without using a computer. However, in this case, the customer must carry a storage medium that stores documents and image data that are prerequisites for office work, and may use a little spare time on the go to perform office work, Even if it is necessary to carry out clerical work, there is a restriction on the document and image data as a prerequisite because it is not carried.

On the other hand, even if you carry a storage medium,
When important information is included, it means that it is always against the risk of loss or theft, which is not preferable in terms of security. Also, if a mobile phone with a mobile terminal function comes to have a large-capacity storage device in the future due to the improvement of semiconductor technology, the data will always be carried around without any particular awareness. It is expected that this problem will become particularly apparent. The US case of losing a portable computer that stores important defense data is still new.

In addition, it is not always the case that the same OS (operating system) and application programs as those usually used by the user are always installed in the time-lending computer. In this case, the customer must give up using the same. On the other hand, in order to meet the needs of such customers, facility providers had to individually prepare computers packed with a large number of programs, which was a great economic and administrative burden.

On the other hand, even if the same OS or application program that is normally used by a user happens to be installed in a time-lending computer, the initial setting of the OS, a desktop under a GUI (graphical user interface) environment, In addition, the operating modes of application programs, the attributes of characters and graphics, and the operating environment for registered words are naturally different from those of computers that are normally used at work or at home, resulting in inconvenient usability and reduced work efficiency. There was a point. Even if these operating environments were changed to those that would normally be used, it would take a lot of time,
In the first place, it was impossible to use registered words and registered formats on the go.

[0007] For this reason, it is expected that the customer sets these operating environments from the default values so that the user can use them easily, and for the facility provider, the customer may change the operating environments from the default values without permission. Was unfavorable because it gave the next customer a greater sense of operational discomfort. In some cases, the operating environment such as a system error may be destroyed. Furthermore, if a computer virus invades data or the like brought in by a customer, the operating environment of the computer may be destroyed and the computer may become inoperable, or data of the next customer may be infected.

In addition, data created by a customer using a time-lending computer and records connected to the Internet can be erased by an erase command on a program.
It is also possible to restore the data based on the traces left on the hard disk or the like, which poses a serious security problem. In the end, customers could not use the time-lending computer for important tasks requiring confidentiality.

[0009] By the way, in order for a customer to perform office work in a more comfortable environment and with privacy, it is preferable to install a time-lending computer in a private room. There is a problem that it is easy to promote the act of making changes to the programs and data installed in the computer, and as a result, the time-lending computer has to be installed in a somewhat open environment that is always visible to the administrator.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a time-lending office facility which gives a user a place to solve the above problems at once. That is, the time-lending office facility of the present invention provides one or more compartments that can be occupied by the customer for a certain period of time, and each compartment has a customer computer for use by the customer in addition to the desk and chair, This computer has no specific operating system and application programs,
A computer on which an operating system and an application program are written from a program server as necessary, writing and erasing each time the customer uses the system, and both data created by the customer and received data are erased.

The present invention is based on the premise that a customer computer that can be used by a customer is provided in a partitioned space that can be occupied by the customer for a certain period of time. Needless to say, this is a trivial idea in itself. However, at least as far as the inventor of the present invention knows, the problems in such a facility have not been accurately recognized, and the addition of a new component requirement has solved the problem, and further has an inherent effect. Has not been recognized or considered possible.

As described above, in the conventional rental computer facilities, the diversification of OSs and application programs has relied exclusively on commercial efforts to purchase and install them widely. Needless to say, if there were many computers to rent, installing them individually on each computer was too burdensome. Further problematic is the fact that customers do not always use the latest versions of OS and application programs. There are many application programs whose operating methods differ greatly depending on the version, and it is not a true "virtual my computer" if it is necessary to use different versions. Needless to say, it is impractical to prepare computers on which OSs and application programs are installed for each version in view of the variation of the combination, and it is not technically possible to coexist them on one computer. Is difficult to implement and further confuses the user.

The first of the constitutional requirements added in the present invention is that the client computer does not have a specific OS and application program, but transfers and writes the OS and application program from the program server as needed. It is to be. As a result, the store can provide a customer computer in which the OS and application programs specified by the customer are set up in advance, including their versions. In this case, at the end of the customer's use, these data are erased from the computer, so that no matter how the customer handles the computer, the use of the next customer is not affected, and Even if the operating environment such as a system error is destroyed, there is no problem, and the above-mentioned bottleneck in operating the rental computer is eliminated. Further, even if a computer virus is transmitted from a medium brought in by a customer, no problem arises because all the records are initialized when the use of the customer is finished. Similarly, various data written by the customer are all initialized when the use of the customer is finished, so that there is no security problem.

The second of the added components is the in-facility LA.
N is connected to the off-site network to which the server of the data management center is connected, and the server is provided with a customer-specific data storage unit for each customer who is given an ID. This is to save the data created. This allows the customer
As long as D has the means to be authenticated, even if he does not carry a storage medium as in the prior art, he can access his / her own customer-specific data storage unit at the time-lending office facility of the present invention on the go. Data such as a document, an image, or a database can be extracted or written. That is, in the present invention, the customer can use the customer computer of the time-lending office facility as if it were his / her own by obtaining the ID, and in other words, the time-lending office provided with the "virtual my computer" The effect is that the facility can be used as a satellite office.

By the way, when it is assumed that a customer uses his or her own computer at work or at home, the operating environment of the computer is usually not the default state but changed by the customer. Here, “operation environment” refers to, for example, installed fonts, OS,
Initial setting items such as screen resolution, standard language, system date, system time (for foreign users, it is often set to the time in their home country), desktop, initial settings in various programs, Attributes of characters and figures in a program for handling documents and images, user registration words, and the like can be cited, all of which greatly affect the usability of a computer. Therefore,
Even if a computer equipped with the version of the OS or application program that one usually uses is prepared on the go, if the operating environment is in the default state, the user feels inconvenient and the work efficiency is reduced. If the operating environment is changed to the one that is normally used, the time is not stupid, and the meaning of performing the work using a short time when going out is diminished.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to realize a more complete “virtual my computer”, data of an operating environment generated when a customer given an ID operates a customer computer in a facility is converted into a data. The data is transferred to and stored in the customer-specific data storage section of the customer in the server of the management center, and this data is transferred to and written to any customer computer at any facility as needed. This allows the customer to always work in the same operating environment as that used last time, irrespective of the location of the time-lending office facility or the computer.

From the above description, the option of backing up the computer operated by the customer, including the OS, application programs, and the created data, and storing it as it is in the customer data storage section of the server of the data management center is provided. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily conceive. However, when the OS and the application program are combined, the data size becomes large, and not only takes much time for transfer, but also increases the load on the server. On the other hand, even if the operation environment data is detailed, the data size is relatively small, the transfer time is short, and the load on the server is small. The present invention considers these characteristics and enables efficient operation by storing each data in an appropriate place on the network, and also considers the economics for enabling the invention. are doing.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a time-lending office facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a time rental office facility S of the present invention. In the drawing, reference symbols R1 to R3 are partitioned spaces. In this embodiment, the partitioned space is a private room divided by a wall surface, and three private rooms are illustrated here. Needless to say, the partitioned space may be a booth-shaped space partitioned by a partition plate or a capsule-shaped space having an outer shell. In addition to the desk 10 and the chair 11 provided in each private room, for example, a sofa 13 for rest or nap may be provided. In each of the above private rooms R1 to R3, a customer computer 20 used by the customer is arranged. Print output means may be connected to the customer computer 20. Each of the private rooms is provided with a door 12 and has a structure that requires a key to enter and exit so that others cannot operate the customer computer without permission before the customer checks in or when the customer stands.

A customer who uses a time-lending office facility first performs a check-in procedure at a reception counter (not shown) and receives a key of a designated private room. At this time-lending office facility, the customer can use the customer computer only by registering in advance and acquiring the ID. This is to ensure security in relation to allowing access to the customer-specific data storage unit of the server of the customer-specific data management center. In this embodiment, the ID is authenticated by the presentation of the ID card 21 issued to the customer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, the ID may be obtained from an ID number and a password, or a biometric such as a fingerprint or an iris. Next, a procedure until a customer who enters the time-lending office facility of the present invention enters the private room R will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The customer who enters the store first presents the ID card at the reception counter, and receives an authentication work via the reception computer (procedures N1 to N6). As a result, a private room is designated and a key of the private room is issued to the authenticated customer (procedure N7).
To N9). A key is required to enter the private room, and a person without a proper key cannot enter the room (procedures N10 to N18).
When the customer computer is started, it is necessary to present the ID card again and receive the authentication work as described later.

Next, a description will be given of a system configuration of a time rental office facility according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a system for a time rental office facility according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 41 denotes a gateway for connecting the in-house LAN 40 to an external network N, and reference numeral 20 denotes a customer computer provided in each of the private rooms R1 to Rn.
In this embodiment, the customer computer 20 does not have a specific OS and application program,
The program is transferred from the program server 45 containing the OS and application programs on the in-house LAN 40 and written. This writing operation is performed by accurately selecting an OS and an application program corresponding to the customer for each use until the version is reached. When the use of the customer is completed, the OS and the application program are returned to the initial state, and the writing for the next customer is performed. Prepare. In this case, if the storage device of the customer computer 20 is made volatile, the storage device can be completely returned to the initial state. Therefore, compared with a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk, for example, data is restored after initialization and stolen. The effect of reducing the risk can be obtained.

Since the above initialization is performed inside the computer, the initialization is not seen by the customer.
On the other hand, there is a feeling that customers are anxious if they do not confirm that their data has been completely erased. Therefore, in this embodiment, a message to the effect that the data has been completely erased is displayed on the computer screen at the end of use by the customer. In this case, the message may be printed out as a printed matter. When an employee prepares important corporate documents using the time-lending office facility of the present invention, it is desirable for management to issue such a message as a printed matter, and the responsibility is clearly defined.

Reference numeral C in the figure denotes a data management center,
For example, via a network N outside the facility such as the Internet, the LA of a plurality of facilities is stored in the server 60 of this center.
N is connected. Reference numeral 65 in the figure denotes a gateway for connecting to the network N. The server 60 is provided with a customer-specific data storage unit for each customer given an ID, in which data created by the customer and data created in connection with the customer are stored. The customer-specific data storage unit includes a user area 61 that can be used arbitrarily by the customer, and an operation environment area 62 in which data of an operation environment generated when the customer operates the customer computer 20 in the facility is automatically stored. Consists of In the user area 61, data created by the customer, programs brought by the customer, and the like are stored at the customer's will, and these are transferred to the customer computer 20 and written by the customer's selection. On the other hand, in the operation environment area 62, in addition to the data of the customer's operation environment described in detail in the section of the problem to be solved by the invention, the OS
And the specification table of the application program is stored. Unless otherwise specified, the OS and the application program based on the specification table are called from the program server 45 of each facility and written into the customer computer 20, and the operating environment is written. It is.

Next, a procedure in which a customer who has entered the private room R in the time rental office facility of the present invention performs a series of office work will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the customer computer, a startup program operates using the customer's ID card 21 as a startup key. After startup, the card information is transferred to the server 60 of the data management center C, and authentication is performed in the data management center (procedure N1).
To N4). After the customer ID is authenticated, the OS and the application program corresponding to the customer ID are lent to the office facility by referring to the specification table stored in the operation environment area 62 of the data storage unit for each customer. Searching from the program server 45, the customer computer 20
(Procedures N5 to N7), and furthermore, data of the operating environment generated when the customer operated the customer computer 20 last time is transferred from the operating environment area 62 and written therein, thereby constructing an operating environment unique to the customer. (Steps N8 to N9). At this stage, the setup of the customer computer 20 is completed and the customer can use the computer freely. At the same time, the customer has access to access the user area 61 of his / her own data storage unit of the server 60 of the data management center C. The customer is given the right to read a document, image, or program stored therein, or write a created one, and can use the customer computer as if it were a dedicated computer (procedures N10 to N1).
3).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system according to a second embodiment of the time rental office facility of the present invention. In this embodiment, the program server containing the OS and the application program is arranged on the in-house LAN 40 in the above embodiment, but is arranged as the program area 63 on the server 60 of the data management center C. ing. By doing so, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to prepare various types of OSs and application programs in each facility.

However, the OS and the application programs have large data capacities, and if they are transferred using the off-site network N such as the Internet, a transfer time is expected to be required. Therefore, in this embodiment, a cache server 46 for the customer computer 20 is provided in the in-house LAN 40, and data from the data management center is transferred and stored therein. That is, at the stage where the reservation of the use of the customer computer is received from the customer, the necessary OS and application programs are transferred in advance from the program area 63 of the server of the data management center to the cache server 46 of the in-house LAN 40 before the reservation time. The accumulation allows the customer to use the computer immediately without any waiting time due to the transfer. In this case, at the same time, the operation environment area 6
2. The customer's operating environment data from the cache server 46
Needless to say, the data may be transferred and stored. The reservation is made by presenting the ID, but since the data transferred to the cache server 46 is not the data created by the customer stored in the user area 61, the security may be light, and the name, ID number, etc. Will be accepted. After the customer is specified and the reservation is accepted, the OS 60 and the application program necessary for the appropriate time before the reservation time of the reservation date and the operating environment data of the customer are rented from the server 60 of the data management center C to the office facility. To the cache server 46 of
accumulate. If the private room R to be used by the reserved customer is vacant, the OS and the application program and the operating environment data of the customer are immediately written from the cache server 46 to the computer 20 of the private room. . The rest of the configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system according to a third embodiment of the time rental office facility of the present invention. In this embodiment, both a program server 45 containing an OS and application programs and a cache server 46 for transferring and storing data from a server 60 of the data management center C are arranged in the in-house LAN 40. This embodiment aims at realizing the setup of the customer computer more quickly by providing the features of the first embodiment and the second embodiment.
That is, the OS and application programs that require a long time for transfer are accommodated in the program server 45 in the time-lending office facility, and the operation environment data of the customer whose data is relatively small and the transfer time is short is stored in the data management center C.
From the server 60 to the cache server 46 of the time-lending office facility. In this case, an OS and an application program frequently used by the customer are stored in the program server 45 in the office facility on a time-lending basis, and the OS and the application program infrequently used are stored in the program area of the server 60 of the data management center C. (Not shown) and, if necessary, a time-lending office facility cash server 4
6 may be transferred and stored. The rest of the configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the customer may be given an access right to access his / her own data storage unit of the server 60 of the data management center C through a computer outside the facility. By doing so, it is possible to use data created on a computer at home or office at home, and to reflect the result of the work performed on the computer at home or home. As the computer outside the store, a mobile terminal, a mobile phone 81 having a mobile terminal function, and the like can be assumed in addition to the personal computer 80 installed at a fixed position. In this case, the operating environment generated when the computer outside the store is operated is transferred and stored in the operating environment area 62 of the customer-specific data storage unit of the customer in the server 60 of the data management center as described above. Good, but the range may be a necessary part. For example, when a user accesses several web pages on a mobile phone having a mobile terminal function to search for information while traveling, and looks at the results again on the customer computer of the time-lending office facility of the present invention, the access is required. A typical example is a case where only the history that has been saved is stored as the operation environment.

The time rental office facility of the present invention comprises:
It may be installed in buildings such as stations, airports, gas stations, service areas, etc., in vehicles such as railroads, aircraft, ships, etc., or outdoors such as telephone booths, so that customers can use “Virtual My Computer "can be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, means for acquiring the current position of an external computer connected to the server of the data management center is provided, and the computer connected to the data management center based on the position information is provided. May be searched for a time rented office facility located in the vicinity of, and the location information may be notified to an external computer. This embodiment is particularly useful, for example, when using a hotel phone at the destination or connecting to a data management center server using a mobile phone while traveling, so that the nearby facilities can be known. It is valid. As means for capturing the current location of the computer outside the store,
In the case of a computer connected to a general telephone line, it can be assumed that the transmission number is used, and in the case of a mobile phone, it is possible to use a relay base that receives radio waves from the mobile phone or use GPS.

[0030]

The time-lending office facility of the present invention having the above configuration has the following specific effects. (1) Even if you do not carry your own computer or storage medium when you go out, by using the time-lending office facility of the present invention, you can accumulate yourself and a computer with the same operating environment as the computer you usually use Since the data can be used, it is possible to perform office work in a comfortable work environment by using a small free time when going out. (2) Even if you carry your computer or storage medium when you go out, there is no need to carry important data, so there is no security concern. (3) The customer's computer writes the OS and application programs each time the customer uses it, and erases them at the end of use. There is no discomfort in operation and no destruction of the operating environment such as system errors and computer viruses. (4) Similarly, important documents, Internet communication information, etc.
Data that requires confidentiality is initialized at the end of use and erased, so that security is ensured and important office work can be performed with peace of mind, in combination with a partitioned space that is not likely to be seen from the outside. (5) The customer computer writes the OS and application programs each time the customer uses them, and erases them at the end of use. Therefore, even if the system or program is modified by a malicious customer, there is no problem. There is no inconvenience even if it is not a partitioned space. On the other hand, since all data is deleted at the end of use, it is meaningless to modify the system or the program, and an effect of suppressing malicious customer modification can be expected. (6) In recent years, mobile phones with a mobile terminal function have become widespread, but when used together with the time-lending office facility of the present invention, the display capability is limited, so that mobile phones cannot be printed out. The disadvantages are complemented,
The advantage of being able to send e-mail to people on the move will be maximized. An example is given below. An important document has to be sent to Mr. A, who is traveling to Osaka on a business trip, and an email is sent from the company to Mr. A. Since the above document covers hundreds of pages and contains a lot of figures and tables, it cannot be displayed on Mr. A's mobile phone at all. The e-mail was sent with the abstract attached to the document itself. Mr. A opened an e-mail in a moving car. Mr. A understood the importance and the outline of the contents by abstract, and forwarded the e-mail to Mr. A's customer-specific data storage unit on the server of the data management center. saved. Mr. A, who got off at Osaka Station, read the entire e-mail on a computer for customer use at a nearby rental office facility, read the entire book, and printed the necessary parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of a time rental office facility of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the system.

5 is a flowchart showing a work procedure at the time of visiting the store.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a work procedure of the first embodiment of the system.

[Explanation of symbols]

S Office facility for rent for hours C Data management center R1 to Rn Private room (compartment space) 20 Computer for customer 80 Personal computer (external computer) 81 Mobile phone with mobile terminal function (external computer)

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. A customer has one or more compartments that can be occupied for a certain period of time, and each compartment has a desk and a chair and a customer computer for use by the customer. A computer that does not have a system and application programs, but to which the operating system and application programs are written from the program server as needed, writes and deletes them every time the customer uses it, and also creates and receives data created and received by the customer. An hourly rental office facility that is deleted together. 2. The time-lending office facility according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying to the customer that the data has been completely erased at the end of use of the customer on a screen or in a printed matter printed out. 3. The time-lending office facility according to claim 1, wherein the storage device of the customer computer to which the written program or data is written is a volatile storage device. 4. L within a plurality of time-lending office facilities
An AN is provided with a data management center connected via an external network, and a server for the data management center is provided with a data storage unit for each customer who is given an ID. 4. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein data created in connection with the office facility is stored. 5. The time-lending office facility according to claim 4, wherein the customer given the ID is given access right to access his / her own data storage unit of the server of the data management center through the customer computer of the time-lending office facility. . 6. The hourly rental office according to claim 4, wherein the customer given the ID is given an access right to access his / her own data storage unit of the server of the data management center through an external computer. Facility. 7. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 6, wherein the external computer is a personal computer. 8. The time-lending office facility according to claim 6, wherein the external computer is a mobile terminal. 9. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 6, wherein the external computer is a mobile phone having a mobile terminal function. 10. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the program server is arranged on a LAN in the facility of the hourly rental office facility. 11. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the program server is arranged in a data management center. 12. An operating system and an application program written in the customer computer can be arbitrarily selected according to a customer's instruction. In addition, by referring to a specification table of a customer-specific data storage unit of a server of a data management center, an ID can be selected. 2. The same one used when the customer given the last time operated the customer computer at the time rental office facility is automatically selected.
Office facility for rent according to any one of Items 1 to 11. 13. An operating environment data generated when a customer given an ID operates a computer for a customer at a time-lending office facility is transferred to a data storage unit for each customer of the customer in a server of a data management center. 13. The operating environment similar to the previous one is reproduced by transmitting and writing the data to an optional customer computer at an rented office facility at an optional time as needed and writing the data. Hour office facilities listed. 14. Data management of all or a part of the data of the operating environment generated when a customer given an ID accesses a data storage unit of his / her own of a server of a data management center through an external computer. By transferring the data to the customer-specific data storage unit of the customer in the server of the center and storing it, and transferring and writing this data to any customer computer in the rental office facility as needed, the same as the previous time 14. The time-lending office facility according to claim 1, which reproduces an operation environment. 15. The cache server according to claim 1, wherein a cache server for a customer computer is provided in a LAN within the time-lending office facility, and data from the server of the data management center is transferred and stored therein. Hour office facilities listed. 16. A means for receiving a reservation for use of a customer computer from a customer is provided, and necessary data is transferred from a server of a data management center to an in-house LAN before a reservation time.
16. The time-lending office facility according to claim 15, further comprising means for transferring and storing the data to a cache server in advance. 17. The partition space requires a key to enter and exit, and requires the operation of authenticating a customer's ID when the key of the partition space is issued, while storing customer-specific data in a server of a data management center by a customer computer. 17. The hourly rental office facility according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising a procedure for requesting authentication of a customer's ID even when accessing the department. 18. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the divided space is a private room separated by a wall surface. 19. The time-lending office facility according to claim 1, wherein the partitioned space is a booth separated by a partition plate. 20. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the compartment space is a capsule having an outer shell. 21. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the hourly rental office facility is provided in a building. 22. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the hourly rental office facility is provided in a vehicle. 23. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 1, wherein the hourly rental office facility is provided outdoors. 24. A print output unit is connected to a customer computer in a time rental computer facility.
3. The time-lending office facility described in 3. 25. Means for capturing the current position of an external computer connected to the server of the data management center are provided, and in the data management center, the time that is located around the connected computer based on the position information is provided. 25. The hourly rental office facility according to claim 6, wherein the rental office facility is searched for, and its location information is notified to an external computer.