JP2002117213A - Manual distributing method using network - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the distribution and update of a manual, also to prevent the illegal use of a product in relation to the manual and to secure the copyright of an issuer by registering the manual in an electronic server and making it possible to refer to the manual through a network. SOLUTION: In this manual distributing method in a system where a plurality of user terminals and the server of the manual provider are connected through the network, the server transmits manual data to a user terminal in response to a request for referencing when the user terminal makes the request for referencing the manual. Access is managed by using an ID and a password, the illegal use of the manual data are prevented and the way of service providing to users is also diversified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manual distributing method, and more particularly, to a manual distributing method with improved convenience using a network such as the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when distributing a manual of a computer or the like, a method has been adopted in which a user (user) places an order with a manual provider and the provider delivers the manual to a user in a printed form. In addition, when it is necessary to correct or revise a typographical error in a manual once distributed, procedures such as sending a replacement for a specific page only or recreating the entire manual and delivering it are taken.

[0003]

However, the conventional method described above has a problem that the manual is physically bulky. Especially for complicated devices, etc., manuals become detailed and the size and weight of printed materials become considerable due to the large amount of information, so in addition to printing costs as paper information, costs related to delivery, There are inconveniences such as a storage place in.

[0004] In addition, since paper is printed and bound before being distributed, there is also a problem that it takes time from the input of a manual to the distribution to a user. In particular, when correcting an erroneous description, a delay in the notification of correction information causes a mistake on the user side, and becomes a serious problem.

[0005] Further, the manual printed on paper has a problem that the user has to turn over and search for desired information, and it takes a long time to search. Although a table of contents or index is usually provided to facilitate this, the user still has to turn pages to search for the desired information, which is incomparable to searching / retrieving electronic data using a computer. It takes time.

Further, in a print manual, when a bookbinding error, a typographical error, a revision, and the like occur, the above-described series of problems are applied, and thus there is a problem that these processes become very complicated. In addition, when a template is shown in a manual such as computer software printed on paper, when using the template, there is an inconvenience that the user has to manually input the information while looking at the paper manual.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention makes it unnecessary to distribute a manual printed on paper by registering the manual in an electronic server and making it possible to refer to the manual via a network. Provides a manual distribution method that can be searched and provided electronically and quickly provided, and can be managed and modified / revised in a centralized manner by the manual provider, and the user can quickly edit the desired model into a form that can be used The purpose is to do.

[0008]

In order to achieve this object, the invention according to the present application connects a terminal of a user who uses a product to a server of a manual provider for the product via a network, and When there is a manual reference request from the user terminal, the server transmits manual data to the user terminal via the network in response to the request. As described above, if the manual is registered as electronic data in the server of the provider and distributed to the user terminal in response to a user request via the network, the distribution of the manual printed on paper becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the cost can be reduced and the problem of the storage location can be solved.

In the manual distribution method, the reference request from the user terminal is a reference request for a manual part specified by the user terminal, and the server of the manual provider transmits data of the part related to the reference request. You may make it transmit to the said user terminal. In this way, instead of distributing the entire manual every time a user requests, by distributing only the part related to request information that specifies only the part desired by the user, quick information transmission and saving of network resources are achieved. Can be achieved.

[0010] The server of the manual provider may include:
When there is a search request from the user terminal, it is preferable that a search is performed for the manual in accordance with the content thereof, and a search result is transmitted to the user terminal. Since the search for the electronic data can be performed quickly, the information desired by the user can be called and provided dramatically and rapidly as compared with the case of printing on paper.

Preferably, the manual provider can update the contents of the manual registered in the server as needed. If it becomes necessary to correct or revise a typo in the manual, the manual provider can update the manual that is registered on the server and managed centrally,
A complicated procedure such as printing and delivering the replacement for each user can be avoided, and the manual updating process can be completed easily and quickly.

[0012] The server of the manual provider may include:
Authentication by a terminal ID and a password may be performed in response to a request from the user terminal, and access restriction and provided information may be restricted as necessary. For example, in a manual of a computer program or the like, if the data of the manual is provided only to a user who has cleared the authentication, use of the program by a user other than an authorized user can be restricted to prevent unauthorized use of the program. In addition, it is also possible to register in advance the use contract period for each user and the number of manuals that can be referred to at the same time on the server side, and to limit the reference to manuals after a lapse of the period or a predetermined number or more.

Further, in the present invention, the server of the manual provider may limit the number of user terminals simultaneously accessing the server. In this way, it is possible to prevent the simultaneous access from being concentrated and the communication speed from being reduced or the server from being down.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of user terminals 21
To 23 and one manual server 30 are mutually connected. The network 10 is a network that realizes two-way communication such as the Internet and an intranet.
Consists of telephone lines and dedicated lines. Multiple user terminals 21 to
Reference numeral 23 denotes an information terminal having an input means such as a keyboard and an output means for displaying a manual on the screen.

On the other hand, the manual server 30 is a server managed by a manual provider, and its storage means stores a user management database 31 and digitized manual data 32. This manual server 3
“0” has a function of searching the contents of the manual data 32 based on a request from the user terminal and transmitting a designated portion to the user terminal. This feature itself can be easily built using well-known techniques,
Detailed description is omitted in this specification.

The user management database 31 stores in advance user information such as an ID and a password for each user, a contract period during which a manual can be used depending on the embodiment, a portion and the number of available manuals, depending on the embodiment. . This is registered in advance in accordance with a manual purchase agreement or the like, and can be rewritten as needed.

The operation of the network system will be described below. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the manual server 30. The user who wants to use the manual can use his / her own user terminal (eg, terminal 21).
, A user ID and a password for the manual server 30 are input, and the user is connected to the manual server 30 via the network 10. The manual server 30 receiving this (step S11) authenticates the user with reference to the user management database 31 (step S1).
2). Specifically, the information about the user registered in the management database 31 is read, and the user ID is read.
And the password, and in some embodiments, checks whether the user is an appropriate user by referring to the contract period of the user, the number of products purchased, and the like. If the passwords do not match, the access to the manual server is rejected (step S13), and the process ends. If the authentication is successful, the user terminal 21 is notified of the fact and waits for a request.

Next, the user sends a manual reference request or a search request to the manual server 30 (not shown). Here, it may be different depending on the embodiment, for example, in the case of a reference request, specify a specific page number or chapter number, and in the case of a search request, specify a specific character string or information block update date, etc. I will put it out.

The manual server 30 that has received the request from the user terminal 21 (step S14) determines whether the request is a reference request (step S15). If the request is a reference request, the manual server 30 next refers to the management database and determines whether or not the content of the request is within the access permission range of the user (step S16). Specifically, for example, if the contract is such that only a part of the manual can be referred, or if the corporate user has purchased multiple sets of products, the number of simultaneous accesses from the company should not exceed the number of purchases. If registered in the database 31, it is determined that the content of the request is out of the access permission range.

If the content related to the request is within the access permission range, the portion designated by the request is called from the manual data 32 and transmitted to the user terminal (step S17). Here, the user issues a reference request by specifying a page number, a chapter number, and the like, and the manual server 3
If 0 is set to return only the portion corresponding to the request, the communication time can be shortened as compared with transmitting all the manual data every time the request is made, and problems such as a delay in communication speed can be avoided. If the content of the request is out of the access permission range of the user, the request is rejected and the user is warned to that effect (step S18).

If it is determined in step S15 that the request from the user terminal is not a reference request, it is next determined whether the request is a search request (step S1).
9). If the request is a search request, a search is performed on the manual data 32 in response to the request (step S20), and a search result is returned to the user terminal (step S21). The search result may be provided with a link function that can issue a reference request for the corresponding portion as it is.

Thereafter, the user is inquired whether there is another request (step S22), and if not, the process is terminated. Step S if there is another request
Returning to 14, the request from the user terminal is accepted. Note that an instruction to execute the link function in the search result described above is received as a next reference request.

For reference, FIG. 3 shows a step of transmitting a user ID and a password from the user terminal 21 to connect to the manual server 30 (step S11 in FIG. 2).
FIG. 4 shows the step of transmitting the manual part related to the request from the manual server 30 to the user terminal 21 (step S17 in FIG. 2).

In order to correct typographical errors or upgrade the version,
If the manual needs to be revised for some other reason, the service provider updates the manual data 32 of the manual server 30. In this case, the entire contents of the manual may be updated to a new one, or information may be added or corrected only in a specific paragraph or chapter. If data of the updated part and the date is stored, the user can search only the updated part. Here, during the update work of the manual data 32, access from the user terminal is not accepted so that an error in data transmission is avoided. Further, the manual server 30 constantly monitors the number of accesses from the user terminals, and if the number of simultaneous accesses exceeds a predetermined number, denies further access to prevent a reduction in communication speed and processing capacity.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be realized in various other forms.
For example, in the above embodiment, it is assumed that the manual is browsed free of charge by purchasing the product related to the manual, but elements such as a billing method based on the access time and number of times from the user terminal to the manual server and an associated electronic settlement method are included. It may be added.

[0026]

As described above, according to the manual distribution method of the present invention, since manual data is provided online from a manual server on a network, the manual data is not distributed to the manual provider side as printed matter. The cost and labor of bookbinding and delivery are reduced, and the time required from submission to distribution is shortened by eliminating the need for bookbinding and delivery, and the data on the server can be updated. . On the user side,
Since it is electronic data, a storage place for printed matter is unnecessary, and since the data is always on the server, it does not go missing from the management place, search for the target information is easy and quick, and electronic data can be cut off Therefore, the template on the manual can be easily used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the manual server 30 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the system shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the system shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 network 21, 22, 23 user terminal 30 manual server 31 user management database 32 manual data

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat II (Reference) G06F 17/30 170 G06F 17/30 170A F term (Reference) 5B017 AA03 BA05 CA16 5B049 AA05 BB07 BB26 CC02 DD00 DD05 EE05 FF03 FF04 FF09 GG04 GG07 5B075 KK07 KK13 KK33 KK37 KK43 KK54 KK63 ND03 ND20 ND23 ND36 PQ02 PQ05 UU06 UU11

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A terminal of a user who uses a product is connected to a server of a manual provider for the product via a network, and when a request for referring to a manual is made from the user terminal, the server makes the request. And transmitting the manual data to the user terminal via the network in accordance with the manual distribution method. 2. The manual distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the reference request from the user terminal is a reference request for a manual part specified by the user terminal, and the server of the manual provider provides the reference request. And transmitting the data of the portion according to (1) to the user terminal. 3. The manual distribution method according to claim 1, wherein, when a search request is received from the user terminal, the server of the manual provider performs a search for the manual in response to the request. And transmitting the search result to the user terminal. 4. The manual distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the manual provider can update the contents of the manual registered in the server as needed. Method. 5. The manual distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the server of the manual provider authenticates a request from the user terminal using a terminal ID and a password, and if necessary, authenticates the request from the user terminal. A manual distribution method characterized by restricting access and provided information. 6. The manual distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the server of the manual provider restricts the number of user terminals accessing the server at the same time.