JP2002318978A - Lease management system and lease management method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly manage a leased property from machine model selection and purchase down to disposal. SOLUTION: An ASP 11 receives an application specifying an applicant, the kind of a device to be leased, a lease period and the like from a customer system 21. The ASP 11 orders the requested device to a maker. The maker delivers the ordered device to a kitting company 41. The kitting company 41 performs a kitting such as addition of parts, installation of software or the like based on a contract and the application contents, and then delivers the product to the customer. During the lease period, the ASP 11 properly collects and updates the change of customer information or the like, and reports the expiration of the lease period to the customer in a prescribed period before the expiration. When the customer designates the picking-up of the leased property to the leasing company, a processing such as recycle, sales to secondhand market, disposal or the like is performed according to the degree.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lease management system and a lease management method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various electronic devices are used in companies and organizations and are treated as assets. For relatively expensive products, leasing and rental are also used.

[0003]

Conventionally, management from purchase to disposal of an asset including a leased property is performed manually. For this reason, unified management is in a difficult state. Although it is possible to manage using a spreadsheet or the like, the processing is complicated. Also, in general, leased goods have a small selection and it is sometimes difficult to obtain leases of properties suitable for business.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a system and method capable of suitably managing various assets used in a business entity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method capable of uniformly managing assets from selection and purchase of a model to disposal.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a lease management system according to a first aspect of the present invention receives a lease application via a network, and receives the lease application via the network. In accordance with the application, there are provided contract means for executing a predetermined process for a lease contract, registration means for registering information on the lease property, and management means for managing the lease property based on the information registered by the registration means. It is characterized by the following.

[0006] The accepting means includes, for example, a storage means for storing a business to be processed and a property to be leased in association with each other, a business providing means for providing a business selection screen, There are provided means for presenting a property corresponding to the selected task in accordance with the stored contents of the storage means, and means for accepting, as a lease property, a property selected from the presented properties to be leased.

[0007] The receiving means may include a workflow means for requesting a predetermined right holder to approve the received application. The workflow may be determined in advance, or a person who requests settlement may specify a settlement right holder.

The receiving means may include means for ordering a property to be leased to a maker or a vendor based on an application, for example. A means may be further provided for notifying a customer or the like who has applied for a lease of a scheduled delivery date of the ordered property based on information from the supplier. The ordered property is delivered, for example, to an establishment that kits in parts and software. In this case, means for notifying the customer of the expected delivery date to the customer may be arranged based on the delivery date from the supplier and / or the kit-in work schedule.

[0009] The application accepted by the accepting means includes, for example, information for specifying a lease period, and the registering means includes means for registering a point in time when the leased article is delivered to the customer and the lease is started. The management means includes means for receiving and registering information on the relevant lease case during the lease period from the start of the lease, for example, change information of a manager or user, or update information of the remaining lease period. May be.

Similarly, the application accepted by the accepting means includes, for example, information for specifying a lease period, and the registering means includes means for registering a point in time when the leased article is delivered to the customer and the lease is started. May be. in this case,
Preferably, the management means includes means for notifying a customer that the lease contract has expired. Further, a means may be provided for disclosing information on the leased property for recycling based on the offer from the customer to return the leased property.

In order to achieve the above object, a lease management system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a recording unit for accumulating information on a leased item and a receiving unit for receiving a request for recycling of the leased item. And a means for publishing information on a property requested to be recycled based on information stored in the recording means, for a leased property requested to be recycled by the receiving means. .

In order to achieve the above object, a lease management method according to a third aspect of the present invention receives a lease application, receives an approval of the received application according to a predetermined workflow, and obtains an approved application. about,
Order the property to be leased, execute the kitting process for the property delivered from the supplier, deliver the property after the kitting process to the customer, start leasing, and return the leased property before the lease period expires. Or ask the customer whether to re-contract.

It is to be noted that a program for causing a computer to function as the above-described lease management system, or causing a computer to execute the above-described lease management method is stored in a recording medium, distributed, or transmitted via a communication line. May be distributed.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a lease management system according to an embodiment of the present invention and its operation will be described with reference to the drawings.

The lease management system according to this embodiment, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, includes an asset management ASP 11, a customer system 21 (21 _{1 to} 21 _m ), mutually connected via a network, Rental management system 3
1, a kitting management system 41, and a maintenance management system 51.

The asset management ASP 11 is installed in a leasing company that leases and manages various facilities (electronic devices and the like).
Performs a series of procedures from selection of equipment to be leased to customers to disposal, and management of assets leased to customers.

The asset management ASP 11 includes a server 110 and a database (DB) 120 as shown in FIG. The server 110 has a function as a WWW server and a function as a database server. Note that the server 110 does not need to be physically constituted by one computer device, but may be constituted by a plurality of computers.

The server 110 includes a communication unit 111, a processing control unit 112, a storage unit 113, an input unit 114, and a display unit 115. The communication unit 111 includes the processing control unit 11
Under the control of 2, communication with other devices is performed via the Internet. The storage unit 113 includes a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk device, or the like, stores an operation program of the processing control unit and fixed data, and stores the processing control unit 11.
2 functions as a work area. The input unit 114 inputs various instructions and data to the processing control unit 112. The display unit 115 displays various information under the control of the processing control unit 112.

With such a configuration, the server 110
As a WWW server, it accepts access via the Internet IN, performs authentication processing, and provides web pages of various forms prepared in advance to the access source. In addition, as necessary, a web page is dynamically created by, for example, CGI using information extracted from the database 120 and provided to an access source terminal.
Further, server 110 receives the data transmitted from the terminal, and executes a process corresponding to the received content.

The server 110 accesses the DB 120 as a DB server.

The DB 120 is composed of a hard disk drive or the like, and includes a management DB 131, a rental DB 141, a recycle DB 151, and a maintenance DB 16
1 is provided.

The management DB 131 is a DB for performing various managements related to lease, and includes a management master file 132, a customer master file 133,
Status management master file 134 and address book 1
35. Management master file 132
Stores basic information on management, for example, basic information on progress management from application to delivery as shown in FIG. The customer master file 133 stores detailed information about the customer, for example, information such as company name, person in charge, and contact information. Status management master file 134
Indicates the current status of the rental property (eg, waiting for shipment from vendor, kitting, delivered to customer, etc.)
Is stored. In the address book 135, addresses and roles of various persons and organizations related to the asset management are registered.

The rental DB 141 includes a property master file 142, an application DB 143, a contract DB 144, a service master 145, and a rental rental DB 146.

The property master file 142 stores information on rental properties in a form in which a type of the business, a computer suitable for the business, and a display device compatible with the computer are mutually associated. Application D
B143 stores the contents of a rental application (application) from a customer. The contract DB 144 stores information on a contract concluded with a customer. The service master file 145 stores contract contents and service ranges. The rental lending DB 146 stores a relationship between a rental property, a lender thereof, lending conditions, and the like.

The recycle DB 151 includes a property rank master file 152, a bill DB 153, and an application DB 154. Property Rank Master File 15
2 stores reference information for determining the rank of the property collected from the lease. The bill DB 153 stores bills related to recycling. The application DB 154 stores recycling applications from customers.

The maintenance DB 161 stores the maintenance target master 162
Is provided. The maintenance target master 162 registers information indicating the presence or absence of a maintenance contract and the scope of maintenance for the rented property.

The customer system 21 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a personal computer or the like in which a web browser is installed, and is installed in a material department or a general affairs department of each company.

The rental management system 31 is installed in the rental company, displays various information related to equipment rental based on the notification from the asset management ASP 11, and notifies the input information to the asset management ASP 11.

The kitting management system 41 is installed in the kitting company, displays information on kitting notified from the asset management ASP 11, and notifies the input information to the asset management ASP 11.

The maintenance management system 51 is a system for maintaining each device based on a contract concluded by the maintenance management asset management ASP 11.

Next, an asset management method using the asset management system having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the management procedure shown in FIG. I do.

(Basic Contract) A person who intends to use an electronic device by this asset management system first concludes a contract to that effect with a leasing company that operates the asset management ASP 11. Based on the contract, customer information is registered in the customer master file 131. In this contract, for example, the following points are determined. 1) Manager, 2) Whether to use the rental system by this asset management system, 3) Whether to use the recycling system by this asset management system, 4) Transportation form of rental goods , Transportation by genuine box) 5) Whether to manage infrastructure 5) Whether to manage by department in the company,
6) Whether to perform kit-in work, whether to maintain the PC main unit, and whether to perform display maintenance.

When a kit-in contract is concluded,
Determine the basic kit-in content. For example, the type of an OS (operating system), the type of groupware, the type of a browser, the type of a network, the type of a program to be installed in advance, and the like are determined. Further, information such as a basic fee, a fee for optional software, a transport fee, and a rate is determined for each subscriber. The information for each contractor determined in this way is stored in the customer master file 131.
Is registered as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the leasing company confirms and evaluates the operation of the computer to be rented, and furthermore, negotiates a price with a distributor, etc., and selects as a lease (rental) target for each model and class. Further, these information are registered in the property master file 142 of the rental DB 141.

When the customer wants to rent a computer, the customer operates the customer system 21 to operate the asset management ASP.
11 is accessed, and the customer system 21 displays an initial screen shown in FIG. And
An ID, a password, and the like are input on this initial screen. For example, the asset management ASP 11 determines whether a pair of an ID and a password is registered in the customer master file 133, and if registered, provides a process selection screen shown in FIG. 6 as a regular user.

It is assumed that the user clicks on the "application for computer rental" field on the process selection screen.
Then, server 110 displays a predetermined input screen for inputting information about the rental. This screen has a column for inputting the reason for the application, a column for inputting the delivery destination of the computer, a column for inputting the creator, a column for characterizing the user, and a column for specifying the type of business or computer. The creator inputs necessary items sequentially in these fields. Here, for example, when inputting (setting) a lease period, for example, a selection screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed to assist the input.

When selecting a computer to be rented, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the customer system 21 to assist in inputting. The customer selects a desired model and grade on this screen and applies for a lease. On this screen, the creator selects a task to be performed using the computer. In the work, advanced work such as design and development, general work, mobile work, and presentation work are set in advance, and a pair of a PC main body and a display device is registered in advance according to the work contents. When a business is selected, a list of the computer main bodies registered in the property master DB 142 in association with the business is displayed. Further, when the computer main body is selected, a display device compatible with the selected computer main body is displayed. 142 and is displayed. In this way, a desired model is selected. By repeating such an operation, the user sets data for application only for a necessary device. Server 110
Creates a rental application document shown in FIG. 9 based on the input data and information registered in the customer master file 133, assigns an application number, and creates an application DB 143.
Register with. The status of the application is also registered in the status management master file 134.

The completed application document is registered in the application DB 143. When the application is completed, the user operates the customer system 21 to receive the approval of the manager of the department (the department using the computer) and the manager of the management department (the department managing the lease contract). The screen shown in FIG. 10 is displayed, and information for designating the approver (supervisor of the section) is input.
The customer system 21 sends the information designating the approver and the application form to the server 110, and requests the department approval. Server 1
10 transmits an application to the designated approver, and requests department approval.

When the department approval process is performed, the server 110
Sends an email to the approver of the management department, requesting final approval. Application is completed at the request of the administrator. Further, the server 110 sends an e-mail to the user indicating that the department approval has been obtained, and updates the status management master file 134.

The server 110 creates lending information and contract information for each property in response to the approval from the manager. The lending information is information as shown in FIG. 11, and is information indicating a property to be leased, lending conditions, a lender, and the like. The network setting information and the kitting information are set in a kitting process described later. On the other hand, the contract information is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, this is information for specifying the contents of a contract for lending. The order date is set at that date, and the scheduled arrival date is set by kitting processing described later. These pieces of information are registered in the contract DB 144 and the rental and lending DB 146, respectively.

When the contents of the application are determined by such processing, the asset management ASP 11 determines the contents of the application and sends an e-mail (ordering,
Create a model number, model name, number of units, etc.) and send it to the manufacturer (or a vendor such as a wholesaler). Further, an e-mail indicating that the order has been placed is transmitted to the user, and the status management master file 134 is updated.

Upon receiving the e-mail, the maker creates an e-mail for confirming the order based on the contract with the leasing company and returns it to the e-mail address of the asset management ASP 11. At this time, the expected delivery date is specified in the e-mail. The asset management ASP 11 adds the received expected delivery date to the lending information and the contract information. In addition, an email is sent to the user notifying the expected delivery date, and the status management master file 1
Update 34.

The delivery from the manufacturer is made to the kitting company based on the contract. The kitting company performs warehousing processing, inspection processing, addition of options (parts) such as a memory / modem), operation confirmation, collection of device numbers, collection of OS numbers, installation of software, and the like. Further, based on the contract, network settings and the like are performed.

The person in charge of the kitting company is responsible for the equipment number and O
The S number, the scheduled delivery date to the customer, the IP address, and the like are registered by accessing the asset management ASP 11 from the kitting management system 41. These pieces of information are as shown in FIG.
The rental information shown in FIG. 1 and the contract information shown in FIG. 12 are additionally registered. Also, based on this information,
The server 110 stores the status management master file 134
Update status above.

The asset management ASP 11 informs the customer of the scheduled delivery date from the kitting company.
Is sent to the user, and the status management master file 134 is updated.
Further, the kitting company performs a process of extracting and storing a manual or a warranty included in the computer or the display device according to the contract contents. continue,
The kitted product is packed and delivered to customers.

When the customer receives the product, it inspects the product, and if the content is correct, notifies the asset management ASP 11 of the inspection result. The asset management ASP 11 registers the delivery date according to the notification.

Thereafter, the procedure is the same as that of a normal lease, in which the customer pays a lease fee periodically, while the leasing company responds to an accident or the like by insurance. In addition, the maintenance company maintains the lease property, for example, in response to a customer request or by periodically visiting the customer. Maintenance information
The maintenance management system 51 notifies the asset management ASP 11, and the server 110 of the asset management ASP 11 registers the content of the maintenance in the DB for each property.

Further, if there is a change in the user of the leased property or the like, the customer's management staff informs the asset management ASP 11 of the change.
Register with. The asset management ASP 11 records the registered contents for each property and creates history information.

The server 110 of the asset management ASP 11
Extracts a property whose lease end notification date has arrived, for example, in a batch process every day at midnight. The server 110
For example, an e-mail having the text shown in FIG. 14 is sent to the user or the manager of the property to be notified, and the lease termination and re-lease conditions are notified.

The user operates the customer system 21 to
The screen shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the customer system 21.
Then, by transmitting data indicating whether the customer wants to return or extend the leased property, the manager is notified whether the customer wants to return or extend the leased property. Administrators
In consultation with the user, the asset management ASP1 determines whether to return or extend
Notify 1.

When "return" is designated, this fact is registered in the status management master 213, and it is determined that the contract will be terminated at the time of expiration. If “extension” is specified, the rental period is extended according to the contract conditions.

For the rental property to be returned, the user can apply for recycling (re-rental, sale, etc.) by operating the customer system 21 and instructing the asset management ASP 11. On the other hand, when there is a request for collection of the rental property, the manager of the asset management ASP 11 records in advance in the application DB 154 that there is a request for collection.

When there is an application for recycling, the asset management AS
P11 requests the approver who has approved the rental to approve the recycling. When the approval is obtained, the application for recycling is accepted, and the acceptance is recorded in the application DB 154. Then, the rank of the rental property is determined based on the data stored in the property master file 142 and the property rank master file 152.

If it is determined that the rental property is out of the rank, it is determined whether or not the rental property can be collected based on the stored contents of the property master file 142. If the rental property cannot be collected, recycle is refused and the process is terminated. . On the other hand, if collection is possible, preparation for collection is performed. If another user who wishes to pick up the rental property that has been prepared for collection appears, the application DB 154 stores information indicating that the rental property has been determined to be delivered to this user by an operation of the manager of the asset management ASP 11 or the like. Will be recorded. If the pick-up destination does not appear, the kitting company purchases and delivers it.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the server is within the rank, the server 1
10 determines whether or not there is a request for picking up the rental property.
Then, this rental property is released as a property to be picked up. If it is determined that there is no request for collection, the process proceeds to preparation for collection as described above.

The property purchased by the kitting company
The kitting company determines whether or not the item is within the rank. If the item is within the rank, it is stored and released, and if no pick-up appears, it is released to the used market.
If it is out of the rank, it is inspected, cleaned and initialized, and then transported to the destination if the destination appears.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to easily select a computer required for business. This computer is highly reliable because its performance and the like have been evaluated by a leasing company. In addition, ASP1 is consistently applied from lease application to recycling or disposal.
Since the status is managed in 1, the asset management is easy.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Various modifications and applications are possible. For example, in the embodiment, a system for leasing, renting, and recycling a computer has been described, but the subject of lease, rental, and recycling is arbitrary. For example, electric and electronic devices such as a facsimile, a copier, a printer, a telephone, a lighting device, a cooling / heating device, and an air purifier may be used. Further, home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and the like may be used. Further, the present invention can be applied to heavy equipment, construction equipment, and the like. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the management of assets (selection of rental items, rental, etc.) and the recycling are both managed using the ASP 11, but only one of the asset management and the recycling is performed. The ASP 11 may be used. Furthermore, it is possible that the part of the purchase of the property or the purchase of the asset uses this system, and then makes use of its own leasing company and the last part of the recycling uses this system.

Further, in the above embodiment, when applying for a lease, the applicant designates the approver, but the workflow (the relationship between the applicant and the settlement right holder) is registered in the memory in advance. The settlement right may be automatically requested from the applicant. Also, the type of network is not limited to the Internet, but is arbitrary.

The recycling method itself is optional. For example, the collected property is stored in the property master file 14
2 and may be provided at a low fee for business with a relatively low load. Alternatively, you can set up a dedicated website that introduces recycled products and sell them here,
It may be re-leased.

By installing a computer or a group of computers from a medium (such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM) storing a program for executing the above-described operation, the server 111 or the like for executing the above-described processing is installed. Can be configured. In the case where the above-described functions are realized by the OS sharing or the OS and the application being jointly used, only the part other than the OS may be stored in the medium.

It is also possible to modulate a carrier with a program signal and distribute it via communication. Alternatively, the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS) and distributed via a network. Then, by starting this program and executing it under the control of the OS in the same manner as other application programs, the above-described processing can be executed.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Management of leased property can be performed appropriately.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a lease management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the ASP shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of management information stored in a management master file shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of customer master information registered in a customer master file shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a login screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process selection screen.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a rental period selection screen.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a model selection screen.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a lease application.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for designating an approver (approver).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of lending information.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of contract information.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery schedule notification mail.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a rental contract expiration notification mail.

FIG. 15 is a view showing an example of a screen for selecting one of return after rental contract expiration and contract extension.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a recycling process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Asset Management ASP 21 Customer System 31 Rental Management System 41 Kitting Management System 51 Maintenance Management System

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Mutsuru Kawaguchi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoji Takatsuki 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo No. Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tokuharu Nakamura 7-16-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Kono 7-16-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Leasing Corporation (72) Inventor Takashi Nakano 2-30 Yamanoguchi-cho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture Kagoshima Daiichi Marine Building 7F Ricoh System Development Co., Ltd.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A receiving unit for receiving a lease application via a network, a contracting unit for executing a predetermined process for a lease contract in accordance with the application received by the receiving unit, and a registration for registering information on a leased property. Means for managing a leased property based on information registered by the registration means. 2. The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage unit configured to store a business to be processed and a property to be leased in association with each other; a business providing unit to provide a business selection screen; Means for presenting a property corresponding to the selected task in accordance with the stored contents of the storage means; and means for accepting the selected property as a lease property from the presented properties to be leased. The lease management system according to claim 1, wherein 3. The lease management system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means comprises a workflow means for requesting approval of a predetermined settlement right holder for the received application. 4. The lease management system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means includes means for ordering a property to be leased based on an application. 5. The lease management system according to claim 4, further comprising means for notifying a scheduled delivery date of the ordered property based on information from a supplier. 6. The ordered property is delivered to an establishment that performs kit-in, and the customer is notified of the delivery date from the supplier and / or the expected delivery date to the customer based on the kit-in work schedule. 5. The lease management system according to claim 4, further comprising means. 7. The application includes information for specifying a lease period, the registration unit includes a unit for registering a time when the leased article is delivered to the customer and the lease is started, and the management unit includes the lease unit. The lease management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: means for receiving and registering information on the relevant lease item during the lease period from the start of the lease. 8. The application includes information for specifying a lease period, the registration unit includes a unit for registering a time when the leased article is delivered to the customer and the lease is started, and the management unit includes the lease unit. Means for notifying the customer that the contract has expired, and, based on the offer to return the leased property sent from the customer in response to the notification, information on the leased property for recycling. The lease management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: 9. A recording means for accumulating information on a leased property, a receiving means for receiving a request for recycling of the leased property, and a recording means for receiving a request for recycling by the receiving means. A means for publishing information on a property requested to be recycled based on the stored information. Claim 10: Receiving a lease application, receiving an approval of the received application according to a predetermined workflow, ordering a property to be leased for the approved application, and performing a kitting process on the property delivered from the supplier. A lease management method comprising: delivering a property after the kitting process to a customer, starting a lease, and inquiring the customer whether to return or re-contract the leased property before the lease period expires.