JP2003006526A - Information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing system in which the identification information of merchandise purchased by a customer is easily obtained and useful information is easily provided. SOLUTION: At the point of time of sales in a sales store 2, customer identification information such as an IDNo. and a password is imparted to the customer 3, and corresponding to it, the merchandise identification information such as the type number of sold merchandise, a manufacture number, a version and an option mounting conditions is stored in a customer data base 11a. Also, in a merchandise data base 11b, new merchandise information and failure information, etc., are stored. When the customer 3 accesses the side of a maker 1 and inputs the customer identification information, the merchandise identification information is displayed. Thus, the customer 3 easily obtains the merchandise identification information displayed at an inconspicuous part such as the rear side or inside of the merchandise and easily obtains the useful information such as addable options and performance comparison with new merchandise.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information providing system constructed by connecting a plurality of information processing devices to a computer network such as the so-called Internet, and particularly from a maker (manufacturer) or a dealer (dealer) to a customer. The present invention relates to a system for realizing information provision started by selling a specific product.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Manufacturers who sell products have been
They advertise their products on their homepages on the Internet, and when a product has a defect such as a defect, they make a general announcement and respond to inquiries from customers.

[0003]

However, the work of the customer in that case is to access the homepage of the manufacturer and input / select desired product types, model numbers, etc. one after another, and the hierarchy of the homepage is set. It is a complicated operation to follow the. There is also a problem in that important information such as defect information cannot be announced if the customer overlooks it, even if he / she is trying to access it.

Further, when the customer wants to confirm the defect information, he or she may have to find out the product identification information such as the model number and the manufacturing number displayed on a hidden part such as the back side or the inside of the product. In some cases, information such as the version that the customer does not understand at a glance may be required.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing system which can easily obtain merchandise item identification information of a merchandise item purchased by a customer and easily provide useful information.

[0006]

An information providing system according to the present invention is an information providing system in which an information processing apparatus on a customer side and an information processing apparatus on a manufacturer side are connected to a network for the use of a specific product. The information processing device on the maker side includes a customer database that stores the product identification information of the sold product in association with the customer identification information given to the customer when the product is sold,
The information processing device on the customer side browses and displays the product identification information by accessing the information processing device on the manufacturer side and inputting the customer identification information.

According to the above configuration, in the environment where the information processing apparatus on the customer side can access the information processing apparatus on the maker side via the network and browse information such as a homepage, At the time of sale of the product, the customer is given an ID No. Customer identification information such as a password or a password is added, and product identification information such as a model number, a serial number, a version, and an option installation status of a sold product is stored in the information processing apparatus in association with the customer identification information. On the other hand, the customer
By accessing the home page and inputting the customer identification information, the product identification information such as the model number can be browsed.

[0008] Therefore, the customer is required to confirm the model number and serial number displayed on the back side or inside of the product, which is inconspicuous.
Alternatively, product identification information such as a version that the customer does not understand can be easily obtained. With this, it is possible to easily obtain useful information such as options that can be added and performance comparison with new products from the home page.

Further, in the information providing system of the present invention, the information processing device on the maker side further comprises a product database for storing information on the products themselves, and responds to an access from the information processing device on the customer side, It is characterized in that information on a product corresponding to the customer identification information is read from the product database and displayed for viewing.

According to the above structure, the customer only accesses the home page of the manufacturer and inputs the customer identification information, and does not perform the complicated operation of tracing the hierarchy of the home page. It is possible to improve convenience by automatically viewing and displaying information about purchased products such as countermeasures against malfunctions and options that can be added.

Further, in the information providing system according to the present invention, the information on the product is the product purchased by the customer,
It is characterized by an animation screen that simulates new products of the same type and shows the difference in performance between them.

According to the above configuration, for example, when the product is a copying machine, when the customer accesses the manufacturer's home page and inputs the customer identification information, a simulated image of the product purchased by the customer and the new product is displayed. A screen is displayed to appeal the difference in performance such as clarifying the difference in copy speed from the difference in the timings at which the copying operations are started simultaneously on the animation screen and the processing for the same number of sheets is finished.

Therefore, the customer's willingness to purchase can be promoted.

Further, in the information providing system of the present invention, the information processing device of the dealer is also connected to the network, and the information processing device of the dealer accesses the information processing device of the maker side, It is characterized in that product identification information about all customers can be browsed and displayed.

According to the above arrangement, the product identification information of the customer can be browsed even at the store. That is, the product identification information such as the model number of the product sold to the customer and the mounting status of the option is conventionally managed by the store.
The manufacturer side collectively manages one or a plurality of stores.

Therefore, the manufacturer can easily develop a new product or an optional product and deal with a defect.

Furthermore, in the information providing system of the present invention, the product is an image forming apparatus.

According to the above construction, the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine has an extended function and is fully equipped with a maintenance system such as maintenance by a store or a maker. Because it is a product with
It is preferred to apply the present invention. Further, in the image forming apparatus, the state of the apparatus such as the number of copies is remotely monitored by the store or the maker, so that it is possible to provide more appropriate information when providing the product information, particularly the defect information.

The information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system constructed by connecting a product purchased by a customer and an information processing device on the maker side to a network. , Including a customer database that stores the product identification information of the sold product and a product database that stores information about the product itself in association with the customer identification information given to the customer when the product is sold, The product is characterized in that the information related to the product corresponding to the customer identification information is read from the product database and browsed and displayed by accessing the information processing device on the maker side and transmitting the customer identification information. Offer system.

According to the above configuration, the customer-side product such as a copying machine having a network connection function accesses the information processing device on the maker side, and the ID No. assigned to the customer side at the time of sale of the product. When the customer identification information such as a password or password is transmitted, the information processing device on the manufacturer side identifies the product model number, manufacturing number, version, option installation status, etc. of the product stored in the customer database in association with the customer identification information. After the information is obtained, further information about the product such as a jam or the like corresponding to the product identification information and information about the product such as an option that can be added are automatically browsed and displayed on the product side.

Therefore, the customer can confirm the model number, the serial number, etc. displayed on the back side or the inside of the product, which is inconspicuous.
Alternatively, the required information can be automatically obtained without checking the product identification information such as the version that the customer does not understand, and the convenience can be improved.

Furthermore, in the information providing system of the present invention, the product is remotely monitored by the information processing device via the network, and the information processing device, when an abnormality occurs in the product, the situation of the corresponding part. The feature is that the screen according to is displayed as a shortcut by browsing.

According to the above configuration, by simply inputting the customer identification information, a screen corresponding to the situation of the corresponding part such as a screen showing a procedure for recovering from an abnormality is automatically displayed on the product screen. Therefore, the screen selection operation by the customer can be simplified.

The information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system constructed by connecting a product purchased by a customer and an information processing device on the maker side to a network. A product database that stores information about the product in association with the sold product, and the product is remotely monitored by the information processing device via the network. An information providing system characterized in that, when an abnormality occurs, a screen corresponding to the situation of the corresponding part is read out from the product database and is displayed for viewing.

According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs in a product that is remotely monitored by the information processing device on the maker side, the screen of the product shows the status of the relevant part such as a screen showing a procedure for recovering from the abnormality. Since a screen corresponding to is automatically displayed, it is possible for a customer who uses a plurality of products to omit complicated operations such as model selection.

Furthermore, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system constructed by connecting an information processing device on the customer side and an information processing device on the company side to a network regarding the use of a specific product and / or service. In the system, the information processing apparatus on the company side is associated with the customer identification information given to the customer side when selling the product and / or providing the service, and the sold product and / or the provided service. The customer side information processing apparatus accesses the information processing apparatus of the company side and inputs the customer identification information to obtain the type identification information. Characterized by reading and displaying.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Regarding one embodiment of the present invention,
The following is a description with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An information processing device 11 realized by a server computer or the like is installed in the maker 1, and similarly, an information processing device 1 realized by a personal computer or the like is installed in a store 2 and a customer 3 house.
2 and 13 are installed respectively, and these information processing devices 11 to 13 are network 1 such as the Internet.
4 are connected. By this, the reference mark F1
As shown by, the customer 3 has an environment in which the home page of the maker 1 can be accessed to browse new product information and the like, and the maker 1 side can collect the interests and wishes of the customer 3 side. . Further, as indicated by reference numeral F2, the store 2 and the maker 1 can also access each other to exchange new product information, demand information, and complaint information.

With the network 14 thus constructed, the customer 3 sells the copying machine 21, which is a product, to the store 2
When the product is purchased from, the exchange of information is started between the customer 3 and the store 2, as indicated by reference numeral F3. The copying machine 21 is, for example, a digital composite type copying machine having the functions of a copying machine, a printer and a facsimile. In the example of FIG.
In addition, automatic document reading device 23 such as RDF, post-processing device (finisher) 24 such as stapler and sorter
Also, options such as a large capacity cassette 25 for storing sheets are provided.

The copying machine 21 normally collects usage data such as the number of copies under a lease contract on the side of the store 2 through the communication line 15 such as a telephone line as indicated by the reference numeral F3. To be done. Further, since the copying machine 21 needs periodic maintenance, the service person visits the customer 3 to perform maintenance on the side of the store 2 based on the collected data of the usage status and the like. Furthermore, based on the above-mentioned usage status data and the like, the store 2 also replenishes consumable items such as toner and paper.

It should be noted that, in the present invention, the manufacturer 1
At the point of sale of the copying machine 21, the store 2 and the store 2
DNo. Customer identification information such as password and password is added, and the product identification information such as the model number, serial number, version, and option installation status of the copying machine 21 sold is associated with the reference information F2 from the store 2 to the maker 1. 2, and is stored in the customer database 11a in the information processing apparatus 11 as indicated by reference numeral α1 in FIG. In addition to the new product information, the information processing device 11 is further provided with a product database 11b for storing information about the product itself such as a work procedure at the time of malfunction or replacement of consumables as shown in FIG. There is.
FIG. 3 shows the contents of the stored data, and an example of the image actually displayed on the information processing device 13 will be described later.

Then, the information processing device 13 on the customer 3 side is
The home page on the information processing device 11 on the maker 1 side is directly accessed as indicated by the reference numeral F1 or is accessed via the home page of the store 2 as indicated by the reference numeral F4, and for example, FIG. When the customer identification information is input according to the guidance screen displayed on the information processing device 13 as shown in FIG.
The product identification information as shown in (b) is returned so that the product can be browsed.

Therefore, the customer 3 can easily obtain the product identification information such as the model number, the serial number, or the version that the customer does not know, which is displayed on the back side or the inside of the copying machine 21 which is inconspicuous. You can As a result, the customer 3 can easily obtain useful information such as options that can be added and performance comparison with new products from the home page.

Data corresponding to the product identification information is also selected as the data in the product database 11b,
For example, it is displayed as shown in FIG. By the customer 3 selecting appropriately, detailed information about the product itself is displayed as shown in FIG. 5B (in FIG. 5B, the jam processing screen is selected in FIG. 5A). The case is shown). Furthermore, when the selection operation is performed in FIG. 5B, a screen according to the jam processing procedure as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C is displayed. Figure 6 (d)
Is a screen when the enlargement operation is performed in FIG.

On the other hand, when the screen for toner supply processing is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 5A, the screens shown in FIGS. 7A to 7B are displayed in accordance with the selection operation. It

In this way, the customer 3 can access the home page of the maker 1 side and only input the customer identification information, without any troublesome operation such as tracing the hierarchy of the home page. It is possible to improve convenience by automatically viewing and displaying information regarding purchased products, such as the support for, and options that can be added.

Furthermore, as described above, as shown by the reference numeral F3, the usage status data such as the number of copies and jams is sent from the copying machine 21 through the communication line 15 to the store 2.
The data of the usage situation is also collected by the maker 1 as indicated by the reference numeral F2, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the customer database 11a is stored. On the other hand, the product database 11b also stores data such as performances from past sales products used by the customer 3 to new products and option-installed products, as shown in FIG. 9, for example.

When a new model proposal is selected on the selection screen of FIG. 5 (a), the information processing apparatus 11 determines, from the model of the copying machine 21 used by the customer 3 and the option installation status and the usage status, The recommended new product and optional product are determined and displayed on the information processing device 13. For example, in the customer 3A shown in FIG. 8, as is clear from FIG. 9, the standard number of copies per month set by the maker 1 based on the capability is 10,000 for the model AR-033 used. On the other hand, in actual use, it has reached 25,000 sheets, and due to lack of copy speed,
Frequent maintenance is possible. Therefore,
The model AH-984 which has sufficient capacity is displayed as the recommended model. Further, although the customer 3A has a relatively high ratio of multiple copies, it does not have an optional sorter, and the sorter is also displayed as a recommended optional product.

FIG. 10 is an example of a display screen of a recommended high performance model. In the screen of FIG. 10, the copying machine 21 owned by the customer 3 and the copying machine 31 of the recommended new product are simulated. Although the screen of FIG. 10 is a front view of a comparatively low viewpoint, by operating the selection keys indicated by reference numerals 32 to 36, for example, a three-dimensional view from a high viewpoint as viewed obliquely as shown in FIG. You can switch to the image. That is, by operating the selection keys indicated by reference numerals 32 to 34, it is possible to switch the drawing method such as the front view, the plan view or the three-dimensional perspective view. Further, by operating the selection key indicated by reference numeral 35, the viewpoint height can be switched, and by operating the selection key indicated by reference numeral 36, the viewpoint direction can be switched. There is. In this way, the difference in appearance such as design and size can be specifically presented to the customer 3.

Then, by operating the selection key indicated by reference numeral 37, a state of ejecting the copied paper sheet is displayed in an animation in order to appeal the performance difference in copy speed. For example, at the time when copying is completed by the copying machine 31 of the new product, as shown in FIG. 12, there is a double difference from the copying machine 21 owned by the customer 3. In this way, the performance difference can be specifically appealed, and the customer's willingness to purchase can be promoted.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for realizing the above information provision. Customer 3
As described above, the information processing devices 13a, 13b, ... And the copying machines 21a, 21b ,.
Is provided. On the other hand, the information processing device 1 on the manufacturer 1 side
1 includes the ID No. Identification and management unit including the customer database 11a storing customer identification information such as passwords and passwords, corresponding product identification information such as the model number of the copying machine 21 and option installation status, and the usage status shown in FIG. 11c and a model option management page section 11d including the product database 11b storing images such as the jam clearance and toner replacement procedures.
And a manufacturer latest information storage unit 11e including the product database 11b, and a communication unit 11f based on the Internet or RIC (remote monitoring function). The information processing device 11 responds to the access from the customers 3A, 3B, ... And provides the above-mentioned information and monitors the usage status such as abnormalities of the copying machines 21a, 21b ,. To do.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart for explaining the processing operation of information provision. Customer 3 in step S1a
Accesses the homepage of Maker 1, and step S1
b in the ID No. When customer identification information such as a password is entered, a customer (access destination) is specified in step S2. In step S3, the usage status of the copying machine 21 on the customer 3 side is confirmed by the remote monitoring function. In step S4, a page corresponding to each customer 3 as shown in FIG. 5A is created and transmitted based on the results of steps S2 and S3. In step S5, the information processing device on the customer 3 side is created. 13 is displayed.

When a menu such as jam processing or proposal of a new model is selected in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, and detailed display of the corresponding model as shown in FIG. 5B is performed. When an operation such as a display step or a change of the viewing angle is performed between step S7 and step S8,
In the case of the jam processing, the above-mentioned FIG.
The display as shown in (d) is performed. In step S9,
When the customer 3 side performs a return or end operation, the manufacturer side ends the home page transmission in step S10.
In this way, the information can be provided to the customer 3.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining the screen creation processing operation of the proposed model performed in step S7 when the new model proposal is selected in step S6. In step S11, it is judged from the usage status data of the customer 3 obtained in step S3 whether or not the actual number of copies per month is 1.5 times the standard number of copies or more. At step S12, the high-speed machine is recommended, and at step S13, the image data as shown in FIG. 12 that appeals the performance difference from the high-speed machine is created, and the process ends.

When the actual number of copies per month is not more than 1.5 times the standard number of copies in step S11, the process proceeds to step S14, and the copy with the highest frequency among a plurality of copies is determined. In step S15, with the same performance as the current copying machine 21,
A small, low-priced machine is recommended and the process moves to step S13,
When the number of copies is 20 or more, the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S16, it is determined whether or not a sorter, which is an optional product adapted for copying a large number of copies, is attached. If not, the sorter is recommended in step S17, and the process proceeds to step S18. If the sorter is already attached, the process directly goes to step S18. In step S18, it is further determined whether or not a stapler is attached as an optional item, and if it is not attached, step S18 is selected.
After the stapler is recommended in 19, the above step S1
3. If the stapler is already attached, go to step S3.

In this way, the customer 3 only accesses the home page on the maker 1 side and inputs the customer identification information, without performing a complicated operation of tracing the hierarchy of the home page. It is possible to improve the convenience by automatically viewing and displaying information about the purchased copying machine 21 such as countermeasures against malfunctions and options that can be added.

Further, according to the present invention, the ID No. The store identification information such as a password and a password is assigned. In the customer database 11a in the information processing device 11, as shown by reference numeral α2 in FIG. 2, the store identification information, that is, the data of the customer 3 for each store 2, is aggregated and stored. Therefore,
Access the maker 1 from the store 2 and, for example, FIG.
When the shop identification information is input according to the guide screen displayed on the information processing apparatus 12 as shown in (a), the information processing apparatus 11 causes the customer of the shop 2 as shown in FIG. A list and a list of products used by each customer 3 are displayed.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart for explaining the processing operation for providing information to the store 2. Step S
21a to access the home page of maker 1, and in step S21b, the ID No. When the shop identification information such as a password or a password is entered, the shop (access destination) is specified in step S22. In step S23, data corresponding to the store 2 is searched, and in step S24, a page corresponding to each store 2 as shown in FIG. 16B is created and transmitted based on the search result. Then, in step S25, the information is displayed on the information processing device 12 on the shop 2 side. Then, in steps S26 and S27, after inquiring and contacting each customer 3 about the sales strategy, new product information or defective product information, the process ends.

In this way, the information processing device 12 of the store 2 can browse the customer database 11a and the product database 11b, so that the product sold to the customer managed by each store 2 in the past. The product identification information such as the model number and the mounting status of options is collectively managed by the maker 1 side, and it is possible to easily develop a new product or an optional product and deal with a defect such as a recall.

FIG. 18 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
The explanation is based on the following.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the operation panel 42 of the copying machine 41 in the information providing system according to another embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the system configuration at the maker 1 and the store 2 is the same as that in FIG. 1, but the customer 3 side does not use the information processing device 12 and the copying machine 41 is connected to the network. 14 to directly access the information processing device 11 on the maker 1 side. That is, when the manufacturer 1 side is accessed by operating various keys such as the numeric keypad 43, the display unit 44 realized by a liquid crystal panel or the like is displayed on the display unit 44 shown in FIGS.
Is displayed.

Further, the status of the copying machine 41 can be checked by the information processing apparatus 11 via the communication line 15 by the RI.
Since the information is remotely monitored from the C information, the information processing apparatus 11 transmits the product identification information such as the model number of the copying machine 41 and the mounting state of the option for normal access, and an abnormality such as a jam or a toner exhaustion occurs. For access in the situation where it is occurring, the screen of the corresponding portion as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 is immediately short cut and automatically transmitted. As a result, the screen selection operation by the user can be simplified.

Furthermore, when an abnormality as described above occurs, the information processing apparatus 11 automatically transmits the screen of the relevant portion without waiting for the access from the customer 3 side and the input of the customer identification information. You may make it display on the display part 44. This makes it possible for a customer who uses a plurality of copying machines to omit complicated operations such as model selection.

With such a configuration, too,
The customer 3 can automatically obtain the necessary information without checking the model identification number, the manufacturing number, or the product identification information such as the version that the customer does not understand, which are displayed on the back side or the inside of the copying machine 41, which is inconspicuous. Can be obtained, and convenience can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to products sold,
It can also be applied to the services provided. For example, if the customer identification information is sent for nursing care or selection of a telephone company, the contract content, which is the type identification information, is displayed, and the customer can follow the contract content from the homepage of the company providing the service. It is possible to obtain useful information such as what kind of service is received, what kind of contract is suitable for oneself when renewing.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-196769, customer information is managed on the service center side.
When the contracted customer's home electric appliance judges a failure by self-diagnosis, it automatically informs the service center side via the network, prepares the necessary parts, and shows that the service person visits. There is. Of course, also in the present invention, when a failure occurs in the copying machines 21 and 41, a service person may be automatically visited from the sales shop 2.
The purpose is to improve the convenience when the customer 3 retrieves useful information from the home page of the maker 1, and the purpose and configuration are completely different from this prior art.

[0058]

As described above, the information providing system of the present invention enables the information processing apparatus on the customer side to access the information processing apparatus on the maker side via the network and browse information such as a homepage. , The manufacturer and the retailer, the ID No. Customer identification information such as passwords and passwords, and associated with it,
The product identification information such as the model number, serial number, version, and option installation status of the sold product is stored in the information processing device, and the customer accesses the home page and inputs the customer identification information, Browse product identification information such as model numbers.

Therefore, the customer can easily obtain the product identification information such as the model number or the serial number displayed on a hidden part such as the back side or the inside of the product, or the version that the customer cannot understand. With this, it is possible to easily obtain useful information such as options that can be added and performance comparison with new products from the home page.

Further, in the information providing system of the present invention, as described above, the information processing apparatus on the maker side further includes a product database for storing information on products themselves,
In response to the access from the information processing device on the customer side, the information on the product corresponding to the customer identification information is read from the product database and displayed for viewing.

Therefore, the customer only needs to access the manufacturer's home page and input the customer identification information.
Improve convenience by automatically responding to troubles and automatically displaying information about purchased products such as options that can be added without performing complicated operations such as following the hierarchy of the home page. You can

Furthermore, in the information providing system of the present invention, as described above, the information about the product imitates the product purchased by the customer and the new product of the same type, and appeals the difference in performance between them. Animated screen.

Therefore, it is possible to specifically appeal the difference in performance, and it is possible to promote the customer's willingness to purchase.

Further, in the information providing system of the present invention, as described above, the information processing device of the store is also connected to the network, and the information processing device of the dealer side is changed to the information processing device of the maker side. By accessing, product identification information about all customers can be viewed and displayed.

Therefore, the manufacturer side collectively manages the product identification information such as the model number of the sold product and the mounting status of the option, which has been managed by the distributor in the past, for one or more all the distributors. Therefore, it is possible to easily develop new products and optional products, and also to deal with defects.

Furthermore, in the information providing system of the present invention, the product is an image forming apparatus as described above.

Therefore, in addition to having the extended function, the maintenance system such as the maintenance by the dealer or the maker is also complete, and it is a product which has various demands from the customer. Is preferred. Further, in the image forming apparatus, the state of the apparatus such as the number of copies is remotely monitored by the store or the maker, so that it is possible to provide more appropriate information when providing the product information, particularly the defect information.

As described above, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system constructed by connecting the product on the customer side such as a copying machine having a network connection function and the information processing device on the manufacturer side to the network. System,
The product accesses the information processing device on the maker side, and the ID No. assigned to the customer at the time of sale of the product. When customer identification information such as a password or password is sent, the manufacturer's information processing device identifies the product model number, manufacturing number, version, option installation status, etc., stored in the customer database in association with the customer identification information. After obtaining the information, the product side automatically browses and displays information about the product such as jams and the like corresponding to the product identification information and options such as addable options.

Therefore, the customer can automatically check the product identification information such as the model number and the serial number displayed on the inconspicuous part such as the back side or the inside of the product, or the version that the customer does not understand, automatically. It is possible to obtain necessary information and improve convenience.

Furthermore, in the information providing system of the present invention, as described above, the product is remotely monitored by the information processing apparatus, and when an abnormality occurs in the product, a screen showing a recovery procedure from the abnormality is displayed. Browse and display by short-cutting the screen according to the situation of the relevant part.

Therefore, only by inputting the customer identification information, the screen corresponding to the situation of the corresponding part is automatically displayed, and the screen selection operation of the customer can be simplified.

As described above, the information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system constructed by connecting the product on the customer side such as a copying machine having a network connection function and the information processing device on the maker side to the network. System,
The merchandise is remotely monitored by the information processing apparatus, and when an abnormality occurs in the merchandise, the information processing apparatus reads out and displays a screen corresponding to the situation of the relevant part.

Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in a product, a screen corresponding to the situation of the relevant part such as a screen showing a procedure for recovering from the abnormality is automatically displayed on the screen of the product.
For customers who use multiple products, complicated operations such as model selection can be omitted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information on customers and dealers managed by a manufacturer in the information providing system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information about products themselves managed by a maker in the information providing system shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information initially provided to a customer in the information providing system of the present invention.

5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by a customer's selection operation from the state shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed screen of a jam processing procedure displayed by the customer's selection operation from the state shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a detailed screen of the procedure of toner replenishment processing displayed by the customer's selection operation from the state shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of customer usage status data managed by the manufacturer.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of performance comparison data of products stored on the maker side.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a first screen for performance comparison displayed by the customer's selection operation from the state shown in FIG. 5;

11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by a customer's selection operation from the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen showing a result of the performance comparison.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for realizing information provision of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a processing operation of providing information to a customer according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a screen creation processing operation of a proposed model performed when a new model proposal is selected in the process of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of information provided to a store side in the information providing system of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a processing operation of providing information to a store of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the operation panel of the copying machine in the information providing system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 manufacturer 2 dealers 3; 3A, 3B Customers 11, 12, 13: 13a, 13b Information processing device 11a Customer database 11b Product database 11c Customer judgment and management department 11d Model option management page section 11e Manufacturer latest information storage unit 11f Communication unit 14 network 15 communication lines 21; 21a, 21b; 41 Copier (product) 22 Device body 23 Automatic manuscript reader 24 Aftertreatment device 25 large capacity cassettes 42 Operation panel 43 numeric keypad 44 Display

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G06F 17/30 170 G06F 17/30 170Z (72) Inventor Makoto Yoshimura 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. Sharp Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5B075 KK07 ND04 UU08 UU38

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An information providing system in which a customer-side information processing device and a maker-side information processing device are connected to a network for use of a specific product, wherein the maker-side information processing device comprises A customer database that stores the product identification information of the sold product in association with the customer identification information given to the customer when the product is sold, and the information processing device on the customer side is the information on the manufacturer side. An information providing system, wherein the product identification information is browsed and displayed by accessing a processing device and inputting the customer identification information. 2. The information processing device on the maker side further comprises a product database for storing information on products themselves, and relates to products corresponding to the customer identification information in response to access from the information processing device on the customer side. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the information is read from the product database and displayed for viewing. 3. The information relating to the product is an animation screen which simulatively represents a product purchased by a customer and a new product of the same kind, and appeals the difference in performance between them. Information provision system. 4. An information processing device of a retail store is also connected to the network, and the information processing device of the retail store accesses the information processing device of the maker side to obtain product identification information about all customers. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein is displayed and displayed. 5. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the product is an image forming apparatus. 6. An information providing system constructed by connecting a product purchased by a customer and an information processing device on the maker side to a network, wherein the information processing device on the maker side allows the customer to sell the product. The customer database storing the product identification information of the sold product and the product database storing the information about the product itself in association with the customer identification information given to An information providing system, characterized in that, by accessing a processing device and transmitting the customer identification information, information regarding a product corresponding to the customer identification information is read out from the product database and viewed and displayed. 7. The product is remotely monitored by the information processing device via the network, and the information processing device, when an abnormality occurs in the product, browses by short-cutting a screen corresponding to the situation of the corresponding part. The information providing system according to claim 6, which is displayed. 8. An information providing system constructed by connecting a product purchased by a customer and an information processing device on the maker side to a network, wherein the information processing device on the maker side associates the information with the sold product. A product database that stores information about the product, wherein the product is remotely monitored by the information processing device via the network, and the information processing device, when an abnormality occurs in the product, reads the product database from the product database. An information providing system characterized by reading out a screen according to the situation of a relevant part and displaying the screen for browsing. 9. An information providing system in which an information processing device on a customer side and an information processing device on a company side are connected to a network for use of a specific product and / or service, The information processing device stores the type identification information indicating the type of the sold product and / or the provided service in association with the customer identification information given to the customer side when the product is sold and / or the service is provided. By providing a customer database, the information processing apparatus on the customer side accesses the information processing apparatus on the company side and inputs the customer identification information,
An information providing system characterized by browsing and displaying the type identification information.