JP2003242275A - Commodity warranty-cum-user registration system, commodity warranty-cum-user registration management device and commodity warranty-cum-user registration method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system guaranteeing a commodity of a user and facilitating and reducing cost of commodity warranty management of a seller or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The commodity warranty-cum-user registration system has a web server 11 connected to the Internet 2, a data base 12 controlled by the web server 11, the commodity warranty-cum-user registration device 1 composed of the web server 11 and the data base 12, and client terminals 3 and 4 capable of connecting a commodity purchaser to the commodity warranty-cum-user registration device 1 via the Internet 2. A user purchasing a commodity connects to the server 11 from the client terminals 3 and 4, and by sending commodity information and personal information and applying for user registration, the server 11 authenticates the user as the commodity purchaser, the sent personal information is registered in a registrant information data base, and a warranty can be displayed in the client terminals 3 and 4 of the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product guarantee and user registration system which enables a product guarantee to be executed as free replacement or repair of a product without the action of saving a so-called guarantee. The present invention relates to a product guarantee / user registration management device and a product guarantee / user registration method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a user who purchases sports equipment such as skis, golf clubs, and other various products has a defect (defective) in which the user is not responsible for the product within a certain period from the purchase date. In the event of such occurrence, the manufacturer of the product is guaranteed the right to receive services such as replacement or repair of the product free of charge. When users receive this service, retailers, manufacturers, etc. may ask the user to present a warranty card that describes certain items such as the date of purchase and the place of purchase (name of dealer or address). It is a convention.

The guarantee is usually composed of a paper medium that is packaged with the product when the product is packaged. The warranty card describes information about the product, such as the product number and serial number, and at the time of purchase, the name of the shop where the product was purchased and its address are stamped. The user fills in personal information such as address and name and other prescribed items in the prescribed columns of the user registration form that is different from this warranty, and affixes a stamp, etc. to the prescribed part of the user registration form (stamp It may not be necessary), but mail it to the seller or manufacturer. As a result, so-called user registration is performed. In some cases, the warranty itself may be used for user registration, but in this case, a similar seal is also made on the copy of this warranty, and the user manages and keeps this copy of the warranty himself.

[0004] When the purchased product is defective or the like and the seller or the manufacturer requests free replacement or repair of the product, the user brings the stored warranty or a copy of the warranty to the manufacturer and presents it. As a result, the user is authorized by the seller, the manufacturer, or the like that he / she is the person who purchased the product through the legitimate route and that it is within a certain period of time since the purchase. As a result, the user can receive services such as free exchange of goods and repair from the seller or the manufacturer.

[0005]

The system using the above-mentioned conventional guarantee has some problems as described below.

(1) The retailer sells each product at
In order to prove that the product has been purchased at the store, information such as the store name and address is stamped on a predetermined column of the warranty card. Therefore, this is a troublesome task for the dealer.

(2) In order to apply for user registration, the user fills in personal information on a postcard that serves as a user registration form, and affixes a stamp (although the stamp may not be necessary) to the vendor or manufacturer. It must be mailed to you. In addition, the user must keep the original warranty card or a copy of the warranty card, but there is a risk of loss. Therefore,
For the user, the writing and mailing work is troublesome, and there is the trouble of keeping the warranty card so as not to lose it. Moreover, even if you register as a user, if you lose the copy of the warranty, there is a risk that you will not receive the warranty.

(3) The administrator of the manufacturer or the like collects the postcard (guarantee or user registration form) mailed from each user for user registration, and registers the handwritten information in the database terminal. It is necessary to input using. This work is very complicated and causes labor cost. In addition, as described in (2) above,
The collection rate of user registration forms and warranty cards (postcards) is not so high because the filling and sending work is troublesome for the user. In other words, there are many cases where the warranty is not mailed, whether it is intentional or not.

Furthermore, it is unlikely that all the prescribed items will be written in the user registration form sent by mail. Therefore, in addition to the personal information that the user provides in exchange for user registration, such as name and address,
It is difficult to collect detailed personal information (collecting questionnaires) such as hobbies and favorite music. Therefore, in many cases, the collected information cannot be used for product development.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the user can feel secure in terms of product guarantee, and the user registration is simple and reliable, and the seller can Guarantee management and user registration system, product guarantee and user registration management device, and product guarantee and user registration method that makes it easy to manage guarantees and reduce costs, and that various user information can be obtained efficiently The purpose is to provide.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the product guarantee / user registration system of the present invention includes a web server connected to the Internet, and a server installed in this web server or another server. A database that is located in a server connected to the Internet and that is controlled by a web server. The database is a product information database that stores information about products, and a user who purchased the product and registered as a user. A product guarantee / user registration management device that includes a registrant information database that stores information, and a client terminal that allows a purchaser of the product to connect to the product guarantee / user registration management device via the Internet. Is a warranty and user registration system for products that have A user who has purchased a product registered in advance in the database connects to the server from the client terminal via the Internet and sends the product information including the serial number and the product password attached to the product and the personal information to the server. By applying for user registration, the server authenticates the user as a purchaser of the product with the product password, registers the sent personal information as registrant information in the registrant information database, and the user registration It is characterized in that the warranty for the user can be displayed on the client terminal of the registered user.

[0012] Further, the product guarantee and user registration system of another invention includes a web server connected to the Internet and a server arranged in this web server or another server connected to the Internet. And a database controlled by a web server, the database including a product information database for storing information about products and a registrant information database for storing information about users who purchased products and registered as users. A product guarantee and user registration system having a product guarantee and user registration management device and a client terminal to which the purchaser of the product can be connected to the product guarantee and user registration management device via the Internet. Products registered in the product information database in advance. The user who purchased, connected through the Internet to the server from the client terminal,
By sending the product information including the serial number attached to the product and personal information to the server and applying for user registration, the server authenticates the user as a purchaser of the product with the serial number and has been sent. The personal information is registered in the registrant information database as registrant information, and the user's registration enables the display of the warranty for the product on the client terminal of the registered user. .

A product guarantee / user registration system according to another invention includes a web server connected to the Internet and a server arranged in the web server or another server connected to the Internet. And a database controlled by the web server, the database including a product information database that stores information about products and a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased products and registered as users. A product warranty and user registration system that includes a product warranty and user registration management device that is configured as a product, and a client terminal that allows the purchaser of the product to connect to the product warranty and user registration management device via the Internet. It is registered in the product information database in advance. The user who purchased the product connects to the server from the client terminal via the Internet, sends the product information including the serial number and the product password attached to the product and the personal information to the server, and applies for user registration. Authenticates this user as the purchaser of the product with the product password, and sends the product information including the serial number of the product with the serial number but not the product password and the personal information to the server to send the user When you apply for registration, the server authenticates this user as a purchaser of the product with the serial number, registers the personal information sent to each as registrant information in the registrant information database, and
It is characterized in that the user registration allows the user to display the warranty for the product and the warranty for the user on the client terminal of the registered user.

According to each of the above-mentioned inventions, the user registration of merchandise, which has conventionally been carried out by mail, can be carried out via the Internet. Therefore, it takes a lot of time and labor for the dealer to affix the warranty certificate and the user registration form with the name of the store, the user writing personal information to the user registration form and the mailing procedure, and the manufacturer's collection of the user registration form. Omitted. Moreover, with the spread of mobile phones in recent years, applications for various procedures from mobile phones are becoming commonplace. Considering such a situation, user registration work using the Internet for each user is
It is thought that the burden will be lighter than if you carry out the mailing procedure.
Therefore, according to the distributor or the like, the user registration and the collection of the data such as the questionnaire accompanying the user registration form are easy and reliable, and the merit of the distributor or the manufacturer is greater than that of the user.

As in the invention described in claim 1, when the product to be guaranteed is managed by attaching not only the serial number but also the product password, if the product is not centrally managed by the serial number. The product password can be used to specify the product. For example, even if there are two or more production bases for products and the serial numbers may overlap (two products have the same serial number), the distributor or distribution stage By attaching a unique product password to each product at a predetermined place, etc., it is possible to reliably identify each product. In addition,
When the guarantee and user registration system of the present invention is introduced, the product password is initially managed, and the products produced after the system introduction date can be centrally managed by the serial number. That is, the system can be smoothly introduced from the middle.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 2, when the products to be guaranteed are managed only by the serial number, the management of the product guarantee becomes easy. In addition, since it is not necessary to input the product password attached to the product as an essential input item for the user, the time and effort required by the user can be saved.

Further, as in the invention described in claim 3, the user manages the product for which the product to be guaranteed is managed by the serial number and the product password and the product managed by only the serial number. If it is possible to switch depending on the input contents at the time of registration, it is possible to perform management related to the guarantee of both types of products described in claim 1 and claim 2 by one server.

Further, the product guarantee / user registration management device of the present invention is a web server which can be connected from the client terminal of the purchaser of the product via the Internet, and is arranged in this web server or other The database is a server that is located in a server connected to the Internet and is controlled by a web server.This database is different from the serial number that is the serial number of the product administrator in advance. The product information database obtained by at least entering a product password for distinguishing each of the same type of product, and a registrant information database consisting of information about users who are registered as users, and the registrant information database includes The product password that the purchaser of the product inputs when registering as a user Includes registrant information that is stored as information about the user of the purchased product when the password matches the product password in the product information database, and the details of the warranty that can be used as a warranty for the purchased product by the registered user. Is characterized by.

According to the above-mentioned invention, since the user registration of the product, which has conventionally been carried out by mail, can be carried out via the Internet, the product name can be stamped on the warranty or the user registration form. , The work of the user to write the personal information in the user registration form and the mailing process, and the work of the manufacturer etc. to collect the user registration form are greatly omitted. In addition, because the product under warranty is managed by attaching not only the serial number that is the manufacturing number but also the product password, if the product is not centrally managed by the serial number, the product password can be used to identify the product. can do.

The product guarantee / user registration management device of another invention is a web server which is connectable from the client terminal of the purchaser of the product via the Internet, and is installed in this web server or other Server, which is located in the server connected to the Internet and is controlled by a web server. This database requires the administrator of the product to input at least the serial number which is the serial number of the product. The product information database obtained in step (1) and the registrant information database consisting of user-registered user information are included in the registrant information database. The user of the purchased product when it matches the serial number in And registrant information stored as information about, is characterized in that the user registered users include the guarantee of the content can be used as a guarantee for the purchase item.

According to the above-mentioned invention, since the user registration of the merchandise, which has been conventionally performed by mail, can be carried out via the Internet, the dealer's warranty or the user's registration can be stamped with the dealer's name or the user's registration. The work of writing personal information to the warranty and mailing procedures by the manufacturer, and the task of collecting the user registration documents by the manufacturer are greatly omitted. Further, since the products to be guaranteed are centrally managed only by the serial number, the product guarantee can be easily managed.

The product guarantee and user registration management device of another invention is a web server which can be connected from the client terminal of the purchaser of the product via the Internet, and is installed in this web server or other Server which is located in the server connected to the Internet and is controlled by the web server. This database is for the administrator of the product to enter at least the serial number which is the serial number of the product in advance. The first product information database obtained in 1., the second product information database which is different from the serial number and is obtained by entering at least a product password for distinguishing each product of the same type, and user registration With a registrant information database consisting of information about registered users In the registrant information database, input when the serial number entered by the product purchaser for user registration matches the serial number in the first product information database, or entered by the product purchaser for user registration. When the product password matches the product password in the second product information database, the registrant information stored as information about the user of the purchased product and the guarantee that the user registered as the user can use as a warranty about the purchased product. It is characterized by including contents and.

According to the above-mentioned invention, since the user registration of the merchandise, which has been conventionally carried out by mail, can be carried out via the Internet, the dealer's warranty or the user's registration can be stamped with the dealer's name, or the user can The work of writing personal information to the warranty and mailing procedures by the manufacturer, and the task of collecting the user registration documents by the manufacturer are greatly omitted. In addition, it is possible to switch between products that are managed by the serial number and product password for the products covered by the warranty and products that are managed only by the serial number by the input contents at the time of user registration. Therefore, it is possible to manage user registration of two products with different management methods with one server.

Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned guarantee and user registration management device for each product, wherein the content of the warranty includes part or all of the product information, the registrant name and the purchase date. I am trying. Therefore, by displaying the warranty on the display screen of the mobile phone that is the client terminal, or downloading the warranty to the personal computer that is the client terminal and printing the page and presenting it, the user can purchase the product at the manufacturer. It is possible to reliably request warranty for replacement, repair, etc.

In another invention, in the above-mentioned guarantee and user registration management device for each product, when a user applies for user registration to a web server, the web server side performs main registration of the user registration. The feature is that the site address is transmitted to the user's client terminal, and the user can connect to the site of the address and perform main registration of user registration from the site.

Another aspect of the present invention is the product guarantee / user registration management device as described above, wherein the web server has a registrant ID and a main registration required when the user connects to the guarantee after the user completes the main registration. It is characterized in that the personal identification password set by the user is sometimes transmitted to the user's client terminal, and the user can connect to the warranty by inputting the registrant ID and the personal identification password. Therefore, if you keep the mail sent from the server side, the user can easily connect to the warranty card stored on the Internet at any time. That is, it is easier to manage this guarantee that can be connected via the Internet, as compared with the guarantee that is stored in a conventional paper medium.

Further, in another invention, in the above-mentioned guarantee and user registration management device for each product, the web server sends an electronic mail from the client terminal of the user to the web server when the user applies for user registration. It is characterized in that the operation of transmitting is requested to the client terminal of the user, and the mail address of the client terminal is acquired from the header information of the electronic mail when the electronic mail is received.

When a user inputs various kinds of information using a terminal, especially when the input means (key) is small and unwieldy like a mobile phone, it is difficult to input a complicated mail address and many input errors occur. To do. According to the present invention, the server side acquires the user's mail address from the header information only by sending an electronic mail to the server side without typing the mail address of the client terminal of the user. Therefore, not only the time and effort of the user's input can be saved, but also the problem that the destination of the electronic mail sent from the server side to the user becomes unknown due to the user's input error does not occur.

In another invention, in the above-mentioned guarantee and user registration management device for each product, the product model number and purchase destination registered in the product information database are displayed in a pull-down menu on the screen of the site for main registration. It is characterized in that selection items are input by the user making an arbitrary selection from the pull-down menu.

According to the present invention, since the user can input the product model number and the like without typing symbols or characters, not only the labor of inputting is saved, but also the possibility of input error is reduced.

In another invention, in the above-mentioned product guarantee / user registration management device, when the purchased product can be identified only by the serial number or product password, the product model number and the purchase destination are the serial number or product. It is characterized in that it is registered in the product information database in association with the password, and at least one of the product model number and the purchase destination is omitted from the screen of the site for main registration, so that the user's input action is omitted. For this reason,
It is possible to further reduce the time and effort required for the user to enter the product warranty application.

The product guarantee and user registration method of another invention is different from the serial number which is the product serial number in the product information database controlled by the web server which receives the user registration, and the product of the same kind. Product information input step of entering product information such as product password to distinguish each item, and the web server receives user information including product password sent from the client terminal by the purchaser of the product. User registration acceptance An authentication process for comparing and judging the process and the product password in the product information database and the received product password, and when the two product passwords match, user registration is performed and the registered purchaser A registered engineer who saves the contents of the warranty that can be used as the warranty for the product. It is characterized by having, when.

According to the above-mentioned invention, since the user registration of the goods, which has conventionally been carried out by mail, can be carried out via the Internet, the dealer's warranty or the user's registration stamp and the user's name can be stamped. The work of writing personal information to the warranty and mailing procedures by the manufacturer, and the task of collecting the user registration documents by the manufacturer are greatly omitted. In addition, the product that is covered by the warranty and the user who performs user registration for the product are managed not only by the serial number, which is the serial number of the purchased product, but also by the product password attached to the product. Even if the product is not centrally managed by, the product password can be used to identify the product purchased by the user.

Further, the product guarantee and user registration method of another invention is such that product information is entered into a product information database controlled by a web server that receives user registration, information about the product such as a serial number which is a product serial number. The input process and the user registration acceptance process in which the web server receives information about the user including the serial number sent from the client terminal by the purchaser of the product match the serial number in the product information database and the received serial number. It has an authentication step of comparing and judging whether or not it is registered, and a registration step of performing user registration when the two serial numbers match and storing the content of the warranty that the registered purchaser can use as the warranty of the product. Is characterized by.

According to the above-mentioned invention, since the user registration of the product conventionally carried out by mail can be carried out via the Internet, the dealer's warranty or the user registration stamp and the user's name stamp, or the user's registration The work of writing personal information to the warranty and mailing procedures by the manufacturer, and the task of collecting the user registration documents by the manufacturer are greatly omitted. Further, since the product to be guaranteed and the user who performs user registration for the product are centrally managed only by the serial number which is the serial number of the purchased product, the product warranty can be easily managed.

Further, the product guarantee and user registration method of another invention is such that when the product information database controlled by the web server which receives the user registration, only the serial number which is the product serial number is attached to the product. Enter the serial number and other information about the product, and if it is different from the serial number and the product password for distinguishing each product of the same type is attached, the product including at least the product password Product information input step of inputting information about the product, user registration acceptance step of receiving the user information including the serial number or the serial number and the product password sent by the purchaser of the product from the client terminal by the web server, and the product information database Serial number and received serial The authentication process for comparing and judging whether or not the product number and the product password and the received product password and user registration are performed when two serial numbers or two product passwords match. And a registration step of saving the contents of the guarantee that the registered purchaser can use as the guarantee of the product.

According to the above-mentioned invention, since the user registration of the product conventionally carried out by mail can be carried out via the Internet, the dealer's warranty or the user's registration can be stamped with the dealer's name or the user's registration. The work of writing personal information to the warranty and mailing procedures by the manufacturer, and the task of collecting the user registration documents by the manufacturer are greatly omitted. In addition, the product subject to the warranty and the user who performs user registration for the product are managed by the serial number, which is the serial number of the purchased product, and the product password attached to the product, and by the serial number only. The registered products can be switched according to the input contents at the time of user registration, so that one server can manage user registration of two products having different management methods.

A product guarantee / user registration method of another invention includes a web server connected to the Internet, a product information database for storing product information, and a user who purchased the product and registered as a user. For a product guarantee and user registration management device that includes a registrant information database to be stored, the product information database is different from the serial number that is the product serial number in advance, and distinguishes between products of the same type. The process of registering the product password for this purpose, and the user who purchased the product for which this product password is registered connects to the web server from the client terminal via the Internet and displays the serial number and product password attached to the product. The user sends the product information including personal information and the personal information to the user. The process of applying for registration determines whether the product password in the product information database matches the sent product password. When both product passwords match, the server prompts the user to purchase the product with the product password. The process of authenticating as a person, and the transmitted personal information is registered in the registrant information database as registrant information, and the contract for exchanging or repairing the merchandise or taking a prescribed measure equivalent to this is performed when the merchandise is defective. There is a process of creating a guarantee to guarantee and a process of making the user connectable to the guarantee via the Internet by saving this guarantee on a web server or another server. By presenting the warranty card downloaded from the server, you can exchange the product or It is characterized in that so as to receive a service that receives a sense.

A product guarantee / user registration method of another invention includes a web server connected to the Internet, a product information database for storing information about products, and information about users who have purchased products and registered as users. A step of registering a serial number, which is a product serial number of a product, in advance in the product information database with respect to a product guarantee and user registration management device including a registrant information database to be stored, and this serial number is registered. A process in which the user who purchased the product connects to the web server from the client terminal via the Internet, sends product information including the serial number attached to the product and personal information to the server to apply for user registration, and product information The serial number in the database and the transmitted serial number are the same. If both serial numbers match, the server authenticates the user as a purchaser of the product with the serial number, and the sent personal information is registered in the registrant information database as registrant information. In addition, the process of creating a warranty that guarantees the contract for exchanging or repairing the product or the provision of prescribed measures equivalent to this when the product is defective, etc. and save this warranty on the web server or other server By doing so, the user has a process of making it possible to connect to the warranty via the Internet, and by presenting the warranty downloaded from the server, the user can receive the service to exchange or repair the product. It is characterized by doing so.

A product guarantee and user registration method of another invention includes a web server connected to the Internet, a product information database for storing information about products, and information about users who purchased products and registered as users. For a product guarantee and user registration management device that includes a registrant information database to be stored, if only the serial number that is the product serial number is attached to the product in advance in the product information database, the serial number is stored. Also, when the serial number is different from the serial number and a product password for distinguishing each product of the same kind is attached, the process of registering the product password and the serial number or product password are registered. The user who purchased the Connected to the Internet via the Internet, sending product information including the serial number or product password attached to the product and personal information to the server to apply for user registration, and the serial number or product password in the product information database When the serial number or product password matches, the server authenticates the user as the purchaser of the product with the serial number or product password. A guarantee certificate that guarantees the process of performing and the personal information sent is registered in the registrant information database as registrant information, and the contract for exchanging or repairing the product or taking the prescribed measures in accordance with this when the product is defective. And the guarantee process on the web server Or by saving the data on another server so that the user can connect to the warranty via the Internet, and presenting the warranty downloaded by the user to exchange the product. Another feature is that the service for receiving repairs is available.

According to each of the above-mentioned inventions, since the user registration of the product, which has conventionally been carried out by mail, can be performed via the Internet, the warranty certificate by the distributor or the stamp of the distributor name on the user registration form, The labor required for the user to write personal information in the guarantee and the mailing procedure, and the work required for the manufacturer to collect the user registration form are greatly omitted. Further, the management of the warranty after user registration becomes easy and reliable, and the convenience of the user for receiving the service of guaranteeing the product is improved.

Further, another invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned guarantee and user registration method for each product, the content of the warranty includes a part or all of the product information, the registrant name and the purchase date. There is.

Another aspect of the invention is a site for performing the main registration of the user registration from the web server side when the user applies for user registration to the web server in the method of guarantee and user registration of each product described above. Is transmitted to the user's client terminal, the user connects to the site of the address, and performs main registration of user registration from the site.

Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned product guarantee and user registration method, in which the registrant ID required when the user connects to the guarantee after the user completes the main registration.
Also, the personal identification password set by the user at the time of main registration is sent to the user's client terminal, and the user can connect to the warranty by entering these registrant ID and personal identification password. There is.

In another invention, in the above-mentioned guarantee and user registration method for each product, when a user applies for user registration to a web server, an electronic mail is sent from the user's client terminal to the web server. The web server requests the client terminal to perform the operation described above, and upon reception of this electronic mail, the web server acquires the mail address of the user's client terminal from the header information of the electronic mail.

[0046]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First, an outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described. The product guarantee / user registration management device, the product guarantee / user registration system, and the product guarantee / user registration method according to the present embodiment use the user information collected by returning a postcard (user registration application) in the past. By linking with the warranty, it is easier to obtain. That is, the feature of the present embodiment is that it provides the same service as the storage of the warranty card to the user who has registered as a user through the Internet by using a communication terminal such as a personal computer or a mobile phone, which While providing a service that provides peace of mind in terms of product warranty by eliminating the hassle of storing warranty cards, vendors and manufacturers can easily manage product warranty and reduce costs, and efficiently obtain a large amount of user information. To be able to do it. In addition, the seller or the manufacturer can efficiently obtain the information about individual products such as the purchase destination of the products together with the user information in exchange for the product guarantee, so that the distribution trend of the products can be managed.

By utilizing the present invention, the user can use the communication terminal such as a mobile phone, which has a high diffusion rate, for the user registration procedure which has conventionally been performed by writing a handwritten stamp or mailing it. Can be done easily. Moreover, it is possible to easily connect and check the guarantee certificate that must be presented when receiving the guarantee via the Internet. Therefore, if you keep the registrant ID for connection and the password for personal recognition in the communication terminal, you can display it on the display screen of the mobile terminal at any time, and easily present the warranty when receiving the warranty. can do. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the user does not need to save the original or copy of the warranty, and there is no risk of losing it.

Further, for the seller and the manufacturer, various information such as the personal information of the user and the purchased product information will be automatically registered in the database by the user registration procedure. This saves you the trouble of entering the registration details on the postcard (user registration application form) into the terminal. In addition, the database is updated in real time based on the information entered by the user,
You can always get the latest information. An administrator such as a distributor or a manufacturer can perform data analysis based on this latest information, and can use the analysis result in a sales strategy.

Further, especially for a modern youth who is accustomed to key input, the input operation itself is easier than handwriting. Moreover, if necessary data are not entered, it is possible to collect necessary and sufficient data from users by using methods such as not allowing user registration and warranty service. Become.

The configuration of the product guarantee / user registration management device and the product guarantee / user registration system using the device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The product guarantee and user registration method will be described together with the description of the product guarantee and user registration system. Further, in the following description, it is assumed that the handled product is managed by the serial number and the product password in the product warranty / user registration system using the product warranty / user registration management device. .

However, the products handled may be managed only by the serial number or only the product password. In addition, with one product guarantee and user registration management device, the user registration procedure for the product group managed by both the serial number and product password and the product group managed by only the serial number or product password It may be recognized by the method, and the product registration / user registration management device may switch the user registration to accept the user registration. It should be noted that a case where the product is managed only by the serial number or only the product password, and an example in which both types of product groups can be switched to accept user registration will be described later.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a product guarantee / user registration system using the product guarantee / user registration management device of the present invention. A product guarantee / user registration management device (hereinafter referred to as a guarantee / user registration management device) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a seller (hereinafter, referred to as a product guarantee / user registration system of a product) selling a product. An administrator or simply an administrator) accepts and manages an application (user registration) for guarantee of a product handled.

The guarantee / user registration management device 1 includes a server 11 which is a web server connected to the Internet 2 and a database 12 which stores various data.
And have. The server 11 is also connected to the terminal devices 7a and 7b managed by the administrator. These terminal devices 7a and 7b serve as input means for inputting the registration content described in the postcard sent in order to support user registration in the postcard by a user who does not have a communication means for connecting to the Internet 2. ing. Also, the database 12 may be located within the server 11 or may be located within another web server.

Further, these terminal devices 7a and 7b are managers of product guarantee and user registration systems (sellers and manufacturers) such as registration of new products and new stores and updating of already registered information. Etc.) is also a means for inputting information on the administrator side for changing the registration contents in the database 12 and the settings of the server 11, etc. Further, these terminal devices 7a and 7b are means for data analysis based on various information such as questionnaire information collected from users, and the monitors of the terminal devices 7a and 7b collect data from users. Various information can be displayed in real time.

A user who performs user registration of a product is a user registration site (not shown) via the Internet 2 from a client terminal such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) 3 or a mobile phone 4 that can be connected to the Internet 2. It is possible to connect to the server 11 of the warranty and user registration management device 1 from this site. User registration site is this server 1
You can open it on one, but you can also open it on another web server.

The user can register as a user by connecting to the server 11 and transmitting various information to the server 11. It should be noted that some users who have purchased products do not have an environment capable of connecting to the Internet 2. If it is not possible to connect to the Internet 2, it is possible to register as a user by mailing a postcard as usual. In the following description, a user who has completed user registration is called a registered user.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram mainly showing the structure of the server 11 divided into main functions. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 11 is a transmission / reception unit 111 that transmits / receives electronic data and the like to / from various terminals and other servers via the Internet 2, and a reception data storage that temporarily stores the data received by the transmission / reception unit 111. The comparison reference unit 113 that compares and references the unit 112 and the data stored in the received data storage unit 112 with the data in the database 12 described above.
And the client terminal (PC
3 and the mobile phone 4), and a transmission data creation unit 114 that creates data to be sent to the mobile phone 4).

The hardware configuration of the server 11 includes a central processing unit called a so-called microcomputer and an RA.
A storage unit including an M, a ROM, a hard disk, a circuit unit interposed between the storage unit and the central processing unit for performing the functions described above by using the central processing unit and the storage unit, and the server 1.
1 is mainly composed of switch means and the like arranged on the front surface thereof.

The transmitter / receiver 111 is used by the user for the mobile phone 4
When you connect to the user registration site via the Internet 2 and perform a predetermined operation, the user's mobile phone 4
Connected with etc. Then, the transmission / reception unit 111 receives the data input and transmitted by the mobile phone 4 or the like. This data includes product information regarding the product purchased by the user (specifically, the product serial number, etc.) and personal information (registrant information) such as the user's address.

These data are stored in the received data storage unit 11
Temporarily stored in 2. Then, these data are compared and examined by the comparison reference unit 113 for omission or error in the input contents. If there is an input omission or an error, the fact is transmitted from the server 11 to the mobile phone 4 or the like. If there is no omission of input, the data stored in the received data storage unit 112 is sent to the database 12 and stored therein. This saved data is new user information, which means that the new user has been provisionally registered.

That is, in the present embodiment, this initial registration is temporary registration. At the time of this temporary registration, the user sends an empty e-mail not describing the content sentence to the server 11 side according to the instruction from the server 11 side. Server 1
1 receives this e-mail, and the user registers (provisionally registers) the user from the header information of the e-mail.
Obtain the e-mail address of the mobile phone 4 used for the procedure. As a result, information can be sent from the server 11 side to the user's mobile phone 4 or the like by e-mail.

In the present embodiment, the user needs to perform the main registration after the above-mentioned provisional registration. By making the main registration, the user becomes a registered user. Information necessary for the main registration by the user, such as the site address of the site for the main registration, is stored in the transmission data creation unit 114.
From the user via the transmitting / receiving unit 111 via the Internet 2 to the client terminal used at the time of temporary registration, such as the user's mobile phone 4, by e-mail after completion of temporary registration. As a result, the user can know the site address for performing the main registration, and can make a warranty application (main registration) for the product from this site via the Internet 2.

The data transmitted from the user's mobile phone 4 or the like at the time of main registration is received by the transmission / reception unit 111 and stored in the reception data storage unit 112, as in the above-described temporary registration. Then, the data sent at the time of the main registration is registered in the database 12 along the same flow as that at the time of the temporary registration. After the main registration, the server 11 issues a warranty for the product purchased by the registered user. The warranty for this product is common to all users who purchased the same product, and the server 11
It is stored at the designated site address in. In addition, prepare a different site address for each user,
A different warranty may be issued for each user.

That is, when the main registration is made, the server 11 displays the site address in which the data of the product warranty is stored and the registration completion notification so that the book can be displayed on the same screen of the mobile phone 4 or the like. Data is transmitted to the mobile phone 4 etc. for which the registration procedure has been performed. In addition, server 1
1 is that the user provisionally registered a registrant of identification (Identification: hereinafter referred to as ID) and a password for personal recognition for login (hereinafter referred to as login password), which is required when the user displays the above-mentioned warranty. It is sent to the email address of the mobile phone 4 or the like acquired at that time. This will allow registered users to connect to the site to access the page displaying the above-mentioned warranty,
By inputting the registrant ID and login password described above on this site, the user logs in to the product warranty / user registration system using the warranty / user registration management device 1 described above, and issues the warranty for the purchased product to the mobile phone 4, etc. Can be displayed on the display section D of.

In this embodiment, the site address for connecting to the page displaying the warranty, the registrant ID, and the login password set by the user at the time of registration are transmitted from the server 11 side to the registered user. The act is "issuance of guarantee". This is because the data of the guarantee is prepared in the server 11 in advance, and providing the means for accessing the data of the guarantee is the same as the issuance of the guarantee. In addition, referring to the information of the user registered in the database 12, a part or all of the information (the product name, the product model number, etc.) regarding the product for which the warranty contract has been made, the registrant name and the purchase are provided in a predetermined part of the warranty. The date may be displayed.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the seller, the manufacturer or the like can access the server 11 by using the above-mentioned terminal devices 7a, 7b, etc. and read the latest data at that time from the database 12. For this reason,
For each store (shop) involved in actual sales,
You can see the latest information in real time about what kind of user, what kind of product, how much (quantity) was purchased, and so on.

Incidentally, with regard to the distribution trend of such products, conventionally, the mainstream system is that the seller or the manufacturer can grasp the situation only after the shop informs the seller or the manufacturer about the sales situation. However, there is no known method of directly managing real-time distribution trends in shops other than directly managed stores by sellers or manufacturers.
In the present embodiment, in order to improve such a point, the user can access the server 11 under the control of the seller or the manufacturer to obtain the guarantee of the product and exchange the information on the real-time product distribution trend. The effect is that it can be obtained by the distributor or the manufacturer and can be utilized in the sales strategy and the like.

Next, the structure of the database 12 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of the database 12. The database 12 is for assisting the user's input operation or registering and storing the data transmitted from the user side when the above-mentioned user makes a warranty application for the product (at the time of user registration). . That is, the database 12 stores various product information such as product names and product codes of the products handled,
It stores user registrant information, etc., which is information about users who have registered as users.

As shown in FIG. 3, the database 12 is
The product information database 12a that stores the product information of the handled product, the registrant information database 12b that includes information about the user who purchased the handled product and registered the user of the handled product, and both databases 1
It is composed of a reference database 12c for reference when constructing 2a and 12b.

The product information database 12a includes the store information 12a1 and information about serial numbers uniquely assigned to each product (hereinafter referred to as serial number information).
12a2 and information about a password uniquely attached to each product (hereinafter referred to as product password information) 12a3
And product information 12a4 including a product ID and a product name commonly assigned to the same product.

The store information 12a1 is the store ID of the store that sells each product and is registered in the database 12, the store name, and the prefecture where the store is located. ID attached by prefecture (prefecture ID)
And address and telephone number. The data registered in the above-mentioned reference database 12c is used when registering the information about the prefecture ID and the address.

The serial number information 12a2 includes a serial number assigned to each product, a product ID commonly assigned to the same product group, and a store ID of a store that actually sells each product. It consists of Product I
As D, the one registered in the product information 12a4 is used. Further, as the store ID, the one registered in the store information 12a1 is used.

The product password information 12a3 is information relating to a product password uniquely assigned to each product. If each product can be identified by the serial number, the product password information 12a3 is unnecessary. However, if there are multiple plants that produce the same product, and each product has its own serial number without being related to other plants, the serial number assigned to each product There is no proof that it is unique. In other words, the same product may have two or more identical serial numbers, and it may not be possible to collectively manage the serial numbers only. In such a case, each product can be identified by the product password by uniquely attaching the product password to each product at the distributor or distribution stage.

By using the serial number and the product password together, it is possible to introduce the product guarantee and user registration system of the present invention from any stage. That is, even if it is not possible to collectively manage each product with a serial number at a certain point in time, it is possible to immediately start management using both the product password and the serial number after the system is introduced. After that, if there is no duplication of serial numbers, batch management using only serial numbers can be started from that point.

The registrant information database 12b includes temporary registration information 12b1, registrant information 12b2 that is formal information after main registration, login information 12b3, questionnaire information 12b4, warranty history information 12b5, and failure information 12.
It is composed of b6.

The temporary registration information 12b1 is a temporary registration ID issued when a user connects to the server 11 via the Internet 2 and makes a temporary registration procedure for a warranty application for a product that becomes a kind of user registration, and the temporary registration information during the temporary registration procedure. It is composed of the mail address of the user's mobile phone 4 or the like acquired by the server 11 when the user sends an electronic mail to the server 11, and the date and time when the temporary registration is performed.

The registrant information 12b2 is a registrant ID and a login password issued when the main registration is performed after the temporary registration (the password used for login when the user connects to the guarantee certificate placed on the Internet 2). It is set by the user himself at the time of main registration), personal information sent by the user, and the registration date when the main registration was made. Personal information includes the postal code ID, prefecture ID, address, name, telephone number, date of birth, gender, serial number and product password attached to the purchased product, and other information related to the postal code of the user's place of residence. Contains various personal information. As the postal code ID and prefecture ID, those registered in advance in the reference database 12c are used. As the serial number and the product password attached to each product, those registered in the product information database 12a by the manufacturer in advance are used.

The login information 12b3 is composed of information (log information) when the user inputs the registrant ID and the login password to connect to the page displaying the warranty, and logs in the warranty and user registration system of the product. To be done. The login information 12b3 is used to prevent double login of the same registered user.

Specifically, the login information 12b3 includes a login ID at the time of login, a registrant ID, a login flag, and a login date and time. As the registrant ID, the registrant information 12b2 is used. The login flag indicates whether or not there is a connection to the registered user-dedicated screen 11a (see FIG. 9) for connecting to a guarantee certificate or the like. This registered user-dedicated screen 11a is a screen displayed on the display unit of the mobile phone 4 or the like when a user who has performed the main registration of the guarantee (registered user) inputs a registrant ID and a login password to log in. The registered user can connect to the warranty screen from the registered user dedicated screen 11a.

In the present embodiment, the registered user can also connect to the screen for receiving services other than the guarantee from the registered user exclusive screen 11a which can be connected to the warranty. In the present embodiment, a screen for downloading a wallpaper (an image which is a background of a display screen of the PC 3, the mobile phone 4, etc.) which is a service of the seller or the manufacturer, and the seller or the manufacturer announces on the Internet 2. It is possible to connect to the latest information display screen such as new product information. In addition, the registered user dedicated screen 11a,
A link unit for connecting to other services is provided.

The questionnaire information 12b4 is composed of information about the questionnaire input by the user when performing the above-mentioned main registration, and the registrant ID of the registered user. As the registrant ID, the registrant information 12b2 is used.
The warranty history information 12b5 is information on the history of actual replacement or repair of the product purchased by the registered user. The warranty history ID, the registrant ID, and the warranty content (whether replacement or repair) , Consists of warranty registration date. As the registrant ID and the registration date, the registrant information 12b2 is used.

In the present embodiment, when a product is broken or damaged and a free replacement of the product occurs, the warranty content is newly registered in the above-mentioned warranty history information 12b5. At this time, since the new product that has been exchanged has a serial number and a product password different from those of the product before the exchange, this information will also be rewritten. When exchanging products, the serial number may be rewritten in this way, or the original serial number may be recorded as information and a new serial number may be added.

The failure information 12b6 is composed of the warranty history ID of the product purchased by the registered user, the information on the location where the product actually failed due to use of the product, and the details of the failure. As the warranty history ID, the warranty history information 12b5 is used.

Next, an example of a procedure until the user receives a user registration and a promise of guarantee by using the product guarantee and user registration system using the product guarantee and user registration management device 1 having the above-described configuration A description will be given with reference to the drawings.

First, the flow up to temporary registration will be described. In addition, the administrator constructs the product information database 12a and the reference database 12c in the database 12 in advance. Also, the product information database 12a is updated or added depending on the situation, such as each time a product is manufactured or before it is transported to a seller, and when a store (shop) that handles the product is newly added or reduced. .

As shown in FIG. 4, first, the user selects P
Using C3 or the mobile phone 4, it connects to an information site (not shown) which is a user registration site that accepts user registration regarding purchased products (step S1). This user registration site may be provided in the server 11 described above, or may be provided in another server. When the user performs a predetermined operation using the accessed user registration site, the user is connected to a site (hereinafter referred to as a warranty item site) 3a, 4a in which product warranty items are described.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the guarantee item site 3a displayed on the display unit (not shown) of the PC 3. FIG. 5B shows the warranty item site 4 a displayed on the display unit D of the mobile phone 4. In the following description, the site displayed on the display unit D of the mobile phone 4 will be described. Although the site displayed on the PC 3 is slightly different from the case of operating the mobile phone 4 in terms of design, operating method, etc., it is functionally similar and its description is omitted. As the data displayed on the warranty item sites 3a and 4a, the data regarding the warranty that is the source of the warranty content data in the warranty history information 12b5 (stored in the server 11 in this embodiment) is used. .

Next, the server 11 uses the warranty item site 4
When it is determined whether or not a link portion (not shown) to the next screen provided in a is operated (step S2) and the operation is performed (YES in step S2), the mobile phone 4
It is connected to the product information input screen 4b shown in FIG.
The user uses the input means (input key) of the mobile phone 4 to input the serial number and the product password described in the warranty included in the purchased product, and perform a predetermined operation (for example, "Next"). Operate the displayed display)
Then, the server 11 determines whether the serial number and the product password have been input (step S3).

If YES in step S3, the server 11 next detects whether or not the input information is correct (step S4). That is, it is detected whether the input serial number and product password are stored in the database 12.

In this embodiment, the products handled are managed by the serial number and the product password, but the serial number may not be distinguishable in some cases. For example, there is a case where there are a plurality of production factories for the product A and the serial numbers are set without cooperation in each factories. In such a case, the product A is collected in one place, and a unique product password is set for each product A. As a result, the product A is managed only by the product password.

In the end, it is more efficient to carry out batch management with only the serial number, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Therefore, the product guarantee / user registration management device 1 is used. At the beginning of the introduction of the warranty and user registration system, we will ask you to enter a serial number that does not have a uniqueness, but in reality it is managed with a product password. Then, when batch management by serial number is possible on the system, the system may be shifted to a system for inputting only the serial number.
At that time, for example, a product called A
It is possible to save the trouble of collecting and setting the product password at a place.

When the correct serial number and product password are entered and the user is identified as the purchaser of the product (YES in step S4), the next screen is the zip code input screen shown in FIG. 6B. 4c is displayed. On the other hand, when at least one of the input serial number and product password is incorrect or not input (NO in steps S3 and S4), the screen returns to the product information input screen 4b of FIG. 6 (A).

Next, the input field 4c of the zip code input screen 4c
When a predetermined number of digits of 3 or 7 is input to 1, 4c2 and a predetermined operation is performed, the server 11 determines whether a postal code has been input (step S5). If the postal code has been entered (YES in step S5)
S), the server 11 is the comparison reference unit 11 of the server 11.
3 is operated to retrieve information on the postal code in the database 12.

When the name of the municipality associated with the input 7-digit postal code is in the server 11, the municipality name selection screen 4d displaying the name of the municipality is displayed on the display portion D of the mobile phone 4. (See FIG. 6C). In addition,
If the postal code is not entered, or if the municipality name associated with the entered postal code is not in the database 12 (NO in step S5), the product information input screen 4b is returned to.

If you enter a 3-digit postal code,
There are multiple applicable municipalities, but if a 7-digit postal code is entered, there is only one applicable municipality. Therefore, when the 7-digit postal code is entered, the display of the city / town / village name selection screen 4d is omitted, the next screen, the personal information input screen 4e, is displayed, and the municipality name corresponding to the 7-digit postal code is input. The field 4e1 may be automatically input.

When the city / town / village name selection screen 4d is displayed on the display section D of the mobile phone 4, the server 11 monitors whether or not it receives a signal indicating that the city / town / village name has been selected (step S6). Then, when the name of the municipality is selected on the city / town / village name selection screen 4d, the server 11 receives a signal to that effect and determines YES in step S6. On the display unit D of the mobile phone 4, a personal information input screen 4e for inputting the personal information of the user such as the detailed address where the user lives and the name of the user is displayed. If the name of the municipality is not selected (N in step S6)
O), and returns to the product information input screen 4b.

Address input field 4e in the personal information input screen 4e
In 1, the name of the municipality selected on the municipality name selection screen 4d, which is the previous screen, is automatically input. And the user
Enter the necessary information as personal information, such as more detailed information about the address, name, etc., such as addresses and apartment names below the municipality name, and operate the link part (not shown) to the next screen.
In addition, in FIG. 6D, the address input fields 4e1 and 4e
Although only 2 and the name input field 4e3 are described, it is possible to input necessary personal information such as a telephone number, sex, and age as needed.

On the personal information input screen 4e of FIG. 6D, when all the necessary personal information is input and the link portion to the next screen is operated, the server 11 judges whether or not the personal information is input ( Step S7). When the server 11 determines that the personal information is input (YES in step S7), the mail transmission button display screen 4f is displayed on the display unit D of the mobile phone 4 (see FIG. 6E). On the other hand, when the operation is ended without inputting the personal information (NO in step S7), the screen returns to the product information input screen 4b. In addition, in the personal information input screen 4e, the mandatory input items are defined, and if the mandatory input items are not input, the determination in step S7 is NO, or if all the input items are not input, NO is determined. You may make a judgment.

Next, on the mail send button display screen 4f of FIG. 6 (E), the user sends a mail send button 4f1.
When is operated (step S8), the mail transmission software built in the mobile phone 4 is activated, and the mail transmission screen 4g is displayed on the display portion D of the mobile phone 4 (see FIG. 6F).
The address of the server 11 of the product guarantee and user registration management device 1 described above is written in the destination field 4g1 of the displayed mail transmission screen 4g. Therefore, when the user performs a transmission operation without inputting anything in the text entry field 4g2 of the email transmission screen 4g (though it may be input), the electronic mail is transmitted to the server 11 (step S9). The procedure from steps S1 to S9 described above is the flow of temporary registration.

Next, the procedure of the main registration procedure after the temporary registration will be described.

Upon receiving the electronic mail from the user's mobile phone 4, the server 11 returns the electronic mail to the user's mobile phone 4 (step S10). Figure 7
(A) shows a state in which the electronic mail 4h is displayed on the display portion D of the user's mobile phone 4. The e-mail 4h transmitted from the server 11 side displays the site address for the subsequent registration procedure (to perform the main registration).

The user connects to the site address described in the electronic mail 4h and starts the main registration procedure (step S11). The site address is disclosed only to the user, and the user is authenticated by connecting to the site address. When the main registration procedure is started, first, the purchased product information input screen 4i shown in FIG. 7B is displayed.

Next, on the purchase product information input screen 4i,
By operating the pull-down menu 4i1, the user selects the product purchased from the product name (product model number) list displayed. The server 11 monitors whether this selection is made (step S12), and when this selection is made (YES in step S12), permits the second pull-down menu 4i2 to be operated.

From the list of prefecture names displayed by operating the second pull-down menu 4i2, the user selects the location of the shop (sales shop) that purchased the product. The server 11 monitors whether this selection is made (step S13), and when this selection is made (YES in step S13), permits the movement to the shop selection. The product name and the prefecture name are already registered in the database 12 described above, and are displayed on the display unit D of the mobile phone 4 by the server 11 while referring to the database 12.

Steps S12 and S1 described above
3 is an operation on the same screen, and the order may be changed.
Further, it is possible not to prevent the user from moving to the next step unless input is made in the previous step, but to collectively check at the time of shifting to step S16 described later. This point will be described later in steps S14 and S1.
The same applies to 5.

When both steps S12 and S13 are performed, FIG.
The shop selection screen 4j shown in (C) is displayed. On this shop selection screen 4j, a list of shop names whose locations are the prefectures selected in step S13 is displayed. The information about these shops is registered in the database 12 as the shop information 12a1 in advance, and the server 11 refers to the database 12 and stores the name of the prefecture selected in step S13. A list of (dealers) will be displayed on the mobile phone 4.

The server 11 displays the shop selection screen 4j.
Then, it is monitored whether or not the user selects the shop where the product is purchased (step S14). When the user performs a predetermined selection operation (YES in step S14), a questionnaire input screen 4k which is the next screen shown in FIG. 7D is displayed.

When a predetermined item is entered and a predetermined operation is performed on the questionnaire input screen 4k (YES in step S15), the main registration of user registration is completed, and the server 11 side registers it in the user's mobile phone 4. A completion notice is transmitted (step S16). That is, step S1
When the input at 5 is completed, the registration completion screen 4m shown in FIG. 8A is displayed on the display unit D of the mobile phone 4.

The questionnaire input screen 4k can be set in various ways according to the needs of the seller or manufacturer (manager). That is, for example, the number of "questions" in the questionnaire is 1
For example, the registration is set to 0 and the registration is not completed unless at least the fifth question is answered. This setting is
This can be performed from the terminal devices 7a and 7b managed by the administrator described above.

For example, in the case of a sports equipment maker, it is very important to grasp the buyer's orientation. for that reason,
As a sports goods maker, we want product purchasers to answer questionnaires and create a database of user orientation and information. However, since it is time-consuming to fill out the questionnaire, users often do not fill in the conventional leaf format. However, in this embodiment, a questionnaire survey is performed at the same time as the user registration and the promise of guarantee are exchanged online via the Internet 2, so that the information that the seller or the manufacturer (manager) wants to know can be obtained. You can definitely get it.

Further, unlike the case of the postcard, since the user registration is performed at the client terminal (PC 3 or mobile phone 4 etc.) and the registration contents are registered in the database 12, the distributor or manufacturer etc. The administrator can view the information obtained from the user in real time only by accessing the server 11. In other words, more useful real-time information can be easily obtained compared to the information obtained through conventional collection of postcards and communication from dealers (shops), and the obtained data can be used for sales force etc. You can In addition, it becomes possible for the seller, the manufacturer, and the like to accurately grasp and respond to changes in the sales situation of products at each shop.

Further, even on the user side, especially as a young man, the input is easier than handwriting, and moreover, it can be done like a game, so that the questionnaire can be answered without much difficulty. In addition, by registering the user after answering the questionnaire, the user will be provided with an advantage, which will be described later, which is not available, and the questionnaire response rate will be increased.

On the registration completion screen 4m after the questionnaire is completed, the site address to which the registered user who has completed the registration procedure will be connected when receiving the guarantee service is displayed. In other words, this site address corresponds to the user presented when the product purchased by the registered user is defective within a certain period of time and the product is exchanged or repaired free of charge, or when other services equivalent to these services are received. It is for connecting to the warranty.

The registered user connects to the site address displayed on the registration completion screen 4m and performs a predetermined operation to connect to the warranty page available to the user, and the warranty is displayed on the display unit of the mobile phone 4. It is possible to display it on D. That is, the site having this address is a dedicated site for registered users, which allows registered users who have completed user registration to connect to the warranty.
The page on which this guarantee is displayed is common to registered users who have registered as users for the same product in the guarantee and user registration system of the present embodiment.

However, the guarantee certificate for receiving the guarantee service may be exclusive to each user. That is, the site displayed by having each user connect to a different site address may be dedicated to each registered user. The warranty displayed in this case is
Guarantee items The contents of the guarantee displayed on the sites 3a and 4a serve as the guarantee for the user as they are, and in addition to the contents, the registration date and the free repair / replacement deadline are described. It should be noted that the free repair / replacement deadline (for example, the last day of one year) is automatically set by the information from the store in this embodiment, and if the information from the store cannot be obtained. At this time, the deadline date is set from the registration date. However, we do not set this free repair / replacement deadline as a specific date, and use the expressions stated in the warranty, for example, "1 year after purchase" as it is, or do not provide an expiration date column only with the warranty You may do it.

As described above, for registered users, the site address displayed on the registration completion screen 4m is
The registration completion screen is used to connect to the warranty required when you receive services such as product replacement and repairs free of charge during the warranty period, and when requesting subsequent repairs, etc. A note such as "It is recommended to register in a bookmark" may be added to 4 m.

After transmitting the registration completion notification, the server 11 further transmits a separate electronic mail to the registered user (step S17). FIG. 8B shows the mobile phone 4.
Shows the e-mail 4n displayed on the display section D of, and the registrant ID (user ID) arbitrarily set on the server 11 side and the login password set by the user himself / herself during the application procedure are displayed. . These registrant ID and login password are required to be input from the server 11 side for user authentication on the registered user dedicated site. Therefore, the e-mail in which the registrant ID and the login password are displayed is also very important for the registered user. Therefore, it is preferable to display that the electronic mail is important.

Next, the procedure for connecting to the warranty in order to request the seller or the manufacturer to exchange the product when the product purchased by the user is defective will be described.

When connecting to the site address displayed on the registration completion screen 4m described above, the registered user dedicated screen 11a shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In addition, in this FIG.
Since it was connected using, the screen is for display on the PC 3. When connecting using the mobile phone 4, the display screen is for the mobile phone 4. The registered user dedicated screen 11a has a login ID (registrant ID) input field 11b, a login password input field 11c, and a login button 11d.
Is displayed. Enter the registrant ID and login password in the specified fields 11b and 11c, and then enter the login button 11
When d is operated, the service request screen 11e dedicated to the registered user who is permitted to log in is connected.

The service request screen 11e is connected to the first link section 11f for connecting to the warranty and the screen for downloading the wall paper (the background image of the display screen of the PC 3, the mobile phone 4, etc.). The second link part 11g for connecting, the third link part 11h for connecting to the screen on which the latest information of the product handled by the company that is the manager of the product manufacturer is displayed, and the fourth link for logging out. The part 11m is displayed.

The registered user can select the service request screen 11e.
By operating the first link unit 11f inside, it is possible to connect to the warranty and display the warranty on the display of the PC 3. By printing this warranty card and bringing it to a retailer, a manufacturer, or the like, it is possible to receive a conventional warranty such as replacement or repair of a defective product during the warranty period. When the mobile phone 4 is connected, the same service can be obtained by showing the image of the warranty displayed on the display unit D of the mobile phone 4 to a person in charge such as a store or a manufacturer.

When printing the guarantee, in order to ensure the consistency with the guarantee in the server 11, it is preferable to press the issue button when printing the guarantee. Then, when the issue button is clicked, the server 11 stores the issue number and the issue number together with the user ID. On the other hand, since the issue number is printed on the warranty card, the shop side receiving the repair request can confirm the authenticity by inquiring to the server 11 or the administrator side based on the issue number and the serial number. You can Also, as a method of guaranteeing the consistency, use the information of either the free repair / replacement deadline or registration date or both, and encode the encrypted number into a barcode and print it on a part of the warranty. Alternatively, the inquiry about the number may be received from the store requested for repair or the like.

The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. . For example, in the above-described embodiment, during the provisional registration procedure before the main registration procedure, the product information such as the serial number and the personal information such as the postal code and the address, which are described in the warranty attached to the product, are input. However, the server 1 does not enter product information or personal information during temporary registration.
Alternatively, only the mail address may be sent by sending an electronic mail to 1.

That is, when the user connects to the user registration site (not shown), which is the initial screen of the temporary registration procedure, via the Internet 2 and performs a predetermined operation, the mail shown in FIG. It is connected to the send button display screen 4f. Then the user sends an email to server 1
1), and after receiving the email from the server 11 that shows the site address for main registration, connect to this site address and send the product information and personal information at the main registration application site. It is sufficient to input. In the main registration procedure, after inputting the product information and personal information, the purchase registration information and the questionnaire are input to complete the main registration procedure as in the above-described embodiment, and the registration is completed from the server 11. In addition to receiving the notification, the notification of the registrant ID and the login password will be received separately by e-mail.

Further, the serial number and the product password are described in the product itself, in the warranty card,
It may be described as being sold with other products, but all of them are "attached to the product" in this specification.
I will treat it as a thing.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the guarantee / user registration system using the guarantee / user registration management device 1 for the relevant commodity, the handled commodity is managed by the serial number and the commodity password. There is. Therefore, the user is not authenticated as a purchaser of the product unless both the serial number and the product password are entered. However, the handled products may be collectively managed by only the serial number. When the products handled are collectively managed by serial numbers only, the user is authenticated as a purchaser of the products by entering only the serial number without entering the product password.

If all the products handled in the database 12 are managed only by serial numbers, the column for entering the product password on the product information input screen 4b shown in FIG. 6A is unnecessary. . However, with user registration managed only by serial number,
User registration of products managed by both the serial number and product password can be done on the same server 11
If both are to be performed together, the product information input screen 4b described above is provided with both a serial number input field and a product password input field so that the server 11 can determine which screen to display depending on the user's input content. May be.

Further, the user registration of the product managed by the serial number and the user registration of the product managed by the product password may be performed together in the same server 11. In this case, each product information database that manages each product of a different type is provided in the server 11, and the server 11 is made to read data from each product information database and store data in each product information database. To do so.

That is, the information on the product C managed by the serial number is stored in the first product information database by at least the administrator inputting the serial number attached to the product. On the other hand, the information about the product D managed by the product password is stored in the second product information database when at least the administrator inputs the product password attached to the product.

If the user inputs the serial number when registering the user, the server 11
However, it detects that the input is a serial number. Then, based on the detection result, the server 11 determines whether or not the serial number that matches the input serial number exists in the first product information database by the administrator in advance. Then, if there is a match with the serial number input by the user in the first product information database, the server 11 identifies the user who has performed the user registration as the product with the input serial number. Recognize as a buyer of. Then, the information about the user input by the subsequent operation is the server 11 as the information of the user who purchased the product and registered as the user, that is, the registrant information.
It is saved in the registrant information database provided inside.

On the other hand, when the user inputs the product password when performing user registration, the server 11 detects that the input is the product password. Then, based on the detection result, the server 11 determines whether or not the password that matches the input product password is stored in the second product information database by the administrator in advance.
Will judge. Then, if there is a match with the product password input by the user in the second product information database, the server 11 identifies the user who has performed the user registration as the product with the input product password. Recognize as a buyer. Then, the information about the user input by the subsequent operation is stored in the registrant information database provided in the server 11 as the information of the user who purchased the product and performed user registration, that is, registrant information.

Note that the user who has performed the user registration in this way displays the warranty by logging in to the guarantee and user registration system from the screen dedicated to the registered user and performing a predetermined operation, as in the above-described embodiment. You can access the pages that are displayed. That is,
The server 11 stores a guarantee that can be accessed by the user who has performed the above-described user registration. It should be noted that, like the above-described embodiment, this guarantee may be dedicated to the accessing user or may be displayed on a screen common to each registered user.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first pull-down menu 4i1 is displayed on the purchased product information input screen 4i.
By selecting the purchased product name from among the product names displayed by operating and then selecting the prefecture of the purchased shop from the second pull-down menu 4i2, the shop name with the location in the selected prefecture is displayed. A list (shop selection screen 4j) is displayed. However, when the handled product can be completely specified by inputting the serial number and / or the product password, the first pull-down menu 4i1 is not necessary.

Although the information about the product name of the product being handled and the dealer (store = shop) is registered in the database 12, the information is not available to the administrator (manufacturer, etc.). It may be possible that the shops (distributors) exchange products independently. In such a case, the information regarding the product managed by the manager and the actual situation are different. Therefore, the shop selection input by the user may naturally be different from the data registered in the database 12 in advance. Since such a situation can be assumed, in order to know the actual condition of distribution, in this embodiment, the user intentionally inputs the information of the shop that he / she purchased, so that The data input by the user can be used as the data for verifying the difference in.

In addition, when the serial number and / or the product password can be entered to narrow down the products that the user may have purchased, the narrowed down product names are displayed to reduce the number of choices. It is also possible to reduce the trouble of inputting.

[0136]

According to the product guarantee / user registration management device, the guarantee / user registration system, and the guarantee / user registration method of the present invention, the user can feel secure in terms of product guarantee and the user registration is easy. And be certain. In addition, the seller can easily manage the product guarantee and reduce the cost, and various information of the user can be efficiently obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a product guarantee / user registration system using a product guarantee / user registration management device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the relationship between the server structure of the product guarantee / user registration management device of FIG. 1 and the periphery of the server.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal structure of a database of the product guarantee / user registration management device of FIG. 1.

4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of a user registering a user using the product guarantee and user registration system of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen showing warranty items displayed on the display unit of the client terminal when the user performs user registration using the product warranty and user registration system of FIG. Shows a display screen for a personal computer, and (B) shows a display screen for a mobile phone.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing transition of screens displayed on the display unit of the client terminal when a user performs user registration using the product guarantee and user registration system of FIG. 1, and (A) is a product. Information input screen, (B) zip code input screen, (C) municipality name selection screen, (D) personal information input screen, (E) mail send button display screen, (F)
Indicates a mail transmission screen.

7 is a diagram showing a continuation of the transition of screens displayed on the display unit of the client terminal shown in FIG. 6, (A) is an electronic mail sent from the server, and (B) is input of purchased product information. Screen, (C) is shop selection screen, (D)
Indicates a questionnaire input screen.

8 is a diagram showing a further continuation of the transition of screens displayed on the display unit of the client terminal shown in FIG.
(A) shows a registration completion screen, and (B) shows an electronic mail sent from the server.

[FIG. 9] A registration, in which a user who has completed user registration for a product using the product warranty and user registration system of FIG. 1 connects and displays it when requesting a warranty from an administrator such as a seller or a manufacturer. The user dedicated screen and the service request screen are shown.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Product Guarantee and User Registration Management Device 2 Internet 3 Personal Computer (Client Terminal) 4 Mobile Phone (Client Terminal) 4i Purchased Product Information Input Screen (Screen of Site for Main Registration) 4k Questionnaire Input Screen 7a, 7b Terminal Device 11 Server (web server) 11a Screen for exclusive use of registered users 12 Database 12a Product information database 12b Registrant information database

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Shigeaki Ohba             2-4-5 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo             NNEX 503 Ltd. Studioja             In Paho

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A web server connected to the Internet, and a database located in this web server or in another server connected to the internet and controlled by the web server. This database has a product information database that stores information about products, and a product warranty and user registration management device that includes a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased the products and registered as users. A product guarantee / user registration system having a client terminal to which a purchaser of the product can be connected to the product registration / user registration management device via the Internet. The user who purchased the above registered product, By connecting to the server from the client terminal via the Internet and sending the product information including the serial number and the product password attached to the product and personal information to the server to apply for user registration, the server Authenticates the user as a purchaser of the product to which the product password is attached, registers the sent personal information as registrant information in the registrant information database, and by the user registration, it is a warranty for the product. A product warranty and user registration system characterized in that a warranty for that user can be displayed on the client terminal of the registered user. 2. A web server connected to the Internet, and a database arranged in the web server or in another server connected to the internet and controlled by the web server. This database has a product information database that stores information about products, and a product warranty and user registration management device that includes a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased the products and registered as users. A product guarantee / user registration system having a client terminal to which a purchaser of the product can be connected to the product registration / user registration management device via the Internet. The user who purchased the above registered product, By connecting to the server from the client terminal via the Internet, sending the product information including the serial number attached to the product and personal information to the server, and applying for user registration, the server can Is authenticated as a purchaser of the product to which the serial number is attached, and the personal information transmitted is registered as registrant information in the registrant information database, and a user-registered warranty for the product A product warranty and user registration system characterized in that the user's warranty can be displayed on the client terminal of the registered user. 3. A web server connected to the Internet, and a database arranged in the web server or in another server connected to the internet and controlled by the web server. This database has a product information database that stores information about products, and a product warranty and user registration management device that includes a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased the products and registered as users. A product guarantee / user registration system having a client terminal to which a purchaser of the product can be connected to the product registration / user registration management device via the Internet. The user who purchased the above registered product, When connecting to the server from the client terminal via the Internet and sending the product information including the serial number and the product password attached to the product and personal information to the server to apply for user registration, the server will be Authenticate this user as a purchaser of the product with the product password, and send the product information including the serial number of the product with the serial number but not the product password and the personal information to the server. When applying for user registration, the server authenticates this user as a purchaser of the product with the serial number, and registers the personal information sent to each person in the registrant information database as the registrant information. At the same time, a warranty card for The product warranty and user registration system characterized in that the user's warranty can be displayed on the client terminal of the registered user. 4. A web server which can be connected from a client terminal of a purchaser of goods via the Internet, and a server which is arranged in this web server or another server which is connected to the Internet. And a database controlled by the above-mentioned web server. This database is a product that allows the administrator of the product to distinguish each product of the same kind from the serial number which is the serial number of the product in advance. It comprises a product information database obtained by at least entering a password, and a registrant information database consisting of information related to users who have registered as users, and the registrant information database is provided when the purchaser of the product registers as a user. The product password you enter is the product password in the product information database above. A product warranty characterized by including registrant information that is stored as information about the user of the purchased product when it matches the Seward, and the contents of a warranty that can be used as a warranty for the purchased product by the registered user. Also a user registration management device. 5. A web server which is connectable from a client terminal of a purchaser of a product via the Internet, and a server which is arranged in this web server or another server which is connected to the Internet. And a database controlled by the above-mentioned web server. This database is a product information database obtained by the product administrator by at least inputting the serial number which is the product serial number in advance, and the user registered by the user. And a registrant information database consisting of information about
The registrant information that is stored as information about the user of the purchased product when the serial number entered by the purchaser of the product when registering the user matches the serial number in the product information database, and the user registered by the user. A product warranty and user registration management device, characterized in that it includes the contents of a warranty that can be used as a warranty for a purchased product. 6. A web server which is connectable from a client terminal of a purchaser of a product via the Internet, and a server which is arranged in this web server or another server which is connected to the Internet. And a database controlled by the web server. The database includes a first product information database obtained by at least the serial number, which is the product serial number, of the product administrator, and the serial information. A second product information database, which is different from the number and is obtained by at least entering a product password for distinguishing each product of the same type, and a registrant information database consisting of information on users who have registered as users. The registrant information database includes If the serial number entered by the purchaser for user registration matches the serial number in the first product information database, or the product password entered by the purchaser of the product for user registration is the second product password When the password matches the product password in the product information database, the registrant information stored as information about the user of the purchased product and the content of the warranty that can be used as a warranty for the purchased product by the registered user. A product guarantee and user registration management device. 7. The product guarantee and user according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein the content of the warranty includes a part or all of the product information, a registrant name and a purchase date. Registration management device. 8. When the user applies for user registration to the web server, the web server side transmits the address of the site for main registration of the user registration to the client terminal of the user, The product guarantee and user registration management device according to claim 4, 5, 6 or 7, wherein the connection of the address to the site by the above and the main registration of the user registration from the site are possible. 9. The web server, when the user completes the main registration, the registrant ID required when the user connects to the warranty and a password for personal recognition set by the user during the main registration. 9. The guarantee of goods according to claim 8, characterized in that the product is transmitted to the client terminal of the user, and the user can connect to the warranty by inputting the registrant ID and the password for personal recognition by the user. User registration management device. 10. The web server requests the user's client terminal to send an e-mail to the web server from the user's client terminal when the user applies for the user registration. 10. The product guarantee and user registration management device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the email address of the client terminal is acquired from the header information of the email by receiving the email. 11. The screen of the site where the main registration is performed,
9. The product model number and purchase destination registered in the product information database are displayed in a pull-down menu, and the user inputs any selection item by making an arbitrary selection from the pull-down menu.
9 or 10 product warranty and user registration management device. 12. When the purchased product can be identified only by the serial number or the product password, the product model number and the purchase destination are registered in the product information database in association with the serial number or the product password. 12. The product guarantee / commodity guarantee according to claim 11, wherein at least one of a product model number and a purchase destination is not displayed on the screen of the site where the main registration is performed, and the input operation by the user is omitted. User registration management device. 13. A product, such as a product password, which is different from the serial number which is the manufacturing number of the product in the product information database controlled by the web server which accepts user registration and which distinguishes each product of the same type. A product information input step of inputting information, a user registration acceptance step in which the web server receives information about the user including the product password transmitted from the client terminal by the purchaser of the product, and a product in the product information database An authentication process for comparing and judging whether the password and the received product password match, and when the two product passwords match, user registration is performed and the registered purchaser can use the warranty as a product warranty. To have the registration process to save the contents of Guaranteed product and user registration method. 14. A product information input step of inputting information about a product such as a serial number to be a product serial number to a product information database controlled by a web server that receives user registration, and a purchaser of the product from a client terminal. The user registration receiving step in which the web server receives the information about the user including the transmitted serial number, and the authentication step in which it is determined whether or not the serial number in the product information database and the received serial number match. And a registration step of performing user registration when the two serial numbers match and storing the content of the warranty that can be used by the registered purchaser as the warranty of the product. User registration method. 15. A product information database controlled by a web server that accepts user registration, when the product has only a serial number that is the manufacturing number of the product, enter information about the product such as the serial number, and A product information input step of inputting information about the product including at least the product password when a product password for distinguishing each of the products of the same kind is attached together with the serial number and the serial number is different, The user registration acceptance step in which the web server receives information about the user including the serial number or the serial number and the product password sent from the client terminal of the product purchaser, and the serial number in the product information database. Match the received serial number Authentication process for comparing and judging whether or not the product password and the received product password match, and when the above two serial numbers or two product passwords match, user registration is performed and registered. A product warranty and user registration method, comprising: a registration step of storing the contents of the warranty certificate that the purchaser can use as a product warranty. 16. A product comprising a web server connected to the Internet, a product information database that stores information about products, and a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased the product and registered as users. With respect to the guarantee and user registration management device, a step of registering a product password in the product information database, which is different from the serial number which is the manufacturing number of the product in advance and which distinguishes each product of the same type, A user who purchases the product with this product password registered connects to the web server from the client terminal via the Internet, and obtains product information including the serial number and product password attached to the product and personal information. Apply for user registration by sending to the above web server The process determines whether the product password in the product information database matches the product password sent, and when both product passwords match, the web server directs the user to the product with the product password. The process of authenticating as a purchaser of the product, the transmitted personal information is registered in the registrant information database as registrant information, and the product is replaced or repaired in the case where the product is defective, or a predetermined equivalent The process of creating a guarantee that guarantees the contract to take measures, and the process of saving the guarantee on the web server or other server so that the user can connect to the guarantee via the Internet. And the above warranty that the above user has downloaded from the above server Warranty and Registration process of the product being characterized in that so as to receive a service for receiving the replacement or repair of the product by presenting. 17. A product comprising a web server connected to the Internet, a product information database that stores information about products, and a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased the product and registered as users. The process of registering the serial number, which is the serial number of the product, in the product information database in advance with respect to the warranty and user registration management device, and the user who purchased the product with the serial number registered from the client terminal. Connecting to the web server via the internet, sending product information including serial number attached to the product and personal information to the web server to apply for user registration, and serial number in the product information database And the transmitted serial number match If the two serial numbers match, the web server authenticates the user as a purchaser of the product with the serial number, and the transmitted personal information is registrant information database as registrant information. The process of creating a guarantee that guarantees a contract to register or replace the product in the case where there is a defect in the product, etc. or a contract to take prescribed measures equivalent to this, and this warranty on the web server or other By storing it on the server of the product, the user can connect to the warranty through the Internet, and by presenting the warranty downloaded by the user from the server, A quotient characterized by making it possible to receive service for exchange or repair How to Obtain Warranty and user registration. 18. A product comprising a web server connected to the Internet, a product information database that stores information about products, and a registrant information database that stores information about users who purchased the product and registered as users. With respect to the guarantee and user registration management device, the serial number is different from the serial number when the product information database is provided with only the serial number which is the product serial number in advance, and the serial number is different from the serial number. When a product password for distinguishing each of the same type of products is attached, the step of registering the product password, and the user who purchased the product with the serial number or product password registered, From the client terminal to the web server Connecting via the Internet, sending the product information including the serial number or product password attached to the product and personal information to the web server to apply for user registration, and the serial number or product in the product information database. When the password matches the sent serial number or product password, and both serial numbers or product passwords match, the web server sends the user the serial number or product password. The process of authenticating as a purchaser of the product, and the transmitted personal information is registered as registrant information in the registrant information database, and when the product is defective, the product is replaced or repaired or a predetermined equivalent thereto is provided. And the process of creating a guarantee that guarantees the contract to implement By saving this warranty on the web server or another server, the user can connect to the warranty via the Internet, and the user has downloaded from the server. A product warranty and user registration method, characterized in that a service for receiving replacement or repair of the product is provided by presenting the above-mentioned warranty. 19. The product according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the content of the warranty includes a part or all of the product information, a registrant name and a purchase date. Guarantee and user registration method. 20. When the user applies for user registration to the web server, the web server side sends the address of the site for main registration of the user registration to the client terminal of the user, 20. The product guarantee and user registration method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein is connected to the site of the address and performs the main registration of the user registration from the site. 21. When the user completes the main registration, a registrant ID required when the user connects to the warranty and a personal identification password set by the user during the main registration are stored in the client of the user. 21. The product guarantee and user registration method according to claim 20, wherein the user can be connected to the warranty by being sent to a terminal and inputting the registrant ID and the password for personal recognition. 22. When the user applies for the user registration to the web server, the web server requests the client terminal to send an email from the client terminal of the user to the web server. 22. The product guarantee and user registration method according to claim 20, wherein the web server obtains the mail address of the user's client terminal from the header information of the electronic mail when the electronic mail is received.