JP2010238233A - Product supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system that supplies a product optimum for diversified needs of each customer. <P>SOLUTION: The product supply system includes: a terminal on a customer side who purchases a product configured by combining a plurality of modules each having a predetermined function; and a server of an enterprise that provides the product. Request information to the product is transmitted to the server from the customer terminal as information related to variation of each module and the kind of the module. The server receives the request information from the customer terminal, extracts module information corresponding to the received request information from each information stored in a first storage means storing the information on the variation and the kind of each module in association with each other, including the kind information such as a reuse module and a new module, performs processing of combining the extracted module information and generating information about a product model in an arithmetic means, and transmits and presents the generated information about the product model to the customer terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a product supply system capable of selecting and supplying a product having a function requested by a customer while reusing units constituting the product.

  Companies are urgently required to reuse and recycle products, parts and materials from the viewpoint of effective use of resources and reduction of waste. Therefore, in the OA equipment industry that manufactures OA equipment such as image forming apparatuses, ie, copying machines, printers, facsimiles, etc., products that have been used and collected in the market are recycled (reused) and sold as playback machines. In addition, we are actively promoting activities such as reusing parts and selling them in new products, and re-using them again (recycling). Patent document 1 is mentioned as what systematized this activity.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a system that enables planned production of recycled products using recycled parts and the like. However, the functions of the image forming apparatus are rapidly changing. In other words, the performance of the device, such as image quality, printing speed, and compatibility with the network, once collected on the market, used for several years, and then recovered after being used and new products at the time of collection. A great difference appears. Therefore, it can be said that a customer who requires many high performances (or new functions) for the image forming apparatus can be satisfied only with a new product composed of newly developed parts and units. In other words, the degree of customer demand for high performance (or new functions) and the degree of demand for reuse are contradictory.

  As one method of solving such a contradictory relationship, when a product is leased to a customer who uses an image forming apparatus as a product, the product is quickly recovered from the market by means such as shortening the lease period. It is conceivable to increase the reuse rate by installing reuse parts extracted from collected products on new products of the same type and providing them to other customers. Although this method seems to be environmentally friendly at first glance, the progress of the image forming apparatus and the temporal changes in the needs of all customers are not necessarily synchronized. This is because while customer needs are diversifying, device performance evolution is tailored to the customers most sensitive to the latest performance (some segments of customers). Therefore, it can be said that the method of supplying the next product to the customer as soon as possible by excessively shortening the product exchange cycle as described above completely ignores the usage period of the product desired by most customers. Furthermore, in terms of the environment, excessive product replacement increases the total amount of resources input and the energy required for manufacturing, which is not desirable.

  By the way, many customers who purchase image forming apparatuses are companies. A company that is a customer of an image forming apparatus feels the necessity of using reused products in-house and disclosing such information to society in order to meet social demands related to the environment. In other words, it can be said that “reuse and recycling” itself is included in the diversifying needs of customers.

  As a result of diversifying needs, the level of high performance (or new functions) required for image forming apparatuses, and the level of reused products, are completely different for each customer. And creating diverse needs. For this reason, both products with a 100% reuse rate that have been actively reused for environmental conservation, and products with a 0% reuse rate that have been actively promoted to improve performance (or to add new functions) Only a few customers are satisfied, and most of the customers have to use the image forming apparatus with dissatisfaction in terms of function / performance and environmental conservation.

  Therefore, in order to respond to diversifying needs, we have achieved high performance (or addition of new functions) of specific functions in response to individual needs of customers while utilizing reused products as much as possible in image forming apparatuses. There must be. And it is required to be able to adjust the optimum balance according to the demands of individual customers for their products.

  In such a background, Patent Document 2 proposes a system for selling to users a product that can be used as a reuse product among used products. This classifies reusable products that can be reused as they are (based on a 100% reuse rate) and reused products that can be reused by replacing or repairing some parts, It accepts desired conditions for customer reuse, identifies reuse products that meet the desired conditions, and provides them in the products.

  In Patent Document 3, information such as parts that need to be replaced is registered in a database for an image forming apparatus that is a collected product collected from a user. A recycling system has been proposed that improves efficiency by combining parts that can be replaced.

  In Patent Document 4, there is a work instruction system in recycling / reuse that presents different recycling work for each unit, for each process, and enables accurate and quick work to improve productivity and reduce regeneration costs. Proposed. In Patent Document 4, in each process of the regeneration line, the identification information of the collected product or the part is input from the input unit, and the characteristic information of each device or part corresponding to the input information is used as the characteristic information database. Is configured as a usage record information database, information indicating the remaining life from the component life prediction system, recycling / reuse processing data, work process basic information, and information on reuse / disposal parts by machine from the work instruction database. Using this information, different work contents and processing procedures are generated for each device or component and for each process, and presented to the operator from the work presentation unit.

  In Patent Document 2, it can be said that the requirement for diversifying customers = various reuse rate levels can be satisfied if limited to the reuse implementation level. However, the product has only one function / performance and cannot satisfy various customers with different required functions / performance. In other words, in Patent Document 2, even if it seems to contribute to environmental conservation at first glance by making it possible to prepare multiple levels of reuse, customers who accept the product (function and performance meet customer needs) It is only a part (because it does not fit), and as a result, it does not promote reuse. For this reason, Patent Document 2 is a system that pursues only the efficiency of the company that provides the collected reuse products, and is not considered to be a proposal for environmental protection based on the customer.

  Although Patent Document 3 is highly effective for improving productivity on the enterprise side, it is the same as Patent Literature 2 in that reuse is carried out for the convenience of the enterprise side, and a product group that satisfies many customers is used. It is hard to say that it is a system to provide. In Patent Document 4, similarly to Patent Documents 2 and 3, reuse is performed for the convenience of the company, and it is difficult to say that the system provides a product group that satisfies diversifying customers.

  The present inventor is promoting the reuse and recycling, not the reuse and recycling priority products that completely stopped the progress, or the progressive products that stopped the reuse and recycling. We believe that this is the provision of progressive products that meet the diversifying needs of customers.

  However, it should be noted that supplying reuse products to customers is more difficult than new products. The supply of new products to customers is basically controllable by companies, such as parts procurement. Therefore, a new product can be supplied to the customer at any time as long as the customer needs. However, in the case of a reuse product, it cannot be collected unless the user before releasing the device into a reuse product, that is, the user currently in use, releases the device. Even if there is a need for a reused product, as long as the user currently in the market continues to use the device, the reused product cannot be supplied. In the same manner, even if many users can release the device currently used and collect the device, the supply of the reuse product is of course not established unless there is a need for a reuse product. Therefore, it is difficult to establish a correlation between supply (here, collection from the market) and demand for reused products.

  Therefore, how to provide products that meet the diversifying needs of customers by increasing the range of selection of products including new functions while promoting reuse and recycling while maintaining a good balance between supply and demand. It will be important.

  Generally speaking, some image forming apparatuses such as copiers, fax machines, and printers are completely new customers, but most customers are replacing products currently in use. In the latter case, the customer performs replacement because there is some dissatisfaction with the currently used product. The important point here is that the needs of modern customers are diversified as described above, but at the same time, the ways of "changing" customer needs are also diversified.

  In other words, the customer is not necessarily 100% dissatisfied with the currently used image forming apparatus when the product is replaced. In some cases, the image forming apparatus owned by the customer is satisfied with some of the functions. Or you may be satisfied with most of the functions of the current product, but you may be dissatisfied with a small part of the functions and replace the product to make some of them up-to-date. And the motivation for product replacement varies completely depending on the customer. In other words, even if the same product is purchased at the time of purchase, the contents (needs) that the customer wants to change when replacing are changed.

  There will certainly be customers who feel 100% dissatisfied with the products they are currently using (= all functions). However, it is only a few of the customers who use the same product. Almost many customers have to replace products while feeling that they still have features that they can continue to use (for each customer).

  This clearly leads to waste of resources. At the same time, the customer pays a wasteful cost (for the customer) to the company that provides the product when replacing the product. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of today's diversifying customers, it is possible to achieve specific functions with high performance (or addition of new functions) in response to individual needs, and at the same time resources that are not applicable to the left And avoiding costs, it must be possible to adjust the true optimal balance (with diversifying customer needs).

  What is demanded of the modern society is not a society that supplies many products, focusing on wasteful use of resources, called economic development. Nor is it a society without new products that has halted social progress (including business) to prevent resource depletion. What is needed is a society that aims to pursue environmental conservation and economic development at the same time. And it can be said that companies are required to pursue environmental conservation and economic development simultaneously for products offered to customers.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and satisfies both the needs of customers who use image forming apparatuses for the latest performance and the need to promote reuse in order to meet the demands of society. Its purpose is to provide a system that can supply products that best meet the needs of diversifying individual customers.

  In the present invention, when a customer who is currently using an image forming apparatus replaces a product, the needs for the latest performance and the needs for the latest performance are not satisfied from the customer's business, and both of these needs are satisfied. By providing a system that enables individual customers to select the right product in a true sense, and at the same time, providing products that eliminate wasteful use of resources and providing customer satisfaction, environmental conservation and economics The purpose is to provide a society that can achieve both developments.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a customer terminal that purchases a product constituted by a combination of a plurality of modules having a certain function, and a server of a company that provides the product. A product supply system that provides the customer with a product corresponding to the request information that is changed according to the request information for the product that is input from the customer, wherein the request information that is input from the customer terminal is the type of each module And at least information about the variations of each module,
The server stores the reception function unit that receives request information input from the customer's terminal, the type information of each module and the variation information in association with each other, and the type information includes information indicating a reuse module and a new module. Module information corresponding to the request information received by the first storage means (all Md product information storage area) and the reception function unit is extracted from each information stored in the first storage means and extracted. It has a calculation means for performing processing for generating product model information by combining the module information, and a transmission function section for transmitting the product model information generated by the calculation means to a customer's terminal for presentation. .

  In the product supply system according to the present invention, the calculation means includes information requesting a new function or high performance for each module as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer's terminal. If information that requires new functions or high performance is included, a new module is selected as the module variation, and information relating to the reuse module is included as variation information for each module. It is characterized in that if the information correlated with the reuse module is included, the reuse module is selected as a variation of the module.

  In the product supply system according to the present invention, the reuse module is generated from the collected product, and has a second storage means (collected product presence / absence information storage area) for storing information on the collection status of the reuse module. When the reuse module is selected based on the variation information, the calculation means determines the presence or absence of the selected reuse module from the information on the collection status stored in the second storage means, and determines that there is a reuse module. In this case, the reuse module is selected as a module constituting the product model to be transmitted to the customer. When it is determined that there is no reuse module, the module is configured in the first storage unit as the module constituting the product model to be transmitted to the customer. Approximate reuse module from the same type of stored module It is characterized by selecting a variation module that.

  The product supply system according to the present invention has third storage means for storing module information relating to inconsistent combinations of modules constituting the product, and the calculation means includes a plurality of calculation information included in the request information input from the customer terminal. It is determined whether or not the module information is the contradictory module information stored in the third storage means. If the module information corresponds to the contradictory module information, a warning content is displayed on the customer terminal. It is a feature.

  The present invention includes a terminal on a customer side that purchases a product configured by a combination of a plurality of modules having a certain function, and a server of a company that provides the product, and the product input from the customer terminal It is a product supply method for providing to the customer a product corresponding to the request information that is changed according to the request information, and the request information input from the customer's terminal is information on the type of each module and the variation of each module The server receives the request information input from the customer's terminal at the reception function unit, and associates the type information and variation information of each module including the reuse module and the new module information. Storing the first storage means (all Md product information storage area) and the request information received by the reception function unit The corresponding module information is extracted from each information stored in the first storage means, and the module information is combined to generate product model information by the calculation means, and the calculation means generates The product model information is transmitted to the customer terminal by the transmission function unit and presented.

  In the product providing method according to the present invention, the calculation means includes information requesting a new function or high performance for each module as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer's terminal. If there is information that requires new functions or high performance, the step of selecting a new module as a module variation and the information correlating to the reuse module as the variation information of each module are included. It is characterized by determining whether it is included or not, and when information correlating with the reuse module is included, the step of selecting the reuse module as a variation of the module is provided.

  In the product providing method according to the present invention, the reuse module is generated from the collected product, and the information relating to the collection status of the reuse module is stored in the second storage means (collected product presence / absence information storage area). When the reuse module is selected on the basis of the variation information by the calculation means, the presence / absence of the reuse module selected from the information on the collection status stored in the second storage means is determined, and it is determined that there is a reuse module. In this case, the reuse module is selected as a module constituting the product model to be transmitted to the customer, and when it is determined that there is no reuse module, the module is stored in the first storage means as the module constituting the product model to be transmitted to the customer. From the same type of module to a reuse module It is characterized by the step of selecting the modules variations that similar.

  In the product providing method according to the present invention, a step of storing module information relating to inconsistent combinations of modules constituting the product in the third storage means, and a plurality of request information included in the request information input from the customer terminal by the computing means Determining whether or not the module information is inconsistent module information stored in the third storage means, and if the module information corresponds to the inconsistent module information, a warning content is displayed on the customer terminal. It is characterized by that.

  The present invention is characterized in that, when installed on a server, the server is caused to execute a step performed by any of the product providing methods described above.

  The recording medium according to the present invention is characterized in that the product providing program is stored so as to be readable by a computer.

  In the product supply system according to the present invention, the calculation means includes information requesting a new function or high performance for each module as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer's terminal. If there is information that requires new functions or high performance, select a new module as the module variation, and information relating to the reuse module is included as the variation information for each module. If the information that correlates to the reuse module is included, select the reuse module as the module variation, and the information that correlates to the current module is included as the variation information of each module. And correlate with the current module That if the information is included, it is characterized by selecting the current state of the module as a variation of the module.

  According to the present invention, a product configured by a combination of a plurality of modules having a certain function is changed according to request information for a product input from a customer terminal, and a product corresponding to the request information is sent to the customer. In the server of the company that provides the product, the module information corresponding to the request information that is input from the customer's terminal and includes at least information on the type of each module and the variation of each module, and the type information of each module. Variation information is stored in association with each other, extracted from each information stored in the first storage means that contains information on reuse modules and new modules as type information, and combined with the extracted module information The product model generated by the computing means is processed by the computing means. Since the information is transmitted to the customer terminal, the range customer selects becomes functional module units. For this reason, the customer can select the desired module from the reuse module and the new module and customize the product. Therefore, the configuration of the product proposed to the customer is actively pursued to reuse the reused product. It can be divided into parts that pursue the use of new products, and it is possible to supply products that are optimal for the needs of diversifying individual customers.

  According to the present invention, the calculation means determines whether or not information requesting a new function or high performance for each module is included as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer's terminal. If information that requires new functions or high performance is included, a new module is selected as a module variation, and whether or not information relating to the reuse module is included as variation information for each module If the information that correlates to the reuse module is included, the reuse module is selected as the module variation. Therefore, the configuration of the product to be proposed to the customer is actively pursued. It can be divided into a part and a part that actively uses new products It is possible to supply the best products to the needs of individual customers to diversify.

  According to the present invention, when the calculation means selects a reuse module based on the variation information, the calculation means is selected from information related to the collection status stored in the second storage means that stores information related to the collection status of the reuse module. Determine whether there is a reuse module. If it is determined that there is a reuse module, select the reuse module as the module that constitutes the product model to be sent to the customer. If it is determined that there is no reuse module, send it to the customer. As the module that constitutes the product model, the module of the variation that approximates the reuse module is selected from the same type of modules stored in the first storage means, so that the decrease in the usage rate of the reuse product in the product is minimized. There is no reuse module selected by the customer In this case, the difference between the performance that the customer originally demands can be minimized, and the range of products that can actually be provided to the customer can be secured for individual customers, and the needs of individual customers are becoming more diverse. The best products can be supplied.

  According to the present invention, the calculation means stores the plurality of module information included in the request information input from the customer's terminal in the third storage means for storing the module information relating to the contradictory combination of the modules constituting the product. It is determined whether or not it is inconsistent module information, and if it is inconsistent module information, a warning content is displayed on the customer's terminal. Configuration products can be provided to customers.

  According to the present invention, the module of the product already used by the customer is effectively used, and further, the function that the customer demands the high performance of the product and the degree thereof are grasped, and actively according to the part. Since new modules (including reuse modules) can be proposed, it is possible to allow customers to select products with just the right functions / performances with minimal resources and no excess specifications or shortages. It is possible to provide diversified customers with products that achieve both economic development and environmental protection.

It is a figure explaining the relationship between the product provided by this invention, and the module which comprises the said product. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the product supply system concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the specific system configuration | structure of the product supply system concerning this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the relationship between each module and function which comprise the product memorize | stored in the 1st memory | storage means, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the function of a specific module, and its variation. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the function memorize | stored in the 2nd memory | storage means, the module, and the variation. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the function of all the modules which comprise a product, and its variation. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing content by the customer terminal side. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing content by the customer terminal side to which the flowchart of FIG. 7A connects. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing content by the server side. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing content at the time of confirming the presence or absence of a collection | recovery module. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for selecting the module displayed on a customer terminal. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the screen for selecting the variation of the module displayed on a customer terminal, (b) is an example of the screen for selecting a reuse module at the time of the variation selection of the module displayed on a customer terminal. FIG. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the warning screen of the combination of the contradictory module displayed on a customer terminal, (b) is an example of the screen for prompting confirmation of customer request information displayed on a customer terminal. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing content in the collection | recovery side terminal which produces | generates a reuse module. It is a block diagram which shows the function and flow from product manufacture to product delivery after the product model shown with respect to the requirement information input from the customer is determined. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the module in another embodiment of this invention, and the module which comprises a product. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of another embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing content by the customer terminal side in another embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the screen for selecting the module displayed on a customer terminal, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the screen for selecting another module displayed on a customer terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for selecting the variation of the module displayed on a customer terminal. It is a flowchart which shows an example of another processing content by the server side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a FAX, a printer, or a composite machine of these as an example of a product in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 100 that is a product in this system includes a total of six types including a document transport module 101, an image reading module 102, an operation panel module 103, a paper feed tray module 104, an image forming module 105, and a paper discharge module 106. It consists of modules. The image forming apparatus 100 is configured as one product by combining the plurality of modules (hereinafter, “Md.” Is referred to as “module”). Further, when the product is simply used as a product, the product 206 may be indicated.

  Each module has several types. For example, there are three types indicated by reference numerals 101a to 101c in the document conveying module 101, and three types indicated by reference numerals 102a to 102c in the image reading module 102. (Hereinafter, each module type is referred to as a “variation”). This variation refers to differences in the conditions of each module, such as the conveyance speed, the accuracy of conveyance, the size and type of paper that can be conveyed, the maximum number of sheets to be conveyed, whether double-sided conveyance is possible, color image reading or monochrome image reading. Appears as This difference in conditions is a difference in performance and cost between variations.

  The difference in conditions also includes a reuse module that has been separated from the image forming apparatus (collecting apparatus) that has been used and collected in the market and regenerated so that it can be used again. In FIG. 1, as variations of the image reading module 102, reference numeral 102 a is a new color reading module, 102 b is a new monochrome reading module, and 102 c is a reuse monochrome reading module.

  In the variation of the document conveying module 101, the document conveying modules indicated by reference numerals 101a and 102b indicate new modules having different functions, and the reference numeral 101c indicates a reuse module.

  Similarly, there are several types of variations from the operation panel module 103 to the paper discharge module 106, and it is assumed that a reuse module is included in the variations of each module. Description of variations of the operation panel module 103 to the paper discharge module 106 is omitted.

  Here, in the case of this embodiment, for convenience, a symbolic name is used for each variation of the module. This will be described later. For example, in the case of the image reading module 102, the new color image reading module 102a is "Md.1A", the new monochrome image reading module 102b is "Md.1B", and the image reading module 102c is " Md.1C ”and other modules are similarly named. FIG. 6 shows a list of relationships between these modules and symbols.

  By the way, when the image forming apparatus 100 to be a product has a structure in which a plurality of modules are combined as described above, the number of apparent types of products can be increased. For example, when there are three types of variations for each module, by changing the combination of all six types of modules, three types of 6th power products can be selected and provided, and the customer's selection range is widened. Among these product groups, there are those that are all composed of reuse modules and those that are composed only of new modules that do not use any reuse modules.

  Furthermore, by reducing some of the functions of the image forming apparatus 100, the apparent number of products further increases. For example, when the customer requests both the copy (and FAX) and printer functions from the image forming apparatus, all six types of modules are required as described above, but if only the printer function is required, the printer Only three types of modules are required to configure the paper feed tray module 104, the image forming module 105, and the paper discharge module 106. If only the function of the image scanner is necessary, a combination of only the document conveying module 101, the image reading module 102, and the operation unit module 103 may be used.

  However, it should be noted that some combinations of modules have contradictions in the combination and do not function as a product (apparatus). For example, out of all six types of modules, the image reading module 102 and the machine operation module 103 are not selected, but it is impossible that all other modules are selected. This is because when the image reading module 102 is not necessary, it is not necessary to convey the document, and the document conveying module 101 is inevitably unnecessary.

  Therefore, the modules of the image forming apparatus 100 are not completely independent in the combination relationship. In the present embodiment, combinations that contradict each other in terms of module selection at this point are incorporated in advance in the system. Contradictory combinations will be described later.

  Since the function of each module shown in this embodiment does not deviate from the function of a conventional image forming apparatus, detailed description of functional independence or dependency between modules is omitted.

  In this embodiment, a module that is not a reuse module is referred to as a “new module” for convenience. In the present embodiment, in light of a general concept, the reuse module has a rank setting in which the performance is inferior to that of a new module, but the cost is low. However, in order not to be misunderstood, “high performance” and “high reliability (maintain desired performance while the customer uses the product)” are different. Although the reuse module provided in this embodiment has low performance, the following description will be continued on the assumption that it is a “highly reliable structure” that maintains its performance for a certain period of time.

  Next, the outline of the product supply system 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the product supply system 1 is mainly used between a customer 201, a (company) 202, and a collection center 204 that collects used products from the market. In this embodiment, the document transport module 101, the image reading module 102, and the operation unit module 103 can be supplied from the collection center 204 for convenience. As for the paper feed tray module 104, the image forming module 105, and the paper discharge module 106, new products are procured internally or externally by the company 202. When the request information is input from the customer 201, the company 202 procures a module corresponding to the customer's request and provides it to the customer 201 as a product 206.

A specific configuration of the product supply system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The product supply system 1 includes an information processing terminal (hereinafter referred to as “customer terminal”) 111 on the customer 201 side, a host computer 112 serving as a server on the company 202 side, and a collection center 204 that supplies a reuse module. And an installed information processing terminal (hereinafter referred to as “collection side terminal”) 113.

  The customer side terminal 111 exists beside a customer who purchases an image forming apparatus as a product. The owner of the customer terminal 111 itself may be the customer himself or the same as the owner of the host computer 112 described later. That is, the customer-side terminal 111 may be, for example, the customer's property or a terminal that a salesman who visits the customer's office brings in and shows the customer.

  The role of the customer terminal 111 is to analyze and organize what the customer's request is, to send information on the request content (hereinafter referred to as “request information”) to the host computer 112, and to the host computer 112. The function of displaying the product model information (hereinafter referred to as “product information”) most suitable for the customer determined and transmitted in step (b) is provided. In order to perform such a function, the customer terminal 111 includes an information display unit, an information input unit, an information storage unit, an arithmetic processing unit, and an information transmission / reception unit, and a program used in this system is an information It is stored in a storage unit (hard disk). As will be described later, this program is not necessarily installed in the information storage unit of the customer side terminal 111. The customer-side terminal 111 may be a means for accessing a home page created by a company connected on the Internet communication line 115 and advancing the processing flow.

  The customer-side terminal 111, the collection-side terminal 113, and the factory-side terminal 114 are connected to the host computer 112 via an Internet communication line 115 serving as a public communication network, and are configured to transmit and receive information. Similar to the collection side terminal 113, the collection side terminal 113 and the factory side terminal 114 are configured by well-known computers, and include an information display unit, an information input unit, an information storage unit, an arithmetic processing unit, and an information transmission / reception unit. I have.

  The host computer 112 is owned and managed by the company that provides the product, and unlike the customer terminal 111, the host computer 112 does not become the property of the customer. The host computer 112 includes an information input / output unit 112e, a memory 112m serving as an information storage unit, a computing device 112f, an input unit 112g, a monitor (not shown), a keyboard, and a mouse.

  Among these, the information input / output unit 112e functions as a reception function unit and a transmission function unit. In this embodiment, the host computer 112 causes the host computer 112 to execute the following functions by being installed from the storage medium 400 (see FIG. 2) in which the product supply program is stored.

The host computer 112 has a function of storing all information of all modules that can be provided to the customer and their variations in the entire Md product information storage area 112a of the memory 112m;
A function of storing in the performance-Md correspondence information storage area 112b in the memory 112m in association with each module information what performance rank (high function, medium function, low function) each variation of each module corresponds to;
Whether the reuse module is currently collected in the collection center 204 or not is received by the input unit 112g from the collection-side terminal 113, and the reception result indicates whether or not the reuse module can be provided to the customer. A function of storing information (referred to as “reuse identification information”) in the reuse Md recovered product presence / absence information storage area 112c of the memory 112m;
A function of receiving information transmitted from the customer side terminal 111, that is, customer request information analyzed and arranged by the customer side terminal 111 at the input / output unit 112e;
Based on the request information, the function of determining the optimum product model for the customer, that is, the selection and combination of the optimum module by the arithmetic processing unit 112f,
A function of transmitting a product model optimum for the determined customer to the customer side terminal 111 via the input / output unit 112e;
A function of receiving information from the terminal of the collection center 204 via the input unit 112g;
A function of storing module information regarding inconsistent combinations of modules constituting the product in the inconsistency information recording area 112d serving as a third storage unit;
It is determined whether or not the plurality of module information included in the request information input from the customer terminal 111 is inconsistent module information stored in the inconsistent information recording area 112d. Achieving and executing the function of displaying the warning content on the customer side terminal 111.

  The collection center 204 is arranged in many areas, collects image forming apparatuses that are no longer used, disassembles and stores them for each module. The information processing terminal 113 installed in the collection center 204 collects a module corresponding to a reuse module among modules stored in the all Md product information storage area 112a of the host computer 112 (this is referred to as a collection module for convenience). It has a function of recognizing whether it can be supplied and transmitting the result to the host computer 112. At this time, supply is possible when there is a collection module in the collection center 204 and there is at least one of these collection modules that has not been decided to be reused or recycled. That is.

  Next, a further specific example of the all Md product information storage area 112a will be described. In the all Md product information storage area 112a, as shown in FIG. 4A, the types of functions of the modules constituting the product are stored, and this “type of function” is the same as that of FIG. It matches the module configuration. Here, in FIG. 4A, functions 1 to 6 are denoted by reference numerals 171 to 176, but a structure having a specific “function” corresponds to a specific “module”. Specifically, a structure having “document feeding function 171” of function 1 corresponds to “image reading module 101”, and a structure having “paper discharge function 176” of function 6 is hereinafter referred to as “paper discharge module 106”. The correspondence of "is established.

  In the all Md product information storage area 112a, module variations for each function are also stored. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, there are three types (172b-1, 172b-2, 172b-3) of variations (= difference in performance and cost) of modules (image reading modules) having the image reading function 172. ) Note that the above three types of variations (172b-1, 172b-2, 172b-3) are shown in FIG. Corresponding to the image reading module 102a indicated by A1, the image reading module 102b indicated by Md.A2, and the image reading module 102c indicated by Md.A3, the other modules are similarly divided. The relationship between these modules and symbols is shown in FIG.

  Similarly, with respect to function 1 (document feeding module 101), function 3 (machine operation module 103) to function 6 (paper discharge module 106), variations are included in all Md product information storage area 112a as shown in FIG. It is remembered. In addition to that, although not shown, information on the performance of each variation is also described in the all Md product information storage area 112a.

  Taking the image reading module 102 as an example, all the functions of the module are the image reading function 172, but the performance and cost variations 102a, 102b, and 102c are as follows.

  The variation 102a is a new color reading module, can read a color image, and can read with high image quality. The price as a module is high.

  The variation 102b is a new monochrome reading module and can read only a monochrome image, but can read with high image quality. The price as a module is medium.

  The variation 102c is a reuse monochrome reading module, and can read only a monochrome image, and the reading image quality is slightly inferior. The price as a module is low.

  As a result of the difference in performance and cost as described above, the relative quality between variations comes out, but the information that determines the ranking is the performance of the memory 112m of the host computer 122-the Md correspondence information storage area 112b. The inside of the performance-Md correspondence information storage area 112b is formed as map information as shown in FIG. 5, for example. For example, in the case of the high performance (122a) of the image reading function (function 2) indicated by reference numeral 122, it can be confirmed that the variation of the corresponding module is “Md. A1” (172b-1). Here, “Md. A1” (172b-1) corresponds to the new color reading module in the entire Md product information storage area 112a according to FIG. 4B. As described above, the memory 122a is configured as a database in which modules, functions, and performances are associated with each other.

Similarly, in the performance-Md correspondence information storage area 112b, variations of functions other than the image reading function 122 are also ranked. In FIG. 5, the document feed function which is function 1 indicated by reference numeral 121 is
Module α (Md.α) = performance: high Module β (Md.β) = performance: normal Module γ (Md.γ) = performance: low is stored.

  Next, a processing algorithm for determining the image forming apparatus 100 to be a product proposed to the customer will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Basically, the method of determining a product in the present invention is not a method of selecting one model from among several products as in the prior art. A method in which a customer selects at the customer-side terminal 111 from among the variations for each module of the document transport module 101 to the paper discharge module 106 shown in FIG. The proposal style of providing the desired product 206 by customizing according to the customer request information transmitted from the side terminal 111 is fundamental. In the case of this embodiment, the customer himself / herself may directly select and customize the variation of each module, or the customer visits the customer and customizes it while listening to the needs, and the customer computer 111 is connected to the host computer 112. Alternatively, the request information may be transmitted.

FIG. 7 shows a process of clarifying customer needs by the customer terminal 111. In this embodiment, the case where the product 206 is provided for a case of a customer having the following needs will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a form.
<Examples of customer needs>
Need 1: The customer demands the highest quality in terms of printing performance of images made with their personal computers. However, the copy is "just need to be taken for the time being" and wants the document feeding and image scanner functions, but it does not require particularly high functions. Therefore, I would like you to make these functions as cheap as possible.

  Need 2: Customers are highly interested in environmental conservation and are highly interested in using reused products. However, as in Needs 1 above, printing performance demands the highest grade. For this reason, reuse products such as those provided by the system of Patent Document 2 shown in the prior art are satisfied with environmental performance, but dissatisfaction with printing performance, and the product can achieve high image quality requirements. I am in trouble.

  In FIG. 7, in step 131, a request condition for the product is input at the customer side terminal 111, and in step 132, it is determined whether or not the customer requests function 1 (“document feed function” as compared with FIG. 4). For example, in the case of the customer of this embodiment, since there is the request information of function 1 from the need 1 described above (for the time being, a copy function and a scanner function are desired) (YES), the process proceeds to step 133. If function 1 has not been obtained (NO), the process proceeds to step 138. In this embodiment, the selection of YES / NO is performed by an operation by clicking on the monitor screen with the keyboard or mouse of the customer side terminal 111. An example of a screen to be selected by clicking on the monitor screen of the customer side terminal 111 is shown in FIG. By clicking the “Yes” or “No” button on this screen 181, the customer's request is input into the customer terminal 111.

  In step 133 of FIG. 7, the performance required by the customer for the document feed function is determined. In this embodiment, three levels of options of high, normal, and low are set as steps 134 to 136. For example, a screen 182 as shown in FIG. 11A is displayed on the monitor screen of the customer terminal 111 at this time. On this screen 182, a performance requirement selection icon for the module is displayed. In the case of the customer example of this embodiment, from the need 1 (not requiring high performance at all), the selection icon 132a on the screen 182 is clicked, and the process proceeds to step 135.

  In the case of this embodiment, the reuse module is used for low functions among the variations of the document feeding module 101 (see FIGS. 4B, 5 and 6). For this reason, the process proceeds from step 135 to step 137, and the customer is prompted to confirm whether it may be reused (or is a reuse product desired). An example of the monitor screen of the customer side terminal 111 at step 137 is a screen 183 shown in FIG. On this screen, selection icons 134e and 134f of “Consent with reuse product” and “Reselect again” are displayed. Here, when the selection icon 134e of “Consent with reuse product” is clicked, the process proceeds to the next step 138 as it is, but when the customer does not desire the reuse product and the “select again” selection icon 134f is clicked, Returning to step 133, selection of the performance condition for function 1 is prompted again. In the case of the customer example in this embodiment, the process proceeds to step 138 from the above-described need 2 (high interest in the environment).

  In step 138, it is determined whether or not there is request information for function 2 = image reading function. The procedure from step 138 to step 143 is basically the same as the previous document feed function step 131 to step 137. Taking the case of a customer of this embodiment (the case of customers of needs 1 and 2) as an example, the following is obtained.

  When the function 2, that is, the image reading function is requested in step 138 (YES), the process proceeds to step 139 to determine the customer's condition for “function 2 performance”. And it progresses to either of step 140-step 142 according to the request | requirement content of a customer. Here, since the customer does not require a high function at all, the process proceeds from step 140 to step 143, and the content prompting the determination as to whether or not the reuse product is acceptable is displayed on the monitor screen of the customer terminal 111. . If there is a request for a reuse product (YES), the process proceeds to step 144. If there is a request not to use a reuse product (NO), the process returns to the previous step 139 to select the performance condition for function 2 again. Will be encouraged.

  In step 144, the overall customer needs (request information) input from the customer are collected. Here, summary processing is performed on the functions, performance, conditions, etc. requested by the customer, such as the presence or absence of each function and the rank (high, normal, low). Here, in the case of a customer having needs 1 and 2, a group of information, that is, final request information is collected into one, and the process proceeds to step 145. Table 1 shows final request information in this form.

  In step 145, it is determined whether or not there is a contradiction in function or combination. This is an operation for judging whether or not the condition is not possible in light of the concept of a normal image forming apparatus. Specifically, the information input from the customer side terminal 111 as described above whether or not the image reading function is not requested even though the automatic document feeding function is requested, This is determined from the information stored in the contradiction information recording area 112d. At this time, a screen 184 for calling attention is displayed on the monitor screen of the customer terminal 111 as shown in FIG. If there is a contradiction and the customer clicks the “confirm” icon 184a displayed on the screen 184, the process returns to the first step 131 in the flowchart of FIG. Further, the combination information corresponding to the contradiction here is stored in advance in the memory 112m in the host computer 112, and the combination determination of the request contents selected by the customer based on the information is executed.

  If there is no contradiction in step 145, the process proceeds to step 146. In step 146, a screen 185 shown in FIG. 12B is displayed on the monitor screen on the customer side terminal 111, and a screen for prompting the customer for final confirmation (is this use OK?) Is displayed. If the customer wants to reconsider, by clicking the “Consider again” icon 185a displayed on the screen 185, the process returns to the first step 131 in FIG. If the conditions (request contents) displayed on the screen 185 are acceptable, the process proceeds to step 147 by clicking the “Now” icon 185 b displayed on the screen 185. In step 147, the confirmed customer request information (the contents of Table 1) is transmitted to the host computer 112.

  Thereafter, the customer terminal 111 waits in step 148 shown in FIG. 7B for the product information corresponding to the request information to be transmitted from the host computer 112, and when the product information corresponding to the request information is transmitted, Proceeding to step 149, the information is received, and it is determined whether or not the information transmitted in step 150 includes product information that matches the customer's request. If there is product information that matches the customer request, the process proceeds to step 151, and product information that matches the customer request is displayed on the monitor screen of the customer terminal 111. In addition, when there is a completely matching product model and the model uses a reuse module, it is necessary to secure a collection module for the customer. Therefore, a desired collection module stocked in the collection center 204 is required. Therefore, the customer side terminal 111 transmits an inventory securing signal to the collection side terminal 113.

  On the other hand, if the customer selects the collection module in step 150 but there is no inventory and there is no product model that completely matches the customer's request, the process proceeds to step 152 where the alternative product model information is monitored by the customer terminal 111. Display on the screen and go to step 153.

  In step 153, it is determined whether the customer is satisfied with the product information presented from the host computer 112. Here, for example, a “Yes” or “No” switch for selecting whether or not the user is satisfied is displayed on the monitor screen of the customer terminal 111 to prompt the customer to make a decision. Here, if the “Yes” switch is selected and operated by the customer, the process proceeds to step 154 and a business negotiation is established, and an ordering signal is transmitted from the customer side terminal 111 to the host computer 112. On the other hand, if the “NO” switch is selected and operated by the customer, a lost signal is transmitted to the host computer 112 in step 155 as the negotiation failure, and the reuse module stored in the collection-side terminal 113 in step 156. A correction signal for canceling is transmitted and count correction processing is executed.

  In step 135 and step 140 in FIG. 7A, the customer is prompted to determine whether or not a reuse product is acceptable, and if the result is YES, “there is no problem even if a reuse product is present.” It is considered that there is a case where there is a positive agreement, and there is a case where there is a positive agreement that “I want you to put in a reused product considering the global environment.” In this embodiment, both cases are treated as the same answer. Although not shown in FIG. 7, for example, if the customer selects “high” as the functional condition in step 132, before proceeding to the next step, “Would you like to use a reuse product? A processing step for urging customers to use reusable products may be added.

  Next, processing on the host computer 112 side will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 9 shows the processing contents when confirming the presence or absence of the collection module. In the figure, in step 161, the host computer 112 receives information on the collection module from the collection side terminal 113 by the input unit 112g and takes in the information. As will be described later (explanation using FIG. 13), the information from the collection side terminal 113 is information on “Is there a collection module?” Or “Is there no?”.

  In step 162, the result of the received information is reflected in the reuse Md collected product presence / absence information storage area 112c of the memory 112m in the host computer 112, and the data in the memory is rewritten with the latest information. The host computer 112 repeats such a loop from step 161 to step 162. This loop is constantly being implemented on the system.

  FIG. 8 shows the processing contents for determining the product model proposed on the host computer 112 side. In FIG. 8, step 171 is a standby state waiting for whether or not there is input of request information from the customer side terminal 111. Then, in step 172, the request information from the customer side terminal 111 is received via the input / output unit 112e and taken into the memory 112m, and in step 173, the content of the request information is confirmed. The information confirmed here matches the content transmitted in step 147 of FIG.

In the case of a customer having needs 1 and 2, the information received is as shown in Table 1. That is, it is assumed that low performance is required for the functions 1, 2, and 3 and high performance is required for the functions 4, 5, and 6.
(Note 1: The contents from function 1 to function 6 correspond to FIG. 5 (a).)
In step 173, each module corresponding to the customer's request is selected. This corresponds to the process of collating the information stored in the performance-Md correspondence information storage area 112b of the memory 112m in the host computer 112 with the captured information. For example, in the case of the customer of needs 1 and 2 mentioned above,
・ Performance required for Function 1: Low ⇒ Variation of the applicable module: Md.γ
・ Performance required for Function 2: Low ⇒ Applicable module variation: Md.A3
(According to FIG. 5B, this is a reuse monochrome reading module)
・ Performance required for function 3: Low ⇒ Applicable module variation: Md.C
The collation is made.

  In the next step 174, the module variations verified in step 173 are extracted from the all Md product information storage area 112a (see FIG. 4). Then, by combining them, in step 175, a product model that has a combined structure of the modules 101 to 106 in FIG. 1 is determined as the first candidate proposal to be presented to the customer.

  Next, in step 176, the module variation extracted in step 174 is confirmed as a reuse module. In the case of the customer of needs 1 and 2 described above, there are three types of reuse modules: Md.γ, Md.A3, and Md.C. In step 177, it is confirmed whether or not the corresponding reuse module has been collected from the market (whether the module is in stock?), And the process proceeds to step 178. The confirmation in step 177 is a reference to the memory information in the reuse Md-collected product presence / absence information storage area 112C. In step 178, it is determined whether all applicable items have been collected and can be supplied as a product model. If supply is possible (YES), the process proceeds to step 179. In step 179, the product model determined in step 175 is determined as a proposed product to be proposed to the customer. In step 180, product information is transmitted to the customer terminal 111 and presented. Note that the product information transmitted in step 180 corresponds to the information received by the customer side terminal 111 in step 148 of FIG.

  On the other hand, if there is even one reuse module that has not been collected in step 178, the supply is disabled (NO) and the process proceeds to step 181. In step 181, an alternative module is selected and an alternative product model is determined. For example, when Md.A3 has not been collected, the one that corresponds to the closest performance is Md.A2 that is a new module (see FIG. 5), so a product that replaces Md.A3 that is a reuse module with Md.A2. Determine the model as an alternative candidate. Then, the process proceeds to step 180, and product information to be an alternative product model is transmitted to the customer side terminal 111.

  Next, processing contents performed at the collection-side terminal 113 installed in the collection center 204 will be described with reference to FIG. In step 191 of FIG. 13, the inventory data of the current collection module (Md) is confirmed. This confirmation is stored as a database in a storage device in the collection-side terminal 113.

  In step 192, the number of modules shipped for reuse from the collection center 204 is reset. At this time, when the customer side terminal 111 enters step 151 in FIG. 7, since the inventory securing signal is input from the customer side terminal 111 to the collection side terminal 113, the number of shipping modules is 1 at the collection side terminal 113. Additional counts are made. On the contrary, when the cancellation information of the module once secured in step 146 of FIG. 7 is entered, the number of shipping modules is counted as minus one.

  In step 193, the number of modules determined to be shipped to a recycling center (not shown) for the purpose of recycling rather than reuse is reset. Normally, reuse is prioritized, but this step 193 is performed depending on special reasons such as the need for rare metal used in the module, or when there is no need for reuse. move on.

In step 194, the inventory quantity of the module (Md) is reviewed. Here, the calculation is performed using the following equation.
(Number of confirmations in step 191) − {(Number of confirmations in step 192) + (Number of confirmations in step 193)} Expression 1
In step 195, the calculation result of Formula 1 is checked to see if the module (Md) is in stock. Here, if the calculation result is 0, it is “No”, and if it is 1 or more, it is “Yes”. In step 196, the inventory confirmation result (result of “none” and “present”) is transmitted to the host computer 112. In addition, by performing steps 191 to 196 once per day for each variation of the module (Md), the inventory check result can be maintained in the latest state.

  Next, a subsequent process of providing the product 206 when the negotiation is established by determining the product model of the image forming apparatus 100 proposed to the customer in FIG. 7B will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 14, a company has its own assembly factory 202 and new module factory 203 individually configured. This assumes that the production site and assembly site are different. For example, the new module factory 203 is overseas, and the company 202 (assembly factory) is Japan. Of course, the assembly factory (company) 202 and the new module factory 203 may be the same base, and the host computer 112 may be installed at the base.

  In this embodiment, for convenience, the new module factory 203 can supply the paper feed tray module 104, the image forming module 105, and the paper discharge module 106, and from the collection center 204, the document transport module 101, the image reading module 102, Each of the operation unit modules 103 can be supplied.

  Then, the assembly factory (company) 202 receives the modules supplied from the new module factory 203 and the collection center 204, assembles them, and provides them to the customer 201 as products 206.

  After the negotiation is completed, information on the product model to be provided to the customer is sent from the host computer 112 to the factory side terminal 205A installed in the assembly factory 205 (ST1). The factory-side terminal 205A that has received the information manufactures the image forming apparatus 100 corresponding to the order. Specifically, a desired new module is sent from the host computer 112 to the factory side terminal 203A of the new module factory 203 (ST2), and delivered from the module factory 203 to the assembly factory 205 for procurement ( (ST3), a desired reuse module sends a shipping request signal from the host computer 112 to the collection side terminal 113 side of the reproduction center 204 (ST4), and delivers it from the reproduction center 204 to the assembly factory 205 for procurement (ST5). These modules are combined at the assembly factory 205 into a product 206 (ST6) and shipped to the customer (ST7).

  FIG. 14 shows the case of the customer of needs 1 and 2 described above. That is, among the modules necessary for the product model, the new modules are the paper feed tray module 104, the image forming module 105, and the paper discharge module 106, which are newly manufactured in the new module factory 203. On the other hand, the reuse modules are a document transport module 101, an image reading module 102, and an operation unit module 103, which are reproduced by the reproduction center 204 and completed. Note that the details of the functions of the reproduction center 204 have the same functions as described in “JP 2000-181958”.

  By the way, the product 206 provided by the product supply system 1 of the present invention has a structure in which a new module and a reuse module are mixed, but in terms of a mixture of a new product (module or unit or part) and a reuse product. The conventional system (for example, Patent Document 2) can be said to be equivalent.

  In the present embodiment, the first point that is decisively different from the conventional system is that only the system of the present invention can provide a product with a reuse rate that is just right for the customer, except for the variable factor of the reuse product collection status. It is in. In the product supply system 1, the “reuse rate just right for the customer” is replaced with “the degree that the customer does not demand high performance from the product”. These customers will not use new parts for parts that do not require high performance (use reusable products), and they will not use reusable products with high endurance even if they want high functionality. (If that is the case, let's use a new one). As a result, it is possible to provide a product that is not excessive or deficient for the customer (a product that is not wasted), and as a result, contributes to the global environment.

  In addition, the second point that the present invention is different from the conventional one is that it is easy for a customer to easily introduce reuse defects even if the customer does not necessarily have high awareness and knowledge of the reuse product. Also in the conventional patent document 2, the request of the customer is heard. However, the effective functioning of this system is limited to a small number of customers who have a high awareness of reuse and are familiar with the structure of the image forming apparatus. Usually, customers cannot say “Please make this part a reusable product”. What customers can say is “What kind of work do I want to do with this image forming apparatus?” (= Needs). In the present invention, the manufacturer side (or sales side) decides where the reused product can be used based on the customer's needs. “If so, can this be reused? (Step 137 step 143 in FIG. 7A)” The approach is applied to the customer via the customer side terminal 111. This leads to a reduction in the annoyance and confusion of the customer's selection of reused products, and it is possible to supply products that are optimal for the needs of diversifying individual customers. .

  That is, a product configured by a combination of a plurality of modules having a certain function is changed according to request information for a product input from the customer terminal 11, and a product corresponding to the request information is provided to the customer. At this time, module information corresponding to request information including at least information on the type of each module and information on variations of each module is stored in association with the type information of each module and variation information. The processing unit 112f performs a process of extracting from each information stored in the first storage unit 112a including the information on the reuse module and the new module and generating product model information by combining the extracted module information. The product model information generated by the computing means 112f is Because it is transmitted to the customer terminal 111, a range that the customer selects becomes functional module units. For this reason, customers can customize their products by selecting their favorite modules from reuse modules and new modules, so the product model configuration proposed to the customers is actively pursuing the use of reuse products. Therefore, it is possible to supply products 206 that are most suitable for diversifying individual customer needs.

  The calculation unit 112f determines whether or not information requesting a new function or high performance for each module is included as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer side terminal 111. If information that requires a function or high performance is included, a new module is selected as a module variation, and it is determined whether information relating to the reuse module is included as variation information for each module. When the information that correlates to the reuse module is included, the reuse module is selected as a variation of the module, so the configuration of the product model proposed to the customer is actively pursued, It is possible to divide it into parts that actively pursue new product utilization. Come, it is possible to supply the best product 206 to the needs of individual customers to diversify.

  When the calculation unit 112f selects a reuse module based on the variation information, the presence / absence of the selected reuse module is determined based on the information on the collection status stored in the second storage unit 112c that stores information on the collection status of the reuse module. If it is determined that there is a reuse module, select the reuse module as the module that constitutes the product model to be sent to the customer, and if it is determined that there is no reuse module, configure the product model to be sent to the customer. As a module to be used, a module of a variation that approximates a reuse module is selected from the same type of modules stored in the first storage unit 112a, so that the customer can use the product while minimizing the decrease in the usage rate of the reuse product in the product. Reuse module selected by If there is no product, the difference from the performance originally required by the customer can be minimized, and among the products that can actually be provided to the customer, the selection range can be secured for the individual customer, and the individual customer becomes more diverse. The product 206 most suitable for the needs of the customer can be supplied.

  In the calculation means 112f, a plurality of module information included in the request information input from the customer side terminal 111 is stored in the third storage means 112d for storing module information regarding inconsistent combinations of modules constituting the product. It is determined whether or not the information is inconsistent module information, and if it corresponds to the inconsistent module information, a warning content is displayed on the customer side terminal 111. Product 206 can be provided to the customer.

  Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  This embodiment proposes a product supply system that prompts a customer considering product replacement of an image forming apparatus to select a product, and the image forming apparatus is already installed in the target customer's office or the like. Is assumed to be in operation.

  The basic structure of the image forming apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment is assumed to have the same module configurations 101 to 106 as in FIG. This is based on the assumption that not only products that are newly put on the market but also products that are already operating in the market (= products that are operating in the customer's office, etc.) are provided with any of the module configurations 101 to 106. Yes. In this embodiment, image forming apparatuses and products already used by customers are indicated by reference numerals 300 and 306, and image forming apparatuses and products proposed by the system are indicated by reference numerals 300A and 306A.

  In the product supply system 1A in this embodiment, what is the module configuration of the customer's product 306 (image forming apparatus 300) that is currently in operation? This information is assumed to be grasped by the company side (sales side) as customer data. For example, it has already been registered as data in the customer terminal 111 on the product supply system 1A. As a premise of the present embodiment, parts that are not particularly described are the same as those described in FIGS. For example, the overall configuration of the product supply system 1A according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 16, but this content is basically the same as the content shown in FIG. For this reason, the description will focus on the parts that are different from or added to FIG. The configuration unique to this embodiment will be described with reference to the numbers in the 300s in FIGS.

In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a case where a customer having the following needs is assumed and the product 306A is provided to the customer will be described. Since this case is different from cases 1 and 2, it will be referred to as “case 3” for the sake of convenience), but the application of the present invention is not limited to case 3.
(Example of customer needs: Case 3)
Needs: As shown in FIG. 15A, the image forming apparatus 300, which is a product 306 currently used by customers, is a monochrome machine, and can be used with a copy / fax / printer / image scanner (image reading module). have. And customers are satisfied with most of their product specifications. However, in response to the recently established Japanese e-text method, the need for the latest color function is extremely high for image scanners, but there is also a situation where capital investment is to be avoided as much as possible. In addition, although customers have awareness and interest in environmental issues themselves, they are in trouble because they cannot afford to think calmly about their own environmental conservation.

  The present embodiment will be described below on the assumption of Case 3 having such contents. The purchased product (strictly, replacement product) determination process using the product supply system 1A according to this embodiment is selected from each variation in units of modules and combined with each other in the same manner as the above-described embodiment. The basic method is to make the product a product, that is, a customized proposal style.

  The difference from the above-described embodiment is that the product 306 used by the customer is partially upgraded in units of modules. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the host computer 112 stores all information of modules and their variations that can be provided to the customer and information on the current modules in the all Md product information storage area 312a of the memory 112m. And determining whether or not the plurality of module information included in the request information input from the customer side terminal 111 includes information correlating with the current module, and the information correlating with the current module is If included, it has a function of selecting the current module as a variation of the module.

  The product 306A (module) to be proposed to the customer is determined using the customer side terminal 111, but the processing content is partially different from the content shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. That is, in FIG. 17, in step 231, it is confirmed whether or not the function 1 (= document feeding function) is requested from the customer. At this time, the options that the product supply system 1A confirms with the customer are “newly request (231-a) (= I want to replace function 1)”, “currently good (= product currently used) (231-c) ”and“ function 1 itself is not required (231-b) ”. And these options cover all possible customer needs.

  However, it should be noted here that “newly obtained (231-a)” of the options is not necessarily limited to “require new module”. There may be a case of “requesting a (new) reuse module”. For example, for a customer who has been using the product 306 for a fairly long time, the reuse module may be newer than the module of the product the customer is currently using. At this time, if the customer “want to improve performance a little”, the “newly requested (231-a)” module may be a reuse module.

  In step 231, in the case of the case 3 customer, since there is no dissatisfaction with the currently used product for the document feeding function (and it is not unnecessary), (231-c) (= currently) Is determined).

  Here, the determination on the host computer 112 is determined by an operation by clicking on the screen displayed on the monitor of the customer terminal 111 using the keyboard or mouse of the customer terminal 111. Here, as an example executed by clicking on the screen, a configuration of a screen 381 shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, in the case of the case 3 customer, the next step executed by the host computer 112 is step 233 for determining the function 2 (= image reading function). In FIG. 17, in step 233, “newly obtained (233-a)”, “no need for function 1 itself (233-b)”, “current state is acceptable (233-) for function 2 (= image reading function). c) ", the option is presented to the customer. Since the case 3 customer needs the latest color scanner function, the choice of the host computer 112 is determined as “newly requested (233-a)”. The selection here is also performed by an operation by clicking on the screen displayed on the monitor of the keyboard or mouse of the customer side terminal 111. Here, as an example executed by clicking on the monitor screen of the customer side terminal 111, a configuration shown in a screen 384 shown in FIG.

  In step 234 of FIG. 17, the performance required for the image reading function is confirmed. In the present embodiment, the system has three options (234-a to 234-c) of high / normal / low. The screen configuration of the customer terminal 111 at this time can be the content of the screen 382 shown in FIG. In the case of the customer example in case 3, the selection is high (= high performance (132-c) is selected (the determination is determined by clicking the selection button 234-c on the screen 382)). Become.

  Note that the basic processing contents of Step 232 and Steps 232a to 232d in FIG. 17 are the same as Step 133 and Step 134 to Step 137 in FIG. 7A. Steps 234 and Steps 234a to 234d in FIG. Since the basic processing contents of step 139 and steps 140 to 143 are the same, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  However, in steps 232d and 234d in FIG. 17, the processing when a reuse product is not acceptable is different from that in FIG. 7A. That is, in step 232d and step 234d, it is determined whether or not the customer desires a reused product. If the option “not desired” is executed, the process returns to step 133 and step 139 in FIG. The function condition is selected. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the process returns to step 231 and step 233 which are the previous steps. This is in consideration of the possibility of proceeding to the options 231c and 233c of “the current situation is acceptable” that “there is no change as it is if a reuse product is used”. Thereafter, the customer's request confirmation for function 3 to function 6 is executed in the same procedure.

  When the confirmation in function 6 ends, the process proceeds to step 235, where the host computer 112 organizes the overall customer needs. This step is basically the same as step 144 in FIG. 7A. The difference is that a confirmation item is added to determine whether there is a module that is determined to be “currently good”. Here, Table 2 shows the arrangement result for the case 3 customer. For customers in Case 3, this system replaces only function 2 (image reading function) with a new module, and all other functions are used as they are currently used by the customer. Presenting.

  The subsequent step 236 for confirming whether there is a contradiction in the customer's needs, step 237 for final confirmation to the customer, and step 238 for transmitting information to the host computer 112 are the steps from step 145 in FIG. 7A. Since it is basically the same as 147, detailed description is omitted.

  However, these steps (236 to 238) are different from steps 145 to 147 in that a new option “currently acceptable” is entered. For example, in step 236 for confirming that there is no contradiction, the determination is made taking into account the module configuration of the product currently used by the customer. Further, in step 237 for final confirmation to the customer, for the case 3 customer, the system displays the table 2 in the column “Conditions for Customer Selection” on the screen 185 shown in FIG. Will display the same content.

  In FIG. 17, after step 238, the same processing content as the determination content until the negotiation is established or not shown in FIG. 7B continues, but since this content is the same as in FIG. 7B, it is omitted here.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a processing algorithm for determining a product model of the host computer 112 in this embodiment. The content of the flowchart shown in FIG. 20 is basically the same as FIG. 8 except for a part thereof, so that the description will focus on the differences from FIG.

  In FIG. 20, step 251 is in a standby state waiting for whether or not request information is input from the customer side terminal 111 as in step 171 of FIG. 8, and in step 252 the request information from the customer side terminal 111 is received. Is input via the input / output unit 112e, the function / performance condition that is the content of the request information requested by the customer is confirmed in step 252. 8 is that the request information from the customer side terminal 111 includes “this function may be used by the customer at present”. Here, the host computer 112 makes a determination of “not subject to module selection” for the corresponding function.

  For example, the confirmation result of the information INPUT for the customer in the case 3 example is as shown in Table 3.

  In the case 3, as shown in Table 3, most of the functions are treated as “not subject”, and only the function 2 is judged as “high”, and becomes a module selection target thereafter. Tables 2 and 3 have a relationship between the information receiving side and the transmitting side, respectively, and the contents of the information are matched.

  In step 253 of FIG. 20, the variation of the module Md corresponding to the request for the target function is selected. In the case 3, since the performance required by the function 2 is high, the corresponding variation is Md.1A from FIGS. 4 and 5, and it is verified that this is a color reading module.

  In the next step 254, the process of extracting the module variations collated in step 253 from the “all Md product information storage area (171b-1)” is the same as in the case of FIG. However, in the process of determining the first candidate model of the product model to be presented to the customer, this embodiment is a process of combining the variation newly selected this time with the variation that the customer is currently using. That is, a product 306A model as shown in FIG.

  Steps 255 to 260 in FIG. 20 are the same as steps 176 to 180 in FIG. In the case 3 shown in FIG. 20, since there is no module that corresponds to the reuse module, processing in the steps 256, 257, 258, and 259 in the host computer 112 does not occur.

  Next, how a product is introduced to a customer when a business negotiation is established by the product supply system 1A will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 15A, the image forming apparatus 300 used by the customer in Case 3 is a so-called monochrome multifunction device. As a result of the negotiation for new product examination by this system, the monochrome reading module 303 in the image forming apparatus 300 is replaced (upgraded) with a color reading module. After the negotiation, as shown in FIG. 15B, the color reading module 102a is sent to the customer, and the service person (or seller, product transporter) takes the product 306 (image forming apparatus 300). The monochrome reading module 102 is removed by disassembling, and a color reading module 102a is incorporated instead. This completes the product replacement.

  By the way, the activity of reusing products that have been used and collected in the market or returning them to resources again has been introduced in the recycling system described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-181958, and in FIG. The comet circle, which is the concept of the recycling system centering on image forming devices, is clarified. According to the concept shown in FIG. 1, the environmental protection effect is higher as the inner loop is actively advanced. The innermost loop is “self-reuse”. This is something the user can reuse on his own, like a refill container.

  This embodiment is a system that promotes “self-reuse” in terms of environmental conservation. In the case of the case 3 customer, modules other than the reading module serve as the above-mentioned refill container, and the reading module is newly “refilled” into the color machine. That is, this system creates a state in which the customer is allowed to “self-reuse” modules other than the color reading module in order to provide only the color reading function originally desired by the customer.

  The point that this embodiment is decisively different from the conventional one is that a product (module) having a new resource input rate that is just right for the customer can be provided. In this system, this just good new resource input rate is replaced with “the degree to which customers demand high performance from their products”. In this case, the new part is not used for the part (module) of the image forming apparatus 300 for which the customer does not require high performance, and the current one should be used as it is. And while we are looking for high functionality, we have nothing to endure, based on the idea of investing resources and using new products and balancing each customer. As a result, it is possible to provide highly efficient products (no waste products) that do not have excess or deficiency for customers whose needs are diversified, and as a result, it can be said that this also contributes to the global environment.

  Furthermore, the second point in which the present embodiment is different from the conventional one is that, even in the case of the customer in Case 3, even if the customer cannot always afford to work on the environment, it can easily participate in environmental conservation (without being aware of the customer himself / herself). There is in point. What this system asks customers is not insight into the environment, but what kind of work does the customer (self) want to do with this image forming apparatus 300? That is the need. In this form, if the manufacturer (or the sales side) decides the necessary resource input based on the customer's needs and does not require the latest functions, then “If this part (module) is for self-reuse "Is it okay?" Approach to the customer via the customer terminal 111. Without being aware of this environment and the like, the customer selects products centering on his or her convenience, thereby reducing the customer's annoyance and confusion about environmental protection.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the module of the image forming apparatus 300 that is already used by the customer is effectively used, and further, “the function that the customer demands high performance from the product, its level” Proactively proposing new modules (including reuse modules) depending on the part, making it possible for customers to present “just right” functions / performances with minimal resources and no excess specifications. Therefore, it is possible to provide diversified customers with products that achieve both economic development and environmental protection.

1,1A Product Supply System 101-106 Multiple Modules 111 Customer Terminal 112 Server 112a First Storage Unit 111c Second Storage Unit 111d Third Storage Unit 112e Reception Function Unit / Transmission Function Unit 112f Calculation Unit 206, 306A Product 400 Storage Medium

JP 2000-181958 A JP 2003-141244 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-301863 Japanese Patent No. 3653914

Claims (11)

According to request information for the product input from the customer terminal, including a customer terminal that purchases a product composed of a combination of a plurality of modules having a certain function and a server of a company that provides the product A product supply system that provides the customer with a product corresponding to the request information that has been changed.
The request information input from the customer terminal includes at least information on the type of each module and variations of each module,
The server
A receiving function unit for receiving request information input from the customer terminal;
The type information of each module and variation information are stored in association with each other, and the first storage means includes information indicating a reuse module and a new module as the type information,
An operation for extracting module information corresponding to the request information received by the reception function unit from each piece of information stored in the first storage means and generating product model information by combining the extracted module information Means,
A product supply system, comprising: a transmission function unit that transmits and presents information on the product model generated by the computing means to the terminal of the customer. The calculation means determines whether information requesting a new function or high performance for each module is included as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer terminal. However, when information requiring a new function or high performance is included, a new module is selected as a variation of the module,
It is determined whether or not information relating to the reuse module is included as variation information of each module. If information relating to the reuse module is included, the reuse module is selected as a variation of the module. The product supply system according to claim 1, wherein: The reuse module is generated from a collected product,
Having second storage means for storing information on the recovery status of the reuse module;
When the calculation means selects a reuse module based on the variation information, it determines the presence or absence of the selected reuse module from the information on the collection status stored in the second storage means,
If it is determined that the reuse module is present, select the reuse module as a module constituting a product model to be transmitted to the customer,
If it is determined that there is no reuse module, the module of the same type stored in the first storage means as a module constituting the product model to be transmitted to the customer is a variation that approximates the reuse module. The product supply system according to claim 2, wherein a module is selected. Third storage means for storing module information relating to inconsistent combinations of modules constituting the product;
The computing means determines whether or not a plurality of module information included in the request information input from the customer terminal is inconsistent module information stored in the third storage means, and contradictory module information 4. The product supply system according to claim 1, wherein a warning content is displayed on the terminal of the customer when the above condition is satisfied. According to request information for the product input from the customer terminal, including a customer terminal that purchases a product composed of a combination of a plurality of modules having a certain function and a server of a company that provides the product A product supply method for providing the customer with a product corresponding to the request information after changing
The request information input from the customer terminal includes at least information on the type of each module and the variation of each module,
The server receives the request information input from the customer's terminal at the reception function unit, and associates the type information and variation information of each module including information on the reuse module and the new module. Storing in the storage means,
Processing for extracting module information corresponding to the request information received by the reception function unit from each information stored in the first storage means, and combining the extracted module information to generate product model information by the calculation means The steps of
A product providing method comprising the step of transmitting and presenting product model information generated by the computing means to the customer terminal by a transmission function unit. The calculation means determines whether information requesting a new function or high performance for each module is included as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer terminal. And selecting a new module as a variation of the module when information that requires a new function or high performance is included;
It is determined whether or not information relating to the reuse module is included as variation information of each module. If information relating to the reuse module is included, the reuse module is selected as a variation of the module. The product providing method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of: The reuse module is generated from a collected product, and stores information on the collection status of the reuse module in a second storage unit;
When the reuse module is selected by the computing means based on the variation information, the information on the collection status stored in the second storage means is used to determine the presence or absence of the selected reuse module. If it is determined, select the reuse module as a module constituting a product model to be transmitted to the customer, and if it is determined that there is no reuse module, as a module constituting the product model to be transmitted to the customer, The product providing method according to claim 6, further comprising: selecting a module of a variation that approximates the reuse module from the same type of modules stored in the first storage unit. Storing module information relating to inconsistent combinations of modules constituting the product in a third storage means;
The calculation means determines whether or not a plurality of module information included in the request information input from the customer terminal is inconsistent module information stored in the third storage means, and contradictory module information 9. The product providing method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of displaying a warning content on the customer terminal. By being installed on a server,
9. A product providing program for causing a step performed by the product providing method according to claim 5 to be executed.   A computer-readable recording medium in which the product providing program according to claim 9 is stored. The calculation means determines whether information requesting a new function or high performance for each module is included as variation information of each module from the request information input from the customer terminal. However, if information that requires new functions or high performance is included, select a new module as a variation of the module,
It is determined whether or not information relating to the reuse module is included as variation information of each module. If information relating to the reuse module is included, the reuse module is selected as a variation of the module. And
It is determined whether information relating to the current module is included as variation information of each module. If information correlating to the current module is included, the current module is used as a variation of the module. The product supply system according to claim 1, wherein the product supply system is selected.

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