JP2024062328A - Management device, management system, management method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem that, when a user who manages introduced objects, such as applications, introduced to a device is different from a user who uses the introduced objects, it is difficult, with conventional techniques, for a management user who manages the introduced objects to gasp states of usage by another user of the introduced objects introduced by the management user.SOLUTION: A management device 3 is configured to acquire usage history information regrading usage of an introduced item by a general user (step S82), generate a notification when the usage state according to the usage history information satisfies predetermined conditions (step S84), and transmit the generated notification to an administrator user (S85)SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 27

Description

The present invention relates to a management device, a management system, a management method, and a program.

In recent years, online markets that provide various applications for smart devices have come into use. For example, a user of a smart device can use a recommended application on the smart device by downloading the desired application recommended in the online market, either for a fee or free of charge. In this way, a system that recommends useful applications to users is known.

One such technology is one that recommends apps based on the frequency of app use by multiple users (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, with conventional technology, when the user who manages the target of an application or other device installed on a device is different from the user who actually uses the application, the management user who manages the target has difficulty in understanding how other users are using the target that the management user installed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 provides a management device that manages information related to an introduction target that has been introduced to a device, the management device having a management means for managing an administrative user and a general user related to the introduction target, an acquisition means for acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user, a generation means for generating a notification when a usage situation based on the usage history information meets a predetermined condition, and a transmission means for transmitting the notification to the administrative user.

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the user who manages the target of an application or other application installed on a device is different from the user who uses the application, the management user who manages the target of the application can grasp the usage status of the target by other users.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram relating to management of customer history information. 1 is a conceptual diagram relating to acquisition of history information before and after introduction of an introduction target. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an overall configuration of an information processing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management device, a history management server, and an application distribution server. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a communication terminal. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a user information management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a device information management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a usage history information management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a transaction history information management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a recommended condition management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an introduction target management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an introduction information management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a usage history information management table. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a transaction history information management table. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a user authentication process and a device registration process. FIG. 13 is an example of a display screen when user authentication is performed in the communication terminal. 13 is an example of a display screen when registering a device in a user device. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a history information acquisition process. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a recommendation determination process. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recommendation determination process. 13 is an example of a display screen that notifies recommended information. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of various application acquisition processing; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing according to a usage amount. 13 is an example of a display screen notifying an application usage status. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process using a user device of another form.

Below, we will explain the mode for implementing the invention using the drawings. Note that in the explanation of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and if there are overlapping parts, their explanation will be omitted.

[Embodiment]
<Customer history information management>
First, the management of customer history information in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the management of customer history information. As shown in FIG. 1, the management device 3 manages the user devices and users belonging to each customer for each customer identification information. Here, the management device 3 collects log information from each user device and manages it as usage history information by associating it with the customer identification information to which the user device belongs. Furthermore, the management device 3 collects purchase information from the history management server 6 that manages the purchase information of each user, and manages it as transaction history information by associating it with the customer identification information to which the user belongs. After that, the management device 3 identifies an introduction target based on the usage history information and the transaction history information, and recommends the introduction of the identified introduction target to the customer. For example, the management device 3 transmits a recommendation notification of the introduction target to a desired destination so that the management user who manages the user device 5 can check the recommendation information, and manages whether the introduction target has been introduced based on the recommendation notification. After that, the management device 3 manages the customer identification information and the installed introduction target in association with each other.

<Acquisition of history information before and after the introduction of the target>
Next, the calculation of difference information before and after the introduction of the introduction target will be described. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram relating to the calculation of difference information before and after the introduction of the introduction target. In Fig. 2, the management device 3 calculates difference information before and after the introduction of a specific introduction target by the following method. The management device 3, for example, associates and stores the installed application ID, customer identification information, and introduction date and time. Thereafter, for example, one month after the introduction, the following process is performed.
- Extract recommended conditions based on the app ID.
- Extract history corresponding to the recommended conditions from usage history information and transaction history information corresponding to the customer identification information.
- Calculate the differences between the history extracted from usage history information and the history extracted from transaction history information before and after the implementation date and time.

in particular,
・Collect usage history information and transaction history information prior to implementation (e.g., one month's worth).
・Collect usage history information and transaction history information after implementation (e.g., one month's worth).
After that, the difference information (including the amount of change or percentage) between the usage history information and transaction history information before and after the implementation is calculated (※).
*As an example, the amount of change over one month or the daily difference information over one month.

In this embodiment, a management system is constructed that provides the administrative user with difference information calculated based on the method described above.

[Overall configuration of information processing system]
3 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system. As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing system 1 is composed of each device and terminal including a management device 3, a communication terminal 4, a user device 5, a history management server 6, and an application distribution server 7. The information processing system 1 also has a management system 2 including a management device 3, a communication terminal 4, a user device 5, and a history management server 6. Furthermore, in the information processing system 1, the management device 3, the communication terminal 4, the user device 5, the history management server 6, and the application distribution server 7 are each connected to each other via a communication network 100. Here, when the management device 3 communicates with the communication terminal 4, the user device 5, and the history management server 6 via the communication network 100, the communication may be performed via a firewall inside the communication network 100.

The above-mentioned communication network 100 is a communication network in which an unspecified number of communications are carried out, and is constructed using the Internet, an intranet, a LAN (Local Area Network), etc. Note that the communication network 100 may include not only wired communication, but also communication networks using wireless communication such as 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), and LTE (Long Term Evolution).

<Management Device>
The management device 3 constituting the information processing system 1 is an information processing device (computer system) that manages information related to the introduction target introduced to the user device. The management device 3 is realized by one or more information processing devices (computer systems) equipped with a general server OS or the like, and manages history information related to the introduction target including an application (hereinafter referred to as "app") whose use is recommended. This history information is, for example, usage history information indicating the usage history when the function of the user device 5 is used. In addition, the management device 3 performs a recommendation judgment process described later based on the history information. In addition, the management device 3 may have an installation management function that manages the installation of the app. In addition, the management device 3 stores a communication app for communicating with other devices and communication terminals in a storage means. In addition, the management device 3 may manage the usage history of the introduction target in cooperation with another management server that manages the usage history. In other words, the management device 3 may manage the usage history information (log information) as the usage history and the information for recommending the introduction of the introduction target separately.

The management device 3 may be a communication terminal having a communication function, such as a commonly used PC (Personal Computer), a portable notebook PC, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The management device 3 may further be a communication device or a communication terminal capable of running software such as browser software. The management device 3 may also be realized by multiple computers.

The management device 3 may also notify (send) data (information) by push notification (transmission) to the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5, which will be described later, of notifications such as a recommendation information notification that is the result of the recommendation determination process. In this case, the management device 3 can realize the notification (transmission) of data (information) by, for example, sending a push notification using FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging), which is an example of a push notification server.

<Communication terminal>
The communication terminal 4 is a communication terminal that displays information related to the introduction target transmitted by the management device 3. The communication terminal 4 is realized by an information processing device (computer system) for performing communication equipped with a general OS or the like. In addition, the communication terminal 4 receives and displays the recommendation notification transmitted by the management device 3 and difference information before and after the introduction of the introduction target. In addition, the communication terminal 4 stores in a storage unit other devices and apps that provide commonly used external services, and communication apps for communicating with the communication terminal 4.

The communication terminal 4 may be a communication terminal that has the communication functions of a commonly used PC (Personal Computer), a portable notebook PC, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal (sunglasses type, wristwatch type, etc.) and is used by a user. The communication terminal 4 may further be a communication device or communication terminal capable of running browser software and various application software.

<User Device>
The user device 5 is a device that is associated with customer identification information and managed in the management device 3. In this embodiment, for convenience, the user device 5 is also simply referred to as a "device". The user device 5 is realized by, for example, an information processing device (computer system) for performing communication equipped with a general OS, and is a device (apparatus) that provides history information regarding an introduction target, such as an application recommended for use. In addition, the user device 5 introduces and uses the recommended introduction target (application, etc.). In addition, when a function of the user device 5 is used, log information as an example of a usage history is stored and uploaded to the management device 3. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the user devices 5A and 5B are MFPs (Multi-Function Peripherals) that are an example of an image forming device. In addition, in this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, it is simply described as a user device 5. In addition, the user device 5 includes a scanner, a facsimile machine, an electronic whiteboard, a projector, a PC, a smartphone, and an interactive voice operation device (smart speaker or AI speaker). In addition, the user device 5 stores in a storage unit other devices and applications that provide commonly used external services, as well as communication applications for communicating with each device and terminal via the communication network 100.

The user device 5 may be constructed from a single computer such as a commonly used desktop PC (Personal Computer) or a portable notebook PC.

<History management server>
The history management server 6 is an information processing device (computer system) that manages history information. The history management server 6 is realized by one or more information processing devices (computer systems) equipped with a general server OS or the like. The history management server 6 also manages each piece of history information, including contract history information indicating a contract history related to the contract of the user device 5, purchase history information indicating a purchase history, and investigation history information indicating an investigation history, in association with the user device 5 or a customer. The above-mentioned pieces of history information, i.e., transaction history information, are different from the usage history information managed by the management device 3. Specifically, the transaction history information includes purchase history information indicating a purchase history related to the purchase of the user device 5, contract history information indicating a contract history related to the contract of the user device 5, and investigation history information indicating an investigation history related to an investigation of the user device 5. The history management server 6 also stores a communication app for communicating with other devices and communication terminals in a storage unit.

The history management server 6 may be constructed by a single computer such as a commonly used PC (Personal Computer) or a portable notebook PC, or may be constructed by multiple computers to which each section (function or means) such as storage is divided and arbitrarily assigned. Furthermore, all or part of the functions of the history management server 6 may be a server computer existing in a cloud environment, or a server computer existing in an on-premise environment. In other words, the management system 2 in this embodiment may be constructed as a system in which each piece of information (data) managed by the history management server 6 is managed by the management device 3. The history management server 6 may further use a communication device or communication terminal capable of operating software such as browser software.

<Application distribution server>
The application distribution server 7 is an information processing device (computer system) that provides applications (services) to the user device 5 or the user for a fee or free of charge. The application distribution server 7 is realized by one or more information processing devices (computer systems) equipped with a general server OS or the like. The application distribution server 7 also stores and manages various applications to be distributed or introduced to the user device 5 in a predetermined storage area. This allows the user to download a desired application from the application distribution server 7 to the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5 used by the user. The application distribution server 7 can also perform authentication for a predetermined processing request requested by the user device 5 and execution of a predetermined processing. The processing includes, for example, providing application data to the user device 5, providing application functions to the user device 5, and providing services to the user device 5 or the user. The application distribution server 7 also stores a communication application for communicating with other devices and communication terminals in a storage unit.

The application distribution server 7 may be constructed by a single computer such as a commonly used PC (Personal Computer) or a portable notebook PC, or may be constructed by multiple computers to which each section (function or means) such as storage is divided and arbitrarily assigned. In addition, all or part of the functions of the application distribution server 7 may be a server computer existing in a cloud environment, or a server computer existing in an on-premise environment. The application distribution server 7 may further use a communication device or communication terminal capable of operating software such as browser software.

Based on the above-described system configuration, this embodiment provides a management device that enables a user who uses the target to understand whether the target is being used appropriately.

●About terminology●
In this embodiment, the term "recommend" refers to recommending the introduction of an introduction target to a customer. As an example, the term "recommend" includes a recommendation or a recommendation for introducing an introduction target such as an application program (hereinafter, referred to as an app) into a user device 5 or the like.

In this embodiment, the "target of introduction" refers to the target to be introduced. Examples include software (programs) such as apps and hardware to be introduced to the user device 5, contractual actions or contract contents by the user regarding the contract for the user device 5, purchase procedures, survey actions such as investigations, etc. In the following, an app may be used as an example of the target of introduction, but the target of introduction is not limited to an app.

In this embodiment, "introduction" means making the introduction target available for use. As an example, if the introduction target is software such as an app, it includes making the software available by installing it on the user device 5, communication terminal 4, etc., purchasing a license, and making the app functions available from an external server such as the app distribution server 7. Also, if the introduction target is hardware or goods such as a peripheral device or apparatus, it includes installing the hardware or making it available, and purchasing it. Also, if the introduction target is a service, it includes contracting for and applying for the service.

In this embodiment, a "user" is a person (person) who is associated with customer identification information and managed in the management device 3. A user is, for example, a person who uses a communication terminal to view and operate various notifications sent by the management device 3. A user also refers to a person who operates a user device 5 to use a specified function, or a person who performs transactions or procedures such as purchases and contracts via a communication terminal. Users include general users and administrative users. Here, a general user is a person who uses a user device 5. An administrative user is a person who manages or owns a user device 5. For example, an administrative user can introduce an introduction target to a user device 5 based on a recommended information notification. A user also includes not only an individual but also a department, organization, group, team, or group of a company.

In this embodiment, a "customer" is a contractor who uses the services provided by the information processing system 1. Customers are managed by the management device 3 using customer identification information. As an example, a customer includes the entity to which a user and a user device belong, or an account related to the entity. In addition, a customer includes, for example, a department, organization, group, team, or group of a company. However, a customer may refer to an individual such as a user. In addition, a user or a user device 5 belonging to a customer may be referred to as a customer.

In this embodiment, a "service" refers to a function provided by the information processing system 1. Furthermore, a "service" also includes a function provided by an app. For example, it includes the provision of app data and app functions, recommendations for introduction targets, etc.

In this embodiment, "use" refers to a user's use of the target. Use includes the launching and execution of the installed app. Furthermore, "amount of use" refers to the number or amount of use of the target. The amount of use includes the number of times the functions of the installed app are executed, the number of times the app is launched, the amount of time the app is used, the number of files processed by the app, the data volume or number of media such as paper, the frequency of use of the app, etc.

[Hardware configuration]
Next, the hardware configuration of the device or terminal constituting the information processing system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Note that components may be added or deleted from the hardware configuration of the terminal or device shown in Figures 4 to 6 as necessary.

<Hardware configuration of management device, history management server, and application distribution server>
4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the management device, the history management server, and the application distribution server. As shown in FIG. 4, the management device 3 is constructed by, for example, a computer, and includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, an EEPROM 304, an HD 305, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 306, a display 307, a short-range communication I/F 308, a CMOS sensor 309, and an image sensor I/F 310. The management device 3 further includes a network I/F 311, a keyboard 312, a pointing device 313, a media I/F 315, an external device connection I/F 316, an audio input/output I/F 317, a microphone 318, a speaker 319, and a bus line 720.

Of these, the CPU 301 controls the operation of the entire management device 3. The ROM 302 stores programs and the like used to drive the CPU 301. The RAM 303 is used as a work area for the CPU 301. The EEPROM 304 reads or writes various data such as apps according to the control of the CPU 301. The HD 305 stores various data such as programs. The HDD controller 306 controls the reading or writing of various data from the HD 305 according to the control of the CPU 301. Here, the management device 3 may have a hardware configuration equipped with an SSD (Solid State Drive) instead of the HD 305 and the HDD controller 306. The display 307 displays various information such as a cursor, a menu, a window, characters, or an image. In this embodiment, the display 307 functions as an example of a display means. The short-range communication I/F 308 is a communication circuit for performing data communication with a communication device or communication terminal equipped with a wireless communication interface such as NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark; omitted below), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark; omitted below). The CMOS sensor 309 is a type of built-in imaging means that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 301 to obtain image data or video data. Note that the imaging means may not be a CMOS sensor, but may be an imaging means configured with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or the like. The image sensor I/F 310 is a circuit that controls the driving of the CMOS sensor 309.

The network I/F 311 is an interface for data communication using the communication network 100. The keyboard 312 is a type of input means having multiple keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. Note that instead of or in addition to the keyboard 312, an input means for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc., configured as a touch panel, may be provided. The pointing device 313 is a type of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc. The media I/F 315 controls the reading or writing (storing) of data to the recording medium 314 such as a flash memory. The external device connection I/F 316 is an interface for connecting various external devices. In this case, the external device is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, etc. The sound input/output I/F 317 is a circuit that processes the input and output of sound signals between the microphone 318 and the speaker 319 according to the control of the CPU 301. The microphone 318 is a built-in circuit that converts sound into an electrical signal, and obtains information using the electrical signal by acquiring voice or sound waves emitted from an external speaker or the like. The speaker 319 is a built-in circuit that converts electrical signals into physical vibrations to produce sounds such as music or voice. The bus line 320 is an address bus, data bus, or the like for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 301.

The history management server 6 is constructed, for example, by a computer, and includes a CPU 601, a ROM 602, a RAM 603, an EEPROM 604, a HD 605, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 606, a display 607, a short-range communication I/F 608, a CMOS sensor 609, and an image sensor I/F 610. These hardware resources are similar to the respective hardware resources of the management device 3, namely, the CPU 301, ROM 302, RAM 303, EEPROM 304, HD 305, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 306, display 307, short-range communication I/F 308, CMOS sensor 309, and image sensor I/F 310, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The history management server 6 further includes a network I/F 611, a keyboard 612, a pointing device 613, a media I/F 615, an external device connection I/F 616, an audio input/output I/F 617, a microphone 618, a speaker 619, and a bus line 620. These hardware resources are similar to the respective hardware resources of the management device 3, the network I/F 311, the keyboard 312, the pointing device 313, the media I/F 315, the external device connection I/F 316, the audio input/output I/F 317, the microphone 318, the speaker 319, and the bus line 320, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

The application distribution server 7 is constructed, for example, by a computer, and includes a CPU 701, a ROM 702, a RAM 703, an EEPROM 704, a HD 705, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 706, a display 707, a short-range communication I/F 708, a CMOS sensor 709, and an image sensor I/F 710. These hardware resources are similar to the respective hardware resources of the management device 3, namely, the CPU 301, the ROM 302, the RAM 303, the EEPROM 304, the HD 305, the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 306, the display 307, the short-range communication I/F 308, the CMOS sensor 309, and the image sensor I/F 310, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The application distribution server 7 further includes a network I/F 711, a keyboard 712, a pointing device 713, a media I/F 715, an external device connection I/F 716, an audio input/output I/F 717, a microphone 718, a speaker 719, and a bus line 720. These hardware resources are similar to the network I/F 311, the keyboard 312, the pointing device 313, the media I/F 315, the external device connection I/F 316, the audio input/output I/F 317, the microphone 318, the speaker 319, and the bus line 320 of the management device 3, and therefore will not be described. The application distribution server 7 may further use a commonly used external server connected via the communication network 100. In this case, the hardware resources may conform to the hardware specifications of the external server.

<Hardware configuration of communication terminal>
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a communication terminal. As shown in Fig. 5, the communication terminal 4 is constructed by, for example, a computer, and includes a CPU 401, a ROM 402, a RAM 403, an EEPROM 404, a display 407, a short-range communication I/F 408, a CMOS sensor 409, and an image sensor I/F 410. The communication terminal 4 further includes a network I/F 411, a touch panel 412, a pointing device 413, a media I/F 415, an external device connection I/F 416, an audio input/output I/F 417, a microphone 418, a speaker 419, and a bus line 420.

Of these, the CPU 401 controls the operation of the entire communication terminal 4. The ROM 402 stores programs and the like used to drive the CPU 401. The RAM 403 is used as a work area for the CPU 401. The EEPROM 404 reads or writes various data such as apps under the control of the CPU 401. The display 407 displays various information such as a cursor, a menu, a window, characters, or an image. In this embodiment, the display 407 functions as an example of a display means. The short-range communication I/F 408 is a communication circuit for performing data communication with a communication device or a communication terminal having a wireless communication interface such as NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark, omitted below), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark, omitted below). The CMOS sensor 409 is a type of built-in imaging means that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 401 to obtain image data or video data. The imaging means may be an imaging means configured of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or the like instead of a CMOS sensor. The image sensor I/F 410 is a circuit that controls the driving of the CMOS sensor 409.

The network I/F 411 is an interface for data communication using the communication network 100. The touch panel 412 is a type of input means for operating the communication terminal 4 by the user pressing, clicking, tapping, etc. on a predetermined button, icon, etc. arranged on the display 407. Note that instead of or in addition to the touch panel 412, an input means for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. configured with a keyboard may be provided. The pointing device 413 is a type of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc. The media I/F 415 controls the reading or writing (storing) of data to the recording medium 414 such as a flash memory. The external device connection I/F 416 is an interface for connecting various external devices. The external device in this case is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, etc. The sound input/output I/F 417 is a circuit for processing the input/output of sound signals between the microphone 418 and the speaker 419 according to the control of the CPU 401. The microphone 418 is a built-in circuit that converts sound into an electrical signal, and obtains information using the electrical signal by acquiring voice or sound waves emitted from an external speaker or the like. The speaker 419 is a built-in circuit that converts electrical signals into physical vibrations to produce sounds such as music or voice. The bus line 420 is an address bus, data bus, or the like for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 401.

<Hardware configuration of user device>
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user device. As shown in Fig. 6, the user device 5 is, for example, an image forming device (MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral)) and is equipped with hardware resources including a controller 510, a short-range communication circuit 520, an engine control unit 530, an operation panel 540, and a network I/F 550.

Of these, the controller 510 has a CPU 501, which is the main part of the computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 502, a north bridge (NB) 503, a south bridge (SB) 504, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 505, a local memory (MEM-C) 506, which is a storage unit, a HDD controller 507, and a HD 508, which is also a storage unit, and is configured such that the NB 503 and the ASIC 505 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 521.

Of these, the CPU 501 is a control unit that performs overall control of the user device 5. The NB 503 is a bridge that connects the CPU 501 with the MEM-P 502, SB 504, and AGP bus 521, and has a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 502, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 502 consists of a ROM 502a, which is memory for storing programs and data that realize the various functions of the controller 510, and a RAM 502b, which is used for expanding programs and data, and as a drawing memory during memory printing. The programs stored in the RAM 502b may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD.

SB504 is a bridge for connecting NB503 to PCI devices and peripheral devices. ASIC505 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications that has hardware elements for image processing, and plays the role of a bridge connecting AGP bus 521, PCI bus 522, HD508, and MEM-C506. This ASIC505 includes a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter that arbitrates the drive timing of each signal according to a predetermined priority in ASIC505, a memory controller that controls MEM-C506, multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between scanner unit 531 and printer unit 532 via PCI bus 522. In addition, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface may be connected to the ASIC 505.

MEM-C506 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer. HD508 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. HD508 controls the reading and writing of data from and to HD508 under the control of CPU501. AGP bus521 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphic processing, and by directly accessing MEM-P502 at high throughput, the graphics accelerator card can be made faster.

The short-range communication circuit 520 also includes a short-range communication circuit antenna 520a. The short-range communication circuit 520 is a communication circuit such as NFC or Bluetooth (registered trademark; omitted below).

The engine control unit 530 is further composed of a scanner unit 531, a printer unit 532, and a FAX unit 533. The operation panel 540 includes a panel display unit 540a such as a touch panel that displays the current setting values and a selection screen, etc., and receives input from the operator, as well as an operation button unit 540b including a numeric keypad that receives setting values for image formation conditions such as density setting conditions, and a start key that receives a copy start instruction. In this embodiment, the panel display unit 540a functions as an example of a display means. The controller 510 controls the entire user device 5, and controls, for example, drawing, communication, input from the operation panel 540, etc. The scanner unit 531 or the printer unit 532 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma (γ) conversion. The FAX unit 533 includes an analog I/F, a modem, a speaker, etc. for performing facsimile communication using an analog line (public line) that connects with an external device equipped with a facsimile communication function.

The user device 5 can sequentially switch between the document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function using the application switching key on the operation panel 540. When the document box function is selected, the document box mode is selected; when the copy function is selected, the copy mode is selected; when the printer function is selected, the printer mode is selected; and when the facsimile mode is selected, the facsimile mode is selected.

The network I/F 550 is an interface for data communication using the communication network 100. The short-range communication circuit 520 and the network I/F 550 are electrically connected to the ASIC 505 via the PCI bus 522.

The user device 5 may further be constructed by a computer and have various hardware resources such as those shown in FIG. 2.

The above program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium as an installable or executable file, or may be distributed by downloading via a network. Examples of recording media include CD-Rs (Compact Disc Recordable), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), Blu-ray Discs (Blu-ray is a registered trademark; omitted below), SD cards, and USB memories. The recording media may be provided domestically or internationally as a program product. For example, the management device 3 realizes the management method according to the present invention by executing the program according to the present invention.

[Functional configuration of information processing system]
Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 17. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing system. Fig. 7 shows terminals or devices shown in Fig. 3 that are related to processing or operations described later.

<Functional configuration of management device>
First, the functional configuration of the management device 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the management device 3 has a transmission/reception unit 31, an extraction specification unit 32, an acquisition unit 33, a display control unit 34, a judgment processing unit 35, a calculation unit 36, a generation unit 37, a registration management unit 38, and a storage readout unit 39. Each of these functional units is a function or means realized by operating any of the hardware resources shown in Fig. 4 by an instruction from the CPU 301 according to a program for the management device 3 expanded from at least one of the ROM 302, the EEPROM 304, and the HD 305 to the RAM 303. The management device 3 also has a storage unit 3000 constructed by at least one of the ROM 302, the EEPROM 304, and the HD 305 shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the memory unit 3000 stores a communication program (communication application) for communicating with each device and each terminal via the communication network 100, a browser application, an introduction target management application for transmitting the usage status of the introduction target, etc. to the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5, etc.

<<Functional configuration of management device>>
Next, each functional configuration of the management device 3 will be described in detail. The transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 shown in FIG. 7 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301 for the network I/F 311 and the short-range communication I/F 308, and transmits and receives various data (or information) between each terminal and each device via the communication network 100. The transmission/reception unit 31 also transmits a notification including a recommended information notification including information on at least one or more specified introduction targets to a communication terminal 4 or a user device 5 that can communicate with the management device 3. The transmission/reception unit 31 also transmits the notification to the management user. The transmission/reception unit 31 also transmits a notification to the customer generated by the generation unit 37 described later to a destination associated with customer identification information that identifies the customer. The transmission/reception unit 31 also transmits alternative introduction target information, which is information on an alternative introduction target that is an alternative to the introduction target, to the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5. The alternative introduction target information may include storage destination information indicating the storage destination of the alternative introduction target. The transmission/reception unit 31 further transmits a notification to the communication terminal 4 in response to access from the communication terminal 4 used by the management user. In this embodiment, the transmitting/receiving unit 31 functions as an example of at least one of a transmitting means and a receiving means.

The extraction and identification unit 32 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301, and extracts and identifies introduction targets in response to a recommendation information notification request sent by the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5. The extraction and identification unit 32 also identifies, among the introduction targets, introduction targets that have been introduced for a predetermined period of time. The extraction and identification unit 32 also identifies, among the introduction targets, introduction targets that have been introduced to the user device 5 for a fee. The extraction and identification unit 32 also identifies introduction targets that have been introduced to the user device 5 in response to a notification (e.g., a recommendation notification) sent by the management device 3. The extraction and identification unit 32 further identifies introduction targets that have been introduced to the user device 5 for a fee. In this embodiment, the extraction and identification unit 32 functions as an example of at least one of the extraction means and the identification means.

The acquisition unit 33 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 33 functions as a first acquisition means for acquiring usage history information (first history information) related to the usage history related to the function of the user device 5. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 33 functions as a second acquisition means for acquiring transaction history information (second history information) related to the user's transaction history. The transaction history information includes each information related to the purchase history, contract history, and investigation history related to the user device 5. In this way, the acquisition unit 33 may be equipped with multiple acquisition means. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires history information related to the specified specific introduction target. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires usage history information of the user device 5 as history information. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires information that combines each usage history information of one or more user devices 5 owned by a customer associated with the same customer identification information as history information. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires identification information of the introduced introduction target and introduction date and time information in addition to the history information. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 33 simply functions as an example of an acquisition means.

The display control unit 34 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301 on the display 307, and controls the display of various screens and information (data) on at least one of the communication terminal 4 and the user device 5. The display control unit 34 can also display a display screen generated using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) or the like via a browser on at least one of the display 407 of the communication terminal 4 and the panel display unit 540a of the user device 5. In this embodiment, the display control unit 34 functions as an example of a display control means.

The judgment processing unit 35 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301, and performs various judgments in the management device 3. In this embodiment, the judgment processing unit 35 functions as an example of a judgment processing means.

The calculation unit 36 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301. The calculation unit 36 calculates the usage amount of a specific introduction target by a specific user based on the history information. In addition, the calculation unit 36 calculates, as the usage amount, the number of times the introduction target has been used by a user other than the administrative user who introduced the introduction target. In the embodiment, the calculation unit 36 functions as an example of a calculation means.

The generating unit 37 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301, and generates the recommended information notification screen data after the recommendation judgment processing is executed. In addition, the generating unit 37 generates a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information of the introduction target identified by the extraction identification unit 32 matches a predetermined condition. Specifically, the generating unit 37 generates a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information of the introduction target identified by the extraction identification unit 32 matches a predetermined condition. In addition, the generating unit 37 generates a notification including alternative introduction target information indicating information of an alternative introduction target that substitutes for the introduction target when the usage amount for the function or setting related to the specific introduction target calculated by the calculation unit 36 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Note that, when a notification including a fixed phrase or the like generated in advance in a predetermined format is transmitted, the generating unit 37 can also generate a notification including the fixed phrase or the like. The notifications generated here include, for example, notifications transmitted by email, notifications transmitted by an app, and the like. In this embodiment, the generating unit 37 functions as an example of a generating means.

The registration management unit 38 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 301. The registration management unit 38 executes user authentication processing using the user identification information and password transmitted by the communication terminal 4. The registration management unit 38 also manages the management user and general user related to the introduction target. The registration management unit 38 also manages the user device 5 associated with the customer identification information that identifies the customer, the user associated with the customer identification information, and the introduction target identification information that identifies the introduction target that has been introduced in association with the customer identification information. The data tables (each database: DB) used for the above-mentioned management will be described later. In this embodiment, the registration management unit 38 functions as an example of a registration means and an example of at least one of the management means.

The memory readout unit 39 is realized mainly by the processing of the CPU 301 on at least one of the ROM 302, the EEPROM 304, and the HD 305, and stores various data (or information) in the memory unit 3000 and reads various data (or information) from the memory unit 3000. In this embodiment, the memory readout unit 39 functions as an example of a memory readout means.

●User information management table●
FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a user information management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, a user information management DB 3001 configured by a user information management table as shown in FIG. 9 is constructed. In the user information management table, a user name, a user type, a password, and an e-mail address are associated with and stored and managed for each user identification information divided by at least one of the customer identification information and the customer name as a tab. Among these, the customer identification information and the customer name are identification information given to the customer X who uses the user device 5 in the management system 2, and are given, for example, as "C0001", "C0002", etc. The user identification information is information for identifying a user included (belonging) to a customer, and is given and managed, for example, as "U0001", "U0002", etc. The user name is the name of a user who has user identification information. The user type represents the type of user as a customer, and is particularly distinguished into an administrative user, a general user, etc. The password is identification information associated with the user identification information at the time of logging in when using the information processing system 1 including the management system 2, and is input by the user at the first startup (login), etc. The email address is the address given to the user when using email. In this embodiment, the user information management table (user information management DB 3001) functions as an example of a user history information management means. In addition, the user information management DB 3001 may store information indicating whether or not the management device 3 will send a recommended information notification for each user identification information. For example, information indicating that a recommended information notification will be sent is associated with and stored in the user identification information corresponding to the management user.

●Device information management table●
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a device information management table. The configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, a device information management DB 3002 configured by the device information management table shown in FIG. 10 is constructed. In the device information management table, the device type and address information are associated with each of the device identification information (terminal identification information) divided by tabs, with at least one of the customer identification information and the customer name as tabs, and are stored and managed. Among these, the device identification information is information for identifying the user device 5 included (belonging) in the customer, and is given and managed as, for example, "D0001", "D0002", etc. Note that the device identification information is managed including not only the user device 5 but also the information of the communication terminal 4. This is for use when the management device 3 notifies the communication terminal 4 of the recommended introduction target, the calculated information, etc. When notifying the communication terminal 4 of the recommended information for recommending the introduction target, the management device 3 identifies the communication terminal 4 from the device identification information based on the customer identification information to be notified, and transmits the notification to the destination indicated by the address information. In addition, a user may be identified from the user identification information based on the customer identification information, and a notification may be sent to an email address. The device type is the type of device given as the user device 5, and includes "MFP (Multi Function Peripheral)", "scanner", "FAX (facsimile machine)", "electronic whiteboard", "projector", "PC", "smartphone", "interactive voice operation device (smart speaker)", etc. The address information is address information that identifies the user device 5 in the information processing system 1, and is given and managed, for example, as an IP address.

In addition, the device information management DB 3002 may store information indicating whether the management device 3 transmits a recommended information notification for each device identification information. For example, the device identification information corresponding to the user device 5 and communication terminal 4 managed by the management user is associated with information indicating that a recommended information notification or the like is to be transmitted and stored.

The device information management table is used for the following purposes. For example, when log information is received from a device not managed in the first history information management table described later (for example, a device that has just been installed by a customer and has not yet had logs collected from it), the device information management table is used to determine, based on the device management information, with which customer identification information the log information should be associated and stored. Alternatively, the device information management table is used when the management device 3 determines from which device to request log information. In this case, the address information is used when the management device 3 queries the user device 5. In this embodiment, the device information management table (device information management DB 3002) functions as an example of a device history information management means.

●Usage history information management table●
FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a usage history information management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, a usage history information management DB 3003 configured by the usage history information management table as shown in FIG. 11 is constructed. In the usage history information management table, for each device identification information divided by each tab with at least one of the customer identification information and the customer name as a tab, items including the device type, usage history (item 1), user identification information, user name, setting items, usage date and time, and usage amount are associated and stored and managed. Among these, the device type is information indicating the type of the user device 5, and is given by, for example, an MFP, a FAX, a projector, etc. The usage history (item 1) is an example of first history information indicating the usage history related to the functions of the user device 5. In addition, the usage history (item 1) is given by, for example, "business card copy", "scan and copy slip", "search", "video viewing", etc. In other words, the usage history (item 1) is information indicating the function or application executed by the user device 5. Here, the information indicating the function is the name of the function or the function identification information, and the information indicating the application is the name of the application or the application identification information. In addition to the information indicating the application, when one application has multiple functions, information indicating the function used in the application may be stored. The user identification information is information identifying the user who executed the function or application of the user device 5. The user name is the name of the user who executed the function or application of the user device 5. The setting item indicates the setting item and the setting value corresponding to the predetermined function set when using the function or application of the user device 5. The setting item indicates, for example, the print setting and the destination. The usage date and time indicates the date and time when the usage history is accumulated (i.e., the date and time when the function of the application is executed) or a predetermined period. The usage amount indicates the usage amount of the usage history (item 1) at the date and time given as the usage date and time or during the predetermined period. The usage amount may be the number of times the function or application executed a predetermined process or the number and capacity of the media, files, and data that were the subject of the process. The management device 3 can arbitrarily set the timing for acquiring the usage history information (usage amount) related to this usage history from the user device 5. The acquisition timing may be, for example, every day, every three days, every 10 days, etc. As a result, for example, when the management device 3 acquires predetermined usage history information (usage amount) every 10 days, usage history information (total usage amount) for 10 days is extracted.

In addition, the contents of the usage history (item 1) managed in the usage history information management table may include, for example, copy & print, scan, fax transmission/reception, and authentication when the device type is an MFP. When the device type is an electronic whiteboard (IWB), for example, projection, writing, collaboration between bases, and sharing of results may be considered. When the device type is a projector, for example, projection and writing may be considered. The above are devices when the management device 3 sends information to each user device.

In addition, the contents of the usage history (item 1) managed in the usage history information management table, when the device type is a smartphone, can include, for example, search, designing, information sharing (SNS), calls/emails, viewing of videos/still images/music, and navigation (location, behavior history). In this case, the management device 3 sends information to the smartphone (PC) itself, not to the user device. Note that in this embodiment, the usage history information management table (usage history information management DB 3003) functions as an example of a usage history information management means.

●Transaction history information management table●
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a transaction history information management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited to this. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, a transaction history information management DB 3004 configured by the transaction history information management table as shown in FIG. 12 is constructed. In the transaction history information management table, items including history type, transaction history (item 2), transaction date and time, and number of transactions (transaction amount) are associated and stored and managed for each user identification information divided by each tab with at least one of customer identification information and customer name as tabs. The history type is the type of transaction made by the user, and is given, for example, as "purchase", "investigation", "contract", etc. The transaction history (item 2) indicates the content or object of a transaction made by the user, and is an example of second history information indicating the transaction history. The transaction history (item 2) is given, for example, as "purchase of business card folder", "purchase of slip", "purchase of stamp", "operation status of sorting printing", "video editing", etc. The transaction date and time indicates the date and time when the transaction history is accumulated or a predetermined period. The number of transactions (transaction volume) represents the number of transactions in the transaction history (item 2) at a date and time given as the transaction date and time or during a specified period. Thus, the transaction history information includes purchase history information relating to the purchase history of equipment and the like, contract history information relating to the contract history of various services and licenses, and investigation history information relating to the investigation history such as questionnaire results and user environment monitoring results. Note that since the history management server 6 does not manage customer identification information, the management device 3 generates the transaction history information management DB 3004 by associating each piece of transaction information collected with customer identification information.

The contents of the transaction history (item 2) managed in the transaction history information management table include, for example, business card folders, paper, ink/toner, peripherals, office furniture, office wear, and other office supplies when the history type is purchase and the purchase target is office supplies. When the history type is purchase and the purchase target is nursing care supplies, nursing care supplies are possible. When the history type is purchase and the purchase target is building/construction, for example, blackboards, tools, transportation, polishing, and surveying equipment are possible. When the history type is purchase and the purchase target is safety signs, for example, safety signs and safety products are possible. When the history type is prevention purchase and the purchase target is crime/disaster prevention, for example, crime/disaster prevention products are possible. When the history type is purchase and the purchase target is store supplies, for example, cash registers, sealers, and flags are possible. When the history type is purchase and the purchase target is packaging supplies, for example, boxes, cushioning materials, and tape are possible. The above are the history types managed by the management device 3 as purchase history among the transaction history.

In addition, the contents of the transaction history (item 2) managed in the transaction history information management table may include, for example, a webinar application if the history type is a seminar. If the history type is electricity sales, for example, electricity sales services. If the history type is calls, for example, telephone services. If the history type is materials, for example, illustrations and templates. If the history type is columns, for example, know-how, manners, and trends. The above are the history types managed by the management device 3 as contract history (contract date and time, contract contents, etc.) within the transaction history.

In addition, the contents of the transaction history (item 2) managed in the transaction history information management table may include, for example, the number of the company's own devices, the number of other companies' devices, customer attributes, interests/problems, and contract timing if the history information is customer information. If the history type is a survey, for example, internet traffic monitoring information may be considered. The above are the history types that the management device 3 manages as survey history (questionnaire response results, interview results, monitoring results, etc.) within the transaction history.

The number of transactions (transaction volume) indicates the number of purchases or the number of purchases if the history type is purchase, indicates the results of the investigation if the history type is investigation, and indicates the contract details, the number of people covered by the contract, the number of devices, etc. In this embodiment, the transaction history information management table (transaction history information management DB3004) functions as an example of a transaction history information management means.

●Recommended Conditions Management Table●
FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a recommended condition management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, a recommended condition management DB 3005 configured by a recommended condition management table as shown in FIG. 13 is constructed. In the recommended condition management table, items including a usage item name (usage history), a recommended condition 1, a transaction item name (transaction history), and a recommended condition 2 are associated and stored and managed for each recommended condition identification information. The recommended condition identification information is identification information that identifies a recommended condition when recommending an introduction target such as an app, and is given, for example, as "RC0001", "RC0002", etc. The usage item name (usage history) indicates the item name used in the user device 5, and is given, for example, as an item name such as "business card copy", "slip scan", etc. The recommended condition 1 is given a threshold value when recommending the item given by the usage item name. The transaction item name (transaction history) indicates the item name as a transaction history different from the usage history in the user device 5, and is given, for example, as an item name such as "business card folder purchase", "slip purchase", etc. The recommended condition 2 is given a threshold value when the item given by the transaction item name is recommended. Here, the recommended condition indicated by "RC0001" will be described. In this case, when the "business card copy" function of the user device 5 is used 700 or more during the period indicated by the period α as indicated by the usage item name, and the number of "business card folder purchases" is 200 or more during the period indicated by the period α, it is determined that the recommended condition indicated by "RC0001" is satisfied. As a result, the introduction target is prompted to the predetermined customer by satisfying the above-mentioned predetermined recommended condition for the usage history and transaction history. In this embodiment, the recommended condition management table (recommended condition management DB 3005) functions as an example of a recommended condition management means.

●Management table for installation●
FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an introduction target management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, an introduction target management DB 3006 configured by the introduction target management table as shown in FIG. 14 is constructed. In the introduction target management table, items including recommended condition identification information, introduction target identification information, introduction target, and introduction target storage destination (purchasing destination) are associated and stored and managed for each recommended condition identification information. Among these, the introduction target identification information is identification information that identifies an introduction target such as an app, and is given, for example, as "RS0001", "RD0002", etc. The introduction target represents the entity of an app, etc., recommended for the user device 5, and is given, for example, as "business card management app", "billing management software", etc. The introduction target storage destination (purchasing destination) represents the location where the introduction target is stored, and is given, for example, as a URL, a company name, etc. Note that in this embodiment, the introduction target management table (introduction target management DB 3006) functions as an example of an introduction target management means. The introduction target management table may also include information indicating whether each introduction target is free or paid. For example, when the introduction target is an application, there are free applications and paid applications, and in the case of a paid application, flag information indicating that it is paid can be stored in association with the introduction target identification information.

●Installation information management table●
FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an introduction information management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 3000 of the management device 3, an introduction information management DB 3007 configured by the introduction information management table shown in FIG. 15 is constructed. In the introduction information management table, items including the introduction date and time, the user identification information, and the introducer name are associated and stored and managed for each introduction target identification information divided by each tab with at least one of the customer identification information and the customer name as tabs. Among these, the introduction date and time represents the date and time when the introduction target was introduced, or the date and time when the introduction target was purchased or contracted. The user identification information is identification information that identifies the user who introduced the introduction target. The introducer name represents the name of the user who introduced the introduction target recommended for the user device 5. In addition, the introduction information management table may store information indicating the contract type of the introduction target. For example, when the introduction target is an application, there is a free contract type such as a trial license, so in the case of a paid contract, flag information indicating that it is paid can be linked to the introduction target identification information and stored. In this embodiment, the introduction information management table (the introduction information management DB 3007) functions as an example of an introduction information management means. The introduction information management table can store all introduction targets introduced by the user. Here, the introduction information management table can store flag information indicating that the introduction target is introduced by the user as a result of being recommended by the management device 3, in association with the introduction target identification information. However, the introduction information management table may store only the introduction targets introduced by the user as a result of being recommended by the management device 3, and exclude the introduction targets introduced voluntarily by the user regardless of the recommendation.

<Functional configuration of communication terminal>
Next, the functional configuration of the communication terminal 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the communication terminal 4 has a transmission/reception unit 41, an operation reception unit 42, an acquisition unit 43, a display control unit 44, and a storage/reading unit 49. Each of these functional units is a function or means realized by operating any of the hardware resources shown in Fig. 5 by an instruction from the CPU 401 according to a program for the communication terminal 4 expanded from at least one of the ROM 402, the EEPROM 404, and the recording medium 414 to the RAM 403. The communication terminal 4 also has a storage unit 4000 constructed by at least one of the ROM 402, the EEPROM 404, and the recording medium 414 shown in Fig. 5. Furthermore, the storage unit 4000 stores a communication program (communication application) for communicating with each device and each terminal via the communication network 100, a browser application, a usage status management application for displaying the usage status of the target to be introduced, and the like.

<<Functional configuration of communication terminal>>
Next, a detailed description will be given of each functional configuration of the communication terminal 4. The transmission/reception unit 41 of the communication terminal 4 shown in Fig. 7 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 401 on the network I/F 411 and the short-range communication I/F 408, and transmits and receives various data (or information) between each terminal and each device via the communication network 100. In this embodiment, the transmission/reception unit 41 functions as an example of at least one of a transmission means and a reception means.

The operation reception unit 42 is realized mainly by the CPU 401 processing signals generated by various operations received by at least one of the touch panel 412 and the pointing device 413. In this embodiment, the operation reception unit 42 functions as an example of a reception means.

The acquisition unit 43 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 401, and acquires various information transmitted by the management device 3. For example, the acquisition unit 43 acquires recommended information included in a recommended information notification response transmitted by the management device 3. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 43 functions as an example of an acquisition means.

The display control unit 44 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 401 on the display 407, and controls the display of various screens and information (data) on the communication terminal 4. The display control unit 44 also uses, for example, a browser to display a display screen generated using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) or the like on the display 407 (hereinafter simply referred to as display 407) of the communication terminal 4. The display control unit 44 displays, for example, the acquired recommended information on the display 407. In this embodiment, the display control unit 44 functions as an example of a display control means.

The memory/read unit 49 is realized mainly by the processing of the CPU 401 on at least one of the ROM 402, the EEPROM 404, and the recording medium 414, and stores various data (or information) in the memory unit 4000 and reads various data (or information) from the memory unit 4000. In this embodiment, the memory/read unit 49 functions as an example of a memory/read means.

<Functional configuration of user device>
Next, the functional configuration of the user device will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. As shown in Figure 7, the user device 5 has a transmission/reception unit 51, an operation reception unit 52, an acquisition unit 53, a display control unit 54, a control unit 55, an execution unit 56, a generation unit 57, and a storage/reading unit 59. Each of these functional units is a function or means realized by operating any of the hardware resources shown in Figure 6 by an instruction from the CPU 501 according to a program for the user device 5 expanded from at least one of the ROM 502a and the HD 508 to the RAM 502b. The user device 5 also has a storage unit 5000 constructed by at least one of the ROM 502a and the HD 508 shown in Figure 6.

<<Functional configuration of user device>>
Next, each functional configuration of the user device 5 will be described in detail. The transmission/reception unit 51 of the user device 5 shown in Fig. 7 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 501 on the network I/F 550 and the short-range communication circuit 520, and transmits and receives various data (or information) between each terminal and each device via the communication network 100. The transmission/reception unit 51 also:
The first history information indicating the usage history related to the function of the user device that provides the history information is transmitted to the management device 3. In this embodiment, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 functions as an example of at least one of a transmitting means and a receiving means.

The operation reception unit 52 is realized mainly by the CPU 501 processing signals generated by various operations received by at least one of the panel display unit 540a and the operation button unit 540b of the operation panel 540. In this embodiment, the operation reception unit 52 functions as an example of a reception means.

The acquisition unit 53 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 501, and acquires various information transmitted by the management device 3. The acquisition unit 43 acquires, for example, recommended information included in the recommended information notification response transmitted by the management device 3, and application data (programs, etc.) related to various applications that are examples of applications to be introduced. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 53 functions as an example of an acquisition means.

The display control unit 54 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 501 on the panel display unit 540a of the operation panel 540, and controls the display of various screens and information (data) in the user device 5. The display control unit 54 also uses, for example, a browser to display a display screen generated by HTML or the like on the operation panel 540. Note that, although an MFP is given as an example of a user device 5 in this embodiment, this is not limiting. Therefore, the hardware resources in each functional unit of the user device 5 can be changed as appropriate to match the hardware resources constituting each user device 5. In this embodiment, the display control unit 54 functions as an example of a display control means.

The control unit 55 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 501, and performs various controls in the user device 5. In this embodiment, the control unit 55 functions as an example of a control means.

The execution unit 56 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 401, and launches various applications and the like in the user device 5, launches the print engine, executes printing processing, executes projection processing, and the like. In this embodiment, the execution unit 56 functions as an example of an execution means.

The generation unit 57 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 501, and generates various notifications to be notified and displayed on the user device 5. In this embodiment, the generation unit 57 functions as an example of a generation means.

The memory/read unit 59 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 501 on at least one of the ROM 502a and the HD 508, and stores various data (or information) in the memory unit 5000 and reads various data (or information) from the memory unit 5000. In this embodiment, the memory/read unit 59 functions as an example of a memory/read means.

●Usage history information management table●
FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a usage history information management table. The configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited to this. A usage history information management DB 5001 configured by the usage history information management table as shown in FIG. 16 is constructed in the storage unit 5000 of the user device 5. The usage history information management DB 5001 has the same items as the usage history information management table constituting the above-mentioned usage history information management DB 3003. Therefore, the description of each item is omitted here. Each user device 5 stores a usage history information management table in its respective storage unit 5000. In this embodiment, the usage history information management table (usage history information management DB 5001) functions as an example of a usage history information management means.

<Functional configuration of history management server>
Next, the functional configuration of the history management server 6 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 7. As shown in Figure 7, the history management server 6 has a transmission/reception unit 61, an acquisition unit 63, a registration unit 68, and a storage/readout unit 69. Each of these functional units is a function or means realized by operating any of the hardware resources shown in Figure 4 by an instruction from the CPU 601 according to a program for the history management server 6 expanded from at least one of the ROM 602, EEPROM 604, and HD 605 to the RAM 603. The history management server 6 also has a storage unit 6000 constructed by at least one of the ROM 602, EEPROM 604, and HD 605 shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, the storage unit 6000 stores a communication program (communication application) for communicating with each device and each terminal via the communication network 100, a browser application, a history management application for managing transaction history information transmitted by a user device, and the like.

<<Functional configuration of the history management server>>
Next, each functional configuration of the history management server 6 will be described in detail. The transmission/reception unit 61 of the history management server 6 shown in Fig. 7 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 601 on the network I/F 611 and the short-range communication I/F 608, and transmits and receives various data (or information) between each terminal and each device via the communication network 100. In this embodiment, the transmission/reception unit 61 functions as an example of at least one of a transmission means and a reception means.

The acquisition unit 63 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 601, and acquires transaction history information transmitted by the user device 5, the communication terminal 4, the sales representative's computer, etc. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 63 functions as an example of an acquisition means.

The registration unit 68 is realized by the processing of the CPU 601, and registers the transaction history information transmitted by the user device 5, the communication terminal 4, the sales representative's computer, etc., in the transaction history information management DB 6001. In this embodiment, the registration unit 66 functions as an example of a registration means.

The memory/read unit 69 is realized mainly by the processing of the CPU 601 on at least one of the ROM 602, the EEPROM 604, and the HD 605, and stores various data (or information) in the memory unit 6000 and reads various data (or information) from the memory unit 6000. In this embodiment, the memory/read unit 69 functions as an example of a memory/read means.

●Transaction history information management table●
FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a transaction history information management table. Note that the configuration of the data table described below is an example, and is not limited thereto. In the storage unit 6000 of the history management server 6, a transaction history information management DB 6001 configured by the transaction history information management table as shown in FIG. 17 is constructed. In the transaction history information management table, items including history type, transaction history (item 2), transaction date and time, and number of transactions (transaction amount) are associated and stored and managed for each user identification information. These items correspond to each item of the transaction history information management table managed by the management device 3. In other words, the contents of each item of the transaction history information management table related to a specific customer transmitted by the history management server 6 that manages the transaction history information for each customer are reflected in each item of the transaction history information management table managed by the management device 3. In this embodiment, the transaction history information management table (transaction history information management DB 6001) functions as an example of a transaction history information management means.

<Functional configuration of application distribution server>
Next, the functional configuration of the application distribution server will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, the application distribution server 7 has a transmission/reception unit 71, an acquisition unit 73, an execution unit 76, and a storage/readout unit 79. Each of these functional units is a function or means realized by operating any of the hardware resources shown in Fig. 4 by an instruction from the CPU 701 according to a program for the application distribution server 7 expanded from at least one of the ROM 702, the EEPROM 704, and the HD 705 to the RAM 703. The application distribution server 7 also has a storage unit 7000 constructed by at least one of the ROM 702, the EEPROM 704, and the HD 705 shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the storage unit 7000 stores a communication program (communication application) for communicating with each device and each terminal via the communication network 100, a browser application, various data constituting an application group, a function execution application for executing a predetermined function transmitted by the user device 5, an application to be installed in the user device 5, and the like as an introduction target. As described above, the application distribution server 7 may be a commonly used external server connected via the communication network 100. In this case, the functional configuration may correspond to the hardware specifications of the external server.

<<Application distribution server functional configuration>>
Next, each functional configuration of the application distribution server 7 will be described in detail. The transmission/reception unit 71 of the application distribution server 7 shown in Fig. 8 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 701 on the network I/F 711 and the short-range communication I/F 708, and transmits and receives various data (or information) between each terminal and each device via the communication network 100. In this embodiment, the transmission/reception unit 71 functions as an example of at least one of a transmission means and a reception means. For example, the transmission/reception unit 71 can receive a request for an application to be introduced from the user device 5 and deliver the application to be introduced to the user device 5.

The acquisition unit 73 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 701, and acquires an application distribution request transmitted by the user device 5, a processing request related to the user device 5 transmitted by the management device 3, etc. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 73 functions as an example of an acquisition means.

The execution unit 76 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 701, and in this embodiment, the execution unit 76 functions as an example of an execution means. For example, when a request to execute a specific function is received from the user device 5, the execution unit 76 provides the specific function to the user device 5.

The memory/read unit 79 is mainly realized by the processing of the CPU 701 on at least one of the ROM 702, the EEPROM 704, and the HD 705, and stores various data (or information) in the memory unit 7000 and reads various data (or information) constituting the application group from the memory unit 7000. In this embodiment, the memory/read unit 79 functions as an example of a memory/read means.

●Various app data●
Various application data managed in the application distribution server 7 or managed in an external server capable of communicating with the application distribution server 7 may follow the management method, specifications, etc. of the server that manages the various application data. Furthermore, the data structure of the various application data is not particularly limited.

[Processing or Operation of the Embodiment]
Next, each process or operation in the information processing system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Authentication process>
First, a description will be given of a user authentication process and a device registration process in the information processing system 1. Fig. 18 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the user authentication process and the device registration process. First, the display control unit 44 of the communication terminal 4 displays an authentication screen on the display 407 of the communication terminal 4 (step S11).

●Screen display example●
Fig. 19 is an example of a display screen when user authentication is performed in a communication terminal. As shown in Fig. 19, a login authentication screen 4001 is displayed on the display 407 of the communication terminal 4 by the display control unit 44. The login authentication screen 4001 displays an input area for inputting a user ID and a password, and a login button. The user can input a user ID and a password in these input areas and operate the login button.

Returning to FIG. 18, the operation reception unit 42 receives the authentication operation (step S12).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 41 transmits a user authentication request to the management device 3 (step S13). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the user authentication request transmitted by the communication terminal 4. At this time, the user authentication request includes the user identification information (user ID) and the password.

Next, the registration management unit 38 of the management device 3 executes a user authentication process (step S14). Specifically, the registration management unit 38 uses the user identification information and password received in step S13 as search keys to search the user information management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9) that is associated in advance with customer identification information indicating the customer to which the user belongs, and reads out the corresponding login information. The registration management unit 38 then checks whether the received user identification information and password match the read out user identification information and password. If a match is confirmed, the entered user identification information and password are deemed to be correct.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits a user authentication response to the user authentication request received in step S13 to the communication terminal 4 (step S15). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 41 of the communication terminal 4 receives the user authentication response transmitted by the management device 3. At this time, the user authentication response includes information indicating the user authentication result (e.g., authentication OK).

By the above process, the communication terminal 4 and the management device 3 successfully complete the login authentication process and the session establishment process, which are typically performed, and are now able to communicate with each other.

The display control unit 54 of the user device 5 causes the panel display unit 540a to display a device registration screen (step S21). Note that it is assumed that a predetermined login authentication process and a session establishment process for establishing a session have been successful between the user device 5 and the management device 3, and that they are in a state in which they can communicate with each other.

●Screen display example●
Fig. 20 is an example of a display screen at the time of device registration in a user device. As shown in Fig. 20, a device registration screen 5011 is displayed by the display control unit 54 on the panel display unit 540a of the user device 5. On the device registration screen 5011, an input area 5012 for inputting the type and name of the device, and a registration button 5051 are displayed. The user can input the type and name of the device in the input area 5012 and operate the registration button 5051. Note that the device registration process may be performed without the user's input by communication between the user device 5 and the management device 3, instead of the user's input on the device registration screen shown in Fig. 20.

Returning to FIG. 18, the operation reception unit 52 receives the device registration operation (step S22).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 51 transmits a device registration request to the management device 3 (step S23). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the device registration request transmitted by the user device 5. At this time, the device registration request includes device identification information, device type information, and address information indicating the destination of the user device 5.

Next, the registration management unit 38 of the management device 3 performs a device registration process (step S24). Specifically, the registration management unit 38 registers the device identification information, device type information, and address information indicating the destination of the user device 5 included in the device registration request received in step S23 in the device information management DB 3002 (see FIG. 10) that is previously associated with customer identification information indicating the customer to which the user belongs. This allows the management device 3 to associate with the user device 5 in the information processing system 1 (management system 2).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits a device registration response to the user device 5 as a response to the device registration request received in step S23 (step S25). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 51 of the user device 5 receives the device registration response transmitted by the management device 3. At this time, the device registration response may include a message indicating that device registration has been completed, a registration completion flag, etc.

As described above, before the processing of step S21, the user device 5 may perform a login process for the management device 3. In the login process, the user device 5 transmits a login request including a user name, password, etc. to the management device 3, and the management device 3 authenticates the user based on the information included in the login request and the information managed in the user information management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9). This enables the management device 3 to identify user identification information or customer identification information corresponding to the user.

In addition, the above-mentioned processes from steps S11 to S15 and the processes from steps S21 to S25 may be performed asynchronously with each other.

In addition, in the information processing system 1, it is assumed that the history management server 6 and the application distribution server 7, which are connected to each other via the communication network 100, are also capable of communicating with the management device 3 and the user device 5.

In the management system according to this embodiment, for example, when the processes of steps S13 and S15 described above are executed, other devices may exist between the communication terminal 4 and the management device 3. In other words, each piece of information (data) transmitted and received between the communication terminal 4 and the management device 3 may be configured to be transmitted and received once via another device. The above-described configuration can be applied even when other processing steps exist between the communication terminal 4 and the management device 3.

In addition, in the management system according to this embodiment, for example, when the processing of steps S23 and S25 described above is executed, other devices, etc. may exist between the management device 3 and the user device 5. In other words, each piece of information (data) transmitted and received between the management device 3 and the user device 5 may be configured to be transmitted and received once via another device, etc. The above-mentioned configuration can be applied even when other processing steps exist between the management device 3 and the user device 5.

<History information registration process>
Next, the history information registration process will be described. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the history information acquisition process. First, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 transmits a usage history information acquisition request to the user device 5 (step S31). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 51 of the user device 5 receives the usage history information acquisition request transmitted by the management device 3. At this time, the usage history information acquisition request includes device identification information for identifying the user device 5. However, the user device 5 may periodically transmit history information to the management device 3. In this case, the management device 3 can omit the process of step S31.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, the management device 3 acquires usage history information for each customer identified by the customer identification information. At this time, the management device 3 identifies one or more user devices 5 associated with the customer identification information based on the customer management information, and transmits a usage history information acquisition request to each of the identified user devices 5, either in sequence or all at once. As a result, the management device 3 transmits a usage history information acquisition request for each of the multiple user devices 5 owned by the customer. As a result, the management device 3 can manage the acquired usage history information in association with the customer identification information managed in the usage history information management DB 3003 (see FIG. 11).

Next, the memory/read unit 59 of the user device 5 reads the usage history information (step S32). Specifically, the memory/read unit 59 searches the usage history information management DB 5001 (see FIG. 16) using the device identification information received in step S31 as a search key, thereby reading out the usage history information relating to the corresponding usage history. The usage history information read out at this time is an example of the first history information.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 51 transmits a usage history information acquisition response to the management device 3 in response to the usage history information acquisition request received in step S31 (step S33). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the usage history information acquisition response transmitted by the user device 5, and the acquisition unit 33 acquires the usage history information acquisition response. At this time, the usage history information acquisition response includes device identification information that identifies the user device 5 and the read usage history information. The usage history information further includes the type of device, information corresponding to the usage history (item 1), the usage date and time (or period), and the usage amount. That is, the acquisition unit 33 acquires information including information corresponding to the usage history (item 1), the usage date and time (or period), and the usage amount as the first history information indicating the usage history related to the function of the user device 5. The process of step S32 can be performed by each of all user devices 5 that received the usage history information acquisition request.

Next, the registration management unit 38 of the management device 3 registers the usage history information received in step S33 (step S34). Specifically, the registration management unit 38 registers each item of information including the device identification information, device type, usage history (item 1), usage date and time, and usage amount received in step S33 in the corresponding items managed in the usage history information management DB 3003 (see FIG. 11). Note that the registration management unit 3 performs registration so that the usage history is not duplicated. As a result, the management device 3 identifies the customer identification information corresponding to the device identification information based on the received device identification information. As a result, the management device 3 can manage the usage history information for each user device 5 in association with the customer identification information.

Next, the transmitting/receiving unit 31 transmits a request to obtain transaction history information to the history management server 6 (step S35). As a result, the transmitting/receiving unit 61 of the history management server 6 receives the request to obtain transaction history information transmitted by the management device 3. At this time, the request to obtain transaction history information includes user identification information that identifies the user. Note that, if the history management server 6 manages the transaction history information in association with customer identification information, the request to obtain transaction history information may include customer identification information instead of user identification information.

Next, the memory/read unit 69 of the history management server 6 reads the transaction history information (step S36). Specifically, the memory/read unit 69 searches the transaction history information management DB 6001 (see FIG. 17) using the user identification information received in step S35 as a search key, and reads the transaction history information relating to the transaction history as an example of the corresponding second history information.

Next, the transmitter/receiver 61 transmits a transaction history information acquisition response to the management device 3 in response to the transaction history information acquisition request received in step S35 (step S37).
As a result, the transceiver 31 of the management device 3 receives the transaction history information acquisition response sent by the history management server 6, and the acquisition unit 33 also acquires the transaction history information acquisition response. At this time, the transaction history information acquisition response includes the user identification information and the read transaction history information. The transaction history information further includes the history type, information corresponding to the transaction history (item 2), transaction date and time (or period), and the number of transactions (transaction volume). In other words, the acquisition unit 33 acquires information including the history type, transaction date and time (or period), and the number of transactions (transaction volume) related to the transaction history (item 2) indicating a history different from the usage history (item 1) managed by the user device 5.

Next, the registration management unit 38 of the management device 3 registers the transaction history information included in the transaction history information acquisition response received in step S37 of registering the transaction history information (step S38). Specifically, the registration management unit 38 registers the transaction history information corresponding to the user identification information received in step S37 in the items of history type and transaction history (item 2) managed in the transaction history information management DB 3004 (see FIG. 12). The registration management unit 38 registers each piece of information in the items corresponding to each item including the history type, transaction history (item 2), transaction date and time, and number of transactions (transaction amount) as the transaction history information transmitted by the history management server 6 whose user identification information is "U0001". Here, the extraction identification unit 32 of the management device 3 searches the transaction history information management DB 3004 (see FIG. 12) using the received user identification information as a search key to identify the corresponding customer identification information. This allows the management device 3 to manage the transaction history information for each user in association with the customer identification information.

In addition, the management device 3 may have registered the device type in advance in the respective data tables in association with the device identification information in the usage history information received in step S33. In that case, it is not necessary to include the device type in the usage history information transmitted by the user device 5.

As described above, the transmission/reception unit 41 of the communication terminal 4 may transmit a procedure request for a Web site purchase or contract to the history management server 6. At this time, the user making the procedure request performs a login process before making the procedure request. In the login process, the user inputs a user name, password, etc., and authenticates the user by referring to the additional drawing (user management information). This allows the history management server to identify the user's user identification information and customer identification information, and therefore allows the procedure request and history information to be managed in association with the user identification information or customer identification information. In this case, the history management server 6 may register transaction history information corresponding to the procedure request in the transaction history information management DB 6001 (see FIG. 17), and the transmission/reception unit 61 may transmit the response to the communication terminal 4.

The transmission/reception unit 41 of the communication terminal 4 may also send a procedure request for a website purchase or contract to the history management server 6 via a purchase site separately provided in the information processing system 1. In this case, the history management server 6 may obtain transaction information corresponding to the procedure request from an external server that provides the purchase site. Thereafter, the transmission/reception unit 61 of the history management server 6 may send a procedure response for the website purchase or contract to the communication terminal 4.

Requests for procedures related to web site purchases or contracts may also be accessed using a telephone, facsimile machine, etc. In this case, the person in charge of the history management server 6 may manually input information to the history management server 6 using a person in charge PC, etc., separately provided in the information processing system 1. In this case, the person in charge also inputs user identification information or customer identification information. The history management server 6 then registers the corresponding transaction information in the transaction history information management DB 6001 (see FIG. 17), and the transmission/reception unit 61 may transmit the response to the person in charge PC.

In the management system according to this embodiment, for example, when the processes of steps S35 and S37 described above are executed, other devices, etc. may exist between the management device 3 and the history management server 6. In other words, each piece of information (data) transmitted and received between the management device 3 and the history management server 6 may be configured to be transmitted and received once via another device, etc. The above-described configuration can also be applied even when other processing steps exist between the management device 3 and the history management server 6.

The processes described in FIG. 21 may be executed periodically, or may be executed when the management device 3 receives a notification request about the introduction target from the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5.

<Recommendation Determination Processing in Management Device>
Next, the recommendation determination process executed by the management device 3 will be described. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the recommendation determination process. As shown in FIG. 22, each functional unit including the determination processing unit 35 of the management device 3 performs the recommendation determination process (step S41). The management device 3 may perform the recommendation determination process in response to a request from the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5, or may perform the recommendation determination process periodically. Specifically, the management device 3 performs various determinations related to the recommendation of an introduction target, which is an example of a recommended target, for the user device 5.

<Details of recommended judgment process>>
Next, the details of the recommendation determination process will be described. Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the recommendation determination process. Note that the flowchart shown below is an example of the embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this.

First, the extraction and identification unit 32 of the management device 3 identifies customer identification information (step S41-1). Specifically, the extraction and identification unit 32 identifies one of the customer identification information managed in the user information management DB 3001 or the device information management DB 3002. Note that, when the recommendation determination process is performed in response to a recommendation information notification request sent by the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5, the corresponding customer identification information is identified by searching the device information management DB 3002 (see FIG. 10) using the device identification information included in the recommendation information notification request as a search key, or by searching the user information management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9) using the user identification information included in the recommendation information notification request as a search key.

Next, the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts usage history information corresponding to the customer identification information (step S41-2). Specifically, the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts the corresponding usage history information by searching the usage history information management DB 3003 (see FIG. 11) using the customer identification information identified in step S41-1 as a search key. Here, the usage history information management DB 3003 manages history information of one or more devices for each customer identification information. Note that even if the usage history information and the customer identification information are not associated in the usage history information management DB 3003, the extraction and identification unit 32 can extract history information corresponding to the customer identification information. At this time, the extraction and identification unit 32 identifies all device identification information corresponding to the customer identification information identified in step S41-1 based on the device management information in the usage history information management DB 3003. For example, if the customer identification information identified in step S41-1 is "C0001", the extraction identification unit 32 extracts "D0001", "D0002", "D0003", and "D0004" as the device identification information. The extraction identification unit 32 then extracts history information corresponding to each of the extracted device identification information. Specifically, the extraction identification unit 32 extracts history information corresponding to all of the identified device identification information from the usage history information management DB 3003. The extracted history information is, for example, each of the usage history information corresponding to the device identification information "D0001", "D0002", "D0003", and "D0004" from among the multiple usage history information managed in the usage history information management DB 3003.

Next, the extraction and specification unit 32 extracts transaction history information corresponding to the customer identification information (step S41-3). Specifically, the extraction and specification unit 32 extracts the corresponding transaction history information by searching the transaction history information management DB 3004 (see FIG. 12) using the customer identification information identified in step S41-1 as a search key. Here, one or more pieces of transaction history information are managed for each customer identification information in the transaction history information management DB 3004. Note that even if the transaction history information and the customer identification information are not associated in the transaction history information management DB 3004, the extraction and specification unit 32 can extract the history information corresponding to the customer identification information. At this time, the extraction and specification unit 32 specifies all the user identification information corresponding to the customer identification information specified in step S41-1 based on the user identification information in the transaction history information management DB 3004. For example, if the customer identification information specified in step S41-1 is "C0001", "U0001" and "U0002" are extracted as the user identification information. Next, the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts history information corresponding to each of the extracted user identification information. Specifically, the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts history information corresponding to all of the identified user identification information from the transaction history information management DB 3004. The extracted history information is, for example, each piece of transaction history information corresponding to the user identification information "U0001" and "U0002" from among the multiple pieces of transaction history information managed in the transaction history information management DB 3004.

Next, the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts recommended conditions (step S41-4). Specifically, by searching the recommended condition management DB 3005 (see FIG. 13), the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts recommended conditions (recommended condition 1, recommended condition 2) associated with any one of the multiple recommended conditions by the recommended condition identification information. For example, the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts "business card copy" as the usage item name corresponding to the recommended condition identification information "RC0001", "700 sheets or more in period α" as recommended condition 1, "purchase business card folder" as the transaction item name, and "200 pieces or more in period α" as recommended condition 2.

Next, the judgment processing unit 35 judges whether the extracted history information matches the recommended conditions (step S41-5). Specifically, the judgment processing unit 35, together with the calculation unit 36, tally up the history information corresponding to the usage item name specified in the recommended condition 1 for the period specified in the recommended condition 1. For example, the judgment processing unit 35, together with the calculation unit 36, identifies history information managed in the usage history information management DB 3003 in which the usage item name is "business card copy" and the usage date and time is included in the period α, and calculates the total value of the usage amount. Here, the start point or end point of the period α may be set according to the recommended conditions, or may be determined based on the date and time when the recommendation judgment process is performed. In addition, the judgment processing unit 35, together with the calculation unit 36, tally up the history information corresponding to the transaction item name specified in the recommended condition 2 for the period specified in the recommended condition 2. For example, the judgment processing unit 35, together with the calculation unit 36, identifies history information managed in the transaction history information management DB 3004 in which the transaction item name is "purchase of business card folder" and the transaction date and time falls within the period α, and calculates the total number of transactions (transaction volume).

Then, the judgment processing unit 35 judges whether the calculated total value matches the recommended condition. For example, the judgment processing unit 35 judges that the calculated total value matches recommended condition 1 if the calculated total value is 700 or more based on the usage history information management DB 3003. The judgment processing unit 35 judges that the calculated total value matches recommended condition 2 if the calculated total value is 200 or more based on the transaction history information management DB 3004.

If it is determined that the extracted history information matches both recommended conditions 1 and 2 (step S41-5: YES), the extraction and identification unit 32 extracts an introduction target that corresponds to the recommended conditions that are determined to match (step S41-6). Specifically, the extraction and identification unit 32 searches the introduction target management DB 3006 (see FIG. 14) using the recommended condition identification information that corresponds to the recommended conditions that are determined to match the recommended conditions in step S41-5 as a search key, thereby extracting the corresponding introduction target.

Then, the judgment processing unit 35 judges whether all the recommended conditions have been confirmed (step S41-7). If all the recommended conditions have been confirmed (step S41-7: YES), the process proceeds to step S41-8.

On the other hand, if not all recommended conditions have been checked (step S41-7: NO), the judgment processing unit 35 extracts other recommended conditions (step S41-9) and then returns to the processing of step S41-5.

In step S41-8, the judgment processing unit 35 judges whether the history information of all customer identification information has been checked. If the history information of all customer identification information has been checked (step S41-8: YES), the judgment processing unit 35 exits this flow.

If the history information of all customer identification information has not been checked (step S41-8: NO), the judgment processing unit 35 identifies other customer identification information (step S41-10) and then returns to the processing of step S41-2.

The management device 3 repeats the above-mentioned processes from steps S41-1 to S41-5 as many times as the number of pieces of customer identification information arbitrarily extracted. Note that when performing the recommendation determination process in response to a recommendation information notification request sent by the communication terminal 4 or user device 5, the management device 3 only needs to check the history information for the user corresponding to the device identification information or customer identification information included in the request, and therefore can omit the processes described in steps S41-8 and S41-10.

<Generating recommended information notification screen data>
Returning to FIG. 22, the generation unit 37 of the management device 3 generates recommended information notification screen data (step S42). Specifically, the generation unit 37 generates recommended information notification screen data constituting a recommended information notification screen for recommending an introduction target (for example, the "business card management app" determined in step S41) recommended for the user device 5. The management device 3 may store the recommended information notification screen generated in step S42 or information on the introduction target determined in step S41 in association with customer identification information. In this way, when a recommended information notification is requested from the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5, the management device 3 can transmit the recommended information notification screen based on the previously created recommended information notification screen or information on the introduction target.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits a recommended information notification to the communication terminal 4 (step S43). For example, when the recommendation determination process is performed in response to a recommended information notification request transmitted by the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5, the recommended information notification is transmitted to the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5 that transmitted the recommended information notification request. The transmission/reception unit 31 may transmit the recommended information notification based on address information managed in the device information management DB 3002 or an email address managed in the user information management DB 3001. Here, the transmission/reception unit 31 may transmit the recommended information notification to the email address of the management user among the multiple email addresses managed in the user information management DB 3001, or to the user device 5 or communication terminal 4 managed by the management user among the multiple address information managed in the device information management DB 3002. As a result, the transmission/reception unit 41 of the communication terminal 4 receives the recommended information notification transmitted by the management device 3. The communication terminal may obtain the recommended information notification from an external server such as a mail server. At this time, the recommended information notification includes the recommended information notification screen data, the introduction target (application name) as the recommended information, comments, link information where the introduction target is saved (e.g., the URL of the web page), etc.

Next, the display control unit 44 of the communication terminal 4 causes the display 407 to display the recommended information notification screen included in the recommended information notification received in step S43 (step S44). Note that the communication terminal 4 may display the recommended information notification screen by accessing a web page provided by the management device 3. For example, the management device 3 performs user authentication processing in response to a user authentication request received from the communication terminal 4, and identifies the customer identification information to which the authenticated user belongs. Then, it provides the communication terminal 4 with a recommended information notification screen related to the identified customer identification information. In this case, step S43 can be omitted.

●Screen display example●
FIG. 24 is an example of a display screen for notifying the recommended information. As shown in FIG. 24, a recommended information notification screen 4011 is displayed by the display control unit 44 on the display 407 of the communication terminal 4. The recommended information notification screen 4011 displays a link display field 4012 in which the name of the introduction target (for example, "business card management app") extracted by the management device 3 corresponding to the user device 5, a comment on the recommended content, and a storage destination URL of the introduction target are described. At this time, the storage destination URL of the introduction target is information managed in the introduction target management DB 3006 (see FIG. 14) and managed in the item of the introduction target storage destination (purchase destination) associated with the introduction target identification information. This allows the user to check the contents of the recommended information notification screen 4011 and perform a necessary operation such as accessing the storage destination URL of the introduction target in the link display field 4012, thereby enabling the introduction target (in this case, the business card management app) to be introduced. This is also the case when the management device 3 transmits a recommended information notification to each user device 5. The destination URL of the introduction target may be the URL of the application distribution server 7, or may be the URL of a dedicated server for application registration that is connected to the application distribution server 7 and registers the application. After checking the recommended information notification screen 4011, the user can move to another screen by operating the confirmation button 4051. By displaying such a screen on the communication terminal 4, the user who uses the communication terminal 4 can understand what kind of introduction target exists for the desired user device 5. Furthermore, the user can obtain information regarding the introduction target by accessing the management device 3 or an external server based on the link information included in the recommended information notification.

<Procedure registration process>
Here, the purchase or contract of the introduction target based on the recommended information performed by the user will be described. As described in step S41, the recommended information included in the recommended information notification includes, for example, the storage destination of the introduction target, or the URL of the web page for purchasing or contracting the introduction target. Returning to FIG. 22 again, the process including the procedure registration process will be described below.

First, the operation reception unit 42 receives an operation for a link (step S45). Specifically, the operation reception unit 42 receives access to the URL of a web page indicated by the predetermined link information displayed in the link display field 4012 shown in FIG. 25.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 41 transmits a procedure request to the management device 3 (step S46). For example, if a user who has confirmed the recommended information wishes to introduce the introduction target, the user transmits a procedure request to access a web page and carry out the procedure for purchasing or contracting the introduction target. As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the procedure request transmitted by the communication terminal 4. At this time, the procedure request includes the URL information of the web page as the link information whose access was accepted in step S45, as well as the user identification information, customer identification information, and introduction target identification information.

Next, the registration management unit 38 of the management device 3 performs procedure registration (step S47). Specifically, the registration management unit 38 executes a process related to procedure registration for introducing the introduction target, such as the purchase or contract of the introduction target, based on the procedure request received in step S46. The process related to procedure registration includes storing the procedure request and notifying a specified person in charge to proceed with the purchase or contract process based on the procedure request. The process related to procedure registration also includes a process of registering customer identification information, introduction target identification information of the introduction target related to the purchase or contract, and date and time information indicating the date and time when the procedure request was received or the date and time when the procedure registration was performed in association with each other. At this time, the management device 3 identifies customer identification information related to the user identification information included in the procedure request. This allows the generation unit 37 to generate introduction information as shown in the introduction information management DB 3007 (see FIG. 15). As a result, the management device 3 can manage targets that are not purchased or contracted regardless of the recommendation by the management device 3, but are recommended by the management device 3 to a specified user and purchased or contracted by the recommended specified user. When generating introduction information via the recommended information notification screen, the generating unit 37 can store flag information indicating that the introduction target was introduced by the user because it was recommended by the management device 3, in association with the introduction target identification information.

Next, for example, a case where the introduction target is a native application (an application that needs to be installed on the user device 5) will be described. That is, when the introduction target is a native application, the management device 3 performs a license granting process for the user device 5 or user belonging to the customer of the application during the procedure registration. At this time, the process of checking the serial number, granting the license, etc. may be performed by the application distribution server 7.

In this state, the transmission/reception unit 51 of the user device 5 transmits the application serial number to the management device 3 (step S48). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the application serial number transmitted by the user device 5. At this time, the transmission/reception unit 51 may transmit the device identification information of the user device 5. As a result, the management device 3 can manage the device identification information of the user device 5 into which the application has been introduced in association with the introduction target identification information in the introduction information management DB 3007.

The management device 3 then checks the application serial number received in step S48 (step S49).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits an application serial number input response as a response to the application serial number received in step S48 (step S50). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 51 of the user device 5 receives the application serial number input response transmitted by the management device 3.

Next, the transceiver 31 of the management device 3 transmits a procedure response to the procedure request received in step S46 to the communication terminal 4 (step S51). As a result, the transceiver 41 of the communication terminal 4 receives the procedure response transmitted by the management device 3.

Meanwhile, the execution unit 56 of the user device 5 that received the application number input response in step S50 installs the application indicated by the application serial number in a predetermined area of the storage unit 5000 (step S52). Here, the application may be downloaded to the user device 5 via a network, or the application may be downloaded to the user device 5 by inserting a storage medium storing the application into the user device 5. Furthermore, when the installation of the application is completed, the user device 5 may transmit introduction target identification information and device identification information indicating the installed application. This causes the management device 3 to update the introduction information management DB 3007. Note that the above-mentioned processes from step S46 to step S51 and the processes from step S48 to step S52 may be performed asynchronously with each other, so the order of these processes does not matter.

In the process shown in FIG. 22, there may be an embodiment in which a recommendation information notification request is sent from the communication terminal 4 to the management device 3 as described above.

Note that installing an app is an example of an introduction process for making the app available on the user device 5. For example, if the app is a native app that becomes available by being installed on the user device 5, the user device 5 performs installation as the introduction process. On the other hand, if the app is a web app whose functions are provided in cooperation with an external server such as the app distribution server 7, the following process is performed. That is, as the introduction process, the user device 5 displays a shortcut to a browser app or the like on the home screen displayed on the panel display unit 540a of the user device 5, and performs settings for accessing the external server when the browser app is launched.

When the target for introduction is an app, the management device 3 performs processing through the procedure registration so that a user or user device 5 belonging to a customer who has completed the procedure registration can use the app. For example, when the app is a Web app, the user device 5 accesses an external server such as the app distribution server 7 to use the app's functions. Therefore, the management device 3 can directly transmit, or indirectly via the user device 5, permission information that permits the app distribution server 7 to provide the app functions to the user device 5 belonging to the customer who has completed the procedure registration.

Although the above describes a case where the user device 5 transmits an app serial number as a process for introducing the introduction target, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication terminal 4 may access the management device and specify an introduction destination or target of the introduction target from the communication terminal 4. For example, by accepting a specification of an app that has become available to the customer by procedure registration among multiple apps, and a specification of a user device 5 to which the app is to be introduced among multiple user devices 5 belonging to the customer, the specified app can be installed in the specified user device 5. As a result, the management device 3 can associate the introduction identification information of the introduction target with the device identification information of the user device 5 to which the app is to be introduced and manage them in the introduction information management DB 3007.

Acquiring and installing recommendations by user devices
Next, the process of acquiring the recommended information in the user device 5 will be described. FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram showing an example of various application acquisition processes. In FIG. 25, the recommended information notification transmitted by the management device 3 is displayed using an operation unit or the like provided in the user device 5, and then the acquisition and installation process of the application, which is an example of the introduction target, is performed. At this time, the process up to steps S61-S65 corresponds to the process up to steps S41-S45 shown in FIG. 22, so the description will be omitted. When the recommended information notification is received in the user device 5, a banner display or a pop-up display can be performed on the screen of the operation unit as a display indicating that the recommended information notification has been received. Then, the user operates the banner display unit or the pop-up display unit to display the recommended information notification screen in the user device 5. Note that only when the user who has logged in to the user device 5 is an administrative user, a display indicating that the recommended information notification has been received or a recommended information notification screen may be displayed. In this case, an administrative user who manages the user device 5 can be set in advance for each user device 5.

Next, the transmitting/receiving unit 51 of the user device 5 transmits an application distribution request to the application distribution server 7 based on the recommendation information received in step S63 (step S66). As a result, the transmitting/receiving unit 71 of the application distribution server 7 receives the application distribution request transmitted by the user device 5. At this time, the application distribution request includes, for example, URL information of the web page for which the operation was accepted in step S65, and the application to be introduced, i.e., introduction target identification information as information for identifying the application to be installed. In step S66, the user can purchase or sign a contract for the application to be introduced based on the received recommendation information. The application distribution request may also include device identification information.

Next, the memory readout unit 79 of the application distribution server 7 reads out the application data (step S67). Specifically, the memory readout unit 79 reads out the application associated with the introduction target identification information from among various applications managed in a specified area of the memory unit 7000. Here, the application distribution server 7 has registered the introduction target identification information and the application in advance in association with each other. The application distribution server 7 may inquire of the management device 3 about the application corresponding to the introduction target identification information. In conjunction with this process, the acquisition unit 73 acquires the application data read out from the memory unit 7000.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 71 transmits an application delivery response to the application delivery request received in step S66 to the user device 5 (step S68). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 51 of the user device 5 receives the application delivery response transmitted by the application delivery server 7. At this time, the application delivery response includes the application identification information and the application data read in step S67 (if there are multiple application identification information and various application data corresponding to them).

Next, the execution unit 56 of the user device 5 installs the application received in step S68 in a predetermined area of the storage unit 5000 (step S69). This allows the user device 5 to use the predetermined application that the user performed the operation to install in response to the recommendation information notification sent by the management device 3. Note that installing the application is an example of an installation process for making the application available on the user device 5. For example, if the application is a native application that becomes available by being installed on the user device 5, the user device 5 installs the application as the installation process. On the other hand, if the application is a Web application whose functions are provided in cooperation with an external server such as the application distribution server 7, the following process is performed. That is, as the installation process, the user device 5 displays a shortcut to a browser application or the like on the home screen displayed on the panel display unit 540a of the user device 5, and performs settings for accessing the external server when the browser application is started.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 51 transmits an installation completion notification to the management device 3 (step S70). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the installation completion notification transmitted by the user device 5. The installation completion notification may include a comment indicating that the installation has been completed, flag information indicating that the installation has been completed, device identification information, and introduction target identification information, etc.

Next, the registration management unit 38 of the management device 3 performs procedure registration (step S71). The procedure registration process includes a process of registering the customer identification information, the introduction target identification information that identifies the introduction target installed on the user device 5, the introduction date and time indicating the date and time when the installation was completed, and the device identification information indicating the user device 5 on which the application was installed in association with each other. At this time, the extraction and identification unit 32 searches the device information management DB 3002 (see FIG. 10) using the device identification information included in the installation completion notification received in step S70 as a search key to identify the corresponding customer identification information. As a result, the registration management unit 38 registers the introduction management information (the introduction date and time, etc.) associated with the identified customer identification information in the corresponding item of the introduction information management DB 3007 (see FIG. 15).

By the above process, the management device 3 can manage targets that have been purchased or contracted for as a result of being recommended by the management device 3, rather than targets that have been purchased or contracted for regardless of the recommendation by the management device 3. The timing at which the procedure registration process is executed is not limited to this. For example, the user device 5 may request the management device 3 to execute the procedure registration process when it transmits an app distribution request. Also, when the app distribution server 7 receives the app distribution request, the app distribution server 7 may request the management device 3 to execute the procedure registration process.

In the management system according to this embodiment, for example, when the processes of steps S66 and S68 described above are executed, other devices, etc. may be present between the user device 5 and the application distribution server 7. In other words, each piece of information (data) transmitted and received between the user device 5 and the application distribution server 7 may be configured to be transmitted and received once via another device, etc. The above-described configuration can be applied even when other processing steps exist between the user device 5 and the application distribution server 7.

<Notification process for unused functions>
Next, a notification process for an unused function will be described. FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process according to the amount of use. As shown in FIG. 26, the extraction and identification unit 32 of the management device 3 identifies an application that has been introduced for a predetermined period of time (step S81). Specifically, the extraction and identification unit 32 searches the introduction date and time managed in the introduction information management DB 3007 (see FIG. 15) using the current date and time information as a search key, thereby identifying the introduction target identification information corresponding to the application that has been introduced for a predetermined period of time (for example, one month). At this time, the extraction and identification unit 32 may further identify an introduction target that has been introduced to the user device 5 for a fee. For example, the extraction and identification unit 32 can determine whether the introduction target is introduced for a fee by searching the introduction target management DB 3006 based on the introduction target identification information. In addition, the extraction and identification unit 32 can determine whether the introduction target has been introduced under a paid contract by searching the introduction information management DB 3007 based on the introduction target identification information. In this way, the extraction and identification unit 32 can identify only the introduction targets that have been introduced for a fee, and can exclude the introduction targets that have been introduced free of charge. This allows the management user to identify the introduction targets that have been introduced for a fee but have not been used by the user, and thus allows the management user to confirm the introduction effect relative to the introduction cost. At this time, applications that have not been introduced by the customer X after recommendation, that is, applications that were originally introduced in the user device 5 or automatically introduced, can be excluded from the identified targets. For example, among the introduction targets stored in the introduction information management DB 3007, only introduction target identification information to which flag information indicating that the introduction target was introduced by the user because it was recommended by the management device 3 can be identified. This allows only the applications recommended by the management device 3 to be identified. However, instead of the process of step S81 described above, all the applications introduced by the customer X may be identified. Note that, when multiple applications are identified in step S81, the process described below can be executed for each of the identified multiple applications.

Next, the acquisition unit 33 acquires usage history information related to the identified app (step S82). Specifically, the acquisition unit 33 searches the usage history management DB 3003 (see FIG. 11) at a predetermined timing using the introduction target identification information corresponding to the app identified in step S81 as a search key, thereby acquiring usage history information related to the corresponding introduction target. At this time, the usage history information includes the usage history (item 1), the setting items, and the usage amount of the function executed by the setting items. The acquisition unit 33 can further acquire transaction history information including the corresponding transaction history (item 2) by searching the transaction history information management DB 3004 (see FIG. 12) using the user identification information corresponding to the introduction target identification information as a search key.

In step S82, for example, if there are one or more user devices managed by the same customer, a process for acquiring usage history information that combines the usage history information of one or more user devices 5A and 5B belonging to the customer may be performed based on the usage history information of both. At this time, a table of usage history information of user device 5A and a table of usage history information of user device 5B can be combined to generate a single table of usage history information.

Next, the calculation unit 36 calculates the usage amount (step S83). Specifically, the calculation unit 36 calculates the usage amount of the app used by the "general user" from among the user identification items managed in the user information management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9) for the usage history information acquired in step S82. In other words, the calculation unit 36 does not calculate the usage amount of the app used by the "management user". This makes it possible to calculate the usage amount as the total value of the number of times or amount that a specific app was used by all general users corresponding to the customer identification information of the management user who introduced the introduction target, in all user devices 5 corresponding to the customer identification information of the management user who introduced the introduction target.

The calculation unit 36 also calculates the usage amount for each app. For example, when multiple apps are installed, the calculation unit 36 calculates the usage amount for each app as the total number of times and amount of use of the app by general users. Here, the calculation unit 36 may calculate the number of times an app is launched as the usage amount. In this case, one item in the usage history information management table shown in FIG. 11 can be counted as one launch of the app.

The calculation unit 36 may also calculate the usage amount for each function of the app. For example, if an app has multiple functions, the usage amount is calculated for each function of the app as the total number of times or amount of use of specific functions of the app by general users. As an example, if the app is a printer app, it has multiple functions such as a print function and a scan function. In this case, the number of times the print function was used or the number of pages printed, and the number of times the scan function was used or the number of pages scanned can be calculated as the usage amount. As a result, even if only some of the functions of the app are paid functions, the administrative user can determine whether or not to continue using the paid functions by checking whether the paid functions are being used by general users.

The calculation unit 36 may also calculate the usage amount for each setting item or setting value set when using the app. For example, if a user can arbitrarily set a setting value for a function when using the function of one app, the usage amount can be calculated as the total value of the number of times or the amount of time that a general user has set a specific setting value for the app for each setting item or setting value of the app. As an example, if the app is a scan app, the internal storage or cloud storage of the user device 5 can be set as the destination for saving scan data. In this case, the number of times the destination is set to the internal storage and the number of times the destination is set to the cloud storage can be calculated as the usage amount. In this way, when an administrative user installs an app in anticipation of a general user using a certain setting of the app, the administrative user can determine whether or not to continue using the app by checking whether the setting has been set by the general user.

As described above, in step S83, the case where the usage amount of the app (function) by the administrative user with administrator authority is not calculated has been described. This is not limited to this, and only the usage amount of the app by the administrative user who introduced the app may be excluded. In other words, even if the administrative user has administrator authority, if the user is not the user who introduced the corresponding app, the usage amount of the app by that user may be calculated as the usage amount. The reason why only the usage amount of the app by the administrative user who introduced the app is excluded is that, for example, in customer X, even if the administrative user with administrator authority introduces a specific app to the user device 5 in response to recommendation information, the general user may not notice that the app has been introduced. In other words, this is a case where only the administrative user with administrator authority who decided to introduce the app knows the existence of the app. In such a case, the administrative user with administrator authority can actively use the app after it is introduced, but the general user who is not informed of the introduction cannot actively use the app. As a result, a situation may occur in which the usage amount of the corresponding app does not increase. Therefore, from the viewpoint of fairness, the management device 3 calculates the usage amount by general users, not the usage amount by the administrative user with administrator authority, and considers the usage status of the introduced app based on the calculation result. In this case, the management device 3 may obtain purchase information, contract information, etc. related to customer X from an external server, etc., and obtain the user identification information and user name of the user who installed the app for each app installed by customer X.

Next, the calculation unit 36 compares the calculated usage amount with a predetermined threshold. That is, the calculation unit 36 judges whether the usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition. Here, the comparison target may be the usage amount of the app, the usage amount of a specific function in the app, or the usage amount of a specific setting item or setting value in the app's function. It is possible to arbitrarily set which usage amount of the app, function, setting item, or setting value is to be compared. In addition, the threshold can be arbitrarily set. When the usage situation matches the predetermined condition, that is, when the calculated usage amount falls below the predetermined threshold, the generation unit 37 generates a notification related to the identified app (step S84). That is, the predetermined condition is that any of the usage amount of the app, the usage amount of a specific function in the app, and the usage amount of a specific setting item or setting value in the app's function falls below the predetermined threshold.

In addition, the generation unit 37, together with the extraction and identification unit 32, searches for and identifies apps that are related to the identified app and have more specialized functions than the identified app or are less expensive than the identified app, or both, from among apps managed by the app distribution server 7 or a dedicated external server, and generates a notification including information related to the app. However, the notification generated by the generation unit 37 is not limited to this. For example, the generation unit 37 may generate a notification consisting of a fixed phrase, in which case the information related to the app may be omitted.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits the generated notification to the communication terminal 4 or the user device 5 (step S85). The transmission/reception unit 31 can transmit a notification to the specified email address by identifying the user identification information of the management user who has introduced the identified application based on the introduction management DB 3007 and identifying an email address associated with the identified user identification information based on the user information management DB 3001. The transmission/reception unit 31 may also identify customer identification information corresponding to the identified user identification information based on the user information management DB 3001, identify address information associated with the identified customer identification information based on the device information management DB 3002, and transmit a notification to the identified address information. As a result, the transmission/reception unit 41 of the communication terminal 4 receives the notification transmitted by the management device 3.

At this time, the notification may include various notification information. In step S85, a notification including information indicating that the corresponding app or a specific function or setting in the app is not being used by general users as an example of notification information can be sent to an administrative user with administrator authority. The notification information may include the installation date and time of the corresponding app (or the number of days since installation), the usage amount by general users, and alternative app information. Here, the usage amount included in the notification may be the usage amount of the app, the usage amount of a specific function in the app, and the usage amount of a specific setting item or setting value in the function of the app. In addition, the alternative app information may be, for example, an app that has a similar function to the corresponding app and is different from the corresponding app. At this time, for example, an app that is less expensive (cheaper) than the corresponding app is recommended as the alternative app. The alternative app information further includes alternative introduction target information indicating information of an alternative introduction target that is a substitute for the introduction target. The transmission/reception unit 31 may transmit a notification in response to a request from the communication terminal 4. For example, the transmission/reception unit 31 can display the notification via the browser of the communication terminal 4 by transmitting a notification when it receives access from the communication terminal 4. If multiple apps are identified in step S81, a single notification may be generated that includes the installation date and time (or the number of days since installation) of each of the multiple apps identified, the amount of usage by general users, and alternative app information. The notification information may also include the installation date and time (or the number of days since installation), the amount of usage by general users, and alternative app information for apps not identified in step S81, or for apps identified in step S81 whose usage status is determined not to match a predetermined condition.

Also, instead of or in addition to the processing of step S85 described above, the management device 3 may send a notification to general users in the same manner. The notification method in this case may be to display the notification on the screen of the communication terminal 4 used by the general users, or to send an email to an email address corresponding to each general user. In other words, the transmission/reception unit 31 can identify the user identification information of a general user or another administrative user that is linked to the customer identification information of the administrative user who has installed the identified app, and send a notification to the email address that is linked to the identified user identification information.

Next, the display control unit 44 of the communication terminal 4 displays the notification (step S86). Specifically, the display control unit 44 causes the display 407 to display a screen such as that shown in the following example notification screen.

●Screen display example●
FIG. 27 is an example of a display screen for notifying the application usage status. As shown in FIG. 27, an application usage status notification screen 4021 is displayed by the display control unit 44 on the display 407 of the communication terminal 4. The application usage status notification screen 4021 is an example of a notification generated by the generation unit 37 and transmitted by the transmission/reception unit 31. In the application usage status notification screen 4021, a screen including the installation date and time of the corresponding application (or the number of days since installation), the usage amount by general users, and recommended alternative application information is displayed. The recommended alternative application information is further displayed by the display control unit 44 in a link display field 4022 of the recommended alternative installation target. At this time, the content of the link (storage destination URL) of the recommended alternative installation target may include information such as the functions possessed by the alternative installation target, and contact information and access information to the contract site for making an installation contract for the alternative installation target. In addition, the content of the link may be newly managed in the installation target management DB 3006 (see FIG. 14). In that case, the recommended alternative installation target becomes information newly managed in the item of the installation target storage destination (purchase destination) associated with the installation target identification information. This allows the user to check the contents of the recommended information notification screen 4011 and perform an operation such as tapping the destination URL of the target to be introduced in the link display field 4022 of the alternative introduction target, thereby enabling the user to introduce the alternative introduction target (in this case, a low-cost business card management app).

Returning to FIG. 26, if the calculated usage amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the management device 3 exits the notification process for unused functions and executes other processes (step S87). The transmitter/receiver 31 can notify the administrative user with administrator authority that the app is being used by general users by sending an app usage status notification screen to the administrative user who installed the app. In this case, the app usage status notification screen may omit the recommended alternative app information. Note that the management device 3 may end the process without sending the app status notification screen.

In the processing of steps S84-S87, the management device 3 and the communication terminal 4 may execute the processing of steps S84-S86 when the value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and execute the processing of step S87 when the value exceeds the predetermined threshold. In other words, the conditional branching of the processing for the predetermined threshold is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 26.

Regarding the above-mentioned steps S84-S86, the management device 3 may notify the communication terminal 4 according to the usage mode of the app. For example, the administrator may introduce a scan app for the purpose of saving scan data in cloud storage. However, an app generally has multiple functions. For this reason, a general user may use the app in a usage mode different from the administrative user's intention. Therefore, the usage history of the app may include the functions and setting values executed by the app. In this case, in the process of step S83, the calculation unit 36 may calculate the usage amount for each function/setting value of the app. Next, in step S84, the judgment processing unit 35 may determine whether the usage amount of the function/setting value previously set by the administrator is below a predetermined threshold, and in step S85, the generation unit 37 may generate a notification related to the function/setting value, and the transmission/reception unit 31 may transmit the notification to a predetermined destination.

Processing with other forms of user devices
Here, an example of processing using a user device of another form will be described. FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing using a user device of another form. In the example shown in FIG. 28, a case will be described in which the user device 5 uses an interactive voice operation device (hereinafter, referred to as a smart speaker) with a smart speaker or an AI speaker as an example. In this case, the target to be introduced is, for example, an application for the smart speaker to execute a predetermined function. Examples of the application include a native application that is installed in the smart speaker to execute a function, and a Web application that the smart speaker executes a function in cooperation with the application distribution server 7. In addition, an extension function for expanding the function provided by the application distribution server 7, and a program for expanding the function, etc. may be expressed as an application. For this reason, the introduction of the application to be introduced includes an application for use of the application from the communication terminal 4 to the application distribution server 7.

In the case of FIG. 28, first, the transceiver 51 of a smart speaker, which is an example of a user device 5, transmits a processing request to the management device 3 (step S101). As a result, the transceiver 31 of the management device 3 receives the processing request transmitted by the smart speaker. At this time, the processing request includes device identification information that identifies the smart speaker and voice information input to the smart speaker.

Next, the determination processing unit 35 of the management device 3 performs authentication processing (step S102). Specifically, the determination processing unit 35 compares the device identification information included in the voice information received in step S101 with the device identification information previously registered in the management device 3. If the comparison shows that matching device identification information has been registered, the management device 3 determines that authentication has been successful. At this time, the determination processing unit 35 identifies the customer identification information that corresponds to the device identification information.

Next, the determination processing unit 35 performs a voice recognition process based on the voice information (step S103), and then performs a usability determination process (step S104). Specifically, the determination processing unit 35 determines the usable services based on a device authority DB associated with the device identification information, or a customer authority DB corresponding to the customer identification information associated with the device identification information.

The management device 3 may identify available services based on the contract identification information and service identification information associated with the separately identified tenant identification information and group identification information. The judgment processing unit 35 of the management device 3 compares the service identification information corresponding to the service information identified from the voice information spoken by the user with the service identification information corresponding to the service identified as an available service. As a result of the comparison, if the service identification information matches, the judgment processing unit 35 determines that the service is available, and if it does not match, determines that the service is unavailable.

If there is no available service (if the service is unavailable), the transceiver 31 of the management device 3 sends a processing response to the smart speaker including unavailable information indicating that the service is unavailable (step S105). As a result, the transceiver 51 of the smart speaker receives the processing response sent by the management device 3.

Next, the display control unit 54 of the smart speaker causes the display unit of the smart speaker to display information indicating that the device is unavailable (step S106).

On the other hand, if there is an available service (if the service is available), the transceiver 31 of the management device 3 transfers (transmits) the processing request of the smart speaker received in step S101 to the application distribution server 7 (step S107). As a result, the transceiver 71 of the application distribution server 7 receives the processing request transmitted by the management device 3. At this time, the processing request includes job information to be processed and parameter information related to the job. Note that, depending on the service information, the management device 3 may execute processing based on the job information and parameter information. In this case, it is possible to omit identifying the application distribution server 7 and transmitting the processing request.

Next, the execution unit 76 of the application distribution server 7 performs authentication processing based on the received processing request (step S108).

Then, the transmission/reception unit 71 transmits a processing response to the processing request received in step S107 to the management device 3 (step S109). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the management device 3 receives the processing response transmitted by the application distribution server 7. At this time, the processing response includes processing result information.

Next, the transceiver 31 of the management device 3 transmits a processing response including information on the result of the processing performed by the application distribution server 7 to the smart speaker (step S110). As a result, the transceiver 51 of the smart speaker receives the processing response transmitted by the management device 3.

Next, the display control unit 54 of the smart speaker displays the processing result (step S111). Specifically, the display control unit 54 displays the processing result information included in the received processing response on the display unit or outputs it as audio via the speaker. Through the above processing, the user using the smart speaker can cause the application distribution server 7 to execute the desired processing and confirm the result by display or audio.

In the case of the smart speaker described above, the functions provided by the app are realized in the management device 3 or the external server 7. Therefore, when introducing an app, a user enters into a contract to use the app by accessing the management device 3 or the external server (app distribution server 7) from the user device 5 or another communication terminal. This makes it possible to use the functions of the app from the user device 5 by setting the authority in the management device 3 or the external server 7 to provide the functions of the app to the user who has entered into the contract, or to an account or user device 5 corresponding to that user.

In the management system according to this embodiment, for example, when the processes of steps S107 and S109 described above are executed, other devices, etc. may exist between the management device 3 and the application distribution server 7. In other words, each piece of information (data) transmitted and received between the management device 3 and the application distribution server 7 may be configured to be transmitted and received once via another device, etc. The above-described configuration can be applied even when other processing steps exist between the management device 3 and the application distribution server 7.

[Main Effects of the Embodiments]
As described above, according to this embodiment, the management device 3 acquires history information related to the introduction target by a general user (step S82), generates a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition (step S84), and transmits the generated notification to the management user (step S85). This has the effect that even if the user who manages the introduction target of an app or the like is different from the user who uses it, the management user who manages the introduction target can grasp the usage situation of the introduction target introduced by the management user by other users.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the notification generated for the identified app is sent to the address of a user with administrator authority or to the address of a general user. This, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, enables the user to visually and objectively grasp the usage status of the target to be introduced, and enables the user to consider introducing a cheaper app that is more suited to the functions actually used than the target to be introduced.

[Supplementary description of the embodiment]
Each function of the above-mentioned embodiment can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a device programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit. This device refers to, for example, a processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (digital signal processor), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an SOC (System on a chip), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a conventional circuit module, etc.

In the above-described embodiment, for example, a system may be provided that learns the processes from step S81 to step S83 described above using machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, etc. Furthermore, the management system may provide a system that can notify the user of a comment text when notifying the user of the app usage status by using the results learned using machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, etc.

So far, we have described a management device, management system, management method, and program according to one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be modified within the scope of what a person skilled in the art can imagine, such as adding, changing, or deleting other embodiments, and any aspect is within the scope of the present invention as long as it provides the functions and effects of the present invention.

■ Summary ■
For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows.

<First aspect>
The management device 3 (an example of a management device; omitted below) that manages information related to the introduction target introduced into a user device 5 (an example of a device; omitted below) as a first aspect has a registration management unit 38 (an example of a management means; omitted below) that manages management users and general users related to the introduction target, an acquisition unit 33 (an example of an acquisition means; omitted below) that acquires usage history information related to the introduction target used by general users, a generation unit 37 (an example of a generation means; omitted below) that generates a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information matches a specified condition, and a transmission/reception unit 31 (an example of a transmission means; omitted below) that transmits the notification to the management user.

According to the first aspect, even if the user who manages the target of introduction of an app or the like is different from the user who uses the app, the management user who manages the target of introduction can grasp the usage status of the target introduced by the management user by other users.

<Second aspect>
In the second aspect, the extraction and identification unit 32 (an example of an identification means; omitted below) of the user device 5 identifies an introduction target that has been introduced to the user device 5 for a fee in the first aspect, and the generation unit 37 generates a notification when the usage status based on the usage history information of the introduction target identified by the extraction and identification unit 32 matches specified conditions.

According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the administrative user can more easily manage the implementation costs and maintenance costs of the implementation target.

<Third aspect>
The extraction and identification unit 32 of the management device 3 as the third aspect identifies an introduction target introduced to the user device 5 in response to the notification sent by the management device 3 in the second aspect.

According to the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, it becomes possible for the administrative user to easily understand the introduction history of the introduction target.
In addition to the effect of the second aspect, the management device 3 can identify the introduction target introduced to the user device 5 in response to the notification.

<Fourth aspect>
In the fourth aspect, the extraction and identification unit 32 of the user device 5, in the first or second aspect, acquires, as history information, information that combines the usage history information of one or more user devices associated with the same customer identification information.

According to the fourth aspect, the management device 3 acquires various historical information on the user devices 5 used by the same customer, which enables the management user to easily grasp the usage trends of the target device by general users who are managed with the same customer identification information.

<Fifth aspect>
The extraction and identification unit 32 of the user device 5 as the fifth aspect acquires identification information and introduction date and time information of the introduction target that has been introduced in the first or second aspect.

According to the fifth aspect, the management device 3 obtains more detailed information related to the target of introduction, allowing the management user to receive more detailed notifications.

<Sixth aspect>
In any of the first to fifth aspects, the transmitter/receiver 31 of the user device 5 as a sixth aspect transmits a notification to the communication terminal 4 in response to access from the communication terminal 4 used by the administrative user.

According to the sixth aspect, the administrative user can receive notifications in response to inquiries, requests, etc. sent by the administrative user at the timing desired by the administrative user.

<Seventh aspect>
The generation unit 37 of the user device 5 as a seventh aspect generates, in any of the first to sixth aspects, a notification including information on an alternative introduction target that is an alternative to the introduction target when the usage amount for a function or setting related to the calculated specific introduction target is below a predetermined value.

According to the seventh aspect, the administrative user can introduce other introduction targets that are more suitable for the user than the introduction target used on the user device 5, and can use other introduction targets including general users.

<Eighth aspect>
In the seventh aspect, the transceiver 31 of the user device 5 as the eighth aspect transmits the generated notification to a destination associated with customer identification information that identifies the customer.

According to the eighth aspect, an administrative user who manages the target of introduction and has a destination associated with customer identification information can grasp the usage status of the target introduced by the administrative user by other users.

<Ninth aspect>
The user device 5 of the ninth aspect is any one of an MFP, a scanner, a facsimile machine, an electronic whiteboard, a projector, a PC, a smartphone, and an interactive voice operation device in any one of the first to ninth aspects.

According to the ninth aspect, even if the user device 5 is a variety of devices, as in the first aspect, the administrative user who manages the target of introduction can grasp the usage status by other users of the target introduced by the administrative user.

<Tenth aspect>
The management system 2 (an example of a management system; omitted below) as a tenth aspect has a management device 3 that manages information related to an introduction target introduced to a user device 5, and a communication terminal 4 that displays information related to the introduction target transmitted by the management device 3, and the management device 3 has a registration management unit 38 (an example of a management means; omitted below) that manages an administrative user and a general user related to the introduction target, an acquisition unit 33 (an example of an acquisition means; omitted below) that acquires usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user, a generation unit (an example of a generation means; omitted below) that generates a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition, and a transmission/reception unit 31 (an example of a transmission means; omitted below) that transmits the notification to the administrative user,
The communication terminal 4 has a display control unit 44 (an example of a display control means) that displays the notification generated by the management device 3 on a display means.

According to the tenth aspect, as in the first aspect, even if the user who manages the target of introduction of an app or the like is different from the user who uses it, the management user who manages the target of introduction can grasp the usage status of the target introduced by the management user by other users.

<Eleventh aspect>
The management method executed by the management device 3 for managing information related to the introduction target introduced into the user device 5 (an example of a device) as the 11th aspect executes processing including a management step (steps S14, S34) for managing the management user and general users related to the introduction target, an acquisition step (step S82) for acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user, a generation step (step S84) for generating a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information matches a specified condition, and a transmission step (step S85) for transmitting the notification to the management user.

According to the eleventh aspect, as in the first aspect, even if the user who manages the target of introduction of an app or the like is different from the user who uses it, the management user who manages the target of introduction can grasp the usage status of the target introduced by the management user by other users.

<Twelfth aspect>
The program as a twelfth aspect causes a management device 3 that manages information related to an introduction target introduced into a user device 5 (an example of a device) to execute processing including a management step (steps S14, S34) of managing an administrative user and general users related to the introduction target, an acquisition step (step S82) of acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by a general user, a generation step (step S84) of generating a notification when the usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition, and a transmission step (step S85) of transmitting the notification to the administrative user.

According to the twelfth aspect, as in the first aspect, even if the user who manages the target of introduction of an app or the like is different from the user who uses it, the management user who manages the target of introduction can grasp the usage status of the target introduced by the management user by other users.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information processing system 2 Management system 3 Management device 4 Communication terminal 5 User device 6 History management server 7 Application distribution server 31 Transmitting/receiving unit (an example of a transmitting means, an example of a receiving means)
32 Extraction and identification unit (an example of an extraction means, an example of an identification means)
33 Acquisition unit (an example of a first acquisition means, an example of a second acquisition means, an example of an acquisition means)
36 Calculation unit (an example of a calculation means)
37 Generation unit (an example of a generation means)
38 Registration management unit (an example of a registration means, an example of a management means)
407 Display (an example of a display means)
540a: Panel display unit (an example of a display means)

JP 2018-190154 A

Claims (13)

A management device for managing information related to an introduction target introduced into a device,
a management means for managing a management user and a general user related to the introduction target;
An acquisition means for acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user;
a generating means for generating a notification when a usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition;
a transmission means for transmitting the notification to the administrative user;
having
A management device comprising: Further comprising a specification means for specifying an introduction target that has been introduced to the device for a fee among the introduction targets,
The generating means generates the notification when a usage situation based on usage history information of the introduction target identified by the identifying means matches the predetermined condition.
2. The management device according to claim 1. The identification means is
Identifying an introduction target introduced to the device according to the recommendation information transmitted by the management device;
3. The management device according to claim 2. The acquisition means includes:
As the usage history information, information combining each usage history information of one or more devices associated with the same customer identification information is acquired.
3. The management device according to claim 1 or 2. The acquisition means includes:
Acquire identification information and introduction date and time information of the introduced introduction target.
3. The management device according to claim 1 or 2. The transmitting means is
transmitting the notification to the communication terminal in response to an access from the communication terminal used by the administrative user;
2. The management device according to claim 1. The generating means includes:
When the calculated usage amount of the function or setting related to the specific introduction target is equal to or less than the predetermined value, a notification including information of an alternative introduction target that is an alternative to the introduction target is generated as the notification.
2. The management device according to claim 1. The management device according to claim 7, further comprising:
a transmission means for transmitting the generated notification to a destination associated with customer identification information that identifies the customer;
having
A management device comprising: The device is any one of an MFP, a scanner, a facsimile machine, an electronic whiteboard, a projector, a PC, a smartphone, and an interactive voice-operated device.
2. The management device according to claim 1. A management system including a management device that manages information related to an introduction target introduced to a device, and a communication terminal that displays the information related to the introduction target transmitted by the management device,
The management device includes:
a management means for managing a management user and a general user related to the introduction target;
An acquisition means for acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user;
a generating means for generating a notification when a usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition;
a transmission means for transmitting the notification to the administrative user;
having
The communication terminal includes:
a display control means for displaying the notification generated by the management device on a display means;
having
1. A management system comprising: A management method executed by a management device that manages information related to an introduction target introduced to a device, comprising:
a management step of managing a management user and a general user related to the introduction target;
An acquisition step of acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user;
a generating step of generating a notification when a usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition;
a sending step of sending the notification to the administrative user;
A management method for performing a process including: A management device for managing information related to an introduction target introduced into a device,
a management step of managing a management user and a general user related to the introduction target;
An acquisition step of acquiring usage history information related to the introduction target used by the general user;
a generating step of generating a notification when a usage situation based on the usage history information matches a predetermined condition;
a sending step of sending the notification to the administrative user;
A program that executes a process including: The introduction target is a program that can be installed on the device.
The management device according to claim 1 .