JP4906832B2 - Computer product maintenance support system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for receiving and managing a failure of a service provider who provides a maintenance service for a computer-related product. In particular, the present invention relates to a technology that supports determining failure contents from receiving failure information, determining replacement parts, and receiving delivery. Service providers are manufacturers of computer-related products and maintenance service providers.

  Conventionally, in the case of a failure of a single component of a computer-related product such as an HDD, a maintenance support system on the Web that allows a user such as a personal computer including a single component to replace the failed component is known. ing. There is known a maintenance support system on the Web that enables a user to replace a part sent by a distributor after the faulty part is sent and the distributor confirms the failure of the part. When a user such as a personal computer identifies a fault in a part using Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology) You can request a replacement part by entering a number. The maintenance support system confirms that the product is actually manufactured and shipped from the registered product number and manufacturing number, and displays a message that can be exchanged on the Web system. The user of the computer (or parts) registers the delivery address in the maintenance support system, requests the delivery of the replacement part, and sends the failed part to the address designated on the maintenance support system. The manufacturer confirms that the sent part is faulty and sends the replacement part to the user.

  As described above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 discloses an example in which replacement is possible even if a maintenance person or worker does not go to the site. In Patent Literature 1, a system is provided that replaces a faulty part specified by fault information with a corresponding maintenance part. A component replacement / delivery system 20 that replaces a faulty part based on the fault information and restores the fault when a fault occurs in an operating computer device, and notifies a related department to supply the corresponding maintenance part. , Receiving a notification from the parts replacement / delivery system, picking up the faulty part and delivering the relevant maintenance part, and receiving a notice from the parts exchange / delivery system, grasping the fault and identifying the relevant maintenance part The maintenance base 40 is delivered to the delivery base and delivered to the parts replacement / delivery system, and the communication network 100 interconnects the parts replacement / delivery system, the delivery base and the maintenance base.

JP 2005-182618 A

  However, in the case of a computer product with a complicated configuration such as a disk array control device, when a failure occurs in a component, the user of the computer product informs the person dedicated to the maintenance of the computer product about the occurrence of the failure, and the computer product A maintenance person identified a faulty part and replaced the faulty part. Conventionally, in a computer product having a complicated configuration such as a server product and a disk array product, a computer product and a system that supports the replacement of a component that can be replaced by an end user when a component failure occurs is generally unknown.

  In computer products with complex configurations such as disk array control devices, products for general consumers such as SOHO have been downgraded, and it is necessary to increase the number of units sold compared to products for general enterprises. Since product maintenance personnel had replaced parts, if the number of computer products sold increased, it was necessary to increase the number of computer maintenance personnel due to the relationship between the frequency of failures and the number of computer product maintenance personnel. . Increasing the number of computer maintenance specialists increases the operating cost of computer products or the price of computer products alone, which is contrary to the trend of lower prices.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when a computer product failure occurs, the computer product user specifies a faulty part and claims a replacement part, and the computer product user can replace the part. The purpose is to provide a support system.

  Further, according to the present invention, it becomes possible for a computer product user to replace a faulty part, thereby avoiding an increase in the operating cost of the computer product or the main body cost of the computer product. The purpose is to provide computer products at a reasonable price.

  Therefore, in the present invention, a computer is used to register the product used with the computer product user, the failure information is authenticated when a failure occurs, and the failure content is identified based on the registered content. Issue a receipt number and accept a request to send out a maintenance part. The failure reception number may be composed of a character string with a predetermined number of digits. This character string may be composed of numerical values, which include an RMA number.

  More specifically, first, a product to be used is registered by user input. For this, authentication is performed using information for identifying the product such as a product number, a manufacturing number, an authentication code output from the product, and information shipped from the product. In the event of a failure, the user selects the failed product, uses the failure code, authentication code, and part serial number output from the product to confirm that the failure is a genuine product, Determine the contents of the maintenance service. If the delivery of maintenance parts is required, the destination address is accepted. After the reception is completed, the system sends a parts delivery request to the maintenance parts center by e-mail. The maintenance parts center prepares the parts to be sent and registers them in this system. Ship with parts. In the system of the present invention, fault isolation associated with the occurrence of a fault, determination of the contents of a maintenance service, support for sending parts, and management of the progress of the fault response service are performed.

  According to the present invention, it becomes possible to repair / replace parts and the like without a dedicated person for computer product maintenance going to the site, and it is possible to provide a low-priced computer product that meets the needs of the SOHO / SMB market and general consumer market.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram in the present embodiment. Each computer includes a communication device and is connected to each other via a network. Each computer has a memory, a storage device including a hard disk, a processing device such as a CPU, and an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard. The processing device executes information processing according to a program stored in the storage device. is there.

The maintenance support server 4 is a computer device that is the core of the system according to the present invention, and includes a display device 3, a storage device 5, an input device, and a database. User terminals 1 and 6 are connected via a network 2 (Internet or the like). In addition, it is connected to devices of a call center system and a parts distribution center.
Hereinafter, the processing content of this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  First, when a failure occurs in a computer product used by a user, the user of the computer product accesses the system from a user terminal and logs in using the screen shown in FIG. The user terminal 1 accepts the selected device based on the user's operation (step 201). At that time, the screen shown in FIG. 10 (102) is displayed, and the device selection can be accepted. Next, the user terminal 1 can accept fault information, and displays the device type name, serial number, component serial number, fault code, and authentication code as shown in FIG. 11 (111). At this time, these pieces of information are input from the failed component (or its device) (step 202). The user terminal 1 transmits the input device model name, serial number, component serial number, failure code, and authentication code to the maintenance support server 4. In addition, regarding these pieces of information, in FIG. 11 (111), an input such as a device type name may be accepted from the user, and the input of these pieces of information may be accepted.

  Then, the maintenance support server 4 checks the information transmitted from the user terminal 1, that is, input information, and determines whether there is a restart request based on the result (step 211). The details of step 211 are as shown in FIG. 4, and the details will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 4, after receiving input information such as a failure code as described above, the input information is checked. This is performed according to FIG. 4 (detailed diagram of failure registration check processing). First, in step 401, that is, in the authentication code check, the input information is checked to confirm whether the failure code has been properly output from the registration device. The confirmation method is based on the conceptual diagram of FIG. First, each of the five input codes is converted into an ASCII code, and each is summed, and it is confirmed that the sum matches a certain fixed value. If the calculated values are different, authentication is not possible.

  In step 402, it is determined in the identification code check whether the fault code is replacement / addition of a specific part or replacement of the entire product. The determination is performed according to the conceptual diagram of the fault code shown in FIG. The first digit of the failure code has information for determining whether the specific part is replaced or the entire device is replaced, and the determination is made by comparing with the value. For example, when the value of the first digit a of the authentication code in FIG. 5 is “X”, the specific part replacement is performed, and when the value is “Y”, the device replacement and the predetermined digit value are predetermined values. Are compared to determine the type of countermeasure (exchange, etc.). At this time, if the compared value of a is not one of the determined values, authentication is not possible. Further, when it matches with “X”, the comparison with “Y” may be omitted, and when it matches with one predetermined value, the comparison with the remaining value may be omitted.

  Here, if it is determined that the specific part is to be replaced (added), the process proceeds to step 408. If it is determined that the device is replaced, the process proceeds to step 403.

  In step 403, the faulty part is determined according to FIG. Since the last 3 digits of the input 4-digit value are hexadecimal numbers, they are converted into binary numbers and represented by 12 digits “0” and “1”. The digit having a value of “1” is determined as a failure occurrence part, the corresponding part name defined in the series master of FIG. 9-91 is acquired, and the process proceeds to the next step 404.

  If the fault code cannot be converted into a binary number, it is treated as invalid information and the process is stopped as an error.

  In step 404, the failure code and the compare bit are subjected to a logical operation in accordance with the determination method shown in the compare bit conceptual diagram of FIG. 6 to determine whether it is necessary to restart the apparatus. The compare bit is registered in the series master of FIG. 9-91. As an example, when the compare bit (A) is “0111111111111”, when the value (B) obtained by binarizing the failure code is “100000000000000”, (A) AND (B) = 0 is established. It is determined that a restart is necessary. If restart is necessary, the process proceeds to step 407.

  If (A) AND (B) ≠ 0 and restart is not necessary, the fault acceptance content is confirmed and the process proceeds to step 405.

  In step 405, the sending device model name and product name to be sent are searched. Specifically, referring to the model name master of FIG. 8-84 from the input device model name, the sending device model name and product name corresponding to the input device model name are searched.

  In step 406, the information on the faulty part searched in steps 403 and 405, the model name of the device to be sent, and the information on the product name are displayed, and these information are recorded in the tables of FIGS.

  In step 407, a message is displayed so as to contact the call center, and the information acquired in step 403 is recorded in FIGS. In the call center, a failure is confirmed in this support system by telephone contact from the user, destination information is registered, and failure confirmation processing is performed. This corresponds to steps 221 and 222 in FIG. These are executed at each terminal or the like in the call center according to the operation of each operator. That is, in step 221, if it is determined in step 221 that there is a restart request, the request is received, and the corresponding content is displayed on the operator's terminal. (222) is executed.

  Next, returning to FIG. 4, the details of step 211 will be described again. In step 408, the part type name is determined, and the fault acceptance content is determined. Specifically, the part type name is searched from the fault code master of FIG. 9-92, and the information of the sending apparatus type name and the product name is searched from the type name master of FIG. 8-84. In step 409, information on the faulty part searched in steps 403 and 408, the type name and part name of the part to be sent are displayed.

  After steps 406 and 409, the parts delivery destination is accepted, and the process proceeds to failure determination processing. That is, when there is no restart request in step 211 in FIG. 2, the maintenance support server 4 transmits information to that effect to the user terminal 1. Then, the user terminal 1 accepts a re-transmission destination (address, etc.) of the part by an input from the user (step 203). Then, the user terminal 1 transmits the received content to the maintenance support server 4, and the maintenance information server 4 executes a failure confirmation process (step 212).

  In this failure confirmation process, a delivery destination is accepted, and a delivery part and a delivery destination are confirmed. An email describing the confirmed contents is sent to the parts distribution center.

  Information indicating the failure is displayed on the terminal of the parts delivery center, and parts delivery and parts delivery preparation operations are sequentially accepted (steps 231 and 232). Then, a process for sending parts (recording that it has been sent to the database, etc.) is performed (step 233). Then, the part is sent to the destination received in step 203.

  After the parts are shipped, input of shipping information is accepted from the shipper (step 234). This information includes the name of the delivery company, the delivery number of the delivery company, and the scheduled delivery date. Upon completion of acceptance, this delivery information is transmitted from the terminal of the parts delivery center to the maintenance support server 4. In response to this, the maintenance support server 4 sends a mail describing the delivery information to the user terminal 1 (step 214). Then, the user terminal 1 receives the transmitted mail (step 205).

  Hereinafter, the flowchart of FIG. 3 describes not only the processing of the apparatus but also the operation of a person or the like. The user receives the dispatched maintenance part (step 206), and thereby recovers (replaces) the faulty device (step 207), and then returns the faulty device to the maintenance part center in the case of device replacement (step 207). Step 209).

  At the maintenance parts center, the process of accepting the return of the faulty device is performed (step 235), and the status is changed so that the fault in the new device can be accepted. Specifically, it is accepted from the person in charge at the terminal of the parts shipping center from the person in charge (step 236), and this content is transmitted from the terminal to the maintenance support server 4. Then, the maintenance support server 4 records status information according to the transmitted contents.

System configuration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention Flow chart in one embodiment of the present invention (1/2) Flow chart in one embodiment of the present invention (2/2) Example of failure registration check process detail diagram Example of fault code conceptual diagram Example of compare bit conceptual diagram Example of authentication code conceptual diagram Example of data file diagram (1/2) Example of data file diagram (2/2) Input / output diagram 1 Input / output diagram 2

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Computer product user terminal device 2 ... Internet connection network 3 ... Maintenance support server display device 4 ... Maintenance support system server device 5 ... Maintenance support system external storage device 6 ... Call center / parts delivery center terminal device 81 ... User information table 82 ... Maintenance basic information table 83 ... RMA information table 84 ... Model name master 91 ... Series master 92 ... Failure code master 101 ... login screen 102 ... device selection screen 111 ... device information input screen

Claims (4)

In a maintenance support system for a computer product connected to a user terminal used by a user and composed of a plurality of parts,
Means for receiving from the user terminal a fault code for identifying a fault of the component output from the computer product and an authentication code for performing authentication related to the computer product;
Means for authenticating whether the received information is information output from the computer product using the received authentication code;
If the authentication is made, means for determining whether to replace the part or the computer product itself as a response to the failure, based on a character string of a predetermined digit of the failure code;
If it is determined in the determination that a part is to be replaced, a character string in a digit other than a predetermined digit of the fault code is used to identify the part name of the faulted part, and the computer after the part is replaced A means of determining whether a product restart is necessary;
A computer product maintenance support system comprising means for transmitting the determination result and the part name to be replaced to the user terminal and a terminal of a parts delivery center that delivers the part. The maintenance support system for computer products according to claim 1,
The failure code is composed of a 4-digit character string,
The means for determining is
Of the four-digit character string, the lower three-digit character string is converted into a binary number,
A maintenance support system for a computer product, wherein a faulty part name is specified by a correspondence relationship between a digit indicating 1 and a master data stored in advance in the converted binary number. The maintenance support system for computer products according to claim 2,
The means for determining is
An AND is calculated by comparing the converted binary number with a previously stored compare bit,
A maintenance support system for a computer product, characterized in that when the calculated result is 0, it is determined that restart is necessary, and when it is 1, it is determined that restart is not necessary. The maintenance support system for a computer product according to claim 1,
The computer product maintenance support system, wherein the transmitting means transmits information indicating a delivery destination of the parts to a terminal of the parts delivery center.

Images