JP7238517B2 - Information processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device.

In Patent Literature 1, in an information processing device that generates proposal information indicating the contents of a proposal for a product to a customer, when generating proposal information for a product with added functions, the price of the product indicated by the product information is described. A technique for setting the price of a product by adding an additional price due to a function to be added to the product.

JP 2016-062251 A

When proposing a product to a business negotiation partner, it is difficult to propose a product that matches the other party's problem when the situation of the other party is not well understood, and it is difficult to purchase a product that does not match the problem. There is a possibility that there will be disadvantages for the opponent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to support the proposal of a commercial product that is less likely to cause disadvantages to the business negotiation partner than in the case of proposing the commercial product regardless of the situation of the business negotiation partner.

An information processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises an acquisition unit that acquires status information representing the usage status of a device used by a business negotiation partner, and associates the usage status represented by the acquired status information with a specific task. a first determination unit that determines that the problem exists when the determined first condition is satisfied; and when the problem is determined to exist, the usage status used for the determination corresponds to the first condition. a second determination unit that determines the likelihood that the problem exists depending on which of the plurality of second conditions is satisfied; and a plurality of products for solving the determined problem that are the an output unit for outputting information about a product associated with the determined high possibility of existence of a problem among a plurality of products associated with a high possibility of existence of an issue. Characterized by

In the information processing apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, in the aspect according to claim 1, the output unit outputs information about a product whose purchase price is likely to increase as the determined possibility is higher. It is characterized by

According to claim 3 of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of products are introduced into a device used by the business negotiation partner, and the output unit comprises: In addition, the higher the possibility, the more information is output regarding the product that is likely to require more time and effort to introduce.

According to claim 4 of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the acquisition unit receives information indicating the quantity of goods consumed by the device as the situation information. When the amount of the goods represented by the acquired situation information is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the first determination unit determines existence of a problem that the cost of the goods is high, and the second determination unit When the obtained situation information indicates the amount of the item for each user, it is determined that the possibility is higher than when the situation information does not indicate the amount of the item for each user. .

According to claim 5 of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 4, when the acquired situation information does not represent the quantity of the goods for each user, the output unit Information on a product having a function of generating information representing quantity for each user as the situation information is output as the information on the product.

Claim 6 of the present invention is an information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the product includes a product having a function of generating the situation information, and the The acquisition unit acquires the situation information generated by the product purchased by the business negotiation partner, and the second determination unit determines the possibility according to the frequency of use of the product that generated the acquired situation information. characterized by determining the height of

The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 of the present invention, in the mode according to claim 6, is characterized in that the product includes a plurality of products having the function, and the second determination unit determines the acquired status It is characterized in that the degree of possibility is determined also according to the number of the products for which the information is generated.

According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to support the proposal of products that are less likely to cause disadvantages to the business negotiation partner than when the product is proposed regardless of the situation of the business negotiation partner.
According to the second aspect of the invention, compared with the case of proposing products regardless of the situation of a business negotiation partner, it is possible to prevent the disadvantage of poor cost effectiveness when purchasing products.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the disadvantage that the user's satisfaction level when purchasing a product is low compared to the case where the product is proposed regardless of the situation of the business negotiation partner. .
According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to propose a product that solves the problem of high cost of goods.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to make a proposal for improving the determination accuracy of the problem.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining the possibility that a problem exists, compared to the case where the frequency of use of the present invention is not considered.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining the possibility that a problem exists as the negotiation progresses.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment; Diagram showing the hardware configuration of the product information output device Figure showing the hardware configuration of the user device A diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image processing device A diagram showing the functional configuration realized by the product information output device Diagram showing an example of stored merchandise information A diagram showing an example of a condition table A diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the product information output device A diagram showing an example of product information stored in a modified example A diagram showing an example of a condition table A diagram showing an example of a condition table

[1] Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the hardware configuration of a product proposal support system 1 according to an embodiment. The product proposal support system 1 includes a communication line 2, a product information output device 10, a user device 20, and image processing devices 30-1, 30-2, and 30-3 (if they are not distinguished, they are referred to as "image processing device 30").

The communication line 2 is a communication system including a mobile communication network, the Internet, etc., and relays exchange of data between devices, etc. (=devices, terminals, systems, etc.) communicating with the own system. A product information output device 10, a user device 20, and a plurality of image processing devices 30 are connected to the communication line 2 by wired communication. Communication between each device and the communication line 2 may be either wired communication or wireless communication.

The image processing device 30 is a device such as a multi-function device that is used by a business partner company. The product information output device 10 and the user device 20 are devices used in companies that propose products to business negotiation partners. In this embodiment, the product information output device 10 acquires the usage status (the amount of printing paper, etc.) of the image processing device 30, and presents products that match the usage status (details will be described in the functional configuration). Material information is output to the user device 20 .

FIG. 2 shows the hardware configuration of the product information output device 10. As shown in FIG. The product information output device 10 includes a CPU (=Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (=Random Access Memory) 12, a ROM (=Read Only Memory) 13, a communication section 14, and an HDD (=Hard Disk Drive). It is a computer with 15 devices.

The CPU 11 uses the RAM 12 as a work area and executes programs stored in the ROM 13 and the HDD 15 to control the operation of each section. The communication unit 14 has an antenna, a communication circuit, etc., and performs communication via the communication line 2 . The HDD 15 stores data and programs that the CPU 11 uses for control.

FIG. 3 shows the hardware configuration of the user device 20. As shown in FIG. The user device 20 is a computer including devices such as a CPU 21 , a RAM 22 , a ROM 23 , a communication section 24 , an HDD 25 and a UI section 26 .

The CPU 21 uses the RAM 22 as a work area and executes programs stored in the ROM 23 and the HDD 25 to control the operation of each section. The communication unit 24 has an antenna, a communication circuit, etc., and performs communication via the communication line 2 . The HDD 25 stores data and programs that the CPU 21 uses for control.

FIG. 4 shows the hardware configuration of the image processing device 30. As shown in FIG. The image processing apparatus 30 is a computer including a CPU 31 , a RAM 32 , a ROM 33 , a communication section 34 , an HDD 35 , a UI section 36 , an image reading section 37 and an image forming section 38 . The CPU 31 uses the RAM 32 as a work area and executes programs stored in the ROM 33 and the HDD 35 to control the operation of each section. The communication unit 34 has an antenna, a communication circuit, etc., and performs communication via the communication line 2 . The HDD 35 stores data and programs that the CPU 31 uses for control.

The UI unit 36 includes a display as display means and a touch screen having a touch panel provided on the surface of the display, and displays images and receives operations from the user. In addition to the touch screen, the UI unit 36 also includes manipulators such as a keyboard, and receives operations for these manipulators. The image reading unit 37 is a scanner that reads an image from a medium set in its own device. The image forming unit 38 forms an image on a medium by electrophotographically transferring and fixing the image.

FIG. 5 shows a functional configuration realized by the product information output device 10. As shown in FIG. The product information output device 10 includes a situation information acquisition unit 101, a situation information storage unit 102, a problem presence determination unit 103, a possibility determination unit 104, a product information storage unit 105, and a product information output unit 106. and

The status information acquisition unit 101 acquires status information representing the usage status of the image processing apparatus 30 used by the business negotiation partner. Specifically, the status information acquisition unit 101 acquires information indicating the quantity of articles consumed by the image processing apparatus 30 as status information. The article is, for example, printing paper. The quantity is, for example, the length or number of sheets of printing paper. The article may be articles other than printing paper, such as toner, and the quantity may be the number of articles. The status information acquisition unit 101 is an example of the "acquisition unit" of the present invention. The situation information accumulation unit 102 accumulates the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 101 .

When the usage status represented by the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition section 101 satisfies a first condition associated with a specific issue, the issue existence determination unit 103 determines that the issue exists. When the situation information indicating the amount of goods consumed by the image processing apparatus 30 is acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 101, the task existence determination unit 103 determines that if the amount of goods represented by the acquired situation information is equal to or greater than the threshold, Determine the existence of the problem that the cost of the article is high. The assignment existence determination unit 103 is an example of the "first determination unit" of the present invention.

The possibility determination unit 104 determines which of a plurality of second conditions corresponding to the first conditions the usage status used for the determination satisfies when the task existence determination unit 103 determines that a task exists. determines the likelihood that the problem exists. Specifically, when the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 101 indicates the amount of goods for each user, the possibility determination unit 104 determines whether the situation information does not indicate the amount of goods for each user. It is determined that the possibility is higher than the above. The possibility determination unit 104 is an example of the "second determination unit" of the present invention.

The commercial product information storage unit 105 stores commercial product information that can be provided to a business negotiation partner. The product information is information about the product, such as information indicating the outline, function, effect, price, etc. of the product. The merchandise information is stored in advance, for example, by a company that proposes merchandise to a business negotiation partner.

The product information output unit 106 outputs a plurality of products that are for solving the problem determined by the problem existence determination unit 103 and that are associated with the likelihood that the problem exists. Among them, the information about the product associated with the high possibility determined by the possibility determination unit 104 is read from the product information storage unit 105 and output. The product information output unit 106 is an example of the "output unit" of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an example of stored product information. The product information storage unit 105 stores each product information in association with at least one task. In the example of FIG. 6, the product information storage unit 105 stores product information on products B1, B2, B3, B4, and B5 in association with the problem that the cost of paper is high. In addition, the product information storage unit 105 indicates, in the product information of products B1, B2, B3, B4, and B5, the degree of possibility of the existence of the problem required for providing each product. Indexes Lv1, Lv2, Lv3, Lv4, and Lv5 (hereinafter referred to as "possibility Lv1", etc.) are associated and stored.

In this embodiment, the magnitude relationship of the possibility of existence of the problem required for each product is Lv1<Lv2<Lv3<Lv4<Lv5. In this embodiment, the higher the possibility of the existence of the problem that the cost is high, the more the product information of the product whose purchase price tends to be higher is associated. Here, the prices of products are not constant. This is because it varies depending on options, destinations, introduction periods, and the like.

Therefore, the possibility determination unit 104 calculates and compares the average purchase price of each product in the past when determining the possibility of the existence of a problem, or calculates the sales price to a virtual customer. Create and compare cases. The possibility determination unit 104 basically compares the total cost (including maintenance costs for five years, for example), but it is also possible to compare only the initial costs, and it is possible to match the conditions as much as possible and compare the prices. desirable. This is because the more expensive the product, the more functions it has and the more effective it is in solving problems.

The possibility determination unit 104 performs determination by referring to a condition table in which the first condition associated with the above-described specific problem and a plurality of second conditions are associated with each other. The condition table may be stored in the product information output device 10, or may be stored in an external device.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a condition table. In the example of FIG. 7, a plurality of second conditions C2 (second conditions C2-1, C2-2, C2-3, C2-4 and C2-5) are associated.

The second conditions C2-1, C2-2, C2-3, C2-4, and C2-5 may have the problem corresponding to the first condition C1, that is, the problem that the cost of paper is high. Lv1, Lv2, Lv3, Lv4 and Lv5 are associated. The magnitude relationship of each possibility is Lv1<Lv2<Lv3<Lv4<Lv5 as described above.

The task existence determination unit 103 determines whether at least one of the second conditions C2-1, C2-2, C2-3, C2-4 and C2-5 corresponding to the first condition C1 corresponds to the situation information about a business negotiation partner. If the second condition C2 is satisfied, it is determined that the business negotiation partner has a problem that the cost of paper corresponding to the first condition C1 is high.

When it is determined that there is an issue corresponding to the first condition C1, the possibility determination unit 104 determines that the usage status used for the determination is the second conditions C2-1 and C2-2 corresponding to the first condition C1. , C2-3, C2-4, and C2-5, the possibility that the determined task exists is determined.

For example, when the second condition C2-1 of "there is no print paper amount information" is satisfied, the possibility determination unit 104 determines the possibility Lv1 associated with the second condition C2-1 as the possibility that an issue exists. is determined as the height of Further, when the second condition C2-2 that "the total amount of printing paper is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1" is satisfied, the possibility determination unit 104 determines the possibility Lv2 associated with the second condition C2-2 that the problem exists. Judged as high possibility.

Similarly, the possibility determination unit 104 determines the possibilities Lv3, Lv4, and Lv5 as the high possibility that the problem exists even when the second conditions C2-3, C2-4, and C2-5 are satisfied. . Note that in the example of FIG. 7, the second condition C2-2 of "the total amount of printing paper is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1" is satisfied, and "the total amount of printing paper is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1 and the ratio of the individual printing paper amount is greater than or equal to the threshold value Th2”, there is a higher possibility that the problem of “high cost of paper” exists.

Therefore, when the acquired situation information indicates the amount of goods for each user (that is, when the second condition C2-3 is satisfied), the possibility determination unit 104 determines that the situation information indicates the amount of goods for each user. It is determined that there is a higher possibility that the problem exists than when the problem is not represented (that is, when the second condition C2-2 is satisfied).

Here, when the second condition C2-3 for judging possibility Lv3 is satisfied, the second condition C2-2 is also satisfied. Also, when the second condition C2-4 for judging possibility Lv4 is satisfied, the second conditions C2-3 and C2-2 are also satisfied. In this way, the possibility determination unit 104 determines that the possibility of the presence of a problem is high as the usage status indicated by the status information is substantial.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 7, when the second condition C2-5 of "the document digitization rate is less than the threshold Th4" is satisfied, it is determined that the possibility is higher than when the second condition C2-4 is satisfied. be done. This is because the second condition C2-5 is more relevant to the problem of high paper costs than the second conditions C2-1, C2-2, C2-3 and C2-4 related to other usage situations. is.

In the example of FIG. 7, both the second condition C2-5 and the second condition C2-2, C2-3 or C2-4 may be satisfied. For example, when the second condition C2-5 and the second condition C2-4 are satisfied, the possibility determination unit 104 determines that the possibility of existence of the problem "paper cost is high" is, for example, Lv4+Lv5. Note that Lv4 and Lv5 may be weighted and added instead of adding Lv4 and Lv5.

The product information output unit 106 reads from the product information storage unit 105 and outputs the product information associated with the likelihood of existence of the problem obtained by the determination by the possibility determination unit 104. do. For example, if the acquired situation information does not indicate the quantity of goods for each user, the second condition C2-3 or C2-4 is not satisfied but the second condition C2-2 is satisfied. If 5 is not satisfied, possibility Lv2 is determined.

In this case, the product information output unit 106 outputs the product information related to the visualization product B2 of the individual printing paper amount associated with the possibility Lv2 in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, when the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition section 101 does not indicate the quantity of products for each user, the product information output unit 106 outputs information indicating the quantity of products for each user to the status information. It outputs information on products that have the function of generating information as information on products.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the operation procedure of the product information output device 10. As shown in FIG. First, the status information acquisition unit 101 of the product information output device 10 acquires status information from the image processing device 30 (step S11). Next, the situation information accumulation unit 102 of the product information output device 10 accumulates the acquired situation information (step S12). Then, based on the situation information accumulated in the situation information accumulation section 102, the issue existence determination section 103 of the product information output device 10 judges whether there is an issue for each negotiation partner (step S13).

Specifically, the issue existence determination unit 103 of the product information output device 10 selects a first condition corresponding to each issue, and a plurality of second conditions associated with this first condition and the situation information indicate Check with usage status. Then, the product information output device 10 determines whether or not there is a problem (step S14), and if the determination result is "NO", returns to step S11 and repeats the process.

If the determination result in step S14 is "YES", the possibility determination unit 104 of the product information output device 10 determines that the usage status used to determine that there is an issue corresponds to the first condition corresponding to the issue. The degree of possibility that the problem exists is determined according to which of the plurality of second conditions is satisfied (step S21).

Next, the product information output unit 106 of the product information output device 10 outputs product information related to a plurality of products for solving the problem determined in step S13, which is highly likely to have the problem. Among the plurality of pieces of product information associated with each item, the product information associated with the high possibility determined in step S22 is extracted from the product information storage unit 105 of the own device (step S22 ), and outputs the extracted product information (step S23).

As described above, in this embodiment, the product information output device 10 includes the situation information acquisition unit 101 that acquires the situation information representing the usage situation of the equipment used by the business negotiation partner, and the usage information that the acquired situation information represents. and an assignment presence determination unit 103 that determines that the assignment exists when the situation satisfies a first condition associated with the particular assignment.

Further, when it is determined that there is a task, the product information output device 10 determines whether the task is determined according to which of the plurality of second conditions corresponding to the first condition the usage status used for the determination satisfies. A possibility determination unit 104 that determines the high possibility that a and a product information output unit 106 for outputting information related to the product associated with the determined possibility among the plurality of products.

Even if a product is proposed to solve the problem of the business partner, if the problem does not actually exist, the business partner who purchased the product suffers disadvantages such as wasted costs. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, with the configuration described above, product information that matches the degree of possibility that a problem exists is output. As a result, if the product contains items that are unlikely to cause demerits regardless of the presence or absence of problems (for example, low-cost products), compared to the case of proposing products regardless of the situation of the business negotiation partner Therefore, products that are unlikely to cause disadvantages to the business negotiation partner are proposed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the product information output unit 106 outputs information regarding a product whose purchase price tends to increase as the possibility of determination increases. In other words, the product information output unit 106 outputs, as product information, information indicating that the lower the possibility of determination, the lower the purchase price tends to be. As a result, if the possibility of problems existing is low, the purchase price will be low, so compared to the case where the product is proposed regardless of the situation of the business negotiation partner, the cost-effectiveness will be worse when purchasing the product. Disadvantages are less likely to occur.

In this embodiment, the situation information acquisition unit 101 acquires information indicating the amount of goods consumed by the device as situation information, and the task existence determination unit 103 determines that the amount of goods represented by the acquired situation information is the threshold value. If the above is the case, the possibility determination unit 104 determines that there is a problem that the cost of the item is high. It is determined that the possibility is higher than the case where it is not represented for each user. As a result, a product is proposed that solves the problem of the high cost of goods.

When item quantities are expressed per user, detailed issues are identified, such as whether item abuse affects all users or only specific users. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the acquired situation information does not represent the quantity of goods for each user, the product information output unit 106 generates information representing the quantity of goods for each user as the situation information. Information on products with functions is output as merchandise information. By using the product information output in this way, a proposal is made for improving the determination accuracy of the problem.

[2] Modifications The embodiment described above is merely an example of implementation of the present invention, and may be modified as follows. Moreover, the embodiment and each modified example may be combined and implemented as necessary.

[2-1] Time and effort for introduction A plurality of products are to be installed in the equipment used by the business negotiation partner. You may output the information about the goods which the trouble of introduction tends to become large. This is because products with more functions tend to be more effective in solving problems, although they require more effort to introduce.

FIG. 9 shows an example of merchandise information stored in this modification. In the example of FIG. 9, the product information storage unit 105 stores product information regarding visualized products B11, B12, and B13. Comparing the time and effort required for installation, visualization product B12, which is installed on multiple servers, requires more effort than visualization product B11, which is installed on only one server. The visualized product B13, which does this, requires more time and effort to introduce.

Therefore, the product information storage unit 105 stores visualized products B11, B12, and B13 in association with the possibilities Lv1, Lv2, and Lv3 of Lv1<Lv2<Lv3, respectively. For example, when the possibility Lv1 is determined by the possibility determination unit 104, the product information output unit 106 outputs the product information of the visualized product B11 stored in association with the possibility Lv1. If it is determined, the product information of the visualized product B13 stored in association with the possibility Lv3 is output.

Even if the purchase price of the product is cheap, if the introduction is less effective, dissatisfaction may occur and the satisfaction level may decrease. In this modified example, the lower the possibility that a problem exists, the less effort is required to introduce a product. The disadvantage of low user satisfaction is less likely to occur.

[2-2] Product Usage Frequency Products may include products that have the function of generating status information. The function of generating status information is a function of generating information indicating, for example, the length or number of sheets of printing paper as status information. A product having a function of generating information visualizes the usage status of the image processing device 30 used by a business negotiation partner by generating status information, so it is hereinafter referred to as a “visualization product”.

In the above case, the situation information acquisition unit 101 acquires the situation information generated by the visualization product purchased by the business negotiation partner, and the possibility determination unit 104 generates the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 101. The degree of possibility may be determined according to the frequency of use of the visualization product. Visualization products include devices and programs. Visualization products include, for example, annotations, copy management extension kits and paper security kits.

The frequency of use is the number of times status information is generated every week, the number of times the process for generating status information is executed, and the like. Note that the number of executions of another function that is not directly related to the status information may be used as the usage frequency. This is because the frequency of use of the function that generates situation information tends to increase if a visualization product is used. The possibility determination unit 104 performs the determination of this modification using, for example, a condition table in which the first condition, the second condition, and the level of possibility are associated with each other.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a condition table. In the condition table shown in FIG. 10, the lowest possibility Lv1 is associated with the second condition C2-11 that the usage frequency of the visualized product is greater than or equal to the threshold value Th11 and less than Th12. Further, the possibility Lv2 of Lv2>Lv1 is associated with the second condition C2-12 that the frequency of use of the visualized product is greater than or equal to the threshold value Th12 and less than Th13.

Further, the possibility Lv3 that Lv3>Lv2 is associated with the second condition C2-13 that the usage frequency of the visualized product is equal to or greater than the threshold Th13. For example, if the usage frequency of the visualized product that generated the acquired situation information is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th11 and less than Th12, the possibility determination unit 104 determines the possibility Lv1 associated with the usage frequency, and determines that the same usage frequency is equal to or greater than the threshold Th13, the possibility Lv3 associated with the usage frequency is determined.

As described above, the possibility determination unit 104 uses the condition table illustrated in FIG. 10 to determine that the higher the frequency of use of the visualized product, the higher the possibility of the existence of the problem. The higher the frequency of use of the visualization product, the more situational information is acquired, and the greater the number of criteria for determining the likelihood that a problem exists. Therefore, compared to the case where the frequency of use of the visualization product is not taken into account, the accuracy of determining the likelihood of the existence of the problem is higher.

[2-3] Number of products When the above-described visualized product is included in the product, the situation information acquisition unit 101 acquires the situation information generated by the product purchased by the business negotiation partner, and the possibility determination unit 104 The degree of possibility may be determined according to the number of visualized products that generated the acquired status information and the frequency of use. The possibility determination unit 104 performs the determination of this modification using, for example, a condition table in which the first condition, the second condition, and the level of possibility are associated with each other.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the condition table of this modified example. In the condition table shown in FIG. 11, the smallest possibility Lv1 is associated with the second condition C2-21 that one or more visualized products are introduced and the usage frequency of the visualized product is equal to or greater than the threshold Th21. Further, the possibility Lv2 of Lv2>Lv1 is associated with the second condition C2-22 that two or more visualized products have been introduced and the usage frequency of the visualized products is equal to or greater than the threshold Th22 (>Th21).

Further, the possibility Lv3 of Lv3>Lv2 is associated with the second condition C2-23 that three or more visualized products have been introduced and the frequency of use of the visualized products is equal to or greater than the threshold Th23 (>Th22). For example, if one or more visualized products that generated the acquired situation information are installed and the usage frequency of the installed visualized products is equal to or greater than the threshold Th21, the possibility determination unit 104 determines the number and usage frequency is determined as the possibility Lv1 associated with .

In addition, if three or more visualized products that generated the acquired situation information have been installed and the frequency of use of the introduced visualized products is equal to or greater than the threshold Th23, the possibility determination unit 104 The possibility Lv3 associated with the frequency is determined. According to this modification, as the business negotiation progresses, the number of introduced visualization products and the frequency of use increase, and the accuracy of determining the possibility of the existence of a problem increases.

[2-4] Apparatus for Implementing Each Unit The apparatus for implementing each function shown in FIG. 5 is not limited to the apparatus shown in the drawing. For example, a plurality of first information processing devices including the situation information acquisition unit 101 and the situation information accumulation unit 102 of FIG. 5,
A second information processing device comprising a task existence determination unit 103, a possibility determination unit 104, a product information storage unit 105, and a product information output unit 106 is connected via a communication line 2, and the product information output device is may be configured.

In this aspect, the second information processing device refers to the situation information in the situation information storage units 102 of the plurality of first information processing devices, and executes processing for outputting product information to the negotiation partner. According to this aspect, the load for collecting status information is distributed, and product information is efficiently provided to business negotiation partners in a wide area. Further, for example, in the embodiment, the product information output unit 106 performs two operations of reading and outputting product information, but these two operations may be performed by separate functions. In short, as long as the functions shown in FIG. 5 are implemented in the image reading system as a whole, the functional allocation for each device and the range of operations performed by each function may be freely determined.

[2-5] Category of the Invention The present invention can be regarded as an information processing device such as a product information output device, a user device, and an image processing device, as well as an information system including each information processing device. In addition, the present invention can be regarded as an information processing method for realizing processing executed by each information processing apparatus, and can be regarded as a program for causing a computer that controls each information processing apparatus to function. This program may be provided in the form of a recording medium such as an optical disc storing it, or may be downloaded to a computer via a communication line such as the Internet, installed, and made available. may be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Product proposal support system 10... Product information output device 20... User device 30... Image processing device 101... Situation information acquisition unit 102... Situation information accumulation unit 103... Problem existence determination unit 104... Possibility determination unit 105 Product information storage unit 106 Product information output unit.

Claims (7)

an acquisition unit that acquires status information indicating the usage status of a device used by a business negotiation partner;
a first determination unit that determines that a particular task exists when the usage status represented by the acquired status information satisfies a first condition associated with the particular task;
When it is determined that the problem exists, the probability that the problem exists depends on which of the plurality of second conditions corresponding to the first condition the usage status used for the determination satisfies. a second determination unit that determines the degree of
Among a plurality of commercial products for solving the determined problem, which are associated with the high possibility that the problem exists, the determined high possibility An information processing device comprising: an output unit that outputs information about associated products. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about a product whose purchase price tends to increase as the determined possibility increases. The plurality of products are to be introduced into equipment used by the business negotiation partner,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information about a product that is likely to require more time and effort to introduce as the determined possibility is higher. The acquisition unit acquires, as the situation information, information indicating an amount of goods consumed by the device,
The first determination unit determines the presence of a problem that the cost of the item is high when the amount of the item represented by the acquired situation information is equal to or greater than a threshold,
The second determination unit determines that when the acquired situation information indicates the quantity of the article for each user, the possibility is higher than when the situation information does not indicate the quantity of the article for each user. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the acquired situation information does not represent the quantity of goods for each user, the output unit outputs information about a product having a function of generating information representing the quantity of goods for each user as the situation information. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information is output as information related to merchandise. The product includes a product having a function to generate the situation information,
The acquisition unit acquires the situation information generated by the product purchased by the business negotiation partner,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second determination unit determines the degree of possibility according to the frequency of use of the product that generated the acquired status information. The product includes a plurality of products having the function,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second determination unit determines the degree of possibility also according to the number of the products for which the acquired status information is generated.

Images