Server, management system, and management control method

• US 20030097310A1
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ono, Yasuhiko, Takada, Kotaro, Shiba, Rikio, Sato, Kazuma
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2219/10 Environmental application, e.g. waste reduction, pollution control, compliance with environmental legislation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives

Abstract

A requester accesses a collection center system (4) and requests collection of expendables (S302). The collection center system (4) confirms actually collected expendables (S312) and gives a point to the user as the requester. For lump-sum collection using a predetermined container, a bonus point is also given. The point is also given for purchase. For the next purchase, the requester can receive an incentive in accordance with the point and enjoy a special service such as a discount.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for managing information related to collection of waste expendables used in an office device, comprising:

determination means for determining different incentives on the basis of a type of a collection container which stores collected articles including the waste expendables and is collected from a specific user; and

management means for storing, in a database, information containing the incentives determined by said determination means as management information in correspondence with user information of the specific user.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the apparatus further comprises

first providing means for providing collection request window information which causes a terminal apparatus communicable through a predetermined communication line to display a collection request window, and

issue means for issuing identification information based on collection request information input through the collection request window based on the collection request window information provided by said first providing means, and

said management means updates the database on the basis of the identification information attached to the collected articles.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the apparatus further comprises first discrimination means for discriminating a collection method instructed through the collection request window, and

said first providing means provides to the terminal apparatus collection request window information according to the collection method discriminated by said first discrimination means.

4. The apparatus according to claims 1, further comprising second providing means for providing purchase window information which causes the terminal apparatus to display a purchase window to request purchase of merchandise including expendables, said second providing means providing the purchase window information containing the management information containing the incentives.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the apparatus further comprises reception means for receiving an instruction of selection of a use form of the incentive sent from the terminal apparatus through the predetermined communication line,

said management means stores, in the database, the use form of the incentive, which is received by said reception means, in correspondence with the specific user information, and

said second providing means causes the purchase window information corresponding to the user information sent from the terminal apparatus to contain the management information based on the use form of the incentive.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising third providing means for providing to the terminal apparatus incentive confirmation window information corresponding to a specific customer managed in the database, said third providing means providing the confirmation window information which displays the incentives determined in accordance with the type of the collection container to be discriminable from incentives determined on the basis of another information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the incentives determined on the basis of another information include an incentive given in accordance with a purchase result of the user and an incentive given in accordance with a collection result of the waste expendables of the user.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the apparatus further comprises

recognition means for recognizing whether the collected articles are specific articles, and

warning means for notifying an address contained in the user information of a warning,

said management means updates the database in accordance with recognition by said recognition means, and

said warning means notifies the address of the warning information on the basis of contents of the database updated in accordance with recognition by said recognition means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

specifying means for specifying the user information corresponding to a login, and

control means for causing the terminal apparatus to display with a priority a lump-sum collection request window to request lump-sum collection of the waste expendables, on the basis of the user information specified by said specifying means.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines the different incentives in accordance with a type of the collected waste expendables.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said determination means determines the different incentives in accordance with whether the type of the collected waste expendables is a type to be recycled, which is stored in the database in advance, or a type not to be recycled.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein information representing the expendables of the type to be recycled is transmitted to the terminal apparatus communicable through the predetermined communication line.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the incentive is a point or a discount rate which can be used to acquire merchandise.

14. A management system constituted by an information processing apparatus for managing information related to collection of waste expendables used in an office device and a terminal apparatus capable of communicating with the information processing apparatus, wherein

the information processing apparatus comprises:

determination means for determining different incentives on the basis of a type of a collection container which stores the waste expendables collected from a specific user; and

management means for storing, in a database, information containing the incentives determined by said determination means as management information in correspondence with user information of the specific user, and

the terminal apparatus comprises;

display means for displaying the information managed by said management means.

15. An information processing method of managing information related to collection of waste expendables used in an office device, comprising:

the determination step of determining different incentives on the basis of a type of a collection container which stores collected articles including the waste expendables and is collected from a specific user; and

the management step of storing, in a database, information containing the incentives determined in the determination step as management information in correspondence with user information of the specific user.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the method further comprises

the first providing step of providing collection request window information which causes a terminal apparatus communicable through a predetermined communication line to display a collection request window, and

the issue step of issuing identification information based on collection request information input through the collection request window based on the collection request window information provided in the first providing step, and

in the management step, the database is updated on the basis of the identification information attached to the collected articles.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein

the method further comprises the first discrimination step of discriminating a collection method instructed through the collection request window, and

in the first providing step, collection request window information according to the collection method discriminated in the first discrimination step is provided to the terminal apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the method further comprises the second providing step of providing purchase window information which causes the terminal apparatus to display a purchase window to request purchase of merchandise including expendables, and

in the second providing step, the purchase window information containing the management information containing the incentives is provided.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein

the method further comprises the reception step of receiving an instruction of selection of a use form of the incentive sent from the terminal apparatus through the predetermined communication line,

in the management step, the use form of the incentive, which is received in the reception step, is stored in the database in correspondence with the specific user information, and

in the second providing step, the purchase window information corresponding to the user information sent from the terminal apparatus is caused to contain the management information based on the use form of the incentive.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the method further comprises the third providing step of providing to the terminal apparatus incentive confirmation window information corresponding to a specific customer managed in the database, and

in the third providing step, the confirmation window information which displays the incentives determined in accordance with the type of the collection container to be discriminable from incentives determined on the basis of another information is provided.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the incentives determined on the basis of another information include an incentive given in accordance with a purchase result of the user and an incentive given in accordance with a collection result of the waste expendables of the user.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the method further comprises

the recognition step of recognizing whether the collected articles are specific articles, and

the warning step of notifying an address contained in the user information of a warning,

in the management step, the database is updated in accordance with recognition in the recognition step, and

in the warning step, the address is notified of the warning information on the basis of contents of the database updated in accordance with recognition in the recognition step.

23. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

the specifying step of specifying the user information corresponding to a login, and

the control step of causing the terminal apparatus to display with a priority a lump-sum collection request window to request lump-sum collection of the waste expendables, on the basis of the user information specified in the specifying step.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein in the determination step, the different incentives are determined in accordance with a type of the collected waste expendables.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein in the determination step, the different incentives are determined in accordance with whether the type of the collected waste expendables is a type to be recycled, which is stored in the database in advance, or a type not to be recycled.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein information representing the expendables of the type to be recycled is transmitted to the terminal apparatus communicable through the predetermined communication line.

27. The method according to claim 15, wherein the incentive is a point or a discount rate which can be used to acquire merchandise.

28. A management method of managing information related to collection of waste expendables used in an office device, comprising:

the determination step of determining different incentives on the basis of a type of a collection container which stores the waste expendables collected from a specific user;

the management step of storing, in a database, information containing the incentives determined in the determination step as management information in correspondence with user information of the specific user; and

the display step of displaying the information managed in the management step.

29. A program for causing a computer to manage information related to collection of waste expendables used in an office device, the program causing the computer to realize:

determination means for determining different incentives on the basis of a type of a collection container which stores collected articles including the waste expendables and is collected from a specific user; and

management means for storing, in a database, information containing the incentives determined by said determination means as management information in correspondence with user information of the specific user.

30. A computer-readable recording medium which records a program for causing a computer to manage information related to collection of waste expendables used in an office device, the program causing the computer to realize:

determination means for determining different incentives on the basis of a type of a collection container which stores collected articles including the waste expendables and is collected from a specific user; and

management means for storing, in a database, information containing the incentives determined by said determination means as management information in correspondence with user information of the specific user.