Computer-related product user management and service system

• US 7,149,705 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1997
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Haruki, Hiroshi, Hattori, Eiichi, Akutagawa, Tadashi, Nagayama, Toshiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): VAN BRAMER, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US08/971,903
• Time in Patent Office: 3,312 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/22, 705/28, 717/11
• US Class Current: 705/14.67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A user information general management unit for generally managing user registration information and using status information transmitted from a user side of a computer-related product is provided at a system manager side, for example, a user registration centre. A user registration/reference unit for notifying the user information general management unit of the user registration information and the using status information at a request from the user, and for requesting new information provided from a vendor side about a computer-related product is provided on a user side. With this configuration, a user registration operation can be simple on the user side, the time and the cost required in checking the using status on the vendor side can be reduced, and an appropriate service for a user can be realized.

Claims

1. A computer implemented management system, which manages registration of computer-related products, including hardware and software products, comprising:

user information general management means for generally managing user registration information, about users of hardware and software products, and using status information thereof transmitted from the user;

user registration/reference means that interfaces with the users, for notifying said user information general management means of the user registration information and the using status information at a request of the user and the using status information; and

vendor registration/reference means for receiving the user registration information and the using status information from said user information general management means and for providing new information about computer-related products to said user information general management means,

wherein the user registration information includes personal information about each user containing an identification number of each user and registration information containing a type of information which is requested by the users with regard to the computer-related products, said type of information can include information about products which can be used in combination with products that are used by the users and available from a plurality of vendors, and said type of information further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same as the vendor of the products that are used by the user, and

the new information provided from said vendor registration/reference means about the computer-related products from a vendor side of the computer-related products is extracted, depending on information extraction condition containing a requested information type in the registration information, and is transmitted to said user registration/reference means from said user information general management means to provide the new information, and

the user registration information and the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, is transmitted from the user information general management means to the vendor registration/reference means of a vendor of the particular software product and to another vendor that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

said user registration/reference means requests at a request from the user said user information general management means to provide new information about the computer-related product from a vendor of the computer-related product.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-related product is a software product, and said user registration/reference means is common to each of a plurality of software products;

when any of the plurality of software products is installed by a user, the user registration/reference means is also installed; and

after installation, said user registration/reference means issues a notification about the user registration information and using status information for the plurality of software products which are installed, and submits a request for new information about the software product.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said user registration information comprises:

personal information about each user including an identification number of each user; and

registration information containing a type of information requested by the user about a computer-related product; and

said user information general management means extracts the new information depending on information extraction condition containing a requested information type in the registration information at a request for new information about a computer-related product from said user registration/reference means, and transmits the new information to said user registration/reference means.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-related product is a software product and the using status information contains the number of times the software product was started;

and

said user information general management means transmits new information about the software product to said user registration/reference means depending on the number of times the software product was started.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-related product is a software product and the using status information contains the number of times the software product was started;

and

said user registration/reference means requests said user information general management means to provide new information about the software product when the number of times the software product was started has reached a predetermined value.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said vendor registration/reference means specifies a type of new information when new information about the computer-related product is available;

and

said user information general management means compares the type of information requested by the user with the type specified by said vendor registration/reference means, and when both types coincide, transmits the new information to said user registration/reference means at a request from said user registration/reference means when the requested information is available.

8. A management apparatus which manages user information about a computer-related product used by a user terminal connected through a network, comprising:

a user information general management means for managing using status information and a requested information type provided by the user terminal about a product used by a user;

a product information management means for managing product information provided by a vendor of the computer-related product including product information about additional products that can be used with a particular product; and

a product information notification means for referring to a product used by each user managed by said user information general management means and for providing product information managed by said product information management means about a product used by a user which corresponds to the products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with the product used by the user and match the user'"'"'s requested information type, wherein said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user, and

the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, is transmitted from the user information general management means to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

9. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with software to cause a computer to perform a process comprising:

managing using status information and a requested information type provided by a user terminal about a product used by a user;

managing product information provided by a computer-related product vendor including product information about additional products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with a particular product, wherein said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user;

referring to the using status information and providing product information about additional products that can be used with the product used by a user and which corresponds to the requested information type at a product information request from the user terminal; and

transmitting the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

10. A user terminal apparatus comprising:

a user information notification means for notifying an external unit of user registration information and using status information including a product used by a user and a requested information type about the computer-related product; and

a product information reference means for requesting an external unit for new information about the computer-related product which corresponds to the requested information type from a computer-related product vendor and information on additional products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with the product used by the user, and said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user,

a using status transmitting means transmitting the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

11. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with software for causing a computer to perform a process comprising:

notifying an external unit of user registration information and using status information including a product used by a user and a requested information type about a computer-related product used by a user; and

requesting an external unit for new information about the computer-related product which corresponds to the requested information type from a vendor of the computer-related product and information on additional products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with the product used by the user, and said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user,

transmitting the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

12. A terminal apparatus of a vendor comprising:

a user information reference means for obtaining, from an external unit, user registration information including a requested information type and using status information including a product used by the user, transmitted from a user of a computer-related product; and

a product information notification means for notifying an external unit of new information about the computer-related product, if the new information about the computer-related product corresponds to the requested information type, the new information including additional products of the vendor itself that can be used with the product used by the user, and said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user,

a using status information receiving means receiving the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user,

wherein, the terminal apparatus can use the user registration information and the using status information from a user of a product of a different vendor rather than the vendor itself, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

13. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with software to cause a computer of a vendor to perform a process comprising:

obtaining, from an external unit, user registration information including a requested information type, and using status information about usage of a product by a user, transmitted from the user of a computer-related product;

notifying an external unit of new information about the computer-related product, if the new information about the computer-related product corresponds to the requested information type, the new information including additional products of the vendor itself that can be used with the product used by the user, and said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user; and

receiving the using status information, including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user,

wherein, the computer-readable storage medium is used by a computer that can use the user registration information and the using status information from a user of a product of a different vendor rather than the vendor itself, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

14. A computer implemented management system, which manages registration of computer-related products, comprising:

a user information general management module generally managing user registration information including a requested information type, and using status information including a product used by a user, transmitted from a user of the computer-related product; and

a user registration/reference module that interfaces with a user of the computer-related products notifying said user information general management module of the user registration information and the using status information and information about additional products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with the product used by the user at a request of the user who uses a computer-related product related to the user registration information and the using status information and which corresponds to the requested information type, wherein said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user;

a using status information module transmitting the using status information, also including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product; and

a vendor registration/reference module receiving the user registration information and the using status information from said user information general management module and providing new information about computer-related products to said user information general management module.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein

the computer-related product is a software product, and said user registration/reference module is common to each of a plurality of software products;

when any of the plurality of software products is installed by a user, the user registration/reference module is also installed; and

after installation, said user registration/reference means issues a notification about the user registration information and using status information for the plurality of software products which are installed, and submits a request for new information about the software product.

16. A user registration center managing and distributing information provided by both a user and a vendor comprising:

a database receiving, from the vendor product information about a product and additional product information about additional products that can be used with the product;

the database receiving, from the user, user information which includes a product used by the user and a requested information type from the user; and

a distributing module, automatically distributing to the user, additional product information corresponding to the additional products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with the product used by the user and which match the user'"'"'s requested information type, wherein said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user,

a using status information module transmitting the user information, also including a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.

18. The additional product information distributed to the user as claimed in claim 16, wherein said additional product information distributed to the user includes a plurality of product information correlating to products used by the user as indicated by the user information.

17. A method of managing and distributing information provided by both a user and a vendor, comprising:

receiving, from the vendor, product information about a product and additional product information about additional products that can be used with the product;

receiving, from the user, user information which includes a product used by the user and a requested information type from the user;

storing the product information about a product and additional product information about products available from a plurality of vendors that can be used with the product and the user information which includes a product used by the user and the requested information type from the user, all in a database, wherein said requested information type further signifies a difference in vendor of said products that can be used in combination with products that are used by the user, in terms of whether the vendor is the same or not with the vendor of the products that are used by the user;

distributing the additional product information to a user automatically corresponding to the additional products that can be used with the product used by the user and which match the user'"'"'s requested information type; and

distributing the user information, also comprising a number of times a particular software product is used by the user, to a different vendor other than the software product'"'"'s vendor, that sells products that may be of interest to users of the particular software product.