Apparatus, method, and computer program for evaluating environmental measures

• US 7,197,397 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsuura, Sachio, Itoi, Yoshio, Matsuda, Hiroo
• Primary Examiner(s): MCELHENY JR, DONALD E
• Application Number:
  US11/073,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 702/2, 702/3, 702/5
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An evaluation apparatus (environmental measures evaluation apparatus) of an evaluation system (environmental measures evaluation system) obtains data representing environmental measures carried out by users from user terminals via a network. The evaluation apparatus obtains score corresponding to the contents of the environmental measures from a research item DB, then calculates total scores category by category. The evaluation apparatus specifies level of each category based on the calculated total scores and progress level decision data stored in a progress level DB. The evaluation apparatus obtains advisory information corresponding to the specified level from an advisory information DB, and transmits data including the advisory information and specified level to the user terminal via the network.

Claims

1. An evaluation apparatus for evaluating environmental measures being connected to a terminal via a network, comprising:

a level data storage which stores data representing level corresponding to environmental measures;

an advisory data storage which stores advisory information for improving the level;

a customer information storage which records a user name of a user, a score calculated from information representing environmental measures carried out by the user and a progress level of the user;

an information retriever which obtains information representing environmental measures carried out by a user from said terminal of the user via said network;

an evaluation unit which calculates a score based on the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user, specifies a progress level of the user based on the score calculated from the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user and the data stored in said level data storage, and collaborates with a presentation display generator to generate a progress indicator based on the score or progress level; and

an advisory information transmitter which obtains the advisory information from said advisory data storage based on the progress level specified by said evaluation unit and transmits as evaluation result data the progress indicator, the calculated score, the progress level and the obtained advisory information to said terminal via said network.

2. The evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said level data storage further comprises:

a score data storage which stores score data representing scores assigned to each environmental measures; and

a decision data storage which stores decision data for deciding the level corresponding to the score, and

said evaluation unit obtains score data corresponding to the data obtained from said terminal from said score data storage, and specifies level of said user by obtaining the decision data corresponding to the obtained score from said decision data storage.

3. The evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said level data storage stores information representing environmental measures with predetermined categorization,

said evaluation unit specifies level of the user in accordance with said categorization, and

said advisory information transmitter transmits said evaluation result data so as to present indication for comparing the level specified by said evaluation unit in accordance with the categorization.

4. The evaluation apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a precedent data storage which stores precedent information regarding each of the environmental measures, and wherein

said evaluation unit obtains precedent information corresponding to the evaluation result data from said precedent data storage, and

said advisory information transmitter transmits said evaluation result data so as to present the precedent information obtained by said evaluation unit.

5. An evaluation apparatus being connected to a terminal via a network for evaluating environmental measures comprising:

level data storage means for storing level data regarding levels corresponding to environmental measures including environmental measures data representing categorized environmental measures score data representing scores assigned to the environmental measures respectively, decision data for deciding the level corresponding to the score;

precedent data storage means for storing precedent information corresponding to each of the environmental measures;

advisory data storage means for storing advisory data for improving the level;

information retrieving means for obtaining information representing environmental measures carried out by a user from a terminal of said user via said network;

evaluation means for evaluating level of the user based on the information obtained by said information retriever and the data stored in said level data storage means; and

advisory data transmission means for obtaining advisory information from said advisory data storage means and precedent information from said precedent data storage means based on the level specified by said evaluation means, and transmits evaluation result data including the obtained advisory information and precedent information to be graphically displayed, to said terminal via said network.

6. A method for evaluating environmental measures, comprising:

recording level data regarding levels corresponding to environmental measures;

recording advisory information for improving the levels;

obtaining information representing environmental measures carried out by a user from a terminal of said user via a network;

calculating a score based on the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user;

specifying a progress level of said user based on the score calculated from the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user and said level data;

obtaining advisory information corresponding to the specified progress level;

recording the user name of the user, the score calculated from the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user and the progress level of the user;

generating a progress indicator based on the score or progress level; and

transmitting as evaluation result data the progress indicator, the calculated score, the progress level and the obtained advisory information to said terminal via said network.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

recording score data representing scores assigned to the environmental measures respectively;

recording decision data for deciding levels corresponding to scores;

obtaining scored data corresponding to the data obtained from said terminal; and

specifying the level of said user by obtaining the decision data corresponding to the obtained score.

8. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

recording score data representing scores each arranged for the environmental measures respectively based on the amount of carbon dioxide decrease resulting from carrying out the environmental measures;

recording decision data for deciding the levels corresponding to score;

obtaining score data corresponding to the data obtained from said terminal; and

specifying level of said user by obtaining decision data corresponding to the obtained score.

9. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

storing data representing environmental measures with predetermined categorization;

storing data regarding level corresponding to the environmental measures;

specifying level of said user category by category; and

transmitting said evaluation result data including data for graphically displaying the specified levels for comparison, to said terminal via said network.

10. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

storing data representing precedent information corresponding to each of the environmental measures; and

obtaining said precedent information, and transmitting said obtained precedent information together with said evaluation result data.

11. A machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to execute a method for evaluating environmental measures, the method comprising:

recording level data regarding levels corresponding to environmental measures;

recording advisory information for improving the levels;

obtaining information representing environmental measures carried out by a user from a terminal of said user via a network;

calculating a score based on the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user;

specifying a progress level of said user based on the score calculated from the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user and said level data;

obtaining advisory information corresponding to the specified progress level;

recording the user name of the user, the score calculated from the information representing environmental measures carried out by the user and the progress level of the user;

generating a progress indicator based on the score or progress level; and

transmitting as evaluation result data the progress indicator, the calculated score, the progress level and the obtained advisory information to said terminal via said network.