Server device, terminal device, maintenance service information transmission method and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

• US 9,979,612 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Kenji, Maruyama, Tomoaki, Sakata, Kotaro, Yamamoto, Hiroaki, Tojima, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yohannes, Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US14/423,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20150222476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 709223, 370241
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management

Abstract

Provided is a server device capable of increasing the availability of a device by urging a user who uses the device to perform actions related to maintenance service. In this server device, an information transceiver receives operation information about a device. A remaining life determination unit determines the remaining life of the device or a component of the device based on the operation information. When the determined remaining life reaches a predetermined remaining life or becomes shorter than the predetermined remaining life, a transmission destination setting unit sets a device that is possessed by a person having a predetermined relationship with the user of the device as a transmission destination for the transmission of maintenance service information based on relationship information indicating the relationship between the user of the device and another person who is not the user. The information transceiver transmits the maintenance service information to the transmission destination.

Claims

1. A server apparatus comprising control circuitry and a storage device, the control circuitry operative to:

receive operation information of a first device;

store, in the storage device, the operation information and relationship information indicating a relationship between a user of the first device and people other than the user;

read the operation information from the storage device and determine a remaining life of the first device or a part making up the first device based on the read operation information;

read the relationship information from the storage device;

determine, among the people other than the user, a person concerned who has a predetermined relationship with the user of the first device, based on the relationship information, when the determined remaining life reaches a predetermined remaining life or becomes shorter than the predetermined remaining life;

receive transmission destination restriction information indicating a range of people to which transmission of maintenance information of the first device is allowed;

determine the person concerned based on the transmission destination restriction information;

determine a second device owned by the person concerned as a transmission destination to which the maintenance information is transmitted; and

transmit the maintenance information to the second device, wherein

the maintenance information is information prompting maintenance of the first device or the part making up the first device, and the maintenance information includes an activation button that is pressed by the person concerned and that activates a function for establishing communication with the user of the first device.

2. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission destination restriction information is information indicating the range of people to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed for devices of the user, including the first device.

3. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further operative to:

generate the maintenance information, wherein the control circuitry receives content restriction information indicating information allowed to be included in the maintenance information, and selects information used to generate the maintenance information from among the information allowed to be included in the maintenance information based on the content restriction information.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry receives information at one security level selected from among a plurality of security levels that gradually restrict the range of people to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed as the transmission destination restriction information.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the function is a function for requesting a maintenance provider to perform maintenance of the first device.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance information further includes information relating to maintenance of the second device or another device owned by the person concerned.

7. The server apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the function is a function for requesting a maintenance provider to perform maintenance of the second device or the another device owned by the person concerned.

8. A terminal apparatus that receives the maintenance information from the server apparatus according to claim 1 and outputs the received maintenance information.

9. A terminal apparatus comprising control circuitry and a storage device, the control circuitry operative to:

receive, when a remaining life of a first device reaches a predetermined remaining life or becomes shorter than the predetermined remaining life, (i) maintenance information of the first device whose transmission destination is determined, based on relationship information indicating a relationship between a user of the first device and people other than the user, to be a second device owned by a person concerned, among the people other than the user, having a predetermined relationship with the user of the first device, and (ii) transmission destination restriction information indicating a range of people to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed, the person concerned being determined based on the received transmission destination restriction information;

store, in the storage device, the received maintenance information;

read the maintenance information from the storage section; and

output the read maintenance information, wherein the maintenance information is information prompting maintenance of the first device or a part making up the first device, and the maintenance information includes an activation button that is pressed by the person concerned and that activates a function for establishing communication with the user of the first device.

10. The terminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the person concerned is determined from among the range of people to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed based on the transmission destination restriction information indicating a range of transmission destinations to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed.

11. The terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the transmission destination restriction information is information indicating the range of people to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed for devices of the user, including the first device.

12. The terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein information to be used to generate the maintenance information is selected from information allowed to be included in the maintenance information based on content restriction information indicating the information allowed to be included in the maintenance information.

13. The terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the transmission destination restriction information is information at one security level selected from among a plurality of security levels that gradually restrict the range of people to which transmission of the maintenance information is allowed.

14. The terminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the function is a function for requesting a maintenance provider to perform maintenance of the first device.

15. The terminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance information further includes information relating to maintenance of the second device owned by the person concerned or another device owned by the person concerned.

16. The terminal apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the function is a function for requesting a maintenance provider to perform maintenance of the second device owned by the person concerned or another device owned by the person concerned.

17. A maintenance information transmission method, the method being performed by a processor and comprising:

receiving operation information of a first device;

reading the operation information from a storage device that stores the operation information and stores relationship information indicating a relationship between a user of the first device and people other than the user and determining a remaining life of the first device or a part making up the first device based on the read operation information;

reading the relationship information from the storage device;

determining, among the people other than the user, a person concerned who has a predetermined relationship with the user of the first device, based on the relationship information, when the remaining life determined in the determining of the remaining life reaches a predetermined remaining life or becomes shorter than the predetermined remaining life;

receiving transmission destination restriction information indicating a range of people to which transmission of maintenance information of the first device is allowed;

determining the person concerned based on the transmission destination restriction information;

determining a second device owned by the person concerned as a transmission destination to which the maintenance information is transmitted; and

transmitting the maintenance information to the second device, wherein

the maintenance information is information prompting maintenance of the first device or the part making up the first device, and the maintenance information includes an activation button that is pressed by the person concerned and that activates a function for establishing communication with the user of the first device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program that causes a processor to execute processing comprising:

receiving operation information of a first device;

reading the operation information from a storage device that stores the operation information and stores relationship information indicating a relationship between a user of the first device and people other than the user and determining a remaining life of the first device or a part making up the first device based on the read operation information;

reading the relationship information from the storage device;

determining, among the people other than the user, a person concerned who has a predetermined relationship with the user of the first device, based on the relationship information, when the remaining life determined in the determining of the remaining life reaches a predetermined remaining life or becomes shorter than the predetermined remaining life;

receiving transmission destination restriction information indicating a range of people to which transmission of maintenance information of the first device is allowed;

determining the person concerned based on the transmission destination restriction information;

determining a second device owned by the person concerned as a transmission destination to which the maintenance information is transmitted; and

transmitting the maintenance information to the second device, wherein

the maintenance information is information prompting maintenance of the first device or the part making up the first device, and the maintenance information includes an activation button that is pressed by the person concerned and that activates a function for establishing communication with the user of the first device.