Equipment management system, equipment management apparatus, control method therefor, and computer-readable memory
First Claim
1. An equipment management system comprising a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user, said user terminal and said server being connected to each other through a network, said user terminal including first transmission means for transmitting failure information about equipment connected to said user terminal to said server, and said server including calculation means for calculating repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis the failure information transmitted from said transmission means;
- and second transmission means for transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated by said calculation means to said user terminal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A user terminal transmits failure information about a connected printer to a management server. The management server calculates the repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis of the transmitted failure information. Estimate information including the calculated repair fee estimate is then transmitted to the user terminal.
19 Citations
42 Claims
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1. An equipment management system comprising a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user, said user terminal and said server being connected to each other through a network,
said user terminal including first transmission means for transmitting failure information about equipment connected to said user terminal to said server, and said server including calculation means for calculating repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis the failure information transmitted from said transmission means; - and
second transmission means for transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated by said calculation means to said user terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An equipment management system comprising a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user, said user terminal and said server being connected to each other through a network,
said user terminal including determination means for determining, on the basis of the remaining quantity of expendable of equipment connected to said user terminal, whether the user has made a maintenance contract for the expendable with the maker, and notification means for notifying said server of a request to supply the expendable on the basis of the determination result obtained by said determination means.
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9. A control method for an equipment management system in which a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user are connected to each other through a network, comprising:
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the first transmission step of transmitting failure information about equipment connected to the user terminal to the server;
the calculation step of calculating repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis the failure information transmitted in the transmission step; and
the second transmission step of transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated in the calculation step to the user terminal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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14. A control method of an equipment management system in which a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user are connected to each other through a network, comprising:
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the determination step of determining, on the basis of the remaining quantity of expendable of equipment connected to the user terminal, whether the user has made a maintenance contract for the expendable with the maker; and
the notification step of notifying the server of a request to supply the expendable on the basis of the determination result obtained in the determination step.
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17. A computer-readable memory storing a program code for control on an equipment management system in which a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user are connected to each other through a network, comprising:
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a program code for the first transmission step of transmitting failure information about equipment connected to the user terminal to the server;
a program code for the calculation step of calculating repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis the failure information transmitted in the transmission step; and
a program code for the second transmission step of transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated in the calculation step to the user terminal.
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18. A computer-readable memory storing a program code for a control on an equipment management system in which a user terminal owned by a user and a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment for the user are connected to each other through a network, comprising:
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a program code for the determination step of determining, on the basis of the remaining quantity of expendable of equipment connected to the user terminal, whether the user has made a maintenance contract for the expendable with the maker; and
a program code for the notification step of notifying the server of a request to supply the expendable on the basis of the determination result obtained in the determination step.
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19. An equipment management apparatus which is connected to a user terminal owned by a user through a network and managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment to the user, comprising:
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calculation means for calculating a repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis of failure information of the equipment connected to the user terminal which is transmitted from the user terminal; and
transmission means for transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated by said calculation means to the user terminal.
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24. An equipment management apparatus to which a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment to the user is connected, comprising:
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determination means for determining, on the basis of the remaining quantity of expendable of equipment connected to the equipment management apparatus, whether a maintenance contract for the expendable is made with the maker; and
notification means for notifying said server of a request to supply the expendable on the basis of the determination result obtained by said determination means.
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27. A control method for an equipment management apparatus which is connected to a user terminal owned by a user through a network and managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment to the user, comprising:
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the calculation step of calculating a repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis of failure information of the equipment connected to the user terminal which is transmitted from the user terminal; and
the transmission step of transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated in the calculation step to the user terminal.
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32. A control method for an equipment management apparatus to which a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment to the user is connected, comprising:
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the determination step of determining, on the basis of the remaining quantity of expendable of equipment connected to the equipment management method, whether a maintenance contract for the expendable is made with the maker; and
the notification step of notifying the server of a request to supply the expendable on the basis of the determination result obtained in the determination step. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A computer-readable memory storing a program code for a control on an equipment management apparatus which is connected to a user terminal owned by a user through a network and managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment to the user, comprising:
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a program code for the calculation step of calculating a repair fee estimate of the equipment on the basis of failure information of the equipment connected to the user terminal which is transmitted from the user terminal; and
a program code for the transmission step of transmitting estimate information including the repair fee estimate calculated in the calculation step to the user terminal.
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36. A computer-readable memory storing a program code for control on an equipment management apparatus to which a server managed by a maker that provides equipment and an expendable of the equipment to the user is connected, comprising:
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a program code for the determination step of determining, on the basis of the remaining quantity of expendable of equipment connected to the equipment management method, whether a maintenance contract for the expendable is made with the maker; and
a program code for the notification step of notifying the server of a request to supply the expendable on the basis of the determination result obtained in the determination step.
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37. An equipment management apparatus, comprising:
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calculation means for calculating an estimate on the basis of failure information from the equipment; and
notification means for making a notification of information about a new product, together with the estimate, if the estimate calculated by said calculation means is not less than a predetermined value.
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38. An equipment management apparatus, comprising:
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means for automatically ordering the expendable if the remaining quantity of expendable becomes not more than a predetermined value and a maintenance contract has been made; and
means for ordering the expendable by making a user choose between ordering the expendable and not ordering the expendable if the remaining quantity becomes not more than the predetermined value and no maintenance contract has been made.
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39. A control method for an equipment management apparatus, comprising:
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the calculation step of calculating an estimate on the basis of failure information from the equipment; and
the notification step of making a notification of information about a new product, together with the estimate, if the estimate calculated in the calculation step is not less than a predetermined value.
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40. A control method for an equipment management apparatus, comprising:
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the step of automatically ordering the expendable if the remaining quantity of expendable becomes not more than a predetermined value and a maintenance contract has been made; and
the step of ordering the expendable by making a user choose between ordering the expendable and not ordering the expendable if the remaining quantity becomes not more than the predetermined value and no maintenance contract has been made.
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41. A computer-readable memory storing an equipment management program, comprising:
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the calculation step of calculating an estimate on the basis of failure information from the equipment; and
the notification step of making a notification of information about a new product, together with the estimate, if the estimate calculated in the calculation step is not less than a predetermined value.
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42. A computer-readable memory storing an equipment management program, comprising:
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the step of automatically ordering the expendable if the remaining quantity of expendable becomes not more than a predetermined value and a maintenance contract has been made; and
the step of ordering the expendable by making a user choose between ordering the expendable and not ordering the expendable if the remaining quantity becomes not more than the predetermined value and no maintenance contract has been made.
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Specification