Apparatus management support device, apparatus management system, apparatus management support method, and program

Abstract

To provide an apparatus management support device, an apparatus management system, an apparatus management support method, and a program that can notify a user of an apparatus of the occurrence of abnormality in the apparatus selectively according to whether the apparatus is in a service period.SOLUTION: A cloud server 1 comprises: an error determination unit 112 that determines whether error code information included in error notification information transmitted from an apparatus management server 2 is error code information for identifying the details of abnormality to be notified to a user; and a message notification unit 113 that, when the error code information is determined to be the error code information for identifying the details of the abnormality to be notified to the user and when the point of time when the error code information is acquired is within a service period for a target apparatus 4, selects, from pieces of message information stored by a message storage unit 132, message information corresponding to the acquired error code information, and transmits the selected message information to a terminal device 3 carried by the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device management support device, a device management system, a device management support method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A service support system has been proposed that includes a management device that remotely manages devices within a local area network and acquires data from the devices, and a data processing device that converts the data acquired by the management device into data corresponding to the content of the service to be provided, stores the data, and transmits the stored data to the data utilization device using a specific API contracted for use by each data utilization device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-86456 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a demand for this type of service support system that, when an abnormality occurs in a remotely managed device, can determine the type of abnormality that has occurred and selectively notify the user of the device that an abnormality has occurred depending on whether or not the user is within the service period for providing a service that notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in the device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above reasons, and aims to provide an equipment management support device, an equipment management system, an equipment management support method, and a program that can selectively notify equipment users that an abnormality has occurred in the equipment depending on whether or not the equipment is within a service period. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the device management support device according to the present disclosure comprises: an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to a user of the device; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; and a message notification unit that, when it is determined that the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within the service period indicated by the user identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies and the period information corresponding to the device identification information, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, when a message notification unit determines that error code information transmitted from a device management server is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to a user and that the time when the error code information was acquired is within a service period corresponding to the target device, the message notification unit selects message information corresponding to the error code information and transmits the selected message information to a terminal device carried by the user. In this way, when an abnormality occurs in a device, it is possible to selectively notify the user of the device that an abnormality has occurred in the device depending on whether the time is within a service period for providing a service that notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in the device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a device management support system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a device management support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a part of a device management support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1A is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a device status storage unit according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of information stored in an error history storage unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1A is a diagram showing an example of information stored in an error code storage unit according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a message storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a warranty date storage unit according to the first embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the device management support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of an error notification image displayed on a display unit of a terminal device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another example of an error notification image displayed on a display unit of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the device management support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a device management support process executed by the cloud server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device management support system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the error occurrence situation estimation unit according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the device management support system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the device management support system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a device management support process executed by a cloud server according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device management support system according to a modified example. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a device management support process executed by a cloud server according to a modified example. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device management support system according to a modified example. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a device management support system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Embodiment 1) The device management support device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The device management support device according to the embodiment is realized in, for example, a cloud server 1, and includes an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information identifying the content of an abnormality occurring in a device, which is transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the devices when an abnormality occurs in the device, an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information identifying the content of the abnormality to be notified to a user, a message storage unit that stores at least one message information indicating the content of the abnormality occurring in the device to be notified to a user when an abnormality to be notified to the user occurs, in association with the corresponding error code information, and a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period for transmitting at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device, in association with user identification information that identifies the user of the device and device identification information that identifies the device. and a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired was within the service period indicated by the period information corresponding to the user identification information and device identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit and transmits the selected message information to the first terminal device carried by the user. Here, the "service period" refers to a period during which various services are provided, such as a warranty period during which the device is repaired free of charge if an abnormality occurs in the device, or a period during which a service is provided for providing information related to the device free of charge.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the device management system according to this embodiment includes a cloud server 1, a device management server 2 that manages the status of a device 4, a terminal device 3 owned by a user of the device 4, and a terminal device 5 owned by a service provider that provides maintenance services for the device 4. The device 4 is connected to a local network NW2 constructed in a building where the user lives. The local network NW2 is, for example, a wired local area network (LAN) or a wireless LAN, and is connected to a wide area network NW1 via a router 82 and a data circuit-terminating device 81. The data circuit-terminating device 81 is, for example, a modem or a gateway. This allows the device 4 to communicate with the device management server 2 via the local network NW2, the router 82, the data circuit-terminating device 81, and the wide area network NW1. The cloud server 1 can communicate with the device management server 2 via the wide area network NW1, and the terminal devices 3 and 5 and the cloud server 1 can communicate with each other via the wide area network NW1.

[0011] The device 4 is, for example, a water heater, an air conditioner, etc., and is connected to the local network NW2. The device 4 periodically generates device status information indicating the status of the device 4 and transmits it to the device management server 2 via the local network NW2 and the wide area network NW1.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the device management server 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a main memory 202, an auxiliary memory 203, a communication unit 206, a clock unit 208, and a bus 209 interconnecting these components. The CPU 201 is, for example, a multi-core processor. The main memory 202 has a volatile memory and is used as a work area for the CPU 201. The auxiliary memory 203 is made up of a large-capacity non-volatile memory and stores programs for implementing various functions of the device management server 2. The communication unit 206 is connected to the wide area network NW1. The clock unit 208 has, for example, a real-time clock.

[0013] The CPU 201 reads out the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 203 into the main storage unit 202 and executes them, thereby functioning as a device status acquisition unit 211, an error detection unit 212, and an error notification unit 213, as shown in Fig. 3. The auxiliary storage unit 203 shown in Fig. 2 also has a device status storage unit 231 that stores device status information indicating the status of the device 4, as shown in Fig. 3. The device status storage unit 231 stores multiple types of device status information acquired from the device 4 for each device 4, in association with date and time information indicating the date and time when the device status information was acquired, device identification information that identifies the device 4, and model information indicating the model of the device 4, as shown in Fig. 4(A), for example. In the example shown in Figure 4, the model of device 4 identified by device identification information "IDE[0]" is "CL[0]", and the device status information acquired on "2023 / 1 / 1" indicates that the corresponding values of parameters "dataA1", "dataA2", ..., "dataA5", ... are "FALSE", "18", "-18", "24.5", "143748", .... Here, "FALSE" indicates, for example, that the acquired status is invalid or that measurement was not possible on device 4.

[0014] Returning to FIG. 3 , when the device status acquisition unit 211 acquires device status information periodically transmitted from the device 4, the device status acquisition unit 211 associates the acquired device status information with date and time information indicating the date and time when the device status information, measured by the timer unit 208, was acquired, as well as the device identification information and model information of the device 4, and stores the information in the device status storage unit 231. The error detection unit 212 references the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 231 and determines whether any of the parameters indicated by the device status information exceeds a preset allowable range. If the error detection unit 212 determines that any of the parameters indicated by the device status information exceeds the allowable range, the error detection unit 212 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 and identifies an error code identifying the nature of the abnormality. The error notification unit 213 generates error notification information including error code information indicating the identified error code and transmits the error notification information to the cloud server 1. Note that the error code may be transmitted from the device 4 without being identified by the error detection unit 212. In this case, the device status storage unit 231 shown in FIG. 4(A), which will be described later, may store the error code information.

[0015] The terminal device 3 is, for example, a smartphone, and is a first terminal device including, as shown in FIG. 2, a CPU 301, a main memory unit 302, an auxiliary memory unit 303, a display unit 304, an input unit 305, a communication unit 306, and a bus 309 connecting these units to one another. The main memory unit 302 has a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and is used as a work area for the CPU 301. The auxiliary memory unit 303 is a non-volatile memory such as a semiconductor flash memory and stores programs for the CPU 301 to execute various processes. The display unit 304 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The input unit 305 is, for example, a first terminal device input unit that is a transparent touchpad placed on the display unit 204. The communication unit 306 is connected to the wide area network NW1 and transmits information transferred from the CPU 301 to the terminal device 5 via the wide area network NW1, and transfers information obtained from the cloud server 1 via the wide area network NW1 to the CPU 301.

[0016] 3, CPU 301 functions as a message acquisition unit 311, a display control unit 312, and a repair request unit 313 by reading out a program stored in auxiliary storage unit 303 into main storage unit 302 and executing it. When message acquisition unit 311 acquires message notification information transmitted from cloud server 1, the message acquisition unit 311 including message information indicating a message indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in a device to be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user has occurred, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information, which will be described later, the message acquisition unit 311 extracts the message information and warranty date information included in the acquired message notification information and notifies display control unit 312. Furthermore, message acquisition unit 311 extracts the message information, user identification information, and device identification information included in the acquired message notification information and notifies repair request unit 313.

[0017] When the display control unit 312 receives the message information from the message acquisition unit 311, the display control unit 312 forms an error notification image based on the received message information to notify the user that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4, and displays the image on the display unit 304. When the user performs a repair request preparation operation on the input unit 305, for example, to request a service provider to repair the abnormal device 4, the display control unit 312 forms an input form image for inputting details of the repair request for the device 4, and displays the input form image on the display unit 304. Here, the display control unit 312 may download information for forming the input form image from a repair request management server (not shown) that manages a website for making a repair request, based on URL information indicating the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the website.

[0018] When the input form image is displayed on the display unit 304 and the user inputs the details of the repair request for the device 4 and then performs the repair request operation, the repair request unit 313 generates repair request information including the error code information described below contained in the message information mentioned above, repair request content information indicating the details of the repair request, user identification information, and device identification information, and transmits it to the terminal device 5.

[0019] The terminal device 5 is, for example, a personal computer, and as shown in FIG. 2, is a second terminal device including a CPU 501, a main memory unit 502, an auxiliary memory unit 503, a display unit 504, an input unit 505, a communication unit 506, and a bus 509 connecting these units to one another. The main memory unit 502 has a volatile memory and is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The auxiliary memory unit 503 is composed of non-volatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), a solid-state drive (SSD), or a hard disk drive (HDD), and stores programs for the CPU 501 to execute various processes. The display unit 504 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. The input unit 505 is an input unit of the second terminal device, which is, for example, a key input device such as a keyboard. The communication unit 506 is connected to the wide area network NW1 and transmits information transferred from the CPU 501 to the cloud server 1 via the wide area network NW1, and transfers information obtained from the cloud server 1 and the terminal device 3 via the wide area network NW1 to the CPU 501.

[0020] CPU 501 reads out a program stored in auxiliary storage unit 503 into main storage unit 502 and executes it, thereby functioning as a message acquisition unit 511, a display control unit 512, an error history registration unit 513, and a message notification unit 514, as shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, auxiliary storage unit 503 shown in Fig. 2 has an error history storage unit 531 and a message storage unit 532, as shown in Fig. 3. Error history storage unit 531 stores, as shown in Fig. 4(B), for example, model information of device 4 in which an error has occurred, error code information, error content information indicating the content of the error, cause estimation information indicating the estimated cause, device identification information of device 4 in which the error has occurred, user identification information of the user of device 4, warranty expiration date information, and repair request presence / absence information indicating whether the user has requested repair, in association with occurrence date and time information indicating the date and time the error occurred. In the example shown in Figure 4(B), at 17:00 on January 10, 2023, an error code "E01" occurred in device 4 with device identification information IDE[0] belonging to the type indicated by model information CL[0] used by a user with user identification information IDU[0], the actual error content was "short circuit / open circuit in XX location", the estimated cause was failure of parts A, B, and C, and the warranty period for this device 4 was October 1, 2028, and no repair request had been made by the user.

[0021] Returning to FIG. 3, the message storage unit 532 stores message information indicating how to deal with an abnormality occurring in the device 4, such as message information indicating a message urging the user to extend the warranty period, message information indicating a message suggesting replacement with a new device 4, etc.

[0022] When message acquisition unit 511 acquires message notification information transmitted from cloud server 1, the message notification information indicating a message describing the details of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs, message acquisition unit 511 extracts error code information, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information included in the acquired message notification information and notifies display control unit 512. Message acquisition unit 511 also notifies error history registration unit 513 of the extracted error code information, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information. When display control unit 512 is notified of the error code information, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information from message acquisition unit 511, display control unit 512 forms an error notification image for notifying the service provider that an abnormality has occurred in device 4 used by the user, based on the error code information, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information included in the notified message information and various information corresponding to the error code information stored in error history storage unit 531, and causes display unit 504 to display the image. When the service provider inputs via the input unit 505 the details of the error, the estimated cause, etc. when an abnormality occurs in the device 4, the error history registration unit 513 stores the input various information in the error history storage unit 531 in addition to the error code information, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information notified from the message acquisition unit 511. When the service provider performs a message notification operation via the input unit 505 to send the message information stored in the message storage unit 532 to the terminal device 3 carried by the user, the message notification unit 514 transmits the message information stored in the message storage unit 532 to the terminal device 3 in response to this. When the repair request acquisition unit 515 acquires the repair request information transmitted from the terminal device 3, it notifies the display control unit 512 of the error code information, repair content information, user identification information, and device identification information included in the acquired repair request information.When the display control unit 512 is notified of the error code information, repair content information, user identification information, and device identification information from the repair request acquisition unit 515, it forms a repair request notification image on the display unit 504 to notify the service provider that a repair request has been made for the device 4 used by the user, based on the notified error code information, repair content information, user identification information, and device identification information.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 2, the cloud server 1 includes a CPU 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, a communication unit 106, and a bus 109 interconnecting these units. The CPU 101 is, for example, a multi-core processor. The main memory unit 102 has a volatile memory and is used as a work area for the CPU 101. The auxiliary memory unit 103 is made up of a large-capacity non-volatile memory and stores programs for realizing various functions of the cloud server 1. The communication unit 106 is connected to a wide area network NW1.

[0024] The CPU 101 reads out and executes a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into the main storage unit 102, thereby implementing the device management support device V1 that functions as an error notification acquisition unit 111, an error determination unit 112, and a message notification unit 113, as shown in FIG. 3. The auxiliary storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 2 also includes an error code storage unit 131, a message storage unit 132, and a warranty expiration date storage unit 133, as shown in FIG. 3. The error code storage unit 131 stores, in association with each other, error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality to be notified to the user and notification necessity information that specifies whether message information for notifying the user that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 should be sent to the terminal device 3 carried by the user, as shown in FIG. 5A, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, if the error code information included in the error notification information acquired from the device management server 2 indicates "E01," "E02," or "E04," the message information is sent to the terminal device 3, and if the error code information indicates "E03," the message information is not sent to the terminal device 3.

[0025] 5(B), for example, the message storage unit 132 stores a plurality of pieces of message information indicating the details of the abnormality that has occurred in the device 4 to be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device 4, in association with the corresponding error code information. In addition, the message storage unit 132 stores the message information in association with URL information indicating a URL including the domain name to which the terminal device 5 belongs.

[0026] 6, the warranty date storage unit 133 is a period storage unit that stores warranty date information indicating the warranty date for a device 4 in association with the device identification information of the corresponding device 4 and the user identification information of the user who uses the device 4. Here, the warranty date information is period information indicating the end of the warranty period for the device 4, and the warranty period corresponds to a service period during which a service is provided in which at least one piece of message information is sent to the terminal device 3 carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device 4.

[0027] 3, when the error notification acquisition unit 111 acquires error notification information transmitted from the device management server 2, it extracts error code information included in the acquired error notification information and notifies the error determination unit 112. When the error notification acquisition unit 111 notifies the error code information, the error determination unit 112 determines whether or not error code information matching the notified error code information is present among the error code information stored in the error code storage unit 131, and if it determines that error code information is present, it references the notification necessity information corresponding to the error code information and determines whether or not the error code information identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user. If the error determination unit 112 determines that the error code information identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user, it notifies the message notification unit 113 of the error code information.

[0028] When the error determination unit 112 notifies the message notification unit 113 of the error code information, the message notification unit 113 selects message information corresponding to the notified error code information from the message information stored in the message storage unit 132. The message notification unit 113 also determines whether the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period based on the warranty period information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133 and corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information. If the message notification unit 113 determines that the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period, the message notification unit 113 selects the warranty period information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133 and corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information. The message notification unit 113 then generates message notification information including the selected message information and warranty period information, as well as the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits the message notification information to the terminal devices 3 and 5. On the other hand, if the message notification unit 113 determines that the warranty period of the corresponding device 4 has expired, the message notification unit 113 generates message notification information including the selected message information and the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits the message notification information only to the terminal device 5.

[0029] Next, the operation of the device management support system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. First, assume that an abnormality occurs in device 4, and that device management server 2 determines that an abnormality has occurred in device 4 based on the device status information stored in device status storage unit 231 (step S1). In this case, device management server 2 identifies an error code identifying the abnormality (step S2), and generates error notification information including error code information indicating the identified error code, user identification information of the user of device 4 corresponding to the identified error code, and device identification information of the corresponding device 4 (step S3). Next, the generated error notification information is transmitted from device management server 2 to cloud server 1 (step S4). Meanwhile, assume that upon acquiring the error notification information, cloud server 1 determines that the error notification information is error code information identifying the content of the abnormality for which the user should be notified (step S5) by referring to notification necessity information corresponding to the error code information included in the acquired error notification information, which is stored in error code storage unit 131. In this case, cloud server 1 selects message information corresponding to the error code information from the message information stored in message storage unit 132 (step S6). Next, the cloud server 1 selects warranty date information corresponding to the combination of device identification information and user identification information included in the error notification information based on the warranty date information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty date storage unit 133 (step S7), and determines that the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period (step S8). Thereafter, the cloud server 1 generates message notification information including the selected message information, warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information (step S9). Next, the generated message notification information is transmitted from the cloud server 1 to the terminal devices 3 and 5, respectively (steps S10 and S11).

[0030] On the other hand, when the terminal device 3 acquires the message notification information transmitted from the cloud server 1, it forms an error notification image for notifying the user that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 based on the message information and warranty expiration date information contained in the acquired message notification information, and displays the error notification image on the display unit 304 (step S12). Here, the terminal device 3 displays, for example, an error notification image GA11 as shown in FIG. 8(A) on the display unit 304. The error notification image GA11 includes a message image M11 notifying the user that an error has occurred in the device 4, a message image M12 notifying the user of the warranty expiration date of the target device 4, and a selection message image BU11 selected when transitioning to an input form image for requesting repair of the device 4. Note that, if the warranty expiration date of the corresponding device 4 has already passed at the time the error notification information is acquired, the cloud server 1 generates message notification information including message information indicating a message indicating that the warranty expiration date has passed, and the generated message notification information is transmitted from the cloud server 1 to each of the terminal devices 3 and 5. Then, when the terminal device 3 acquires the message notification information, it displays an error notification image GA12 including a message image M13 indicating that the warranty period has expired, as shown in Fig. 8(B), on the display unit 304. Note that in Fig. 8(B), the same components as those in Fig. 8(A) are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0031] Furthermore, when the terminal device 5 acquires the message notification information transmitted from the cloud server 1, it selects error history information corresponding to the error code information, user identification information, and device identification information included in the acquired message notification information from the error history information stored in the error history storage unit 531 (step S13). Next, based on the selected error history information, the terminal device 5 notifies the service provider that an error has occurred, and forms an error notification image that also notifies the service provider of the past abnormality content, probable cause, etc. corresponding to the error code information of the error, and displays the image on the display unit 504 (step S14).

[0032] Here, it is assumed that the service provider performs a solution notification operation to notify the user of a solution by referring to the error notification image displayed on the display unit 504 of the terminal device 5. In this case, the terminal device 5 selects message information corresponding to the content of the solution notification operation from the message information stored in the message storage unit 532 (step S15). Thereafter, the selected message information is transmitted from the terminal device 5 to the terminal device 3 (step S16). Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9, upon receiving the message information transmitted from the terminal device 5, the terminal device 3 forms a solution notification image based on the received message information to notify the user of a solution to the device 4 in which an abnormality has occurred, and displays the image on the display unit 304 (step S17).

[0033] Furthermore, suppose that the terminal device 3 performs a repair request preparation operation to request repair of the device 4. This repair request preparation operation is, for example, an operation in which, while error notification images GA11 and GA12 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B are displayed on the display unit 304, the user touches a portion of the input unit 305, which is a touchpad, that corresponds to the selection message image BU11. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the terminal device 3 forms the aforementioned input form image and displays it on the display unit 304 (step S18). Here, the display control unit 312 may form the input form image by downloading information for forming the input form image from a repair request management server (not shown) that manages the website in advance, based on URL information indicating the URL of the website for making the repair request. Then, suppose that, while the terminal device 3 is displaying the input form image on the display unit 304, the user performs an operation to input repair details into the input unit 305 and then performs a repair request operation. In this case, the terminal device 3 generates repair request information including error code information, repair content information, user identification information, and device identification information (step S19), and the generated repair request information is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the terminal device 5 (step S20). On the other hand, when the terminal device 5 acquires the repair request information transmitted from the terminal device 3, it forms a repair request notification image notifying the service provider that a repair request has been made, based on the error code information, repair content information, user identification information, and device identification information included in the acquired repair request information, and displays the image on the display unit 504 (step S21).

[0034] Next, the device management support process executed by the cloud server 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. This device management support process is started, for example, when a program for executing the device management support process is started in the cloud server 1. First, the error notification acquisition unit 111 determines whether or not error notification information transmitted from the device management server 2 has been acquired (step S101). Here, the error notification acquisition unit 111 repeatedly executes the process of step S101 as long as it determines that error notification information has not been acquired (step S101: No). On the other hand, if the error notification acquisition unit 111 determines that error notification information has been acquired (step S101: Yes), it extracts error code information included in the acquired error notification information and notifies the error determination unit 112. Then, when the error notification acquisition unit 111 notifies the error code information, the error determination unit 112 determines whether or not error code information matching the notified error code information exists among the error code information stored in the error code storage unit 131 (step S102). Here, if the error determination unit 112 determines that there is no error code information that matches the notified error code information (step S102: No), the process of step S101 is executed again. On the other hand, if the error determination unit 112 determines that there is error code information that matches the notified error code information (step S102: Yes), the error determination unit 112 refers to the notification necessity information corresponding to the error code information and determines whether the error code information identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user (step S103). Here, if the error determination unit 112 determines that notification of the error code information is unnecessary (step S103: No), the process of step S101 is executed again. On the other hand, it is assumed that the error determination unit 112 determines that the error code information identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user (step S103: Yes). In this case, the message notification unit 113 selects message information that corresponds to the error code information included in the acquired error notification information from the message information stored in the message storage unit 132 (step S104).

[0035] Next, the message notification unit 113 determines whether the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period based on the warranty period information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133 (step S105). If the message notification unit 113 determines that the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period (step S105: Yes), it selects the warranty period information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133 (step S106), generates message notification information including the selected message information and warranty period information and the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits it to the terminal device 3, 5 (step S107). On the other hand, if the message notification unit 113 determines that the warranty period of the corresponding device 4 has expired (step S105: No), it generates message notification information including the selected message information and the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits it to the terminal device 3, 5 (step S108). Here, the message notification unit 113 generates message notification information including message information indicating a message indicating that the warranty period has expired. After that, the process of step S101 is executed again.

[0036] As described above, in the cloud server 1 according to this embodiment, when the message notification unit 113 determines that the error code information transmitted from the device management server 2 is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality that should be notified to the user, and determines that the time when the error code information was acquired was within the warranty period corresponding to the target device 4, the message notification unit 113 selects message information corresponding to the error code information and transmits the selected message information to the terminal device 3 carried by the user. In this way, when an abnormality occurs in the device 4, it is possible to selectively notify the user of the device 4 that an abnormality has occurred in the device depending on whether the time is within the warranty period for providing a service that notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4.

[0037] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the user can ascertain whether the warranty period for the device 4 they are using has expired simply by referring to the error notification images GA11 and GA12 displayed on the display unit 304 of the terminal device 3, and can therefore request repairs while taking into consideration the cost of repairing the device 4. This prevents unnecessary replacement of the device 4 when an abnormality occurs in the device 4, and allows the device 4 to be used for a relatively long period of time. Furthermore, by referring to the error notification images GA11 and GA12, the user can easily make decisions such as "repair," "extend the warranty period," or "replace the device 4" depending on whether the warranty period has expired.

[0038] Furthermore, in response to a countermeasure notification operation on the input unit 505 by the service provider, the terminal device 5 according to this embodiment transmits message information indicating a countermeasure to be taken when an abnormality occurs in the device 4 to the terminal device 3. This enables the service provider to suggest countermeasures to the user, such as extending the warranty period or purchasing a new device 4.

[0039] Furthermore, in response to a repair request operation by the user on input unit 305, terminal device 3 according to this embodiment generates repair request information including at least one of error code information included in the message information, user identification information, and device identification information of the device to be repaired, and transmits the generated information to terminal device 5 possessed by the service provider. As a result, when repair of device 4 is necessary, the user can request repair from the service provider simply by performing a repair request operation, so that the repair request for device 4 can be made quickly, and accordingly, the MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) of device 4 can be shortened.

[0040] (Embodiment 2) The equipment management support device of this embodiment differs from the equipment management support device of embodiment 1 in that it is equipped with an error occurrence situation estimation unit that estimates, from the equipment status information included in the acquired equipment information, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the equipment 4 and error code information of the abnormality that will occur if an abnormality occurs in the equipment 4, using an error occurrence situation estimation model for estimating, from the equipment status information of the equipment 4, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the equipment 4 and error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality that will occur if an abnormality occurs in the equipment 4.

[0041] The device management support system according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the device management support system described in the first embodiment, and includes a cloud server 2001, a device management server 2002, and terminal devices 3 and 2005, as shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3. The hardware configurations of the cloud server 2001, the device management server 2002, and the terminal device 2005 are the same as those of the cloud server 1, the device management server 2, and the terminal device 5 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, the hardware configurations of the cloud server 2001, the device management server 2002, and the terminal device 2005 will be described using the reference numerals shown in FIG. 2. In the device management server 2002, when a preset device information acquisition time arrives, the device information acquisition unit 2115 generates device information request information including search condition information for searching for device status information at a preset estimation target time point for all devices 4 used by the user, and transmits the generated device information request information to the device management server 2.

[0042] In the terminal device 2005, the CPU 501 loads the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 503 into the main storage unit 502 and executes it, thereby functioning as a message acquisition unit 511, a display control unit 512, an error history registration unit 513, a message notification unit 514, and an error certification information notification unit 2516. The auxiliary storage unit 503 also has an error history storage unit 531 and a message storage unit 532. When the service provider checks the actual state of the device 4 used by the user, determines that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4, and performs an error certification operation to notify that the service provider has certified that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4, the error certification information notification unit 2516 generates error certification information including error code information that identifies the abnormality that the service provider has certified as occurring in the device 4, and transmits the error certification information to the cloud server 1.

[0043] In the cloud server 2001, the CPU 101 reads out a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into the main storage unit 102 and executes it, thereby realizing a device management support device V2 that functions as an error notification acquisition unit 111, an error determination unit 112, a message notification unit 2113, a device information acquisition unit 2115, an error occurrence status estimation unit 2118, an error certification information acquisition unit 2119, and a model generation unit 2120. The auxiliary storage unit 103 also has an error code storage unit 131, a message storage unit 132, a warranty expiration date storage unit 133, a device status storage unit 2134, and a model storage unit 2135. The device status storage unit 2134 extracts device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information included in the device information transmitted from the device management server 2, and stores the extracted device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information in association with one another.

[0044] The model storage unit 2135 stores error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating an error occurrence situation estimation model for estimating, from the device status information of the device 4, whether an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 and error code information that identifies the nature of the abnormality if an abnormality has occurred in the device 4. The error occurrence situation estimation model is, for example, a forward propagation neural network. In this case, the model storage unit 2135 stores information indicating the structure of the neural network and information indicating weighting coefficients in the neural network. Here, the information indicating the structure of the neural network includes information indicating the number of nodes and layers of the neural network, as well as information indicating the weighting coefficients and activation functions corresponding to each node. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , when an device state vector Vin is input, the model calculates an expected value vector Vout, the expected value of each of multiple preset types of error occurrence situations being the elements. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the error occurrence status is classified into a plurality of types of statuses such as "no error", an abnormality with error code "E01", an abnormality with error code "E02", etc.

[0045] 11 , when the error notification acquisition unit 111 acquires error notification information transmitted from the device management server 2, it extracts error code information included in the acquired error notification information and notifies the model generation unit 2120. When the error code information is notified from the error occurrence status estimation unit 2118, the error determination unit 112 determines whether or not error code information matching the notified error code information exists among the error code information stored in the error code storage unit 131. If it determines that error code information exists, it references the notification necessity information corresponding to the error code information and determines whether or not the error code information identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user. If the error determination unit 112 determines that the error code information identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user, it notifies the message notification unit 2113 of the error code information.

[0046] When the error code information is notified from the error determination unit 112, the message notification unit 2113 selects message information corresponding to the notified error code information from the message information stored in the message storage unit 132. The message notification unit 2113 also determines whether the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period, based on the warranty period information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133. If the message notification unit 2113 determines that the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period, it selects the warranty period information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133. The message notification unit 2113 then generates message notification information including the selected message information and warranty period information, as well as the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits the message notification information to the terminal devices 3 and 5. On the other hand, if the message notification unit 2113 determines that the warranty period for the corresponding device 4 has expired, it generates message notification information including the selected message information and the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits it only to the terminal device 5.

[0047] When a preset device information acquisition time arrives, the device information acquisition unit 2115 generates device information request information including search condition information for searching for device status information at a preset target time for estimation for all devices 4 used by the user, and transmits the generated device information to the device management server 2. Here, the device information acquisition time can be set to occur periodically, for example, every few minutes to every few hours. The target time for estimation can be set to the most recent date and time among the date and time information stored in the device status storage unit 231 of the device management server 2. In this way, the device information acquisition unit 2115 acquires device information transmitted from the device management server 2, including device status information at the target time for estimation for all devices 4 used by the user. Upon acquiring the device information, the device information acquisition unit 2115 extracts the device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information included in the acquired device information, and stores the extracted device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information in the device status storage unit 2134 in association with each other.

[0048] The error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 estimates whether an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 and error code information of the abnormality if an abnormality occurs in the device 4, from the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134, using the error occurrence situation estimation model indicated by the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135. Specifically, the error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 first generates an device status vector Vin, as shown in FIG. 12 , from at least one parameter indicated by the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134. The error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 then inputs the device status vector Vin to the error occurrence situation estimation model described above to calculate the expected value vector Vout, the expected value of which is an expected value when no abnormality occurs and an expected value of which an abnormality occurs, identified by multiple types of preset error code information, as elements. The error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 then identifies the error occurrence situation corresponding to the element with the highest expected value among the multiple elements of the calculated expected value vector Vout. 12, when no abnormality occurs, the value of element Q[0] of the expected value vector Vout is the highest. On the other hand, when abnormalities with error codes "E01," "E02," "E03," and "E04" occur, the values of elements Q[1], Q[2], Q[3], and Q[4] are the highest, respectively. Furthermore, when the error occurrence status estimation unit 2118 estimates that an abnormality will occur in device 4, it notifies the error determination unit 112 of the error code information of the abnormality with the highest expected value.

[0049] Upon acquiring error certification information transmitted from the terminal device 5, the error certification information acquisition unit 2119 extracts error code information included in the acquired error certification information and notifies the model generation unit 2120 of the extracted error code information. The model generation unit 2120 generates error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating an error occurrence situation estimation model, based on the error code information notified from the error notification acquisition unit 111 or the error code information notified from the error certification information acquisition unit 2119. Here, the model generation unit 2120 identifies device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134 for the aforementioned estimation target period immediately preceding the point in time at which the error code information was acquired. The model generation unit 2120 then generates a new error occurrence situation estimation model using the notified error code information and the identified device status information, and updates the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135 with error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating the generated error occurrence situation estimation model. Specifically, the model generation unit 2120 first sets the expected values constituting each element of the expected value vector so that the expected value corresponding to the notified error code information is higher than the expected values corresponding to other labels. For example, the model generation unit 2120 sets the expected value at which an abnormality occurs for the notified error code information to a number greater than 0, and sets the expected values at which an abnormality occurs for other error code information and the expected values at which no abnormality occurs to "0". The model generation unit 2120 then calculates the error between the expected value vector calculated by the error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 and the set expected value vector. The model generation unit 2120 then determines a weighting coefficient for the error occurrence situation estimation model using an error propagation method (backpropagation) based on the calculated error. The model generation unit 2120 then updates the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135 with the error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating the determined weighting coefficient.

[0050] Next, the operation of the device monitoring support system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 13 and 14. In Figs. 13 and 14, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in Figs. 7 and 9. Furthermore, each time the device management server 2 acquires device status information periodically transmitted from the device 4, the device management server 2 concurrently executes a process of storing the acquired device status information in the device status storage unit 2134 in association with date and time information indicating the date and time when the device status information was acquired. First, as shown in Fig. 13, when the aforementioned device information acquisition time arrives, the cloud server 2001 generates device information request information including search condition information for searching for device status information for all devices 4 used by the user within the most recent, preset, estimation target period (step S2001), and the generated device information request information is transmitted from the cloud server 2001 to the device management server 2 (step S2002). On the other hand, when the device management server 2 acquires the device status request information transmitted from the cloud server 2001, it identifies the device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information that match the search conditions indicated by the search condition information from the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134, based on the device identification information of the device 4 used by the user included in the acquired device information request information (step S2003). Next, the cloud server 2001 generates device information including the identified device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information (step S2004), and the generated device information is transmitted from the device management server 2 to the cloud server 2001 (step S2005).

[0051] Meanwhile, when the cloud server 2001 acquires the device information transmitted from the device management server 2, it extracts the device status information, device identification information, model information, and date / time information included in the acquired device information, and stores the extracted device status information, device identification information, model information, and date / time information in the device status storage unit 2134 in association with one another. Next, it is assumed that the cloud server 2001 estimates, from the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134, that an abnormality will occur in the device 4, using the error occurrence situation estimation model indicated by the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135 (step S2006). In this case, it estimates whether an abnormality will occur and error code information of the abnormality that will occur if an abnormality occurs in the device 4. Then, it is assumed that the cloud server 2001 references the notification necessity information corresponding to the error code information included in the acquired error notification information, stored in the error code storage unit 131, and determines that the error code information identifies the content of the abnormality that should be notified to the user (step S5). In this case, a series of processes from step S6 onwards are executed.

[0052] 14, it is assumed that an abnormality occurs in device 4 and a series of processes from steps S1 to S4 is executed. In this case, when cloud server 2001 acquires error notification information transmitted from device management server 2, it generates error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating an error occurrence situation estimation model based on error code information included in the acquired error notification information. Then, cloud server 2001 updates the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in model storage unit 2135 with the generated error occurrence situation estimation model information (step S2008).

[0053] Furthermore, suppose that the service provider checks the actual state of device 4 used by the user, determines that an abnormality has occurred in device 4, and performs an error certification operation to notify that the abnormality has been certified in device 4. In this case, terminal device 2005 generates error certification information including error code information identifying the abnormality that the service provider has certified as occurring in device 4 (step S2009), and the generated error certification information is transmitted from terminal device 2005 to cloud server 2001 (step S2010). Meanwhile, upon receiving the error certification information transmitted from terminal device 2005, cloud server 2001 extracts error code information contained in the obtained error certification information (step S2011). Next, cloud server 2001 generates error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating an error occurrence situation estimation model based on the extracted error code information. Then, cloud server 2001 updates the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in model storage unit 2135 with the generated error occurrence situation estimation model information (step S2012).

[0054] Next, the device management support process executed by the cloud server 2001 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15. Note that in FIG. 15, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 10. First, the device information acquisition unit 2115 determines whether a preset device information acquisition time has arrived (step S2101). If the device information acquisition unit 2115 determines that the device information acquisition time has not yet arrived (step S2101: No), the process of step S2105 is executed. On the other hand, if the device information acquisition unit 2115 determines that the device information acquisition time has arrived (step S2101: Yes), the device information acquisition unit 2115 generates device information request information including search condition information for searching for device status information for all devices 4 used by the user within the most recent preset estimation target period, and transmits the generated device information to the device management server 2 (step S2102). Next, the device information acquisition unit 2115 acquires device information including device status information selected by the search based on the search condition information, which is transmitted from the device management server 2. Then, when the device information acquisition unit 2115 acquires the device information, it extracts the device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information contained in the acquired device information, and stores the extracted device status information, device identification information, model information, and date and time information in the device status storage unit 2134 in association with each other (step S2103).

[0055] Thereafter, the error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 determines whether or not it has estimated, from the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134, that an abnormality will occur in the device 4, using the error occurrence situation estimation model indicated by the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135 (step S2104). If the error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 determines that it has estimated that the device 4 is normal (step S2104: No), processing from step S2105 onwards, which will be described later, is executed. On the other hand, if the error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 determines that it has estimated that an abnormality will occur in the device 4 (step S2104: Yes), it notifies the error determination unit 112 of error code information that identifies the abnormality that is estimated to occur. Then, a series of processing from step S102 to S104 is executed.

[0056] Next, the message notification unit 2113 determines whether the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period based on the warranty period information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133 (step S105). If the message notification unit 2113 determines that the corresponding device 4 is within the warranty period (step S105: Yes), it selects the warranty period information corresponding to the corresponding device identification information and user identification information stored in the warranty period storage unit 133 (step S106), generates message notification information including the selected message information and warranty period information and the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits the message notification information to the terminal devices 3 and 5 (step S107). On the other hand, if the message notification unit 2113 determines that the warranty period of the corresponding device 4 has expired (step S105: No), it generates message notification information including the selected message information and the corresponding device identification information and user identification information, and transmits the message notification information only to the terminal device 5 (step S108).

[0057] Next, the error notification acquisition unit 111 determines whether or not error notification information transmitted from the device management server 2 has been acquired (step S2105). If the error notification acquisition unit 111 determines that error notification information has been acquired (step S2105: Yes), the process of step S2108, which will be described later, is executed. On the other hand, if the error notification acquisition unit 111 determines that error notification information has not been acquired (step S2105: No), the error certification information acquisition unit 2119 determines whether or not error certification information transmitted from the terminal device 2005 has been acquired (step S2106). If the error certification information acquisition unit 2119 determines that error certification information has not been acquired (step S2106: No), the process of step S2101 is executed again. On the other hand, if the error certification information acquisition unit 2119 determines that error certification information has been acquired (step S2106: Yes), the error certification information acquisition unit 2119 extracts error code information included in the acquired error certification information (step S2107). Next, the model generation unit 2120 generates error occurrence situation estimation model information indicating an error occurrence situation estimation model based on the error code information notified by the error notification acquisition unit 111 or the extracted error code information. Then, the model generation unit 2120 updates the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135 with the generated error occurrence situation estimation model information (step S2108). Thereafter, the processing of step S2101 is executed again.

[0058] As described above, in the cloud server 2001 according to this embodiment, the error occurrence situation estimation unit 2118 estimates whether an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 and error code information of the abnormality if an abnormality occurs in the device 4, from the device status information stored in the device status storage unit 2134, using the error occurrence situation estimation model indicated by the error occurrence situation estimation model information stored in the model storage unit 2135. Then, if the message notification unit 2113 determines that the time when the error code information was estimated is within the warranty period corresponding to the target device 4, it selects message information corresponding to the error code information and transmits the selected message information to the terminal device 3 carried by the user. In this way, when it is estimated that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4, it is possible to selectively notify the user of the device 4 that an abnormality has occurred in the device depending on whether the time is within the warranty period for providing a service for notifying that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4.

[0059] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, as shown in FIG. 16 , an equipment management support device V3 implemented by a cloud server 3001 may include a warranty expiration notification time determination unit 3114 that determines whether a warranty expiration notification time has arrived for notifying a user of a preset warranty expiration date, and a warranty expiration notification unit 3115 that, upon determining that the warranty expiration notification time has arrived, generates warranty expiration notification information including warranty expiration information and transmits it to the terminal device 3. Note that the hardware configurations of the cloud server 3001 and the terminal device 3003 are similar to those of the cloud server 1 and the terminal device 3 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, the hardware configurations of the cloud server 3001 and the terminal device 3003 will be described using the reference numerals shown in FIG. 2. Here, the warranty expiration notification time can be set several weeks or several months before the warranty expiration date. The warranty date notification time determination unit 3114 refers to the warranty date information stored in the warranty date storage unit 133, and identifies whether there is a warranty date for which the warranty date notification time has arrived and the warranty date for which the warranty date notification time has arrived. If the warranty date notification time determination unit 2114 determines that there is a warranty date for which the warranty date has arrived, it notifies the warranty date notification unit 3115 of the warranty date information indicating the warranty date, and the corresponding user identification information and device identification information. The warranty date notification unit 3115 then generates warranty date notification information including the notified warranty date information, user identification information, and device identification information, and transmits it to the terminal device 3003.

[0060] Furthermore, the terminal device 3003 may have a warranty date acquisition unit 3314 that, upon acquiring warranty date notification information transmitted from the equipment management support device V3, notifies the display control unit 312 of the acquired warranty date information. Then, upon being notified of the warranty date notification information, the display control unit 312 may form a warranty date notification image that notifies the user of the warranty date based on the notified warranty date notification information, and display the image on the display unit 304.

[0061] The device management support device V3 according to this modification executes a device management support process as shown in FIG. 17, for example. Note that in FIG. 12, the same processes as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 10. First, after a series of processes from step S101 to S108 are executed, the warranty date notification time determination unit 3114 determines whether the warranty date notification time has arrived by referring to the warranty date information stored in the warranty date storage unit 133 (step S3101). If the warranty date notification time determination unit 3114 determines that the warranty date notification time has not arrived (step S3101: No), the process of step S101 is executed again. On the other hand, if the warranty date notification time determination unit 3114 determines that the warranty date notification time has arrived (step S3101: Yes), the warranty date notification unit 3114 notifies the warranty date notification unit 3115 of the warranty date information indicating the warranty date, the corresponding user identification information, and the corresponding device identification information. Then, the warranty expiration date notifying unit 3115 generates warranty expiration date notification information including the notified warranty expiration date information, user identification information, and device identification information, and transmits it to the terminal device 3003 (step S3102). Thereafter, the process of step S101 is executed again.

[0062] The warranty expiration notification time may be set to occur at a preset interval after, for example, the start of use of the device 4. Here, the interval can be set to, for example, several weeks to several months. In this case, the warranty expiration notification time determination unit 3114 may notify the warranty expiration notification unit 3115 of warranty expiration information indicating the warranty expiration date, and the corresponding user identification information and device identification information, each time the warranty expiration notification time arrives, based on the amount of time that has elapsed since the start of use of the device 4.

[0063] This configuration can prevent the user from forgetting the warranty expiration date and neglecting to complete the warranty renewal procedure.

[0064] In each of the embodiments, an example has been described in which the terminal device 5, 2005 owned by the service provider includes the error history storage unit 531. However, this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, a device management support device V4 implemented by a cloud server 4001 may include an error history storage unit 4136. Note that in FIG. 18, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3. In this modification, the terminal device 4005 includes an error history registration request unit 4515 and an error history acquisition unit 4516. When the service provider inputs the details of an error, a probable cause, etc., when an abnormality occurs in the device 4 via the input unit 505, the error history registration request unit 4515 generates error history registration request information including the input information and transmits it to the cloud server 4001. When the error history acquisition unit 4516 acquires the error history information transmitted from the cloud server 4001, it notifies the display control unit 512 of the acquired error history information. When the display control unit 512 receives message information from the message acquisition unit 511 and error history information from the error history acquisition unit 4516, it forms an error notification image on the display unit 504 to notify the service provider that an abnormality has occurred in the device 4 used by the user, based on the error code information contained in the notified message information and the various information contained in the error history information.

[0065] The equipment management support device V4 has an error history registration unit 4116 and an error history notification unit 4117. When the error history registration unit 4116 acquires error history registration request information transmitted from the terminal device 4005, it extracts various pieces of information contained in the acquired error history registration request information and stores the information in the error history storage unit 4136. Furthermore, when the error determination unit 112 of the equipment management support device V4 determines that the information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user, it notifies the error code information to the error history notification unit 4117 together with the message notification unit 113. Then, the error history notification unit 4117 generates error history information that includes various pieces of information corresponding to the notified error code information and that is stored in the error history storage unit 4136, and transmits the information to the terminal device 4005.

[0066] In the device management support system according to this modification, as shown in FIG. 19 , after a series of processes from steps S1 to S7 are executed, cloud server 4001 generates the message notification information (step S8), and the generated message notification information is transmitted from cloud server 1 to terminal devices 3 and 5, respectively (steps S9 and S10). Next, cloud server 4001 generates error history information, which is stored in error history storage unit 4136 and includes various information corresponding to the notified error code information (step S4001). Subsequently, the generated error history information is transmitted from cloud server 4001 to terminal device 4005 (step S4002). Meanwhile, upon receiving the message notification information and error history information transmitted from cloud server 4001, terminal device 4005 forms an error notification image based on the error code information, user identification information, and device identification information contained in the received message notification information, and the received error history information, and displays the image on display unit 504 (step S4003).

[0067] According to this configuration, the error history information is managed by cloud server 4001, and therefore, the error history information can be referenced, for example, on another terminal device that can access cloud server 4001. Therefore, it becomes easier for multiple service providers to share the details of an abnormality that has occurred in device 4, and therefore, the device 4 in which an abnormality has occurred can be dealt with more efficiently.

[0068] Furthermore, the various functions of the cloud servers 1, 2001, 3001, and 4001 and the terminal devices 3, 2005, 3003, and 4005 according to the present disclosure may be implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. In this case, the software or firmware may be written as a program, and the program may be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or an MO (Magneto-Optical Disc). A computer capable of implementing each of the aforementioned functions may be configured by loading and installing the program on a computer. Furthermore, when each function is implemented by sharing the work between an operating system (OS) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and an application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the recording medium.

[0069] Furthermore, each program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and distributed over a network. For example, the program can be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on the network and distributed over the network. These programs can then be started and run under the control of the OS in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be performed.

[0070] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0071] (Appendix 1) an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to a user of the device; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within the service period indicated by the user identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies and the period information corresponding to the device identification information, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support device. (Appendix 2) When it is determined that the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality that should be notified to the user, the message notification unit selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information to a second terminal device possessed by the service provider. 2. The device management support device according to claim 1. (Appendix 3) a device information acquisition unit that acquires, from a device management server that manages the status of a device, device information including device status information that indicates the status of the device managed by the device management server; an error occurrence situation estimation unit that estimates, from the device status information included in the acquired device information, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the device and, if an abnormality occurs in the device, the error code information of the abnormality that will occur, using an error occurrence situation estimation model for estimating, from the device status information, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the device and, if an abnormality occurs in the device, error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality that has occurred; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user of the device when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that an abnormality is estimated to occur in the device and the estimated error code information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to a user, and that the time when it is estimated that an abnormality will occur in the device is within the service period indicated by the user identification information of the device targeted by the error code information and the period information corresponding to the device identification information, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support device. (Appendix 4) a deadline notification time determination unit that determines whether a deadline notification time has arrived for notifying the user of a deadline included in the predetermined service period; and a deadline notification unit that, when it is determined that the deadline notification time has arrived, transmits deadline information indicating the deadline to the first terminal device. 4. An equipment management support device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to a user of the device; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user in the event that an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is outside the service period indicated by the period information corresponding to the user identification information and the device identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information and information indicating that the service period has ended to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support device. (Appendix 6) a first terminal device carried by a user of the device; an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality has occurred in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within the service period indicated by the period information corresponding to the user identification information and the device identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit and transmits the selected message information to the first terminal device. Equipment management system. (Appendix 7) a second terminal device having a second terminal device input unit and owned by a service provider that provides a service related to the device; The second terminal device transmitting message information indicating a method of dealing with an abnormality occurring in the equipment to the first terminal device in response to an operation of the service provider on the input unit of the second terminal device; 10. The equipment management system described in Appendix 6. (Appendix 8) the first terminal device has a first terminal device input unit, and generates repair request information including at least one of the error code information included in the message information, the user identification information, and the device identification information of the device to be repaired in response to an operation of the user on the first terminal device input unit, and transmits the repair request information to a second terminal device possessed by a service provider that provides a service related to the device. 8. An equipment management system according to claim 6 or 7. (Appendix 9) a step in which the device management support device acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; a step of determining whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality of the device that should be notified to a user of the device, by the device management support device; When the device management support device determines that the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within a service period for transmitting at least one message information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device to a terminal device carried by the user, the device management support device selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one message information stored in a message storage unit that stores, in association with the error code information, at least one message information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support method. (Appendix 10) Computer, an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to a user of the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality in the device that should be notified to the user and the time when the error notification information was acquired is within a service period for providing a service for transmitting at least one message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device that will notify the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device that is the subject of the error notification information to a terminal device carried by the user, selects message information that corresponds to the acquired error code information from the at least one message information stored in a message storage unit that stores, in association with the error code information, the at least one message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device that will notify the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user; A program to function as a [Industrial Applicability]

[0072] The present disclosure is suitable as a system for allowing a user to remotely manage a device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 Cloud server, 2 Device management server, 3,5,2003,3003 Terminal device, 4 Device, 81 Data circuit terminating device, 82 Router, 101,201,301,501 CPU, 102,202,302,502 Main memory unit, 103,203,303,503 Auxiliary memory unit, 106,206,306,506 Communication unit, 108,208,310 Timekeeping unit, 109,209,309 Bus, 111 Error notification acquisition unit, 112 Error judgment unit, 113,514,2113 Message notification unit, 2115 Device information acquisition unit, 116,2116 Graph generation unit, 117 Graph notification unit, 131 Error code storage unit, 132,532 Message storage unit, 133 Warranty date storage unit, 2133 Device status storage unit, 211 device status acquisition unit, 212 error detection unit, 213 error notification unit, 304, 504 display unit, 305, 505 input unit, 311 message acquisition unit, 312, 512 display control unit, 313 repair request unit, 511 message acquisition unit, 512 display control unit, 513, 4116 error history registration unit, 515 repair request acquisition unit, 531, 4136 error history storage unit, 2118 error occurrence status estimation unit, 2119 error certification notification information acquisition unit, 2120 model generation unit, 2134 device status storage unit, 2135 model storage unit, 2214 device status notification unit, 2516 error certification information notification unit, 3114 warranty expiration date determination unit, 3115 warranty expiration date notification unit, 3314 warranty expiration date acquisition unit, 4117 error history notification unit, 4515 Error history registration request unit, 4516 error history acquisition unit, BU11 selection message image, BU21 button image, GA11, GA12 error notification image, M11, M12, M13 message image, NW1 wide area network, NW2 local network, V1, V2, V3, V4 device management support device

Claims

1. an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to a user of the device; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within the service period indicated by the user identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies and the period information corresponding to the device identification information, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support device.

2. When it is determined that the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality that should be notified to the user, the message notification unit selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information to a second terminal device possessed by the service provider. The device management support device according to claim 1 .

3. a device information acquisition unit that acquires, from a device management server that manages the status of a device, device information including device status information that indicates the status of the device managed by the device management server; an error occurrence situation estimation unit that estimates, from the device status information included in the acquired device information, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the device and, if an abnormality occurs in the device, the error code information of the abnormality that will occur, using an error occurrence situation estimation model for estimating, from the device status information, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the device and, if an abnormality occurs in the device, error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality that has occurred; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user of the device when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that an abnormality is estimated to occur in the device and the estimated error code information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to a user, and that the time when it is estimated that an abnormality will occur in the device is within the service period indicated by the user identification information of the device targeted by the error code information and the period information corresponding to the device identification information, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support device.

4. a deadline notification time determination unit that determines whether a deadline notification time has arrived for notifying the user of a deadline included in the predetermined service period; a deadline notification unit that, when it is determined that the deadline notification time has arrived, transmits deadline information indicating the deadline to the first terminal device. The device management support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to a user of the device; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user in the event that an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is outside the service period indicated by the period information corresponding to the user identification information and the device identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit, and transmits the selected message information and information indicating that the service period has ended to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support device.

6. a first terminal device carried by a user of the device; an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality has occurred in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to the user; a message storage unit that stores at least one piece of message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device and that should be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device, in association with the error code information; a period storage unit that stores period information indicating a service period during which a service for transmitting the at least one message information to a terminal device carried by the user when an abnormality occurs in the device is provided, in association with user identification information that identifies the user and device identification information that identifies the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within the service period indicated by the period information corresponding to the user identification information and the device identification information of the device to which the error notification information applies, selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one piece of message information stored in the message storage unit and transmits the selected message information to the first terminal device. Equipment management system.

7. a second terminal device having a second terminal device input unit and owned by a service provider that provides a service related to the device; The second terminal device transmitting message information indicating a method of dealing with an abnormality occurring in the equipment to the first terminal device in response to an operation of the service provider on the input unit of the second terminal device; The device management system according to claim 6 .

8. the first terminal device has a first terminal device input unit, and generates repair request information including at least one of the error code information included in the message information, the user identification information, and the device identification information of the device to be repaired in response to an operation of the user on the first terminal device input unit, and transmits the repair request information to a second terminal device possessed by a service provider that provides a service related to the device; The device management system according to claim 6 or 7.

9. a step in which the device management support device acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; a step of determining whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality of the device that should be notified to a user of the device, by the device management support device; When the device management support device determines that the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality to be notified to the user and that the time when the error notification information was acquired is within a service period for providing a service of transmitting at least one message information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user when an abnormality has occurred in the device to a terminal device carried by the user, the device management support device selects message information corresponding to the acquired error code information from the at least one message information stored in a message storage unit that stores, in association with the error code information, at least one message information indicating the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the device to be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user. Equipment management support method.

10. Computer, an error notification acquisition unit that acquires error notification information including error code information for identifying the content of the abnormality occurring in the device, the error notification information being transmitted from a device management server that manages the status of the device when an abnormality occurs in the device; an error determination unit that determines whether the error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of an abnormality that should be notified to a user of the device; a message notification unit that, when it is determined that error code information included in the acquired error notification information is error code information that identifies the content of the abnormality in the device that should be notified to the user and the time when the error notification information was acquired is within a service period for providing a service for transmitting at least one message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device that will be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device that is the subject of the error notification information to a terminal device carried by the user, selects message information that corresponds to the acquired error code information from the at least one message information stored in a message storage unit that stores, in association with the error code information, the at least one message information indicating the content of an abnormality that has occurred in the device that will be notified to the user when an abnormality that should be notified to the user occurs in the device, and transmits the selected message information to a first terminal device carried by the user; A program to function as a

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