Point service system and point management program

Abstract

To realize a point service that can make contribution in an environmental aspect.SOLUTION: A point service system includes: a log data collection unit 32 which collects log data regarding operation of a household electrical appliance 2; a log data analysis unit 33 which creates operation data indicating operation contributing to an environmental characteristic of the household electrical appliance from the created log data; an influence degree estimation unit 34 which estimates an environmental characteristic influence degree indicating the influence degree to the environmental characteristic of the household electrical appliance due to a corresponding operation by using the created operation data; and a point calculation unit 35 which calculates a point according to the influence degree, where the point regarding the household electrical appliance and having a restriction for regulating the purpose of usage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for realizing a points service for durable consumer goods, including so-called home appliances. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, point services have become widespread. Services that give points at the time of purchase have also been realized for durable consumer goods such as home appliances. In addition, various technologies related to point services have been proposed for actions other than purchases. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that gives incentives for saving electricity. Specifically, it describes that "a card company server or a smartphone of a user who is a card member acquires the amount of electricity used in the user's home from an electricity usage detector in the home and records it as home appliance electricity information. In addition, when a user purchases a product using a card at a card member store, purchase information including the purchase date and time and the purchase location is acquired from the card member store's system and recorded as a purchase history. Then, based on this purchase history, the user's purchase behavior with the card is estimated daily and recorded as a user behavior record. Then, based on the home appliance electricity information and the user behavior record, the card company server evaluates the amount of electricity saved in the home and the purchasing behavior with the card taken by the user, and determines an incentive to be given to the user according to the evaluation."

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for allowing an electrical appliance to be used in a manner that is desirable for a user. Specifically, "an information processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires usage data indicating a usage status of a home appliance, and a determination unit that refers to goal data indicating a combination of usage goals of the home appliances that is pre-stored in a storage unit, and determines whether or not the usage status of the home appliance indicated by the usage data acquired by the acquisition unit has achieved the combination of usage goals. For example, the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of usage data indicating the usage status of each of a plurality of home appliances, and the determination unit refers to the goal data indicating the combination of usage goals of each of the plurality of home appliances that is pre-stored in the storage unit, and determines whether or not the usage status of the home appliance indicated by the usage data acquired by the acquisition unit has achieved the combination of usage goals of each of the plurality of home appliances. It is described in the Japanese Patent that "it is determined whether or not the [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-191579 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-51215 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, environmental awareness has increased in recent years, and there is a growing need for a transition to a circular economy and for power saving and energy conservation. In particular, there is a demand for environmentally friendly operation, such as energy conservation, for durable consumer goods such as home appliances. For example, by performing appropriate maintenance, it is possible to maintain the lifespan of home appliances and prevent increases in power consumption. The above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 did not take such environmental considerations into account. As such, no technology has been proposed in the past for providing environmentally friendly incentives.

[0006] In addition, in order to continue to operate durable consumer goods in an environmentally friendly manner, economic aspects must also be considered. In this regard, appropriate use and maintenance can prevent the purchase price from decreasing. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide incentives for environmentally friendly operation that also takes economic aspects into account. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention executes information processing to grant users and referral targets (others) restricted points, the purpose of which is stipulated, for each type of operation that contributes to environmental characteristics. More preferably, points that reflect the impact on the lifespan and price of home appliances are used as the operation.

[0008] A more specific aspect of the present invention includes a log data collection unit that collects log data related to the operation of a home appliance, a log data analysis unit that creates operation data indicating an operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics of the home appliance from the log data, and an impact estimation unit that uses the created operation data to estimate an environmental characteristic impact level that indicates the impact of the corresponding operation on the environmental characteristics of the home appliance. The point service system includes a point calculation unit that calculates limited points related to the home appliance, the limited points having a specified purpose of use, according to the degree of influence.

[0009] The present invention also includes the point service system and each of the devices and subcombinations that constitute the system. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a point calculation method using these, a program for causing each of these devices to function as a computer, and a storage medium that stores this program. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a points service that contributes to the environment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a system configuration diagram of a points service system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a user terminal 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing user management information 191 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing home appliance management information 192 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing log data 193 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an influence estimation table 194 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 2 is a functional block diagram of a home appliance 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a point management device 3 in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a point calculation process in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, a home appliance will be described as an example of a durable consumer good. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a points service system in this embodiment.

[0013] The point service system of this embodiment has a user terminal 1, a home appliance 2, and a point management device 3. These are connected to each other via a router 5 and a network 6. They are also preferably connected to each sales counter device 4. However, of these, the user terminal 1 and the point management device 3 are not essential components, and only one of them may be used. In this embodiment, since the operation of the home appliance 2 can be environmentally friendly, the point service system can realize an environmentally friendly point service.

[0014] For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 1 and the point management device 3 each have the same configuration (units), but it is sufficient that at least one of the devices has these. Also, in this embodiment, the user terminal 1 and the point management device 3 work together to execute the point calculation process, but the division of processing among these devices is one example and is not limited to the following description. For example, it may be executed by either one of the devices. For this reason, the home appliance management system in this embodiment can be configured with the home appliance 2 and at least one of the user terminal 1 and the point management device 3.

[0015] The configuration of this embodiment will be described below. In FIG. 1, a microwave oven 21, a refrigerator 22, a vacuum cleaner 23, an IH cooker 24, an air purifier 25, and a washing machine 26 are exemplified as home appliances 2. These are used by users and their families. Operation log data showing the operation status of these home appliances 2 and action log data showing the user's actions with respect to the home appliances 2 are collected, and points are calculated based on the collected data. Note that the points of this embodiment are limited points that indicate a value that serves as an incentive for operations that affect (preferably contribute to) environmental characteristics such as maintenance, and whose purpose of use is specified. However, the present invention is not limited to the expression "points," and other expressions such as coupons and miles are also included. Furthermore, the points of this embodiment include various services such as discounts, refunds, cashbacks, shipping costs, and free provision of products when purchasing products including home appliances.

[0016] Each device for performing the point calculation process will be described below. First, the user terminal 1 is used by a user who uses the home appliance 2, and has a function for managing and operating the home appliance 2. For this purpose, the user terminal 1 has a communication unit 11, a log data collection unit 12, a log data analysis unit 13, an influence estimation unit 14, a point calculation unit 15, a home appliance management unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, and a memory unit 19. The communication unit 11 has a function for communication via the router 5 and the network 6 and for short-range wireless communication. As a result, the user terminal 1 can communicate with the home appliance 2, the point management device 3, and the sales counter device 4.

[0017] Furthermore, the log data collection unit 12 collects operation log data indicating the operation status of the home appliance 2 and action log data indicating the user's actions with respect to the home appliance 2. These log data include a history related to the operation of the home appliance. Note that the log data collection unit 12 mainly collects the action log data, and the operation log data may be collected by the point management device 3.

[0018] Furthermore, the log data analysis unit 13 creates operation data indicating operations that affect the environmental characteristics of the home appliance from the collected log data. More specifically, the log data analysis unit 13 creates, as the operation data, maintenance data indicating maintenance of the home appliance 2, proper use data indicating proper use of the home appliance 2, and introduction data indicating introduction of the home appliance. Furthermore, the environmental characteristics indicate the environmental viewpoint of the home appliance, and at least one of the selling price when the home appliance 2 is sold, the lifespan of the home appliance 2 (longer lifespan), the energy-saving performance of the new home appliance, and the recyclability (ease of recycling) of the new home appliance can be used.

[0019] Furthermore, the influence estimation unit 14 calculates an environmental characteristic influence indicating the degree of influence on the environmental characteristic according to the created operation data. Note that, as the environmental characteristic influence, for example, a lifespan influence indicating the degree of influence on the lifespan of the home appliance 2 or a price influence indicating the degree of influence on the price can be used. The reason for using the lifespan influence is that the longer the lifespan, the more disposable use can be discouraged, the less waste is produced, and the better the environment. The reason for using the price influence is that by at least maintaining the transaction price, disposable use can also be discouraged.

[0020] Furthermore, the point calculation unit 15 calculates limited points, the purpose of use of which is specified, according to the environmental characteristic influence degree. It is preferable that the point calculation unit 15 calculates different limited points according to the created operation data. For example, when maintenance data is created as the operation data, maintenance points to be added to the selling price when selling the home appliance 2 are calculated. When proper use data is created as the operation data, proper use points that can be used to purchase a new home appliance when replacing the home appliance 2 are calculated. When introduction data is created as the operation data, introduction points that can be used to purchase consumables for the home appliance 2 and to purchase the home appliance itself are calculated. In this calculation, the value of the limited points (for example, the number of points) may be adjusted using the market price and supply-demand relationship of the relevant home appliance 2.

[0021] Furthermore, the home appliance management unit 16 executes management of the home appliance 2. For example, the home appliance management unit 16 creates control commands to control the operation of the home appliance 2 according to the user's operation, and executes processes for purchasing consumables and parts of the home appliance 2 as well as new home appliances. Furthermore, it is preferable that the home appliance management unit 16 executes processes for introducing home appliances to others. For this reason, the home appliance management unit 16 may be realized as a control command unit that creates control commands and a home appliance purchasing unit that purchases consumables and home appliances and introduces home appliances to others. Here, the home appliance purchasing unit can notify the sales counter device 4 and the point management device 3 of purchase instructions and introduction information, and realize the purchase of consumables and home appliances and the introduction of home appliances.

[0022] The input unit 17 also accepts various operations from the user. These operations include an operation for operating (including maintenance) the home appliance 2, an operation for introducing the home appliance to others, and an operation for indicating the details of maintenance or specifications for the home appliance 2.

[0023] Moreover, the output unit 18 outputs the collected log data, the assigned restricted points, and the like. This output may be a display on a screen, or may be an audio output from a speaker. Moreover, the storage unit 19 stores information used for processing in each of the above-mentioned units. In this embodiment, at least one of user management information 191, home appliance management information 192, log data 193, and an impact estimation table 194 is stored.

[0024] Next, an example of the implementation of the user terminal 1 will be described. Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the user terminal 1 in this embodiment. In Fig. 2, the user terminal 1 has a touch panel 101, a processing device 102, a communication device 103, and a storage device 104, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0025] First, the touch panel 101 is configured to serve both as the input unit 17 and the output unit 18 in Fig. 1, and receives instructions and operations from the user, and displays various information such as the granted restricted points. The touch panel 101 may be configured separately as an input device and an output device. The processing device 102 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes calculations according to a point management program 105 stored in a storage device 104 described later.

[0026] 1, and communicates with the home appliances 2, the point management device 3, the sales counter device 4, etc. This communication may be performed via the router 5 or the network 6, or may be performed directly via short-distance wireless communication or the like.

[0027] 1, and stores a point management program 105, a home appliance management program 110, user management information 191, home appliance management information 192, log data 193, and an influence estimation table 194. However, some of these may be omitted and these functions may be implemented in the home appliance 2 or the point management device 3. The storage device 104 may be realized by a main storage device such as a memory and a secondary storage device (storage medium) that is a so-called storage. The secondary storage device may be realized by an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), memory card, or the like.

[0028] Furthermore, the point management program 105 is composed of a log data collection module 106, a log data analysis module 107, an impact estimation module 108, and a point calculation module 109, for each of its functions. Each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination.

[0029] Here, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 that executes the same functions as each module is as follows. Log data collection module 106: Log data collection unit 12 Log data analysis module 107: Log data analysis unit 13 Impact estimation module 108: Impact estimation unit 14 Point calculation module 109: Point calculation unit 15 1. The home appliance management program 110 may be provided for each home appliance 2, or may be realized as an integrated management application for managing a plurality of home appliances 2. The home appliance management program 110 and the point management program 105 may be realized as one program. The home appliance management program 110 may be realized as a control command program or a home appliance purchasing program corresponding to a control command unit or a home appliance purchasing unit. The home appliance management program 110 may be realized as one function of a so-called super app, such as a social networking service (SNS) program having a payment function. Here, the home appliance purchasing program can be realized as a so-called mail order app (shopping app).

[0030] In the above configuration, the processing device 102 executes the processing of the log data collection unit 12, the log data analysis unit 13, the impact estimation unit 14, the point calculation unit 15 and the home appliance management unit 16 in accordance with the point management program 105 and the home appliance management program 110.

[0031] Next, the user management information 191, home appliance management information 192, log data 193, and influence estimation table 194 stored in the user terminal 1 will be described. First, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the user management information 191 used in this embodiment. The user management information 191 is information about the user of the user terminal 1 to the home appliance 2. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the user management information 191 has items such as user, address, contact information, owned home appliances, and points. Here, the user is information that identifies the user, such as the user's name and membership number.

[0032] The address indicates the address of the user. The contact information indicates the contact information of the user, and may be a telephone number, an email address, or the like. The owned home appliances are information indicating the home appliances 2 used by the user. In this embodiment, the microwave oven 21, the refrigerator 22, the vacuum cleaner 23, the IH cooker 24, the air purifier 25, and the washing machine 26 shown in FIG. 1 are recorded as the owned home appliances 2. The points indicate information on various points including restricted points granted to the user. The points indicate the number (value) of points and the purpose of use for each type of point. In this embodiment, the points are managed by dividing them into home appliance points for each home appliance 2 and the total number for each user, but they may be managed in a format other than this.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing home appliance management information 192 used in this embodiment. The home appliance management information 192 is information for managing the home appliance 2. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the home appliance management information 192 has items for each home appliance 2, including a home appliance ID, a model number, and a purchase date and time. First, the home appliance ID is identification information for identifying the individual home appliance 2, but may be included in the items for the home appliance. The model number indicates the model of the home appliance 2. Note that this may be realized by incorporating the model number as part of the home appliance ID. The purchase date and time indicates the date and time when the user purchased the home appliance 2, but a date and time related to the home appliance 2, such as the manufacturing date, may be used.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing log data 193 used in this embodiment. The log data 193 indicates log data including various situations including the operation of the home appliances 2 owned by the user. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, the log data 193 has the following items for each user: owned home appliances, log data, and operation data. The operation data is made up of maintenance data, appropriate use data, and introduction data. Like the user management information 191, the owned home appliances are information indicating the home appliances 2 used by the user in question.

[0035] The log data is a history of the operation of the home appliance and is composed of operation log data and action log data. The operation log data is log data indicating the operation status of the relevant owned home appliance, i.e., home appliance 2. The action log data is log data indicating actions taken with respect to the relevant owned home appliance, i.e., home appliance 2.

[0036] Moreover, the operation data is data that is created from the operation log data and the behavior log data, and indicates operations that contribute to environmental characteristics. The maintenance data indicates the content and the extent of maintenance for the relevant owned home appliance, i.e., home appliance 2. The maintenance data is created by compiling log data related to maintenance extracted from the operation log data and the behavior log data. The appropriate usage data indicates the usage status of the relevant owned home appliance, i.e., home appliance 2, in particular, the content and the extent to which it is being used appropriately. Here, appropriate usage refers to the usage method recommended on the website, instruction manual, etc. The appropriate usage data is created by compiling log data related to appropriate use extracted from the operation log data.

[0037] The introduction data indicates the introduction of home appliances by the user to others. The introduced home appliances may be used or new. The introduction data is created by compiling the log data related to the introduction extracted from the behavior log data.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an influence estimation table 194 used in this embodiment. The impact estimation table 194 is a table for estimating an environmental characteristic impact indicating an impact of an operation on an environmental characteristic. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 6, each target home appliance has items of operation, unit frequency, and unit environmental characteristic impact.

[0039] First, the target home appliance of this embodiment is not limited to the home appliance 2. Moreover, the operation indicates an operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics of the target home appliance. In FIG. 6, cleaning of the interior, cleaning of the water tank, and cleaning of the water purification filter are exemplified as maintenance. Furthermore, opening and closing of the door and abnormal overheating are exemplified as examples of appropriate use. Note that, for appropriate use, negative items such as abnormal overheating can be provided, and the environmental characteristic influence degree described below can be set to a value in the direction of reduction (negative). Furthermore, appropriate use also includes the use of a function of the home appliance 2 that is specified in advance. In this case, if the function is not used, the environmental characteristic influence degree can be set to a value in the direction of reduction (negative).

[0040] The unit frequency indicates the frequency at which the operation is performed and is used as a unit for calculating the environmental characteristic impact. The unit environmental characteristic impact indicates the degree of contribution to the environmental characteristic per unit frequency.

[0041] In the example of Figure 6, the unit environmental characteristic impact is composed of a unit life impact and a unit price impact. The unit life impact indicates the degree of impact on the life of the target home appliance when the corresponding operation is performed for the unit frequency. The unit price impact indicates the degree of impact on the trading price (purchase price) of the target home appliance when the corresponding operation is performed for the unit frequency.

[0042] For example, when "interior cleaning" is performed once a month for "microwave oven 21" in FIG. 6, the lifespan of "microwave oven 21" is 1.01 times that of the case where it is not performed, and the transaction price is 1.10. In the example of FIG. 6, each unit environmental characteristic influence is expressed as a "multiple", but this is not limited to this. For example, environmental characteristics such as lifespan and price may be used. Furthermore, the unit environmental characteristic influence may be an influence other than the unit lifespan influence and the unit price influence, for example, an amount indicating an environmental load such as CO2 emission, waste amount, and power consumption. Furthermore, at least one of these may be used as the unit environmental characteristic influence, or a combination or representative value of these may be used. In this embodiment, in order to calculate the environmental characteristic influence, the environmental characteristic influence is estimated using the influence estimation table 194 in a table format. However, as long as the relationship between the operation and the environmental characteristic influence can be specified, the table format is not limited to being specified on a rule basis.

[0043] This concludes the explanation of the configuration of the user terminal 1 and its information, and we will return to FIG. 1 to continue the explanation of the point service system. The home appliances 2 are various types of home appliances used by users in houses and the like. In FIG. 1, a microwave oven 21, a refrigerator 22, a vacuum cleaner 23, an IH cooker 24, an air purifier 25, and a washing machine 26 are shown as the home appliances 2, but the home appliances 2 are not limited to these. Here, the information processing configuration of each of these home appliances 2 will be described. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the home appliances 2 in this embodiment. Since each home appliance 2 executes common information processing, their functions will be described collectively.

[0044] 7, the home appliance 2 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 207, a display operation unit 208, an operation unit 209, and a detection unit 210. These are connected to each other via a communication path. Each component will be described below.

[0045] First, the control unit 201 creates control signals for implementing the functions of each home appliance 2, such as cooking and laundry, to control the operation of the home appliances 2, and executes other information processing. For this purpose, the control unit 201 has a control signal creation unit 202, a log data collection unit 203, a log data analysis unit 204, an influence degree estimation unit 205, and a point calculation unit 206.

[0046] The control signal creation unit 202 creates a control signal for executing functions such as cooking in accordance with operations from the user on the display operation unit 208 or control commands from the user terminal 1. The log data collection unit 203 to the point calculation unit 206 have the same functions as the log data collection unit 12 to the point calculation unit 15 of the user terminal 1, respectively. For this reason, a description of these functions will be omitted. The log data collection unit 203 collects log data from the operation unit 209 and the detection unit 210. The log data includes the operation status of the operation unit 209 and the status of the home appliance 2, such as the temperature at that time.

[0047] Furthermore, the functions of log data analysis unit 204 to point calculation unit 206 can be provided in user terminal 1 or point management device 3, and at least one of them can be omitted. It is also preferable that control unit 201 stores collected log data and collection conditions. Note that control unit 201 can be realized by an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). For this reason, each unit of control unit 201, from control signal creation unit 202 to point calculation unit 206, can be realized by dedicated hardware or software such as a program.

[0048] The communication unit 207 also has a function of communication and short-range wireless communication via the router 5 and the network 6. The communication unit 207 notifies the user terminal 1 and the point management device 3 of log data and receives control commands from the user terminal 1.

[0049] Furthermore, the display operation unit 208 receives operations from the user for the home appliance 2, and outputs the operation contents performed by the home appliance 2 and the points granted. The operation unit 209 operates according to the control signal created by the control signal creation unit 202. Furthermore, the detection unit 210 detects the operation status such as the operation contents (including maintenance) and operation time (date and time) of the operation unit 209. Furthermore, the detection unit 210 detects power source information such as the temperature inside the home appliance 2, power consumption, and the current value (input value) from the outlet. For this reason, it is desirable to prepare multiple detection units 210 for each detection target, and these can be realized by various sensors. This concludes the explanation of the home appliance 2, and next, the point management device 3 will be explained using FIG. 1.

[0050] In FIG. 1, the point management device 3 includes a communication unit 31, a log data collection unit 32, a log data analysis unit 33, an influence degree estimation unit , a point calculation unit 35, and a storage unit .

[0051] First, the communication unit 31 connects to the home appliance 2 and the user terminal 1 via the network 6. The log data collection unit 32 to the point calculation unit 35 have the same functions as the log data collection unit 12 to the point calculation unit 15, respectively. Therefore, the description of these functions will also be omitted.

[0052] Furthermore, the storage unit 36 ​​stores at least one of user management information 361, home appliance management information 362, log data 363, and an impact estimation table 364. The user management information 361 is information having the same items as the user management information 191. However, the user management information 361 also includes information on a specific user other than the user A shown in Fig. 3. In other words, the user management information 361 is information on a plurality of users.

[0053] Moreover, home appliance management information 362 is information having the same items as home appliance management information 192. However, home appliance management information 362 also includes information on home appliances owned by a specific user other than the user A shown in Fig. 4. In other words, home appliance management information 362 is information on home appliances of multiple users.

[0054] Furthermore, the log data 363 is information having the same items as the log data 193. However, the log data 363 also includes log data of home appliances owned by a user other than the specific user indicated as user A in Fig. 5. In other words, the log data 363 is log data of home appliances of multiple users.

[0055] Moreover, the impact estimation table 364 is a table having the same items as the impact estimation table 194. However, while the impact estimation table 194 deals with home appliances 2 (individual appliances such as microwave ovens 21) related to a specific user, it is preferable to have a table for each model number or type of each home appliance, rather than for each individual appliance. Similarly, the impact estimation table 194 may also be a table for each model number or type of home appliance.

[0056] When the user terminal 1 stores the user management information 191, the home appliance management information 192, the home appliance management information 192, the log data 193, and the influence degree estimation table 364, at least one of these pieces of information can be omitted.

[0057] Next, a hardware configuration as an implementation example of the point management device 3 will be described. The point management device 3 can be realized by a computer such as a server or a cloud system. Fig. 8 is a hardware configuration diagram of the point management device 3 in this embodiment. In Fig. 8, the point management device 3 has a processing device 301, a communication device 302, a memory 303, and a secondary storage device 304, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0058] First, the processing device 301 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU, and executes calculations according to a point management program 305 stored in a secondary storage device 304 described later. Also, the communication device 302 corresponds to the communication unit 31 in Fig. 1, connects to the network 6, and communicates with other devices such as the user terminal 1, the home appliance 2, and the sales counter device 4.

[0059] 1. The memory 303 and the secondary storage device 304 expand the point management program 305 stored in the secondary storage device 304 and information used for processing by the processing device 301. The secondary storage device 304 can be realized by a so-called storage. The secondary storage device 304 stores the point management program 305, user management information 361, and home appliance management information 362. The secondary storage device 304 may be realized by various storage media such as an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or memory card, or may be realized by a device separate from the point management device 3, such as a file server.

[0060] Here, the point management program 305 is composed of a log data collection module 306, a log data analysis module 307, an impact estimation module 308, and a point calculation module 309 for each function. Each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination. Furthermore, the point management program 305 may be realized as one function of an integrated management program that manages the home appliances 2, and also has functions such as member management, replacement, and operation.

[0061] Here, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 which performs the same functions as each module is as follows. Log data collection module 306: Log data collection unit 32 Log data analysis module 307: Log data analysis unit 33 Impact estimation module 308: Impact estimation unit 34 Point calculation module 309: point calculation unit 35 Therefore, the processing device 301 executes the processes of the log data collection unit 32 to the point calculation unit 35 in accordance with the point management program 305.

[0062] Here, the point management program 305 executes the same process as the point management program 105 of the user terminal 1 shown in Fig. 2. The point management program 305 can be stored in the secondary storage device 304 or other storage media.

[0063] The point management device 3 is used by manufacturers and retailers of the home appliances 2, and these retailers manage users as members and also manage each home appliance 2. For this reason, the point management device 3 may be realized as a home appliance management device that comprehensively manages home appliances. Furthermore, the point management device 3 may be managed and used by a platform provider that operates a point service (point program). Furthermore, the point management program 105 and the point management program 305 are programs that cause the computer of the user terminal 1 and the point management device 3 to function as each of the above-mentioned parts.

[0064] Next, returning to Fig. 1, the sales counter device 4 will be described. The sales counter device 4 is a device that realizes a so-called online store. The sales counter device 4 is a device for selling products such as home appliances 2, and can be realized by an EC server 41 that operates an e-marketplace, an online store server 42 of a single company, or the like. Note that the EC server 41 and the online store server 42 have many common or similar functions, so their functions will be described as the sales counter device 4.

[0065] The sales counter device 4 executes sales processing of the home appliances 2, their parts, and consumables in response to the purchase processing at the user terminal 1. In particular, the sales counter device 4 can execute half-sale processing of the home appliances proposed in the replacement suggestion processing. Note that the sales counter device 4 can be realized by a general computer (for example, a server), so a detailed description of its configuration will be omitted.

[0066] The router 5 is a device that mediates communications between the user terminal 1 and the home appliances 2, but may be omitted. The network 6 connects the above-mentioned devices and can be realized by a wide area network such as the Internet or a combination of the wide area network and a local network.

[0067] The above is the explanation of the configuration of this embodiment, and the point calculation process using this configuration will be explained. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the point calculation process in this embodiment. Below, the processing subject of the replacement suggestion process will be explained using the configuration of the functional block diagram shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 7.

[0068] 9, the operation unit 209 of the home appliance 2 executes laundry or the like, that is, operates. In addition, in step S2, the log data collection unit 203 collects operation log data indicating the status in accordance with the operation in step S1. For this purpose, the detection result of the detection unit 210 or the like is used. Then, in step S3, the communication unit 207 notifies the point management device 3 of the collected operation log data.

[0069] In step S4, the log data collection unit 12 or the home appliance management unit 16 of the user terminal 1 collects the action log data. To this end, the input unit 17 accepts input from the user for introductions about the home appliance and details of maintenance for the home appliance 2. These are then collected as action log data. In step S5, the communication unit 11 notifies the point management device 3 of the collected action log data. The notification process in step S3 or step S5 may be executed at predetermined intervals, or may be executed each time each log data is collected. Furthermore, the notification process in step S3 or step S5 may be realized in a so-called PUSH type, or may be realized in a PULL type from the point management device 3.

[0070] In step S6, the communication unit 31 of the point management device 3 accepts the action log data notified in step S5. In step S7, the communication unit 31 accepts the operation log data notified in step S3.

[0071] Furthermore, in step S8, the log data collection unit 32 stores the received operation log data and action log data in the log data 363 of the storage unit .

[0072] Then, in step S9, if a preset condition such as a predetermined period is satisfied, the log data analysis unit 33 creates operation data from the log data, which are the accumulated operation log data and action log data, and classifies the operation data. For this purpose, the log data analysis unit 33 reads out log data that satisfies a predetermined condition such as the corresponding period from the log data 363.

[0073] Next, the log data analysis unit 33 extracts log data related to operation from the read log data. That is, the log data analysis unit 33 extracts log data related to maintenance, log data related to proper use, and log data related to referrals.

[0074] Then, the log data analysis unit 33 compiles the extracted log data to create operation data. More specifically, the log data analysis unit 33 compiles the amount of extracted log data, such as the number of times, time, and frequency, for each item. At this time, the log data analysis unit 33 creates, as operation data, maintenance data from log data related to maintenance, proper use data from log data related to proper use, and referral data from log data related to referral. As a result, operation data such as that shown in FIG. 5 is created.

[0075] Here, log data relating to maintenance and log data relating to proper use may be included in log data based on the detection result by the detection unit 210 of the home appliance 2, so the maintenance data and proper use data are created from the operation log data. Furthermore, the input unit 17 of the user terminal 1 is capable of accepting the contents of maintenance. Therefore, the log data relating to maintenance may be included in the action log data. Therefore, the maintenance data is also created from the action log data. Furthermore, the input unit 17 of the user terminal 1 is capable of accepting input for a referral. Therefore, the log data relating to a referral is included in the action log data. Therefore, the referral data is created from the action log data.

[0076] Then, the log data analysis unit 33 classifies the operation data into maintenance data, proper use data, and referral data. As a result, for the maintenance data and proper use data, the process proceeds to step S10. For the referral data, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0077] In step S10, the influence estimation unit 34 uses the maintenance data and proper use data created in step S9 to estimate the environmental characteristic influence on the environmental characteristics of the home appliance due to the corresponding operation, that is, the maintenance and proper use. For this purpose, the influence estimation unit 34 uses the influence estimation table 364. At this time, the influence estimation unit 34 matches the items of the maintenance data and proper use data with the operation in the influence estimation table 364 to identify the corresponding unit environmental characteristic influence. Then, the influence estimation unit 34 can estimate the environmental characteristic influence by multiplying the unit environmental characteristic influence according to the amount of the maintenance data and the proper use data. In this embodiment, the unit life influence and the unit price influence are used as the unit environmental characteristic influence, so that the life influence and the price influence are estimated as the environmental characteristic influence. Both of these may be used as the environmental characteristic influence, or a representative value such as an average value or either one may be used. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lifespan impact on extending the lifespan of the relevant home appliance 2 and the price impact on the selling price when the relevant home appliance 2 is sold are used, but other impacts can also be used.

[0078] In step S11, the point calculation unit 35 uses the environmental characteristic influence degree estimated in step S10 to calculate limited points related to the home appliance and for which a purpose of use is specified. For this purpose, for example, the point calculation unit 35 multiplies a predetermined reference point by the environmental characteristic influence degree to calculate the number of limited points. Note that the number of points for each operation may be registered in the influence degree estimation table 364 and used. Furthermore, in calculating the number of points, the number of points may be adjusted using the market price and supply and demand relationship of the target home appliance 2. In this case, the point management device 3 may acquire the market price and supply and demand relationship from another device via the network 6, or may store them in the storage unit 36.

[0079] Furthermore, the point calculation unit 35 specifies the purpose of use of the restricted points according to the result of classification in step S9. That is, when the environmental characteristic impact degree estimated from the maintenance data is used, the maintenance points intended to be added to the selling price when the corresponding home appliance 2 is sold are calculated as the restricted points. When the environmental characteristic impact degree estimated from the appropriate use data is used, the appropriate use points usable for purchasing a new home appliance when replacing the corresponding home appliance 2 are calculated.

[0080] Furthermore, when the process moves from step S9 to step S12, the communication unit 31 notifies the user terminal 1 of a request to select a recipient of the restricted points and a person to whom the restricted points will be given.

[0081] Then, in step S13, the communication unit 11 of the user terminal 1 accepts the notified selection request. Then, the output unit 18 displays the notified selection request. This display allows the user to select whether the person to whom the points are to be awarded is the user of the user terminal 1 himself or herself, or a person to whom the home appliance is to be introduced (another person). Furthermore, the user can select whether the purpose of use of the introduction points, which are limited points, is to purchase consumables for the home appliance 2 or to purchase the home appliance.

[0082] Next, in step S14, the input unit 17 accepts a selection in response to the displayed selection request from the user. Here, as described above, the recipient and the purpose of use of the referral points can be selected. However, when the referral points are selected, the purpose of use may be automatically determined when the recipient is selected. For example, when a user is selected as the recipient, the purpose of use may be set to purchase consumables of the home appliance 2 of the user, and when another person is selected, the purpose of use may be set to purchase the introduced home appliance. Conversely, when the purpose of use is selected, the recipient may be specified.

[0083] In addition, in step S15, the communication unit 31 notifies the selection result to the point management device 3. Then, in step S16, the communication unit 31 of the point management device 3 receives the selection result.

[0084] In response to this, in step S17, the log data analysis unit 33 judges the selection result in step S14. As a result, if the purchase of consumables is specified as the purpose of using the introduction points, the process proceeds to step S18. Also, if the purchase of home appliances is specified as the purpose of using the introduction points, the process proceeds to step S19.

[0085] In step S18, the point calculation unit 35 identifies the model (model number) of the home appliance owned by the user, using the user management information 361 or the log data 363 and the home appliance management information 362. Then, the point calculation unit 35 identifies the purpose of using the introduction points as the purchase of a consumable product of the corresponding model.

[0086] In step S19, the influence estimation unit 34 also uses the influence estimation table 364 to estimate the unit environmental characteristic influence for the relevant introduction data. For example, in the example of FIG. 6 having the same items as the influence estimation table 364, when an air conditioner is introduced, the unit life influence is estimated as "×1.00" and the unit price influence is estimated as "×1.10". Then, the influence estimation unit 34 estimates the environmental characteristic influence from these according to the amount (number of times) of the introduction. Note that, in this step, as in step S10, both the life influence and the price influence or their representative values ​​can be used as the environmental characteristic influence. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the life influence on the extension of the life of the relevant home appliance 2 and the price influence on the selling price when the relevant home appliance 2 is sold are used, but other influences can also be used. For example, the energy saving performance of the newly purchased home appliance and the recyclability of the newly purchased home appliance can be used. Furthermore, the energy saving performance and the recyclability may be the target of the introduced home appliance. As a result, the purchase of so-called energy-efficient home appliances will be encouraged, making it possible to reduce power consumption.

[0087] Then, in step S20, the point calculation unit 35 calculates the introduction points. For this purpose, the number of points is calculated first. When transitioning from step S18, the point calculation unit 35 calculates the number of points determined in advance according to the content of the introduction as the number of introduction points. When transitioning from step S19, the point calculation unit 35 calculates the number of introduction points by the same process as step S11 using the environmental characteristic influence degree estimated in step S19. Note that these number of points may be adjusted using the market price and supply and demand relationship of consumables and newly purchased home appliances. Then, the point calculation unit 35 creates introduction points consisting of the calculated number of points and the purpose of use.

[0088] In step S21, the point calculation unit 35 registers the maintenance points, proper use points, and introduction points, which are the limited points calculated in steps S11 and S20, in the user management information 361 in the storage unit 36. In this registration, the number of maintenance points, proper use points, and introduction points and their intended use are registered. Furthermore, the total number of these limited points may be registered, or points other than the limited points or a sum of these may also be registered.

[0089] Furthermore, in step S22, the communication unit 31 notifies the user terminal 1 of the various restricted points that have been calculated. Then, in step S23, the output unit 18 of the user terminal 1 displays the notified restricted points. This display shows the points (total number), restricted points, maintenance points, proper use points, and introduction points, as shown in FIG. 3. It is also desirable to display these together with the newly granted (calculated) points and the accumulated totals up to that point. Furthermore, the maintenance points, proper use points, and introduction points are added together to form the restricted points.

[0090] This concludes the description of one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the present invention can also be applied to various durable consumer goods that provide functions to users, such as bicycles and automobiles other than home appliances. Furthermore, the processing subject of this embodiment is just an example, and at least a part of it may be executed by the configuration of another device. For example, each process of the point management device 3 may be executed by the user terminal 1 or the home appliance 2. Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted in which two or more operation data are created and two or more points are calculated in one operation. For example, for regular maintenance, maintenance data and proper use data are created, and maintenance points and proper use points are calculated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1...user terminal, 11...communication unit, 12...log data collection unit, 13...log data analysis unit, 14...influence estimation unit, 15...point calculation unit, 16...home appliance management unit, 17...input unit, 18...output unit, 19...storage unit, 191...user management information, 192...home appliance management information, 193...log data, 194...influence estimation table, 2...home appliance, 201...control unit, 202...control signal creation unit, 203...log data collection unit, 204...log data analysis unit, 205...influence estimation unit, 206...point calculation unit point calculation unit, 207...communication unit, 208...display operation unit, 209...operation unit, 210...detection unit, 3...point management device, 31...communication unit, 32...log data collection unit, 33...log data analysis unit, 34...influence estimation unit, 35...point calculation unit, 36...storage unit, 361...user management information, 362...home appliance management information, 363...log data, 364...influence estimation table, 4...sales counter device, 41...EC server, 42...online store server, 5...router, 6...network

Claims

1. A log data collection unit that collects log data related to the operation of the home appliance; a log data analysis unit that creates operation data indicating an operation that contributes to environmental characteristics of the home appliance from the log data; an influence estimation unit that estimates an environmental characteristic influence level indicating an influence level of the corresponding operation on the environmental characteristic of the home appliance by using the created operation data; A point service system having a point calculation unit that calculates limited points related to the home appliance, the limited points having a specified purpose of use, according to the degree of influence.

2. 2. The point service system according to claim 1, The operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics includes maintenance for the home appliance; The point calculation unit is a point service system that calculates maintenance points to be added to a selling price when the home appliance is sold as the restricted points.

3. In the point service system according to claim 2, The operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics includes proper use of the home appliances, The point calculation unit is a point service system that calculates, as the restricted points, appropriate use points that can be used to purchase a new home appliance when replacing the home appliance.

4. In the point service system according to claim 3, The operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics includes introducing a new home appliance to another person by a user of the home appliance; The point calculation unit is a point service system that calculates, as the restricted points, referral points that can be used for purchasing consumables and home appliances for the user.

5. In the point service system according to claim 4, The log data is operation log data indicating an operation status of the home appliance and action log data indicating an action of a user with respect to the home appliance, The log data analysis department: creating maintenance data indicating the maintenance from the operation log data and the action log data; creating appropriate use data indicating the appropriate use from the operation log data; A points service system that creates referral data indicating the referral from the action log data.

6. In the point service system according to claim 5, The impact estimation unit is a points service system that calculates the impact on any one of the environmental characteristics: the selling price when the home appliance is sold, the extended life of the home appliance, the energy-saving performance of the new home appliance, and the recyclability of the new home appliance.

7. Computer, A log data collection unit that collects log data related to the operation of the home appliance; a log data analysis unit that creates operation data indicating an operation that contributes to environmental characteristics of the home appliance from the log data; an influence estimation unit that estimates an environmental characteristic influence level indicating an influence level of the corresponding operation on the environmental characteristic of the home appliance by using the created operation data; A points management program that functions as a points calculation unit that calculates limited points related to the home appliance, the limited points having a specified purpose of use, according to the degree of influence.

8. 8. The point management program according to claim 7, The operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics includes maintenance for the home appliance; The point calculation unit is a point management program that calculates maintenance points to be added to the sales price when the home appliance is sold as the restricted points.

9. 9. The point management program according to claim 8, The operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics includes proper use of the home appliances, The point calculation unit is a point management program that calculates, as the restricted points, appropriate use points that can be used to purchase a new home appliance when replacing the home appliance.

10. 10. The point management program according to claim 9, The operation that contributes to the environmental characteristics includes introducing a new home appliance to another person by a user of the home appliance; The point calculation unit is a point management program that calculates, as the restricted points, referral points that can be used for purchasing consumables and home appliances for the user.

11. The point management program according to claim 10, The log data is operation log data indicating an operation status of the home appliance and action log data indicating an action of a user with respect to the home appliance, The log data analysis department: creating maintenance data indicating the maintenance from the operation log data and the action log data; creating appropriate use data indicating the appropriate use from the operation log data; A point management program that creates referral data indicating the referral from the action log data.

12. The point management program according to claim 11, The impact estimation unit is a point management program that calculates the impact on any one of the environmental characteristics: the selling price when the home appliance is sold, the extended life of the home appliance, the energy-saving performance of the new home appliance, and the recyclability of the new home appliance.

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